2015考研英语复习正在如火如荼的进行中，考研专家建议可以按考研题型分别进行重点复习，考研英语阅读理解是考研英语中分值最高的，新东方在线小编特地整理了2015考研英语阅读理解模拟试题供大家模拟练习，希望大家认真做题，错题着重看解析及译文，经过练习阅读理解能力必能有所提高。

三十二、加州能源管制

In an attempt to increase competition and give consumers better prices, the state (California) has deregulated its power industry. But that move has sparked a crisis and a battle over who is to blame. It’s a power struggle over who controls the price of power.

In California the regulators, the utilities and the governor all want the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to cap spot market prices. The Californians claim it will rein in outrageous prices. Federal regulators have refused. The battle is on.

Governor Gray Davis says, “I’m not happy with the Federal Regulatory Commission at all. They’re living in an ivory tower. If their bills were going up like the people in San Diego, they would know that this is a real problem in the real world.”

As part of deregulation, price caps were removed to allow for a free market. Timing is everything; natural gas prices had already skyrocketed. Demand was high from California’s booming economy. No new power plants had been built here in ten years, and power producers had the right to hike prices along with demand. And hike them they did.

Loretta Lynch of the Public Utilities Commission says, “This commission and all of California was beating down the door of federal regulators to say ‘help us impose reasonable price caps to help to keep our market stable.’”

Federal regulators did ask for longer-term contracts between power producers and the utilities to stabilize prices. The federal commission, unavailable for comment on this story, released a recent statement defending its position not to re-regulate.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Dec. 15, 2000: “The commission’s intention is to enable the markets to catch up to current supply and demand problems and not to reintroduce command and control regulation that has helped to produce the current crisis.”

Some energy experts believe that, without temporary price caps, the crisis will continue.

Severin Borenstein of the U.C. Energy Institute says, “Some federal regulators have a blind commitment to making the market work and I think part of the problem is they really don’t understand what’s going on.”

Gary Ackerman of the Western Power Trading Forum says, “He’s dead wrong about that. The federal regulators understand far better than any individual state that, though it might be painful and it certainly is painful in California, price caps don’t work. They never work.”

An administration known to be friendly to free markets is soon to take the helm. Any calls for re-regulation may continue to fall on deaf ears.

1.What will the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission probably do with the prices of electrical power?

[A] Impose temporary price caps on them. [B] Guide and control them.

[C] Raise them along with demand. [D] Let them go on their own way.

2.“They are living in an ivory tower”(Line 2, Paragraph 3)means federal regulators are.

[A] ignorant of the fact [B] very rich [C] far-sighted [D] corrupted and greedy

3.According to the federal regulators, the factor which caused the current crisis is.

[A] competition between power producers [B] disagreement between power producers and the utilities

[C] high demand and low supply of electricity [D] government’s ruling over the economy

4.Who is on the same side with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission?

[A] Loretta Lynch. [B] Gary Ackerman. [C] Gray Davis. [D] Severin Borenstein.

5.Which of the following is the most probable title of the article?

[A] Energy Crisis in California. [B] Federal Regulators: the Deaf Ears.

[C] Energy Regulation Debate. [D] Deregulation of California’s power industry.

答案：1.D 2.A 3.D 4.B 5.C

核心词汇或超纲词汇

(1)deregulate(v.)解除管制，撤消控制;regulate(v.)管制，控制;调节，校准;regulatory(a.)调整的;制订规章的，受规章限制的;regulator(n.)调整者，管理者;调整器，标准仪

(2)spark(n.)火星，火花;少量;(v.)闪耀，闪光;发动，触发，激起，鼓舞

(3)utility(n.)效用，有用;(用复数)公共事业(a.)多用途的，多效用的，多功能的

(4)cap(v.)覆盖于snow capped the mountains;完成~ a meal with dessert在一餐饭的结尾端上甜点;改良，改进，超过，胜过~ one joke with sb讲一个比某人说的更逗的笑话;给……定一个上限~ cost-of-living increases给生活费用的上涨制定一个上限

(5)rein(n.)缰绳;统治，支配(v.)以缰绳控制;统治，驾驭

(6)outrageous(a.)粗暴的，残暴的;无礼的，不文雅的;过分的;不寻常的，非常规的;outrage(n.)暴行;愤怒(v.)迫害;使震惊，使愤慨

(7)ivory tower象牙之塔，世外桃源，常用来比喻一种与世隔绝的梦幻境地

(8)skyrocket(v.)迅速和突然地升高;暴涨，猛涨

(9)helm(n.)舵at the ~掌舵，处于领导或支配地位take the ~操航，驾驶，掌权

(10)fall on deaf ears 根本不被听取，没被理睬，如Elderly people often ask youngsters to behave themselves, but their kind-hearted advice tends to fall on deaf ears.

全文翻译

在扩大竞争并为消费者提供较低价格的尝试中，加利福尼亚州已经解除了它对电力产业的管制，但是这一举动引发了一场由谁承担责任的危机和论战。这是一场关于谁来控制电价的权利之争。

加利福尼亚的管理者，公共事业公司和州长都希望联邦能源管制委员会来管制现货市场价格。加利福尼亚市民声称由它来约束惊人的价格。联邦管理人员已对此表示拒绝，论战仍然在继续。

州长格雷•达维斯说：“我一点不满意联邦管理委员会的所作所为。他们生活在象牙塔之中。如果他们的账单像圣地亚哥人一样增长的话，他们就会知道这是现实中真实存在的问题了”。

作为撤销管制行为的一部分，价格管制应自由市场之需被取消。时机就是一切，天然气价格已经猛涨。加利福尼亚迅速发展的经济带来的需求在增高。十年之中没有新的电厂建立，电力生产商有权随着需求提升价格，他们也确实这么做了。

公用事业委员会的洛雷塔•林恩说，“该委员会和所有加利福尼亚市民一起都要把联邦管理者的家门击倒，强烈要求他们帮助我们制定合理的价格管制机制以维持市场稳定。

联邦管理者确实要求电力生产商和公用事业部门签订长期合同以使价格稳定。联邦委员会就此事未发表评论，却于近日发表