《北外2006年硕士研究生英语试卷》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《北外2006年硕士研究生英语试卷（9页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、I. Reading Comprehension (50 points)A. Multiple Choice (24 points)Please read the passages and choose A, B, C or D to best complete the statements about them.Hot under the CollarOne of the Labour Partys many transformations during Tony Blair s leadership was its conversion to environmentalism. A par
2、ty with its roots in dirty, heavy industry such as coal-mines and blast-furnaces presented itself as an eco-friendly guardian of the planet s future. The most visible form of this was a commitment, in Labours 1997 manifesto, to cut 20% off British greenhouse-gas emissions by 2010 compared with their
3、 1990 levels. That went above and beyond the 12.5% required by the Kyoto treaty.This pledge has been repeated as recently as the last election, but the promises have not stoodup to reality. Since 1999, British greenhouse-gas emissions have been broadly unchanged. Disillusionment among environmentali
4、sts has gradually given way to an anger which found an attention-grabbing means of expression this week, when Greenpeace dumped a lorry-load of coal outside Downing Street. Stephen Tindale, its boss and a former government adviser, accused Mr. Blair of empty rhetoric. The WWF went further, claiming
5、that Mr. Blair s policies sounded identical to those of George Bush-the eco-worriers nastiest insult.So far, Britain has had an easy ride cutting emissions. The rhythm of technological change and relatively painless policy choices have helped put the country on course to meet its Kyoto obligations.
6、In an attempt to rescue the 20% target, ministers have ordered a policy review, which the Guardian obtained this week. The review, to be formally published next year, acknowledged that cutting emissions further will be hard.Power generation is a good example of why. The governments flagship policy o
7、n climate change has been to offer subsidies to renewable energy. But much of the cut in emissions predates these handouts and owed more to economy than ecology. Newly liberalized electricity firms replaced old, dirty coal-fired power plants with new, clean gas-fired ones in the dash for gas in the
8、1990s because they were cheaper, not because they were cleaner-that was just a happy coincidence. Indeed, part of the reason for modest emissions rises in the past two years is that high gas prices have prompted some companies to switch back to coal.More gas power plants ( and possibly nuclear one.,
9、 too) will eventually be built, but not fast enough to rescue the government from its difficulties. Renewables will help, too, but wind farms are often unpopular with local residents, and with the public finances looking sickly, call for an extravagant subsidy (forecast to reach 1billion-$ 1.72 bill
10、iona year by 2010).Industry already bears the brunt of Britains climate commitments through the Climate Change Levy, a tax on energy use, and the European Emissions Trading Scheme( KTS) , which allocates tradable emissions limits for firms. Introducing new restrictions will be politically difficult.
11、 Ministers tacitly acknowledged as much last year, when they bowed to industry pressure to seek a rise, in Britains European emissions allowances.So, too, in transport, where emissions have risen by 10% since 1990 and which now accounts for a quarter of Britains greenhouse-gas output. Most of the em
12、issions come from road transport, but motorists face only weak incentives to buy carbon-friendly cars (the difference in road tax between the most and least efficient is only 115 a year). Labour has been scared of the road lobby ever since the fuel protests of 2000, which brought the country to a ha
13、lt and ended the policy of annual fuel-tax rises-the one measure that might curb emissions. Ministers say they want to bring airlines into the ETS, but that would require Europe-wide co-operation.Many greens pin their hopes on energy efficiency. Many people have already installed insulation and doub
14、le-glazing, but more is to be done. Higher efficiency standards for new buildings will help, but will take many decades to affect the overall efficiency of Britains dwellings and workplaces. Other savings from conservation tend to call for new habits, which William Blyth, an environmental analyst at
15、 Chatham House, reckons will make them difficult to realize. “People dislike the idea of changing their behaviour for an abstract idea,” he says. “They like having the problem taken out of their hands.” Others worry about the “rebound effect”- that, while conservation saves money, the gains are spen
16、t on such polluting activities as, say, holidaying abroad, which offset much of the environmental benefit. Mr. Blairs domestic reputation is not the only thing at stake. He has been using Britains presidency of the G8 rich nations club to harangue other global leaders on the need for a successor treaty to Kyoto. Preliminary discussions are due to begin later this month at a summit in Montreal. If Mr. Blair cannot present a plausible plan to
