爱华网http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-24/bostonglobe/29469298_1_nuclear-power-plant-vermont-yankee-older-reactors
Vermont Yankee plant’s owner musthonor its own promises 核电站必须守信
EDITORIAL | GlobeEditorial
April 24, 2011
Text2
1---A deal is a deal——except,apparently, when Entergy is involved. The company, a major energysupplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont lastweek when it announced it was reneging on a longstanding commitmentto abide by the strict nuclear regulations.
说好的是不能改变的!除非Entergy进行的交易。这个公司是新英格兰地区主要的能源提供商，该公司引起了佛蒙特州人们的义愤，因为上周它宣称它不想遵守严格的核能规定。
renege[riˈni:g]v. 背信，违约
26. The phrase “reneging on”(Line3.para.1) is closest in meaning to
[A] condemning. 谴责；[B] reaffirming. 再确定 正反
[C] dishonoring.（侮辱，拒绝承兑）[D] securing. 正反
2--- Instead, the company has doneprecisely what it had long promised it would not: challenge theconstitutionality of Vermont’s rules in federalcourt, as part of a desperate effort to keep its VermontYankee nuclear power plant running. It’s a stunningmove.
相反，该公司一直履行了它早先的承诺过不做的事情：即它不会因为想保持其VermontYankee核电站持续经营，而要在联邦法院挑战该州相关规定的合法性（宪法）。现在这个做法让人震惊。
背景：安特吉公司(NYSE:ETR)是一家电力控股公司，也是美国最大的核电公司之一，它为阿肯色州、路易斯安那、密西西比和德克萨斯州的250万用户供电，同时还为路易斯安那州的24万用户供应天然气。
3---The conflict has beensurfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont’s onlynuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon. As a condition ofreceiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to seekpermission from state regulators to operate past 2012. In 2006, thestate went a step further, requiring that any extension of theplant’s license be subject to Vermont legislature’s approval. Then,too, the company went along.
reactor [riˈæktə] n.反应堆
这个冲突始于2002，当时该公司购买了佛蒙特州唯一一家核电站，其实是一个位于Vernon的破旧反应堆。该交易为了获得州政府的批准，该公司同意一个前提条件：即同意在2012年后征求州政府官员的同意继续经营。2006年，州政府又提出，该核电站能否延期经营要听从佛蒙特州立法机关的批准。当时，该公司也无异议。
27. By entering into the 2002agreement, Entergy intended to
[A] obtain protection from Vermontregulators. （protection误解原文，无中生有）
[B] seek favor from the federallegislature. （文中没有说该公司一开始就预谋好要最终得到联邦法律支持）
[C] acquire an extension of itsbusiness license .（ 通过 4段第一句话，似乎也不是他的目的）
[D] get permission topurchase a powerplant.（3段似乎太直接，但可以是答案，因为文中就写了approvalfor thesale这句话，所以我偏向D对√）
4---Either Entergy never reallyintended to live by those commitments, or it simply didn’t foreseewhat would happen next. A string of accidents, including thepartial collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and the discovery of anunderground pipe system leakage, raised serious questions aboutboth Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’smanagement——especially after the company made misleadingstatements about the pipe. Enraged by Entergy’s behavior, theVermont Senate voted 26 to 4 last year against allowing anextension.
Entergy从来没有打算要遵守这些承诺，也根本没有想过将来会发生什么。一系列的事件，包括2007年冷却塔的部分崩溃，以及地下管道系统泄露的发现，这些事使得人们严重怀疑VermontYankee电站的安全问题和Entergy的管理----尤其在该公司对其管道问题所做的误导性言论之后。由于被Entergy的行为所激怒，佛蒙特州参议院去年以26比4的投票反对其延期申请。
28. According to Paragraph 4,Entergy seems to have problems with its
[A] managerialpractices. √
[B] technical innovativeness.（创新无中生有）
[C] financialgoals.（无中生有）
[D] business vision（无中生有）
5---Now the company is suddenlyclaiming that the 2002 agreement is invalid because of the 2006legislation, and that only the federal government has regulatorypower over nuclear issues. The legal issues in the case areobscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do havesome regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars saythat Vermont case will offer aprecedent-setting test of how far those powers extend. Certainly,there are valid concerns about the patchworkregulations that could result if every state sets its ownrules. But had Entergy kept its word, that debate would be besidethe point.
现在该公司突然宣称2002年的协定是无效的，因为有2006年的立法以及只有联邦政府拥有核电站管理权。该案的法律问题是模糊的：虽然最高法院判决过，各州的确有权管理核电站，但法学家说佛蒙特案将会对“州政府的权力究竟有多大”设定一个先例。显然，如果每个州设立自己的法规，那么就会产生“这会导致补丁法规”的担忧，这种担忧是合理的。但是，要是Entergy遵守诺言，这个讨论就无关紧要了。
29. In the author’s view, theVermont case will test
[A] Entergy’s capacity to fulfillall its promises. 明显错
[B] the nature of states’patchwork regulations. (我猜B对√）
[C] the federal authority overnuclear issues.
[D] the limits of states’ powerover nuclear issues.
这道题比较难，我看不懂上下文，尤其是倒数第二句话，不懂得precedent-setting和patchworkregulations的内涵，所以只能猜，大家原谅我把，因为根据相似选项出现正确答案概率高的原则，我认为CD都有overnuclearissues，而且从口吻上讲，虽然最高法院已经判定各州有管理权力，从口吻上猜下句话：但权力不是无限的，也就是D选项州权力是有限的。
不好意思啊，我猜D
6---The company seems to haveconcluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged thatit has nothing left to lose by going to war with the state. Butthere should be consequences. Permission to run a nuclear plant isa public trust. Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the UnitedStates, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth. Pledging torun Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permissionto keep it open for another 20 years. But as the Nuclear RegulatoryCommission (NRC) reviews the company’s application, it should keepin mind what promises from Entergy are worth.
该公司似乎认定其已声名狼藉，没有什么后顾之忧，不如和佛蒙特州背水一战。但不良后果还是有的。经营核电站的许可权的问题是一个公共信任的问题。Entergy集团在美国还经营了11个反应堆，包括在普利茅斯的Pilgrim反应堆。该公司许诺安全经营Pilgrim，要求联邦政府给予继续经营20年的许可。但是，核管理委员会(NRC)在审查该公司的申请的时候，它要牢记到底Entergy公司的哪个许诺是可信的。
30. It can be inferred from thelast paragraph that
[A] Entergy’s businesselsewhere might be affected.√
[B] the authority of the NRC willbe defied.
[C] Entergy will withdraw itsPlymouth application.
[D] Vermont’s reputationmight be damaged.（原文已经这样）
