北外基础英语2006.docVIP

北京外国语大学2006硕士研究生入学考试 基础英语 I. Reading Comprehension (50 points) A. Multiple Choice (24 points) Please read the passages and choose A, B, C or D to best complete the statements about them. Hot under the Collar One of the Labour Partys many transformations during Tony Blair s leadership was its conversion to environmentalism. A party with its roots in dirty, heavy industry such as coal-mines and blast-furnaces presented itself as an eco-friendly guardian of the planet s future. The most visible form of this was a commitment, in Labours 1997 manifesto, to cut 20% off British greenhouse-gas emissions by 2010 compared with their 1990 levels. That went above and beyond the 12.5% required by the Kyoto treaty. This pledge has been repeated as recently as the last election, but the promises have not stood up to reality. Since 1999, British greenhouse-gas emissions have been broadly unchanged. Disillusionment among environmentalists has gradually given way to an anger which found an attention-grabbing means of expression this week, when Greenpeace dumped a lorry-load of coal outside Downing Street. Stephen Tindale, its boss and a former government adviser, accused Mr. Blair of empty rhetoric. The WWF went further, claiming that Mr. Blair s policies sounded identical to those of George Bush---the eco-worriers nastiest insult. So far, Britain has had an easy ride cutting emissions. The rhythm of technological change and relatively painless policy choices have helped put the country on course to meet its Kyoto obligations. In an attempt to rescue the 20% target, ministers have ordered a policy review, which the Guardian obtained this week. The review, to be formally published next year, acknowledged that cutting emissions further will be hard. Power generation is a good example of why. The government’s flagship policy on climate change has been to offer subsidies to renewable energy. But much of the cut in emissions predates these handouts and owed more to economy th