A lot of people drink bottled water in the world. A water bottle offers great convenience. It can be bought almost anywhere, carried around for a while, and then thrown away.

　　The influence of bottled water on the environment, however, is very big. About 2.7 million tons of plastic is turned into bottles which are only used once each year. This requires a lot of oil and water. It also produces greenhouse gases. Bottled water is often carried for long distances to reach people who buy it. This uses even more fossil fuels(化石燃料) and creates more pollution. Although the bottles can be recycled, only small parts of them are. The United States only recycles about 23 percent. The rest are part of a growing waste problem.

　　Convenience isn't the only reason for bottled water to become popular. Many people believe that it must be cleaner and healthier than tap water from public water systems. But this is not true. In developed countries such as the United States and some countries in Europe, laws about safe water are often stricter for tap water than for bottled water.

　　It may come as a surprise that nearly 40 percent of the water bottled in the United States starts from tap water. Before bottling, some companies filter(過濾)it, and they might add some things for taste. What's more, bottled water can cost from 240 to 10, 000 times more than tap water.

　　“Back to the tap" activities start around the world, In order to save money, use fewer resources, and create less waste, they support using tap water and reusable bottles rather than bottled water. San Francisco and other cities across the United States no longer allow their government departments to buy Many bottled water companies are trying to improve, too. They have reduced the use of plastic in their bottles.

　　36. What's the second paragraph mainly about?

　　A. The difficulty of transporting the bottles    B. The advantages of bottled water

　　C. The ways to produce bottled water    D. The problem caused by bottled water

　　37. Why is bottled water popular?

　　A. Because people think it is the water from nature

　　B. Because people think it is convenient and safe

　　C. Because people think it is cheaper than tap water

　　D. Because people think it can prevent illnesses

　　38. The underlined word "them" in paragraph 2 means “________”.

　　A. fossil fuels    B. the bottles    C. water systems    D. greenhouse gases

　　39. Which of the following is one of the "Back to the tap" activities?

　　A. Forbid producing the bottled water

　　B. Support using tap water and reusable bottles

　　C. Use many resources and create much waste

　　D. Use many resources and create little waste

　　40. What's the best title for the passage?

　　A. “ Back to the tap" activities    B. Bottled water or tap water?

　　C. Let's drink healthy water.    D. The water in the USA

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