Question

【2011·山东泰安一模】

Rachel Carson was an American author and environmental protection scientist. “Silent Spring” was her most famous book. The idea for the book developed from a suggestion from a friend. Rachel’s friend owned a protected area for birds. An airplane had flown over the area where the birds were kept and spread a powerful chemical called DDT. Many songbirds and harmless insects were killed by the DDT.

Miss Carson and other scientists were very concerned about the harmful effects of DDT and other insect-killing chemicals called pesticides (杀虫剂). Rachel Carson tried to get many magazines interested in publishing a report about the subject. However, none would agree to publish anything about such a disputed (有争议的) subject. They said no one wanted to hear that industrial companies could cause great ecological damage.

Miss Carson believed the public needed to know about this important issue. She decided to write a book about it. In her book “Silent Spring”, Miss Carson questioned the right of industrial companies to pollute without considering the effects on the environment. Miss Carson argued that this kind of pollution would result in ever-decreasing populations of birds and other wildlife. She said this would lead to the loss of the wonderful sounds of nature. The chemical poisoning of the environment, she said, would cause a silent spring.

The chemical industry felt threatened. Industry spokesmen and other critics said the book was non-scientific and emotional. They misunderstood the message of the book. Miss Carson did not suggest that all pesticides be banned. She urged that control of these substances be given to biologists who could make informed decisions about the risks involved.

Support for the book increased. By the end of 1962, there were more than forty bills in state laws proposing to control pesticides. Finally, in November, 1969, the United States government ruled that the use of DDT must stop in two years.

Rachel Carson did not live to see how her book influenced the government’s decision to ban DDT.  She died of breast cancer in 1964. 

71. What can be inferred from Paragraph 1?

A. Rachel’s friend was concerned about bird protection.

B. Rachel wrote a lot of books about chemicals.

C. DDT kills both insects and plants in the wild.

D. An airplane spread DDT to kill harmless insects.

72. No magazines agreed to publish the harmful effect of DDT because ______.

A. it was an unimportant subject for them

B. they were afraid of being involved in the dispute

C. they had no environmental consciousness at all

D. DDT was necessary for industry development

73. In her book “Silent Spring”, Miss Carson ______.

A. supported the development of industry

B. predicted bird population would increase

C. showed her anxiety about the environment

D. was confused about the cause of a silent spring

74. Industry spokesman’s attitude towards the book is that of ______.

A. tolerance           B. criticism            C. unconcern         D. praise

75. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A. DDT was forbidden to be used once “Silent Spring” was published.

B. Miss Carson was glad to see her book was appreciated by all.

C. Miss Carson suggested all pesticides should be banned.

D. Rachel’s book contributed a lot to the ban of DDT.

Answer 1

71—75 ABCBD