C
When plastic was first made around 1870, people thought it was amazing and called it an "environmental hero"! It was light, long-lasting and cheap. It quickly replaced wood and other natural materials. Not surprisingly, plastic has now filled our lives too. We can find it in bags, toothbrushes, mobile phones, houses... It certainly has thousands of uses.
But slowly and silently, plastic has shown its dark side. Plastic waste has become a danger to sea animals. Some animals like whales eat it by mistake and die. The "hero" of the past now kills over 100,000 sea animals each year. By 2050, there could be even more plastic in the sea than fish.
Plastic also causes problems on land. Birds' wings get tied in plastic lines. Bears' heads get stuck in plastic bins. Even humans are eating plastic waste! On average, we eat five grams of plastic a week. That's a whole bank card! Tiny pieces of plastic are found in the air. There is even plastic "snow" at the South and North Poles. On "Earth Plastic", nowhere is safe from plastic.
Moreover, getting free of plastic waste isn't easy. It may take thousands of years to break down. So hiding the waste in the ground doesn't help. Burning it also produces thick smoke and causes air pollution.
Plastic is not just causing an environmental problem. It means life and death for humans and for the future of the earth. Everyone knows there is only one earth. So let's live without plastic!
()37. What did people think of plastic when it first appeared?
A. It was a great material.
B. It was bad for the environment.
C. It was too heavy to use.
D. It could be used for a short time.
()38. What is the main idea of Paragraphs 2—3?
A. Sea animals can't avoid eating plastic.
B. There will be less plastic in the sea.
C. Bears often look for food in plastic bins.
D. Plastic waste harms the environment.
()39. Why is it hard to get free of plastic waste?
A. It takes a long time to break down.
B. Hiding the waste needs much space.
C. It costs the government too much money.
D. Burning plastic causes water pollution.
()40. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To introduce different uses of plastic.
B. To ask people to stop using plastic.
C. To explain why we need another earth.
D. To show plastic makes our life easier.

C 【文章大意】本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。文章主要讲述了塑
料从最初被誉为“环境英雄”到如今成为全球性环境灾难的演
变过程,并呼吁人们停止使用塑料以保护地球。
37. A [解析]细节理解题。根据“When plastic was first
made around 1870, people thought it was amazing and
called it an ‘environmental hero’! It was light, long-
lasting and cheap. It quickly replaced(取代) wood and
other natural materials.”可知,人们最初认为塑料是一种
优质的材料。故选A。
38. D [解析]段落大意题。根据第二段中的“Plastic waste
has become a danger to sea animals.”和第三段中的
“nowhere is safe from plastic”可知,第二段和第三段主要
讲述了塑料垃圾对环境造成的广泛危害。故选D。
39. A [解析]细节理解题。根据第四段中的“It may take
thousands of years to break down.”可知,塑料难以降解,
因此摆脱塑料垃圾很困难。故选A。
40. B [解析]推理判断题。通读全文,尤其是最后一段中的
“So let's live without plastic!”可推知,全文旨在号召人们
停止使用塑料。故选B。

【分析】
本题为英语阅读理解题，包含细节理解题、段落大意题、主旨推理题。解题时需先通读全文把握文章主旨，再针对每道题的题干关键词，快速定位原文对应内容，对比选项与原文信息，排除错误选项得出答案。具体步骤为：37题定位塑料刚出现时人们的评价；38题概括2-3段的核心内容；39题定位塑料垃圾难处理的原因；40题结合全文尤其是最后一段推断写作目的。
【解析】
37. 细节理解题：根据第一段“When plastic was first made around 1870, people thought it was amazing and called it an 'environmental hero'! It was light, long-lasting and cheap. It quickly replaced wood and other natural materials.”可知，人们最初认为塑料是优质材料，对应选项A。
38. 段落大意题：第二段指出塑料垃圾危害海洋动物，第三段说明塑料危害陆地生物甚至人类，两段核心是塑料垃圾对环境的广泛危害，对应选项D。
39. 细节理解题：根据第四段“It may take thousands of years to break down.”可知，塑料降解时间极长，因此难以处理，对应选项A。
40. 主旨推理题：通读全文，最后一段“So let's live without plastic!”明确呼吁停止使用塑料，对应选项B。
【答案】
37.A 38.D 39.A 40.B
【知识点】
英语阅读理解、细节理解题、主旨大意题
【点评】
文章围绕塑料的利弊展开，贴近环保热点，题目覆盖阅读理解核心考点，能有效考查学生的信息定位、段落概括及主旨推理能力，是典型的英语阅读理解练习题。
【难度系数】
0.6