Question

    This may look like an ordinary plastic straw (吸管), but it is not made of plastic. Cameron Ross started the Celise Bio-products company, to produce single-use plastic alternatives from plant materials like these. They are made of poly lactic acid (聚乳酸) known as PLA from com starches (淀粉).

Cameron Ross said, "We work with food service providers, mainly larger brands, to help them get quality sustainable and cost-effective solutions, made from plants to start getting rid of single-use plastics." Single-use plastics such as bottles or straws are major cause of pollution. When we throw these away, they end up in a landfill or in the water like rivers. According to researchers, it could take up to more than 500 years for them to properly break down.

Ross says he wasn't always so environmentally conscious himself. But ever since the hiking trip in West Virginia, when he spent more time picking up trash than enjoying nature, his priorities changed. That meant making biodegradable products that can break down in only a few years.

While many cafes and restaurants are choosing paper products to be more eco-conscious, it isn’t cheap. Paper straws can cost about eight times more than plastic straws. But bio-plastic straws cost less a penny a straw, not even double the price of plastic ones.

Another problem with paper straws is that they get soft and wet. You don't want to be sipping (啜饮) something that alters your drink, or starts to melt while you're drinking and then you have to get which creates more wastes than needed. Ross hopes his Washington DC-based company will provide an eco-friendly solution for food service providers.

1.Which aspect is NOT the focus of the Celise Bio-products?

A.Material. B.Appearance.

C.Quality. D.Cost.

2.What inspired Ross to start the Bio-products company?

A.High profits. B.Requests from food service providers.

C.Lower cost. D.His changed environmental awareness.

3.What can we learn about the new straws?

A.They are widely used in cafes and restaurants.

B.They cost less than paper ones.

C.They may soften or even melt while carrying water.

D.They produce more waste.

4.What's the author's purpose of writing the passage?

A.To persuade more food service providers to work with Ross.

B.To explain the development of straws.

C.To introduce a new eco-friendly straw.

D.To compare different straws.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

本文是说明文。文章介绍了Cameron Ross创办的Celise生物产品公司生产的一种新型环保吸管，以取代一次性的塑料吸管。

1.

细节理解题。根据文章第一段首句“This may look like an ordinary plastic straw (吸管), but it is not made of plastic.”这种吸管外表看起来就像普通的吸管。由此可知，Celise生物公司并不关注新型吸管的外表。下文提到“to produce single-use plastic alternatives from plant materials” “.. get quality sustainable and cost-effective solutions(获得高质量、可持续、和低成本的解决方案)”，由此可知，他们注重使用植物原材料和产品的高质量、低成本。故选B项。

2.

细节理解题。第三段中提到“ever since the hiking trip in West Virginia, when he spent more time picking up trash than enjoying nature, his priorities changed. That meant making biodegradable products that can break down in only a few years.（但自从西弗吉尼亚州的徒步旅行之后，当他花更多的时间在捡垃圾上，而不是享受自然时，他优先考虑的事情就改变了。这意味着要制造出几年内即可分解的可生物降解产品。）”由此可知，是他的环境意识发生了改变，从而激励Ross创办生物制品公司。故选D项。

3.

细节理解题。第四段中提到“Paper straws can cost about eight times more than plastic straws. But bio-plastic straws cost less a penny a straw, not even double the price of plastic ones. （纸吸管比塑料吸管贵8倍。但是生态塑料吸管每根便宜1美分，甚至还不到塑料吸管价格的两倍）”。由此可知，生物塑料吸管比纸吸管便宜很多。故选B项。

4.

推理判断题。通读全文，文章第一段提出“This may look like an ordinary plastic straw (吸管), but it is not made of plastic.”这种吸管不是塑料制成的，引出关于新型吸管的话题；文章第二、三段说明他创办这家公司的原因是为了环保，第四、五段说明生产的生物塑料吸管在成本、质量上与纸吸管相比较的优势。文章的目的介绍一种新型的环保吸管。 故选C项。