B
Every day, Americans throw away 500 million plastic straws(吸管), enough to circle the Earth twice, or fill 125 school buses.
Made from fossil fuels, they are almost never recycled because they're too small and could be made from several different types of plastic. They simply contribute to the big problem of plastic pollution: 8 million tons of plastic enters the oceans every year.
Plastic straws are now the target of a growing movement to reduce their use. One of such programs, Be Straw Free was started in 2011 by Milo Cress, who was only 9 years old at the time. "I noticed that whenever I ordered a drink at a restaurant, it would usually come with a straw in it, and I don't usually need a straw," he said.
"This seemed like a huge waste. Straws are made of oil, a precious resource. Is making single-use plastic straws, which will be used for a matter of minutes before being thrown away, really what we want to do with this resource?"
Cress began asking restaurants in Burlington, Vermont, where he lived then, to stop offering straws to customers and make them optional instead. Many agreed and his request made ripples nationwide. He says that restaurants that make the change report a reduction in the number of straws they use between 50% and 80%.
Some people use straws to reduce the damage of sugary or acidic drinks(酸性饮料) to their teeth, or due to special requirements. "There are disabled people who write me to tell me they carry reusable straws with them—many reusable straws even come with a carrying case(收纳盒)," said Cress. "There is reusable glass, bamboo, and several other kinds of reusable straws."
"I am not out to stop using straws. I think it's much more effective to encourage people to make the choice not to use them. Sometimes, forcing people to do things is not always the most effective way to make a change," said Cress.
()5. How do the first two paragraphs stress the problem of plastic straws?
A. By comparison.
B. By offering a research result.
C. By giving examples.
D. By listing figures.
()6. What do we know about Be Straw Free?
A. It has a history of more than 10 years.
B. It was the first campaign to reduce plastic straw.
C. It has turned into a global non-profit organization.
D. It was established by Cress working in a restaurant.
()7. How did Cress help to reduce plastic straws?
A. By encouraging disabled people to stop using straws.
B. By asking restaurants to provide reusable straws.
C. By letting customers choose straws personally.
D. By forbidding using plastic straws at restaurants.
()8. Which of the following statements will Cress agree with?
A. Reusable straws are less expensive than plastic ones.
B. It's not advisable to forbid plastic straws directly.
C. Plastic straws should be replaced completely.
D. It's illegal to produce straws using oil.

5.D 6.A 7.C 8.B
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要说明塑料吸管会造成很大的污染,一些地方采用可供选择的塑料吸管或是替代品来减少塑料吸管的使用。
5. D 解析:推理判断题。根据第一段“Every day, Americans throw away 500 million plastic straws, enough to circle the Earth twice, or fill 125 school buses.”和第二段中的“They simply contribute to the big problem of plastic pollution; 8 million tons of plastic enters the oceans every year.”可知,文章前两段通过列数字来强调塑料吸管污染问题的严重性。故选D。
6. A 解析:细节理解题。根据第三段中的“One of such programs, Be Straw Free was started in 2011 by Milo Cress, who was only 9 years old at the time.”可知,Be Straw Free项目始于2011年,由此可知此项目已有十多年的历史。故选A。
7. C 解析:细节理解题。根据第五段中的“Cress began asking restaurants in Burlington, Vermont, where he lived then, to stop offering straws to customers and make them optional instead.”可知,Cress通过让顾客自己选择是否使用吸管来帮助减少塑料吸管的使用。故选C。
8. B 解析:细节理解题。根据最后一段中Cress说的话“I am not out to stop using straws. I think it's much more effective to encourage people to make the choice not to use them. Sometimes, forcing people to do things is not always the most effective way to make a change.”可知,Cress认为,鼓励人们选择不使用吸管比直接禁止更有效。由此可知,他会赞同“直接禁止使用塑料吸管是不明智的”这一说法。故选B。