1 . The good news is that more people bought electric vehicles (EVs) in 2020. The bad news is that sport utility (多用途的)vehicles (SUVs) continued to grow in popularity, too. “The fall in oil consumption due to the first trend was completely canceled out by the second," said Laura Cozzi, an officer at the International Energy Agency (JEA),
Between 2010 and 2020, global carbon dioxide emissions (排放)from conventional cars fell by nearly 35 billion Lons, due to reasons such as fuel efficiency improvements as well as the switch to electric cars. Emissions from SUVs rose by more than 50 billion tons. "While the growth in EVs is encouraging, the boom in SUVs is heart-breaking," says Peters at the Cicero Climate Research Centre in Norway.
There are many reasons for the growing popularity of SUVs. For example, rising economic boom in many countries means more people are able to afford them. Some people see them as status symbols. Also, SUVs are heavily advertised by car-makers, whose profit is higher on these vehicles. Some countries, including France, have introduced plans under which more taxes are paid on heavier cars. But Peters thinks that people who are rich enough to afford SUVs won't be deterred by slightly higher taxes. "There are now some electric SUVs available, but 1 hope one day you will see more electric vehicles brought to the SUV market," says Peters.
Even if it happens, switching to electric SUVs isn't a good solution. Due to their size and bigger batteries, it takes more resources to build electric SUVs, and they consume around 15 percent more electricity. That means higher emissions unless the electricity comes entirely from renewable sources, and higher electricity demand makes it harder to green the electricity supply.
1. What can we infer from Paragraph 2?A.Scientists should devote themselves to improving fuel efficiency. |
B.The emission of carbon dioxide of motor vehicles has hit a new low. |
C.Electric vehicles will certainly take the place of sport utility vehicles. |
D.The popularity of SUVs destroys some efforts at environmental protection. |
A.Blocked. | B.Encouraged. | C.Removed. | D.Involved. |
A.SUVs are discounted heavily. |
B.SUVs are often advertised by car producers. |
C.SUVs are taxed at a lower rate in some countries. |
D.SUVs consume fewer resources than other vehicles. |
A.The electric SUVs should be made smaller and lighter. |
B.The electric SUVs are a good guarantee for less pollution. |
C.More electric SUVs don’t necessarily mean "environment-friendly". |
D.Future electric SUVs will be powered with completely green energy. |