B
(2020·正定高一检测)
Many Beijing residents go to great lengths to avoid breathing the city’s smoggy air, especially when it reaches critical pollution levels, but one local firm decided that canning and selling this poor quality air as a souvenir (纪念品) would be a great idea. Believe it or not, he was right.
After seeing a number of companies achieve commercial success by canning fresh air from countries like France, Canada or Australia and selling it in China, Dominic Johnson-Hill, a British-born citizen of Beijing and owner of the Plastered 8 souvenir shop, decided to turn the idea on its head and sell canned Beijing air throughout China and abroad.
“I’d seen people going crazy to buy canned air from Canada and Australia, so I thought it was time to push business the other way, ” the entrepreneur said. “They’re perfect gifts! What else are you going to take home when you go home from Beijing? A roast duck? A Plastered T-shirt? These cans are light, portable, you can just imagine someone’s face when they unwrap (打开) it for Christmas. ”
The few mouth-fulls of Beijing air come in standard tin cans featuring a couple of city landmarks as well as a bitter description of the contents: “a unique mix of nitrogen, oxygen and some other stuff”. The ironic (讽刺的) souvenirs cost 28 RMB ($4) and are available at the Plastered 8 shop, as well as on its online shop. But if you’re actually considering buying some, you’d better ask shop in advance, as they are virtually flying off the shelves. Johnson-Hill said that his shop is selling hundreds of Beijing air cans every day.
Personally, the well-sold can probably is an awakening for the public to be concerned about the living conditions. Yet one thing that’s not particularly clear is whether the air is really collected from Beijing, as the cans are labeled as “Made in Shenzhen”. There’s a big chance that’s just a kind of Plastered 8 humor, as they also list “Choking Hazard” and “May have unidentified objects inside. ” as warnings.
Anyway, it is probably a unique way to arouse public awareness of protecting the environment.
【文章大意】本文是一篇新闻报道。文章介绍了Dominic Johnson-Hill在中国和海外销售罐装北京空气, 人们对此看法不一, 但作者认为这可能是唤起公众保护环境意识的一种独特方式。
24. What contributes to Dominic’s idea of canning and selling the poor quality air?
A. Try to get used to it.
B. Sell it all over the world.
C. Can it as a souvenir.
D. Try to push business the other way.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。由第三段中的“‘I’d seen people going crazy to buy canned air from Canada and Australia, so I thought it was time to push business the other way, ’ the entrepreneur said. ”可知, 努力把生意推向另一个方向使Dominic产生了制作和销售劣质空气的想法。
25. How may one feel when receiving canned Beijing air for Christmas?
A. Satisfied. B. Surprised.
C. Frightened. D. Refreshed.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。由第三段中的“These cans are light, portable, you can just imagine someone’s face when they unwrap it for Christmas. ”可知, 你可以想象某人在圣诞节打开罐时的表情; 圣诞礼物一般都是美好的, 而一个人收到北京罐装空气作为圣诞礼物一定会感到很吃惊。
26. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “stuff” in Paragraph 4?
A. Liquids. B. Objects.
C. Minerals. D. Risks.
【解析】选B。词义猜测题。由第四段第一句中的“The few mouth-fulls of Beijing air come in standard tin cans featuring a couple of city landmarks as well as a bitter description of the contents: “a unique mix of nitrogen, oxygen and some other stuff”. ”可知, 罐里的北京空气中含有氮、氧和一些其他物质, and表并列, 所以stuff是和氮、氧类似的物质, 由此可知画线词词义为“物质”。
27. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The canned Beijing air may harm people who buy it.
B. The Plastered 8 souvenir shop is famous for its humour.
C. People should make efforts to protect the environment.
D. Dominic Johnson-Hill likes the poor quality air in Beijing.
【解析】选C。推理判断题。由最后一段中的“Anyway, it is probably a unique way to arouse public awareness of protecting the environment. ”可知, 无论如何, 这可能是唤起公众保护环境意识的一种独特方式, 由此可知, 人们应该努力保护环境。
