首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
考研
Fate has not been kind to the western grey whale. Its numbers have dwindled to 130 or so, leaving it “critically endangered” in
Fate has not been kind to the western grey whale. Its numbers have dwindled to 130 or so, leaving it “critically endangered” in
admin
2014-06-13
56
问题
Fate has not been kind to the western grey whale. Its numbers have dwindled to 130 or so, leaving it “critically endangered” in the eyes of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Fishing-nets, speeding ships, pollution and coastal development threaten the few that remain. Most recently, drilling for oil and gas in their main summer feeding grounds, near Sakhalin island off Russia’s Pacific coast, has brought fresh risks for the luckless creatures. Yet the rush to develop Sakhalin’s offshore fields may yet be the saviour of the species.
When drilling was first discussed in the 1990s, there were muted complaints. When a consortium called Sakhalin. Energy, led by Royal Dutch Shell, announced plans to build an oil platform and lay pipelines in the only bay where the whales were known to congregate, these protests proliferated.
In response, the consortium established an independent panel to advise it on how best to protect the whales and promised to fund its work. It subsequently agreed to change the route of the pipeline at the panel’s suggestion, although it refused to move the platform, as other critics had demanded. It also agreed either to follow the panel’s recommendations in future or to explain publicly why it was rejecting them.
The platforms and pipelines are now complete. Sakhalin Energy exported its first cargo of liquefied natural gas last week. The project, says Shell, is an engineering triumph and a commercial success despite all the controversy.
But has it been a success for the whales? Sakhalin Energy says their number seems to be growing by 2.5% a year, although Ian Craig, the firm’s boss, admits that the cause might be greater scrutiny rather than population growth. The scientists on the panel still seem worried. They complain that the firm has not always provided the information they need to assess the threat to the whales. It also has not always followed advice, the scientists’ advice about how noisy construction might scare the animals away, for example, or the speed that boats should travel to minimize the risk of hitting the whales. The scientists warn that the loss of just a few fertile females would be enough to tip the population into irrevocable decline. Last summer, there seemed to be far fewer whales around than normal.
On the other hand, the panel knows this only because Sakhalin Energy funds lots of research on the whales. As a result, it has discovered that they have a wider range than originally thought, which might explain why so few of them showed up off Sakhalin island last year.
Therefore, it is hard to escape the conclusion that, for creatures with a lot as sorry as the western grey whale, a nearby oil project is something of a blessing.
Sakhalin Energy supports the panel’s work
选项
A、unconditionally.
B、enthusiastically.
C、half heartedly.
D、earnestly.
答案
C
解析
推理判断题。由第三段首句可知萨哈林能源公司承诺要为专家组的工作提供资金支持;同时文章在第五段第四句的复杂句处又提到,专家们抱怨该集团有时不给他们提供研究所需的信息,也不听他们的建议。综合两处,可知[C]正确。[A]“无条件地”、[B]“热情地”、[D]“认真地”与文章中的语气不符。
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.kaotiyun.com/show/sOO4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingisNOTwrong?______Accordingtotheauthor,theconceptof"people-literate"
Thefollowingparagraphsaregiveninawrongorder,youarerequiredtoreorganizetheseparagraphsintoacoherentarticleby
Theearliestcontroversiesabouttherelationshipbetweenphotographyandartcenteredonwhetherphotographer’sfidelitytoapp
Theearliestcontroversiesabouttherelationshipbetweenphotographyandartcenteredonwhetherphotographer’sfidelitytoapp
Theearliestcontroversiesabouttherelationshipbetweenphotographyandartcenteredonwhetherphotographer’sfidelitytoapp
Investmentinthepublicsector,suchaselectricity,irrigation,publicservicesandtransport(excludingvehicles,shipsandp
HouseofRepresentativesSpeakerJohnBoehner,inawrittenstatement,alsoapplaudedthelowerjoblessnumbers.Butheblamedt
EarlierthisyearImetwithagroupofwomeninMatela,asmallfarmingvillageinTanzania,andwediscussedsomethingthat’s
"Thisisareallyexcitingtime—aneweraisstarting,"saysPeterBazalgette,thechiefcreativeofficerofEndemol.Heisr
HuBing,oneofyourfriends,failedinthelastIELTSandisupset.Writealettertohimto1)expressyourpity,pointoutth
随机试题
(2020年青岛联考)对课程内容的解释,主要围绕几种不同的取向,这些取向是()
某医院向患者承诺“静脉输液穿刺一次成功,做不到当场还患者输液费5元”此举引起了社会热议。该医院把医患关系错误的理解为
医院中常见的不安全因素包括物理性损伤、()损伤、()损伤、()损伤和()损伤。
不属于高频电疗法的生物学效应的是
需要进行转移训练的患者
科学家们多年前就发现尘土从撒哈拉沙漠向亚马逊流域转移的现象。据估算,每年强风会吹起平均1.82亿吨的尘埃离开撒哈拉沙漠的西部边缘,这些尘埃会向西穿过大西洋,当接近南非沿岸时,空气中大约会保留1.32亿吨的尘埃,大约2800万吨会降落到亚马逊流域。因此,科学
下列关于利润责任中心的说法中,错误的是( )。
参数方程的教学要求是:把向量转化为坐标,获得了直线的参数方程,在此基础上分析直线参数方程的特点,体会参数的几何意义。在此基础上完成下列教学任务:设计两种参数方程的引入方法;
Ca2+介导的信号传导效应有
Thecomputerbringsboththebenefitsanddangers.Thespeakermeansdangerto______well-beingofthepeoplewhoareatcomput
最新回复
(
0
)