2013年中石油系统职称英语考试试题及答案(07号)

　　The clean-energy business is turning into the next big investment boom, in which risks are lightly ignored. Until recently, recalls Charlie Gay, a 30-year veteran of the solar power business, venture capitalists were far too busy catering to captains of the information-technology industry to waste time on "hippy-dippy tree-huggers" like himself. But now the tree-huggers are in the ascendant and the IT barons are busy investing in clean-energy technology.

　　Investors are falling over themselves to finance start-ups in clean technology, especially in energy. Venture Business Research reckons that investment in the field by venture capitalists and private-equity firms has quadrupled in the past two years,from some $500 m in 2004 to almost $2 billion so far this year. The share of venture capital going into clean energy is rising rapidly.

　　Clean-energy fever is being fuelled by three things: high oil prices, fears over energy security and a growing concern about global warming. The provision of energy, the industry’s cheerleaders say, will change radically over the coming decades. Polluting coal and gas-fired power stations will give way to cleaner alternatives such as solar and wind; fuels derived from plants and waste will replace petrol and diesel; and small, local forms of electricity generation will replace big power stations feeding far-flung grids. Eventually, it is hoped, fuel cells running on hydrogen will take the place of the internal combustion engine which is available everywhere. It is a bold vision, but even if it happens very slowly, or only to a limited extent, supporters argue that it will still prompt tremendous growth for firms in the business.

　　Analysts confidently predict the clean-energy business will grow by 20 %-30 a year for a decade. Jefferies, an investment bank that organized a recent conference on the industry in London, asked participants how soon solar power would become competitive with old-fashioned generation technologies: in 2010, 2015 or 2020.

　　About three-quarters of those present, one visitor happily observed, were"check-writers". This "megatrend", the keynote speaker advocated, "may be the biggest job and wealth-creation opportunity of the 21 st century."

　　Such exaggeration might remind people of the dotcom bubble. But clean-energy advocates insist growth is sustainable because of the likes Of Mr. Schwarzenegger.

　　The Governor is a hero in green circles because of his enthusiasm for environmental regulation. He easily won reelection partly because he seized on global warming as a concern and signed into law--America’s first wide-ranging scheme to cap greenhouse-gas emissions.

　　49. According to the first two paragraphs we can learn that __

　　A. Venture capitalists have wasted much money on "hippy-dippy tree hungers"

　　B. Clean energy business is surging and changes the venture capital market

　　C. The IT barons are disinterested in clean-energy technology

　　D. Clean energy business is booming while the risks are totally overlooked

　　50. Which of the following is true of Para.3?

　　A. Hydrogen as a new energy will replace traditional energy forms like coaland gas

　　B. Supporters of clean energy business are pretty optimistic about its future.

　　C. Clean energy fever is fuelled mainly by human psychological weakness.

　　D. The energy provision for the coming decades will change slowly.

　　51. The word "check-writers" (Line 6, Para.4) is closest in meaning to __

　　A. investors

　　B. celebrities

　　C. tycoons

　　D. donators

　　52. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that __

　　A. Clean energy industry and the dotcom industry have the same business model

　　B. The dotcom industry might have undergone a rapid but unsustainable development

　　C. Schwarzenegger insisted that growth in clean energy business isn’t sustainable

　　D. Global warming has become a popular and decisive issue in political elections all over the world