Roughly 8. 5 billion plastic straws are used in the United Kingdom each year, but as a new ban takes
英语作文范文 07-22
Roughly 8. 5 billion plastic straws are used in the United Kingdom each year, but as a new ban takes effect next April, that number will decrease to zero. One startup (初创企业) is hoping to capture the chance to make a kind of straws as an alternative by using an unlikely material: pasta (意大利面食).
“It has all the function of a plastic straw that everyone has been using,” says Maxim Gelmann, founder of Stroodles, the startup. The straws, made by an Italian company that also produces regular pasta, are the same shape and size as a standard plastic straw.
Unlike a paper straw, they don’t taste like wet paper; they don’t change the flavor of the drink. They last at least an hour, and longer in colder drinks. If you’re nursing a drink for hours and the pasta eventually softens, you can choose to eat it. The raw straw is also eatable, and Gelmann says that some people snack on them.
A handful of other pasta-straw startups also exist, though Stroodles is hoping to feature itself with a smoother, more plastic-like material and its branding.
It’s more expensive to make than a plastic straw, but at large volumes, it can compete with the cost of paper straws. Because of the coming ban, “No one really compares us with plastic anymore,” Gelmann says. “They compare us with paper straw prices, which makes my argument much easier and my expectation brighter.”
Other alternatives, like bamboo or stainless steel, are more expensive and a less elegant solution; some bars say that customers don’t trust the idea that stainless steel straws can be fully sanitized (消毒). Another option—a plastic-like eatable straw made from seaweed—may be more of a competitor.
12. What’s the startup’s main purpose of producing the pasta straws?
A. To reduce the consumption of energy.
B. To take over the market.
C. To answer the call for the ban.
D. To compete with paper straws.
13. What advantage do the pasta straws have compared with other straws?
A. They are cheaper. B. They can be used longer.
C. They can be treated as snacks. D. They are suitable for mass production.
14. What attitude does Gelmann have towards the pasta straws’ future?
A. Controversial. B. Doubtful.
C. Cautious. D. Positive.
15. What can be inferred from the text?
A. The government disagrees with Gelmann.
B. The startup will become a very big company.
C. The pasta straws face fierce competition.
D. The pasta straws can improve drinks’ flavor.
【答案】
“It has all the function of a plastic straw that everyone has been using,” says Maxim Gelmann, founder of Stroodles, the startup. The straws, made by an Italian company that also produces regular pasta, are the same shape and size as a standard plastic straw.
Unlike a paper straw, they don’t taste like wet paper; they don’t change the flavor of the drink. They last at least an hour, and longer in colder drinks. If you’re nursing a drink for hours and the pasta eventually softens, you can choose to eat it. The raw straw is also eatable, and Gelmann says that some people snack on them.
A handful of other pasta-straw startups also exist, though Stroodles is hoping to feature itself with a smoother, more plastic-like material and its branding.
It’s more expensive to make than a plastic straw, but at large volumes, it can compete with the cost of paper straws. Because of the coming ban, “No one really compares us with plastic anymore,” Gelmann says. “They compare us with paper straw prices, which makes my argument much easier and my expectation brighter.”
Other alternatives, like bamboo or stainless steel, are more expensive and a less elegant solution; some bars say that customers don’t trust the idea that stainless steel straws can be fully sanitized (消毒). Another option—a plastic-like eatable straw made from seaweed—may be more of a competitor.
12. What’s the startup’s main purpose of producing the pasta straws?
A. To reduce the consumption of energy.
B. To take over the market.
C. To answer the call for the ban.
D. To compete with paper straws.
13. What advantage do the pasta straws have compared with other straws?
A. They are cheaper. B. They can be used longer.
C. They can be treated as snacks. D. They are suitable for mass production.
14. What attitude does Gelmann have towards the pasta straws’ future?
A. Controversial. B. Doubtful.
C. Cautious. D. Positive.
15. What can be inferred from the text?
A. The government disagrees with Gelmann.
B. The startup will become a very big company.
C. The pasta straws face fierce competition.
D. The pasta straws can improve drinks’ flavor.
【答案】
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