2023年新高考I卷
B
When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.
After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.
The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.
He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.
Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse-like facility that treated sewage (污水) from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.
“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”
24. What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs?
A. He was fond of traveling. B. He enjoyed being alone.
C. He had an inquiring mind. D. He longed to be a doctor.
25. Why did John put the sludge into the tanks?
A. To feed the animals. B. To build an ecosystem.
C. To protect the plants. D. To test the eco-machine.
26. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Fuzhou?
A. To review John’s research plans.
B. To show an application of John’s idea.
C. To compare John’s different jobs.
D. To erase doubts about John’s invention.
27. What is the basis for John’s work?
A. Nature can repair itself. B. Organisms need water to survive.
C. Life on Earth is diverse. D. Most tiny creatures live in groups.
答案解析：
24. 根据第一段"When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems."可知，John小时候喜欢探索周围的树林，并观察自然如何解决问题，这表明他具有好奇心和探究精神。因此选C。
25. 根据第四段"First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other... After a few weeks, John added the sludge."可知，John建立了一系列的玻璃纤维罐，并在其中加入了污泥，这是为了测试他的生态机器是否能够清理有害物质。因此选D。
26. 提到福州是为了展示John的想法在一个实际项目中的应用。文中提到"He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China."这表明John的设计被应用到了实际中，用以清理福州的运河水。因此选B。
27. 根据最后一段“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”可知，John的工作基础是生命可以在新的关系中自我修复，这正是自然自我修复的能力。因此选A。
