考博考试

【单选题】It is hard to think of a major natural resource or pollution issue in NorthAmerica today that does not affect rivers. Farm chemical runoff, industrial waste, urban storm sewers, sewage treatment, mining, logging, grazing, military bases, residential and business development, hydropower, loss of wetlands. The list goes on. Legislation like theClear WaterAct and Wild and Scenic RiversAct have provided some protection, but threats continue.
TheEnvironmental ProtectionAgencyEPA、reported yesterday that an assessment of 642000 miles of rivers and streams showed 34 percent in less than good condition. In a major study of theClean WaterAct, the Natural ResourcesDefenseCouncil last fall reported that poison runoff impairs more than 125000 miles of rivers.
More recently, the NRDC、and Izaak Walton League warned that pollution and loss of wetlands—made worse by last year’s flooding—is degrading the Mississippi River ecosystem. On Tuesday, the conservation groupAmerican Rivers issued its annual list of 10 "endangered" and 20 "threatened" rivers in 32 states, theDistrict ofColumbia, andCanad
A、
At the top of the list is theClarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, whereCanadian mining firms plan to build a 74-acre reservoir as part of a gold mine less than three miles from Yellowstone National Park. The reservoir would hold the runoff from the sulfuric acid used to extract gold from crushed rock.
"In the event this tailings pond failed, the impact to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem would be cataclysmic and the damage irreversible. " Sen. MaxBaucusD、of Montana, chairman of theEnvironment and Public WorksCommittee, wrote to Noranda Minerals InC、, an owner of the "New World Mine. "
Last fall, anEP
A、official expressed concern about the mine and its potential impact, especially the plastic-lined storage reservoir. "I am unaware of any studies evaluating how a tailings pond could be maintained to ensure its structural integrity forever," said Stephen Hoffman, chief of theEPA’s Mining Waste Section. "It is my opinion that underwater disposal of tailings at New World may present a potentially significant threat to human health and the environment. "
The results of an environmental-impact statement, now being drafted by the forest Service and MontanaDepartment of State Lands, could determine the mine’s future...
In its recent proposal to reauthorize theClean WaterAct, theClinton administration noted "dramatically improved water quality since 1972," when the act was passeD、But it also reported that 30 percent of rivers continue to be degraded, mainly by silt and nutrients from farm and urban runoff, combined sewer overflows, and municipal sewage.Bottom sediments are contaminated in more than 1000 waterways, the administration reported in releasing its proposal in January.Between 60 and 80 percent of riparian corridors (riverbank lands) have been degradeD、
As with endangered species and their habitats in forests and deserts, the complexity of ecosystems is seen in rivers and the effects of development—beyond the obvious threats of industrial pollution, municipal waters, and in-stream diversions to slake the thirst of new communities in dry regions like the Southwest...
While there are many political hurdles ahead, reauthorization of theClean WaterAct this year holds promise for US fives. Rep. Norm MinetaD、ofCalifornia, who chairs the House committee overseeing the bill, calls it "probably the most important environmental legislation this congress will enact. \
The owners of the New World Mine appear to be ______.

A、ecologically aware of the impact of mining
B、determined to construct a sage railings pond
C、indifferent to the concerns voiced by theEPA
D、willing to relocate operations
网考网参考答案：B
网考网解析：
第四段提到该公司建立了一个水库来做尾矿池。A、C、D在文中没有明确说明。 document.getElementById("warp").style.display="none"; document.getElementById("content").style.display="block"; 查看试题解析出处>>