Reading 2

Question 1

Protecting the planet seemed to require

Answer 1

fewer people, less wealth and simpler technology

the same sort of social transformation
and energy revolution that will be advocated at many Earth Day rallies on Wednesday.

Question 2

as their wealth grows, people…

Answer 2

consume more energy, but move to more efficient and cleaner sources

Question 3

But the United States and other Western countries seem to be near the top of a Kuznets
curve for carbon emissions and ready to start the happy downward slope. The amount of
carbon emitted by the average American has remained

Answer 3

fairly flat for the past couple of
decades, and per capita carbon emissions have started declining in some countries, like
France.

Question 4

Some researchers estimate that

Answer 4

the turning point might come when a country’s per
capita income reaches $30,000, but it can vary widely, depending on what fuels are
available.

Question 5

consumers. While some American environmentalists hope that the
combination of the economic crisis and a new president can start an era of energy austerity
and green power, Mr. Ausubel says

Answer 5

they’re hoping against history.

Question 6

what did ausubel say about long-term trends in american energy

Answer 6

Over the past century, he says, nothing has drastically altered the long-term trends in the
way Americans produce or use energy

not the Great Depression, not the world wars, not
the energy crisis of the 1970s or the grand programs to produce alternative energy.

Question 7

Day. But in the long run, a Kuznets curve is more reliable than

Answer 7

a revolution