【小站独家】雅思阅读全真模考题:塑料的历史

A

Natural polymers include such familiar substances as silk, rubber, and cotton. Plastics are artificial polymers. Plastics are used on a daily basis throughout the world. The word plastic is a common term that is used for many materials of a synthetic or semi-synthetic nature. The term was derived from the Greek plastikos, which means "fit for molding." Plastics are a wide variety of combinations of properties when viewed as a whole. They are used for shellac, cellulose, rubber, and asphalt. We also synthetically manufacture items such as clothing, packaging, automobiles, electronics, aircrafts, medical supplies, and recreational items. The list could go on and on and it is obvious that much of what we have today would not be possible without plastics.

B

In the early part of the twentieth century, a big boom occurred in polymer chemistry when polymer materials such as nylon and Kevlar came on the scene. Much of the work done with polymers focuses improvement while using existing technologies, but chemists do have opportunities ahead. There is a need for the development of new applications for polymers, always looking for less expensive materials that can replace what is used now. Chemists have to be more aware of what the market yearns for, such as products with a green emphasis, polymers that break down or are environmentally friendly. Concerns such as these have brought new activity to the science arena and there are always new discoveries to be made.

C

The evolution of the chemistry behind plastics is mind numbing, and the uses for plastics are endless. In the Middle Ages, when scientists first started to experiment, plastics were derived from organic natural sources, such as egg and blood proteins. It wasn't until the 19^th and 20^th centuries that the plastics we know today were created. Many Americans will recognize the name Goodyear, it was Charles Goodyear who began the modern-day plastic revolution when he vulcanized rubber in 1839, paving the way for the tire. Prior to his discovery, products made with rubber did not hold up well in warm temperatures or climates. Rubber is only one source of plastic, however, and three key inventors followed Good year's path and took plastic from a nearly unusable hard substance to the invaluable man-made resource it is today.

D

The son of a brass lock manufacturer, Alexander Parkes was born in Birmingham, England in 1813. Parkes was raised around metal fabrication. In his first job he worked as an apprentice at Birmingham's brass foundry, owned by Samuel S. Messengers and Sons. Parkes switched his attention from brass work to electroplating when he went to work for George and Henry Elkington.

It was there Parkes developed his inventive spirit. Parkes’ first patent, awarded in 1841, dealt with electroplating delicate items such as flowers, but throughout his career Parkes reportedly held more than 80 patents on his works with both metals and plastics. Parkes is credited with inventing the first man-made plastic, which he patented as Parkesine in 1856. Parkes introduced this combination of nitrocellulose and solvents to England in 1862 at the

London International Exhibition. While Parkesine itself did not prove to be a successful material in its original formulation, it was too flammable, it laid the groundwork for successful derivative materials from future inventors. One of those inventors being John Wesley Hyatt.

E

What Alexander Parkes started, John Wesley Hyatt took to the next level. Hyatt was born in Starkey, New York in 1837, and patented several hundred inventions. Hyatt's link to plastics comes in the form of the game of billiards Billiard balls were originally made of ivory, a commodity that was in steep decline in the 1800s. Most likely inspired by the $10,000 reward being offered, Hyatt took on the challenge of finding a substitute material to manufacture billiard balls. Hyatt's experiments began with a combination of Parkes' Parkesine, a solid form of nitrocellulose, and another English inventor, Frederick Scott Archer's, discovery of liquid nitrocellulose. Hyatt combined to two to create celluloid, which he patented in 1870.

F

Celluloid was used for numerous products, including billiard balls for Hyatt's own company rather than his former employer. Celluloid also produced false teeth, combs, baby rattles, and piano keys. Despite its replacement by newer synthetic materials in today's marketplace. Hyatt's patented version of celluloid is still used to produce ping-pong balls. There is no doubt that the invention of celluloid was the next important rung in the plastic manufacturing ladder, including the use of celluloid in film production.

