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  3. Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ove

Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, but Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ove

admin2021-01-06  6
问题    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 form 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.
What is the finding of the new study?
选项 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.
答案D
解析 推理判断题。定位句指出，把食物放进微波炉加热几分钟可能看上去完全无害，但是一项新研究发现，欧洲的这些快速烹饪炉具释放的碳相当于近700万辆小轿车的碳排放量。该句中的转折连词but体现出前后分句的关系，前半句是对微波炉的积极评价，后半句则为消极评价，通过对比可以看出微波炉的碳排放量是高于人们想象的，故答案为D)“微波炉的使用释放出比人们想象中更多的二氧化碳”。
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