23年高考英语外刊阅读训练——阅读理解：为什么水电费飙升学案（含答案）

23年高考英语外刊阅读训练———阅读理解：为什么水电费飙升 ———改编自Soaring utility bill Blame the instability of fossil fuels Californians are facing a harsh winter as natural gas prices soar, leading to big increases in utility bills. Wholesale natural gas prices have tripled since early December 2022, with Southern California Gas Co. warning its 5.9 million customers of “shockingly high” bills, estimating that if they paid $130 a month last winter, the same level of usage could cost $315 this year. This has put residents in a vulnerable position due to their dependence on fossil fuels, as Californians have a much higher percentage of homes with gas appliances than other parts of the country. While conservation tips can help in the short term, the long-term solution is to transition to renewable energy and battery storage, divorcing ourselves from fossil fuel volatility. The spike in natural gas prices is also responsible for increasing electricity bills for millions of Southern Californian Edison customers by an average of $11.80 in January, as the utility still relies on gas-fired power plants. Despite some recent progress on climate policy, new data on global temperatures and US emissions show that we’re still on a reckless path in the wrong direction. Leaders need to accelerate the transition to electric buildings powered by renewable energy and battery storage, making clean, safe, and reliable energy a reality. The pain of these higher bills should provide policymakers with motivation to move beyond unhealthful and outdated ways of the past toward a sustainable future, free from polluting and planet-warming fossil fuels. It’s time to prioritize the health and well-being of Californians. 【重点词汇】 1. Californians / k l f ni nz/ n. 加州人 2. natural gas / n t r l ɡ s/ n. 天然气 3. prices / pra s z/ n. 价格 4. soar /s r/ v. 飙升，暴涨 5. increases / n kri s z/ n. 增加 6. utility bills /ju t l ti b lz/ n. 公用事业账单 7. wholesale / ho lse l/ adj. 批发的 8. tripled / tr pl d/ v. 三倍增长 9. Southern California Gas Co. / s rn k l f ni ɡ s ko / n. 南加州煤气公司 10. shockingly high / ɑ k li ha / adj. 非常高的 11. estimating / est me t / v. 估计 12. vulnerability / v ln r b l ti/ n. 脆弱性 13. dependence /d pend ns/ n. 依赖 14. fossil fuels / fɑ sl fu lz/ n. 化石燃料 15. appliances / pla ns z/ n. 家用电器 16. conservation / kɑ ns r ve n/ n. 保护，节约 17. short term / rt t rm/ n. 短期 18. long-term /l t rm/ adj. 长期的 19. transition /tr n z n/ n. 过渡 20. renewable energy /r nju bl en d i/ n. 可再生能源 21. battery storage / b tri st r d / n. 电池储存 22. volatility /v l t l ti/ n. 不稳定性 23. responsible for /r spɑ ns bl f r/ adj. 对……负责 24. increasing / n kri s / adj. 增加的 25. electricity bills / l k tr s ti b lz/ n. 电费 26. millions / m lj nz/ n. 百万 27. Southern Californian Edison / s rn k l f ni n ed s n/ n. 南加州爱迪生公司 28. climate policy / kla m t pɑ l si/ n. 气候政策 29. global temperatures / ɡlo bl tempr tj ... ...