外刊阅读+分类教学 Day 16 无需分类，直接降解！科学家找到塑料回收新路径-2026届高三英语上学期一轮复习专项

Easier plastic recycling is on the horizon

无需分类，直接降解！科学家找到塑料回收新路径​​

词数：320

改编自：大众科学

Article

Main idea

For decades, recycling has struggled with polyolefins—the polymers that make up milk jugs, juice cartons and almost every container in your fridge. Their carbon-carbon bonds are so strong that the plastics can linger for centuries. Less than 10 % of the 220 million tons produced yearly is ever reused; the rest is buried, burned or turned into low-grade pellets after expensive hand-sorting.

指出塑料回收长期受阻于聚烯烃，其超强碳-碳键使容器千年不腐。

Recently, however, chemists at Northwestern University report in Nature Chemistry that a cheap catalyst may end this waste. The secret is cationic (阳离子的) nickel, a metal that is abundant and far less costly than palladium or platinum. While earlier hydrogenolysis methods need rare metals and temperatures above 700 °C, the new single-site nickel works at only 250 °C and half the usual hydrogen pressure. It acts like a molecular scalpel, slicing only the stubborn carbon-carbon links and leaving the rest of the chain intact. Surprisingly, the catalyst is even strengthened by PVC, a plastic formerly considered a contaminant (污染物) that must be rigorously excluded.

介绍西北大学发现阳离子镍催化剂，可在低温低压下精准切断聚烯烃碳-碳键。

If scaled up, the discovery could eradicate the need for painstaking pre-sorting and cut the microplastics released daily into oceans and soils. Yet challenges remain. Engineers must prove that the reaction stays efficient in a continuous reactor, and that the hydrocarbons produced can be sold at a price that competes with virgin oil. Still, by turning yesterday’s supermarket waste into tomorrow’s fuel or new bottles, nickel may finally make the promise of a

指出若工艺放大成功，可省却人工分选并减少微塑料，但仍需验证连续反应器效率与经济性。

circular plastics economy more than an elegant theory.

基础版（90 分；900-1000L）
阅读理解选择题

1. What is the main problem with polyolefin plastics?
   A. They are too expensive to produce.
   B. They cannot be melted at any temperature.
   C. They are extremely hard to break down.
   D. They are rare in daily life.
2. The new catalyst described in the passage is made from ______.
   A. palladium
   B. platinum
   C. nickel
   D. carbon
3. Compared with earlier methods, the nickel catalyst works at ______.
   A. higher pressure
   B. lower temperature
   C. greater cost
   D. smaller scale
4. What unexpected advantage does the nickel catalyst have?
   A. It becomes more active when PVC is present.
   B. It can turn plastic into water directly.
   C. It needs no hydrogen gas at all.
   D. It can sort plastics automatically.
5. What still needs to be proved for the new process?
   A. The plastics can be colorful.
   B. The reaction can run continuously and profitably.
   C. The catalyst can be used only once.
   D. The PVC must be totally removed.

答案与解析（基础版）

1. C 第一段指出聚烯烃碳-碳键极其牢固，可存留数百年。
2. C 第二段明确说催化剂是“cationic nickel”。
3. B 第二段对比：旧法需 700 °C，新法只需 250 °C。
4. A 第二段末句提到 PVC 反而增强催化剂活性。
5. B 第三段强调需验证连续反应器效率及经济可行性。

提高版（130 分；1100-1300L）
阅读理解选择题

1. Which of the following best summarizes the author’s attitude toward the nickel-catalyst breakthrough?
   A. Cautiously optimistic
   B. Enthusiastically supportive
   C. Strongly critical
   D. Totally indifferent
2. The phrase “molecular scalpel” (Para. 2) implies that the nickel catalyst ______.
   A. removes every chemical bond in the polymer
   B. operates with high precision on specific bonds
   C. is too fragile for industrial conditions
   D. can only function in biological systems
3. It can be inferred that traditional hydrogenolysis is disadvantaged by ______.
   A. its inability to tolerate any contaminants
   B. its excessive consumption of hydrogen
   C. its reliance on noble metals and high energy
   D. its prohibition by environmental laws
4. Which of the following would be the most significant barrier to commercializing the technology?
   A. Public distrust of nickel-based products
   B. The possible decline in virgin-oil prices
   C. The catalyst’s toxicity to marine life
   D. The limited supply of waste PVC
5. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
   A. Less than 10 % of all plastics ever produced are polyolefins.
   B. The nickel catalyst performs better in the presence of some contaminants.
   C. The hydrocarbons obtained currently outperform virgin oil in quality.
   D. Continuous reactors have already validated the process for five years.

答案与解析（提高版）

1. A 作者既展示前景又列出挑战，态度为“谨慎乐观”。
2. B 比喻说明催化剂只切断顽固碳-碳键，精准度高。
3. C 第二段对比：旧法需稀有金属和 700 °C，能耗高。
4. B 第三段指出所得烃类必须与 virgin oil 价格竞争，油价若大跌则经济壁垒最大。
5. B 第二段末句明确 PVC 污染料反而增强活性，其余选项与原文不符。