26. The phrase “reneging on” (Line 3, Para. 1) is closest in meaning to
- A. condemning.
- B. reaffirming.
- C. dishonoring.
- D. securing.
答案：C
答案句：A deal is a deal – except, apparently, when Entergy is involved. The company, a major energy supplier in New England, provoked justified outrage in Vermont last week when it announced it was reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the state’s strict nuclear regulations.
参考译文：交易就是交易——但显然，当Entergy公司卷入其中时，情况并非如此。这家新英格兰地区的主要能源供应商上周宣布，它将背弃遵守该州严格核法规的长期承诺，这在佛蒙特州引发了合理的愤怒。
定位线索：题干“reneging on”→答案句“reneging on a longstanding commitment to abide by the state's strict nuclear regulations”；文中“provoked justified outrage”（引发合理愤怒）暗示“背弃”，对应选项C“dishonoring”（不履行、违背）。
解析：题干要求猜测“reneging on”的含义。答案句指出公司宣布“reneging on a longstanding commitment”，且该行为“provoked justified outrage”（引发合理愤怒），说明这是负面行为，即违背承诺。选项C“dishonoring”（不履行、玷污）符合语境。选项A“condemning”（谴责）是动作而非态度，B“reaffirming”（重申）和D“securing”（确保）均为正面含义，与愤怒情绪矛盾。
27. By entering into the 2002 agreement, Entergy intended to
- A. obtain protection from Vermont regulators.
- B. seek favor from the federal legislature.
- C. acquire an extension of its business license.
- D. get permission to purchase a power plant.
答案：D
答案句：The conflict has been surfacing since 2002, when the corporation bought Vermont’s only nuclear power plant, an aging reactor in Vernon. As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale, the company agreed to seek permission from state regulators to operate past 2012.
参考译文：冲突自2002年公司购买佛蒙特州唯一的核电站（弗农的一座老化反应堆）以来就一直浮出水面。作为获得州政府批准该交易的条件，公司同意在2012年后继续运营需寻求州监管机构的许可。
定位线索：题干“2002 agreement”→答案句“As a condition of receiving state approval for the sale”；文中“the company agreed”对应选项D“get permission to purchase a power plant”（获得购买核电站的许可）。
解析：题干问Entergy签订2002年协议的目的。答案句明确指出，公司同意该条件是为了“receiving state approval for the sale”（获得州政府批准购买核电站），即选项D。选项A“obtain protection”（获得保护）无中生有，B“seek favor from the federal legislature”（寻求联邦立法机构好感）偷换概念，C“acquire an extension of its business license”（获得营业执照延期）是协议内容而非目的。
28. According to Paragraph 4, Entergy seems to have problems with its
- A. managerial practices.
- B. technical innovativeness.
- C. financial goals.
- D. business vision.
答案：A
答案句：A string of accidents, including the partial collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and the discovery of an underground pipe system leakage, raised serious questions about both Vermont Yankee’s safety and Entergy’s management – especially after the company made misleading statements about the pipe.
参考译文：一系列事故，包括2007年冷却塔部分倒塌和地下管道系统泄漏的发现，引发了对佛蒙特扬基核电站安全和Entergy管理的严重质疑——尤其是在公司就管道问题发表误导性声明之后。
定位线索：题干“Paragraph 4”→答案句取自第4段“raised serious questions about both Vermont Yankee's safety and Entergy's management”；文中“Entergy's management”对应选项A“managerial practices”（管理实践）。
解析：题干问Entergy在第四段中似乎存在的问题。答案句明确提到事故“raised serious questions about... Entergy's management”（对Entergy的管理提出严重质疑），即选项A“managerial practices”。选项B“technical innovativeness”（技术创新）无中生有，C“financial goals”（财务目标）和D“business vision”（商业愿景）均未提及。
29. In the author’s view, the Vermont case will test
- A. Entergy’s capacity to fulfill all its promises.
- B. the nature of states’ patchwork regulations.
- C. the federal authority over nuclear issues.
- D. the limits of states’ power over nuclear issues.
答案：D
答案句：The legal issues in the case are obscure: whereas the Supreme Court has ruled that states do have some regulatory authority over nuclear power, legal scholars say that Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend.
参考译文：此案的法律问题尚不明朗：尽管最高法院已裁定各州对核能确实拥有一定的监管权，但法律学者表示，佛蒙特案将提供一个开创先例的考验，检验这些权力能延伸到多远。
定位线索：题干“Vermont case will test”→答案句“Vermont case will offer a precedent-setting test of how far those powers extend”；文中“how far those powers extend”对应选项D“the limits of states' power over nuclear issues”（各州对核问题权力的限度）。
解析：题干问作者认为佛蒙特案将考验什么。答案句明确指出，该案将“test of how far those powers extend”（考验这些权力延伸多远），即选项D“the limits of states' power over nuclear issues”。选项A“Entergy's capacity to fulfill all its promises”（Entergy履行承诺的能力）答非所问，B“the nature of states' patchwork regulations”（各州拼凑法规的性质）是作者提出的担忧而非考验内容，C“the federal authority over nuclear issues”（联邦对核问题的权力）与原文“states do have some regulatory authority”矛盾。
30. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that
- A. Entergy’s business elsewhere might be affected.
- B. the authority of the NRC will be defied.
- C. Entergy will withdraw its Plymouth application.
- D. Vermont’s reputation might be damaged.
答案：A
答案句：The company seems to have concluded that its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged that it has nothing left to lose by going to war with the state. But there should be consequences. Permission to run a nuclear plant is a public trust. Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States, including Pilgrim Nuclear station in Plymouth. Pledging to run Pilgrim safely, the company has applied for federal permission to keep it open for another 20 years. But as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the company’s application, it should keep in mind what promises from Entergy are worth.
参考译文：公司似乎已得出结论，其在佛蒙特州的声誉已受损严重，与州政府开战已无损失。但后果应该存在。运营核电站的许可是一种公共信任。Entergy在美国运营着另外11座反应堆，包括普利茅斯的朝圣者核电站。公司承诺安全运营朝圣者核电站，并已申请联邦许可将其再运营20年。但在核管理委员会（NRC）审查公司申请时，应牢记Entergy的承诺价值几何。
定位线索：题干“inferred from the last paragraph”→答案句“Entergy runs 11 other reactors in the United States... it should keep in mind what promises from Entergy are worth”；文中“what promises from Entergy are worth”暗示其承诺不可信，影响其他业务，对应选项A“Entergy's business elsewhere might be affected”（Entergy在其他地方的业务可能受影响）。
解析：题干要求从最后一段推断。答案句提到Entergy在美国运营11座其他反应堆，并申请延长朝圣者核电站许可，但NRC审查时应“keep in mind what promises from Entergy are worth”（记住Entergy的承诺价值几何），暗示其承诺不可信，可能影响其他业务，即选项A。选项B“the authority of the NRC will be defied”（NRC权威将被挑战）过度推断，C“Entergy will withdraw its Plymouth application”（撤回申请）无中生有，D“Vermont's reputation might be damaged”（佛蒙特声誉受损）与原文“its reputation in Vermont is already so damaged”（其自身声誉受损）偷换主语。