2020考研英語閱讀理解精讀100篇：Unit 45

Unit 45

Life is looking up for managers at the 4,300 stores of Tesco, one of the world’s biggest supermarket chains. A program from CA, a big software firm, will make a tedious job much easier: gathering data about each store’s energy consumption, be it from lights, air conditioning or refrigeration. The streamlined data collection is part of Tesco’s ambitious plan to halve emissions of greenhouse gases from existing stores and distribution centres by 2020.

Tesco and CA may be pioneers, but they are not alone. While governments argue over emissions cuts, many firms have already started cleaning up their act, or at least preparing to do so—prompting more and more software firms to offer tools to help. If optimists are right, the market for “carbon-management software” could one day become at least as big as those for other important business applications such as customer-relationship-management（CRM）programs, which brought in revenues of more than $9 billion last year.

Many firms have tracked energy consumption for some time in an effort to save money. Others have monitored emissions of different kinds in order to comply with regulations on pollution. More recently, public pressure has prompted more companies to tally emissions and disclose the results in their annual reports or to outfits like the Carbon Disclosure Project. But most have used simple tools such as spreadsheets and databases.

This is changing, despite the recession, says David Metcalfe, boss of Verdantix, a consultancy. Higher energy costs, green branding and new regulation are all pushing more firms to keep track of their emissions and do so with specialised software, he argues. In Britain, for example, the Carbon Reduction Commitment will come into effect next year. Among other things, it requires firms that use more than 6,000 megawatt-hours of electricity a year to measure and report the energy they use.

Anticipating a surge in demand, software-makers have rushed into the market, mostly with web-based services. In a recent survey AMR Research, another consultancy, identified no fewer than 157 providers. Some focus on reporting, others on compliance and yet others on optimising business processes. There are firms that have been around for years, such as Enviance and IHS. Many start-ups, notably Carbonetworks and Hara, have appeared. Even big software firms have moved into the market: CA, IBM, Oracle, SAP and SAS.

At least for now, the needs of most firms are simple: making sure that data are collected regularly and can be audited. But in the years to come, this too will change, predicts Stephen Stokes of AMR. Firms will need software that collects data automatically, helps them find the best ways to cut emissions and also lets them manage other resources, such as water and waste. Messrs Metcalfe and Stokes both expect that Oracle and SAP, which already dominate most forms of business software, will become pre-eminent in this area, too, because it fits so naturally with their other offerings. These titans also have the cash to buy the best technology. In May SAP bought Clear Standards, a start-up. Oracle is expected to make a similar acquisition soon. But they face determined rivals. IHS has been quietly buying firms selling environmental software. Some expect great things from C3, a start-up founded by Tom Siebel, who pioneered CRM software.

注（1）：本文選自Economist；

注（2）：本文習(xí)題命題模仿對象：2004年真題Text 1。（其中個別題目順序做了部分調(diào)整。）

1. How does the author introduce the topic?

A) By posing a contrast.

B) By justifying an assumption.

C) By illustrating an example.

D) By explaining a phenomenon.

2. Why do more and more software firms develop carbon-management software?

A) Because enterprises are increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection.

B) Because the global environment is deteriorating.

C) Because the government is paying more attention to environmental protection.

D) Because it would generate considerable revenue.

3. Which of the following is NOT an objective in adopting environmental software?

A) To save money from energy consumption.

B) To cater to public demand.

C) To fulfill legal obligations.

D) To follow the government.

4. The word “offerings”（Line 6, Paragraph 6）most probably means ______.

A) branch companies

B) products

C) specialized software for environment

D) CRM software

5. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A) The current carbon-management software market is dominated by a few big companies.

B) Companies are now demanding sophisticated software for the tracking of energy consumption and emission.

C) An intense competition in environmental software market is approaching.

D) The software for environmental protection will become as important as that of financial accounting.

