Question

    Elephant, horse and cow wastes could be endless sources for a key element needed to make paper. It is good news for some nations where trees are scarce while animal wastes come in especially handy.

The idea for the unusual use of elephant and cow wastes first came to mind when researcher Dr Alexander Bismarck noticed something strange about goat wastes while vacationing in Greece. He observed some goats eating summer-dry grass and came to an interesting conclusion about what they digest.

Dr Bismarck said： “I realized what comes out in the end is partially digested plant matter so there must be cellulose （纤维素）there". Animals eat dry grass containing cellulose, chew it and digest it in their stomach and then produce wastes. Up to 40 percent of those wastes are cellulose, which is easily accessible. Therefore, making paper from the partially digested            material would take much less energy than using raw wood. Additionally, it would require fewer chemical treatments.

This supply of raw material is plenty： parks in Africa that are home to hundreds of elephants produce tons of wastes every day, and enormous cattle farms in the US and Europe produce mountains of wastes.

In order to make paper, the material must be processed with a special method. But it requires little because there is no need to break it down into small parts for use in paper, in contrast to conventional methods which need a lot of energy to break down wood.

Using wastes, we can reduce the number of steps needed in papermaking, simply because the animal already chewed the plant and attacked it with acid in their stomachs. You inexpensively produce a paper staff that has the same or even better properties than that from wood, with lower energy and chemical consumption.

1.What is mainly talked about in paragraph 2?

A.The observation of goat wastes. B.The usage of animal wastes.

C.The origin of the unusual idea. D.The vacation spent in Greece.

2.Animal wastes can be used to make paper mainly because ________.

A.they will never run out B.they are easy to access

C.they are partly digested D.they contain much cellulose

3.What is the advantage of making paper from animal wastes?

A.It is more profitable. B.It is energy-saving.

C.It needs less material. D.It fits all parts of the world.

4.What is the probable explanation of the underlined word “attack"?

A.Treat. B.Mix.

C.Clean. D.Protect.

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.A

【解析】

这是一篇说明文，研究者发现，大象， 山羊，牛等的排泄物里含有大量纤维素，可以用来造纸，比用木头造纸更经济，而且原料充足。

1.

主旨大意题。本段第一句The idea for the unusual use of elephant and cow wastes first came to mind when researcher Dr Alexander Bismarck noticed something strange about goat wastes while vacationing in Greece.（研究人员亚历山大·俾斯麦博士在希腊度假时注意到山羊粪便的奇怪之处，于是他产生了使用大象和奶牛粪便的不寻常想法。）为主题句，主要讲述了用动物排泄物造纸这一想法的产生。 故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据第一段Elephant, horse and cow wastes could be endless sources for a key element needed to make paper.（大象、马和牛的粪便可能是造纸所需的一种关键元素的无尽来源。） 以及第三段Up to 40 percent of those wastes are cellulose, which is easily accessible. Therefore, making paper from the partially digested material would take much less energy than using raw wood. Additionally, it would require fewer chemical treatments（这些废物中高达40%是纤维素，很容易获取。因此，用部分消化的材料造纸所消耗的能量要比用原木少得多。此外，它需要更少的化学处理）可知，纤维素 是造纸必需的元素，而动物粪便里含有40%的纤维素,由此判断，D选项符合题意，故选D。

3.

细节理解题。根据第三段中Therefore, making paper from the partially digested material would take much less energy than using raw wood（因此，用部分消化的材料造纸所消耗的能量要比用原木少得多。）可知，用动物的排泄物造纸可以比用木头造纸节省能源。故选B。

4.

词义猜测题。根据最后一段Using wastes, we can reduce the number of steps needed in papermaking, simply because the animal already chewed the plant（利用排泄物，我们可以减少造纸所需的步骤，仅仅因为动物已经咀嚼了植物）可知，用动物排泄物造纸省却了造纸必需的一些过程；再根据上段But it requires little because there is no need to break it down into small parts for use in paper（但它的要求很少，因为不需要把它分解成小的部分用于造纸）可知，省却的这个过程就是将原料粉碎的过程，也就是动物胃里的食物是经过咀嚼和用胃酸浸泡和腐蚀过的，由此推知划线部分的意义接近“处理”，故选A。