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  3. When a dark-colored S. U. V. raced through the streets of Washington, flipped over and burst into flames on Fox’s fast-paced act

When a dark-colored S. U. V. raced through the streets of Washington, flipped over and burst into flames on Fox’s fast-paced act

admin2015-10-21  33
问题     When a dark-colored S. U. V. raced through the streets of Washington, flipped over and burst into flames on Fox’s fast-paced action show 24 last week, viewers probably were not calculating how much carbon dioxide the explosion produced.
    But executives at Fox have been paying close attention.
    On Monday the network will announce that 24 is going green, becoming the first "carbon neutral" television series.
    Among other things, Fox says, it has hired consultants to measure the carbon-dioxide output from the production, started using 20 percent biodiesel fuel in trucks and generators, installed motion monitors in bathrooms and kitchens to make the lights more efficient and paid the higher fees that help California utilities buy wind and solar power.
    Car crashes posed a bigger problem; even hybrid vehicles emit carbon dioxide when blown up. To achieve true carbon neutrality the scripts would have to avoid shooting on location and staging chase scenes, something likely to disappoint even the greenest viewers.
    So the producers decided to settle for buying carbon offsets, which in theory make up for emissions of carbon dioxide, the main heat-trapping gas linked to global warming, by paying other people to generate enough clean energy to compensate—in this case wind-power plants in India. The producers said they bought enough credits to offset 1,291 tons of carbon dioxide, just over a half-season’s worth of emissions.
    "If we’ve needed a car chase, we’ve had a car chase," said Howard Gordon, executive producer of "24. " "Our obligation is first and foremost to the fans. If we have budget cuts and need to save money, then we’ll have fewer car crashes. "
    Rupert Murdoch, spurred by a presentation by former Vice President Al Gore, said last year that he intended to make News Corporation, Fox’s parent, carbon neutral by 2010, and the network’s campaign, the producers say, is part of that effort. Still, the green fervor is an interesting turn for a show known more for playing out terrorist themes pioneered by the Bush administration and for graphic portrayals of torture in prime time.
    Mr. Gordon said that he knew more skeptical viewers might see the effort as a way to rehabilitate the show’s reputation among liberals, but he insisted that there was no connection.
    "People continue to ascribe political agendas to the show, so they may see this cynically, but, no, absolutely, one has nothing to do with the other," he said.
    Fox is not the first network to tout its devotion to the planet. In November NBC Universal committed to "greening" three shows, including the "Nightly News With Brian Williams" and "Saturday Night Live", by using alternative fuels and increasing recycling and composting. Warner Brothers and Disney also have environmental divisions.
    Still, Fox executives said that they were the first to make a series carbon neutral and that they hoped 24 would be a model for other shows and inspire a higher level of environmental consciousness in viewers. On Monday the network will begin broadcasting announcements in which the stars of 24—including Kiefer Sutherland, who plays Agent Jack Bauer—encourage viewers to take steps themselves.
    "No one is kidding themselves that viewers want to see Jack Bauer stop in the middle of an action scene and deliver some line about the environment," said Dana Walden, a chairwoman of 20th Century Fox Television, who was the force behind the carbon-neutral scheme. But, she added, Fox hoped that the result would be "a more gratifying viewing experience, even if it is at a more subconscious level. "
    Figuring out how to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions on a show that often shoots on location and is known for explosion-enhanced action was not easy.
    The first step was to evaluate how much of the greenhouse gas was produced, examining everything from the cars used to ferry scripts across the Los Angeles area to flights taken by actors and executives. Two categories accounted for 95 percent of emissions: fuel for on-site generators, transportation and special effects; and the electricity used for sets and offices.
    The cast, crew and contractors all made substantial adjustments. They shared scripts electronically and drove around in hybrid vehicles, eliminating the use of 1,300 gallons of gasoline, according to the network.
    Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz. com, which advises businesses and evaluates the effectiveness of environmental measures, said he was impressed with the show’s efforts.
    "These are not just feel-good measures," Mr. Makower said. "They did their homework. "
    Still, by the show’s own accounting, the realities of production often limited what could be done. Although 1,300 gallons of gas represents about 10 cross-country car trips, Fox said, it is not much for a show that goes through at least 1,000 gallons a week.
What can be inferred from this passage?
选项 A、The show of terrorist themes has been sponsored by Bush administration.
B、Howard Gordon is reluctant to commit himself to carbon neutral.
C、The 20th Century Fox TV will not arrange a leading character to spare time for advocating environmental protection.
D、Special effects generally won’t result in emissions of carbon dioxide.
答案C
解析 推断题。[A]“反恐题材的电视节目是由布什政府赞助的”，这是曲解了第八段最后一句中的“…pioneered by the Bush administration…”，本意是说布什政府注重反恐，从而引领了国民对反恐的关注度，而进一步也影响了娱乐界的电视题材，故[A]错误；[B]“Howard Gordon不愿意致力于‘碳中性’事业”，从原文Gordon所说的话我们只知道他把观众的需求放在首位，但并不意味着他不情愿致力于“碳中性”，而且以他为首的《反恐24小时》电视节目剧组也确有“碳中性”行动。故排除；[C]可由第十三段Dana Walden的一番话推断而来，她指出在拍摄电视节目时会潜移默化地宣传“碳中性”，而不会刻意安排演员在节目中说一些环境保护之类的台词，故[C]符合题意，为正确答案；倒数第五段最后一句提到，造成二氧化碳排放的主要(95％)因素有两个，其中一个就是“special effects(特效)”，故“special effects”是造成二氧化碳排放的主因之一，所以[D]错误。
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