篇章剖析

本文介紹了環(huán)保軟件市場的發(fā)展情況。文章第一段以Tesco公司為例，引出使用軟件實(shí)現(xiàn)減排計劃這個主題；第二段介紹了業(yè)界環(huán)保的總體情況；第三、四兩段介紹了相關(guān)的背景、現(xiàn)狀及將來的發(fā)展趨勢等；第五、六段具體講述了各軟件公司進(jìn)軍這一市場及各種不同類型公司的競爭優(yōu)勢和策略。

詞匯注釋

tedious /?ti?d??s/ adj. 乏味的，單調(diào)的

streamline /?stri?mla?n/ v. 使有效率，使簡化

halve /h?v, hɑ?v/ v. 將…減半

prompt /pr?mpt/ v. 引起，激起

tally /?t?li/ v. 記錄；計算

disclose /d?s?kl??z/ v. 揭發(fā)，透露，公開

consultancy /k?n?s?lt?nsi/ n. 咨詢公司

megawatt /?meg?w?t/ n. 百萬瓦

surge /s??d?/ n. 急劇上升，激增

compliance /k?m?pla??ns/ n. 遵從

audit /???d?t/ v. 審計，查賬

automatically /???t??m?t?k?li/ adv. 自動地

acquisition /??kw??z???n/ n. 收購，購置

難句突破

While governments argue over emissions cuts, many firms have already started cleaning up their act, or at least preparing to do so—prompting more and more software firms to offer tools to help.

主體句式：Many firms have already started cleaning up their act...

結(jié)構(gòu)分析：本句的主句中包含了以or連接的兩個并列結(jié)構(gòu)，說明兩種不同狀態(tài)。句首由while引導(dǎo)的狀語從句主要是與后面的主句內(nèi)容形成對比，也就是將政府和企業(yè)的行為進(jìn)行對比。破折號之后的內(nèi)容起補(bǔ)充說明的作用，也就是說明這些企業(yè)的行動對軟件開發(fā)業(yè)產(chǎn)生了何種影響。

句子譯文：當(dāng)各國政府還在爭論減排問題時，許多公司已經(jīng)開始讓自己更為環(huán)保，或者至少準(zhǔn)備這么做，這也促使越來越多的軟件公司提供相應(yīng)的輔助工具。

題目分析

1. C 細(xì)節(jié)題。本文第一段主要介紹了Tesco公司力圖通過使用軟件來實(shí)現(xiàn)其減少碳排放量的計劃，從第二段來看，文章主要通過這個例子引出話題，因此C是正確選項。

2. A 細(xì)節(jié)題。文章第二段指出“當(dāng)各國政府還在爭論減排問題時，許多公司已經(jīng)開始讓自己更為環(huán)保，或者至少準(zhǔn)備這么做，這也促使越來越多的軟件公司提供相應(yīng)的輔助工具?！币簿褪钦f隨著企業(yè)環(huán)保意識的增強(qiáng)，對相關(guān)軟件的開發(fā)也變得越來越重要，所以軟件公司紛紛進(jìn)入這一市場。因此A最符合題意。B、C兩項較容易排除。而D選項說“它會帶來可觀的收益”，看似正確，但文章中并未提到此含義，因此排除。

3. D 細(xì)節(jié)題。解答本題的主要依據(jù)是文章第三段的內(nèi)容。該段第一句話指出“許多公司跟蹤記錄能源消耗量已經(jīng)有一段時間了，為的是節(jié)約資金?！币虼薃正確。第三句話提到公眾壓力促使更多公司采取行動，因此B也正確；第二句話“還有些公司監(jiān)控不同氣體的排放情況，目的是遵守污染治理規(guī)定”，說明企業(yè)的做法部分也是為了履行其法律義務(wù)，因此C也正確；只有D的表述不正確。業(yè)界采取環(huán)保措施并不是為了“追隨政府”，而且從文章第二段中可以看出，企業(yè)在這一方面已經(jīng)走在了政府的前面。

4. B 語義題。文章最后一段指出“Oracle和SAP這兩家已經(jīng)主導(dǎo)多種商業(yè)軟件的公司在這個領(lǐng)域也將會是佼佼者”，后面提到因?yàn)榄h(huán)保領(lǐng)域的軟件與這些公司的offerings最契合，可以推測出這里的offerings指的就是這兩家公司的產(chǎn)品，因此B是最佳答案。C和D選項雖然都提到了軟件，但都不正確，因?yàn)檫@兩家公司主導(dǎo)了商務(wù)軟件市場，不是環(huán)保軟件，也不僅僅限于CRM。

5. C 細(xì)節(jié)題。文章第六段提到，各大公司紛紛進(jìn)軍這一市場，還為此進(jìn)行各種收購兼并，可見一場激烈的競爭即將展開，因此C正確。文章第五段提到，涉足環(huán)保軟件的企業(yè)眾多，卻沒有提到哪些企業(yè)目前占主導(dǎo)地位，因此A不正確。第六段提到，盡管今后的需求估計會越來越復(fù)雜，但目前大部分公司的需求都很簡單，顯然B也不正確。文中并未提到環(huán)保軟件是否會變得與財務(wù)審計同等重要，因此D也不正確。

