Roughly 8. 5 billion plastic straws are used in the United Kingdom each year, but as a new ban takes effect next April, that number will decrease to zero. One startup (初创企业) is hoping to capture the chance to make a kind of straws as an alternative by using an unlikely material: pasta (意大利面食).
“It has all the function of a plastic straw that everyone has been using,” says Maxim Gelmann, founder of Stroodles, the startup. The straws, made by an Italian company that also produces regular pasta, are the same shape and size as a standard plastic straw.
Unlike a paper straw, they don’t taste like wet paper; they don’t change the flavor of the drink. They last at least an hour, and longer in colder drinks. If you’re nursing a drink for hours and the pasta eventually softens, you can choose to eat it. The raw straw is also eatable, and Gelmann says that some people snack on them.
A handful of other pasta-straw startups also exist, though Stroodles is hoping to feature itself with a smoother, more plastic-like material and its branding.
It’s more expensive to make than a plastic straw, but at large volumes, it can compete with the cost of paper straws. Because of the coming ban, “No one really compares us with plastic anymore,” Gelmann says. “They compare us with paper straw prices, which makes my argument much easier and my expectation brighter.”
Other alternatives, like bamboo or stainless steel, are more expensive and a less elegant solution; some bars say that customers don’t trust the idea that stainless steel straws can be fully sanitized (消毒). Another option—a plastic-like eatable straw made from seaweed—may be more of a competitor.
1.What’s the startup’s main purpose of producing the pasta straws?
A.To reduce the consumption of energy.
B.To take over the market.
C.To answer the call for the ban.
D.To compete with paper straws.
2.What advantage do the pasta straws have compared with other straws?
A.They are cheaper. B.They can be used longer.
C.They can be treated as snacks. D.They are suitable for mass production.
3.What attitude does Gelmann have towards the pasta straws’ future?
A.Controversial. B.Doubtful.
C.Cautious. D.Positive.
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The government disagrees with Gelmann.
B.The startup will become a very big company.
C.The pasta straws face fierce competition.
D.The pasta straws can improve drinks’ flavor.
高三英语阅读选择中等难度题
Roughly 8. 5 billion plastic straws are used in the United Kingdom each year, but as a new ban takes effect next April, that number will decrease to zero. One startup (初创企业) is hoping to capture the chance to make a kind of straws as an alternative by using an unlikely material: pasta (意大利面食).
“It has all the function of a plastic straw that everyone has been using,” says Maxim Gelmann, founder of Stroodles, the startup. The straws, made by an Italian company that also produces regular pasta, are the same shape and size as a standard plastic straw.
Unlike a paper straw, they don’t taste like wet paper; they don’t change the flavor of the drink. They last at least an hour, and longer in colder drinks. If you’re nursing a drink for hours and the pasta eventually softens, you can choose to eat it. The raw straw is also eatable, and Gelmann says that some people snack on them.
A handful of other pasta-straw startups also exist, though Stroodles is hoping to feature itself with a smoother, more plastic-like material and its branding.
It’s more expensive to make than a plastic straw, but at large volumes, it can compete with the cost of paper straws. Because of the coming ban, “No one really compares us with plastic anymore,” Gelmann says. “They compare us with paper straw prices, which makes my argument much easier and my expectation brighter.”
Other alternatives, like bamboo or stainless steel, are more expensive and a less elegant solution; some bars say that customers don’t trust the idea that stainless steel straws can be fully sanitized (消毒). Another option—a plastic-like eatable straw made from seaweed—may be more of a competitor.
1.What’s the startup’s main purpose of producing the pasta straws?
A.To reduce the consumption of energy.
B.To take over the market.
C.To answer the call for the ban.
D.To compete with paper straws.
2.What advantage do the pasta straws have compared with other straws?
A.They are cheaper. B.They can be used longer.
C.They can be treated as snacks. D.They are suitable for mass production.
3.What attitude does Gelmann have towards the pasta straws’ future?
A.Controversial. B.Doubtful.
C.Cautious. D.Positive.
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A.The government disagrees with Gelmann.
B.The startup will become a very big company.
C.The pasta straws face fierce competition.
D.The pasta straws can improve drinks’ flavor.
