TEXT D 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 oil 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 U.S. 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, witch 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 ex tent. In the U.S., mass-transit rider ship and carpooling have decline d 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 ha s 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 missions (especially because oil companies are already spending billions of dollars every year to develop less polluting types of gasoline).
78. From the passage we know that the increased use of cars will ______.
A) consume half of the oil produced in the world
B) have serious consequences for the well-being of all nations
C) widen the gap between the developed and developing countries
D) impose an intolerable economic burden on residents of large cities
79. The U.S. has to deal with the problems arising from vehicle use because ______.
A) most Americans are reluctant to switch to public transportation systems
B) the present level of oil prices is considered unacceptable
C) other countries will protest its increasing greenhouse emissions
D) it should take a lead in conserving natural resources
80. Which of the following is the best solution to the problems mentioned in the passage?
A) The designing of highly efficient car engines.
B) A reduction of vehicle use in cities.
C) The development of electric cars.
D) The use of less polluting fuels.
SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING
In this section there are seven passages with a total of ten multiple-choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answer on your answer sheet.
Text E First read the following question. 81. The passage is mainly concerned with _____ A fruit growing. B outdoor gardening. C leafy vegetables. D indoor gardening. 82. The authors attitude towards the topic in the passages is _____ A neutral. B positive. C contradictory. D indifferent. Now skim TEXT E below and mark your answer on your answer sheet. Maybe youd like to have a vegetable garden, but you live in a room, an apartment, a townhouse or a mobile home, and you think there is no place at all for such activity. But if you have a doorstep, a balcony or even just a windowsill, you can have your own mini-garden. Mini-gardening with vegetables, fruit trees and herbs can be fascinating fun, and you can mix or match all vegetables or vegetables and flowers You can grow them in greenhouses, under fluorescent lights, or in a sunny window. Perhaps now, with the prices of fresh vegetables competing with those of meats and dairy products, this is more than ever an important aspect of indoor gardening . But entirely aside from the economic dividends, there is the pleasure of enjoying a truly fresh product, one you grew yourself from plant to plate. Vegetable plants grow better in full sunlight than in the shade. Some vegetables need more light than can stand more shade than vegetable fruit plants (cucumbers) which do very poorly in the shade. Plant your vegetable fruit plants where the will get the most sun, and you leafy vegetables and root vegetables in the shadier areas.
81. The passage is mainly concerned with _____
A) fruit growing.
B) outdoor gardening.
C) leafy vegetables.
D) indoor gardening.
82. The author's attitude towards the topic in the passages is _____
A) neutral.
B) positive.
C) contradictory.
D) indifferent. 共9页: 上一页 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] 6 [7] [8] [9] 下一页