题目原文:
Ethanol fuel, made from plants such as corn and sugar cane, has been advocated by some people as an alternative to gasoline in the United States. However, many critics argue that ethanol is not a good replacement for gasoline for several reasons.
First, the increased use of ethanol fuel would not help to solve one of the biggest environmental problems caused by gasoline use: global warming. Like gasoline, ethanol releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when it is burned for fuel, and carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas: it helps trap heat in the atmosphere. Thus, ethanol offers no environmental advantage over gasoline.
Second, the production of significant amounts of ethanol would dramatically reduce the amount of plants available for uses other than fuel. For example, much of the corn now grown in the United States is used to feed farm animals such as cows and chickens. It is estimated that if ethanol were used to satisfy just 10 percent of the fuel needs in the United States, more than 60 percent of the corn currently grown in the United States would have to be used to produce ethanol. If most of the corn were used to produce ethanol, a substantial source of food for animals would disappear.
Third, ethanol fuel will never be able to compete with gasoline on price. Although the prices of ethanol and gasoline for the consumer are currently about the same, this is only because of the help—in the form of tax subsidies—given to ethanol producers by the United States government. These tax subsidies have cost the United States government over $11 billion in the past 30 years. If the United States government were to stop helping the producers in this way, the price of ethanol would increase greatly.
题目音频:
学术写作:
教授:5-18岁的孩子是否应该带他们每个月一次户外课程?
Kelly:不应该,老师太累。
Andrew:应该,帮助孩子更好了解环境。
Dr. Achebe: Outdoor education can have various benefits, such as connecting with nature and learning in a different environment. As part of an initiative to encourage more outdoor learning, there is a proposal to have teachers take students aged 5-18 outside of the classroom for outdoor classes once a month. In your response, please share your thoughts on whether outdoor classes once a month would be beneficial for students in this age group.
Kelly: We should avoid burdening teachers with additional responsibilities during instructional time. Teachers are already tasked with delivering quality education and managing classrooms effectively. Adding more duties, such as administrative tasks or non-teaching responsibilities, can divert their focus from teaching. Instead, we should prioritize supporting teachers in their primary role.
Andrew: Hands-on learning outside the classroom can help students understand environmental problems in a tangible way and spark their interest to learn more. For example, measuring air or water quality in local areas impacted by pollution can vividly demonstrate environmental threats. Outdoor learning experiences make environmental issues real to students, motivating them to care about finding solutions.
答案请付费后查阅: