【正文】 s NOT mentioned as a way to prepare for an oil shock? A Exploiting nuclear energy instead. B Promoting cars which consume less fuel. C Building up stocks of oil for future consumption. D Using coal or hydro power. 72. What is meant by “cooking the earth”? A The earth is getting warmer as if fueled by carbon dioxide discharges. B Owing to the change of climate, there will be less oil reserves. C The power plants emit too much smoke and fumes. D Automobile exhausts give off too much carbon. 73. The word “generation” in the last sentence refers to _______ A all people of about the same age in society. B all members of his type of power plants. C the period of time when production is made. D the process of producing electricity. 74. What is the main idea of the passage? A To reject the idea of turning to nuclear reactors for energy. B To demonstrate that there are alternative forms of energy. C To defend oil consumption from the blame for greenhouse effect. D To warn people of the inevitable exhaustion of fossil fuels. Passage Five Northern marshes are being turned into empty, desecrated mud flat wastelands. The culprit? Snow geese. These marshes are the breeding ground for snow geese. Once destroyed, some fear the species will take over the habitat of the Canada goose a popular game bird in Minnesota. If this happens, Minnesota hunting and land conditions could be greatly affected. The snow goose population has been on the rise the last 25 years, but numbers are hitting an alltime high. This year there is an estimated or 6 million birds, triple what the population was 25 years ago. Although effects of the snow goose invasion aren’t apparent in Minneapolis, northern Minnesota and Canada can clearly see the signs. The population growth is due to the birds’ wintering habits. They fly south to Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi to nest. The conditions and food availability had made it so more birds survive the winter and the trip back north. The period over which they’ve increased correlates to a change in agriculture practices. After World War II, there was an increase in manmade fertilizers, yielding an increase of corn, rice, wheat and other crops. There have also been other changes in agricultural practices causing an increase of production in cereal crops. The geese find the agricultural areas better than the natural areas. The geese have escaped from any natural limits. They are not doing this on their own。 it is in response to human practices. Usually, about 70 to 75 percent of the birds make it back to Canada in late winter and early spring. But the surviving number of snow geese has steadily climbed each year to reach 95 percent in the last couple of years. Because so many survive, they strip the capacity of the breeding ground. The snow geese are destroying salt marshes where they nest in the summer, about 30 percent of the salt marshes are pletely destroyed, leaving them as inhabitable mud flats. Another 35 percent of salt marshes are significantly damaged. There are three possible solutions: Let the problem take care of itself and wait for the population to crash, deal directly with the population by changing hunting limits and regulations or address the cause of the problem in the south. 75. According to the author, if the marshes are devastated, _______ A the snow geese will be in danger. B the agriculture of the area will suffer. C the Canada geese will replace the snow geese. D snow geese may move to nest in Minnesota. 76. The snow geese population ____ A was about 3 million 25 years ago. B was million 10 years ago. C reaches its highest point in history. D will keep growing within 25 years. 77. The sharp rise of the snow geese population is mainly caused by _______ A a lack of natural enemies. B a great care of wildlife preservationists. C favorite conditions in their winter habitat. D changes in agricultural practices in the north. 78. It is implied in the passage that _________ A the use of manmade fertilizers should be limited. B the number of snow geese will eventually drop if no actions are taken. C people should do something to extend the birds’ breeding area. D the surviving rate of snow geese can be controlled back to 70%.79. Which of the following is one of the solutions proposed by the author? A To regulate new laws on hunting to check the growth of snow geese. B To exterminate snow geese on a large scale by hunting them as a game. C To alter the balance by hunting more of the Canada geese. D To make snow geese nest in the south and never trip back north. 80. Which of the following statements best summarizes the passage? A More snow geese tend to stay south for the summer. B Human practices of agriculture have damaged salt marshes. C Snow geese will exhaust the northern marshes. D We should make a prompt action to preserve rare birds.