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  3. Global energy demand is expected to triple by mid-century. The earth is unlikely to run out of fossil fuels by then, given its v

Global energy demand is expected to triple by mid-century. The earth is unlikely to run out of fossil fuels by then, given its v

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问题     Global energy demand is expected to triple by mid-century. The earth is unlikely to run out of fossil fuels by then, given its vast reserves of coal, but it seems unthinkable that we will continue to use them as we do now. It’s not just a question of supply and price, or even of the disease caused by filthy air. The terrorist assault on the World Trade Center raises other scary scenarios: how much easier would it be to crack open the Trans-Alaska pipeline and how much deadlier would it be to bomb a nuclear plant than to attack a wind farm?
    Skeptics may recall the burst of enthusiasm for conservation and renewable power when oil prices quadrupled in the 1970s. State-funded energy research and development surged, while tax incentives boosted solar, wind and other alternatives to petroleum and the atom. But when oil supplies loosened and prices dropped in the early 1990s, governments lost interest. In the state of California, subsidies evaporated, pushing wind companies into bankruptcy.
    Clean energy has long way to go. Only 2.2% of the world’s energy comes from "new" renewables such as small hydroelectric dams, wind, solar and geothermal. How to boost that share — and at what pace — is debated in industrialized nations — from Japan, which imports 99.7 % of its oil, to Germany, where the nearby Chernobyl accident turned the public against nuclear plants, to the U.S., where the Bush Administration has strong ties to the oil industry. But the momentum toward clean renewables is undeniable. How soon we reach an era of clean, inexhaustible energy depends on technology. Solar and wind energies are intermittent: When the sky is cloudy or the breeze dies down, fossil fuel or nuclear plants must kick into compensate. But scientists are working on better ways to store electricity from renewable sources.
    While developed nations debate how to fuel their power plants, however, some 1.6 billion people — a quarter of the globe’s population — have no access to electricity or gasoline. Many spend their days collecting firewood and cow dung, burning it in primitive stoves that belch smoke into their lungs. To emerge from poverty, they need modern energy. And renewables can help. From village-scale hydropower to household photovoltaic systems to bio-gas stoves that convert dung into fuel.
    Ultimately, the earth can meet its energy needs without fouling the environment. "But it won’t happen," asserts Thomas Johansson, an energy adviser to the United Nations Development Program, "without political will." To begin with, widespread government subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear energy must be dismantled to level the playing field for renewables. Moreover, government should pressure utility to meet targets for renewable sources of energy.
From the passage, we can conclude that_____.
选项 A、it will be impossible for wind and solar energy to completely replace fossil fuels
B、high technology plays a vital role in the trend toward clean energy
C、the development of a nation will inevitably pollute the environment
D、poor areas are badly polluted and are in high need of renewable energy
答案B
解析 这是一道归纳题。文章第三段指出：清洁能源还有很长的路要走；我们多久能够进入一个利用清洁的、用之不竭的能源时代取决于技术。这说明，在能源清洁化的过程中，技术起着重要的作用。B说“在向清洁能源发展的过程中，高科技起着十分重要的作用”，这与文章的意思符合。文中没有提到A；C与文章最后一段第一句话的意思不符合：文中提到贫困地区时是说“为了摆脱贫穷，他们需要现代能源；可再生能源可以有所帮助”，并没有说贫困地区污染严重，所以D不对。
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