Question

Bottled water is a drain on the environment: The US public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year, and most of those plastic containers are not recycled, according to Elizabeth Royte’s book Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.

Transporting the bottles and keeping them cold also burns fuels, which give off greenhouse gases. And groundwater pumping by bottled water companies draws heavily on underground aquifers(含水层) and harms watersheds(分水岭), according to the Sierra Club. And some studies suggest it takes up to three liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water.

Yet more than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water globally. In many cities in developing countries where there is not a safe source of tap water, bottled water becomes a trusted choice.

In the US, tap water is controlled by the government and often examined for dangerous polluted substances. Each American drinks 79 liters of bottled water per year on average, according to the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York. The bottled water industry is so successful that it has outpaced(超过) milk, coffee, and juice in the number of gallons of drinks sold — putting it behind only beer and soda.

Though the sale and consumption (消费) of bottled water is still on the rise, certain policymakers have taken steps to reduce it and encourage people to drink tap water. In September 2009, the Australian town of Bundanoon became the first town in the world to completely ban bottled water from its stores’ shelves, building water fountains（喷泉） around the town instead.

Among US cities that have taken action are San Francisco and Seattle, which no longer buy water for city use, and Chicago, which added a five-cent tax on each bottle. Several restaurants in those cities have also given up bottled water for tap water. Other cities are also considering taking action.

1.What does the underlined word "drain" in the first paragraph probably mean?

A. Value.B. Consumption.C. Solution.D. Relief (缓解).

2.What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A. Why bottled water is so popular.

B. What Elizabeth Royte’s book is about.

C. How much it takes to produce bottled water.

D. What effects bottled water has on the environment.

3.According to the passage, what drink sells best in the USA?

A. BeerB. Bottled waterC. CoffeeD. Milk

4.Which of the following statements about the US is TRUE?

A. More than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water in the US.

B. About 79 billion water bottles a year are gone through by the US public.

C. In Chicago, you have to pay 5 cents as tax if you buy a bottle of water.

D. An American drinks 50 liters of bottled water every year on average.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：本文主要讲述了美国瓶装水的消费以及生产、运输等过程对环境造成的不良影响。

1.B 细节理解题。根据第一段中的The US public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year, and most of those plastic containers are not recycled.可知，这些塑料瓶不循环使用对环境是个消耗，drain的意思应为“耗尽，消耗”，与consumption同义。

2.D 主旨大意题。本段主要介绍了运输、冷藏瓶装水和抽取地下水生产瓶装水对环境造成的不良影响。故选D。

3.A 细节理解题。根据第四段最后一句putting it behind only beer and soda.可知，瓶装水的销量仅次于啤酒和苏打水，也就是说啤酒在美国卖得最好。

4.C 推理判断题。根据第三段第一句Yet more than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water globally.可排除A项；根据第一段The US public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year可排除B项；根据最后一段第一句中的Chicago, which added a five-cent tax on each bottle可知，C项正确；根据第四段第二句Each American drinks 79 liters of bottled water per year on average, according to the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University’s Earth Institute in New York.可排除D项。

考点：考查环保类阅读。