Question

There was a time when a trip to the supermarket in the United States often ended with a seemingly simple question from the cashier: “Paper or plastic?” Well, which type of bag would you choose?

While all types of bags have some influence on the environment, it has long been supposed that paper bags are kinder. They are made from a renewable source, break down easily, burn without giving off thick smoke and can be recycled. However, the producing process behind paper bags uses more energy than that of plastic ones. How can this be true?

Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production. And the amount of water used to make them is twenty times higher. Besides, the influence on forests is very serious. It takes about fourteen million trees to produce ten billion paper bags, which happens to be the number of bags used in the United States yearly. In terms of recycling, the idea that paper bags are more environment-friendly than plastic ones can be quickly discarded. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does paper.

Even though paper bags might be more harmful than plastic ones, plastic still seems to be considered by governments as the more harmful of the two. In Ireland, for example, a tax has been introduced to discourage the use of plastic bags. People have to pay 22 cents for every plastic bag, and as a result, their use has dropped quickly.

There’s no doubt that it makes more sense to reuse these bags. However, we don’t seem to be doing that at present. That may be because they fall apart quickly. If so, cloth bags are a better choice, but still, their production also has a bad influence on the environment. So what to do? How should we answer the question of “Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question: “What can I do to help the environment?”

1.The questions in Paragraph 1 are used to          .

A. express the author’s doubts

B. tell readers how to save money

C. introduce points for discussion

D. show the kindness of the cashier

2.Compared with plastic bags, paper bags        .

A. need more water to produce

B. require less energy to recycle

C. take more time to break down

D. have less influence on forests

3.The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 3 probably means “       ”.

A. shared    B. given up

C. discussed    D. put forward

4.Which question does the author probably hope the cashier will ask?

A. Paper or cloth?    B. Paper or plastic?

C. A small bag or big one?    D. A new bag or your own one?

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

文章列举了一些数据来说明纸和塑料哪种更环保，研究显示，纸袋无论生产或回收都比塑料袋耗费更多的水，所以在售货员问要纸袋还是塑料袋，我们更应该想想我们能为环境做些什么。

1.目的意图题。文章第一段说到去超市购物，售货员最后问我们“用纸袋还是塑料袋”的问题，引出下文关于环保的讨论，故可知第一段的问题被用来引出下文要介绍的话题。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据第三段的数据Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production. And the amount of water used to make them is twenty times higher.（研究显示纸袋的生产需要塑料袋生产的四倍的能源。被用来生产纸袋的用水量比生产塑料袋用水量高20倍。）可知，与塑料袋相比，纸袋的生产需要更多的水。故选A。

3.词义猜测题。根据划线单词所在的句子In terms of recycling, the idea that paper bags are more environment-friendly than plastic ones can be quickly discarded. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does paper.（就回收而言，纸袋比塑料袋更环保的想法可以被很快的discard。研究显示，回收塑料比回收纸节省98%的能源。）可知，这里discard的意思是“放弃”，故选B。

4.推理判断题。根据文章最后的内容How should we answer the question of “Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question: “What can I do to help the environment?”（我们应该怎样回答“纸袋还是塑料袋”的问题呢？似乎我们首先需要问自己一个更常规的问题“我应该做什么来帮助环境呢？”可推知，作者希望收银员问的问题是“新袋子还是自己的袋子？”，因为这样对环境有帮助，故选D。