Passage 4

When food is consumed it can usually be replaced by growing more food on the same land year after year.But when people drive cars,the petrol they consume cannot be replaced from the same source for ever.Some day all the oil,coal and metals in the earth will have disappeared.

In the 19th century the factories obtained their energy from coal,but industry’s energy today comes material of oil.It is oil more than anything else that has made the United States the richest country in the world.Without it her industry would come to a halt.She also uses oil as raw material for the production of things like plastics and washing-powder.America owns large amounts of oil,coal and other resources,but the country’s industrial production has become so great that fuel and raw materials now have to be imported from other countries.The United States,with one twentieth of the world’s population,consumes a third of the world’s resources---far more than her fair share.Anamerican uses fifty times as much energy as an Indian,while almost half the world’s cars are on the roads of America.Europe is also consuming more than its fair share of the world’s resources,including the resources of poorer countries.

When we ride in a car or a train we rarely ask ourselves where the energy comes from to drive it.Nor do we think about the energy that heats the water for our bath,or that enables us to watch television,play records or cook the dinner.Every time we do these things we use up a little bit more of the earth’s resources.It is difficult to find any products in a shop that do not use up energy and raw materials in their production.In the last few years people have begun to realize that these resources are being used up far too quickly.Between 1960 and 1970 world consumption of oil doubled,and our resources are expected to be completely used up by the year 2000 unless more oil is discovered before then.The oil-producing countries have therefore increased the price of oil because they know that the oil will not last for ever.

What will happen if oil and other important resources are used up?Are there other ways to solve the problem?Scientists are looking for it.

26.Which of the following is renewable?

A.Land B.Food C.Oil D.Metal

27.According to the second paragraph,______________.

A.the United States is the largest producer of raw material

B.the more oil a country produces,the richer it will be

C.an Indian uses only about one-fiftieth of the energy used by an American

D.America has imported almost 50%of the world’s cars

28.Which of the following is true according to the third paragraph?

A.Most of the Americans want to know where energy comes from.

B.There are problems about the quality of the fuels that heat our water and cook our dinner.

C.Whatever we do we certainly use up some of the earth’s resources

D.There are a few goods that are produced without using up some energy and raw material

29.In the author’s opinion,________________.

A.more oil will be discovered before long

B.oil,coal,and metals in the earth will be used up sooner or later

C.world consumption of oil will double in the next few years

D.more coal is needed in order to replace oil

30.This passage was probably written________________.

A.in 1960s

B.between 1960 and 1970

C.before 1960 or earlier

D.in 1970s or later