Text 2

1---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 a longstanding commitment to abide by the strict nuclear regulations.

说好的是不能改变的! 除非Entergy进行的交易。这个公司是新英格兰地区主要的能源提供商，该公司引起了佛蒙特州人们的义愤，因为上周它宣称它不想遵守严格的核能规定。

renege [riˈni:g]      v.  背信，违约

26. The phrase “reneging on”(Line 3.para.1) is closest in meaning to

[A] condemning. 谴责；                             [B] reaffirming. 再确定 正反

[C] dishonoring. （侮辱，拒绝承兑）         [D] securing. 正反

2--- Instead, the company has done precisely what it had long promised it would not: challenge the constitutionality of Vermont’s rules in federal court, as part of a desperate effort to keep its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant running. It’s a stunning move.

相反，该公司一直履行了它早先的承诺过不做的事情：即它不会因为想保持其Vermont Yankee核电站持续经营，而要在联邦法院挑战该州相关规定的合法性（宪法）。现在这个做法让人震惊。

背景：安特吉公司(NYSE:ETR)是一家电力控股公司，也是美国最大的核电公司之一，它为阿肯色州、路易斯安那、密西西比和德克萨斯州的250万用户供电，同时还为路易斯安那州的24万用户供应天然气。

3---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.

reactor [riˈæktə] n.反应堆

这个冲突始于2002，当时该公司购买了佛蒙特州唯一一家核电站，其实是一个位于Vernon的破旧反应堆。该交易为了获得州政府的批准，该公司同意一个前提条件：即同意在2012年后征求州政府官员的同意继续经营。2006年，州政府又提出，该核电站能否延期经营要听从佛蒙特州立法机关的批准。当时，该公司也无异议。

27. By entering into the 2002 agreement, Entergy intended to

[A] obtain protection from Vermont regulators. （protection误解原文，无中生有）

[B] seek favor from the federal legislature. （文中没有说该公司一开始就预谋好要最终得到联邦法律支持）

[C] acquire an extension of its business license .（ 通过 4段第一句话，似乎也不是他的目的）

[D] get permission to purchase a power plant.（3段似乎太直接，但可以是答案，因为文中就写了approval for the sale这句话，所以我偏向D对√）

4---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——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.

Entergy 从来没有打算要遵守这些承诺，也根本没有想过将来会发生什么。一系列的事件，包括2007年冷却塔的部分崩溃，以及地下管道系统泄露的发现，这些事使得人们严重怀疑Vermont Yankee电站的安全问题和Entergy的管理----尤其在该公司对其管道问题所做的误导性言论之后。佛蒙特州参议院对于Entergy的行为表示震怒，去年以26比4的投票反对其延期经营。

28. According to Paragraph 4, Entergy seems to have problems with its

[A] managerial practices. √

[B] technical innovativeness. （创新无中生有）

[C] financial goals.（无中生有）

[D] business vision （无中生有）

5---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 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.

现在该公司突然宣称2002年的协定是无效的，因为有2006年的立法以及只有联邦政府拥有核电站管理权。该案的法律问题是模糊的：虽然最高法院判决过，各州的确有权管理核电站，但法学家说佛蒙特案为这种核电站究竟能延期多久设定了先例。显然，如果每个州设立自己的法规，那么关注一下各州拼凑的临时规定是必要的。但，要是Entergy遵守诺言，这个讨论就无关紧要了。

29. In the author’s view, the Vermont case will test

[A] Entergy’s capacity to fulfill all its promises. 明显错

[B] the nature of states’ patchwork regulations. (我猜B对√）

[C] the federal authority over nuclear issues.

[D] the limits of states’ power over nuclear issues.

这道题比较难，我看不懂上下文，因为没有法律常识，也不懂得precedent-setting 和patchwork regulations的内涵，所以只能猜，大家原谅我把，因为根据关键词含金量高的原则猜B。

不好意思@!#$%^&*(

6---The company seems to have concluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged that it has nothing 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 in mind what promises from Entergy are worth.

该公司似乎认定其已声名狼藉，没有什么后顾之忧，不如和佛蒙特州背水一战。但不良后果还是有的。经营核电站的许可权的问题是一个公共信任的问题。Entergy集团在美国还经营了11个反应堆，包括在普利茅斯的Pilgrim 反应堆。该公司许诺安全经营Pilgrim，要求联邦政府给予继续经营20年的许可。但是，核管理委员会(NRC)在审查该公司的申请的时候，它要牢记到底Entergy公司的哪个许诺是可信的。

30. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

[A] Entergy’s business elsewhere might be affected.√

[B] the authority of the NRC will be defied.

[C] Entergy will withdraw its Plymouth application.

[D] Vermont’s reputation might be damaged.（原文已经这样）