高三英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文, 请你修改你同桌写的以下作文,文中共有10处错误,每句中最多有两处,每处错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Plastic straws can cause serious environmental problems
Every day, Americans threw away 500 million plastic straws—enough circle the Earth twice. People use them when enjoy a cold drink, but according to an app where maps trash, plastic straws are the six most common form of litter in the world. Plastic straws can't be recycled. And even worst, it takes up to 200 years for each one to break up.
To deal with the problem, a lawmaker introduced a bill in February to reduce the use of plastic straws in California. Soon, a waiter provide plastic straws to customers who don't ask for them will break the law. The punishment will be six months in the prison, a $1, 000 fine or a combine of both.
高三英语短文改错中等难度题查看答案及解析
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.
高三英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
The world consumes hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bags each year. They are difficult to recycle, wasteful and damage the nature. Environmental activists want to ban plastic bags or---as many communities have done ---charge a fee for them. But the plastic bag industry defends their use, saying people reuse plastic bags, and industry officials argue recycling is a matter of personal responsibility and should not be forced.
City officials say New Yorkers use 5.2 billion plastic bags each year. They are offered free with nearly every supermarket, or convenience store purchase. Many people like them, even if they sometimes feel guilty about using them. But what happens to those bags after they’ve been used in a huge environmental problem. They are found on beaches. They are caught in trees. They are swallowed by marine life.
Plastic bags are made of petroleum products and natural gas, and do not biodegrade (分解). And they are difficult to recycle. So New York City spends nearly $ 10 million dollars a year to send 100---thousand tons of plastic bags to landfills out of state.
In Washington, D.C., a five percent charge on all single-use bags led to about a 60 percent reduction and in Los Angeles County in California , a 10 cent charge on single-use bags led to a 95 percent reduction. With a 10 cent charge on bags, customers are much more likely to stop and think about whether they need a bag or not. And that’s really all that these laws are doing.
1.Who object to the limit of using plastic bags?
A. Plastic bag makers. B. Government officials.
C. Stores and supermarkets. D. Most of the consumers.
2.Paragraph 2 mainly tells us _____.
A. the difficulty about dealing with plastic bags
B. the popularity of plastic bags in New York
C. the great convenience brought by using plastic bags
D. the usage and problems of plastic bags in New York
3.What measure does the writer introduce to reduce the use of plastic bags?
A. Reducing the production of plastic bags.
B. Charging for the use of plastic bags.
C. Offering paper bags instead of plastic bags.
D. Making people realize the harm of plastic bags.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A new report says plastics are responsible for $13 billion in damage to the oceans and the undersea environment. The findings were announced recently at a United Nations conference.1..
Plastic thrown away carelessly makes its way into rivers and other waterways. 2.. After a while, it collects in the sea. And plastic never goes away. Plastic is not biodegradable—destroyed by bacteria or natural processes. Instead, it just breaks up into smaller pieces over time. The oceans contain a lot of chemicals and other pollutants(污染物).3..That means harmful material may get into our food supply.
4.. Human beings cause pollution and they can take steps to stop it. They can use fewer single use product containers and throw plastics away correctly. Plastic recycling programs also works—where old bottles and other plastics are collected, broken down and used to make new products. We could reuse bottles in our households many times if we wish to, rather than end it after the first use. We could, when we get rid of that plastic, recycle it and reuse it, which replaces the need for raw materials.
The report also calls on companies to improve methods for using plastics. 5.. And it calls for information about the way plastic is thrown out or removed from use. By putting a new value on plastic, industry has a special reason to clean up the environment.
But all of the companies must join to deal with the problem.
A. Then, fish may eat the plastics.
B. But people can make a big difference.
C. Plastics should be gathered together and reused.
D. It is convenient to use plastic bags in everyday life.
E. It asks for them to better measure and control plastic use.
F. The plastic eventually reaches coastal areas and ocean waters.
G. The report tells about harm to sea life and what might be done to improve the situation.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
Every day is Earth Day — probably you’ve heard it before. Nearly all Americans have access to a plastic recycling program. You may be surprised to learn how many types of plastic packaging can be recycled into new, useful products!
Ford Motor Company has been helping to promote the use of environmentally-friendly auto parts — and one way they’re doing that is by using recycled plastic bottles for underbody shields (底盘保护罩) and other auto parts on cars.
“The underbody shield is a large part, and for a part that big, if we use solid plastic, it would likely weigh three times as much,” said Thomas Sweder, a design engineer of Ford Motor Company. “We look for the most durable and highest performing materials to work with to make our parts, and in this case, we are also creating many environmental benefits.”
