Question

Across countryside, non-food crops are growing alongside wheat．Some are used in new alternatives to plastics and other materials, but others will simply be burned．
Burning crops is becoming more popular because it is good for the planet．Doing so is also cheaper than burning fossil fuels．As more land is devoted to non-food crop production, the economics of crops for fuel are likely to become even more favorable．
Humans have been burning such biomass—organic materials from plants or animals— since they discovered fire．But that burning fossil fuels could have catastrophic consequences has brought biomass back into fashion．
Even allowing for emissions (排放) of carbon dioxide from fuel used in planting, harvesting, processing and transporting biomass fuel, replacing fossil fuel with biomass can typically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent．
Power stations around the world are experimenting with forms of biomass to add to their coal or oil, with encouraging results．Indeed, power companies could profit by turning to biomass, especially when the subsidies (补助) many governments offer for using renewable energy are taken into account．
Farmers can benefit from growing biomass．In Europe, the reduction of subsidies for certain crops is exposing farmers to market forces．Instead of being paid for whatever they produce, farmers must seek a clear demand for their product．Many believe that the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels could be just such a driver．
But while biomass offers a variety of potential alternatives, the world's infrastructure (基础设施） has developed around burning fossil fuels to such a stage that switching to biomass involves a change in conception that many companies have not accepted．
Also, there are problems with using biomass．Although most coal-fired power stations could take a small amount of their fuel from biomass without significant adjustment, few are built to run on biomass alone．Burning some forms of biomass also causes environmental problems．Oils and waste can be smelly, while wood produces smoke unless burned properly．
The supply chains for fossil fuels are set up well, but those for biomass are just the beginning. Sources of supply for biomass rely on farm production and can therefore be less reliable. They are necessarily limited and it wouldn't make sense to turn a very large amount of valuable agricultural land away from food crops．But as the world adjusts to the need to control greenhouse gas emissions, these problems may receive more attention．

1. 1.
   What do we know about biomass?
   1. A.
      It is a useful way of burning crops．
   2. B.
      It is plant and animal matter used to provide power．
   3. C.
      It is a new alternative to be used widely．
   4. D.
      It is a popular approach to fighting against pollution．
2. 2.
   What are the advantages of using biomass?
   a．It gives off less greenhouse gases．
   b．It helps farmers receive subsidies for what they produce．
   c．It has met the clear demand for energy．
   d．It has brought subsidies for some power companies．
   e．It is cheaper than burning fossil fuels．
   1. A.
      a, b, c
   2. B.
      b, c, d
   3. C.
      c, d, e
   4. D.
      a, d, e
3. 3.
   For coal-fired power stations, ______．
   1. A.
      more effective ways to use biomass have been tried
   2. B.
      using renewable energy has become their daily task
   3. C.
      burning biomass alone would require considerable changes
   4. D.
      setting up dependable supply channels needs governments' support
4. 4.
   What is the author's attitude towards biomass fuels?
   1. A.
      Defensive．
   2. B.
      Doubtful．
   3. C.
      Negative．
   4. D.
      Objective

Answer 1

BDCD
试题分析：文章讲述了生物质能的好处及其生物质现在并没有得到广泛运用的原因，同时作者相信在不久的将来肯定能够解决这些问题，它会被广泛的运用。
1.细节题。从文章Humans have been burning such biomass—organic materials from plants or animals可知，生物质能是一种燃烧植物或是动物来获取能量的东西，故选B
2.细节题。从文章Doing so is also cheaper than burning fossil fuels．；biomass can typically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent． ；Farmers can benefit from growing biomass．In Europe, the reduction of subsidies for certain crops is exposing farmers to market forces可知生物能的好处是便宜，排放温室气体少，能够获得政府的补助，故选D
3.细节推断题从Although most coal-fired power stations could take a small amount of their fuel from biomass without significant adjustment,及倒数第一，第二段可知，依靠煤发电的电厂如果用生物质能的话需要相当大的改变，故选C
4.推断题。从全文来看，作者并没有推崇也没有反对这种能源，只是非常客观的态度说明了它的使用情况，故选D
考点：科普类说明文
点评：本文文脉清晰，但是文意较难理解。说明文是历年高考很常见的文体，对于科技类的说明文比较难，而对于说物的文体较容易。本文中，把握好一个中心即作者对于生物质能进行了客观的介绍。同时，此类文章细节题居多，在对文章看懂了的基础在仔细对比选项和文章，即可得出答案。