Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

　　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.

　　51. What is the finding of the new study?

　　A) Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.

　　B) The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.

　　C) CO2 emissions constitute a major threat to the environment.

　　D) The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.

　　52. Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?

　　A) They are becoming more affordable.

　　B) They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.

　　C) They are getting much easier to operate.

　　D) They take less time to cook than other appliances.

　　53. What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?

　　A) Cooking food of different varieties.

　　B) Improving microwave users’ habits.

　　C) Eating less to cut energy consumption.

　　D) Using microwave ovens less frequently.

　　54. What does Professor David Reay try to argue?

　　A) There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.

　　B) People should be persuaded into using passenger cars less often.

　　C) The UK produces less CO2 than many other countries in the EU.

　　D) More data are needed to show whether microwaves are harmful.

　　55. What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?

　　A) It will become less popular in the coming decades.

　　B) It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.

　　C) It plays a positive role in environmental protection.

　　D) It consumes more power than conventional cooking.

　　解析：

　　51.【D】 The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think.

　　答案解析：根據(jù)題干中“new study”可以定位到原文第一段第一句話 “..., but Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found. ” 大意為“盡管把食物放到微波爐里幾分鐘看起來完全無害，但是歐洲已有的微波爐存儲可釋放的二氧化碳量相當(dāng)于七百萬的汽車”A 選項為“微波爐很流行”，B選項為“頻繁使用微波爐有害健康”，C選項為“二氧化碳排放量對環(huán)境產(chǎn)生威脅”，D選項為“使用微波爐釋放的二氧化碳比人們想的還要多”，結(jié)合原文，D選項中含有關(guān)鍵詞“microwaves” “CO2”正確。

　　52. 【A】They are becoming more affordable.

　　答案解析：根據(jù)題干中“the sales of microwaves ” 、“rise”可以定位到原文第一段最后一句話，但是該句與題干對應(yīng)只闡述結(jié)果，且句首給出提示詞 “this”, 因此真正答案句在上文，答案句為第三句“With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “status” items,...” 提到“成本”，四個選項中只有A選項“affordable”(可支付得起的)與之相符，與錢和成本可替換，因此為正確答案。

　　53. 【B】 Improving microwave users’ habits.

　　答案解析：根據(jù)題干中 “recommendation”(推薦) “ the University of Manchester”可定位到原文第二段第一句話和倒數(shù)第二句話，第一句主要提出調(diào)查結(jié)果并未給出建議，因?yàn)榇鸢傅箶?shù)第二句話 “..., efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour.” 重點(diǎn)強(qiáng)調(diào)改善消費(fèi)者的意識與行為，B選項中“user”替換了“consumer”，“habits”替換了“behavior”，為正確選項。其他選項均為提及。

　　54. 【A】There are far more emissions from cars than from microwaves.

　　答案解析：根據(jù)題干關(guān)鍵詞“Professor David Reay”、“argue” 可定位到原文第三段第一句話 “..., argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars.” 大意為：和汽車相比，微波爐的二氧化碳排放量還是比較小的，四個選項中同時提到汽車與微波爐，且存在比較的只有A選項，為正確答案。

　　55. 【C】 It plays a positive role in environmental protection.

　　答案解析：題干問的該教授對微波爐的使用的看法，在原文中重點(diǎn)關(guān)注表示人態(tài)度的情態(tài)動詞和形容詞，定位與最后一段最后兩句話 “..., microwaves are the most energy efficient, .... Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.” 其中“most energy efficient”和“ positive”可以看出他態(tài)度為正面的，四個選項中C選項含有原詞positive，且environmental protection 與energy efficient為近義替換，因此為正確選項。