[A] Google's RE<C Program

[B] Google, the Energy Revolutionary

[C] Google, the Environmental Protector

[D] Google's Renewable Energy Project





文章剖析


这篇文章介绍的是有关谷歌公司计划在能源方面进行一场革命的情况，即要用低廉的可再生能源来替代煤炭。第一段引出这个话题，指出谷歌目前的做法；第二段讲述用煤炭作能源的弊端和谷歌的目标；第三段和第四段讲述谷歌投资的两家公司；第五段和第六段讲述该公司在能源环保方面所作的努力。





词汇注释


geothermal adj. 地热的，地温的，地热/地温产生的

gigawatt n. 十亿瓦特

turbine n. 涡轮

scalable adj. 可升级的

philanthropic adj. 慈善的，乐善好施的

pledge vt. 许诺，抵押

lobby v. 游说





难句突破


① Not only will Google be hiring engineers and energy experts for its new initiative, known as RE<C（renewable energy at less cost than coal）, but it also will make investments in fledgling companies—starting with those that focus on solar-thermal technology, enhanced geothermal, and high-altitude wind power.

主体句式：Not only will Google be..., but it also...

结构分析：这是一个并列句，在前面的分句中，过去分词结构known as...是前面new initiative的定语；在后面的分句中，破折号后面的现在分词结构是前面companies的定语，在该定语中，that引导的定语从句修饰前面的those。

句子译文：谷歌不仅会为自己的新项目——RE<C（成本比煤炭低的可再生能源）招聘工程师和能源专家，也会投资给新公司，从投资给那些太阳能技术、加强型地热和高地风力的公司开始。

② They are eSolar, of Pasadena, which is specializing in solar-thermal power, using large fields of mirrors to concentrate sunlight and generate steam to run utility-scale electric turbines, and Makani of Alameda, which is developing wind energy technology that takes advantage of the much stronger and more reliable currents available at high altitudes.

主体句式：They are eSolar, ... and Makani...

结构分析：这是一个复合句，eSolar的后面是修饰它的由which引导的定语从句，using large...是现在分词结构，修饰eSolar；Makani的后面是修饰它的由which引导的定语从句，在该定语从句中，that引导的从句是用来修饰technology的。

句子译文：这两家公司是帕萨迪纳的e太阳能公司和阿拉米达的Makani公司。e太阳能公司专业生产太阳能热能，用大片的镜子聚集太阳光，生成蒸汽来推动多用途电力涡轮，而Makani公司是利用高地强劲、可靠的气流来发展风能技术。





题目分析


1. The word “fledgling” (Line 5, Paragraph 1) most probably means _____.

[A] inexperienced

[B] promising

[C] new

[D] initiative

1. fledgling这个词（第一段第五行）最有可能的意思是 _____。

[A] 没有经验的

[B] 有前途的

[C] 新的

[D] 初步的

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆

分析：猜词题。根据上下文，这类公司包括太阳能技术、加强型地热、高地风力的公司，这是一种新兴的公司，因此，最为合适的选项为C。

2. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the coal?

[A] It is a kind of controversial fuel given its large quantity and its harm to the environment.

[B] It is a plentiful and cheap fuel that will surely earn more market share.

[C] It will be totally replaced by the renewable energy in years because it produces the worst gas—carbon dioxide.

[D] It is supported by enthusiastic countries like China and the U. S.

2. 关于煤炭，下列哪个陈述是正确的？

[A] 它是一种有争议的燃料，一方面储量巨大，另一方面却对环境有害。

[B] 它是一种充足的、廉价的燃料，因此自然会赢得更多的市场份额。

[C] 由于煤炭会产生一种最糟糕的气体——二氧化碳，因此在几年内它就会完全被可再生能源所替代。

[D] 它得到了诸如美国和中国这样的国家的热情支持。

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。选项A，从第二段的前两句话可以看出，煤炭由于其储量丰富且廉价，因此得到了广泛的使用，但它同时又对环境造成了伤害，可见煤炭是一种颇具争议性的资源。选项B，对于美国和中国是这种情况，但不一定对于其他国家也是。选项C，谷歌正在努力的目标是可再生能源的产量可以供像旧金山这样规模的城市使用，但并不一定能完全取代煤炭，只能是逐步的，同时第二段里面有一句话，说煤炭是产生二氧化碳最多的燃料，而不是产生了最糟糕的二氧化碳，所以选项C也不正确。因此，答案为A。

