Passage Three
Before the grass has thickened on the roadsides and leaves have started growing on the trees is a perfect time to look around and see just how dirty Britain has become. The pavements are stained with chewing gum and the ditches are full of discarded fast food packets. Years ago I remember traveling abroad and being saddened by the plastic bags and discarded bottles. Nowadays，Britain seems to look at least as bad. What has gone wrong? The problem is that the rubbish created by our increasingly mobile lives last a lot longer than before. If it is not cleared up and properly thrown away，it stays in the undergrowth(下层灌木) for years.
It is estimated that 10 billion plastic bags have been given to shoppers. These will take anything from 100 to 1000 years to rot. However，it is not as if there is no solution to this. A few years ago，the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags and in three months reduced their use by 90%. When he was a minister，Michael Meacher attempted to introduce a similar arrangement in Britain. The plastic industry protested，of course. However，they need not have bothered；the idea was killed before it could draw breath，leaving supermarkets free to give away plastic bags.
What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined action，both individual and collective，before it is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we have a country that looks like a vast rubbish tip. We may well be at the tipping point. Yet we know that people respond to their environment. If things around them clean and tidy，people behave cleanly and tidily. If they are surrounded by rubbish，they behave like rubbish. Now，much of Britain looks pretty dirty. What will it look like in five years?
What might be the best title for the passage?
主旨题。通常，给文章起标题有两个线索：一是看文章的开头段；二是看文章的结尾段。在这两段都提到了dirty、Britain这样的关键词，形成首尾呼应，同样也应该与标题照应。所以选C. Dirty Britain。
【参考译文】
路边绿草如茵，树叶长得茂密前，是去看一看英国有多脏的绝佳时候。人行道上沾满了口香糖，沟渠里满是丢弃的快餐包装袋。多年前，我记得在国外旅行，看见到处都是塑料袋和丢弃的瓶子，我顿感悲伤。如今，英国看起来至少和这一样糟糕。出了什么问题？
问题是我们日益流动的生活所造成的垃圾比以前持续地更长久。如果不清理和适当处理，它会停留在下层灌木很多年。
据估计，我们向顾客提供了100亿个塑料袋。这将需要100到1000年的时间来处理这些塑料袋。然而，这并不是解决不了的问题。几年前，爱尔兰政府对不可回收的购物袋收税，三个月内减少了90%的使用量。当Michael Meacher还是一名部长时，他试图在英国采取类似的安排。当然，塑料行业提出了抗议。然而，他们不必费心了，这个想法在实施前就被遏制了，超市又可以免费赠送塑料袋了。
现在显然需要的是一种联合行动，不管是个人还是集体，在为时已晚之前。另一种选择是继续走下坡路，直到我们看到一个像巨大垃圾场一样的国家。我们可能正处在临界点。然而，我们知道人们对环境的反应。如果他们周围的事物都是干净整洁的，人们就表现得干净整洁。如果人们被垃圾包围，他们的行为就会像垃圾一样。现在，英国的大部分地方看起来很脏。五年后会是什么样子？
The plastics industry in Britain protested because ________.
细节题。通过题干中的plastics industry、protest定位至第三段：...the Irish government introduced a tax on non-recyclable carrier bags...，Michael Meacher attempted to introduce a similar arrangement in Britain.即Michael Meacher试图学习爱尔兰政府，对不可回收购物袋征税，但这一做法引起了塑料行业的抗议。所以选A。
The expression “sliding downhill”(Para.4) probably means“________”.
细节题。定位至第四段第一、二句话：What is clearly necessary right now is some sort of combined action，both individual and collective，before it is too late. The alternative is to continue sliding downhill until we have a country that looks like a vast rubbish tip.意思是：现在显然需要的是一种联合行动，不管是个人还是集体，在为时已晚之前。另一种选择是继续走下坡路，直到我们看到一个像巨大垃圾场一样的国家。所以选D. making things worse by taking no action（不采取行动直至事情变得更糟糕）。
Which of the following best describes the author's outlook on the environment?
观点态度题。此题考查作者对环境的看法。换个角度理解就是考查对全文的理解。全文主旨见第30题详解。从全文来看，作者非常关心环境问题，但并不乐观。文章最后一段：Now，much of Britain looks pretty dirty. What will it look like in five years?（现在，英国很多地方看起来很脏。五年之后呢？）可见他对未来的英国环境既有关心，也有担心。所以选C。
The purpose of the article is to ________.
主旨题。此题问写作目的，其实是考察对全文主旨的了解。文章第一段提出问题：英国到处很脏，为什么？第二段提出主要原因：生活中的垃圾处理不当。第三段提到具体原因：塑料袋被广泛滥用；解决方法遭到抗议。第四段呼吁不论个人还是集体，要联合起来，共同对垃圾采取行动。选项B. discourage people from supporting the plastic industry（阻止人们支持塑料行业），选项C. call on the government to protect the environment（呼吁政府保护环境），D. encourage supermarkets to give away recyclable bags（鼓励超市赠送可回收包装袋），三个选项均与文章内容不符，所以选A. encourage the public to take action against rubbish（鼓励公众对垃圾采取行动）。