1、专业英语四级（能源类阅读理解）模拟试卷 1及答案与解析 0 While Australians are aware of the expansion of conventional gas output in the Timor Sea, the most interesting development globally is the role taken by “unconventional gas“, a technical term to describe coal-seam gas, shale gas and tight sands gas. In Australia, major
2、new coal-seam gas developments are being brought on stream in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, and the Surat Basin in Queensland, but there are no developments here of shale gas or tight sands gas. In the United States, due to technological developments over the past 20 years, about half of Ame
3、ricas natural gas now comes from these sources, rather than the conventional sources which include natural gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The switch towards unconventional gas is the result of higher gas prices and improved technology. Only in the United States, which has both massive consumpt
4、ion of energy and dwindling sources of conventional oil and gas, has unconventional gas been developed to any extent. Similar developments can be expected in other countries as the technology developed in the United States is applied elsewhere. Over the past decade, production from all three unconve
5、ntional gas sources in the US has increased dramatically. The largest increase has been in tight gas, while the largest percentage increase has come from shale gas, where production has risen 300 percent. Driven by record well-drilling, proven reserves have also risen dramatically, so that unconvent
6、ional gas now makes up more than half of the United States proved reserves of natural gas. Significant probable and possible reserves, as well as a large undiscovered resource base, underscore the proved reserves. Speaking at the recent World Gas Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the president
7、of the American Gas Association, Thomas E. Skains, referred to the dramatic impact of the growth of unconventional gas on the US energy industry, and more broadly, its economy. He said: “Perhaps never in its history has the US domestic natural gas industry experienced more changes than now, and this
8、 is just the beginning.“ “The largest change affecting the US market is an increasingly home-grown supply portfolio, led by unconventional onshore shale gas. The abundance of American natural gas resources is a fundamental change a paradigm shift in conventional wisdom.“ Other technologies are also
9、being developed in the United States. Conventional oil wells have a low recovery rate, because of the high cost of recovering “stranded“ oil, which remains in the well as a result of a decline in oil pressure. Enhanced recovery techniques are being developed to improve oil recovery from conventional
10、 wells. The increased production of unconventional gas has had an unexpected consequence for global natural gas prices. Analysts expect the full impact of the unconventional gas revolution has yet to be felt, especially as its potential outside the United States has not even begun. “It will probably
11、 take three or four years to get ones arms around the scale of it,“ said Daniel Yergin, one of the worlds leading energy commentators. A recent study by Cambridge Energy Resource Associates, which Yergin heads, concluded that unconventional gas reserves could be as much as 16 quadrillion cubic feet,
12、 or roughly double current proved reserves. Predictions that the world is running out of oil and gas popularised by Dr Paul Ehrlich in the 1970s and repeated endlessly in the media by David Suzuki and the Greens are utterly wrong. From News Weekly, October 31, 2009 1 Which of the following does NOT
13、belong to “unconventional gas“? （ A） natural gas （ B） coal-seam gas （ C） shale gas （ D） tight sands gas 2 According to the passage, which of the following statements is true? （ A） All kinds of the unconventional gas are being much developed in Australia. （ B） Most of Americas natural gas now comes f
14、rom the conventional sources. （ C） The development of the unconventional gas results in higher gas prices. （ D） Only in the US has the unconventional gas been developed to any extent. 3 Which of the following has the largest increase in production over the past decade? （ A） natural gas （ B） coal-sea
15、m gas （ C） shale gas （ D） tight gas 4 The largest change influencing the US natural gas market is_. （ A） the abundance of US natural gas resources （ B） an increasingly home-grown supply portfolio （ C） unconventional onshore shale gas resources （ D） the US energy industry and the US economy 5 Which o
16、f the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? （ A） The growth of unconventional gas has a great impact on the US economy. （ B） The “stranded“ oil remains in the well as a result of a decline in oil pressure. （ C） It is totally safe to believe that the world is now running out of t
17、he oil and gas. （ D） Enhanced recovery techniques are being developed to improve oil recovery. 5 In the United States, President Barack Obama has reversed long-standing Democratic Party policy by approving substantial new loans for the construction of nuclear energy plants in the US. He has followed