G

Much like Parkes' invention led to Hyatt's success, Hyatt's celluloid influenced Leo Baekeland. This Belgium-born chemist paved the way for George Eastman, of Eastman Kodak, to build the photographic empire we know today. Born in 1863, Baekeland's first invention was Velox, a paper which allowed photographs to be taken in artificial light. Eastman purchased the Velox process from Baekeland for a reported $750,000 in 1899. Baekeland used that money to fund his own in-home laboratory.

H

Baekeland moved his experiments from photography paper to synthetic resins, and invented Bakelite, a combination of phenol and formaldehyde in 1907. Bakelite was officially patented in 1909. Bakelite was a hard, yet moldable, plastic, and was considered the product that led the world into the Age of Plastics.

Bakelite was used in everything from buttons to art deco furniture to television sets. While these items are made from different types of materials today, Bakelite is still used in the production of items such as car brakes and materials used in the space shuttle.

题号

定位词

文中对应点

题目解析

14

buying a technique，impact on success of his business

G段第二三句

第二句说比利时出生的化学家（指Baekeland），他的发明为柯达公司的Eastman建立摄影帝国铺平了道路。第三句后半句说Eastman花了$750,000购买了Baekeland的发明velox。

选F

15

successful only in experiment stage，beginning of an important era

D段倒数第二句

这句说Parkes发明的Parkesine由于易燃不能被证明是成功的，但仍然为其它衍生材料的发明奠定了基础，即Parkesine是塑料发明史的一个开端。

选A

16

lab，his own capital

G段最后一句

这句说Baekeland利用卖出velox获得的钱资助自己的家庭实验室。

选E

17

attractive financial incentive，succedaneum，based on the work accomplished by chemists prior to him

E段第一句，第五句

第一句说Parkes发明Parkesine后，Hyatt推动塑料发明进程进入下一个阶段。

第五句说在$10,000奖励的刺激下，Hyatt开始研究制造台球的替代品材料。

选C

18

famous business，auto part

C段第四句

这句说Goodyear将橡胶硫化，为轮胎的发展铺平了道路，从而开始了塑料革命。轮胎对应选项中的auto parts

选B

题号

定位词

文中对应点

题目解析

19

silk，cotton

A段第一二句

第一句说silk，cotton是天然聚合物。第二句说塑料是人工聚合物。共同点都是聚合物。

TRUE

20

chemists are trying on，markets are driving for

B段第五六句

第五句说化学家不得不更好地意识到市场的需求，如强调绿色的产品，可降解的产品及环保产品。第六句说化学家则根据了解到的信息做出了新发明。这两句只说了化学家的研究室顺应市场需求的，但并没提两者间是否有冲突。

NOT GIVEN

21

Parkes’ patent, two major fields

D段第六句后半句

第六句后半句说Parkes在金属与塑料两个工作领域中共有80多个专利。

TRUE

22

importance of celluloid，faded out of，occurrence of other alternative products

F段第三句

第三句说尽管赛璐珞现在被新的合成材料所取代，但它的专利版本仍被用来生产乒乓球，赛璐珞无疑是塑料制造史中又一重要发明。

选项说由于发明了其他替代产品而导致赛璐珞不重要了是错误的。

FALSE

题号

答案

文中对应点

题目解析

23

metal fabrication

D段第二句

brought up表明后面问生长地， 因为brought up=raised，所以对应D段第二句，说生长在metal fabrication环境中。

24

brass foundry

D段第三句

问在家乡什么地点学习作为工作的开始，对应D段第三句，apprentice学徒表明学习，后面接学习地点，Birmingham是他的家乡。

25

invention spirit

D段第五句

问他为其他老板工作时培养了什么，因为developed=raised，所以对应D段第五句。第四句说老板换成George and Henry

26

metals and plastics

D段第六句

问在什么领域获得了80多个专利，对应D段第六句，his works with both metals and plastics，即为金属和塑料两个工作领域。

27

nitrocellulose and solvents

D段第七八句

问Parkesine的成分，对应D段第七八句。第七句说Parkes发明了Parkesine。第八句说Parkesine是combination of nitrocellulose and solvents，即是成分了。