2020年6月大学英语四级阅读理解模拟题（9）

　　Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

　　Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. And the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “status” items, owners are throwing away microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.

　　A study by the University of Manchester calculated the emissions of CO2—the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change—at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. “It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment,” say the authors. The authors also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour. For example, consumers could use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.

　　However, David Reay, professor of carbon management, argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other from of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.

　　51. What is the finding of the new study?

　　A) Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.

　　B) The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.

　　C) CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment.

　　D) The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.

　　52. Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?

　　A) They are becoming more affordable.

　　B) They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.

　　C) They are getting much easier to operate.

　　D) They take less time to cook than other appliances.

　　53. What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?

　　A) Cooking food of different varieties.

　　B) Improving microwave users’ habits.

　　C) Eating less to cut energy consumption.

　　D) Using microwave ovens less frequently.

　　54. What does Professor David Reay try to argue?

　　A) There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.

　　B) People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often.

　　C) The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU.

　　D) More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful.

　　55. What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?

　　A) It will become less popular in the coming decades.

　　B) It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.

　　C) It plays a positive role in environmental protection.

　　D) It consumes more power than conventional cooking.

　　解析：

　　51.【D】 The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.

　　答案解析：根据题干中“new study”可以定位到原文第一段第一句话 “..., but Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. ” 大意为“尽管把食物放到微波炉里几分钟看起来完全无害，但是欧洲已有的微波炉存储可释放的二氧化碳量相当于七百万的汽车”A 选项为“微波炉很流行”，B选项为“频繁使用微波炉有害健康”，C选项为“二氧化碳排放量对环境产生威胁”，D选项为“使用微波炉释放的二氧化碳比人们想的还要多”，结合原文，D选项中含有关键词“microwaves” “CO2”正确。

　　52. 【A】They are becoming more affordable.

　　答案解析：根据题干中“the sales of microwaves ” 、“rise”可以定位到原文第一段最后一句话，但是该句与题干对应只阐述结果，且句首给出提示词 “this”, 因此真正答案句在上文，答案句为第三句“With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “status” items,...” 提到“成本”，四个选项中只有A选项“affordable”(可支付得起的)与之相符，与钱和成本可替换，因此为正确答案。

　　53. 【B】 Improving microwave users’ habits.

　　答案解析：根据题干中 “recommendation”(推荐) “ the University of Manchester”可定位到原文第二段第一句话和倒数第二句话，第一句主要提出调查结果并未给出建议，因为答案倒数第二句话 “..., efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour.” 重点强调改善消费者的意识与行为，B选项中“user”替换了“consumer”，“habits”替换了“behavior”，为正确选项。其他选项均为提及。

　　54. 【A】There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.

　　答案解析：根据题干关键词“Professor David Reay”、“argue” 可定位到原文第三段第一句话 “..., argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars.” 大意为：和汽车相比，微波炉的二氧化碳排放量还是比较小的，四个选项中同时提到汽车与微波炉，且存在比较的只有A选项，为正确答案。

　　55. 【C】 It plays a positive role in environmental protection.

　　答案解析：题干问的该教授对微波炉的使用的看法，在原文中重点关注表示人态度的情态动词和形容词，定位与最后一段最后两句话 “..., microwaves are the most energy efficient, .... Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.” 其中“most energy efficient”和“ positive”可以看出他态度为正面的，四个选项中C选项含有原词positive，且environmental protection 与energy efficient为近义替换，因此为正确选项。