单选题 Cars account for half the oil consumed in the U.S. , about half the urban pollution and one fourth the greenhouse gases. They take a similar toll of resources in other industrial nations and in the cities of the developing world. As vehicle use continues to increase in the coming decade, the U. S. and other countries will have to deal with these issues or else face unacceptable economic, health-related and political costs. It is unlikely that oil prices will remain at their current low level or that other nations will accept a large and growing US contribution to global climatic change. Policymakers and industry have four options: reduce vehicle use, increase the efficiency and reduce the emissions of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, switch to less harmful fuels, or find less polluting driving systems. The last of these — in particular the introduction of vehicles powered by electricity — is ultimately the only sustainable option. The other alternatives are attractive in theory but in practice are either impractical or offer only marginal improvements. For example, reduced vehicle use could solve traffic problems and a host of social and environmental problems, but evidence from around the world suggests that it is very difficult to make people give up their cars to any significant extent. In the US, mass-transit ridership and carpooling have declined since World War II. Even in Western Europe, with fuel prices averaging more than $1 a liter(about $4 a gallon)and with easily accessible mass transit and dense populations, cars still account for 80 percent of all passenger travel. Improved energy efficiency is also appealing, but automotive fuel economy has barely made any progress in 10 years. Alternative fuels such as natural gas, burned in internal-combustion engines, could be introduced at relatively low cost, but they would lead to only marginal reductions in pollution and greenhouse emissions(especially because oil companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less polluting types of gasoline).
单选题 From the passage we know that the increased use of cars will ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题是要点归纳题。本题考查的是对第1段主题的理解。选项A、C和D仅涉及问题的某个方面,只有B代表了私人轿车继续增长的真正后果。
单选题 The U. S. has to deal with the problems arising from vehicle use because ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是要点推论题。根据第1段最后一句:“It is unlikely…that other nations will accept a large and growing US contribution to global climatic change”,再结合上文论及轿车问题和“face...political cost”等细节,可推知答案。
单选题 Which of the following is the best solution to the problems mentioned in the passage?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。根据题干中的“solution”可确定答案在第2段,又根据“best”可进一步确定答案在该段第2句“…is the only sustainable(可持续的)option”。
单选题 Which of the following is practical but only makes a marginal contribution to solve the problem of greenhouse emissions?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题是判断题。各选项涉及的内容可能在短文的任何地方,但正确答案通常仍应与主题一致。A之因果关系与短文内容(第2段倒数第2句)不一致;C与短文内容(第2段最后一句及第1、2句)相矛盾;D也不是短文最后一句的本意。
单选题 Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题是判断题。根据文章,西欧公共交通使用率的下降并不是小汽车使用量上升的原因,而是相反。因此,A不是答案。文章第2段指出,汽车行业及政策制定者有4种选择,其中前3种都是理论上成立,实践上有很大难度。只有第4种,即选择类似于电动动力的系统才是可行的现实选择。因此,C不是答案。文章最后一段告诉我们:“虽然更少污染的燃料可以以较低成本投入使用,不过欧洲的石油公司已开始投入数十亿美元用于开发降低汽油污染的技术。”因此,D也足不合题意的。
单选题 How to paraphrase the word "host" in the second paragraph?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:本题是词义题。一般来说,“host”的意思是“主人”或“主持人”。D是该词的旧用法。本句意思是:“减少车辆的使用,可以解决交通问题和许多社会及环境问题。”“a host of”在这里的意思是“许多”。
单选题 What is the meaning of "carpooling" in the last but one paragraph?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:本题是细节题。文章指出:“虽然多人合用汽车可以减少车辆使用量,缓解环境和交通问题,但是,二战后,合伙用车的现象正在减少。”C和D是干扰项,A的意思是“公司推销人员共用的一些汽车”。