PassageTwo
Questions 51 to 55 arebasedonthefollowingpassage.
Poppingfoodintothemicrowaveforacoupleofminutesmayseemutterlyharmless, andEurope'sstockofthesequick-cookingovensemitasmuchcarbonasnearly 7millioncars, anewstudyhasfound, andtheproblemisgrowing. Withcostsfallingandkitchenappliancesbecoming "status" users, ownersarethrowingmanymicrowaveafteranaverageofeightyears. Thisispushingsalesofnewmicrowavewhichareexpectedtoreach 135 millionannuallyintheEUbytheendofthedecade.
AstudybytheUniversityofManchesterworkedouttheemissionsofcarbondioxide -- themaingreenhousegasresponsibleforclimatechange -- ateverystageofmicrowaves, frommanufacturetowastedisposal. "Itiselectricityconsumptionbymicrowavesthathasthebiggestimpactontheenvironment," saytheauthors, whoalsocalculatethattheemissionsfromusing 19 microwavesoverayeararethesameasthosefromacar. Accordingtothesamestudy, effortstoreduceconsumptionshouldfocusonimprovingconsumerawarenessandbehaviourtouseappliancesmoreefficiently. Forexample, electricityconsumptionbymicrowavescanbereducedbyadjustingthetimeofcookingtothetypeoffood."
However, DavidReay, professorofcarbonmanagementarguesthat, althoughmicrowavesuseagreatdealofenery, theiremissionsareminorcomparedtothosefromcars. IntheUKaloneandtheseemitwaymorethanalltheemissionsfrommicrowavesintheEU. Backingthisup, recentdatashowthatpassengercarsintheUKemitted 69mtonnesofCO2 in 2015. Thisis 10 timestheamountthisnewmicrowaveovenstudyestimatesforannualemissionsforallthemicrowaveovensinthewholeoftheEU." further, theenergyusedbymicrowavesislowerthananyotherformofcooking. Amongcommonkitchenappliancesusedforcooking, microwavesarethemostenergyefficient, followedbyastoveandfinallyastandardoven. Thus, risingmicrowavesalescouldbeseenasapositivething.
51. Whatisthefindingofthenewstudy?
A) Quick-cookingmicrowaveovenshavebecomemorepopular.
B) Thefrequentuseofmicrowavesmaydoharmtoourhealth.
C) CO2 emissionsconstituteamajorthreattotheenvironment.
D) TheuseofmicrowavesemitsmoreCO2 thanpeoplethink.
52. Whyarethesalesofmicrowavesexpectedtorise?
A) Theyarebecomingmoreafrdabla.
B) Theyhaveashorterlifecyclethanotherappliances.
C) Theyaregttingmucheasiertooperate.
D) Theytakelesstinetocookthanotherppliaces.
53. WhatrecommendationdoesthestudybytheUniversityofManchestermake?
A) Cookingfoodofdfferentvarieties.
B) Improvingmicrowaveusers'habits.
C) Eatinglesstocutenergyconsumption.
D) Usingmicrowaveovenslessfrequently.
54. WhatdoesProfessorDavidReaytrytoargue?
A) Therearefarmoreemissionsfromcarsthanfrommicrowaves.
B) Peopleshouldbepersuadedintousingpassengercarslessoften.
C) TheUKproduceslessCO2 thanmanyothercountriesintheEU.
D) Moredataareneededtoshowwhethermicrowavesareharmful.
55. WhatdoesProfessorDavidReaythinkoftheuseofmicrowaves?
A) Itwillbecomelesspopularinthecomingdecades.
B) Itmakeseverydaycookingmuchmoreconvenient.
C) Itplaysapositiveroleinenvronmentalprotection.
D) Itconsumesmorepowerthanconventionalcooking.