18、 up on his support for “a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants“ in his State of the Union address in January, by proposing to triple public financing for nuclear power. The US Department of Energy recently proposed $US36 billion in new federal loan guarantees on top of $US18.5 billion
19、already budgeted for a total of $US54.5 billion which is expected to fund six or seven new power plants. The first of the new generation power stations is being built in the state of Georgia, backed by federal loans of $US8 billion. This reversed the position Barack Obama held during the presidentia
20、l election campaign, when he opposed a plan by his Republican opponent, John McCain, to build 45 nuclear power plants by 2030. Obama, at the time, gave the excuse that nuclear power stations should not be built until the nuclear waste disposal problem was solved. In Britain, the Labour Government of
21、 Gordon Brown faces the problem of having to replace ageing power stations from 2015, after having sold off its controlling stake in the British Energy Group to the French company, EDF. Mr. Brown has promised to fast-track the construction of 10 nuclear power stations in Britain, using the Infrastru
22、cture Planning Commission to cut through red tape and environmental approval processes which would normally delay new projects for years. The commission promises to get projects through to a decision in about a year. The British Government specifically says that it intends to use nuclear energy beca
23、use it has almost zero CO2 emissions, and will enable Britain to cut CO2 emissions, as required by the European Unions mandatory CO2 reduction targets. EDF, Europes largest electric power generator, has extensive experience in nuclear power generation, as most of Frances energy comes from nuclear po
24、wer. In a statement in support of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point on Englands west Somerset coast, EDF stated, “The Governments draft Nuclear National Policy Statement (NPS) emphasises the need for the UK to take account of the ability to develop new nuclear power stations significantly
25、 earlier than 2025 so to displace CO2, and achieve the Governments objective of achieving an electricity supply that is almost entirely decarbonised by 2050.“ It added, “Unless action is taken now to invest in new nuclear power stations, carbon emissions from electricity generation are likely to ris
26、e and energy security will be at increasing risk. It is on this fundamental basis that EDF Energy believes there is a pressing need for new nuclear development. The proposed nuclear power development at Hinkley Point C will provide more than 6 percent of the UKs electricity requirements. This will r
27、epresent a significant contribution to the Governments energy policy aims in its own right.“ Nuclear power has been refined over the past 50 years, to the point where it is the cleanest source of available energy, even taking into account the problems of nuclear waste disposal and plant decommission
28、ing. The fact that the left-wing governments of Britain and the United States have embarked on a massive expansion of nuclear power generation shows that they regard these problems as manageable. From News Weekly, March 6, 2010 6 Which of the following statements is NOT true about the US policy for
29、nuclear energy? （ A） The government approved new loans for the construction of nuclear energy plants. （ B） The government has proposed a total of $US36 billion in federal loan guarantees. （ C） The government is expected to fund six or seven new power plants in the country. （ D） The first of the new
30、generation power stations is being built in the state of Georgia. 7 Which of the following statements is NOT true about Barack Obama? （ A） He has reversed the long-standing Democratic Party policy. （ B） He has proposed to triple public financing for nuclear power. （ C） He has proposed to build 45 nu
31、clear power plants by 2030. （ D） He once argued nuclear power stations should not be built. 8 The British government intends to use nuclear energy because_. （ A） the Labour Government faces a series of big problems （ B） the government has sold off its controlling stake to EDF （ C） the government pro
32、mised to fast-track the construction （ D） nuclear energy is the cleanest source of available energy 9 Which of the following has the closest meaning of “decommissioning“ in the last paragraph? （ A） out of use （ B） out of order （ C） displacing （ D） dismissing 10 Which of the following statements is N
33、OT true according to the passage? （ A） The British government has to replace the ageing power stations from 2015. （ B） It is well known that most of Frances energy comes from the nuclear power. （ C） The nuclear power will provide over 6% of the USs electricity requirements. （ D） The UK and the US ha
