What do a l5-year-old high school student named Vogt and Thomas Paine have in common? The answer is that both inspired major changes in their societies by writing an essay. In October，a student at west Milford high school in New Jersey read an article in her local newspaper that disturbed her. The article reported that the board of education had decided to use polystyrene tray in the lunchroom because they were less expensive than paper one’s.

    Vogt knew from her science class that polystyrene can have harmful effects on the environment in the first place. It is not biodegradable，meaning that it can’t be broken down by natural biological processes. in addition，some polystyrene products give off gases called chloroflulrocarbons(CFCs)into the air. Scientific evidence indicates that these CFCs break down the protective ozone layer(臭氧层)of the atmosphere.

    Vogt decided to write a paper for her social studies class on the issue of polystyrene. Her teacher, Carl Stehle，read her paper to the class. After reminding students that Thomas Paine had had to persuade many hesitant colonists(殖比者) to support the American Revolution，Stehle challenged his class to do something about the polystyrene problem.

    Vogt and her classmates immediately conducted a survey in the high school and middle school . They discovered that a large majority of students said they wanted to switch back to paper goods in the cafeteria. When they presented their findings to the board of education，the boards business administrator did a survey of his own. He found that roughly 80 percent of the students in the two schools would be willing to pay extra 5 cents to eat their lunch from paper trays. As a result，the board voted in December to change to paper trays in all the townships schools.

60. Why does the author mention Thomas Paine in the passage?    

  A. Vogt and Thomas Paine live in the same period.

  B. Both Vogt and Thomas Paine are concerned about environment.

  C. They both conducted a survey to find a solution.

  D. They both did something to make a change in society.

61. The word “polystyrene’’ in the first paragraph most probably refers to         ?

  A. a kind of material friendly to environment      B. a kind of green food

  C. a kind of material harmful to environment      D. a kind of poisonous gas

62. All the following questions are answered in the article except          .

  A. How did vogt get interested in the polystyrene problem?

  B. How is polystyrene harmful to the environment?

  C. Do most students in two schools want to use paper trays?

  D. How did Vogt react towards the board’s vote?

63. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

  A. The Advantage of Paper Trays     B. A Survey in a High School

  C. Making a Difference                    D. The Disadvantage of polyztyrene Trays