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A deal is a deal-except, apparently ,when Entergy is involved. The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on(第26题) a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations.
Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not challenge the constitutionality of Vermont’s rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running. It’s a stunning move.
The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont’s only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon. As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators to operate past 2012. In 2006, the state went a step further, requiring that any extension of the plant’s license be subject to Vermont legislature’s approval. Then, too, the company went along.
Either Entergy never really intended to live by those commitments, or it simply didn’t foresee what would happen next. A string of accidents, including the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and the discovery of an underground pipe system leakage, raised serious questions about both Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’s management(第28题)- especially after the company made misleading statements about the pipe. Enraged by Entergy’s behavior, the Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 last year against allowing an extension.
Now the company is suddenly claiming that the 2002 agreement is invalid because of the 2006 legislation, and that only the federal government has regulatory power over nuclear issues. The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will(第29题) offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend. Certainly, there are valid concerns about the patchwork regulations that could result if every state sets its own rules. But had Entergy kept its word, that debate would be beside the point.
The company seems to have concluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged that it has noting left to lose by going to war with the state. But there should be consequences. Permission to run a nuclear plant is a public trust. Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth. Pledging to run Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permission to keep it open for another 20 years. But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the company’s application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.
本文关键词:Entergy Vermont
本文主旨:Entergy reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations in Vermont and the consequences.
25. The phrase “reneging on”(Line 3.para.1) is closest in meaning to
短语“reneging on”的意思最接近
[A] condemning 谴责
[B] reaffirming 重申
[C] dishonoring 违背
[D] securing 获取
原文:it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations.renege on遵守严格的州核法规这一长期承诺,将四个选项带入,“违背承诺”最合适,因为“违背承诺”,所以引发公愤“provoked justified outrage”,另外如果不认识这四个选项,通过前文可以推知这应该是一种不好的行为,C项的“dis”是否定前缀,猜测选C
26. By entering into the 2002 agreement, Entergy intended to
通过签订2002协议,Entergy公司想要
[A] obtain protection from Vermont regulators
获得福蒙特州监管机构的保护
[B] seek favor from the federal legislature
寻求联邦立法机构的支持
[C] acquire an extension of its business license
获得经营许可证的延期
[D] get permission to purchase a power plant
获得收购一家核电厂的许可,原文:when the corporation bought Vermont’s only nuclear power plant. 当时公司购买了福蒙特州唯一的核电厂,As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to...作为福蒙特州批准该买卖的条件,公司同意...可见公司签订2002协议的目的是为了获得许可购买核电厂,D正确。
27. According to Paragraph 4, Entergy seems to have problems with its
根据第四段可知,Entergy公司似乎在“”方面存在问题
[A] managerial practices
管理实践,原文:raised serious questions about both Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’s management人们对福蒙特扬基核电站的安全以及Entergy公司的管理提出了严重质疑,可见公司在管理实践方面存在问题。
[B] technical innovativeness
技术创新
[C] financial goals
财务目标
[D] business vision
商业远见
28. In the author’s view, the Vermont case will test
作者认为,福蒙特州案件将会检验
[A] Entergy’s capacity to fulfill all its promises
Entergy公司履行承诺的能力
[B] the mature of states’ patchwork regulations
各州补丁法规的性质
[C] the federal authority over nuclear issues
联邦在核能问题上的权力
[D] the limits of states’ power over nuclear issues
各州在核能问题上的权限,原文: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend.虽然最高法院已经判定各州对核能确实具有某些管理权,但法律学者说,福蒙特州案件将会对检验“州政府的权力究竟有多大”提供一个先例,可见福蒙特州的案件会检测各州在核能问题上的权限。
29. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that
从最后一段可推知,
[A] Entergy’s business elsewhere might be affected
Entergy公司其他地方的业务可能会受到影响,原文:But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the company’s application, it should keep it mind what promises from Entergy are worth.但是,当核管理委员会审核该公司的申请时,它应该会考虑到Entergy公司的承诺到底价值几许,可见因为福蒙特州的事,公司在其他地方的业务可能受到影响,A正确。
[B] the authority of the NRC will be defied
核管理委员会的权威将会被蔑视
[C] Entergy will withdraw its Plymouth application
Entergy公司将会撤回它在普利茅斯的申请
[D] Vermont’s reputation might be damaged
福蒙特州的名誉可能会受损
词汇总结:
justified /ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪd/ adj. 有正当理由的,合理的,合法化的
真题:The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage(愤怒,侮辱) in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on(违背) a longstanding commitment to abide by(遵守) the strict nuclear regulations.
