Global warming may or may not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but—regardless of whether it is or isn’t—we won’t do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed. Al Gore calls global warming an “inconvenient truth,” as if merely recognizing it could put us on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don’t know enough to relieve global warming, and—without major technological breakthroughs—we can’t do much about it. From 2003 to 2050, the world’s population is projected to grow from 6.4 billion to 9.1 billion, a 42% increase. If energy use per person and technology remain the same, total energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (mainly, CO2) will be 42% higher in 2050. But that’s too low, because societies that grow richer use more energy. We need economic growth unless we condemn the world’s poor to their present poverty and freeze everyone else’s living standards. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050. No government will adopt rigid restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they’re “doing something.” Consider the Kyoto Protocol(京都议定书). It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn’t. But it hasn’t reduced CO2 emissions (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories (签字国)didn’t adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008-2012 targets. The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potential disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence on fossil fuels or dealing with it. The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it’s really an engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don’t solve the engineering problem, we’re helpless.
What is the message the author intends to convey? A. Global warming is more of a moral issue than a practical one B. The ultimate solution to global warming lies in new technology C. The debate over global warming will lead to technological breakthroughs D. People have to give up certain material comforts to stop global warming
ID：9121-12946 If we ________ our relations with that country, we’ll have to find another supplier of raw materials. A) diffuse B) diminish C) terminate D) preclude
ID：9121-12210 Passage One A recent US best-seller declared that men and women are so different that we must be from different planets! Men, it was said, can’t talk about their feelings. Thus, the author suggested that when a man is upset, a woman should just go shopping. Well, speaking for the one man I know best, I can say that I feel insulted, underestimated and stereotyped by such misleading generalizations. Not only do I believe the author’s premise to be false, but I believe it contributes toe the problem by perpetuating a dysfunctional myth. In my experience, men, like women, can talk about their feelings if they are given the words to do so. This myth that men are insensitive is also reinforced through the socialization process. Buys are not supposed to cry, and if they do they are denigrated wit labels such as sissy, pansy, and much worse, all of which are designed to shame them into acting “manly”. In the man’s world, one of the first things boys learn is that the expression of any so-called feminine feelings will quickly bring mockery, ridicule, rejection and other forms of social disapproval. Boys are taught to play with injuries and are admired when they endure pain. Men have long been taught to blindly obey in areas as law enforcement, the military and even in some corporations. A man who is trained to kill animals for trophies, to fight bulls for entertainment and to kill other humans in battle is a man who has been conditioned to alienate himself forms this feeling. And now it seems women are becoming more like men, rather than vice versa. Research shows that women, in general, are by nature more empathetic, sensitive and attuned to their own and other’s feelings. But I have known some men who are more emotionally sensitive than some women. The preliminary scores on EI (Emotional Intelligence) tests also show that there is only a small difference in the composite EI score. From personal experience, I’ve found it easy to teach men to identify and express their feelings. And finally, I am living proof that not all men are from Mars!
ID：9121-12951 Over the last fifteen years, running has become a popular ________ for 30 million participants of all ages. A) fantasy B) pastime C) symposium D) penalty
