Admittedly， minor accidents and sup-ups continue to shake public confidence in nuclear power.Given the unquantifiable risks that nuclear power carries，it is only right that the industry be subjected to the test of public opinion and due political process. However，this argues for exceptional vigilance，regulatory scrutiny and accountability——and not for bans or shut downs.

　　Those nuclear operators with a good safety record deserve to have their licenses renewed，so that existing plants may run to the end of their useful lives.The Bush administration‘s enthusiastic support goes a lot further than this，however.It also wants to see new plants.Proponents of new nuclear power stations make three arguments in their favor.They will enhance energy security by lessening dependence on fossil fuels;far from being environmentally harmful，they will be beneficial because they will reduce the output of greenhouse gases;and，most crucially，the economics of nuclear power has improved from the days when it was wholly dependent on bail out and subsidy.

　　Yet these arguments do not stand up to scrutiny.The claim that governments should support nuclear power to reduce their vulnerability to the OPEC oil cartel is doubly absurd.Little oil is used in power generation：what nuclear power displaces is mostly natural gas and coal，which are not only more plentiful than o訂but also geographically better distributed.Security is enhanced not by seeking energy self sufficiency but through diversification of supplies.Creating lots of fissile material that might be pinched by terrorists is an odd way to look for security anyway.What about the argument that climate change might be the great savior of nuclear power? Global warming is indeed a risk that should be taken more seriously than the Bush administration has so far done.Nuclear plants do not produce any carbon dioxide，which is the principal greenhouse gas.However，rushing in response to build dozens of new nuclear plants would be both needlessly expensive and environmentally unsound.It would make far more sense to adopt a carbon tax， which would put clean energy sources such as solar and wind on an equal footing with nuclear，whose waste poses an undeniable(if remote)environmental threat of its own for aeons to come.Governments should also dismantle all subsidies on fossil fuels——especially for coal，the dirtiest of a11.They should adopt reforms that send proper price signals to those who use power，and so reduce emissions.Global warming certainly provides one argument in favor of nuclear power，but it is not sufficient on its own to justify a nuclear renaissance.

　　1.What's the public‘s opinion about nuclear industry?

　　[A]People have little confidence in nuclear power for the potential disaster of nuclear accidents.

　　[B]People think it important to exercise strict monitoring and effective management of the existing plants.

　　[C]People believe the best way to avoid nuclear disaster is to shut down all the nuclear power stations.

　　[D]People agree to prohibit the existing nuclear plants from running to the end of their useful lives.

　　2.The most important reason why the Bush administration support more new nuclear power plants is that—————————

　　[A] they will increase energy security

　　[B]they help lessen dependence on fossil fuels

　　[C]they are environmentally friendly

　　[D] they need little government financial support

　　3.According to the author energy security can only be achieved by———————。

　　[A]using less oil in power generation

　　[B]replacing fossil fuels with more nuclear power

　　[C] seeking energy self sufficiency

　　[D] expanding the sources of power supply

　　4.According to the passage，which of the following measures is the least helpful in protecting the environment?

　　[A]Encouraging the use of clean energy sources.

　　[B]Cutting off subsidies on all fossil fuels.

　　[C]Adopting price reform to reduce emission.

　　[D]Promoting the resurgence of nuclear power.

　　5.It‘s implied that——。

　　[A]nuclear power stations may become the targets of terrorist attack

　　[B]the Bush administration doesn‘t give due weight to environment protection

　　[C]carbon dioxide is the principal source of greenhouse gas

　　[D]nuclear waste will turn to be all environmental threat in the long-run term

　　核心詞匯

　　slip vi.犯錯誤，滑倒 scrutiny n.詳細審查 subsidy n.補助金

　　pinch vt.偷竊

　　難句點津

　　Given the unquantifiable risks that nuclear power carries，it is only right that the industry be subjected to the test of public opinion and due political process.

