Question

In Greek mythology(神话), fire is a gift form God, stolen from Zeus(宙斯) by Prometheus and handed over to humans suffering from cold. What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires?

Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace—long considered a trophy(奖杯), particularly in a city like New York—is acquiring a social shame. Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible, it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses.

Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N.C., said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night. But most of the time she doesn’t, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment. Every time she builds a fire, it causes “inner conflict,” she said. “It’s a guilty pleasure”.

“The smoke from a fire smells very nice,” said Diane Bailey, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. “But it can cause a lot of harm. The tiny particles(颗粒) can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions.”

Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them. Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified(不合格的)wood stoves with “greener” ones; San Joaquin County in California forbids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E.P.A. certified one；and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction.

Certainly, many think otherwise. In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association, voicing an opinion shared by some.

Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association. It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005. Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but the may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fries.

1.We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that ________.

A. big houses are not considered environmentally friendly

B. bottle water is a good companion for a fire place

C. a fireplace is viewed as a sign of success

D. people in New York are laughed at for their tradition

2.Sally’s “inner conflict” in the 3rd paragraph resulted from ________.

A. her love for the fireplace

B. the damage to the environment

C. the concern about her health

D. her mixed emotion fro the fireplace

3. In terms of the regulations about wood fires we can learn from the passage that_______.

A. uncertified fireplaces are forbidden in Idaho

B. some people are against the woodfire controlling regulations 

C. only energy-efficient wood stoves can be used in the US

D. all the people support measures taken to control the use of fireplaces

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To urge people to burn less wood

B. To discuss wood-burning’s impact

C. To throw light on the causes of the fireplace’s decline

D. To indicate the cooling love for the fireplace

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：在寒冷的冬天，壁炉一直是人们的至爱。可是现在越来越多的人开始意识到燃烧木柴的壁炉对环境的破坏， 很多地方开始出台相关规定， 以降低壁炉对环境和健康的影响。美国人对壁炉的热情开始降温。

1.考查推理判断。第二段说，一直以来，特别是在纽约这样的城市，壁炉被人们看得像奖杯一样珍贵， 如今却被视为社会的羞辱， 它加入到瓶装水和大房子的行列，要承担起对环境的责任。故可推知瓶装水、大房子、壁炉都.是对环境不利的，选A

2.推理题;从第三段的内容可知Sally喜欢壁炉带来的快乐，但是也担心壁炉给环境带来的破坏，选D

3.推理题：文章第五段提到针对燃烧木材的壁炉的有关规定，而第六段提到很多人认为燃烧壁炉不会给环境带来危害，选B

4.考查写作意图题：文章说到壁炉曾经 是美国人的挚爱，但是现在人们怀疑壁炉给环境带来的破坏，有的地方对燃烧壁炉设置了规定，规范壁炉的使用，由此可知美国人对壁炉的钟爱在下降，这也是作者的意图，选D

考点：考查环保类短文