3. Google.org is a(n) _____.

[A] charity organization

[B] equity investor in companies

[C] branch website of Google.com that focuses on charity activities

[D] environmental organization that specializes in promoting green fuel

3. Google. org是一个 _____。

[A] 慈善组织

[B] 投资于公司股票的投资机构

[C] Google.com的分支网站，专门负责慈善活动

[D] 致力于推动绿色燃料的使用的环境组织

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：细节题。关键是要正确理解第四段第二句话中which is not a traditional charity but can make equity investments in companies，意思是说Google.org不是一家传统的慈善组织，而且也投资于公司股票；后面指出，Google投资于改善气候变化和全球贫困问题，这都是慈善行为。可以推断，这主要是一家慈善机构，而不是投资机构，因此B不正确。选项C比较具有迷惑性，但是通过阅读全文我们可以发现，Google. org看起来像是一个网址，但是其实是一个组织。选项D把该组织定义为“环境组织”是错误的。正确答案为A。

4. Which one of the following is NOT TRUE of RE<C program?

[A] It will be realized through investments in solar and wind energy companies.

[B] It is a program of environmental protection.

[C] It is one of the measures taken to neutralize carbon.

[D] It can come into true in a few years.

4. 关于RE<C，下列哪个陈述是错误的？

[A] 通过投资太阳能和风能公司可以实现该项目。

[B] 这是一个环境保护项目。

[C] 这是实现碳的零排放的一种方法。

[D] 在近几年内该项目就可以实现。

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：推理题。选项A，该项目和投资太阳能和风能公司是谷歌公司实现产出比煤炭更加廉价的燃料的两种途径，在手段上并没有直接的联系。选项B在文章第五段提到了，是整治气候变化的一步，那么可以算是环保项目。选项C，第五段有所提及，即：The company says it is on track in its goal to be carbon neutral in 2007。选项D，既然公司的目标在几年内都可以实现，那么其中的一个步骤或项目也有望实现。由此可见，答案为A。

5. The best title of this passage is _____.

[A] Google's RE<C Program

[B] Google, the Energy Revolutionary

[C] Google, the Environmental Protector

[D] Google's Renewable Energy Project

5. 这篇文章最好的题目为 _____。

[A] 谷歌RE<C项目

[B] 谷歌，能源革命者

[C] 谷歌，环境保护者

[D] 谷歌的可再生能源项目

答案：B　难度系数：☆☆

分析：主旨题。这篇文章主要讲述了谷歌要开发出一种比煤炭价格低的可再生能源，从而既可以提供低价的能源，也可以保护环境。A，该项目只是其中一个举措。B，文章主要就是谈能源创新，因此这个题目比较合适。C，主要还是关于能源，不只是关于环境。D，文章并未一一列举项目，只是给出了一些情况。因此，答案为B。





参考译文


曾经为信息传播带来革命性变化的公司，现在准备对电力进行一场同样的革命。科技巨头谷歌目前宣布，它明年将投入“上亿”的资金用于研发和投资，以降低大规模可再生能源的成本，使其比煤炭价格更低。谷歌不仅会为自己的新项目——RE<C（成本比煤炭低的可再生能源）招聘工程师和能源专家，也会投资给新公司，从投资给那些太阳能技术、加强型地热和高地风力的公司开始。“廉价的可再生能源不仅对于环境有重要的意义，对于很多廉价资源有限的地方的经济发展也很重要。”谷歌的共同创始人兼科技总裁 Sergey Brin在一次演讲中说道。

世界上40%的电和美国一半以上的能源都靠煤炭来供应，如果一直维持目前这样的趋势，那么煤炭在全部能源中所占的比例就有可能不断增加，因为对于中国和美国这样的大国来说，这是丰富和廉价的能源。但是煤炭在生产过程中会排放导致全球变暖的二氧化碳，因而它也是最糟糕的燃料。谷歌的共同创始人Larry Page称，公司的目标是比煤炭低廉的可再生能源产量达到十亿瓦特，这个目标将在“数年内完成，而不是数十年”。谷歌称，这足以满足像旧金山这样规模的城市（大约有33万户居民）对能量的需要。

谷歌位于加州的芒廷维尤，它声称最开始是与其他两家加州公司合作的。这两家公司是帕萨迪纳的e太阳能公司和阿拉米达的Makani公司。e太阳能公司专业生产太阳能热能，用大片的镜子聚集太阳光，生成蒸汽来推动多用途电力涡轮，而Makani公司是利用高地强劲、可靠的气流来发展风能技术。

谷歌并未指明它将向这些公司的项目投资多少，但是指出它们都是“前景光明的可升级的能源技术”。创新的部分将通过公司慈善机构（Google.org）资助，该机构不是传统的慈善机构，而是可以向一些公司做股票投资。Brin和Page已经抵押了谷歌1%的股票和收益，来资助改善气候变化和全球贫穷等活动。

