Nuclear energy has always been controversial. But since the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Fukushima (Japan) last year the issue is back in the headlines. And the world is divided— some countries are planning more nuclear plants, while others have promised to shut theirs down.
After Fukushima, Germany decided to switch off all its nuclear plants by 2022. Switzerland and Italy are also phasing out nuclear power. But France and the United States remain staunch supporters of atomic energy. In fact, almost 80% of France’s electricity comes from nuclear power, the highest percentage in the world. And in the US, the Obama administration said it “continues to support the expansion of nuclear power, despite the crisis in Japan.”
Nuclear supporters claim nuclear power can help the environment. Unlike fossil fuels, nuclear power doesn’t create greenhouse gases. So, pro-nuclear countries argue that nuclear power allows them to generate energy without contributing to climate change. Britain’s chief scientific adviser (John Beddington) supports this view. He recently said that the world doesn’t have the luxury of ignoring nuclear energy.
Nuclear power is also relatively cheap. Renewable energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind power may be clean, but they’re expensive; and right now, they require a lot of investment. This higher cost of using “green energy” is usually passed onto the consumer. So, while many people may prefer their energy to come from a renewable source, not so many are prepared to pay higher energy bills. This is of particular concern while the world economy is in such bad shape.
The main argument against nuclear energy is that it isn’t safe. For a start, nuclear waste is very difficult to dispose of, and remains toxic to humans for thousands of years. And even before Fukushima, there were several high-profile nuclear disasters. The most famous is probably the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, in the Ukraine. The radiation from the meltdown spread all over Europe, affecting thousands.
The nuclear energy issue is very complex. And it doesn’t look like it’ll be resolved anytime soon. As a Japanese commentator recently said, “it’s been a bad year for the ‘nuclear village’, but I don’t think they’re down and out yet.” The battle continues.
【小题1】Which of the following may NOT be the advantage of nuclear energy over other energy sources?

Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the numbered blanks by using the information for the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.

A Low-Carbon Economy (LCE) refers to an economy which has a minimal emission of greenhouse gas (GHG), namely, carbon dioxide into the biosphere(生物圈). Recently, most of the scientists and the public hold the opinion that the climate is changing because there is such an accumulation of CO₂ in the atmosphere due to human activities. The over-concentration of these gases is producing global warming that affects long-term climate, with negative impacts on humanity in the foreseeable future. LCE, therefore, is proposed as a means to avoid catastrophic climate change.

All nations which are considered carbon intensive societies and societies which are heavily populated should become zero-carbon societies and economies. Several of these countries have promised to become 'low carbon' but not entirely zero carbon, and claim that emissions will be cut by 100% by balancing emissions rather than ceasing all emissions.

Nuclear power and the strategies of carbon capture and storage (CCS) have been proposed as the primary means to achieve a LCE while continuing to exploit non-renewable resources. Scientists are afraid, however, whether the spent-nuclear-fuel can be stored, and whether it is secure. Also they are not certain about the costs and time needed to successfully implement CCS worldwide and whether the stored emissions will leak into the biosphere or not. Alternatively, many have proposed renewable energy should be the main basis of a LCE, but, they have their associated problems of high-cost and inefficiency; this is changing, however, since investment and production have been growing significantly in recent times. Furthermore, it has been proposed that to make the transition to an LCE economically attractive we would have to attach a cost (per unit output) to GHGs through means such as emissions trading and/or a carbon tax.

A LCE is aimed to integrate all aspects of itself from its manufacturing, agriculture, transportation to power-generation around technologies that produce energy and materials with little GHG emission and thus around populations, buildings, machines and devices which use those energies and materials efficiently and dispose of or recycle its wastes so as to have a minimal output of GHGs.

