阅读试题

Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable (可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp ('虾) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called "shrilk." It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.

A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?

Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer(肥料), and so will enrich the soil.

Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.

Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they're exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They're also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.

阅读试题

66. Paragraph I of the passage is mainly about shritk's_____.

A. remarkable design

B. interesting name

C. major features

D. basic elements

67. What has become a concern about plastic?

A. Using it properly.

B. Producing it cheaply.

C. Developing its properties quickly. 　

D. Evaluating its contributions fairly.

68. According to the inventors, shrilk has great potential partly because_____.

A. it can help plastic degrade

B. it can be found in living things

C. its mass production has been realized 　

D. its raw materials are abundant in mature

69. What are the inventors doing in the lab?

A. Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk.

B. Testing ahrilk's use in wet conditions.

C. Making shrilk out of used household goods.

D. Improving shrilk's flexibility for medical purposes.

70. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Recent Progress in Environmental Protection

B. Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research

C. The Harm of One-time Products

D. A Possible Alternative to Plastic

参考译文

哈佛大学的研究人员受到昆虫坚硬外壳的启发而发明了一种牢固的、低成本的、可生物降解的材料。材料发明家说它有许多可能的应用，并且有一天它可能会提供一种更加环保的替代塑料。由虾壳和蚕丝中的蛋白质制成的材料，叫做“虾壳蛋白丝”。它是一种薄而透明，坚韧而富有弹性的材料。

该材料的主要优点是其生物降解能力。19世纪五六十年代，塑料的韧性和弹性代表了材料科学革命。然而，几十年过去了，塑料的耐用性逐渐成为判断怎样处理塑料才适合一次性产品的症结所在，如塑料袋，或短期的消费品，在家中使用几年，然后扔进垃圾场，但在那里它们需要降解几个世纪。让那些东西保留一千年有什么意义呢？

虾壳蛋白丝不仅能在垃圾场降解，而且其基本组成可以用作肥料，所以能使土壤肥沃。

发明者说虾壳蛋白丝具有很大的潜力。从本质上看，该材料的组成是很丰富的，材料中发现的一切，从虾壳、昆虫尸体到植物，无所不包。这使得虾壳蛋白丝的成本低，且有可能实现大规模生产，因此它应该应用于原料需求量大的产品。

实验室里，虾壳蛋白丝的研究工作仍在继续。发明者说，当该材料在潮湿的条件下，就会变得有弹性，所以他们在探索如何在潮湿的环境中使用它。他们也开发简单的可用于非医疗产品的生产工艺，如电脑配件和其他家用产品。他们甚至试图将它与其他材料如碳纤维相结合，以赋予它新的性能。

答案解析

66. C 考查细节理解。由第一段中的”tough，low-cost，biodegradable（可生物降解的 ) " " more environmentally friendly" " thin, clear, flexible and strong"都是shrilk的特征。

67. A 考查推理判断。由第二段的第三句可推知，如何恰当地使用塑料是个令人忧虑的问题。

68. D 考查细节理解。根据第四段中的的”Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature”可知答案。plentiful与D项的abundant是同义词。

69. B 考查细节理解。根据最后一段的前两句可知，这种材料在潮湿的情况下会变得易弯曲，发明者正在探索在潮湿的环境中使用它的方法。

70. D 考查标题概括。文章的第一段开篇点题，主要介绍真一种新型材料，这种材料有望替代难降解的塑料。故选D项。