Question

Australia has promised to introduce the most comprehensive （全面的） carbon trading program outside Europe in 2010. The government in Canberra plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by at least five percent by 2020, but it could make bigger reductions if other countries agree to tougher targets.

The Australian government warns that without tough environmental measures the country could lose key industries and jobs. Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says the economy is under threat and decisive action is needed.

Central to the government’s climate change plan is a carbon emissions trading program that will be introduced within two years. It would involve one thousand of the nation’s biggest companies and would cover about three-quarters of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Many scientists believe that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, contribute to global warming. Many of them are released by burning fuels such as coal and oil.

Companies will be required to buy permits for each ton of carbon they emit, although big polluting exporters will receive up to 90 percent of their carbon licenses free.

Many business leaders want the government to delay the plan because of the current global financial crisis, which is slowing the Australian economy. Peter Anderson from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it is irresponsible to bring in a carbon trading plan now.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, say Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has not properly addressed the threat of climate change. Activists had sought a minimum emissions cut of 25 percent.

Instead, the Rudd government aims to cuts carbon emissions by at least five percent of 2000 levels by 2020. That amount could rise to 15 percent, if future global agreements set such a target.

Ray Nias of the environmental group WWF says Australia will pay the price for low targets. “This is a deeply, deeply disappointing target,” Nias said. “It commits Australia to long-term climate change. It will make Australia’s ability to negotiate (协商) global agreements very, very difficult. It is much lower than even we had imagined.”

Australia has one of the highest per-person greenhouse emissions rates in the world because of its reliance on coal for electricity.

Some scientists warn that the vast, dry Australian continent, which has been suffering a series of droughts in recent years, could be one of the region’s hardest hit by global warming.

1.Which group supports to cut carbon emissions by at least 25%?

A. Environmentalists.B. The government.

C. Business leaders.D. Scientists.

2.Who most probably agrees to a higher goal of carbon emissions?

A. Penny Wong.B. Peter Anderson.

C. Kevin Rudd.D. Ray Nias.

3.Many business leaders are against the Australian program because ________.

A. they believe the program will only benefit the big companies

B. they believe the program will cause the global warming

C. they don’t want to pay extra money for carbon emissions

D. they don’t think carbon emission will surely cause the global warming

4.The underlined sentence means ________.

A. The Australian government will be blamed for the low target

B. Australia will suffer a lot from climate change caused by carbon emissions

C. The Australian government will have to spend lots of money on carbon emissions

D. Many Australian companies will close down because of the low target

Answer 1