考研英语阅读篇章: 呼吁减少碳排放

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 新东方在线小编为大家整理考研英语阅读系列篇章精选，通过双语阅读的方式，帮助同学们捕捉国内外新闻以及最前沿的奇人异事。考生可作为备考资料，阅读的同时将不熟的单词牢记。
      考研英语阅读篇章：呼吁减少碳排放
    Hi, everybody. I'm here at Children's National Medical Center in
Washington, D.C., visiting with some kids being treated here all the time for
asthma(哮喘) and other breathing problems. Often, these illnesses are
aggravated(加重，恶化) by air pollution-pollution from the same sources that release
carbon and contribute to climate change. And for the sake of all our kids, we've
got to do more to reduce it.
    Earlier this month, hundreds of scientists declared that climate change is
no longer a distant threat-it "has moved firmly into the present." Its costs can
be measured in lost lives and livelihoods, lost homes and businesses; and higher
prices for food, insurance, and rebuilding.
    That's why, last year, I put forward America's first climate action plan.
This plan cuts carbon pollution by building a clean energy economy-using more
clean energy, less dirty energy, and wasting less energy throughout our
economy.
    One of the best things we can do for our economy, our health, and our
environment is to lead the world in producing cleaner, safer energy-and we're
already generating more clean energy than ever before. Thanks in part to the
investments we made in the Recovery Act, the electricity America generates from
wind has tripled. And from the sun, it's increased more than tenfold.
    In fact, every four minutes, another American home or business goes
solar-and every panel is pounded into place by a worker whose job cannot be
shipped overseas. We're wasting less energy, too. We've doubled how far our cars
and trucks will go on a gallon of gas by the middle of the next decade, saving
you money at the pump-and we're helping families and businesses save billions
with more efficient homes, buildings, and appliances.
    This strategy has created jobs, grown our economy, and helped make America
more energy independent than we've been in decades-all while holding our carbon
emissions to levels not seen in about 20 years. It's a good start. But for the
sake of our children, we have to do more.
    This week, we will.
    Today, about 40% of America's carbon pollution comes from power plants. But
right now, there are no national limits to the amount of carbon pollution that
existing plants can pump into the air we breathe. None.
    We limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury, sulfur, and arsenic
that power plants put in our air and water. But they can dump unlimited amounts
of carbon pollution into the air. It's not smart, it's not safe, and it doesn't
make sense.
    That's why, a year ago, I directed the Environmental Protection Agency to
build on the efforts of many states, cities, and companies, and come up with
commonsense guidelines for reducing dangerous carbon pollution from our power
plants. This week, we're unveiling these proposed guidelines, which will cut
down on the carbon pollution, smog, and soot(煤烟) that threaten the health of the
most vulnerable Americans, including children and the elderly. In just the first
year that these standards go into effect, up to 100,000 asthma attacks and 2,100
heart attacks will be avoided-and those numbers will go up from there.
    These standards were created in an open and transparent way, with input
from the business community. States and local governments weighed in, too. In
fact, nearly a dozen states are already implementing their own market-based
programs to reduce carbon pollution. And over 1,000 mayors have signed
agreements to cut their cities' carbon pollution.
    So the idea of setting higher standards to cut pollution at our power
plants is not new. It's just time for Washington to catch up with the rest of
the country.
    Now, special interests and their allies in Congress will claim that these
guidelines will kill jobs and crush the economy. Let's face it, that's what they
always say.
    But every time America has set clear rules and better standards for our
air, our water, and our children's health-the warnings of the cynics have been
wrong. They warned that doing something about the smog choking our cities, and
acid rain poisoning our lakes, would kill business. It didn't. Our air got
cleaner, acid rain was cut dramatically, and our economy kept growing.
    These excuses for inaction somehow suggest a lack of faith in American
businesses and American ingenuity. The truth is, when we ask our workers and
businesses to innovate, they do. When we raise the bar, they meet it. When we
restricted cancer-causing chemicals in plastics and leaded fuel in our cars,
American chemists came up with better substitutes. When we phased out the gases
that depleted the ozone layer, American workers built better refrigerators and
air conditioners.
    The fuel standards we put in place a few years ago didn't cripple
automakers; the American auto industry retooled, and today, they're selling the
best cars in the world, with more hybrids, plug-in, and fuel-efficient models to
choose from than ever before.
    In America, we don't have to choose between the health of our economy and
the health of our children. The old rules may say we can't protect our
environment and promote economic growth at the same time, but in America, we've
always used new technology to break the old rules.
    As President, and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our children to a planet
that's beyond fixing. The shift to a cleaner energy economy won't happen
overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way.
    But a low-carbon, clean energy economy can be an engine of growth for
decades to come. America will build that engine. A future that's cleaner, more
prosperous, and full of good jobs-a future where we can look our kids in the eye
and tell them we did our part to leave them a safer, more stable world.
    Thanks, and have a great weekend.
     以上是考研英语阅读篇章双语新闻系列分享，同学们在复习过程中找不到适合自己的方法可参考参考【2015暑期备考】专题，或选择>>点击查看资料下载中心。

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