THE WASTE GENERATION
One of the most striking statistics that I have seen in a long time is that 5 per cent of all the energy used in the United States is consumed by computers that have been left on all night.
I can’t confirm this personally, but I can (56)____________ tell you that on numerous occasions I have looked out of hotel rooms late at night, in a (57)____________ of American cities, and been struck by the fact that every light in every neighbouring office building is still on, and that computer (58)____________ are indeed flickering.
Why don’t Americans turn these things off? For the same reason, I suppose, that so many people here let their car engines (59)____________ when they pop into a shop, or leave lights blazing all over the house, or keep the central heating on so hot – because, in short, electricity, petrol and other energy sources are so (60)____________ cheap, and have been for so long, that it doesn’t occur to them to (61)____________ otherwise.
Why, after all, put up with the annoying experience of having to wait 20 seconds for your computer to (62)____________ up each morning when you can have it at your immediate command by (63)____________ it on all night?
We are terribly (64)____________ of resources in this country. The average American uses twice as much energy to get (65)____________ life as the average European. With just 5 per cent of the world’s population, we consume 20 per cent of its resources. These are not statistics to be proud of.
56: A. firmly B. certainly C. doubtlessly D. well
57: A. centre B. part C. variety D. rarity
58: A. controls B. screens C. rooms D. workers
59: A. continue B. run C. go D. work
60: A. interestingly B. proportionally C. relatively D. definitely
61: A. manage B. carry out C. behave D. perform
62: A. warm B. go C. turn D. be
63: A. letting B. allowing C. running D. leaving
64: A. consuming B. carefree C. wasteful D. useful
65: A. by B. over C. along D. through