2013年英语专八阅读真题

2016-11-09 15:39:30来源：网络

　　TEXT C

　　If you want to know why Denmark is the world’s leader in wind power, start with a three-hour car trip from the capital Copenhagen --- mind the bicyclists --- to the small town of Lem on the far west coast of Jutland. You’ll fell it as you cross the 6.8 km-long Great Belt Bridge: Denmark’s bountiful wind, so fierce even on a calm summer’s day that it threatens to shove your car into the waves below. But wind itself is only part of the reason. In Lem, workers in factories the size of aircraft hangers build the wind turbines sold by Vestas, the Danish company that has emerged as the industry’s top manufacturer around the globe. The work is both gross and fine; employees weld together massive curved sheets of steel to make central shafts as tall as a 14-story building, and assemble engine housings that hold some 18,000 separate parts. Most impressive are the turbine’s blades, which scoop the wind with each sweeping revolution. As smooth as an Olympic swimsuit and honed to aerodynamic perfection, each blade weighs in at 7,000 kg, and they’re what help make vestas’ turbines the best in the world. “The blade is where the secret is,” says Erik Therkelsen, a vestas executive. “If we can make a turbine, it’s sold.”

　　But technology, like the wind itself, is just one more part of the reason for Denmark’s

　　dominance. In the end, it happened because Denmark had the political and public will to decide that it wanted to be a leader --- and to follow through. Beginning in 1979, the government began a determined programme of subsidies and loan guarantees to build up its wind industry. Copenhagen covered 30% of investment costs, and guarantees loans for large turbine exporters such as Vestas. It also mandated that utilities purchase wind energy at a preferential price --- thus guaranteeing investors a customer base. Energy taxes were channeled into research centers, where engineers crafted designs that would eventually produce cutting-edge giants like Vestas’ 3-magawatt (MW) V90 turbine.

　　As a result, wind turbines now dot Denmark. The country gets more than 19% of its electricity from the breeze (Spain and Portugal, the next highest countries, get about 10%) and Danish companies control one-third of the global wind market, earning billions in exports and creating a national champion from scratch. “They were out early in driving renewables, and that gave them the chance to be a technology leader and a job-creation leader,” says Jake Schmidt, international climate policy director for the New York City-based Natural Resources Defense Council. “They have always been one or two steps ahead of others.”

　　The challenge now for Denmark is to help the rest of the world catch up. Beyond wind, the country (pop. 5.5 million) is a world leader in energy efficiency, getting more GDP per watt than any other member of the E.U. Carbon emissions are down 13.3% from 1990 levels and total energy consumption has barely moved, even as Denmark’s economy continued to grow at a healthy clip. With Copenhagen set to host all-important U.N. climate change talks in December --- where the world hopes for a successor to the expiring Kyoto Protocol --- and the global recession beginning to hit environmental plans in capitals everywhere, Denmark’s example couldn’t be more timely. “We’ll try to make Denmark a showroom,” says Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. “You can reduce energy use and carbon emission, and achieve economic growth.”

　　It’s tempting to assume that Denmark is innately green, with the kind of Scandinavian good conscience that has made it such a pleasant global citizen since, oh, the whole Viking thing. But the country’s policies were actually born from a different emotion, one now in common currency: fear. When the 1973 oil crisis hit, 90% of Denmark’s energy came from petroleum, almost all of it imported. Buffeted by the same supply shocks that hit the rest of the developed world, Denmark launched a rapid drive for energy conservation, to the point of introducing car-free Sundays and asking business to switch off lights during closing hours. Eventually the Mideast oil started flowing again, and the Danes themselves began enjoying the benefits of the petroleum and natural gas in their slice of the North Sea. It was enough to make them more than self-sufficient. But unlike most other countries, Denmark never forgot the lessons of 1973, and kept driving for greater energy efficiency and a more diversified energy supply. The Danish parliament raised taxes on energy to encourage conservation and established subsidies and standard to support more efficient buildings. “It all started out without any regard for the climate or the environment,” says Svend Auken, the former head of Denmark’s opposition Social Democrat Party and the architect of the country’s environmental policies in the 1990s. “But today there’s a consensus that we need to build renewable power.”

　　To the rest of the world, Denmark has the power of its example, showing that you can stay rich and grow green at the same time. “Denmark has proven that acting on climate can be a positive experience, not just painful,” says NRDC’s Schmidt. The real pain could come from failing to follow in their footsteps.

