I once had a house guest from Cuba. During his visit, I happened to throw an old broken blender(搅拌机) in the trash. The next day it was sitting on my counter—in working order. In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly. They take the time and figure out how to fix it. In Cuba, they are still driving cars from the 1960s, mainly because they do not have a choice.
In contrast, the US is a “throwaway” society. Statistics show that each American produces six pounds of trash per day. I believe a combination of factors has contributed to this phenomenon.
Planned obsolescence(废弃) is not a secret. It is a manufacturing(制造业) philosophy developed in the 1920s and 1930s, when mass production became popular. The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures consumers to buy again.
Planned obsolescence does keep costs down. Instead of making an expensive product that will last a long time, businesses produce more affordable, disposable(一次性的) items. Some electronic items have become so inexpensive that it is cheaper to replace them than to repair them.
Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money. If a car starts to have mechanical problems, replacing it with a newer, more reliable model may be more appealing than tolerating it being in the garage for a week.
In addition, advertising trains consumers to want what is new and improved. It convinces them that the more they have, the happier they will be.
Unlike people in many developing countries, we live in a world of abundance. A study by Dr Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona also found that in the US, 40～50 per cent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.
1.In Cuba, people usually fix a broken item instead of buying a new one because ________.
A.wasting is prohibited there
B.they are poor
C.they are interested in fixing things
D.they live a low-carbon life
2.According to the article, planned obsolescence ________.
A.began before mass production became popular
B. is intended to encourage consumers to buy more things
C. results in higher prices of items
D. requires factories to produce high-quality products
3.Which of the following is NOT true about the “throwaway” society in the US?
A.People prefer to buy a new blender rather than repair the broken one.
B.A large quantity of food has been wasted.
C.People believe that the more they have, the happier they will be.
D.People all hold the belief that money comes first.
4.What may be the writer's attitude towards a throw-away society?
A.Supportive. B.Critical.
C.Tolerant. D.Optimistic.
【文章大意】 有一次，作者在扔掉用坏的搅拌机时，碰巧家里有一位来自古巴的房客，房客第二天把作者扔掉的搅拌机拿了回来并修理好。由此作者比较了古巴和美国两个国家人的社会生活的差异，认识到了在古巴这样贫穷的国家，人们过得非常节俭，而在美国这样物质极大充足的国家，浪费现象非常严重。
1.B 细节理解题。根据文章首段中的“In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly.”可知，在古巴人们买不起东西才会对用坏的东西进行修理，故B项正确。
2.B 推理判断题。根据文章第三段中的“The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures consumers to buy again.”可以判断B项正确。
3.D 推理判断题。根据文章第五段中的“Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money.”可知，忙碌的人们把时间和便捷看得比
金钱更重要，所以D项内容错误。
4.B 推理判断题。据文章末段中的“…40～50 per cent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.”可知，作者认为物质的充足造成了浪费现象，所以作者对一次性物品充斥的社会是持批判态度的，故B项正确。