In the past decade, the global use of plastics in vehicle parts has grown quickly. Ford alone uses about 1.2 billion recycled plastic bottles per year, about 250 bottles per vehicle on average.
When plastic bottles are thrown into a recycling bin, they are collected with thousands of others and cut into small pieces. These pieces are typically sold to suppliers who turn them into fibers, by melting and pressing them. Then they are mixed together with other various types of fiber in a process and used to make a sheet of material which is formed into the auto parts.
Due to its light weight, recycled plastic is ideal for the manufacturing of underbody shields. These shields reportedly also help create a significantly quieter environment on the new 2020 Ford Escape.
This is not the only way that Ford has been committed to environmental protection; the automotive company recently partnered with McDonald’s coffee suppliers to recycle all of their coffee roasting biowaste into headlights.
“Ford is among the leaders when it comes to using recycled materials such as this,” Sweder said. “This material meets all of our requirements for durability and performance.”
1.Why does Ford choose recycled plastic as environmentally-friendly materials?
A.Because it’s new and useful. B.Because it’s durable and light.
C.Because it’s cheap and easy to get. D.Because it’s portable and well-performed.
2.What does Paragraph 5 mainly talk about?
A.The global use of plastics. B.The mixing process of fibers.
C.The advantages of plastic bottles. D.The formation of the new auto material.
3.What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 7 refer to?
A.Recycling coffee roasting biowaste. B.Improving vehicle parts.
C.Recycling plastic bottles into auto parts. D.Creating a quieter environment.
4.What can be the best title of the passage?
A.Ford Takes the Lead in Plastic Recycling.
B.Every Day is Earth Day.
C.Ecological Auto Underbody Shields.
D.A Pioneer in Promoting Environmental Protection.
高三英语阅读选择中等难度题查看答案及解析
Every year, billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States. Meanwhile, millions of poor Americans go hungry, without access to healthy and affordable meals.
Evan Lutz is enthusiastic about correcting that social injustice. And he combines that goal with enthusiasm for business, Lutz is CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest, a business which collects and sells “ugly” produce. These are fruits and vegetables that most food companies would throw away. More than six billion pounds are wasted each year due to surface imperfections.
“So I’ll give you an example.” Lutz says, “If you go to a grocery store you will see all the produce lineup shiny, perfect, of the same size and color. But on a farm, everything doesn’t grow the same way. So all that stuff that doesn’t grow the same way often gets thrown out. And what we do is take all that normally gets thrown out because of its odd size or shape, box it up and deliver it to our customers once a week.”
For Evan Lutz, giving back to others came from his upbringing.
“When I was growing up my parents taught me the values of giving back, and giving is a lot more powerful than receiving. We sell produce with a purpose and that doesn’t just mean we reduce food from going to waste. We hire people that were formerly in prison or were formerly injured or sick living in homeless shelters. They really wanted to get back on their feet for a second chance in life.”
Evan Lutz is really happy to be realizing great mission that he thinks can really revolutionize the food industry in America.
1.The social injustice in Paragraph 2 refers to the fact that ________.
A. vegetables and fruits that don’t taste good get wasted
B. much produce gets wasted while many Americans starve
C. grocery stores only sell produce of the same size
D. poor Americans cannot afford healthy food
2.What business does Hungry Harvest mainly do?
A. Deliver food for free.
B. Raise money for the poor.
C. Collect “ugly” produce and sell it.
D. Buy “ugly” produce and process it.
3.Why does Evan Lutz hire those people mentioned in Paragraph 5?
A. To lower labor costs. B. To increase productivity.
C. To offer them a job. D. To enjoy a better reputation.
4.What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A. Creating More Jobs for the Less Fortunate
B. Putting Healthy Food on Dinner Table
C. Making Profits from Shiny Produce
D. Giving Unused Produce a Purpose
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
Every year, billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States. Meanwhile, millions of poor Americans go hungry, without access to healthy and affordable meals.
Evan Lutz, CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest, was inspired to act after seeing extreme
poverty in areas of Baltimore, Maryland. He wants to reduce the so-called food desert in that area. His work is to make sure no food goes to waste and no person is ever hungry in America. And he
combines that goal with a love for business.