译:该公司是英格兰地区一家主要能源供应商,当它上周宣布将违背“遵守严格的州核法规”这一长期承诺时,在福蒙特州激起了无可厚非的震怒。
renege (on) /rɪ'niɡ/ v. 背信,违约
例句:The United States has often accused North Korea of cheating, of reneging on deals that they agreed to.
译:美国经常指责朝鲜欺骗、违背他们所达成的协议。
abide /ə'baɪd/ vt. 遵守,忍受; vi. 居留
例句:In plain English, this would mean we still have to abide by all the EU rules.
译:简单来说 这意味着我们仍然要遵守欧盟的所有规则。
拓展:abiding 长久的,守法的
constitutionality /'kɑnstə'tʊʃə'næləti/ n.合宪
真题:Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not challenge the constitutionality of Vermont’s rules in the federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running. 译:相反,Entergy公司恰恰做出了它曾长期承诺不会做的事:在联邦法院质疑福蒙特州核法规的合宪性,这是它为了使其福蒙特扬基核电厂能够继续运营而做出的拼死努力的一部分。
stunning /'stʌnɪŋ/ adj. 足以使人晕倒的,极好的
真题:It’s a stunning move. 真是惊人之举。
foresee /fɔr'si/ v. 预见,预知
真题:Either Entergy never really intended to(打算做...) live by those commitments(承诺), or it simply didn’t foresee what would happen next.
译:要么Entergy 公司压根就没打算要遵守那些承诺,要么就是它根本没有预料到接下来会发生什么事情。
collapse /kə'læps/ n. 崩溃,倒塌,暴跌; vi. 倒塌,崩溃,瓦解,折叠; vt. 倒塌,缩减
真题:A string of accidents, including the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and the discovery of an underground pipe system leakage, raised serious questions about both Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’s management- especially after the company made misleading statements about the pipe.
译:一系列的事故,包括2007年冷却塔局部倒塌以及地下管道系统泄露为人所知,使得人们既对福蒙特扬基核电厂的安全、也对Entergy公司的管理提出了严重质疑,尤其是在该公司对管道做出误导性陈述之后更是如此。
obscure /əb'skjʊr/ adj. 微暗的,难解的,不著名的 vt. 使...阴暗,隐藏,使...含糊
真题:The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas(然而) the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent(先前的,先例,惯例)-setting test of how far those powers extend.
译:此案件中的法律问题模糊不清:虽然最高法院已经判定各州对核能确实具有某些管理权,但法律学者说,福蒙特州案件将会对检验“州政府的权力究竟有多大”提供一个先例。
patchwork /ˈpætʃˌwɜ:k/ n. 修补工作,拼凑的东西,混杂物
真题:Certainly, there are valid(有效的) concerns about the patchwork regulations that could result if every state sets its own rules.
译:当然,假如各州都制定自己的规则,那么对“这可能会到这补丁法规”的担忧也是合理的。
pledge /plɛdʒ/ n. 保证,誓言,抵押,抵押品; vt. 保证,誓言,举杯祝...健康
真题:Pledging to run Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permission to keep it open for another 20 years.
译:在承诺保证安全经营朝圣者核电厂的前提下,该公司已经向联邦机构提出了“再经营20年”的申请。
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