The European Union revealed on January 23th how it plans to save the world. A mammoth climate-change plan spells out in detail how much pain each of its 27 members will have to bear if the EU is to meet ambitious targets set by national leaders last Match.
The aim is to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by 2020 by at least a fifth, and more than double to 20% the amount of energy produced from renewable sources such as wind or wave power. If fuel from plants proves green enough, 10% of the fuel used in transport must come from biofuels by the same date. The new plan turns these goals into national targets. This will surely start much grumbling and months of horse-trading, as the European Commission’s recommendations are turned into binding law by national governments and the European Parliament.
Countries with greenery in their veins are being asked to take more of the burden than newer members. Sweden, for example, is being invited to meet 49% of its energy from renewables. At the other end, Malta gets a renewables target of just 10%. It is a similar story when it comes to cutting greenhouse gases: by 2020, Denmark must cut emissions by 20% from 2005 levels; Bulgaria and Romania, the newest members, may let their emissions rise by 20%.
EU leadership on climate change will not come cheap. The direct costs alone may be e 60 billion ($87 billion), or about 0.5% of total EU GDP, by 2020, said the commission’s president, Jose Manuel Barroso. But this is still presented as a bargain compared with the cost of inaction, which Mr Barroso put at ten times as high. “Oh, leading the world in the fight against climate change need not cost jobs, even in the most heavily polluting branches of heavy industry. We want to keep our industry in Europe”, insisted Mr. Barroso.
The trick to achieve the seemingly impossible targets is the EU’s emissions-trading scheme (ETS). This obliges big polluters such as power companies or manufacturing giants to trade permits that allow them to emit CO2 and other climate-change nasties, within a steadily tightening overall cap. If countries such as the United States do not sign binding international agreements by 2011, then the heaviest greenhouse-gas emitters inside the EU may be given these allowances free, the commission suggests. Or, it threatens, firms outside the EU could be forced to buy ETS permits.
1. To its member nations, the EU’s plan means ______.
2. By using some data in paragraph 3, the author ______.
3. According to Mr. Barroso, heavy industry in the EU countries will ______.
4. According to the EU’s ETS, big polluters ______.
问题1选项
A.a fierce competition
B.an ideal goal
C.a good opportunity
D.a difficult task
问题2选项
A.gives an objective description of the task assignment among EU countries
B.shows disapproval of allowing some nations to raise their CO2 emissions
C.reveals his puzzlement about why some nations are to do less than others
D.presents his admiration for those who take greater pains to save the world
问题3选项
A.stop being the biggest polluter
B.be short of skilled workforce
C.continue operating
D.react with inaction
问题4选项
A.shall be given no permits until 2011
B.have to pay for their existence
C.will be allowed a fixed amount of emissions
D.can benefit if they choose to be inside the EU
1.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“对其成员国来说,欧盟的计划意味着……”。根据第一段最后一句A mammoth climate-change plan spells out in detail how much pain each of its 27 members will have to bear if the EU is to meet ambitious targets set by national leaders last Match.(一项庞大的气候变化计划详细说明了如果欧盟想要实现各国领导人在上一场比赛中设定的雄心勃勃的目标,其27个成员国将会承受多大的痛苦)和最后一段第一句The trick to achieve the seemingly impossible targets is the EU’s emissions-trading scheme (ETS).(达到这些似乎不可能的任务的窍门是欧盟的排放交易计划)可推知,对欧盟的成员国来说,这一项计划是很艰巨的任务,D项“一项艰巨的任务”符合题意;A项“一个激烈的竞争”、B项“一个理想的目标”和C项“一个很好的机会”都与文章不符,文章主要讲述的是欧盟制定的拯救世界的计划会需要其成员国更多的责任和代价,是一个不可能实现的计划。因此,该题选择D项正确。
2.【试题答案】A
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“通过使用第三段中的一些数据,作者……”。第三段主要围绕绿色能源比重大的国家比其他国家被要求承担更多的责任而进行分析和具体说明,作者在这里只是一个客观的陈述,并未透露自己的情绪观点,A项“客观描述了欧盟国家之间的任务分配”符合题意;B项“表示不赞成一些国家提高二氧化碳排放量”、C项“揭示了他对为什么有些国家比其他国家做得少的困惑”和D项“对那些为拯救世界付出更大努力的人表示钦佩”概括不正确。因此,该题选择A项正确。
3.【试题答案】C
【试题解析】细节事实题。题干意思是“据巴罗佐先生说,欧盟国家的重工业将会……”。根据第四段巴罗佐先生说的话Oh, leading the world in the fight against climate change need not cost jobs, even in the most heavily polluting branches of heavy industry. We want to keep our industry in Europe.(领导世界对抗气候变化不需要以就业为代价,即使是在污染最严重的重工业,我们想留住欧洲的工业产业)可知,欧盟国家的重工业将会继续,C项“继续运营”正确;由此也可知A项“停止做最大的污染者”错误;B项“缺少熟练劳动力”没有提到;由But this is still presented as a bargain compared with the cost of inaction, which Mr Barroso put at ten times as high.(但与不作为的代价相比,这仍然是一笔便宜的交易,巴罗佐认为不作为的代价是它的十倍)可知,不作为的代价很高,所以欧盟国家的重工业不会不作为,D项“不作为”错误。因此,该题选择C项正确。
4.【试题答案】D
【试题解析】推理判断题。题干意思是“根据欧盟排放交易体系,大污染企业……”。根据最后一段对欧盟排放交易体系的描述:This obliges big polluters such as power companies or manufacturing giants to trade permits that allow them to emit CO2 and other climate-change nasties, within a steadily tightening overall cap. If countries such as the United States do not sign binding international agreements by 2011, then the heaviest greenhouse-gas emitters inside the EU may be given these allowances free, the commission suggests. Or, it threatens, firms outside the EU could be forced to buy ETS permits.(这就迫使电力公司等大型污染者或者制造巨头交易许可证,以允许他们在稳步收紧总体限制范围内排放二氧化碳和其他造成气候变化的排放物。委员会暗示,如果像美国这样的国家到2011年不签署约束性国际协议,那么最大的温室气体排放国在欧盟可能会免费得到准许。或者,委员会威胁到,欧盟以外的公司可能会被迫购买ETS许可。),由此可以推理,大型污染企业如果选择加入欧盟就能够获益,而不至于被迫购买ETS许可,故D项“如果他们选择留在欧盟,他们可以从中受益”正确;A项“在2011年之前都不会得到许可”表述不完全;B项“必须为他们的生存付出代价”概括不准确;C项“将被允许一个固定的排放量”这是在加入欧盟的前提下才能实现。因此,该题选择D项正确。