Passage Two
Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. And the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “status” items, owners are throwing away microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.
A study by the University of Manchester calculated the emissions of CO2—the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change—at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. “It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment,” say the authors. The authors also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour. For example, consumers could use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.
However, David Reay, professor of carbon management, argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other from of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.
What is the finding of the new study?
第一段第一句指出，将食物放入微波炉几分钟似乎完全无害，但一项新的研究发现，欧洲存有 的这种快速烹饪炉排放的碳多达近700万辆汽车的碳排放量。由此可知，人们本来以为使用微波炉没有什 么害处，但实际上使用微波炉释放的二氧化碳量相当大，这与选项D 的意思一致，故本题选D。 选项A 和 B 的内容原文都没有出现，可以排除。虽然原文第二段提到，二氧化碳是造成气候变化的主要温室气体， 但是这并不是新研究的发现，故排除选项C。
Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?
第一段后半部分指出，随着成本的下降和厨房电器成为社会地位的象征，微波炉的拥有者平均在使用了八年之后就把微波炉扔掉了，这推动了新微波炉的销量。也就 是说 ，微波炉销量提升的原因之一是人们购买微波炉的花费减少了，对比四个选项只有选项A 符合原文，故本题选A 。more affordable同义替换原文中的costs falling。选项B 、C和D 的内容文章都没有提及，均可排除。
What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?
文章第二段倒数第二句指出，减少消费的努力应集中于提高消费者的意识和改善其行为。最后 一句进一步用例子解释了这个观点。例如，消费者可以根据食物种类调整烹饪时间，从而更有效地使用电器。也就是说 ，这个研究建议，微波炉使用者要意识到使用微波炉会造成能源消耗，并且要据此改变自己的一些习惯，比如对于易熟的食物减少微波炉使用时间，故本题选B。 Improving microwave users' habits同义替换了原文中的improving consumer awareness and behaviour。原文第二段提到，消费者可以根据食物种类调整烹饪时间，而不是建议烹调不同品种的食物，故排除选项A ; 选项C和D 的内容原文没有提到，均可以排除。
What does Professor David Reay try to argue?
第三段第一句指出，但是，碳管理学教授戴维 •雷伊认为，尽管微波炉消耗大量的能量，但与汽车相比，它们的排放量却很小。这与选项A “汽车的排放量远远超过微波炉的排放量”的意思一致， 故本题选A 。far more emissions from cars than from microwaves 同义替换了原文中的their emissions are minor compared to those from cars。虽然选项B 、C和D 中都有原文中的一些关键词，但表达的意思都与原文不 符，故排除。
What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?
文章第三段最后的部分指出，此外，微波炉使用的能量低于任何其他形式的烹饪，在常见的用于烹饪的厨房用具中，微波炉是最节能的，其次是炉灶，最后是标准烤箱，因此，微波炉销量的增长可以被看作是一件好事。由此可知，戴维•雷伊教授对微波炉是持肯定观点的，认为它比其他烹饪方式更加节能，更加节能就意味着对环保有积极作用，故本题选C。由于这个观点跟前面两段的观点相悖，所以考生很可能会误选其他选项。