22.这些表演节目的学生的年龄从三岁到六岁不等。（range from A to B）

23.他的阅读能力在平均水平之上。（above average）

24.我基本上同意你的建议，除了一些细节。（on the whole; details）

25.昨天我是在公共汽车站见到李明的。（强调句）

四、阅读理解（每小题2.5分，共10分）

　　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 ofStein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.

　　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 likeSteintomake the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.

　　Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shopperstopurchase paper bags,which are easily recycled but require more energytoproduce and transport.And while plastic bags may be uglytolook at,they represent a small percentage of allgarbageon 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 energytomake. 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 shopperstouse the same reusable bags for years.

26. What has Steven Stein been hired to do?

A. Help increase grocery sales. B. Recycle the waste material.