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The world's largest solar thermal plant(太阳热能发电站)is set to begin producing power in the United States by the end of the year. Wind and energy from the sun are generally considered clean, unlike energy from coal-burning power stations. However, environmentalists now worry that too much solar power development could harm the local environment.

A California company — BrightSource Energy is building a huge solar power plant in the Mojave desert, about 60 kilometers southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The plant is known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Joe Desmond works for the company. "This is actually one of the highest concentrations of sunlight in the world, out here in Ivanpah." explained Desmond. BrightSource Energy will deploy 170,000 specially designed mirrors to direct solar energy towards boilers on top of three power towers. The steam produced in the boilers will drive turbine (涡轮) to make electricity. Joe Desmond says the steam can reach temperatures of more than 260 degrees Celsius. "We can store the sun's thermal energy in the form of molten salt, so we can produce electricity even when the sun goes down. There is a lot of interest in concentrating solar power around the globe in environmnents where you have lots of sun, such as China, South Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, explained Desmond.

Environmentalists generally support the idea of solar power, however, many are concerned about the effect of power plants on sensitive environment. Lisa Belenky is a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity, a private group. She says environmentalists are specifically worried about the effect of the Ivanpah Solar Project on the sensitive plant and animal life in that part of Mojave desert. "Even though the desert seems big, when you start cutting it up, it can really affect how the species and the animals and the plants are able to survive in the long run,"said Lisa Belenky. BrightSource Energy has already spent more than $ 50 million to move endangered desert tortoises away from the power plant. but Lisa Belenky says this is not the answer. "We should be reusing areas that have a1ready been disturbed, like old mining sites, for example...either on homes, on businesses, parking lots." said Belenky.

There have also been reports of birds dying at the Ivanpah Plant and others like it.

Some birds die after colliding with solar equipment which the animals mistake for water. Other birds were killed or suffered burns after flying through the intense heat at the solar thermal plant. As solar projects increase, environmentalists and developers are considering what to do to reduce bird death.

1.Why is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System being built in the desert?

A. Because the temperature is extremely high in the desert.??

B. Because there is no life in the desert.

C. Because there is much salt in the desert.?????????????

D. Because sunlight is highly focused in the desert.

2.Why can the plant make electricity at night?

A. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the form of steam.

B. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the form of molten salt.

C. Because the sun'ss thermal energy can be stored through mirrors

D. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the boilers.

3.According to Lisa Belenky, in order to reduce the effect,_____.

A. we should move all the plants and animals away from the solar plant

B. we should guide the bird not to hit the solar plant

C we should build the solar plant in disturbed areas

D. we should build the solar plant in the desert

4.The author’s attitude towards the solar projects is _____.

A. supportive????????????? B. critical????????????? ??? ??????? C. indifferent????????????? ?????????? D. cautious

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     For centuries, farmers have used windmills to pump water, crush grain and perform other tasks. Today,
farmers can earn money with high-powered wind turbines (发电机) that produce electricity. Wind power has
become big business, especially in Europe.
    In the United States, less than one percent of electricity is produced from wind energy. But production
increased one hundred sixty percent between 2000 and 2005. So says Keith Collins, the chief economist at
the Department of Agriculture, in a statement he prepared for a Senate committee last month.
     An even greater increase is expected between 2005and 2010. Farmers are providing land to turbine owners
or, in some cases, owing the equipment themselves.
     Mister Collins says one reason for the increase is high prices for natural gas. Another is a federal tax credit (税收抵免) for wind production. The credit is almost two cents per kilowatt hour for the first ten years of
production for a project.
     The production tax credit for renewable forms of energy was supposed to end this December. But
Congress has extended it through 2008
     Other reasons for the expansion include improved turbine technology and lower production costs. They
also include policies that make it easier for wind power producers to sell their electricity. And they include the
growth of markets for "green power"-energy that does not create pollution.
     California is the leading state for wind power. But Mister Collins says production is also growing in
Minnesota and other Midwestern states, all the way down to Texas. And he says many states in the West and
Midwest have the wind resources to produce much more wind power.
     Wind power offers farmers a way to earn money for use of their land or, if they want, to operate their
own turbines. Wind is free, of course. Not only that, the land under the turbines can usually be farmed. And
farmers may be able to earn extra money by charging visitors to see their wind farm.
     But wind farms are not perfect. Keep in mind that there has to be enough wind to earn a profit. Also, the
turbines can kill birds. And people sometimes object to the development of wind farms. They consider them
ugly and noisy.

1. In ____ wind power is widely used to produce electricity.

A. America
B. Midwest
C. Europe
D. West

2. According to Mister Collins the reasons for the increase of wind using are ______.

A. natural gas is expensive
B. the tax is less for wind production
C. wind energy is green energy
D. both A and B

3. Which of the following can replace the underlined word in the last paragraph?

A. refuse
B. accept
C. agree to
D. are afraid of

4. From the passage we can conclude that _____.

A. the government in the USA supports the use of wind power
B. California has the most wind resource in the world
C. visitors can watch the wind farm free
D. wind power can bring farmers some trouble

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In summer, millions of people will head for the beach. And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”
When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮) ．The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机) ．
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．
The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
68．Which of the following is NOT true?
A．Wave power costs too much money．
B．Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．
C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．
D．Wave power may affect marine animals．
69．We can infer from the passage that ______．
A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy
B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world
C．wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world
D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution
70．The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．
A．regrets B．adventures C．disadvantages D．difficulties
71．What can be the best title for the passage?
A．How to Get Electricity by Waves． B．The Advantages of Wave Energy.
C．Can Waves Make Electricity? D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy．

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In summer, millions of people will head for the beach. And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.

“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”

Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．

Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”

When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮) ．The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机) ．

The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．

The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．

Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．

Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．

With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

68．Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Wave power costs too much money．

B．Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．

C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

69．We can infer from the passage that ______．

A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy

B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

C．wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world

D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

70．The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．

A．regrets B．adventures C．disadvantages D．difficulties

71．What can be the best title for the passage?

A．How to Get Electricity by Waves． B．The Advantages of Wave Energy.

C．Can Waves Make Electricity? D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy．