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
73
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?
According to information given in the passage, which of the following statements presents the most accurate comparison of an average ton of coal from Wyoming with an average ton of coal from the Appalachian range in West Virginia?
选项
A、The former is cheaper and has higher sulfur content than the latter.
B、The latter is found closer to the surface and contains more sulfur than the former.
C、The former can help coal-burning power plants meet limits on sulfur dioxide emissions and costs more than the latter.
D、The latter generates more energy per pound of coal than the former.
E、The former is found closer to the surface than the latter and helps coal-burning power plants meet limits on sulfur dioxide emissions.
答案
E
解析
The passage states: "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." Therefore, the former--i.e., the coal from Wyoming--is less expensive, closer to the surface, and lower in sulfur than the latter-- i.e., the coal from West Virginia. A, B, and C present inaccuracies in this comparison, while the information in D is not addressed in this passage.
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/pftO777K
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
Thekidswereespecially______thecomingChristmasbecausetheywouldgetlotsofpresentsfromtheirparentsanduncles.
Theinterviewershouldtakedownnotesatthemomenttheperson______answersthequestions.
Thegovernmenthaslostagreatdealof______becauseofthelargeincreaseinfoodprices.
HowIwisheveryfamily______alargehousewithabeautifulgarden.
______answeringthequestion,themanagershruggedhisshouldersasifitwerenotimportant.
Insomecities,workaholism(废寝忘食工作)issocommonthatpeopledon’tconsideritunusual.Theyacceptthelifestyleas【C1】______Gov
SpeakerA:I’dliketobookaticketfornextMondaymorningtoNewYork.SpeakerB:
WashingtonIrvingwasAmerica’sfirstmanofletterstobeknowninternationally.Hisworkswerereceivedenthusiasticallyboth
Advertisementisoftenusedto______.Theword"media"(inthefirstparagraph)includes______.
随机试题
这是什么踏板?
什么是排污许可证制度?简述排污许可证制度的主要内容。
明朝犯奸党罪的官员一律判处什么刑罚()
合同签订后,应后履行义务的一方有下列情形之一的,应先履行义务的一方可以行使不安抗辩权()。
宇宙中穿过地球运行轨道的大行星有1000多颗。虽然一颗行星与地球碰撞的概率极小,但人类仍必须尽其所能来减少这种概率,因为如果这种碰撞一旦发生,对地球将是灾难性的。避免这种灾难的最好方法是使行星的运行轨道发生一定的偏斜。而要使行星的运行轨道发生偏斜,唯一的方
软件开发环境是支持软件产品开发的软件系统,它由______和环境集成机制构成,环境集成机制包括数据集成、控制集成和界面集成。
在VisualFoxPro中,编译或连编生成的程序文件的扩展名不包括( )。
下列叙述中正确的是
Thevisitorwas______entranceintothemuseumbecausehehadnoIDpaper.
CreativeBookReportIdeasA)Areyouatalossforcreativebookreportideasforyourstudents?Ifyes,thenthisarticlewill
最新回复
(
0
)