题目内容
In the early days of nuclear power, the United States make money on it. But today opponents (反对者) have so complicated its development that no nuclear plants have been ordered or built here in 12 years.
The greatest fear of nuclear power opponents has always been a reactor “meltdown”. Today, the chances of a meltdown that would threaten U.S. public health are very little. But to even further reduce the possibility, engineers are testing new reactors that rely not on human judgment to shut them down but on the laws of nature. Now General Electric is already building two advanced reactors in Japan. But don't expect them even on U.S. shores unless things change in Washington.
The procedure for licensing nuclear power plants is a bad dream. Any time during, or even after, construction, an objection by any group or individual can bring everything to a stop while the matter is investigated or taken to court. Meanwhile, the builder must add nice–but–not–necessary improvements, some of which force him to knock down walls and start over. In every case when a plant has been opposed, the Nuclear Regulation Commission has ultimately granted a license to construct or operate. But the victory often costs so much that the utility ends up abandoning the plant anyway.
A case in point is the Shoreham plant on New York's Long Island. Shoreham was a virtual twin to the Millstone plant in Connecticut, both ordered in the mid-60s. Millstone, completed for ＄101 million, has been generating electricity for two decades. Shoreham, however, was singled out by antinuclear activists who, by sending in endless protests, drove the cost over $5 billion and delayed its use for many years.
Shoreham finally won its operation license. But the plant has never produced a watt power. Governor Mario Cuomo, an opponent of a Shoreham start-up, used his power to force New York’s public-utilities commission to accept the following settlement: the power company could pass the cost of Shoreham along to its consumers only if it agreed not to operate the plant. Today, a perfectly good facility, capable of servicing hundreds of thousands of homes, sits rusting.
67. The author’s attitude toward the development of nuclear power is ____.
A. negative B. neutral C. positive D. questioning
68. What has made the procedure for licensing nuclear power plants a bad dream?
A. The inefficiency of the Nuclear Regulation Commission.
B. The enormous cost of construction and operation.
C. The length of time it takes to make investigations.
D. The objection of the opponents of nuclear power.
69. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that ____.
A. there are not enough safety measures in the U.S. for running new nuclear power plants
B. it is not technical difficulties that prevent the building of nuclear power plants in the U.S.
C. there are already more nuclear power plants than necessary in the U.S.
D. the American government will not allow Japanese nuclear reactors to be installed in the U.S.
70. Governor Mario Cuomo’s chief intention in proposing the settlement was to ____.
A. stop the Shoreham plant from going into operation
B. urge the power company to further increase its power supply
C. permit the Shoreham plant to operate under certain conditions
D. help the power company to solve its financial problems
CDBA
阅读快车系列答案D
Parties, iPods, concerts, movies, TV shows, video games, traffic. All of these things of the modern world make life entertaining and enjoyable. But our 21st-century lifestyle is also loud and, if we don’t take notice, it can have an effect on our hearing.
Most teenagers don’t think about hearing loss. But if you experience any of the following symptoms（症状）, you may already be hearing damaged: you make efforts to hear normal talk, you have to turn up the TV or radio so high that others complain, you watch other people’s expressions to understand what they are saying, you ask people to repeat themselves, you misunderstand what people are saying or you hear ringing in your ears.
iPods and other MP3 players are as common as the clothes you wear, and just as fashionable. But if you turn up an iPod to more than 60 percent of its maximum volume（最大音量）, and listen to music for more than an hour, you are asking for trouble. And, it does not matter if the music you play is classical, rock or heavy metal.
Some researchers find that young people who break the so-called 60-percent/60-minute rule in listening to iPods are at the risk of suffering hearing loss.
Why is an iPod dangerous? With ear buds placed directly in the ear canal and high-volume music played over a long period of time, it’s like working in a loud factory all day, being a maintenance（修理）person under a jet airplane or using a jackhammer（手提钻）on a building site.
Similarly, iPod music can cause a short time or permanent（永久的）hearing damage. A loud iPod can cause a ruptured（破裂的）eardrum and, over time, may cause permanent damage to the tiny hairs in the inner ear. If these tiny hairs are damaged, they cannot effectively send sounds to the auditory nerves（听觉神经）that connect to the brain. If this happens, hearing loss becomes permanent.
【小题1】Which of the following shows that you are suffering hearing loss?
| A．You are interested to listen to others’ talking. |
| B．You have to read others’ expressions to understand them. |
| C．You can only understand others over the phone. |
| D．You always think you hear the ringing of the phone. |
| A．Listen at least an hour every time. |
| B．Turn up the volume to the highest level. |
| C．keep the sound lower than 60% of its highest volume. |
| D．Choose classical, rock or heavy metal music. |
a. The eardrum is broken.
b. The auditory nerves cannot receive sounds.
c. Tiny hairs are damaged.
d. Ear buds are placed directly in the ear canal.
e. High-volume music is played over a long time.
| A．d-a-c-b-e | B．e-c-a-b-d | C．b-c-a-d-e | D．d-e-a-c-b |
| A．music that teenagers like | B．hearing problems caused by the loud world |
| C．ways that teenagers enjoy music | D．dangerous modern lifestyles of teenagers. |