RE<C是谷歌为应对气候变化所采取的一系列措施中的最新举措。公司称，它已经开始努力实现自己于2007年碳零排放的目标。它在芒廷维尤大学校园安装了最大的公共太阳电池板之一，一个1.6兆瓦特的屋顶系统。

该公司还有一个项目，是为了促进发展和使用超高效电力混合汽车。谷歌一直在游说，希望全国性的再生能源组合目标可以被列入目前正在国会山讨论的能源法中。该公司还和其他硅谷公司一起，致力于开发能源使用效率计算项目。





TEXT THREE


Breaking records can become monotonous after a while. The Baltic Dry Index, which tracks the costs of shipping “dry” goods such as iron ore, coal and grain around the world, dipped this week after hitting an all-time high on November 13th. But it is still up 154% from a year earlier.

As with so much to do with commodities, the extraordinary rise in freight rates is partly because of China's appetite for raw materials. A dearth of new ships, and flotillas waiting to berth in overcrowded ports (especially in Australia), are also driving rates higher. The cost of shipping iron ore from Brazil to China is now more than the cost of digging up the ore itself. Yet what makes the problem worse (or better, if you are a ship-owner) are the ways in which shifts in supply and demand are altering trade patterns around the world, especially in commodities like iron ore and coal, which are the most frequently traded cargoes in international shipping.

Take iron ore. China's biggest suppliers—Australia and India—have been unable to cope with the surge in demand. According to Icap Hyde, a firm of shipbrokers, Australia's market share of China's iron-ore imports fell from 70% around 15 years ago to about 40% last year. Earlier this year, to ensure enough iron ore for its own industries, India imposed tariffs on sales of iron ore abroad. Over the years, Chinese steel producers have scouted elsewhere for the metal—mainly in Brazil, where they have secured long-term supply contracts. But it takes three times as long to move cargo from Brazil to China as it does from Australia, which, in effect, reduces shipping capacity for each shipment of Brazilian iron ore to China that comes at Australia's expense.

Meanwhile, China used to export much more coal than it imported, according to Jon Chappell of JPMorgan. As recently as 2001, its net exports of coal were 89m tons. So far this year, it has imported almost as much as it has exported. Other East Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea relied heavily on China for coal and now have to import it from Australia, South Africa and the Americas. So does India. Meanwhile, drought in Australia has meant that large Asian importers have had to ship grain from as far away as America.

In general, points out Icap Hyde, there is an “oceanic imbalance” between the Atlantic and Pacific. Supply is spread across both oceans, even as demand is concentrated in Asia. Shipping ton-miles for the major “dry” goods, which indicates the extent to which more freight is moved over longer distances, rose by 45% between 2001 and 2006. That is good news for freight rates, if any more were needed. By all accounts, the bull run is likely to last until 2009, when a huge number of new ships are due to be launched. Let's hope they are built for trans-oceanic travel.

1. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the Baltic Dry Index?

[A] The index is increased by 154% compared with the previous year.

[B] The index keeps track on the trade cost of all sorts of dry goods.

[C] The index has been breaking records for at least a few years.

[D] The index is monotonous during this period.

2. The word “scout” （Line 4, Paragraph 3） most probably means _____.

[A] change

[B] turn

[C] seek

[D] outsource

3. Australia's market share of China's iron-ore imports went through a steep fall because _____.

[A] the ports in Australia are overcrowded

[B] the shipping capacity is reduced

[C] the iron-ore demand of China is increased greatly

[D] the tariffs are imposed on sales of iron ore

4. The “oceanic imbalance” between Atlantic and Pacific refers to _____.

[A] the imbalance in dry goods supply

[B] the imbalance in dry goods demand

[C] the imbalance in shipping ton-miles for the dry goods

[D] the imbalance in freight rates

5. The bull run of dry goods shipping will most probably be ended by _____.

[A] rise of the shipping ton-miles for the major “dry” goods

[B] the shifts in supply and demand

[C] the increase of the shipping capacity

[D] the launch of new ships in great number





文章剖析


这篇文章讲述了因“干”货供需发生变化导致“干”货船运费用变化的情况。文章第一段讲述波罗的海干货系数目前运行在历史高位；第二段讲述海运价格增长的原因；第三段讲述中国对铁矿石的需求增加导致船运费用增加；第四段讲述中国煤炭量进口的增加对日本和韩国等煤炭进口主要依赖中国的国家的影响；第五段讲述未来一段时间波罗的海干货系数可能的变化。





词汇注释


monotonous adj. 单调的，令人生厌的

dearth n. 缺乏

flotilla n. 小型船队

berth v. 停泊

shipbroker n. 船舶经纪人





难句突破


① Yet what makes the problem worse (or better, if you are a ship-owner) are the ways in which shifts in supply and demand are altering trade patterns around the world, especially in commodities like iron ore and coal, which are the most frequently traded cargoes in international shipping.

