Friday 阅读理解 D

For centuries, experts have described periods of human history by the technologies or materials that made the greatest influence on society. Examples include the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. But what age are we in now? For some researchers, that question can be answered with one word: plastics.

There is no place on Earth that plastics are naturally made. The many kinds of synthetic polymers (合成聚合物) would not exist if it weren’t for human action. About six billion tons of plastics have been made and spread around the planet, from forests to oceans since the first plastic polymers were invented.

To make the problem more serious, most plastics don’t easily degrade (分解), and recycling isn’t a good method to deal with it. Besides, there are only a few recycling factories in the United States that can process all kinds of plastic.

Although millions of tons of plastic are recycled every year, millions more end up in the ocean. The problem has reached the point where it’s possible that in just a few years there might be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish.

The plastic can exist on the planet for over 500 years, so it’s safe to say that every plastic bottle you have used exists somewhere on this planet, in some form or another.

Even if human populations worldwide change their plastic-using ways, the damage may already be done. With plastics existing everywhere around the world, the Plastic Age might soon take its place in the history of human civilization.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. We are now in the age of IT.

B. Plastics have greatly influenced oceans.

C. The problems caused by plastics are too serious now.

D. Nothing is more important to our society than plastics.

2. What is said about plastics in the second paragraph?

A. They are a kind of pollution.

B. They are not a natural product.

C. They will quickly destroy forests.

D. They still can’t satisfy people’s need.

3. Which of the following may make the present situation worse in the US?

A. The plastics are distributed in distant places.

B. People refused to change their plastic-using way.

C. There are not enough recycling factories to process plastics.

D. The method to recycle the plastics has not been popular.

4. According to the author, depending on people to change their plastic-using ways _____.

A. is a good method to solve the plastic problem

B. can’t reduce the damage that has been caused

C. will save the world from the influence of plastics

D. could prevent our society from entering the Plastic Age

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