No one would be willing to pay one-third of the price for the packaging or wrapping of what he or she purchases. But over-packaging has become a disease that leads to an __50__ waste of resources and __51__ environmental pollution.
The wasted packaging materials are __52__ to be worth about 280 billion yuan annually. And such packages and wrappings thrown away by customers __53__ up half of the volume of solid waste in cities. __54__, it is high time that regulations were __55__ to stop enterprises from spending too much on unnecessary packaging and wrapping.
To produce paper packaging or wrapping, many more trees have to be cut down. Over-packaging also limits the interest of consumers when they have to spend quite a high percentage on something that they will have to throw into the dustbin. The simple truth is that the more a producer spends on packaging, the __56__ the products it sells will be.
Product packaging and wrapping used to be very simple 30 years ago. "Shabby" was the word many had used to __57__ the way Chinese products were packaged. And shabby packaging was blamed for making Chinese products __58__ in the international market.
It is __59__ to pay enough attention to packaging or wrapping products in such a manner that they can be __60__ to customers' eyes. But that does not definitely justify that packaging should even outshine what is inside.
In the Chinese proverb, “maidu huanzhu,” the buyer returns the pearl and just keeps the case because the __61__ is too fancy and luxurious. It not only laughs at the poor __62__ of the buyer, but also criticizes the unnecessary __63__ the seller has made in making the case. Another message from the proverb is that over-packaging helps cultivate an __64__ consuming attitude - to buy fancy-looking stuff but not what they really need.
1.A. enormous B. available C. invisible D. illegal
2.A. results from B. contributes to C. depends on D. calls for
3.A. predicted B. required C. acknowledged D. estimated
4.A. look B. hold C. make D. add
5.A. However B. Therefore C. Otherwise D. Furthermore
6.A. observed B. broken C. adopted D. forbidden
7.A. better B. more expensive C. cheaper D. more useful
8.A. recommend B. praise C. consider D. criticize
9.A. popular B. impressive C. unattractive D. qualified
10.A. ridiculous B. incredible C. unnecessary D. reasonable
11.A. accustomed B. appealing C. similar D. grateful
12.A. former B. next C. other D. latter
13.A. judgment B. eyesight C. appetite D. health
14.A. contributions B. efforts C. progress D. use
15.A. unfamiliar B. unhealthy C. unnatural D. unavoidable
Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
A. recently B. affects C. pattern D. varied E. floats F. warm G. regularly H. mysterious I. effect J. evidence |
Big climate changes in the last million years might have come from something very small: dust from outer space.
Earth changes between ice ages and warm periods in a(n) __1.__ that includes several cycles, including a __2._ one that lasts 100,000 years. Scientists __3.__suggested this cycle might be due to changes in the inflow of cosmic(����) dust.
The idea is that Earth _4.__above and below the imaginary plane that runs through the sun and Jupiter(ľ��), completing a cycle every 100,000 years. So maybe it encounters __5._varying amounts of dust during each cycle that produce the climate trend.
Now there is some __6.__, from ancient cosmic dust recovered in ocean-floor drilling near the Azores islands west of Portugal. The large quantity of the dust rises and falls with a wonderful 100,000 year cycle during the period analyzed, 253,000 years to 458,000 years ago. Periods of more dust are related to__7.__ climates.
But that is a long way from showing that the dust __8.__ climate. Some scientists argue that it is not clear how cosmic dust would make the climate warmer while dust from volcanoes is known to make it cooler. They say the cosmic dust is so thin that it is hard to see how it could have any climate__9.__.
Nevertheless, the new study shows scientists have to take the cosmic dust idea seriously.
Mr. Bush is on time for everything. How_____ it be that he was late for the opening ceremony?
A. can B. should C. may D. must
Some people hold that, since we live in a money-oriented society, the average individual cares little about solving ______ problems.
A. anyone elses’ B. anyone’s else C. anyone else’s D. any one else’s
Contemporary English is quite different from Old English. There has never been a year ______ the language was not changing.
A. that B. when C. for D. until
This is the most important assignment facing American journalism — to make _____ clear to the reader the problems of the day.
A. it B. that C. / D. this