1 . After nearly a year of frantic (狂热的) lobbying and debate, the EPA has finalized strict new rules on vehicle emissions that will push the auto industry to accelerate its transition to electric vehicles (EV). The EPA expects that under the new rules, EVs could account for up to 56% of new passenger vehicles sold for model years 2030 through 2032, meeting a goal that President Biden set in 2021.
The regulations are a cornerstone of the Biden Administration’s efforts to fight climate change. Combined with investments the U.S. is making in battery and electric vehicle manufacturing, the auto regulations will help shift the U.S. away from relying on fossil fuels for transportation, a senior administration official said during a call with reporters. “Three years ago, I set an ambitious target that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission,” Biden said in a statement, adding that the country will meet that goal and “race forward in the years ahead”.
Biden added that U.S. workers “will lead the world on autos - making clean cars and trucks, each stamped ‘Made in America’.” The new rules require auto manufacturers to slash emissions of greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide that are heating the planet, as well as air pollutants that contribute to soot and smog. The administration says the new standards will avoid more than seven billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions and deliver almost $100 billion in annual benefits, including $13 billion in health benefits as a result of less pollution.
“That’s going to have immediate benefits in improving air quality, but also improving people’s health,” Cara Cook, director of programs at the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, told reporters ahead of the EPA’s announcement. “So they’re not breathing in dirty air, especially for those who are living near major roadways and highways, heavy traffic [areas]. Those are the ones that are going to really experience a significant amount of benefits from these rules.”
1. What does the new rules aim to do?| A．To relieve heavy traffic. |
| B．To conserve the traffic regulations. |
| C．To hinder the transition to electric vehicles. |
| D．To achieve environmental friendly transportation. |
| A．Lift. | B．Shrink. | C．Enhance. | D．Accumulate. |
| A．Neutral. | B．Opposed. | C．Objective. | D．Favorable. |
| A．Fighting climate change. |
| B．Achieving zero-emission. |
| C．New rules on green vehicle benefit. |
| D．The acceleration of the auto revolution. |