Title:        1       

I.          2        : an economy with a minimal output of GHG

II.         3         of the present economy:

● global warming

● long-term climate change

●            4            on humanity

III.           5           :

●  to produce energy and materials with little GHG emission

● to use those energies and materials efficiently

● to have          6             of GHGs

IV.            7             to achieve a LCE:

● nuclear power  

● the strategies of carbon capture and storage

● renewable energy    

●              8              

● a carbon tax

V.           9          :

● spent-nuclear-fuel storage / storage of spent-nuclear-fuel

●        10           

● uncertainty about the costs and time needed

In today’s throwaway society，dealing with the city’s growing mountain of waste is an increasing challenge for the city council (市议会)．

Recently，Edinburgh is faced with the problem of disposing of (处理) about 250,000 million tons of waste a year.Despite different ways to dispose of much of it in a green manner—largely through encouraging recycling—its aging facilities such as the Powderhall landfill do not have the ability to deal with it.

The European Union (EU) has issued a new policy，regulating how such mountains of waste are to be disposed of.The five councils (Edinburgh，East Lothian，West Lothian，Midlothian and Borders) face fines around ￡18 million a year from 2013 if they don’t increase recycling levels and rely less on landfill.With this in mind，the councils got together with the idea of building a large incinerator plant (垃圾焚烧厂) to burn half of the waste produced in their districts.But this plan fell apart after the change of target levels by a new UK government waste policy which required that no more than 25% of the city’s waste should be disposed of in this way by 2025.

After the plan was abandoned，a private company which already transported millions of tons of the city’s waste by train to a landfill site near Dunbar，offered an

alternative solution when it suggested opening a huge waste site near Portobello.

Since Powderhall is supposed to close in 2015，it seemed necessary for the members of the Edinburgh Council to accept the suggestion.But soon they turned it down—after 700 local objections reached them—because it would have meant hundreds of lorries a day making loud noise through heavily populated areas.

That still leaves the council with a problem.By 2013，only 50% of 1995 levels of waste will be allowed to be sent to landfill.Even if recycling targets are met，there will still be a large amount of rubbish to be burnt up.Due to this，Edinburgh and Midlothian councils have now decided to work together to build an incinerator plant as time to find a solution is fast running out.(2011·湖北，C)

1.The main way of handling waste in a green manner in Edinburgh is ________.

A．recycling? B．restoring

C．burying? D．burning

2.The five councils worked out a plan to build an incinerator plant to ________.

A．reduce the cost of burying waste

B．meet the EU requirements

C．speed up waste recycling

D．replace landfill sites

3.The city council of Edinburgh rejected the suggestion to open a huge landfill site near Portobello because ________.

A．it came from a private company

B．the council was not interested in it

C．it was not supported by EU

D．the local people were against it

4.What is the final decision of Edinburgh and Midlothian councils?

A．To open a new landfill nearby.

B．To close the Powderhall landfill in 2015.

C．To set up a plant for burning waste.

D．To persuade people to reduce their waste.

To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling. Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on "persuasive salesmanship" to move as much of these goods as possible. Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then convert them into money.
Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers. It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them. This eye - on - the - consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce or buy for resale, the makers and dealers first endeavor to find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase.
This concept does not imply that business is benevolent(慈善的) or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company. There are always two sides to every business transaction -- the firm and the customer -- and each must be satisfied before trade occurs. Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and meeting to customers. A striking example of the importance of meeting to the consumer presented itself in mid - 1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink. The non - acceptance of the new flavor by a significant part of the public brought about a prompt(果断的) restoration(恢复) of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside new. King Customer ruled!
【小题1】 The marketing concept discussed in the passage is, in fact, __________.

To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling. Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on "persuasive salesmanship" to move as much of these goods as possible. Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then convert them into money.

Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers. It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them. This eye - on - the - consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce or buy for resale, the makers and dealers first endeavor to find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase.

This concept does not imply that business is benevolent(慈善的) or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company. There are always two sides to every business transaction -- the firm and the customer -- and each must be satisfied before trade occurs. Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and meeting to customers. A striking example of the importance of meeting to the consumer presented itself in mid - 1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink. The non - acceptance of the new flavor by a significant part of the public brought about a prompt(果断的) restoration(恢复) of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside new. King Customer ruled!

1. The marketing concept discussed in the passage is, in fact, __________.

2. What was the main concern of industrialists before the marketing concept was widely accepted?

3.According to the passage, the underlined part "to move as much of these goods as possible" ( Para. 1 ) means _________.

4. What does the restoration of the Classic Coke best illustrate?