34、ve started a massive expansion of nuclear power generation. 10 The renewable energy industry has dismissed as “trumped-up nonsense“ an attack by Donald Trump on Scottish wind energy projects. But the Scottish government has declined to respond directly to the billionaires stinging criticism of Alex
35、Salmonds plans for renewable energy. When asked in an interview on Thursday night about Trumps comments, Salmond replied only with a prediction that once renewable energy created a large number of jobs in Scotland, “just about everybody will get on board, even Donald Trump“. Trump is opposed to plan
36、s for an offshore windfarm near the site of his luxury golf resort in Aberdeenshire. In a letter sent to the first minister, Alex Salmond, Trump accused him of being “hell-bent on destroying Scotlands coastline“, and said he would halt work on his project until a decision on the windfarm was made by
37、 ministers. “With the reckless installation of these monsters, you will single-handedly have done more damage to Scotland than virtually any event in Scottish history,“ Trump wrote. He said he would be launching an international campaign against Scotlands wind energy plans. Niall Stuart, chief execu
38、tive of Scottish Renewables, which represents the renewable energy industry in Scotland, criticised Trumps intervention, and said there was no reason why the two developments could not exist side by side. “Who is Donald Trump to tell Scotland what is good for our economy and our environment?“ he sai
39、d. “Offshore wind is already attracting billions of pounds of investment and supporting hundreds of jobs across Scotland, including in his mothers hometown of Stornoway.“ “He completely overblows the impact of the proposed wind farm and to be honest there are so many mistakes in the trumped-up nonse
40、nse that its difficult to know where to begin.“ In an interview with STV, Salmond said he believed even the American businessman could be persuaded of the benefits of wind energy. “People will be opposed for a whole variety of reasons but as we mobilise this industry, as we are established as world
41、leaders, tens of thousands of jobs come to this country and as we re-industrialise this nation then, eventually, just about everybody will get on board, even Donald Trump.“ The Scottish government declined to respond directly to Trumps criticism, saying it was currently considering the views of inte
42、rested parties in the project for 11 turbines in Aberdeen Bay, which has become the focus of Trumps ire. “Scottish waters are estimated to have as much as a quarter of Europes potential offshore wind energy,“ a spokesman said. “A recent study suggests that harnessing just a third of the practical re
43、source off our coast by 2050 would enable us to generate enough electricity to power Scotland seven times over. An independent Scotland will be able to take full responsibility for this renewables revolution, along with the investment and thousands of jobs it brings.“ RenewableUK said studies had sh
44、own that windfarms had no effect on tourism. “We think his concerns are probably not merited,“ it said. “Unless hes going to put his golf course on the water, which seems unlikely.“ Trumps intervention follows the Scottish governments blueprint to help streamline the scope, planning and consenting f
45、or offshore renewables developments. They plan to create a national database of survey data and will prioritise early work to identify potential sites for new test facilities, including deep-water offshore wind technologies. Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said Scotland would no
46、t be bullied over the issue. “First Mr Trump accuses Scotland of being the laughing stock of the world,“ Rennie said. “Now he threatens to launch an international campaign. What Mr Trump needs to understand is that Scotland will live up to our responsibilities to tackle climate change.“ “This letter
47、 is a rather desperate attempt by a rich man who is used to getting his own way. But his latest tizzy is embarrassing. Instead of the world laughing at Scotland, Scotland is laughing at Mr Trump.“ From The Guardian, February 10, 2012 11 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the
48、passage? （ A） The Scottish renewable energy industry has dismissed Donald Trumps attack. （ B） Alex Salmond predicts that everybody will get on board including Donald Trump. （ C） The Scottish government has declined to respond directly to Salmonds criticism. （ D） Donald Trump claimed that wind energy
49、 plans will destroy Scotlands coastline. 12 Which of the following has the closest meaning of “halt“ in the third paragraph? （ A） start （ B） stop （ C） continue （ D） accelerate 13 The wind energy plans will have effect on the following parties EXCEPT_. （ A） Scottish economy （ B） Scottish people （ C） Scottish tourism （ D） renewable energy industry 14 According to the passage, the Scottish government has got the blueprint to help make the followings more efficient EXCEPT_. （ A） scope for offshore renewables developments （ B） planni