Hungry Harvest is a business which collects and sells "ugly produce". These are fruits and
vegetables that most food companies will throw away. More than six billion pounds are wasted each year due to "ugly" surface. Everything doesn't grow the same way on a farm. But all that is too big or too small gets thrown out. That is why everything in a grocery store looks similar, shiny and perfect. Hungry Harvest will box those imperfect ones and deliver them to customers once a week.
For Evan Lutz, giving back to others came from his upbringing.
When I was growing up my parents taught me the values of giving back, and giving is a lot
more powerful than receiving. We sell produce with a purpose and that doesn't just mean we reduce food from going to waste. We hire people that were formerly in prison and were formerly injured or sick living in homeless shelters. They really wanted to get back on their feet for a second chance in life."
In January 2016, Lutz appeared on the American business competition television show "Shark Tank" and got even more than he expected: $100,000. Lutz is using the money to realize his great mission that can really revolutionize the food industry in America.
1.The underlined part "food desert" in the second paragraph means .
A. food that grows in the desert B. the poor areas in Baltimore
C. a lack of fresh and healthy food D. the desert where food can grow
2.The food delivered by Hungry Harvest is .
A. popular with local fruit farmers B. easy to be found in grocery stores
C. fresh but hard to keep for food companies D. healthy and available to hungry people
3.Which of the following words can be used to describe Evan Lutz?
A. Strong-willed and smart. B. Kind-hearted and creative.
C. Warm-hearted and strict. D. Open-minded and humorous.
4.What can be a suitable title for this passage?
A. Giving Unused Produce a Purpose B. Making Profits from Shiny Produce
C. Creating Jobs for the Less Fortunate D. Helping the People in Hungry World
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Every year, billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States. Meanwhile, millions of poor Americans go hungry, without access to healthy and affordable meals.
Evan Lutz is enthusiastic about correcting that social injustice. And he combines that goal with enthusiasm for business. Lutz is CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest, a business which collects and sells “ugly” produce. These are fruits and vegetables that most food companies would throw away. More than six billion pounds are wasted each year due to surface imperfections.
“So I’ll give you an example.” Lutz says, “If you go to a grocery store you will see all the produce lineup shiny, perfect, of the same size and color. But on a farm, everything doesn’t grow the same way. So all that stuff that doesn’t grow the same way often gets thrown out. And what we do is take all that normally gets thrown out because of its odd size or shape, box it up and deliver it to our customers once a week.”
For Evan Lutz, giving back to others came form his upbringing. “When I was growing up, my parents taught me the values of giving back, and giving is a lot more powerful than receiving. We sell produce with a purpose and that doesn’t just mean we reduce food from going to waste. We hire people that were formerly in prison or were formerly injured or sick living in homeless shelters. They really wanted to get back on their feet for a second chance in life.”
Evan Lutz is really happy to be realizing great mission that he thinks can really revolutionize the food industry in America.
1.The social injustice in Paragraph 2 refers to the fact that _________.
A.vegetables and fruits that don’t taste good are thrown away
B.grocery stores only sell produce of the same size
C.poor Americans can not afford healthy food
D.much produce gets wasted while many Americans starve
2.What business does Hungry Harvest mainly do?
A.Deliver food for free. B.Collect “ugly” produce and sell it.
C.Raise money for the poor. D.Buy “ugly” produce and process it.
3.Why does Evan Lutz employ those people mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A.To provide them with a job. B.To reduce labor costs.
C.To increase productivity. D.To earn a better reputation.
4.What can be the best title for the passage?
A.Creating More Jobs for the Less Fortunate.
B.Putting Healthy Food on Dinner Table.
C.Giving Unused Produce a Purpose.
D.Making Profits from Shiny Produce.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute,
has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(分解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, a $10 000 prize, a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap: maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” said Daniel Burd.
1.Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada-Wide Science Fair because________.
A. he found a new kind of microorganism
B. he contributed much to environmental protection
C. he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time
D. he could encourage microbes growth in an easier way
2.Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to ________.
A. make the live bacteria work better
B. test how effective his method was
C. know which bacteria worked faster
D. control the temperature in the process
3.Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because ________.
A. plastics can get hot easily
B. microbes can produce heat themselves
C. much carbon dioxide is produced
D. the temperature can be controlled
4.Daniel Burd got his idea from ________.
A. his school textbook B. the failure of researchers
C. his everyday work D. the practice of other people
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析