In June,California department of forestr

考试题库2022-08-02  25

问题 In June,California department of forestry and fire protection determined that 12 devastating fires that struck Northern California tate last year were the result of trees coming into contact with power lines or other problems tied to the electric utility PG&E.Thanks to a policy known as inverse conclemnation,the utility could be on the hook for those damages,even if ii is not found to be negligeni.In the past,PG&-E has paid the bills when it was blamed for fires and other damages.But the company now says it cannot keep footing the bill so long as climate change continues to increase the likelihood of fires.Millions of trees have died across California after years of intense drought.creating vast quantities of fuel that allow fires to burn faster and over greater clistances-all combined with higher temperatures.It has pushed to raise electricity rates to pay for tlie clamage.Meanwhile.state officials are pushing a change in the law.Governor Jerry Brown proposed a new plan ihat would allow a court to decide whether the utility acted"reasonably"before forcing the company to pay claims."Costly wildfires and natural disasters have the poiential to undermine the sysiem*"Brown told legislators."leaving our energy sector in a state of weakness at a time when it shoulcl be making even greater investments in safety."Within the U.S.,the debate over liability for climate change has taken several forms.On the fecleral level,proactive policymakers have pushed to rework the National Flood Insurance Program(NFIP),which pays people to rebuild their homes after floods-even in areas where damage is likely to strike again.In effect,that program,which is more than$20 billion in clebt,put.s the burden of climate-change-related natural disasters in the hands of the U.S.government ancl the taxpayer.Infrastructure experts have also pushed the government to rethink its post disaster funding to require climate change preparedness measures.A group of pioneering American cities have sought to have the oil-and-gas industry pay for climate-change-relatecl clamages and disaster-prevention measures.A series of lawsuits have blamed the companies for years of polluting the planet while concealing evidence that emissions would contribute to devastaiing climate change.The authorities behind the lawsuits hope that courts will force the industry to pay up.Thus far,U.S.courts have expressed skepticism-not necessarily of the fault of oil and gas but of the ability of the judicial system to address the issue."The problem deserves a solution on a more vast scale than can be supplied by a district judge or jury in a public nuisance case,"wrote William Alsup of the U.S.District Court in Northern California.Elsewhere,a large number of litigants have also looked to the courts.Lacking other avenues for addressing the issue,people feeling the impacts of climate change are increasingly Lurning to courts to help find a global answer to a global problem.According to Paragraphs l and 2,PG&EA.is blamed for multiple intense fires.B.is found guilty of negligence.C.is coniributing to climate change.D.is refusing to pay its current bills.

选项 A.is blamed for multiple intense fires.
B.is found guilty of negligence.
C.is coniributing to climate change.
D.is refusing to pay its current bills.

答案 A

解析 文章首句指出.加州林业与防火部确定,肆虐加州的12起大火起因是与PG&E相关的树木接触电线等问题,可见A.正确。[解题技巧]B.干扰来自首段末句.但“即便不认定为失职,PG&E也要承担损失”意为“无论PG&.E是否被认定失职,都需要承担损失”,并非“已认定PG&.E失职”。C.颠倒第二段②③句所述因果关系,将”气候变化会加大火灾发生概率以及造成的损失,这超出了PG&E的承受范围”改为“PG&-E加剧了气候变化”。D.将第二段①②句转折错误理解为“过去PG&E支付了账单,但此次却拒绝支付”,而实际上结合③④句可知真实情形为“过去PG&.E支付了账单,此次却提出随着气候变化加大火灾发生概率以及造成的损失、它将无力继续承担,不过实际上该公司已在着手准备当前赔偿”。
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