I am addicted to electricity. So are you. And so is your business. We live in an "always on" world—air conditioners, streetlight

admin2015-07-13  31

问题     I am addicted to electricity. So are you. And so is your business. We live in an "always on" world—air conditioners, streetlights, TVs, PCs, cell phones, and more. And with forecasts that we’ll need 40% more electricity by 2030, determining how we can realistically feed our energy addiction without ruining our environment is the critical challenge of the new century. Of course, wecould buy energy-saving appliances or drive fuel-efficient cars. We can recycle cans, bottles, and newspapers. We can even plant carbon-absorbing trees. But, no matter how much we may wish they would, these acts by themselves won’t satisfy our energy demands.To do that, we need a diverse energy mix that takes a practical, rather than emotional, approach.
    Enter nuclear energy. Nuclear alone won’t get us to where we need to be, but we won’t get there without it. Despite its controversial reputation, nuclear is efficient and reliable. It’s also clean, emitting no greenhouse gases or regulated air pollutants while generating electricity. And with nuclear power, we get the chance to preserve the Earth’s climate while at the same time meeting our future energy needs.
    Moreover, many of the management woes that gave the early nuclear business a black eye have finally been overcome.A five-year project in Alabama was completed on time and very close to budget. Also, US-designed reactors have been built in about four years in Asia, and new nuclear plants on the drawing board for installation here in America will be licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission under a speedier process that should be far more efficient than the one in place when the 104 nuclear facilities operating today were licensed.
    But this streamlined process will not compromise nuclear safety and security. The NRC holds nuclear reactors to the highest safety and security standards of any American industry.A two-day national security simulation in Washington, D.C., in 2002 concluded nuclear plants "are probably our best defended targets." And because of their advanced design and sophisticated containment structures, US nuclear plants emit a negligible amount of radiation. Even if you lived next door to a nuclear power plant, you would still be exposed to less radiation each year than you would receive in just one round-trip flight from New York to Los Angeles.
    Here’s the reality: The US needs more energy, and we need to get it without further harming our environment. Everything is a trade-off. Nothing is free, and nuclear plants are not cheap to build. But we have a choice to make: We can either continue the 30-year debate about whether we should embrace nuclear energy, or we can accept its practical advantages. Love it or not, expanding nuclear energy makes both environmental and business sense.
The expression "a black eye" (Para. 3) most probably means _____.

选项 A、an unfriendly attitude
B、a pleasant attitude
C、a changing attitude
D、a doubtful attitude

答案A

解析 语义理解题。第三段具体描述了关于核能利用的政策正在逐渐被放宽这一事实。该段首句中management,以及overcome两词提示。“关于核能的管理难题”得到了克服。结合前面分析可推断give…a black eye传达的信息应该与“不利于核能的利用”有关,故选A项。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/Nc74777K
0

随机试题
最新回复(0)