Part A Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points) It seemed so promising—mirrors sprawled across desert land in the scorching southwest delivering clean electricity and helping Americans out of the increasing fuel crisis. Some scientists and industry developers claim that Nevada's empty and sun-drenched expanses alone could supply enough electricity to power the entire country. Now even the optimists fear this wonderful prospect may be a mirage. Congress cannot make up their mind to extend the tax-reducing bill for solar-energy projects, which solar advocates say is critical to the future of their industry but which is due to expire at the end of the year. The latest attempt failed in the Senate earlier this month, prospects for a deal before November's presidential and congressional elections now look dim. Uncertainty has led some investors to delay or abandon projects in the past few months. Rhone Resch, the president of the Solar Energy Industries Association, said if the tax-reducing bill is allowed to expire at the end of the year, 'it will result in the loss of billions of dollars in new investments in solar. ' Further dampening hopes for a big solar-energy boom, the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has abruptly suspended new applications to put solar collectors on federal land. The agency says it has received more than 130 applications and needs to conduct a region-wide environmental impact study on the industry before it will accept any more. The study will take 22 months to complete, however. Few argue against trying to preserve precious water sources and protect desert tortoises and other creatures that might not enjoy cohabiting with sprawling fields of mirrors. But many solar advocates wonder why the government is not acting as cautiously when it comes to drilling for oil and gas. Senator Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington State, wants a congressional probe into the proposed suspension. 'The fact that the BLM pops this out without people even knowing about it, especially when solar thermal looks extremely promising as a power source, is not right,' she says. Harry Reid of Nevada, who is the majority leader in the Senate, also condemns the BLM's freeze, saying that it could 'slow new development to a crawl'. The BLM is not without its supporters, however. At a public meeting on June 23rd in Golden, Colorado, Alex Daue, of the Wilderness Society, said that his organization supports renewable energy development as long as it doesn't damage other important resources. The message is clear: no rubber stamps, even for renewable energy. 'mirrors sprawled across desert land' is mentioned to______.