Question

The Chinese government has announced measures to ban the production （生产）and free distribution （发放）of plastic bags to stop a growing tide of waste．

Under new rules beginning on June 1, all supermarkets, department stores and shops will be banned from handing out free bags to customers．The laws, posted on a government website, called for “a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags”．

While providing convenience to customers, they have also caused serious pollution, and waste of resources, because of excessive use and inadequate （不充分的）recycling,” the notice said．

The elderly owner of a grocery shop, Wang Hai, said the Chinese measures could reduce sales at first but would be of great benefit in the future．

Besides, it is strongly suggested that waste collectors should step up recycling efforts to reduce the amount of bags burned or buried．The government is also considering tax （税） measures to cut back on plastic bag production and sale．

A similar action last year to ban free plastic bags in the southern town of Shenzhen caused a public debate, with shopkeepers worrying that customers might be turned away．

China’s action won praise from environmental organizations including Greenpeace, which officially made a statement welcoming the ban．“The government’s announcement to ban free plastic bags is a perfect case to combine the two of the major forces in environment protection: public participation （参与）and government guidance,” Greenpeace said．

Laws to reduce the use of plastic bags have been carried out in several countries including parts of South Africa, Ireland and Bangladesh．The governments in these countries either tax shoppers who use them or charge fees on companies that hand them out．Last year San Francisco became the first US city to ban plastic grocery bags and German stores must pay a recycling fee if they wish to offer them．

1．What does the passage mainly tell us about?

     A．Laws to reduce the use of plastic bags．

B．China’s new action: ban on plastic bags．

C．Environment protection or plastic production．

     D．Production ban to stop a growing tide of waste．

2．What’s the meaning of the underlined word “excessive” mean?

     A．wise                B．inadequate              C．extreme             D．little

3．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

     A．All of the Chinese people support the ban．

     B．San Francisco was the first city to ban plastic bags．

     C．Environmental organizations praise the new rules．

D．Waste collectors are asked to pay tax on plastic bags．

4．This article could most probably be found in a（n） _____________．

A．newspaper                                            B．advertisement

C．travel book                                           D．science magazine

Answer 1

BCCA