　　[點津]該句包含一個讓步狀語從句，句子的主干是It is right that…。第一個that 引導的是以

　　文章翻譯

　　risks為先行詞的定語從句;第二個that引導的是主語從句，其中and連接的是介詞to的并列短語。

　　不可否認，一些小事故和疏忽一直在動搖著公眾對核能的信心。就核能具有難以估量的潛在風險來說，核工業應該受到公眾意見的考驗和適當的政治進程的影響。無論如何，這都要求格外謹慎小心，制定詳細的審查規章和責任制度，而不是下達禁令或責令關閉。

　　那些具有良好安全記錄的核電站應該有權利續簽他們的許可證，以便現在的工廠可以運轉到有效期結束。但是，布什政府的熱情支持者要求更多。他們還希望看到新的核電廠。新核電廠的支持者提出了三條有利于自己的意見。他們將通過減少對礦物燃料的依賴來加強能源安全;核電站非但不會造成環境危害，而且是非常有益的，因為它們減少了溫室氣體的排放;最具決定性的是，核電站的經濟狀況已經有了改善，那些完全依靠補助和津貼的日子已經過去了。

　　然而這些論證經不住仔細推敲。政府應該支持核電站的建設從而減少對石油輸出國組織的依賴，這種要求是雙重荒謬的。石油很少用于發電：核能所替代的主要是天然氣和煤炭，而天然氣和煤炭不僅比石油充裕，而且在地理分布上也更合理。能源安全不是通過尋求能源的自足來加強的，而是通過供應的多元化來實現的。不管怎么說，制造大量可能會被恐怖分子偷竊的核燃料是尋求能源安全的蹩腳辦法。那種認為氣候變化可能是核能的大救星的觀點又如何呢?全球變暖確實是一個需要布什政府更嚴肅地對待的風險。核電站不制造任何作為主要溫室氣體的二氧化碳。但是，對此作出倉促回應，建立許多新的核電站，不僅是不必要的花費，對環境來說也是不安全的。采取一種對碳燃料進行征稅的辦法，會將清潔的能源如太陽能和風能放到與核能(其廢料將對未來造成不可否認的環境威脅)同樣重要的地位，這將會更有意義。政府也應當廢除所有對礦物燃料的補助——尤其是煤炭這種最臟的燃料。他們應當采取一些改革措施，將適當的價格信號發送到使用此燃料者那里，從而減小排放量。全球變暖確實為核能的使用提供了有利的論據，但它自己并不足以證明核能應用的復興是正當的。

　　答案解析

　　1.B推斷題。由題干關鍵詞public‘s opinion定位文章第一段。該段著重描述了大眾對核電技術的種種憂慮和看法，群眾所要求的并非禁止或關閉所有核電站，而是強調“高度警惕”以及“定期檢查評估”，對于運行安全的核反應堆可以續發執照，以便充分利用現有的核電資源，故正確答案為B.其余選項A(由于核事故的潛在危險，人們對核能幾乎沒有信心)與文中的shake public con6dence(動搖公眾的信心)不相符，C(人們認為避免核災難最好的方法是關閉所有的核電站)和D(人們同意禁止現有的核電廠運轉到有效期結束)與文意相悖，故錯誤。

　　2.D細節題。由題干關鍵詞But administration定位第二段。該段列舉了布什政府支持建設更多核電站的三個主要原因。在提到第三個原因時，用了most crucially(最具決定性的)，表明現任政府支持核電發展最主要的原因是核電站的建設和運營已不再完全依賴政府的財政援助，故答案應為D.

　　3.D細節題。由題干關鍵詞energy security時定位文章第三段。該段著重探討了核電的發展是否有助于實現能源安全的問題。該段中有幾處關鍵信息表明作者認為：能源安全不是通過尋求能源的自足來加強的，而是通過供應的多元化來實現的。由此可以排除選項c，確定D項為答案。

　　4.D推斷題。最后一段中作者提出了幾點有助于環保的建議：推廣使用清潔能源，取消政府對化石燃料的補貼，以及通過價格改革控制廢氣排放;在最后重申全球氣候變暖不足以成為大規模發展核電的理由，綜合推斷可知選項D正確。

　　5.B推斷題。在第三段中作者借Global warming is indeed a risk t11at should be taken more seriously than the Bush administration has so far done含蓄批評了布什政府的環境政策，因此選項B正確。而選項A、c、D所涉及的內容，作者在文章中直截了當地闡述了，故不合題意。

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