六级真题2024年6月第一套 Passage Two
① The term “environmentalist” can mean different things. It used to refer to people trying to protect wildlife and natural ecosystems. In the 21st century, the term has evolved to capture the need to combat human-made climate change.
② The distinction between these two strands of environmentalism is the cause of a split within the scientific community about nuclear energy.
③ On one side are purists who believe nuclear power isn’t worth the risk and the exclusive solution to the climate crisis is renewable energy. The opposing side agrees that renewables are crucial, but says society needs an amount of power available to meet consumers’ basic demands when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. Nuclear energy, being far cleaner than oil, gas and coal, is a natural option, especially where hydroelectric capacity is limited.
④ Leon Clarke, who helped author reports for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, isn’t an uncritical supporter of nuclear energy, but says it’s a valuable option to have if we’re serious about reaching carbon neutrality.
⑤ “Core to all of this is the degree to which you think we can actually meet climate goals with 100% renewables,” he said. “If you don’t believe we can do it, and you care about the climate, you are forced to think about something like nuclear.”
⑥ The achievability of universal 100% renewability is similarly contentious. Cities such as Burlington, Vermont, have been “100% renewable” for years. But these cities often have small populations, occasionally still rely on fossil fuel energy and have significant renewable resources at their immediate disposal. Meanwhile, countries that manage to run off renewables typically do so thanks to extraordinary hydroelectric capabilities.
⑦ Germany stands as the best case study for a large, industrialized country pushing into green energy. Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2011 announced Energiewende, an energy transition that would phase out nuclear and coal while phasing in renewables. Wind and solar power generation has increased over 400% since 2010, and renewables provided 46% of the country’s electricity in 2019.
⑧ But progress has halted in recent years. The instability of renewables doesn’t just mean energy is often not produced at night, but also that solar and wind can overwhelm the grid during the day, forcing utilities to pay customers to use their electricity. Lagging grid infrastructure struggles to transport this overabundance of green energy from Germany’s north to its industrial south, meaning many factories still run on coal and gas. The political limit has also been reached in some places, with citizens meeting the construction of new wind turbines with loud protests.
⑨ The result is that Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by around 11.5% since 2010 — slower than the EU average of 13.5%.
1.1.What accounts for the divide within the scientific community about nuclear energy?
A Attention to combating human-made climate change.
B Emphasis on protecting wildlife and natural ecosystems.
C Evolution of the term “green energy” over the last century.
D Adherence to different interpretations of environmentalism.
解析：选D。D 细节理解题。第二段指出,两种环保主义之间的区别是科学界在核能问题上产生分歧的原因。D项正确,选项中的different interpretations of environmentalism 同义改写第二段的 The distinction between...environmentalism。[排除干扰]A 项来自首段③句 combat human-made climate change,这是其中一种环保主义。B项来自首段②句 protect wildlife and natural ecosystems,这是另一种环保主义,但导致核能问题存在分歧的原因在于“两种环保主义的对立”,而非“某一种环保主义观念”。C项将首段所述“环保主义(者)含义的演变”窜改为“绿色能源含义的演变”。
2.2.What is the solution to energy shortage proposed by purists’ opponents?
A Relying on renewables firmly and exclusively.
B Using fossil fuel and green energy alternately.
C Opting for nuclear energy when necessary.
D Limiting people’s non-basic consumption.
解析：选C。C 细节理解题。第三段②句介绍纯粹主义者的对立派的观点“认同可再生能源的重要性,但也担心其不稳定性会导致能源短缺”,随后③句给出他们的解决办法“必要时选用核能”,C项正确。[排除干扰]A 项利用第三段①句 the exclusive solution...is renewable energy千扰,但这是纯粹主义者解决气候危机的方案。B项由第三段②③句捏造而来。D项利用第三段②句 consumers’ basic demands 设障,文中此部分实际在说“(条件受限时仅靠可再生能源不足以)满足人们的基本能耗需求”。
3.3.What point does the author want to make with cities like Burlington as an example?
A It is controversial whether the goal of the whole world’s exclusive dependence on renewables is attainable.
B It is contentious whether cities with large populations have renewable resources at their immediate disposal.
C It is arguable whether cities that manage to run off renewables have sustainable hydroelectric capabilities.
D It is debatable whether traditional fossil fuel energy can be done away with entirely throughout the world.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。第六段①句指出,能否普遍实现 100%使用可再生能源存在争议。随后②③句以伯灵顿等城市说明①句内涵:即使是这些具有人口/资源优势的城市也并未完全做到其宣称的“100%使用可再生能源”。A项正确。[排除干扰]B项利用第六段③句干扰,原文指出“伯灵顿等城市往往人口较少,并有大量可再生资源可供直接使用”,但并不能由此得出“人口众多的城市是否有可再生资源可供直接使用存在争议”。C项利用第六段④句干扰,原文指出“成功依靠可再生能源运转的国家拥有非凡的水力发电能力”,但这与“伯灵顿等城市”无关,不能由此得出“这些城市是否拥有可持续的水力发电能力有待商榷”。D项将有争议的目标偷换为了“完全淘汰化石燃料”。
4.4.What do we learn about Germany regarding renewable energy?
A It has increased its wind and solar power generation four times over the last two decades.
B It represents a good example of a major industrialized country promoting green energy.
C It relies on renewable energy to generate more than half of its electricity.
D It has succeeded in reaching the goal of energy transition set by Merkel.
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。第七段①句指出,德国是工业化大国发展绿色能源的最佳研究案例。B项直接对应该句,故正确。「排除干扰]A 项将第七段③句所述德国的风能和太阳能发电量的成果“自2010年以来(至今不足二十年),增长了 400%以上”窜改为“在过去的二十年里,增加了四倍”。C项将第七段③句信息“2019年可再生能源提供了德国 46%的电力”窜改为“德国依靠可再生能源产出其一半以上的电力”。D项利用第七段②③句干扰,且联系第八、九段可知，德国的转型目标仍未完成。
5.5.What may be one of the reasons for Germany’s progress having halted in recent years?
A Its grid infrastructure’s capacity has fallen behind its development of green energy.
B Its overabundance of green energy has forced power plants to suspend operation during daytime.
C Its industrial south is used to running factories on conventional energy supplies.
D Its renewable energy supplies are unstable both at night and during the day.
解析：选A。A 细节理解题。第八段③句指出“德国落后的电网基础设施难以将过剩的绿色能源从其北部输送到南部”,可见德国电网基建的运行能力落后于其绿色能源发展，A项正确。排除干扰]B项将原文“白天电网超负荷运转/绿色能源过剩,迫使电力公司花钱请客户用电”扭曲为“德国的绿色能源过剩,迫使发电厂在白天停止运行”。C项利用第八段③句干扰,将原文的逻辑关系扭曲为“工业发达的南部习惯用传统能源来运行工厂”。D项利用第八段②句干扰,将文中所述“昼夜供电量不均,夜间通常无法供电”曲解为“白天和夜间这两个时段内均无法稳定供电”。