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Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to selecte on word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Even if you’re not a hard-core Greenie, there are small acts you can take every day to save both the earth and your 1 . Going DIY with cleaning products is a good way to start. You can use 2 at home that won’t cost you any extra money–and that work just as well as the store-bought stuff. Vinegar cuts grease on stove tops and oven doors, and can even whiten your 3 and remove stains from clothes.
In the kitchen, going green can save you money and keep you 4 . Cooking at home can cut down the cost of eating out and the takeout containers that you bring home. Buying produce and other raw foods cuts down on 5 that ends up in landfills. You can also look for products that use 6 or bio-degradable packaging. You can even use some of the items you 7 in the trash to upcycle. Plastic grocery bags can be used for all kinds of craft projects.
It’s easy to ignore, but a great amount of energy gets wasted around the house. You can 8 large appliances and other devices that aren’t being used. Changing out your light bulbs is another way to save money. CFL light bulbs are more 9 at first, but they usemuch less energy than incandescent light bulbs, and last at least eight times longer than regular bulbs. 10 on natural light is another way to make your light bulbs last longer – so open your blinds and enjoy the sunlight!
A) cost B) enjoy C) expensive D) healthier
E) ignore F) items G) laundry H) packaging
I) projects J) recyclable K) relying L) than
M) toss N) unplug O) wallet
SectionB
Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived.You may choose a paragraph more than once.
A World in Transition
A) This year opens in the wake of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21) and the launch of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The former sets out to reach an agreement on carbon emissions, whereas the latter aims to combat poverty and inequality while protecting the environment. Both address critical sets of challenges with profound implications for the way the world operates. And both require serious considerations about energy.
B) It's clear that dealing with climate change calls for deep (and, likely, total) decarbonization of our energy system, which entails a fundamental transformation of our infrastructure. It also demands immediate and rapid action, as our window for avoiding the disastrous consequences of carbon emissions is ever shrinking. Yet at the same time, global energy demand continues to rise, particularly in emerging and developing countries, raising concerns about energy security even in the developed world, where one rarely considers that the lights may not come on when the switch is flipped. How do we meet demand and still achieve the required rapid changes when making decisions about energy supply can take years, and the development and construction of energy sources can take even longer?
C) Science and technology undoubtedly play a vital role. Research efforts continue to furnish us with fresh insights into fundamental phenomena that help us develop better devices and processes for generating or storing energy. For example, new studies of photovoltaics are enabling more efficient cells to be constructed, and presenting cheaper, more flexible approaches to building them; new findings into interfacial or catalytic phenomena generate advances in storage technologies that could bolster deployment of intermittent renewables and reshape the grid; a deeper understanding of materials and chemistry can offer more-efficient routes to the generation of fuels. Technology innovation brings a wealth of new applications, overcoming issues of supply or energy efficiency, allowing us to address many of the challenges we face today and hopefully many of those we aren't yet aware of.
D) Yet to believe that technology alone will save us is to forget that technologies must be used by people. It is not enough to just build and implement new technologies: the way we use, interact with, and think about them is critical as well. Given several options of equal scientific merit, the choice of which to pursue depends on social, cultural, economic and political factors. Thus, we shouldn't forget that science and technology form part of a bigger and more complicated system, full of important feedbacks and loops. If we can better understand the way that individuals and societies engage with energy on different levels, we can design better tools or deploy them in more appropriate ways, reaping greater rewards.
E) Consider photovoltaics. Understanding how to improve the efficiency of a solar cell is just one step in the process of increasing the use of solar power: we must also know how to build modules that are long-lasting and durable; that are cheap to produce at scale and easy to install; or that can fulfil functions that other designs can't. To make solar power competitive in the marketplace, we have to think about subsidies and what level of economic support might be required over what period. There are also issues around where to install solar panels: where are good locations, why do people object to building solar farms near to them, what motivates some people to install solar power and others to refuse to adopt it? Solar power (as well as other renewable sources like wind) also enables individuals, communities, towns and cities to power themselves independently of centralized providers and to become producers of energy as well as consumers, selling excess electricity back to the grid. This gives rise to a number of further challenges for grid operation, business models, regulation and governance. And this is all to say nothing of the additional opportunities that open up when photovoltaics are linked to other technologies, like storage or smart grids. By thinking more carefully at a systems level, combining natural and social science considerations, we can move towards a more integrated, flexible energy system that better fulfills our goals.
