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 ponents 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 bees 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 puter cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring bining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.
【小题1】Paragraph I of the passage is mainly about shritk's .A．remarkable designB．interesting nameC．major featuresD．basic elements【小题2】What has bee a concern about plastic?A．Using it properly.B．Producing it cheaply.C．Developing its properties quickly.D．Evaluating its contributions fairly.【小题3】According to the inventors, shrilk has great potential partly because .A．it can help plastic degradeB．it can be found in living thingsC．its mass production has been realizedD．its raw materials are abundant in mature【小题4】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.【小题5】Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?A．Recent Progress in Environmental ProtectionB．Benefits of Insects in Scientific ResearchC．The Harm of One-time ProductsD．A Possible Alternative to PlasticC
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(答案→)C
解析：这是一篇新闻报道，事物类说明文，讲述的主题是shrilk.，哈佛大学的研究人员仿照昆虫外壳研制出了一种既坚硬又廉价的物质。这种物质由虾壳和蚕丝提取物制作而成，可降解，非常环保。
【小题1】段落大意题。第一段第一句介绍了shrilk的主要特征即tough, low-cost, biodegradable，而本句是本段的主题句。
【小题2】细节考查题。由第二段的第二句Decades later, however, plastic’s very durability is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries.可知之。
【小题3】细节考查题。由第四段的第二句可知之。
【小题4】细节考查题。由第二段的第二句中的so they are exploring ways to use it in wet environment可知之。
【小题5】主旨大意题。本文是新闻报道，主要介绍的是一种新环保材料shrilk。