Question

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(替代物) 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 1960s. 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（垃圾池） where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?

Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, fond 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.

1. Paragraph 1 of the passage is mainly about shrilk’s ______________.

A. remarkable design

B. interesting name

C. major features

D. basic elements

2.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

3.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 plentiful in nature

4. What are the inventors doing in the lab?

A. Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk

B. Testing shrilk’s use in wet conditions

C. Making shrilk out of used household goods.

D. Improving shrilk’s flexibility for medical purposes

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

A. Recent Progress in Environment Protection

B. Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research

C. The Harm of One-time Products

D. A possible Alternative Plastic

Answer 1

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.B

5.D

【解析】

试题解析：哈佛大学的研究者们研究出了一种可以用来代替塑料的新型材料。并且它是可以生物降解的。比起塑料袋等塑料制品上千年不能降解的缺点，这种材料可以作为很好的一次性用品原料。但是它在潮湿状态下会变的柔软。因此，研究者们还在继续研发它的新性能，并简化其生产方式以便于应用于更多领域。

1. 考查主旨大意题。第一段主要介绍了这种新材料“shrilk”的特性，坚硬，低成本的，可生物降解，材料的灵感来自昆虫坚硬的外层壳。很薄，很干净，柔韧性强。可以作为塑料的替代品。并没有强调这是一个卓越的设计和它的命名，所以不选A和B。虽然有提及它的原料，但相比其特点只是一句带过，故选C。

2. 考查推理判断题。第二段概述了塑料的快速发展及其不能降解的缺点所带来的问题，与新材料“shrilk”形成比较。因此突出的是塑料不能降解的问题，而塑料的简单生产，优良特性和贡献都不是需要关心的问题。故选A。

3. 考查细节理解题。第三段发明家们提到“shrilk”的原料是它的极大潜力。根据第三段第二句“Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature”制造它的材料在大自然中很丰富，从虾壳，昆虫尸体，到活体植物。故选D。

4. 考查细节理解题。第四段谈到了“shrilk”还未完善。“The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they’re exploring ways to use it in wet environments.”说明发明家还在实验室研究其在潮湿环境的使用。故选B。

5. 考查主旨大意题。文章主要介绍“shrilk”这种材料可以作为很好的一次性用品原料。很明显不是在谈环保，和一次性产品的危害。故不选A和C。而选项B则过分突出了来自昆虫的研究灵感的作用，并不符合文章对于新材料的性能和影响进行论述的主旨，故选D。

考点：考察议论文阅读。