Question

    Drive through any suburb in the U.S. today, and it’s hard to miss the bins that have become companions to America’s trash cans. Recycling has become commonplace, as people recognize the need to care for the environment. Yet most people’s recycling consciousness extends only as far as paper, bottles, and cans. People seldom find themselves facing the growing problem of e-waste.

E-waste rapidly increases as the techno-fashionable frequently upgrade to the most advanced device and the majority of them end up in landfills (垃圾填埋地). Some people who track such waste say that users throw away nearly 2 million tons of TVs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, and other electronics every day. Unless we can find a safe replacement, this e-waste may get into the ground and poison the water with dangerous toxins (毒素), such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Burning the waste also dangerously contaminates the air.

However, e-waste often contains reusable silver, gold, and other electrical materials. Recycling these materials reduces environmental problems by reducing both landfill waste and the need to look for such metals, which can destroy ecosystems.

A growing number of states have adopted laws to ban dumping (倾倒) e-waste. Still, less than a quarter of this waste will reach lawful recycling programs. Some companies advertising safe disposal (处置) in fact merely ship the waste to some developing countries, where it still ends up in landfills. These organizations prevent progress by unsafely disposing of waste in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind location.

However, the small but growing number of cities and corporations that do handle e-waste responsibly represents progress toward making the world a cleaner, better place for us all.

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A.Many Americans now have access to recycling bins.

B.E-waste cannot be put into trash cans in the U.S.

C.Most Americans have realized the dangers of e-waste.

D.Most of America’s trash cans are made of recycled material.

2.Which word can best replace the underlined word “contaminate” in Paragraph 2?

A.pollute. B.heat.

C.absorb. D.reduce.

3.How does the author feel about burying e-waste in landfills?

A.It’s important. B.It’s unsafe.

C.It’s acceptable. D.It’s uncommon.

4.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A.A large number of cities have begun to handle e-waste responsibly.

B.A growing number of states ship the e-waste to developing countries.

C.Progress is being made in handling e-waste.

D.The world will become cleaner by disposing of waste in an out-of-sight location.

5.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this text?

A.To tell us how to recycle e-waste.

B.To talk about the future of e-waste.

C.To discuss if it’s necessary to recycle e-waste.

D.To encourage us to deal with e-waste properly.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.B

4.C

5.D

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章介绍了日益严重的电子垃圾现象。电子垃圾日益增多，如果处理不当，会对土壤，地下水，空气都产生危害。

1.推理判断题。根据第一段中的“it’s hard to miss the bins that have become companions to America’s trash cans. Recycling has become commonplace”可知，回收利用已经成为普遍现象，在美国，你很容易就可以发现专用于回收利用的回收箱。A（许多美国人现在可以使用回收箱）可表达此意。故选A。

2.词义猜测题。上一句提到：这种电子垃圾可能进入地面，其毒素会使地下水中毒。由此可知，电子垃圾里面含有危险毒素。再结合画线词前面的dangerously可知，该句表达：燃烧电子垃圾也会对空气不好，“污染”空气。结合选项可知，划线词意为“污染”。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“the majority of them end up in landfills (垃圾填埋地)…Unless we can find a safe replacement, this e-waste may get into the ground and poison the water with dangerous toxins (毒素), such as lead, mercury, and arsenic.”可知，这种电子垃圾可能进入地面，其毒素会使地下水中毒。由此可知，这种做法是不安全的。故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段“the small but growing number of cities and corporations that do handle e-waste responsibly represents progress toward making the world a cleaner, better place for us all.”可知，负责任地处理电子垃圾的城市和公司数量虽少，但却在不断增加，这表明我们在使世界变得更清洁、更美好方面取得了进步。由此推之，在处理电子垃圾方面，正在取得进展。故选C。

5.推理判断题。文章主要介绍了电子垃圾的危害，由此可以推知，作者写这篇文章是为了提醒人们适当地处理电子垃圾。故选D。