单选题 Global energy demand is expected to triple by mid-century. The earth is unlikely to run out of fossil fuels by then, given its vast reserves of coal, but it seems unthinkable that we will continue to use them as we do now. It's not just a question of supply and price, or even of the disease caused by filthy air. The terrorist assault on the World Trade Center raises other scary scenarios: how much easier would it be to crack open the Trans-Alaska pipeline and how much deadlier would it be to bomb a nuclear plant than to attack a wind arm?
Skeptics may recall the burst of enthusiasm for conservation and renewable power when oil prices quadrupled in the 1970s. State-funded energy research and development surged, while tax incentives boosted solar, wind and other alternatives to petroleum and the atom. But when oil supplies loosened and prices dropped in the early 1990s, governments lost interest. In the state of California, subsidies evaporated, pushing wind companies into bankruptcy.
Clean energy has long way to go. Only 2.2% of the world's energy comes from "new" renewables such as small hydroelectric dams, wind, solar and geothermal. How to boost that share--and at what pace--is debated in industrialized nations--from Japan, which imports 99.7 % of its oil, to Germany, where the nearby Chernobyl accident turned the public against nuclear plants, to the U.S., where the Bush Administration has strong ties to the oil industry. But the momentum toward clean renewables is undeniable. How soon we reach an era of clean, inexhaustible energy depends on technology. Solar and wind energies are intermittent: When the sky is cloudy or the breeze dies down, fossil fuel or nuclear plants must kick into compensate. But scientists are working on better ways to store electricity from renewable sources.
While developed nations debate how to fuel their power plants, however, some 1.6 billion people--a quarter of the globe's population--have no access to electricity or gasoline. Many spend their days collecting firewood and cow dung, burning it in primitive stoves that belch smoke into their lungs. To emerge from poverty, they need modern energy. And renewables can help. From village-scale hydropower to household photovoltaic systems to bio-gas stoves that convert dung into fuel.
Ultimately, the earth can meet its energy needs without fouling the environment. "But it won't happen," asserts Thomas Johansson, an energy adviser to the United Nations Development Program, "without political will." To begin with, widespread government subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear energy must be dismantled to level the playing field for renewables. Moreover, government should pressure utility to meet targets for renewable sources of energy.

单选题 The author's biggest worry about using nuclear energy is that ______.

A. it will do great harm to the inadequate reserves of coal
B. it is deadly if terrorists attack a nuclear plant
C. it will limit the development of many other alternatives
D. there will be a wider gap between developed and developing countries

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】这是一道细节题。文章第一段指出：恐怖主义分子的袭击引发了其他的恐怖画面——与袭击一个风力发电厂相比，炸开横跨阿拉斯加的输油管道会多么容易，轰炸核电站会多么致命?这说明，对于利用核能，作者最担心的是恐怖分子轰炸核电站。B说“如果恐怖分子袭击核电站，那将是致命的”，这与文章的意思符合。文章第一段说的是“世界上的煤矿储量非常大”，说明A不对；文中说的是“税收优惠促进了替代石油和原子能的太阳能、风力以及其他能源的开发”，说明C不对；文中没有提到D。

单选题 The renewable energy research lost support from governments in the early 1990s because ______.

A. skeptics were becoming doubtful about the efficiency of renewables
B. renewables could not meet the increasing energy needs of the society
C. it was much easier and cheaper to use oil than before
D. the investment into the field was not worth its value

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】这是一道细节题。题干中的信号词为in the early 1990s，出自于文章第二段第三句话。文章第二段指出：联邦政府资助的能源研究与开发项目蓬勃发展，税收优惠促进了替代石油和原子能的太阳能、风力以及其他能源的开发；但是，在20世纪90年代早期，当石油供应管制放宽、油价下跌时，政府失去了兴趣。这说明，20世纪 90年代早期，因为石油很容易就能买到．，并且价格也下跌，所以政府失去了对可再生能源的研究兴趣。C说“使用汽油比以前简单、便宜多了”，这与文章的意思符合。文中没有提到A、B和D。

单选题 Which one of the following applies to the use of renewables in developed nations?

A. The more developed a nation is, the higher the proportion of renewables being used.
B. Developed nations are experiencing a fierce energy revolution.
C. Developed nations' ties with the oil industry are becoming tense.
D. Developed nations haven't reached a consensus about using more renewables.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】这是一道细节题。文章第三段指出：对于如何提高可再生能源所占的比例以及以什么样的速度来提高，工业化国家一直在争论。这说明，发达国家对于可再生能源的应用没有达成一致意见。D说“对于利用更多的可再生能源，发达国家还没有达成一致意见”，这与文章的意思符合。文中没有提到A和B；文中提到ties with the oil industry时是说“在美国，布什政府与石油工业的联系非常密切”，说明C不对。

单选题 From the passage, we can conclude that ______.

A. it will be impossible for wind and solar energy to completely replace fossil fuels
B. high technology plays a vital role in the trend toward clean energy
C. the 'development of a nation will inevitably pollute the environment
D. poor areas are badly polluted and are in high need of renewable energy

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】这是一道归纳题。文章第三段指出：清洁能源还有很长的路要走：我们多久能够进入一个利用清洁的、用之不竭的能源时代取决于技术。这说明，在能源清洁化的过程中，技术起着重要的作用。B说“在向清洁能源发展的过程中，高科技起着十分重要的作用”，这与文章的意思符合。文中没有提到A；C与文章最后一段第一句话的意思不符合；文中提到贫困地区时是说“为了摆脱贫穷，他们需要现代能源；可再生能源可以有所帮助”，并没有说贫困地区污染严重，所以D不对。

单选题 The author's purpose of writing this passage is to ______.

A. urge the governments to take effective measures
B. illustrate the urgent demand of clean energy
C. encourage developed nations to set up an example in the energy revolution
D. elaborate the difficulties in the use of clean energy

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】这是一道主旨题。文章最后一段指出：地球最终能够满足人类的能源需求而又不污染环境；但是，联合国的能源顾问断言，如果没有政治意愿，这种情况将不会发生；然后，作者提出了政府应该采取的两项措施。这说明，作者写本文的目的是希望政府采取措施。A说“迫切要求政府采取有效措施”，这与作者的目的符合。B、 C和D都不能表达作者的意图。