题型：阅读理解 题类：常考题 难易度：普通
北京市丰台区2019届高三上学期英语期末考试试卷
The month of March was a milestone for supporters of renewable energy in the U.S. For the first time, wind and solar power accounted for more than 10% of the country's electricity—up from less than 1% at the turn of the century. And total wind and solar power-plant capacity(发电量) is expected to grow more than 30% over the course of this year and next, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Such forecasts have led many scientists and policymakers to think that moving a large part of the nation's power supply to renewable sources—as cities from Miami Beach to Salt Lake City have promised to do—may not be as far-fetched as once thought. But like any debate, there are dissenters, including those inside the federal government. Their argument is that the nation demands an uninterrupted supply of electricity and cannot count on sun, wind and natural gas to provide it. “You need solid hydrocarbons(固体碳氢化合物) on-site for rising peak demand,” Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt said on Fox Business in May, referring to the importance of coal as a power source.
Many experts say the government's concern fails to account for how the power grid(电网) has improved in recent decades. Utility companies(公共事业公司) have developed innovative ways to move electricity from place to place to account for variation in weather. Battery technology can store power for use when renewable sources cannot operate, meaning solar power can be used on days when the sun doesn't shine. And the nation's vast supply of natural gas can be turned into usable energy with the flick of a switch.
“I don't think 5 or 10 years ago I'd be comfortable telling you we could not sacrifice reliability when we're going to have 35% of our energy come from wind,” said Ben Fowke, CEO of the utility company Xcel Energy, at a recent conference. “I'm telling you, I'm very comfortable with that today.”
Indeed, many parts of the country are already close to that reality. In some regions, like Iowa and Kansas, renewable energy supplies more than 25% of the electricity. The market has shifted so far in favor of natural gas and renewable energy that even the most concerted federal effort is unlikely to stop its growth. Any attempt to slow the growth of wind and solar will face strong pushback. “If anyone wants to do away with it,” Republican Senator Chuck Grassley told Yahoo News of the federal government's potential cuts to wind energy, “he'll do it over my dead body.”
But the federal government could slow the acceleration—and with billions of dollars in private and public investments at risk, the pace of change matters. Decisions made today will shape the future of the nation's energy grid for decades to come.
Arriving in New York There are three airports in New York. When you arrive at one of them, you can take a bus or a taxi to any place in New York. |
Eating out There are many kinds of food in New York. And you shouldn't eat at McDonald's every day. There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example. |
Hotels There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is the Plaza on the 5th Avenue(大街), but you don't have to spend a lot in the city, there are lots of smaller hotels. The YMCA near the Central Park is great for young people. |
Public Transport(交通) In New York, there's a good bus and subway(地铁)service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for the journey because it's cheaper. But you don't have to use the public transport, there are lots of places you can go to on foot, such as the Empire State Building, the 5th Avenue and the Central Park. The New Taxis are a part of the city experience, so you should take at least one taxi during your visit! |
Places to see Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York—the Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and so on. And you shouldn't go home without climbing the Statue of Liberty to enjoy the scenery of the city. |
Shopping Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on the 5th Avenue. They are seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices; you have to pay a special 8% tax(税)on everything you buy in New York. |
Courses & Curriculum of the College of Arts & Sciences in Cornell
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The diversity of the courses you can take in the College of Arts & Sciences is extraordinary: Academic Distribution Requirements The College's academic distribution requirements will include: effective writing foreign language beyond the introductory level imaginative and critical thinking To choose your courses for a semester, use the Class Roster. It shows the schedule of all classes offered in a particular term, along with class enrollment information and course details. The Class Roster is updated frequently. To plan your classes over your four years at Cornell, use the Courses of Study. It represents Cornell's full catalog of courses and is published annually. It provides information on Cornell degree programs, requirements, policies and procedures. If you need help, call 607-255-5004 for an appointment with an advising dean. Or contact a career counselor in the Arts & Sciences Career Development Center at 607-255-4166 to talk about your interests and how they can translate into a major and a future career. A New Curriculum On October 30, 2018, the College of Arts & Sciences faculty（教员） approved a new undergraduate curriculum to be carried out over the next two to three years. The new curriculum focuses on the theme of exploration and reaffirms the college's commitment to a liberal arts and sciences education. Students who have questions about the new curriculum can view the approved proposal on the Course Designer app of Cornell. Innovative Learning If you're one of the 3,000 students across the university taking biology or physics at the College, you may be part of an innovative（创新的） classroom project that uses active learning, a new model that is proving to be the quickest path to expert-level mastery. Your education at Cornell will extend far beyond the classroom. You can join a faculty member's research team on campus, conduct field study research in different states or spend a semester with Cornell in Washington D.C. You could study abroad in one of more than 85 countries or develop your own research project through independent study. Give yourself the freedom to explore. |
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