①In the quest for the perfect lawn, homeowners across the country are taking a shortcut — and it is the environment that is paying the price. About eight million square metres of plastic grass is sold each year but opposition has now spread to the highest gardening circles. The Chelsea Flower Show has banned fake grass from this year’s event, declaring it to be not part of its ethos. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which runs the annual show in west London, says it has introduced the ban because of the damage plastic grass does to the environment and biodiversity.

②Ed Home, of the RHS, said: “We launched our sustainability strategy last year and fake grass is just not in line with our ethos and views on plastic. We recommend using real grass because of its environmental benefits, which include supporting wildlife, alleviating flooding and cooling the environment.”

③The RHS’s decision comes as campaigners try to raise awareness of the problems fake grass causes. A Twitter account, which claims to “cut through the greenwash” of artificial grass, already has more than 20,000 followers. It is trying to encourage people to sign two petitions, one calling for a ban on the sale of plastic grass and another  calling for an “ecological damage” tax on such lawns. They have gathered 7,276 and 11,282 signatures.

④However, supporters of fake grass point out that there is also an environmental impact with natural lawns, which need mowing and therefore usually consume electricity or petrol. The industry also points out that real grass requires considerable amounts of water, weed killer or other treatments and that people who lay fake grass tend to use their garden more. The industry also claims that people who lay fake grass spend an average of £500 on trees or shrubs for their garden, which provides habitat for insects.

⑤In response to another petition last year about banning fake lawns, which gathered 30,000 signatures, the government responded that it has “no plans to ban the use of artificial grass”.

⑥It added: “We prefer to help people and organisations make the right choice rather than legislating on such matters. However, the use of artificial grass must comply with the legal and policy safeguards in place to protect biodiversity and ensure sustainable drainage, while measures such as the strengthened biodiversity duty should serve to encourage public authorities to consider sustainable alternatives.”

1.1. The RHS thinks that plastic grass ________.

A is harmful to the environment

B is a hot topic in gardening circles

C is overpraised in the annual show

D is ruining the view of west London

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。[精准定位]首段末句介绍皇家园艺协会的说法:由于塑料草坪破坏生态环境,故决定禁止使用。第二段首句引用协会成员之言进行补充:使用人造草坪(=塑料草坪)与该协会的可持续发展理念不符。可见皇家园艺协会认为,塑料草坪有害于环境,不利于可持续发展，A项正确。[命题解密] 题干+A 项是对首段末句 the damage plastic grass does to the environment 的同义改写。B项将首段②句客观事实“最高园艺界如今也开始反对塑料草坪”曲解夸大为皇家园艺协会的观点“塑料草坪是整个园艺界的热议话题”。C项将原文“塑料草坪在年度展会中被禁止使用”窜改为“被过度夸赞”。D项由碎片信息杂糅捏造而来,原文仅泛泛指出塑料草坪对环境的危害,并未具体提及对伦敦西区景观的危害。

2.2. The petitions mentioned in Paragraph 3 reveal the campaigners’ ________.

A disappointment with the RHS

B resistance to fake grass use

C anger over the proposed tax

D concern about real grass supply

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。[精准定位]第三段首句指出活动人士正努力让人们认识到人造草坪的危害,②至④句以某推特账户为例介绍活动人士的举措“力劝人们签署两份请愿书”,并说明其呼吁内容“禁止销售塑料草坪”“对此类草坪征收'生态破坏’税”。由此可知,请愿书表明了活动人士对人造草坪的不满与抵制,B项正确。[命题解密]题干+B项准确概括了请愿书内容 one calling for a ban on...plastic grass...another calling for an...taxon such lawns所表明的活动人士对塑料草坪的看法。A项强加因果关联,误认为皇家园艺协会“做出的决定”导致了活动人士“努力提高人们对人造草坪危害的认识”,从而误推出活动人士对皇家园艺协会失望,但第三段首句 The RHS’s decision comes as campaigners try to...仅说明二者行为发生的时间相同,而不涉及因果先后。C项表述(即反对相关税收)与第三段③句提及的请愿书内容“对此类草坪(指塑料草坪)征收'生态破坏’税”(即支持相关税收)相悖。D项由碎片信息捏造而来,第四段①②句仅指出天然草坪对环境的影响,而文章并未提及天然草坪的供应问题。

