Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks.His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter.including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road.What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year.So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts（收銀臺）.The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California.including Los Angeles.Eyeing these headwinds，plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers'arguments：many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags.jye.ai are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport.And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at，they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement：reusable shopping bags.The stronger a reusable bag is，the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out.However.jye.ai-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make.One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don't dispute（質疑）these points.They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
（1）What has Steven Stein been hired to do？ DD
A．Help increase grocery sales.
B．Recycle the waste material.
C．Stop things falling off trucks.
D．Argue for the use of plastic bags.
（2）What does the word "headwinds"in Paragraph 2 refer to？ AA
A．Bans on plastic bags.
B．Effects of city development.
C．Headaches caused by garbage.
D．Plastic bags hung in trees.
（3）What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers？ DD
A．They are quite expensive.
B．Replacing them can be difficult.
C．They are less strong than plastic bags.
D．Producing them requires more energy.
（4）What is the best title for the text？ AA
A．Plastic，Paper or Neither.
B．Industry，Pollution and Environment.
C．Recycle or Throw Away.
D．Garbage Collection and Waste Control.
【答案】D；A；D；A
【解答】
【點評】
聲明：本試題解析著作權屬菁優網所有，未經書面同意，不得復制發布。
發布：2024/4/20 14:35:0組卷：33引用：2難度：0.5
相似題
-
1．Open an app at your smart phone and scan the code bar on the garbage can.When you throw garbage into the garbage can，it will show the weight of the garbage and the points you can get from doing so. （1）
.It will become more popular in the future.Yes，we are talking about the smart garbage can.
（2）.The environmental problems have become constant headaches in the development of those cities.Encouraging garbage classification has become an effective way.
In some cities，a variety of multifunctional smart garbage cans are being put into use.In Beijing，for example，a smart garbage can is equipped with an LED screen，which not only shows national policies on garbage classification but also shows the correct steps for garbage sorting.It can also calculate the weight of the garbage and the accumulated points one can get.They can be traded for some articles of daily use.（3）.Its body is actually a screen.It is equipped with some Internal sensors.When people throw garbage into it，the internal sensors can automatically tell the types of the garbage.Meanwhile，people can see how to deal with them. （4）.
Garbage disposal is a small issue that involves everybody each day.However，it is also a big issue.（5）.With smart garbage cans in our daily life，the idea of garbage sorting will become more established.Our dream of building a greener and more beautiful China will come true so long as we start to make small changes right now.
A.Garbage sorting has been a new fashion.
B.Another kind of garbage can is even smarter.
C.It is no wonder that residents cheered for their presence.
D.Such a way of handling garbage has appeared in some cities.
E.It will affect China's transformation towards green development.
F.Over 200 million tons of garbage is produced each year in some cities.
G.The good habit of garbage classification can improve the living environment.發布：2025/1/1 15:30:1組卷：3引用：3難度：0.5 -
2．There' s no place like home.It' s the place where we' re surrounded by our possessions and creature comforts.We purchase things to give our homes a personal touch.And one thing we're buying more of is houseplants.But are these "living" additions to our homes good for us and the environment？
Houseplants，also known as pot plants，add a natural touch and they have the ability to brighten up a room on a budget.The Royal Horticultural Society found that nearly 72% of adults in the UK had a houseplant in their home，with this figure rising to 80% of 16-24 year olds.A fifth of owners also said they use plants in the home to boost their health and well-being.And average sales last year were up on the previous year.
It seems millennials （千禧代） are driving the growth in the sales of houseplants.More young people are living in flats without a garden.24-year-old Daisy Hale said "being able to care for something but not having too much commitment—I guess that's a classic millennial line—is ideal for my lifestyle."
From hanging baskets，to cacti （仙人掌） and succulent ferns，the choice of vegetation is endless.They are easy to care for，and there have been unproven claims that they improve the air quality in our home.But whatever their benefits，there are now concerns that they might not be so good for the environment.Some are bought online and shipped from overseas.Fay Kenworthy，co-founder of PlantSwap，a community activity that encourages people to trade plants locally，said "this could defeat many local plants."
But botanist James Wong argues that home delivery has less of an environmental impact than multiple trips to the garden center in a car.Although he' s not too concerned about the environmental impact，others are worried about the plastic pots they are in and the type of peat （泥炭） that some of them are grown in.However，a sustainable approach to buying them may be the best way forward if we want to introduce some natural greenery into our homes.
（1）What is the benefit of a houseplant？
A．A houseplant can cure people of many diseases.
B．A houseplant is ideal for millennials' career.
C．A houseplant improve the water quality in our home.
D．A houseplant can beautify a room with little money.
（2）Which of the following may Fay Kenworthy agree with？
A．The choice of vegetation is endless.
B．People should buy local plants.
C．It's best to buy plants online.
D．Houseplants are hard to care for.
（3）Where is the passage probably from？
A．A fashion magazine.
B．A tour brochure.
C．A scientific fiction.
D．A history book.
（4）What is James Wong's attitude towards home delivery of plants？
A．Negative.
B．Neutral.
C．Positive.
D．Not mentioned.
（5）What is the best title of the passage？
A．Natural Greenery.
B．Millennials' Choice.
C．Houseplants：Good or Bad？
D．Hanging Baskets or a Garden？發布：2025/1/1 13:0:1組卷：1引用：2難度：0.5 -
3．Why Walking Makes You a Better Worker？ We're busy at work，distracted （分） by technology and often live in urban environments far from wild spaces．（1）
The average American，for example，spends about 90% of their life indoors．But what happens if we make time for an hour outside each day？
（2）You'll have to stand up and move，which is beneficial if most of your day involves sitting in front of a screen．Research shows short breaks can improve work enthusiasm，and a quick break in natural light will deliver a shot of vitamin D．
There's also a lot of work on the mental benefits of being in nature-on the state of being happy and on your brain's ability to make sense of life． "When people are all out in nature，even in urban nature，people tend to have more positive emotion and energy than when they are indoors．（3）says Lisa Nisbet ，associate professor at Canada's Trent University．
The idea that nature is good for us has been gaining ground since the 1980s．（4）Afterwards shinrin-yoku，the Japanese concept followed that absorbing the atmosphere in forests can benefit your health．Researchers of shinrin-yoku have since found plenty of physical and mental benefits，while global studies suggest time in nature can，for example，restore our ability to focus，increase creativity，and even help us live longer．
Of course，many of us live in cities with no ready access to forests or wilderness．（5）Various studies have shown that green environments in cities have beneficial effects．
A．We also don't get out much．
B．But it doesn't have to be a forest．
C．People can get to a forest for a hike．
D．In other words，people are happier in nature．
E．There are some obvious benefits to going outside．
F．Green and blue spaces are better than busy city streets．
G．First came the theory that humans have a basic desire to connect with nature．發布：2025/1/1 17:0:1組卷：6引用：2難度：0.5