主体句式：... what makes the problem worse... are the ways...

结构分析：这是一个复合句，句子的表语the ways后面的定语从句比较复杂。在该从句中，especially in...是句子的状语，最后面的由which引导的定语从句是用来修饰前面的iron ore and coal的。

句子译文：供需变化正在改变着全世界的贸易形式，特别是对于像铁矿石和煤炭这样的货物，而这些货物又是国际船运运送的最多的货物。而这使得这个问题变得更糟（或者说更好，如果你是船主的话）。

② But it takes three times as long to move cargo from Brazil to China as it does from Australia, which, in effect, reduces shipping capacity for each shipment of Brazilian iron ore to China that comes at Australia's expense.

主体句式：But it takes three times as long to move cargo... as...

结构分析：这是一个复合句，句子中which引导的非限定性定语从句是用来修饰整个句子的，该从句中that引导的定语从句是用来修饰前面的iron ore to China的。

句子译文：但是从巴西运货物到中国花费的时间是从澳大利亚到中国的三倍，在运费与从澳大利亚起运相同的情况下，运载量实际上降低了。





题目分析


1. Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the Baltic Dry Index?

[A] The index is increased by 154% compared with the previous year.

[B] The index keeps track on the trade cost of all sorts of dry goods.

[C] The index has been breaking records for at least a few years.

[D] The index is monotonous during this period.

1. 关于波罗的海干货系数，下列哪个陈述是正确的？

[A] 和前一年相比，该系数增长了154%。

[B] 该系数追踪各种干货的交易成本。

[C] 该系数已经保持了几年的高位增长。

[D] 该系数在这一阶段一直没变。

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：细节题。根据第一段有关该系数的描述，选项A，原文意为该系数是上一年的154%，也就是增长了54%，因此该陈述错误。选项B，目前该系数在到达历史最高位后有了回落，但未来走势如何还不能确定。选项C，第一段提到每天这个系数都在刷新纪录，现在出现了一个回落，那么可以推断该系数处于历史高位。同时，文章第一句话也指出：Breaking records can become monotonous after a while. 可见，这种打破纪录式的增长也不是什么新鲜事了，而是不断出现的。选项D，从系数每天刷新纪录可以看出，系数一直在变化。因此，选项C是正确描述。

2. The word “scout” (Line 4, Paragraph 3) most probably means _____.

[A] change

[B] turn

[C] seek

[D] outsource

2. scout这个词（第三段第四行）最有可能的意思是 _____。

[A] 改变

[B] 转向

[C] 寻找

[D] 外包

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：猜词题。原文的句子为：Over the years, Chinese steel producers have scouted elsewhere for the metal—mainly in Brazil, where they have secured long-term supply contracts. 该句中文意为“这些年来，中国钢铁制造商在其他地方寻找铁矿石，主要是在巴西。他们与巴西签署了长期的供货合同”，通过上下文可以发现，“寻找”最符合本题的含义。

3. Australia's market share of China's iron-ore imports went through a steep fall because _____.

[A] the ports in Australia are overcrowded

[B] the shipping capacity is reduced

[C] the iron-ore demand of China is increased greatly

[D] the tariffs are imposed on sales of iron ore

3. 对中国的铁矿石出口中，澳大利亚的份额减少了，这是因为 _____。

[A] 澳大利亚的港口过于拥挤

[B] 运输能力下降了

[C] 中国对铁矿石的需求量大增

[D] 对铁矿石的销售征收关税

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：推理题。文章第三段提到，澳大利亚和印度现在满足不了中国对铁矿石激增的需求，中国不得不到巴西去签订铁矿石供货合同。因此，澳大利亚占中国铁矿石进口份额的减少主要是中国对铁矿石需求的增加，它不能够满足这种需求导致的。因此，答案为C。

4. The “oceanic imbalance” between Atlantic and Pacific refers to _____.

[A] the imbalance in dry goods supply

[B] the imbalance in dry goods demand

[C] the imbalance in shipping ton-miles for the dry goods

[D] the imbalance in freight rates

4. 太平洋和大西洋之间的“海洋失衡”指的是 _____。

[A] 干货供应的失衡

[B] 干货需求的失衡

[C] 干货运输吨英里的失衡

[D] 运费的失衡