參考譯文

世界最大的連鎖超市之一——Tesco公司旗下4300家連鎖店的經(jīng)理的生活前景正在好轉(zhuǎn)。他們使用大型軟件公司CA開發(fā)的一種程序，一項枯燥的工作就可以變得非常簡單：收集每家店的能源消耗數(shù)據(jù)，不論是用于照明、空調(diào)還是制冷。這種高效的數(shù)據(jù)收集是Tesco公司雄心勃勃的計劃中的一部分。計劃到2020年，公司現(xiàn)有商店和分銷中心的溫室氣體排放量將減少一半。

Tesco和CA或許是先行者，但他們并不孤單。當(dāng)各國政府還在爭論減排問題時，許多公司已經(jīng)開始讓自己更為環(huán)保，或者至少準(zhǔn)備這么做，這也促使越來越多的軟件公司提供相應(yīng)的輔助工具。如果樂觀主義者的預(yù)期正確的話，“碳管理軟件”市場有一天會發(fā)展到至少可以匹敵重要的商業(yè)應(yīng)用軟件的市場。后者中的例子是客戶關(guān)系管理程序，去年的收益超過90億美元。

許多公司跟蹤記錄能源消耗量已經(jīng)有一段時間了，為的是節(jié)約資金。還有些公司監(jiān)控不同氣體的排放情況，目的是遵守污染治理規(guī)定。最近，公眾壓力促使更多公司記錄排放量，并且將結(jié)果公布在年報中，或者呈交給“碳披露項目”等機(jī)構(gòu)。但大部分公司使用的還是簡單工具，如電子制表和數(shù)據(jù)庫。

Verdantix咨詢公司的老板戴維·梅特卡夫認(rèn)為，盡管經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，但上述情況卻在改變。他提出，能源成本增加、綠色品牌推廣以及新的規(guī)章制度，都促使更多的公司記錄他們的排放量，而且使用專業(yè)軟件來完成。例如，英國的《碳減量承諾》明年就會生效。除其他事項外，《承諾》規(guī)定年用電量超過600萬千瓦時的公司要測算并報告其能源使用情況。

由于預(yù)計需求將猛增，軟件制造商紛紛涌入市場，其中大部分提供基于網(wǎng)絡(luò)的服務(wù)。據(jù)另一家咨詢公司AMR Research近期的一項調(diào)查，這類軟件供應(yīng)商不少于157家。一些軟件關(guān)注統(tǒng)計結(jié)果報告，另一些重在遵循相應(yīng)法規(guī)，還有一些致力于優(yōu)化商業(yè)流程。有的軟件公司已涉足環(huán)保領(lǐng)域多年，例如Enviance和IHS公司。還出現(xiàn)了一些新的創(chuàng)業(yè)公司，如Carbonetworks和Hara。甚至一些大型軟件公司也進(jìn)駐環(huán)保軟件市場，如CA、IBM、Oracle、SAP和SAS等。

至少在目前，大部分公司的需求都很簡單：確保數(shù)據(jù)收集的規(guī)律性和可審計性。但AMR公司的斯蒂芬·斯托克斯預(yù)計，幾年后這種情況也會改變。屆時公司將需要軟件具有更多功能：自動收集數(shù)據(jù)、幫助找到最好的減排方法、管理其他資源如水資源和廢棄物。梅特卡夫和斯托克斯先生都預(yù)計，Oracle和SAP這兩家已經(jīng)主導(dǎo)多種商業(yè)軟件的公司在這個領(lǐng)域也將會是佼佼者，因?yàn)檫@與他們的其他軟件產(chǎn)品非常契合。這些巨頭也有財力購買最好的技術(shù)。五月份，SAP收購了一家新成立的公司Clear Standards。預(yù)計Oracle公司很快也會進(jìn)行類似的收購。但他們也面對著堅定的對手。IHS公司已經(jīng)在不聲不響地收購一些銷售環(huán)保軟件的企業(yè)。一些人期待C3公司會有大動作，這家公司剛成立不久，創(chuàng)始人是客戶關(guān)系管理軟件的先行者湯姆·西貝爾。