首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The questions in this group are based on the content of a passage. After reading the passage, choose the best answer to each que
The questions in this group are based on the content of a passage. After reading the passage, choose the best answer to each que
admin
2011-01-20
76
问题
The questions in this group are based on the content of a passage. After reading the passage, choose the best answer to each question. Answer all questions following the passage on the basis of what is
stated
or
implied
in the passage.
Pretty much everybody agrees that clean air is a good thing, right? Evidently not so. Since the 1960s, when people started talking about clean air in the first place, the American energy industry, which includes coal companies, oil companies, and utility companies, has dragged its heels on every initiative to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Even after the Clean Air Act of 1970 and its amendments in 1977 and 1990 made it clear that controlling air pollution is a national priority, these companies have found tricks and loopholes to avoid compliance.
Perhaps the most egregious loophole is the one that allows older power plants to disregard limits on sulfux dioxide emissions until they undergo a major renovation, at which point they have to comply. Sulfur dioxide from coal-burning power plants is the primary cause of acid rain in North America. The Clean Air Act states that when coal-burning power plants upgrade their equipment, they must then comply with sulfur dioxide limitations by either installing scrubbing equipment that cleans the emissions or using fuel with lower sulfur content. The law tied the timing of compliance to major renovations in order to give power plants a grace period in which to comply. Many power plants, however, have exploited a loophole in this law by instituting a series of "minor" renovations that, in effect, upgrade their equipment without requiring them to comply with the Clean Air Act. Some plants have cheated the system by undergoing "minor" renovations for decades.
The power companies claim that they have to resort to these underhanded measures because the cost of compliance with the Clean Air Act is too high. And if everyone else is cheating the system, why should they have to install costly sulfur dioxide scrubbers?
This cost argument falls apart upon scrutiny. Since 1977, more than 400 power plants across the country have managed to comply with the restrictions and are still making money. The sulfur dioxide scrubbing equipment has turned out to be far less expensive than the power industry naysayers claimed it would be. Many power plants have even complied with the emissions limits and reduced their operating costs by switching from high-sulfur Appalachian coal to the low-sulfur coal produced in western states such as Wyoming and Idaho. Western coal is not only cleaner than eastern coal, but also, because it is generally closer to the surface, as much as 30 percent less expensive to extract.
Clearly, the costs of compliance with the Clean Air Act can be justified, but if these companies were honest, such justifications would not have to be made. If they were honest, they would acknowledge the costs of not complying: the health costs of increased rates of asthma and lung cancer in high-emissions areas; the environmental costs of acid-scarred forests and lakes; the aesthetic costs of a haze of sulfur dioxide cutting visibility across the eastern United States to only half of what it was in pre-industrial times. When you look at the true costs you have to ask, is any cost too high for clean air?
The author’s tone can best be described as which of the following?
选项
A、Angry and subjective
B、Calm and objective
C、Analytic and ambivalent
D、Grim and self-satisfied
E、Tentative and biased
答案
A
解析
The use of loaded terms such as "dragged its heels," "tricks and loopholes," and "underhanded" suggests that the author has an emotional involvement with the subject that could be described as angry; the author also clearly has a point of view on the subject, so he or she is subjective. None of the other choices offers a more accurate description.
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/OftO777K
本试题收录于:
GMAT VERBAL题库GMAT分类
0
GMAT VERBAL
GMAT
相关试题推荐
Childrenandyoungpeopleareattheheartofsociety.Agoodeducationenablesthem,asglobalcitizens,torespondtothechal
IfthereisonethingI’msureabout,itisthatinahundredyearsfromnowwewillstillbereadingnewspapers.Itisnottha
Weallknowthatitispossibleforordinarypeopletomaketheirhomesontheequator(赤道),althoughoftentheymayfeeluncomfor
Ifwomenareencouragedbyequalpaytotakefull-timejobs,theywillbeunabletodothethingstheyarebestatdoing:making
Extensivenewstudiessuggestthattheworldhasmadeextraordinaryprogressinreducingpovertyinrecentdecades.Theresearch
IntheUnitedStatesduring1992,anyfamilyoffourwithanannualcashincomeoflessthan$14,335(beforetaxes)wasconsider
Atpresenttime,peoplehaveatrendtoliveinthe
WashingtonIrvingwasAmerica’sfirstmanofletterstobeknowninternationally.Hisworkswerereceivedenthusiasticallyboth
【T1】Whiletherearealmostasmanydefinitionsofhistoryastherearehistorians,modernpracticemostcloselyconformstoone
Adogenthusiasttookhometwopuppiesfromthedogshelter.Hefedoneofthepuppiessuper-premiumcanneddogfood,whilehef
随机试题
《临证指南医案》指出“内风”的机理均属于
女性,43岁,眼睑及双下肢水肿2个月,既往有2型糖尿病3年,3年前血糖正常,尿常规蛋白阳性、尿红细胞满视野,24小时尿蛋白定量3.9g,血浆白蛋白27.2g/L,血肌酐88μmmol/L。
照射角与体层面厚度关系的叙述,正确的是
患儿,6岁,高热不退,烦躁谵妄,皮肤疹点密集成片,色泽紫暗,甚则神昏,抽搐,舌红绛起刺,苔黄燥,脉数。方剂首选
从活性污泥曝气池取混合液300ml,在量筒内静置沉降30min,沉淀污泥体积60ml,则该污泥的污泥沉降比为()。
某银行行长要求其分行一名信贷经理关照一笔贷款,而信贷经理发现该笔贷款明显不符合规定,则该信贷经理的正确做法有()。(2011年)
一、注意事项1.本题本由给定资料与作答要求两部分构成。考试时限为150分钟。其中,阅读给定资料参考时限为40分钟。作答参考时限为110分钟。2.请在题本、答题卡指定位置上用黑色字迹的钢笔或签字笔填写自己的姓名和准考证号,并用2B铅笔在
下列语句分别是不同程序中的第一个输入输出语句,若去掉其中的’’<<left",输出效果将发生变化的是()。
Whatistheconversationmainlyabout?
A、Earlyadoptionmakesforcloserparent-childrelationship.B、Mostpeopleprefertoadoptchildrenfromoverseas.C、Understandi
最新回复
(
0
)