I was shocked to learn recently that some scientists want to scale back their research in an effort to decrease carbon emissions. The crisis is here, they said, and we need to cut back on our energy-intensive modelling. At the very least, we need to make our energy use far more sustainable.It is unarguable that our laboratories, scientific instruments, rockets and satellites — the tools we scientists need to measure the planet’s pulse — demand significant amounts of energy both in their construction and operation. And it is equally true that science’s unrelenting appetite for information has caused a mushrooming of energy-intensive data centres around the world.According to the International Energy Agency, these buildings now consume about 1 percent of the world’s electricity. However, this is a price we must pay for understanding the world. How can we inform decision makers about the best ways to bring down carbon emissions if we can’t track the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, where it’s coming from and who’s producing it? The carbon emissions from technological research are well spent: ultimately this research will safeguard the future of our planet.It can be hard for scientists to make the case because our work is complex, often takes place behind closed doors and does not always lend itself to easy interpretation or explanation. But demonstrating the efficacy of science will be crucial if we are to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. It is all too easy to feel paralysed in the face of daunting problems such as climate change and to do nothing. But then I think of a friend’s daughter who turned her fears into action: she became a wind energy engineer and now thrives on delivering renewable energy, limiting emissions.Recognising the hope that science and engineering can bring was the impetus behind the creation of the Millennium Technology Prize, which is now entering its 20th year as a celebration of human ingenuity. One of the past winners, Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales, Australia, is the inventor of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell technology which is now found in most of the world’s solar panels. Thanks to his invention, we have a real chance to decrease the world’s carbon emissions.Every day, scientists, technologists and engineers are discovering new ways to exploit renewable energy sources and develop techniques not just to use power more intelligently but to power our intelligence. A great example of this is Europe’s largest supercomputer, LUMI in Finland, which is astonishingly carbon-negative. Established in an old paper mill, it is powered by a nearby river and its remote heat warms the people who live in the surrounding town of Kajaani.If the world is to meet its net-zero ambitions, we must think hard about how we can deliver sustainable computing and deliver more LUMIs.26. The author expressed great surprise at some scientists’ ______.A. unwillingness to cut carbon emissions.B. intention to reduce their research.C. suspicions about sustainable energy.D. waste of electricity in their projects.27. The author believes that carbon emissions from research ______.A. have caused grave consequences.B. have aroused groundless worries.C. are hard to handle at present.D. are justifiable in the long run.28. The example of Green in Paragraph 5 is used to illustrate ______.A. the achievements of great scientists.B. the urgency of addressing climate change.C. the rewards of scientific endeavours.D. the value of fostering human ingenuity.29. It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that LUMI ______.A. is a model of sustainability efforts.B. is a triumph against energy shortage.C. owes much to global net-zero initiatives.D. aims to explore the power of intelligence.30. Which of the following statements would the author agree with?A. Emission-free modelling demands extra funding.B. The need for supercomputers is difficult to meet.C. Energy-intensive research work is inevitable.D. The goals of researchers ought to be realistic.
I was shocked to learn recently that some scientists want to scale back their research in an effort to decrease carbon emissions. The crisis is here, they said, and we need to cut back on our energy-intensive modelling. At the very least, we need to make our energy use far more sustainable.
It is unarguable that our laboratories, scientific instruments, rockets and satellites — the tools we scientists need to measure the planet’s pulse — demand significant amounts of energy both in their construction and operation. And it is equally true that science’s unrelenting appetite for information has caused a mushrooming of energy-intensive data centres around the world.
According to the International Energy Agency, these buildings now consume about 1 percent of the world’s electricity. However, this is a price we must pay for understanding the world. How can we inform decision makers about the best ways to bring down carbon emissions if we can’t track the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, where it’s coming from and who’s producing it? The carbon emissions from technological research are well spent: ultimately this research will safeguard the future of our planet.
It can be hard for scientists to make the case because our work is complex, often takes place behind closed doors and does not always lend itself to easy interpretation or explanation. But demonstrating the efficacy of science will be crucial if we are to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. It is all too easy to feel paralysed in the face of daunting problems such as climate change and to do nothing. But then I think of a friend’s daughter who turned her fears into action: she became a wind energy engineer and now thrives on delivering renewable energy, limiting emissions.
Recognising the hope that science and engineering can bring was the impetus behind the creation of the Millennium Technology Prize, which is now entering its 20th year as a celebration of human ingenuity. One of the past winners, Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales, Australia, is the inventor of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell technology which is now found in most of the world’s solar panels. Thanks to his invention, we have a real chance to decrease the world’s carbon emissions.
Every day, scientists, technologists and engineers are discovering new ways to exploit renewable energy sources and develop techniques not just to use power more intelligently but to power our intelligence. A great example of this is Europe’s largest supercomputer, LUMI in Finland, which is astonishingly carbon-negative. Established in an old paper mill, it is powered by a nearby river and its remote heat warms the people who live in the surrounding town of Kajaani.
If the world is to meet its net-zero ambitions, we must think hard about how we can deliver sustainable computing and deliver more LUMIs.
