Plastics are materials which are softened by heat and set into lasting form when shaped in a mold. Some are natural; some are semisynthetic (半合成的), the result of chemical action on a natural substance; some are synthetic, built up from the constituents (成分) of oil or coal. All are based on the chemistry of carbon, with its capacity for forming chains. The molecules that compose them (monomers) link together in the setting or curing (加工) process to form chains (polymers), which give plastics their flexible strength. Some plastics retain their ability to be softened and reshaped: like wax, they are thermoplastic. Others set permanently in the shapes they are given by heat and pressure; like eggs, they are thermosetting.
　　From industrial beginnings in the nineteenth century, plastics have struggled through a hundred and twenty years of glory, failure, disrepute, and suspicion on the slow road to public acceptance. Now at last, one call positively say that plastics are appreciated and enjoyed for what they are; that they make modern life richer, more comfortable and convenient, and also more fun. Plastics are warm materials, sympathetic to the human touch, and their transformation into things that come into contact with human beings is entirely appropriate.
　　The fact that there are plastic antiques comes as a shock to most people. How can a material that seems so essentially twentieth century, and one that is so much associated with cheap, disposable products, have a history at all? It is a young technology, and a great part of the fun of collecting plastics is that beautiful pieces of historical interest can still be found very cheap.

57. Which of the following groups of adjectives best concludes the characteristics of plastics?
A) Inexpensive, convenient and historic.
B) Disposable, rare and interesting.
C) Inexpensive, convenient and disposable.
D) Rare, beautiful and unbreakable.
58. According to the first paragraph, plastics can be classified into .
A) monomers and polymers
B) flexible plastics and inflexible plastics
C) thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics
D) natural plastics and synthetic plastics

59. When plastics were invented a hundred and twenty years ago, ______..
A) people found they were cold materials
B) their shapes were set permanent
C) people accepted them at once
D) they did not enjoy immediate popularity

60. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to this passage?
A) There has been ups and downs in the development history of plastic technology.
B) Nowadays plastics help people to live a more convenient life in modern world.
C) Since plastic technology does not have a long history, there are no plastic antiques at all.
D) Collecting cheap but beautiful plastic antiques can be funny sometimes.

61. The word "sympathetic" in the last sentence of the second paragraph is closest to ______.
A) favorable B) pitiable C) easy D) harmless

57. C。 第二段第二句提到了塑料制品的方便性，最后一段的第二句话是一个反问句提到了正是塑料制品的特点cheap，disposable。historic，rare和interesting这些原文中没有提到，故排除A, B, D三项。所以答案是C。

58. C。 关于塑料的分类，第一段主要谈了两种，一种是按照制作方法分成三类，另一种是按照是否可变形分成两类。四个选项中，C项概括了第二种分类；而D项的概括是不完整的；A项和B项则是错误的。

59. D。第二段最后一句提到 塑料制品是暖和的材料，可知A项是错误的；而该段第一句 塑料制品历经20年的光荣，失败和坏名声，可知D项是正确的，而排除C项。第一段最后两句提到有些塑料是可塑的，可知B项的概括是不全面的。

60. C。第二段首句："plastics have struggled through a hundred and twenty years of glory, failure, disrepute and suspicion..."说明塑料工业的发展经历了沉沉浮浮，A项正确。B项可以在第二段第二句找到依据："they make modern life...more comfortable and convenien."。D项的依据在本文最后一句："...a great part of the fun of collecting plastics is that beautiful pieces of historical interest can still be found very cheap."而C项，否认有塑料古董的存在，这与第三段第一句中"the fact that there are plastic antiques"相矛盾，因此是错误的。

61. A。语义判断题"sympathetic"这个单词一般情况下被理解成"表示同情的"，但是这篇文章主要讨论塑料的作用，与情感无关，所以首先排除B项。"Plastics are warm materials, sympathetic to the human touch"，本句中前提是"塑料是暖性材料"，只有A项才符合这个前提。