2. 外语
  3. To please shareholders and shoppers, American companies are promising to use more recycled materials in their products. It’s a n

To please shareholders and shoppers, American companies are promising to use more recycled materials in their products. It’s a n

admin2016-11-09  57
问题     To please shareholders and shoppers, American companies are promising to use more recycled materials in their products. It’s a nice idea, but surprisingly hard to achieve. Most recycled materials should be cheaper than virgin commodities, but America throws too much stuff away. Low landfill fees and a fragmented waste-management system have kept the country’s recycling rate at around 34% for two decades—far lower than most rich countries.
    Proving the value of recycling is not easy. Industry analysts say $1.25 billion is needed to fully modernize America’s recycling infrastructure. Another challenge is the different incentives of different players. Companies may demand more post-consumer material, but the supply relies on the desire of municipalities and consumers, and there’s no real incentive to maximize recovery or material value. Residents see little benefit from dutiful sorting. Even green-minded folks will throw away a soda can if a recycling bin isn’t readily available. Cities can boost recycling rates with higher landfill taxes or "pay-as-you-throw" plans, which charge households for the waste they create. But collecting and sorting this material is still a costly, complicated business, and the value of the goods does not always cover the cost of collection.
    It is also hard to increase the quantity of recycled goods without compromising quality. Many cities now give residents bigger bins and demand less sorting, but the often-contaminated results are a costly headache for recycling companies. One recycling bin ended up holding a six-foot shark.
    This is a particularly tough time to tell businesses that using more recycled materials makes good economic sense. Falling oil prices have lowered the price of virgin plastic against the recycled stuff, which has upset manufacturers and hurt recycling companies. Without a price on carbon, using recycled commodities does not necessarily help a company’s bottom line. People aren’t going to pay more for recycled plastic just because it’s recycled.
    In nearly 50 countries, a policy called "extended producer responsibility" shifts the burden of waste disposal from taxpayers to companies. Such schemes are all over the place when it comes to costs and effectiveness, but they boost recycling rates and save cities money. Thirty-two states already force companies to handle discarded electronics, batteries, mobile phones and other products. Lawmakers in Rhode Island recently introduced a bill that calls on companies to recycle at least 80% of packaging by 2020. If Walmart hopes to prove that voluntary measures will be enough to raise America’s stagnant recycling rates, it will need to work quickly.
A six-foot shark is mentioned in Paragraph 3 in order to________.
选项 A、highlight the size of the recycling bin
B、show that sharks can be easily recycled
C、stress that waste is thrown away at random
D、disclose the severe environmental pollution
答案C
解析 首先要看上文。前面提到许多城市提供的垃圾箱越来越大，而要求分类的东西越来越少，其后果就是人们乱扔垃圾，给回收公司带来很多麻烦。扔掉的鲨鱼不可能是可回收的，但有人竟然把六英尺长的鲨鱼扔在用于可回收的物品垃圾箱中，这显然是不讲究原则。
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