Question

    For decades,Americans have been sorting their trash believing that most plastic could be recycled.But the truth is that the vast majority of all plastic produced can't be or won't be recycled.In 40 years,less than 10% of plastic has been recycled.

A news programme Frontline,by NPR and the PBS,found that oil and gas companies- the makers of plastic-have known that all along,even as they spent millions of dollars telling the American public the opposite.The plastics industry officials said the industry is providing money for new technology that they believe will get recycling plastic up to scale.The goal,they said,is to recycle 100% of the plastic they make in 5 years.

But the more plastic is recycled,the less money the industry will make by selling new plastic.And those profits have become increasingly important.Companies have told shareholders（股东）that profits from using oil and gas for transport are expected to decline in coming years with the increasing use of electric cars.The industry leaders expect oil and gas demands from the chemical industry will be much greater than the demand                from the transport side in the coming decade.Plastic production overall is now expected to rise three times by 2050,and once again,the industry is spending money on advertisements and public relations to promote plastic recycling.

Plastic is now more common than it's ever been and harder to recycle.Gas prices remain at historic lows,making new plastic cheaper than recycled plastic.And the industry now produces many more different-and more complex-kinds of plastics that are more costly to sort and in many cases can't be recycled at all.Efforts to reduce plastic use are mounting nationwide,but any plan to slow the growth of plastic will face an industry with billions of dollars of future profits to lose.

1.What do we know about the goal of 100%plastic recycling?

A.It's modest.

B.It's achievable.

C.It's urgent.

D.It's unreal.

2.How will the oil and gas companies make more profits in the following years?

A.By selling electric cars.

B.By adding emphasis on recycling.

C.By increasing plastic production.

D.By meeting the needs of transport.

3.What does the underlined word"mounting"in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A.Increasing.

B.Working.

C.Failing.

D.Decreasing.

4.What may be the best title for the text?

A.Should Plastic Be Recycled?

B.Can Plastic Waste Be Handled?

C.Recycle Plastic or Sell More?

D.Plastic Products or Substitutes?

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.A

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。一方面，人们在努力促进塑料的回收利用，减少塑料的使用，一方面石油与天然气如果需要获得更多利润，需要生产更多塑料，而塑料的回收意味着利润的减少。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中的“But the truth is that the vast majority of all plastic produced can't be or won't be recycled. In 40 years, less than 10%of plastic has been recycled.”可知但事实是，绝大多数生产的塑料不能或不会被回收利用。在40年里，只有不到10%的塑料被回收。所以百分之百回收塑料的这个目标是不现实的。故选D项。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中的“But the more plastic is recycled, the less money the industry will make by selling new plastic. And those profits have become increasingly important. Companies have told shareholders（股东）…production overall is now expected to rise three times by 2050,”可知回收的塑料越多，这个行业通过销售新塑料赚的钱就越少。然而这些利润变得越来越重要。公司对股东说在未来几年随着电动汽车的使用，交通运输业中石油和天然气的需求减少，利润会下降。行业领袖预计，未来10年，化工行业对石油和天然气的需求将远远超过运输行业。由此推断，在交通运输业利润减少的情况下，石油和天然气公司为了获取利润，会生产更多塑料。故选C项。

3.词义猜测题。根据划线词所在句子Efforts to reduce plastic use are mounting nationwide可知减少塑料使用的努力正在全国范围内mounting。 根据前文“The plastics industry officials said the industry is providing money for new technology that they believe will get recycling plastic up to scale.”和“the industry is spending money on advertisements and public relations to promote plastic recycling.”可知塑料产业和石油天然气行业都在促进塑料的回收利用，所以由此推断，减少塑料使用的努力正在全国范围内“增加”，mounting与A项（increasing）意思相同，故选A项。

4.主旨大意题。根据文章最后一句话“Efforts to reduce plastic use are mounting nationwide, but any plan to slow the growth of plastic will face an industry with billions of dollars of future profits to lose.”可知减少塑料使用的努力正在全国范围内展开，但任何减缓塑料增长的计划都将面临某个行业未来会损失数十亿美元利润的局面。而文章也是围绕着这个写的，第一二段着重强调了人们为回收利用塑料所做的努力，第三段提出石油与运输行业利润的减少需要生产更多塑料赚钱，塑料生产的减少意味着利润的损失。第四段总结全文再次强调是要利润还是减少塑料的这个困境。故C项（回收塑料还是卖更多？）最能够概括文章大意。故选C项。