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Until the invention of the modern washing machine, most people washed their clothes by hand. In the 20th century, however, washi

admin2015-01-31  58
问题     Until the invention of the modern washing machine, most people washed their clothes by hand. In the 20th century, however, washing machine became common, and washing clothes became much easier. Washing machines, though, have some serious disadvantages. One is that they need a great deal of clean water. Another is that, in many countries, hot water is used in the machines. This consumes a lot of energy. In the United Kingdom, for example, about one-third of household energy is used for heating water, including that used to wash clothes.
    Now, a British company has invented a washing machine that solves these problems by using small plastic beads to absorb dirt and clean the clothes. First, a little water is added to the clothes to get them wet. Then, the beads are mixed with the clothes until they have taken away all the dirt and stains. When the process is over, the little beads are removed by the machine, and the clothes are left almost dry. Because the beads can be used over and over, the machine costs very little to operate.
    The new machine is based on the research of Stephen Burkinshaw, a chemist at the University of Leeds in the U.K. For a long time, Burkinshaw has been studying ways to make plastic materials a different color. A few years ago, he noticed that many kinds of plastic, especially nylon, attract dirt in warm and wet conditions, the surface of the nylon remains clean. For this reason, beads made of nylon can be used repeatedly until they are completely full of dirt.
The new washing machine can save households a great deal of the money they spend on water and energy. At the same time, the machines are very good for the environment. The United States, for example, uses 1.25 billion metric tons of water on washing clothes every year. If the new machines were adopted there, 90 percent of this water could be saved. The saving of electricity, meanwhile, would help decrease the amount of carbon dioxide produced by power plants. For these reasons, the company is hoping that its new "waterless" washing machines will be widely used in the future.
What is one reason the new washing machines may be good for the environment?
选项 A、People who use them would wash their clothes less often.
B、They could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released.
C、The plastic beads from them can be used for other purposes.
D、The water in them is recycled over and over until it is dirty.
答案B
解析 细节题。短文最后一段指出The saving of electricity，meanwhile，would helpdecrease the amount of carbon dioxide produced by power plants．即这种新型洗衣机节约电能，这样发电厂排出的二氧化碳就会减少，从而保护了环境。故答案为B。
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