Ⅰ.阅读理解
Born out of technology developed in the search for the world's most powerful bomb, nuclear power has ever since cast a heavy shadow over its benefits.
The pictures of what was left of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 after the United States dropped the atomic bomb left the world with a feeling of mental pain—200 000 people died in a second, and oncecrowded cities were destroyed completely. But it was the cloud of radiation that couldn't be seen and no one could defend against that affected generations. Popular American movies like the 1983 film The Day After played on people's fears with pictures of a nuclear winter so destructive that it would kill almost every living thing. Yet, by that same year, nuclear energy plants were being built from Argentina to South Korea to satisfy the demand for cheap, dependable sources of energy. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, by 2009, nuclear energy produced almost 14 percent of the world's electricity supplies. And the total demand for energy worldwide has continued to rise, although the latest nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant appears to have discouraged enthusiasm for the energy source.
Other major sources of energy have their own benefits—and their own set of risks. Oil is limited, likely to be affected by political pressure and rising prices, and has caused serious environmental disasters of its own. Coal is blamed for serious air pollution, and mining for coal is an often perilous profession: coal mining accidents from Colombia to China have resulted in thousands of deaths. Natural gas pollutes the air less than oil or coal, but old and leakprone(容易泄漏的) natural gas pipelines can explode, killing and injuring dozens of people. Water power is a renewable and clean source of energy, but building dams requires a lot of land, and if they burst, the environmental damage is widespread.
文章大意：本文是一篇说明文。作者通过列举核能、石油、煤、天然气、水能的优缺点，说明了任何一种能源都有其危险的一面。
1.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.nuclear energy is a doubleedged sword
B.the demand for nuclear energy is declining
C.the nuclear disaster in Japan meant the end of nuclear energy
D.nuclear energy produces onethird of the world's electricity supplies
答案：A 推理判断题。根据第二段可知，一方面原子弹的使用致使数十万人死亡，整座城市被毁，另一方面核能源给人类提供了近14%的电能。由此可知，核能是一把双刃剑。故选A。
2.The underlined word “perilous” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.
A.highrewarding B.tiring
C.appealing D.dangerous
答案：D 词义猜测题。根据本句话中冒号后的内容“coal mining accidents from Colombia to China have resulted in thousands of deaths.”可知，煤矿发生的事故已经夺取了许多人的生命，由此可推知，此处指采煤是一种危险的工作。故选D，意为“危险的”。
3.What's the advantage of natural gas over oil and coal according to the passage?
A.It is easier to transport. B.It causes less air pollution.
C.It requires less effort to get.D.It is more abundant in nature.
答案：B 细节理解题。根据最后一段中的“Natural gas pollutes the air less than oil or coal”可知，答案选B。
4What's the writer's purpose in writing this passage?
A.To advocate saving energy.
B.To promote nuclear energy.
C.To inform the risks of power.
D.To raise environmental awareness.
答案：C 写作意图题。作者首先分析了核能既能大规模地杀伤人类又能给人类提供能源，是一把双刃剑;接着又说明了石油、煤、天然气、水能这些看起来似乎没有危险的能源实际上也是暗藏着危险。由此可知，作者的目的是提醒我们任何能源都具有危险性。故选C。