F) No one discipline can truly claim to have all the answers to our energy challenges. What is needed is a multiplicity of voices — a combined effort from many disciplines all trying to understand how we can facilitate the energy transition but also all interacting with one another, sharing the benefits of their wisdom for the mutual good. Of course, this multitude speaks many different languages. Multi- and interdisciplinary studies — of which there are an ever-growing number — help here by playing an increasingly important role in removing the traditional boundaries between groups and broadening the conversation.
G) By orienting itself around a subject, not a discipline, Nature Energy hopes to be a home for the many different voices needed, publishing the best research and opinion on energy issues across the natural and social sciences. It also presents perspectives and opinions on different aspects of the energy system, from carbon capture and storage projects to grid balancing and storage for renewables. It wants to publish the research that matters the most to each field but that will also be of interest and influential for people working elsewhere in energy.
H) Energy is an enormous but exciting field. The transition to the cleaner, greener, fairer energy system of the future is underway. Nature Energy looks forward to helping speed it along.
11. It hopes to serve as a forum for the spread and discussion of pressing energy questions.
12. Energy is an important part in the development plans made for the world.
13. Scientific researches give us great ideas of exploring new energy sources.
14. Many factors should be taken into consideration as we plan to use new energy.
15. How to use the solar power wellis a good example of incorporating both natural and social science consideration.
16. Carbon emissions have caused serious problems to the mankind.
17. Energy transition calls for joint efforts from many disciplines.
18. The energy issue poses a challenge not only for the developing countries but also for the developed ones.
19. With support, the energy industry is changing for a better future.
20. Solar energy differs from traditional sources in that individuals can join in the production of energy.
SectionC
Directions: There are two passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions orunfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice.
Passage One
Americans generate about 254 million tons of trash and recycle and compost（制成肥料） about 87 million tons of this material, which adds up to a 34.3 percent national recycling rate. Recycling and composting prevented the release of approximately 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide（CO₂）in 2013, comparable to taking over 39 million cars off the road for a year.
In recent years, however, recycling companies are struggling with higher processing costs, due in part to newer, larger recycling bins that don’t require user sorting（分类） and thus become increasingly contaminated with garbage. When the District of Columbia replaced residents’ 32-gallon bins with ones that were 50 percent larger last year, the extensive amount of non-recyclable material put into the bins drove up the city’s processing cost for recyclables and cut profits from selling recyclables by more than 50 percent.
“Our biggest concern and our biggest challenge today is municipal solid waste and contamination in our inbound stream,” saidJames Delvin, CEO of ReCommunity Recycling, which operates 31 facilities in 14 states. “It’s an economic issue if you think about we go through all this effort to process this material, and roughly 15 to 20 percent of what we process ends up going back to the landfill（垃圾填埋场）. It’s incredibly inefficient to do that.” In a 2014 survey by the National Waste and Recycling Association, nearly one in 10 Americans admitted to throwing their waste in recycling bins when trash cans were full; one in five said they will place an item in a recycling container even if they are not completely sure it is recyclable.
“People refer to this as ‘wishful recycling,’ that’s just when in doubt, put this in the bin because there’s an outside chance they might be able to recycle it,” Delvin notes. “So you see Styrofoam（聚苯乙烯泡沫）. You see PVC. You see batteries and those types of things….” This mixing of waste with recyclables, he says, makes it very difficult to extract the true recyclable commodities that have value.
