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  3. The federal automobile efficiency standards announced this week are an important step on America’s path to a lower-carbon and mo

The federal automobile efficiency standards announced this week are an important step on America’s path to a lower-carbon and mo

admin2014-05-30  57
问题     The federal automobile efficiency standards announced this week are an important step on America’s path to a lower-carbon and more-secure energy future. They are expected to yield multiple benefits; reduced dependence on foreign oil, fewer greenhouse gas emissions, consumer savings at the pump and a more competitive auto industry. They may also serve as proof that well-tailored government regulation can achieve positive results and that consensus among old enemies—in this case environmentalists and the car companies—is possible even at a time of partisan(党派的)disagreement.
    The standards build on a 2009 agreement that established a unified set of rules governing fuel economy and carbon dioxide pollution from automobiles and light trucks. Those rules covered model years 2012-16; the new rules cover 2017 to 2025. Taken together, the two sets of rules would increase fuel efficiency from today’s average of about 29 miles per gallon to 54.5 miles per gallon when they are fully effective in 2025. This is expected to result in a cut of 40 percent to 50 percent in fuel consumption and roughly equivalent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
    The White House says the rules would reduce oil consumption by two million barrels a day by 2025; the nation now consumes 19 million barrels a day and imports just less than half that amount. And while fuel-efficient cars will cost more initially, lower fuel use is expected to save consumers up to $8,000 over the life of their vehicles.
    The battle for greater fuel economy goes back years and involved many players: California, which in 2002 passed its own law regulating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles sold there; environmentalists, who pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to impose similar rules nationwide; the Supreme Court, which in 2007 authorized the agency to move forward; and Congress, which ordered the Department of Transportation to update fuel economy standards that had been largely untouched since 1975. President Obama’s contribution was to bring about a consensus among the agencies, the states, the automakers and the interest groups on federal and state standards that reduced fuel use and gave industry the regulatory certainty it needed to move forward.
    It is a model of public-private cooperation. Even so, the Romney campaign has called the rules "extreme" and House Republicans have threatened to roll them back. That would be a grave harm to consumers, the auto companies, the economy and the planet.
What does the author mean by "House Republicans have threatened to roll them back"(Line 2, Para. 5)?
选项 A、House Republicans want to make the rules move forward.
B、House Republicans require more support to the rules.
C、House Republicans threaten to replace the rules with a new one.
D、House Republicans declare to end the rules gradually.
答案D
解析 语义理解题。本句理解重点为短语roll…back，意为“击退，把……压低到原来水平”。本句意为“共和党威胁说要取消这些法规所设定的标准”，由此推知，D)“共和党宣布要逐步终止这些法规”为本题答案。A)“共和党想使这些法规更进一步”和原文相反，故排除；B)“共和党要求给予这些法规更多支持”和C)“共和党威胁用新法规替代这些法规”均不符合原文，故排除。
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