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 ofStein'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(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists likeSteintomake the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.Among the bag makers" argument: many cities with bans still allow shopperstopurchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energytoproduce and transport. And while plastic bags may be uglytolook at, they represent a small percentage of allgarbageon 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, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energytomake. 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(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shopperstouse the same reusable bags for years.【小题】What has Steven Stein been hired to do?A.Help increase grocery sales.B.Recycle the waste material.C.Stop things falling off trucks.D.Argue for the use of plastic bags.【小题】What does the word "headwinds"in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.Bans on plastic bags.B.Effects of city development.C.Headaches caused by garbage.D.Plastic bags hung in trees.【小题】What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?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.【小题】What is the best title for the text?A.Plastic, Paper or Neither B.Industry, Pollution and EnvironmentC.Recycle or Throw Away D.Garbage Collection and Waste Control
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 ofStein'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(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists likeSteintomake the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.Among the bag makers" argument: many cities with bans still allow shopperstopurchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energytoproduce and transport. And while plastic bags may be uglytolook at, they represent a small percentage of allgarbageon 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, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energytomake. 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(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shopperstouse the same reusable bags for years.【小题】What has Steven Stein been hired to do?A.Help increase grocery sales.B.Recycle the waste material.C.Stop things falling off trucks.D.Argue for the use of plastic bags.【小题】What does the word "headwinds"in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.Bans on plastic bags.B.Effects of city development.C.Headaches caused by garbage.D.Plastic bags hung in trees.【小题】What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?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.【小题】What is the best title for the text?A.Plastic, Paper or Neither B.Industry, Pollution and EnvironmentC.Recycle or Throw Away D.Garbage Collection and Waste Control
题目解答
答案
| 【小题1】D | 【小题2】A | 【小题3】D | 【小题4】A |
解析
Steven Stein 是一名环境科学家，他的工作是研究如何减少垃圾，包括垃圾车在行驶过程中掉落的垃圾。他被塑料袋制造商雇佣，为塑料袋的使用辩护。
步骤 2：理解塑料袋的使用情况
美国每年使用超过1000亿个薄塑料袋，许多城市禁止在收银台使用塑料袋，塑料袋制造商雇佣科学家来证明他们的产品对环境的影响没有人们想象的那么大。
步骤 3：理解塑料袋制造商的论点
塑料袋制造商认为，许多城市虽然禁止塑料袋，但仍然允许购买纸袋，而纸袋虽然容易回收，但需要更多的能量来生产和运输。此外，虽然塑料袋看起来很丑，但它们只占所有垃圾的一小部分。
步骤 4：理解塑料袋制造商对可重复使用购物袋的论点
塑料袋制造商认为，可重复使用购物袋的强度越大，使用寿命越长，可以抵消的塑料袋使用量越多。然而，更耐用的可重复使用购物袋通常需要更多的能量来制造。
步骤 5：理解环保主义者对可重复使用购物袋的期望
环保主义者不质疑这些观点，他们希望纸袋有一天也会被禁止，并希望购物者使用可重复使用购物袋多年。