Earlier this year, the Environmental Protecti...

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a stricter nationwide health standard for smog-causing pollutants that would bring substantial benefits to millions of Americans. With a final rule expected by the end of this month, some opponents, mainly from industrial and oil-producing states, are pushing back. They say investments required to produce cleaner air are too expensive and not scientifically justified.

Lisa Jackson, the E.P.A. administrator, needs to stick to her guns. This is only the first of several political tests to come this fall, as she also seeks to tighten rules governing individual pollutants like mercury and global warming gases like carbon dioxide.

The health standard she is proposing covers ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog, which is formed when sunlight mixes with pollutants from factories, refineries, power plants and automobiles. Ozone is a major health threat, contributing to heart disease and various respiratory (呼吸道的) problems.

Ms. Jackson’s proposal—to reduce the permitted level of smog in the air from the current 75 parts per billion to between 60 parts per billion and 70 parts per billion—is sensible, no matter what industry’s defenders may claim. It had been recommended by the agency’s independent scientific panel but rejected by the Bush administration, which proposed a weaker standard.

Industry will have to make investments in cleaner power plants, and new technologies may be required. As it is, about half the counties that monitor ozone levels are not yet in compliance with current standards, let alone the proposed standard.

Fears about burdening industry raised by critics like George Voinovich, a Republican of Ohio, and Mary Landrieu, a Democrat of Louisiana, cannot be dismissed out of hand, especially in the middle of a recession (萧条). But the health benefits, E.P.A. says, far outweigh the costs, and the time frame for compliance (服从) is generous.

1.Why are some people strongly against a stricter limitation of smog-caused pollutants?

A．Because they have to live a poorer life.

B．Because they think they have to spend more money.

C．Because they hold different political view.

D．Because they want to make more money.

2. What does Ms Jackson propose to do?

A．To reduce the permitted smog level as much as possible.

B．To raise the permitted smog level as much as possible.

C．To keep the permitted smog level from 60 to 70 to 75 parts per billion.

D．To lower the permitted smog level from 75 to 60 to 70 parts per billion.

3.What is the attitude of the author to the smog-controlling issue?

A．Objective.         B．Subjective.         C．Critical.           D．Unknown.

4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of the whole passage?

A．Cleaner power plant on the way.

B．Say no to smog pollutants.

C．Lower smog pollutant, better our life.

D．Debate on smog pollutants.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

in the last few years,China ___ great achievements in environmental protection.

A.has made 　　　　　　　　　 B.had made

C.was making 　　　　　　 D.is making

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the last few years,China ___ great achievements in environmental protection.

A. has made　　 　　　　　　 B. had made

C. was making　 　　　　　 D. is making

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the last few years,China ___ great achievements in environmental protection.

A.has made B.had made 　 C.was making 　 D.is making

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

In the last few years, China ____ great achievements in environmental protection．

A．has made    B．had made

C．was making    D．is making

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Earlier this month, the Obama Administration called for increased protection of the world’s most southern continent, Antarctica. Scientists say climate change and human activity have increasingly led to the melting of massive pieces of Antarctic ice. The disappearance of ice will not only affect wildlife in the area such as seals and penguins. The melting will also cause oceans and seas around the world to rise.

This represents a major threat, especially to coastal areas. For example, the ancient city of Venice, Italy has long been threatened by rising sea levels. The situation is made worse by the fact that its ancient buildings, built on a body of water called a lagoon( 淡水湖), are slowly sinking. When the city was founded about 1,600 years ago, the level of the Adriatic Sea was almost two meters lower than it is today.

Rising sea levels are not the only threat. The salty water is also destroying Venice’s famous buildings and artworks. The Italian government is trying to fix the problem with the construction of a seven-billion-dollar system of moving flood barriers.

Climate change is also leading to the melting of ice in other areas, such as Mount Kilimanjaro in northeastern Tanzania. It is the highest point in Africa, measuring almost 6,000 meters. The mountain supports five vegetation zones and many kinds of animals.

The ice glaciers on the mountain are disappearing very quickly. This will have a bad effect on the mountain’s ecosystems and on Tanzania’s travel industry. Also, a valuable record of thousands of years of weather history will also be lost if the ice melts. Scientists study pieces of glacier to understand weather patterns from thousands of years ago.

In the United States, the icy masses in Glacier National Park in Montana may soon completely disappear because of climate change. In 1850, there were an estimated 150 glaciers in the more than 400,000 hectare park.

There are 26 glaciers remaining today. Scientists estimate that the glaciers will be gone by 2030. Warming temperatures are also threatening the many kinds of plants and animals that live in this mountain ecosystem.

1. The writer developed the passage mainly by______.

2. How many glaciers disappeared since 1850 in Glacier National Park?

3. According to the passage, what has been affected in Italy by rising sea levels?

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Environmental protection is frequently talked about nowadays. The authorities are doing their best to arise the public awareness of the vital importance of the environmental protection. This issue is, indeed, worth following up.

Environmental protection is closely related not only to our personal life, but also to the entire human race and the world’s further development. For one thing, the environment, in a narrow sense, determines the quality of our individual life. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, etc. , all come directly from the environment. If they continue to be contaminated, we may have neither clean water, nor healthy food. For another thing, in a broader sense, the environment plays a decisive role in fate of mankind. As is known to all, the earth, up to now, is human being’s only dwelling place. We can expect that some day we will live on another planet, but I doubt that this day will come earlier than the day when the earth becomes a globe of waste, if we keep damaging the environment. Finally, the environment is essential to the further development of the world. Extensive industrialization, which has brought about all the convenience and facilities we enjoy today, has been depending on the comprehensive exploitation of the earth’s natural resources found in the environment. If we do not protect the environment properly, further development cannot be guaranteed. In a word, to protect the environment is an urgent task.

Nevertheless, environmental protection is indeed a demanding task. Many people are still, either unconscious of the urgency of the task or deliberately damaging the environment for the interests of their own. Hence, we should adopt severe measures to prohibit people from doing more harms to the environment. Meanwhile, we need to make the gravity of the present situation known to all. In other words, punishment and instruction should be equally emphasized. Only in this way can we look forward to a cleaner and greener world.

1..

. What does the underlined word contaminated（in paragraph 2）probably refer to?

A. polluted       B. protected         C. wasted           D. guaranteed

2..

The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to ________.

A. stress the importance of protecting environment

B. enjoy beautiful environment happily

C. try to develop our industrialization fast

D. take severe measures to the environmental destroyers

3..

. From the passage we can know that ________.

A. environmental protection is indeed a demanding task to our government

B. not all the people in the world realize the urgency of the task

C. only a few people are damaging the environment on purpose

D. some day we will live on another planet before the earth is damaged

高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

Thanks to the efforts in environmental protection, the wetland has been _____　　 to its original appearance.

A. restored　　 B. delivered

C. transferred　　 D. drafted

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The conflict between economic development and environmental protection, if not appropriately _________, can cause disastrous consequences in daily life settings.

A. being managed　　　 B. to manage

C. managed　　　　　　　 D. managing

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析

The conflict between economic development and environmental protection, if not appropriately _________, can cause disastrous consequences in daily life settings.

A. being managed　　 B. to manage

C. managed　　 D. managing

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析