26. The author expressed great surprise at some scientists’ ______.
A. unwillingness to cut carbon emissions.
B. intention to reduce their research.
C. suspicions about sustainable energy.
D. waste of electricity in their projects.
27. The author believes that carbon emissions from research ______.
A. have caused grave consequences.
B. have aroused groundless worries.
C. are hard to handle at present.
D. are justifiable in the long run.
28. The example of Green in Paragraph 5 is used to illustrate ______.
A. the achievements of great scientists.
B. the urgency of addressing climate change.
C. the rewards of scientific endeavours.
D. the value of fostering human ingenuity.
29. It can be learned from the last two paragraphs that LUMI ______.
A. is a model of sustainability efforts.
B. is a triumph against energy shortage.
C. owes much to global net-zero initiatives.
D. aims to explore the power of intelligence.
30. Which of the following statements would the author agree with?
A. Emission-free modelling demands extra funding.
B. The need for supercomputers is difficult to meet.
C. Energy-intensive research work is inevitable.
D. The goals of researchers ought to be realistic.
题目解答
答案
解析
本题主要考查对文章内容的理解、推理和判断能力。解题时需要仔细阅读文章，理解每个段落的主旨和细节，然后根据题目要求对选项进行分析和判断。
第26题
文章第一段提到 “I was shocked to learn recently that some scientists want to scale back their research in an effort to decrease carbon emissions”，意思是作者最近震惊地得知一些科学家为了减少碳排放想要缩减他们的研究。
- A选项 “unwillingness to cut carbon emissions”（不愿意减少碳排放）与原文中科学家想要减少碳排放的意图不符，所以A选项错误。
- B选项 “intention to reduce their research”（减少研究的意图）与原文表述一致，所以B选项正确。
- C选项 “suspicions about sustainable energy”（对可持续能源的怀疑）在原文中未提及，所以C选项错误。
- D选项 “waste of electricity in their projects”（项目中浪费电）原文没有相关内容，所以D选项错误。
第27题
文章第三段提到 “The carbon emissions from technological research are well spent: ultimately this research will safeguard the future of our planet”，即技术研究产生的碳排放是值得的，最终这项研究将保障我们星球的未来。
- A选项 “have caused grave consequences”（造成了严重后果）与原文中作者认为碳排放是值得的观点相悖，所以A选项错误。
- B选项 “have aroused groundless worries”（引起了毫无根据的担忧），原文并没有提及人们对科研碳排放的担忧是否毫无根据，所以B选项错误。
- C选项 “are hard to handle at present”（目前难以处理）在原文中未体现，所以C选项错误。
- D选项 “are justifiable in the long run”（从长远来看是合理的）与原文中科研碳排放最终能保障地球未来的观点相符，所以D选项正确。
第28题
文章第五段提到 “One of the past winners, Professor Martin Green from the University of New South Wales, Australia, is the inventor of the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell technology which is now found in most of the world’s solar panels. Thanks to his invention, we have a real chance to decrease the world’s carbon emissions”，说明Green教授的发明让我们有机会减少世界碳排放。
- A选项 “the achievements of great scientists”（伟大科学家的成就），虽然Green教授有成就，但这里重点强调的是科研带来的回报，而不是单纯的成就，所以A选项不准确。
- B选项 “the urgency of addressing climate change”（应对气候变化的紧迫性），该例子主要强调的是科研的回报，而不是应对气候变化的紧迫性，所以B选项错误。
- C选项 “the rewards of scientific endeavours”（科研努力的回报），Green教授的发明减少了碳排放，体现了科研努力带来的回报，所以C选项正确。
- D选项 “the value of fostering human ingenuity”（培养人类创造力的价值），例子主要突出的是科研成果对减少碳排放的作用，而不是培养创造力的价值，所以D选项错误。
第29题
文章倒数第二段提到 “A great example of this is Europe’s largest supercomputer, LUMI in Finland, which is astonishingly carbon - negative. Established in an old paper mill, it is powered by a nearby river and its remote heat warms the people who live in the surrounding town of Kajaani”，说明LUMI是碳负排放的，利用附近河流提供能源，并且其余热为周边城镇供暖。
- A选项 “is a model of sustainability efforts”（是可持续努力的典范），LUMI的能源利用方式和对环境的友好影响体现了可持续性，所以A选项正确。
- B选项 “is a triumph against energy shortage”（是对抗能源短缺的胜利），原文主要强调的是LUMI的可持续性，而不是对抗能源短缺，所以B选项错误。
- C选项 “owes much to global net - zero initiatives”（很大程度上归功于全球净零排放倡议），原文没有提及LUMI与全球净零排放倡议的关系，所以C选项错误。
- D选项 “aims to explore the power of intelligence”（旨在探索智能的力量），原文没有表明LUMI的目的是探索智能的力量，所以D选项错误。
第30题
文章中提到科研需要大量能源，且科研成果能解决全球性问题，如减少碳排放等。
- A选项 “Emission - free modelling demands extra funding”（无排放建模需要额外资金），原文未提及无排放建模和额外资金的关系，所以A选项错误。
- B选项 “The need for supercomputers is difficult to meet”（对超级计算机的需求难以满足），原文没有相关内容，所以B选项错误。
- C选项 “Energy - intensive research work is inevitable”（能源密集型研究工作是不可避免的），因为科研需要大量能源，且其成果对解决问题至关重要，所以能源密集型研究工作不可避免，C选项正确。
- D选项 “The goals of researchers ought to be realistic”（研究人员的目标应该现实），原文未提及研究人员目标是否现实的问题，所以D选项错误。