Improved education regarding the proper materials to recycle is needed to allow recycling plants to remain economically feasible. The pros and cons of recycling are heavily debated, but there’s never an argument over the environmental benefits of limiting disposable packaging and utilizing more durable reusable goods, like shopping bags, coffee thermoses and water bottles, to name a few, in daily life.
21. In 2013, ______________________________.
A) over 39 million cars generated 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
B) over 39 million cars didn’t hit the road to reduce carbon emissions
C) recycling and composting reduced carbon dioxide by a large amount
D) recycling and composting reduced sharply the carbon dioxide by cars
22. Mixing waste with recyclables leads to ____________________.
A) stream contamination
B) high processing costs
C) high recycling rate
D) more profits ofrecycling
23. “Wishful recycling” happens when people ______________________.
A) put the waste in recycling bins
B) know the waste can be recycled
C) don’t know if the waste can be cycled
D) express their wish for recycling
24. Which of the following can be recycled?
A) Styrofoam B) PVC
C) Water bottles D) Batteries
25. What’s the passage mainly about?
A) The importance of sorting trash.
B) The necessity of using durable goods.
C) The benefit of limiting disposable goods.
D) The controversy of recycling.
Passage Two
Installing solar panels on the roof of your home is a big project – but it pays off in more ways than one. There’s the obvious environmental benefit, but for many homeowners, the joy comes with a dollar sign attached.
An average, 5-kilowatt system will cost about $15,000 to $20,000, depending on where you live in the US. So it pays to find out if your state offers rebates（退还款） or other incentives to help lower the cost of going solar. Here is a sure bet: the federal government offers a 30% tax credit.
You can start your research with this federally funded, comprehensive database that lists all sorts of incentives and policies for renewable energy by state or contact the state agency that regulates utilities.
Some states with strong policies to promote solar energy use have created their own websites listing incentives, financing options and tips for hiring a contractor to install the solar panels. Your utility might offer a similar helpful guide.
As with any major home improvement project, finding a good contractor is crucial. A trustworthy installer will secure the necessary permits, properly connect the solar energy system to your home and the local electric grid, and apply for incentives for you.
Some states – or local utilities – post a list of certified solar service companies. Many consumers ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. Googling works just as well.
Another big decision is how to pay for the equipment and services. You can pay for them outright, of course. A solar energy system lasts about 20 years, so paying for it upfront will be a cheaper option over time than to lease it. As an owner, you get a bonus incentive if you live in a state that allows you to sell excess solar electricity to your utility. The money you earn will show up as a credit on your bill.
Another popular option is to leave the ownership and maintenance of the solar panels to your installerand pay only for the electricity produced from the rooftop system. This arrangement is done through a power purchase agreement, which can last 15 years or more. Your solar company typically sweetens the deal by charging you a lower electric rate than your utility would. Be sure to read the contract to see how your installer sets the electric rates over time. Those rates are likely to change because the average price for solar energy systems has fallen much in the past years.
26. What’s the meaning of the clause “…, the joy comes with a dollar sign attached.”?
A) Installing solar panels at home saves money for consumers.
B) Consumers will be paid to install solar panels.
C) Solar panels will bring financial gains to consumers.
D) The environmental benefit means financial gain.
27. Which benefit is guaranteed?
A) The federal government’s tax credit.
B) The state’s incentives.
C) The utility’s help somewhere.
D) The installer’s services.
28. Which is NOT true of a good solar panels installer?
A) He has the necessary permits.
B) He’ll connect the solar energy system to your home.
C) He’ll sell your solar electricity to the grid.
D) He’ll apply for incentives for you.
29. Which is the cheapest option for a solar system?
A) Pay for it completely.
B) Lease it somehow.
C) Sell all the electricitygenerated.
D) Get bank loans for it.
30. If you lease the solar system, you will ________________________.
A) use the electricity for free
B) pay more than the local utility charges you
C) pay the maintenance fees
D) sign a power purchase agreement
