Question

Need to buy something? Why go to a store? Buy it on the Internet! Need it now? Why wait? Ask for next-day delivery（投遞）！Each day, more and more people try online shopping. In fact, online sales have doubled in the last ten years. But not everyone is excited. Some scientists now say that online shopping is bad for the environment.

People are surprised to hear this. “They think, ‘I don’t need to drive, and the business doesn’t need to build a store, so there will be less pollution, ”says Nuria Prost, an environmental scientist. “But it is not so simple. In fact, online shopping is wasteful. It also adds to air pollution.”

In truth, the Internet is not always as good a friend to the environment as it seems. For example, most people thought that the Internet would help offices use less paper and other materials. But paper use increased by 33 percent between 1986 and 1997. “Online shopping could have similarly negative（負(fù)面）effects（影響）,”says Nevil Cohen, a professor of environmental science.

Part of the problem is what people are buying these days. In the past, people bought things on the Internet that did not require much packing（包裝）material（材料）, such as books and clothing. But now people also shop online for large, heavy products（產(chǎn)品）such as televisions, computers, and furniture. These products need to be packed in large amounts of plastic and paper. This creates a lot of waste.

Another problem caused by online shopping is air pollution. When customers buy products and ask for next-day delivery, companies often have to send them by air. Airplanes use much more fuel than cars and produce more carbon dioxide（CO2）（二氧化碳）. When people buy a lot of different things from different online businesses, this creates even more travel by airplane.

Online product returns are also a problem. For example, an online shoe store may allow customers to return shoes without extra pay if they are the wrong size. This doubles the packing material and number of airplane trips required to sell one pair of shoes.

“If people want to protect the environment, they need to think before they shop,” says Prost. “People need to ask themselves: Is this exactly what I want? Do I really need it tomorrow, or can I wait? ” Online stores can also charge（收費）customers for returns. This may make people shop more carefully. “Online shopping is fast and easy,” says Prost, “but we can’t forget the negative effects it has on the environment.”

1.Why does online shopping create a lot of waste?

A. Because companies charge more for product returns.

B. Because people buy too many things they don’t need.

C. Because paper use has increased by 33 percent from 1986 to 1997.

D. Because large, heavy products require much packing material.

2.What do companies do to meet the needs of the next-day delivery?

A. Prepare more products.

B. Get more workers to pack.

C. Send the products by air.

D. Open more stores in cities.

3.What is probably the best title of the passage?

A. A Better Way to Shop?

B. A Different Lifestyle to Keep?

C. A Good Deal to Make?

D. A New Business to Start?

Answer 1