阅读理解
A (2020·浙江1月卷·B)
Milwaukee,Wisconsin,is road testing a new way to keep winter roads icefree—by spreading on them cheese brine,the salty liquid used to make soft cheeses,like mozzarella.
Wisconsin,also called “America's Dairyland”,is famous for its cheese.The state produced 2.8 billion pounds of cheese last year!As a result,there was a lot of leftover cheese brine.Disposing of(处置)the brine can be expensive.So what should cheese makers do with the waste?
Normally,towns use rock salt to deice streets.The salt lowers water's freezing point,causing ice to melt(融化).But using cheese brine could help both cheese producers and cities save money,while keeping roads safe.Cheese brine has salt in it,which,like the rock salt,helps lower water's freezing point.
In addition to saving money,cheese brine could also be a more ecofriendly option.Many people suspect that all the rock salt used every winter is harming the environment.
Rock salt is made of sodium chloride,the same compound (化合物) in ordinary table salt.Sounds harmless,right?But while you probably add only a small amount of salt to your food,road crews spread about 20 million tons of salt on U.S.roads every year!
The chemical washes off roads and goes into the ground.There it can pollute drinking water,harm plants,and eat away soil.By spreading cheese brine on streets before adding a layer of rock salt,Milwaukee may be able to cut its rock salt use by 30 percent.
Cheese brine has a downside too—a smell similar to that of bad milk.“I don't really mind it,”Emil Norby told Modern Farmer magazine.He works for one of Wisconsin's county highway commissions and came up with the idea of using cheese brine.“Our roads smell like Wisconsin!” he said.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇说明文。在文章中,作者主要介绍了美国威斯康星州密尔沃基市变废为宝,用cheese brine(奶酪盐水)来除冰。
1.Why can cheese brine help keep winter roads icefree?
A.It is soft. B.It contains salt.
C.It is warm. D.It has milk in it.
B [细节理解题。根据文章第一段的“cheese brine,the salty liquid used to make soft cheeses”和第三段的“Cheese brine has salt in it,which,like the rock salt,helps lower water's freezing point.”可知,因为奶酪盐水含有盐,所以可以被用来除冰。故答案选B项。]
2.What is a benefit of using cheese brine on roads?
A.Improving air quality.
B.Increasing sales of rock salt.
C.Reducing water pollution.
D.Saving the cheese industry.
C [推理判断题。根据文章第四段的“cheese brine could also be a more ecofriendly option”和第六段的“There it can pollute drinking water,harm plants,and eat away soil.By spreading cheese brine on streets”可推断,利用奶酪盐水来除冰更加环保,比用其他化学制品更能够减少对水的污染。故选C项。]
3.Milwaukee's new way to deice streets may be an example of ________.
A.barking up the wrong tree
B.putting the cart before the horse
C.robbing Peter to pay Paul
D.killing two birds with one stone
D [推理判断题。根据文章第三段的“But using cheese brine...keeping roads safe.”和第四段的“In addition to saving money,cheese brine could also be a more ecofriendly option.”可知,利用奶酪盐水来除冰是一举两得的事情,既能够省钱,做到废物再利用,同时又能够比其他化学制品更加环保。故答案选D项“killing two birds with one stone”(一石二鸟)。]