Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.
【真题来源：2014年6月大学英语四级真题（第一套）Part Ⅲ，Section C，第61-65题】
Passage Two
Energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn't it? If you think so, you're not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession.
"Energy independence" and its rhetorical (修辞的) companion “energy security” are, however, slippery concepts that are rarely though through. What is it we want independence from, exactly?
Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that old from elsewhere.
The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle（涓涓细流）of biofuel（生物燃料）available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.
Second, Americans have basically decided that they don't really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to endure the environmental impacts of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?
Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don't read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.
There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to maintain its economy. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices, At the same time, we derive massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world.
What does the author say about energy independence for America?
第1段第1、2句中提到能源独立，听起来确实不错，故答案为A。其中的sounds very attractive是对has a nice ring的同义转述。B、C在原文中没有提及：D夸大了原文的范围，原文只是提到“能源独立是几十年来历届美国总统们的梦想”。
What does the author think of biofuels?
第4段第2句指出，生物燃料一直在出现，并且将来可能会出现得更多，但是大多数生物燃料会造成经济浪费和环境破坏，故答案为D。其中的cause serious damage to the environment是对cause...environmental destruction的同义转述。A是根据该段第1句设置的干扰，并且文中并没有提及“健康运行”：B在文中没有提及；C与该段第2句but前的内容相反。
Why does America rely heavily on oil imports?
第5段第2、3句指出，相比从外国进口石油，美国更重视自己所保持的环境质量。美国广大区域以环境保护的名义，禁止进行石油勘探和生产。由此可知，美国依赖石油进口是为了保护自己国家的环境，故答案为C。A和B在原文中没有提及：第6段最后一句指出，美国是石油出口大国，D与此明显相反。
What does the author say about oil trade?
第6段第1、2句中指出，进行石油贸易有利可图。它有利于经济效率，并且当从生产成本低于我们的地方购买东西时，我们就可以获利。故答案为B。其中的improves economic efficiency是对allows for economic efficiency的同义转述。原文只是提到进行石油贸易对美国有利，并没有说对进行贸易的双方都有利，故排除A；C在文中没有提及；D是根据places that have lower production costs设置的干扰。
What is the author's purpose in writing the passage?
第1、2段和第3段第1句主要说明美国想要实现能源独立、摆脱石油进口的梦想。第3段第2句则转折指出，美国依赖石油进口其实是有原因的。第4至6段从3个方面解释美国进口石油的原因。最后一段指出美国依赖石油进口来维持经济、获取巨大的经济利益，这进一步说明美国依赖石油进口是有原因的。由此可知，作者写本文的目的是证明美国依赖石油进口是合理的，A最能概括原文，故为答案。其他三项均不是作者的写作意图。