单选题 24.  This plant was severely punished by the government for ______ pollutant into water.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】 句意：因为往水里排放污染物，这家工厂被政府严厉地处罚了。词义辨析题。relieve：减轻，缓解；relax：放松；release：释放，放出；recycle：回收利用。根据句意可知，选C。