Question

From supermarket bags to CDs, man-made waste has become a very serious problem. Recently, scientists may have found an unusual way to solve the problem. They say the waxworm (蠟蟲), who eats beeswax as food, also appears to eat polyethylene, one of the strongest kinds of plastic.

Scientists have described the tiny worm’s ability as “very exciting”. Federica is a beekeeper. She put the waxworms into a plastic shopping bag which became full of holes a few minutes later. Then Federica did many more experiments. When 100 waxworms were put into a normal plastic bag, the holes began to appear in just 10 minutes.

According to the scientists, a kind of enzyme (酶) produced by the waxworm is the key. They also say that the waxworm turns the plastic into a different thing. It is used in making a material for cars. It is not clear if (是否) the waxworm can produce a large number of such things. Plastic is not a kind of natural food for the waxworm. “Wax is a kind of natural plastic. It is similar to polyethylene,” Federica said.

Scientists say they still need to know how wax is digested (被消化) in the waxworm. Federica said they would use the result to find a way to make the plastic waste disappear. “But we should not throw plastic bags into the environment, just because we now know how to break them down,” she added.

1.What makes the waxworm special?

A. Feeding on beeswax for a living.

B. Leading to a serious problem.

C. Being a kind of man-made insect.

D. Helping break down a kind of plastic.

2.What do the numbers mentioned in Paragraph 2 mainly show?

A. The waxworm dislikes being put into a shopping bag.

B. The waxworm makes the holes in order to take a breath.

C. The waxworm eats the plastic at an amazing high speed.

D. The waxworm is practising making holes in a plastic bag.

3.What is the relationship (關系) between plastic and the waxworm?

A. The waxworm likes to eat plastic because there is nothing else to eat.

B. The waxworm likes eating plastic because the wax is a kind of natural plastic.

C. People use special experiments to make the waxworm become interested in eating plastic.

D. The plastic is a kind of natural food for the waxworm to eat.

4.What will the scientists study next?

A. How they can make the plastic waste disappear.

B. How wax is different from polyethylene.

C. How wax is digested in the body of the waxworm.

D. How they can ask people not to produce plastic waste.

5.Who may be interested in reading this passage?

A. Insect lovers.

B. Environment protectors.

C. Shopping bag users.

D. Animal keepers.

Answer 1