3.3. In Paragraph 4, supporters of fake grass point out ________.

A the necessity to lower the costs of fake grass

B the disadvantages of growing real grass

C the way to take care of artificial lawns

D the challenges of insect habitat protection

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。[精准定位]第四段首句介绍人造草坪支持者的观点“天然草坪也会对环境造成影响”②③句通过对比补充观点(also):天然草坪需要大量养护工作,而人造草坪更经常为人使用,且并不会妨碍昆虫的栖息。综上可知,人造草坪的支持者重点强调了天然草坪的劣势以及人造草坪的优势,B项正确。[命题解密]B 项 growing real grass 是对原文 natural lawns 的同义改写,disadvantages 则是对environmental impact ,consume electricity or petrol,requires considerable amounts of water, weed killer or other treatments的高度概括与总结。A项将第四段末句碎片信息断章取义为“人造草坪价格高昂”,但耗费大笔钱财的是“树木或灌木’(spend...on trees or shrubs)而非“人造草坪”,且文章自始至终都未提及人造草坪的价格问题。C项将第四段①②句所述“天然草坪的打理方式(natural lawns、real grass)”偷换为“人造草坪的打理方式artificial lawns)”。D项利用部分词汇复现设障,原文仅指出树木或灌木可供昆虫栖息,并未提及昆虫栖息地保护面临挑战。

4.4. What would the government do with regard to artificial grass?

A Urge legislation to restrict its use.

B Take measures to guarantee its quality.

C Remind its users to obey existing rules.

D Replace it with sustainable alternatives.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。[精准定位]第五段概述政府态度“暂未计划禁止使用人造草坪”,第六段详述政府观点“不愿立法禁用人造草坪,但人造草坪的使用必须遵守现有的法律与政策保障措施”，C 项正确。[命题解密]题干十C项是对政府态度的正确理解,Remind its users to obey existing rules 近义改写the use of artificial grass must comply with the legal and policy safeguards in place.A项与第六段①句句意“政府不会就此问题立法(即不会立法禁用人造草坪)”相悖。B项将采取措施的目的“保护生物多样性,确保可持续排水,鼓励公共当局考虑可持续的替代品(即保护生态环境,促进可持续发展)”偷换为“保证人造草坪的质量”。D项将寻找可持续替代品的主体由“公共当局/公共机构(public authorities)”偷换为“国家政府(the government)”。

5.5. It can be learned from the text that fake grass ________.

A is being improved continuously

B has seen a market share decline

C is becoming increasingly affordable

D has been a controversial product

解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。[精准定位]全文主要围绕人造草坪展开论述,首三段介绍反对者(皇家园艺协会及活动人士)的观点“人造草坪对生态环境造成破坏,应予以抵制”,第四段介绍支持者的观点“天然草坪有许多缺点,也会破坏环境,而人造草坪不需要太多养护工作,更经常为人使用,且并不会妨碍昆虫栖息”,末两段介绍政府的态度“暂不计划禁止人造草坪的使用,使用者遵守现行规定即可”。由此可见,人造草坪有弊有利,存在诸多争议,D项正确。[命题解密]D项是对文意的合理概括与推断。a controversial product可体现文中多方人物不同的观点和态度。A项将首段①句所述“为追求完美草坪,越来越多的房主将天然草坪置换为人造草坪”曲解为“人造草坪在不断得到改进”,与文意相去甚远。B项由原文信息“人造草坪受到反对与抵制”过度引申出“其市场份额有所下降”,文中并无相关信息支撑这一论断。C项由原文“为追求完美草坪,越来越多的房主使用人造草坪”主观臆断出“人造草坪因为价格越来越实惠而倍受追捧”,但文中并没有关于人造草坪价格的论述。