阅读理解。
If international leaders were as united as the scientific community on climate change, global warming might
be a thing of the past. "The world's scientists have spoken clearly and with one voice," UN Secretary General
Ban Ki Moon said, "I expect the world's policymakers to act the same."
Unfortunately, the global political community is a long way from speaking with one voice on anything, and
climate change is no exception. We'll know for sure next week,when environment and energy ministers from
around the world meet on the Indonesian island of Bali for the UN's climate change conference. The summit
(首脑会议) has been held nearly every year since 1992, when the UNFCCC (《联合国气候变化框架公约》)-
the document that has since guided international work on global warming-was agreed on. It was at the 1997
conference that the Kyoto Protocol was passed, but since then, there has been little progress.
This year's talks will be the most important international environmental discussions in over a decade. The
Kyoto Protoco-which requires developed nations who have agreed on the solution to cut their greenhouse gas
emissions (排放) to about 5％ below their 1990 levels by 2012-comes to an end in just five years. The world
needs to begin immediately at Bali the process of preparing another document like Kyoto to be ready by the
end of 2012. Otherwise, we'll be faced with a global vacuum (真空状态), just at the very moment when
greenhouse emissions must begin falling in order to avoid dangerous climate change.
The good news is that, just last week,150 top global corporations approved a request calling for necessary
cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, a business position that was unthinkable just a year ago. Australia-a Kyoto
holdout, like the U.S.-has just elected a new prime minister with a strong environmental record who says he'll
support the protocol. The U.S. Congress and representatives have also stepped in and taken their own steps
on climate change.
"There is a building sense that enough time has been wasted and that it is time to act," said Jennifer
Haverkamp, international counsel for Environmental Defense.
1. The passage was written to tell us that _____.
A. developed countries should cut their greenhouse gas emissions
B. international leaders should be united to work on climate change
C. greenhouse emissions are beginning to fall to avoid global warming
D. there has been little progress since the Kyoto Protocol was passed
2. This year's talks will be the most important international environmental discussions in over a decade
because _____.
A. no such summit will be held again before the end of 2012
B. people in the world have been faced with a global vacuum
C. the solution in the Kyoto Protocol isn't practical and it isn't in effect now
D. a new document needs to be prepared before the Kyoto Protocol ends
3. The underlined word "holdout" in paragraph 4 probably means _____.
A. one supporting to do something
B. one saying something may happen
C. one keeping on doing something
D. one keeping refusing to do something
4. Which is the correct order,according to the events in the passage?
a. The Kyoto Protocol was passed.
b. The Kyoto Protoco1 will come to an end.
c. The first summit was held and the UNFCCC was agreed on.
d. The UN's climate change conference will be held on the island of Bali.
e. 150 top global corporations approved a request calling for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
A. c-a-e-d-b
B. e-d-c-b-a
C. c-a-b-d-e
D. a-c-d-e-b
5. What we can infer from the passage is that _____.
A. the ex-prime minister of Australia was against the Kyoto Protocol
B. leaders will soon unite in acting and no time will be wasted in talking
C. Ban Ki Moon expects the world's policymakers to act like scientists
D. international leaders will speak clearly with one voice at the Bali summit
