Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks． His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter，including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road． What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag．

   Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year． So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts （收银台）． The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California， including Los Angeles． Eyeing these headwinds， plastic﹣bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume．

   Among the bag makers' arguments： many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags， which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport． And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at， they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today．

   The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement： reusable shopping bags． The stronger a reusable bag is， the longer its life and the more plastic﹣bag use it cancels out． However， longer﹣lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make． One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic．

   Environmentalists don't dispute（质疑） these points． They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years．

（1）What has Steven Stein been hired to do？ 　 　

A．	Help increase grocery sales．
B．	Recycle the waste material．
C．	Stop things falling off trucks．
D．	Argue for the use of plastic bags．

（2）What does the word "headwinds" in paragraph 2 refer to？ 　 　

A．	Bans on plastic bags．
B．	Effects of city development．
C．	Headaches caused by garbage．
D．	Plastic bags hung in trees．

（3）What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic﹣bag makers？ 　 　

A．	They are quite expensive．
B．	Replacing them can be difficult．
C．	They are less strong than plastic bags．
D．	Producing them requires more energy．

（4）What is the best title for the text？ 　 　

A．	Plastic， Paper or Neither
B．	Industry， Pollution and Environment
C．	Recycle or Throw Away
D．	Garbage Collection and Waste Control

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