Question

A new factory that turns used wine bottles into green sand could revolutionize the recycling industry and help to filter(过滤) the nation's drinking water.

For the last 100 years special high grade white sand quarried(开采) at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire has been used to filter tap water to remove bacteria and impurities—but this may no longer be necessary.

The green sand has already been successfully tested by water companies and is being used in 50 swimming pools in Scotland to keep the water clean.

Backed by one million pounds from the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defar), a company based in Scotland is building a factory to turn beverage bottles back into the sand from which they were made.

The idea is not only to avoid using up increasingly scarce sand in Scotland and avoid any further quarrying but also to solve a crisis in the recycles only 750 000 tones of it.

Howard Dryden, the scientist and managing director of the company has spent six years working on what he calls Active Filtration Meadia, or AFM, the recycled glass. He says he needs bottles that have already contained drinkable liquids to be sure that drinking water would not be polluted.

"The fact is that tests show that AFM does the job better than glass, it is easier to clean and reuse and has all sorts of properties that make it ideal for other applications, "he claimed. He also thinks the market will be able to take 250 000 tones of green sand a year. The plan is to build five or six factories in cites in UK where the bottles come from to cut down on transport.

The factory will be completed this month and is expected to go into full production on January 14 next year. Once it is providing a "regular" product, the government's drinking water inspectorate will be asked to perform tests and approve it for general use by water companies.

1.It may no longer be necessary to use high-grade white sand to keep water clean because____.

A. the green sand has been used to keep the water clean

B. there is no need to keep water clean

C. a new factory has been set up

D. white sand is being use up

2.According to the passage, the new idea can do the following except ______.

A. cutting down the cost on transport

B. avoiding using up increasingly scarce sand

C. avoiding further quarrying of white sand

D. solving the crisis in the recycling industry

3.Tests show that ______ in keeping the water clean.

A. AFM is more efficient than white sand

B. white sand is more efficient than green sand

C. AFM is more efficient than glass

D, glass is more efficient than AFM

4.The underlined word "Backed" in the fourth paragraph can best be replaced by "______".

A. Allowed    B. Opposed

C. Supported  D. Forbidden

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.C

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文是说明文。这篇文章向我们介绍一家工厂发现一种能革新回收行业和帮助过滤饮用水的新材料——酒瓶转换后的湿砂。这个发现经证实确实可行，并预计明年1月14日进入全面生产。

1.】A.推理判断题：根据第三段The green sand has already been successfully tested by water companies and is being used in 50 swimming pools in Scotland to keep the water clean.（湿砂已成功被水务公司测试了,并用于苏格兰的50个游泳池保持水的清洁）知，可能没有必要去开采优质白沙用于过滤自来水，去除细菌和杂质，故选A。

2.2】A.细节理解题：根据第五段The idea is not only to avoid using up increasingly scarce sand in Scotland and avoid any further quarrying but also to solve a crisis in the recycles only 750 000 tones of it.（这样做不仅是为了避免使用苏格兰越来越稀缺的沙子和进一步的开采白沙，也是解决只能回收750 000吨酒瓶的危机），可排除BCD，故选A。

3.3】C.细节理解题：根据第六段 tests show that AFM does the job better than glass（测试显示AFM比玻璃更有效），故选C。

4.4】C.判断词义题：Allowed允许；Opposed反对；supported支持；Forbidden禁止。根据第四段后半句a company based in Scotland is building a factory to turn beverage bottles back into the sand （总部位于苏格兰的公司在建立一个工厂,把饮料瓶子变回沙子），可知这一发现是他们所支持的，故选C。

考点：考查说明文的阅读。