题目

The Japan-based team collected samples in waters from the U.S., Europe, India, Japan, and elsewhere. All the samples were found to contain compounds that derive from polystyrene (聚苯乙烯) - a common plastic used in disposable cutlery, Styrofoam (聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料), and DVD cases, among other things. These toxic compounds don't occur naturally in the ocean, and the researchers thought plastic was the culprit.The lead researcher of the team said that plastic should be considered a new source of chemical pollution in the ocean. The team later simulated the decomposition of polystyrene in the sea and found that it degraded at temperatures of 86 Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Left behind in the water were the same compounds detected in the ocean samples, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and styrene trimer. BPA, a chemical used in hard plastics such as reusable water bottles, has been shown to interfere with the reproductive systems of animals, while styrene trimer is a substance suspected of causing cancer.What does the Japanese research team's simulation study suggest?A. Polystyrene is indeed the source of pollutants found in ocean waters.B. It is very difficult for most plastics to break down in cool temperatures.C. The compounds in polystyrene are different from those found in the ocean.D. There are some other sources of chemical pollution in the ocean besides plastic.

The Japan-based team collected samples in waters from the U.S., Europe, India, Japan, and elsewhere. All the samples were found to contain compounds that derive from polystyrene (聚苯乙烯) - a common plastic used in disposable cutlery, Styrofoam (聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料), and DVD cases, among other things. These toxic compounds don't occur naturally in the ocean, and the researchers thought plastic was the culprit. The lead researcher of the team said that plastic should be considered a new source of chemical pollution in the ocean. The team later simulated the decomposition of polystyrene in the sea and found that it degraded at temperatures of 86 Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius). Left behind in the water were the same compounds detected in the ocean samples, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and styrene trimer. BPA, a chemical used in hard plastics such as reusable water bottles, has been shown to interfere with the reproductive systems of animals, while styrene trimer is a substance suspected of causing cancer. What does the Japanese research team's simulation study suggest? A. Polystyrene is indeed the source of pollutants found in ocean waters. B. It is very difficult for most plastics to break down in cool temperatures. C. The compounds in polystyrene are different from those found in the ocean. D. There are some other sources of chemical pollution in the ocean besides plastic.

题目解答

答案

我们来逐步分析这道题。

题目大意：

日本的一个研究团队从美国、欧洲、印度、日本等地的海域采集了样本，发现这些样本中都含有来自聚苯乙烯（polystyrene）的化合物。这些化合物是有毒的，且在海洋中不会自然产生，因此研究人员怀疑是塑料造成的污染。

研究团队随后在实验室中模拟了聚苯乙烯在海水中的分解过程，发现它在86华氏度（约30摄氏度）下会降解，并留下与海洋样本中相同的化合物，如双酚A（BPA）和苯乙烯三聚体（styrene trimer）。这些物质被认为对动物的生殖系统有害，甚至可能致癌。

问题：

> What does the Japanese research team's simulation study suggest?

翻译：日本研究团队的模拟实验说明了什么？

选项分析：

A. Polystyrene is indeed the source of pollutants found in ocean waters.
（聚苯乙烯确实是海洋中污染物的来源。）

  • ✅ 正确。
    实验模拟了聚苯乙烯在海水中的降解过程，并产生了与实际海洋样本中相同的有毒化合物（如BPA和styrene trimer）。这说明这些污染物确实来自聚苯乙烯塑料的降解。

B. It is very difficult for most plastics to break down in cool temperatures.
（大多数塑料在低温下很难降解。）

  • ❌ 错误。
    原文提到的是聚苯乙烯在30摄氏度（即86华氏度）下会降解，但并没有讨论“大多数塑料”或“低温”下的情况，因此这个选项是推断过度，不是实验直接说明的内容。

C. The compounds in polystyrene are different from those found in the ocean.
（聚苯乙烯中的化合物与海洋中发现的不同。）

  • ❌ 错误。
    实验恰恰说明聚苯乙烯降解后产生了与海洋样本中相同的化合物，所以这个选项与事实相反。

D. There are some other sources of chemical pollution in the ocean besides plastic.
（除了塑料，海洋中还有其他化学污染源。）

  • ❌ 错误。
    原文没有提到其他污染源，也没有暗示塑料是唯一或不是唯一的污染源。因此这个选项是无关信息，不是实验研究的重点。

最终答案：

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解析

考查要点：本题主要考查学生对实验模拟结果的理解能力，需要结合文章内容推断研究结论。
解题核心：明确实验模拟的过程与结果之间的逻辑关系，抓住关键信息“聚苯乙烯降解后产生的化合物与海洋样本中的化合物一致”。
破题关键：排除干扰选项时需注意，实验仅针对聚苯乙烯，未涉及“其他塑料”或“其他污染源”，因此选项需紧扣实验本身。

实验背景：
研究团队发现海洋样本中存在聚苯乙烯分解产生的有毒化合物（如BPA和苯乙烯三聚体），随后在实验室模拟聚苯乙烯在海水中的分解过程，发现其在30℃下降解后留下与海洋样本相同的化合物。

选项分析：

  1. 选项A：实验直接证明聚苯乙烯降解会产生与海洋中检测到的相同化合物，因此聚苯乙烯是污染物的来源。正确。
  2. 选项B：文中未提及“大多数塑料”或“低温”下的分解难度，仅说明聚苯乙烯在30℃下可降解。错误。
  3. 选项C：实验结果表明两者化合物一致，因此该选项与事实相反。错误。
  4. 选项D：文章未提及其他污染源，研究重点是塑料污染。错误。