　　21. Which of the following is NOT cited as a main reason for Denmark’s world leadership in wind power ?

　　A. Geographical location.

　　B. Government drive.

　　C. Technology.

　　D. Wind.

　　22. The author has detailed some of the efforts of the Danish Government in promoting the wind industry in order to show

　　A. the country’s subsidy and loan policies.

　　B. the importance of export to the country.

　　C. the role of taxation to the economy.

　　D. the government’s determination.

　　23. What does the author mean by “Denmark’s example couldn’t be more timely”?

　　A. Denmark’s energy-saying efforts cannot be followed by other countries.

　　B. Denmark can manufacture more wind turbines for other countries.

　　C. Denmark’s energy-saving success offers the world a useful model.

　　D. Denmark aims to show the world that it can develop even faster.

　　24. According to the passage, Denmark’s energy-saving policies originated from

　　A. the country’s long tradition of environmental awareness.

　　B. the country previous experience of oil shortage.

　　C. the country’s grave shortage of natural resources.

　　D. the country’s abundant wind resources.

　　25. Which of the following is NOT implied in the passage?

　　A. Not to save energy could lead to serious consequences.

　　B. Energy saving efforts can be painful but positive.

　　C. Energy saving cannot go together with economic growth.

　　D. Denmark is a powerful leader in the global wind market.

　　TEXT D

　　The first clue came when I got my hair cut. The stylist offered not just the usual coffee or tea but a complimentary nail-polish change while I waited for my hair to dry. Maybe she hoped this little amenity would slow the growing inclination of women to stretch each haircut to last four months while nursing our hair back to whatever natural color we long ago forgot.

　　Then there was the appliance salesman who offered to carry my bags as we toured the microwave aisle. When I called my husband to ask him to check some specs online, the salesman offered a pre-emptive discount, lest the surfing turn up the same model cheaper in another store. That night, for the first time, I saw the Hyundai ad promising shoppers that if they buy a car and then lose their job in the next year, they can return it.

　　Suddenly everything’s on sale. The upside to the economic downturn is the immense incentive it gives retailers to treat you like a queen for a day. During the flush times, salespeople were surly, waiters snobby. But now the customer rules, just for showing up. There’s more room to stretch out on the flight, even in a coach. The malls have that serene aura of undisturbed wilderness, with scarcely a shopper in sight. Every conversation with anyone selling anything is a pantomime of pain and bluff. Finger the scarf, then start to walk away, and its price floats silkily downward. When the mechanic calls to tell you that brakes and a timing belt and other services will run close to $2,000, it’s time to break out the newly perfected art of the considered pause. You really don’t even have to say anything pitiful before he’ll offer to knock a few hundred dollars off.

　　Restaurants are also caught in a fit of ardent hospitality, especially around Wall Street: Trinity Place offers $3 drinks at happy hour any day the market goes down, with the slogan “Market tanked? Get tanked!” --- which ensures a lively crowd for the closing bell. The “21” Club has decided that men no longer need to wear ties, so long as they bring their wallets. Food itself is friendlier: you notice more comfort food, a truce between chef and patron that is easier to enjoy now that you can get a table practically anywhere. New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni characterizes the new restaurant demeanor as “extreme solicitousness tinged with outright desperation.” “You need to hug the customer,” one owner told him.

　　There’s a chance that eventually we’ll return all this kindness with the extravagant spending that was once decried but now everyone is hoping will restart the economy. But human nature is funny that way. In dangerous times, we clench and squint at the deal that looks too good to miss, suspecting that it must be too good to be true. Is the store with the supercheap flat screen going to go bust and thus not be there to honor the “free” extended warranty? Is there something wrong with that free cheese? Store owners will tell you horror stories about shoppers with attitude, who walk in demanding discounts and flaunt their new power at every turn. These store owners wince as they sense bad habit forming: Will people expect discounts forever? Will their hard-won brand luster be forever cheapened, especially for items whose allure depends on their being ridiculously priced?

　　There will surely come a day when things go back to “normal”; retail sales even inched up in January after sinking for the previous six months. But I wonder what it will take for us to see those $545 Sigerson Morrison studded toe-ring sandals as reasonable? Bargain-hunting can be addictive regardless of the state of the markets, and haggling is a low-risk, high-value contact sport. Trauma digs deep into habit, like my 85-year-old mother still calling her canned-goods cabinet “the bomb shelter.” The children of the First Depression were saving string and preaching sacrifice long after the skies cleared. They came to be called the “greatest generation.” As we learn to be decent stewards of our resources, who knows what might come of it? We have lived in an age of wanton waste, and there is value in practicing conservation that goes far beyond our own bottom line.

　　26. According to the passage, what does “the first clue” suggest?

　　A. Women tend to have their hair cur less frequently.

　　B. Shops, large or small, are offering big discounts.

　　C. Shops try all kinds of means to please customers.

　　D. Customers refrain from buying things impulsively.

　　27. Which of the following best depicts the retailers now?

　　A. Over-friendly.

　　B. Bad-tempered.

　　C. Highly motivated.

　　D. Deeply frustrated.

　　28. What does the author mean by “the newly perfected art of the considered pause”?

　　A. Customers now rush to buy things on sale.