Robert Kurtz finds himself working right in the middle of a composting (堆肥) revolution. Kurtz is a commercial solutions manager at Rust Belt Riders. The composting company’s goal is to fight climate change by recycling as much food waste as possible. “If we’re going to meet the climate goals that have been set out by our leaders and scientists, we’re going to have to tackle food waste,” Kurtz said. “It’s a huge part of the problem.”

Wasted food winds up in landfills. As it breaks down, it creates a gas called methane. Methane traps heat in the atmosphere. And that fuels climate change.

Every day, Kurtz contacts grocery stores, restaurants, and other food-service businesses. He educates them about the harmful effects of food waste. Then he asks if they’re willing to change the way they deal with their extra food. So far, Rust Belt Riders has persuaded 300 companies and 2,800 households to do something differently with their food waste. The company’s seven trucks and 30 employees pick up their clients’ extra food. Then they compost it, turning it into soil. Compost soil is much more than just dirt. It’s made up of five ingredients that combine to help plants grow. That’s why Kurtz and his colleagues at Rust Belt Riders offer a second service: They sell the composted, nutrient-rich soil to people and businesses that need it.

In addition to partnering with households and businesses, Rust Belt Riders has teamed up with local schools. At Dentzler Elementary, Rust Belt Riders helps the kitchen staff compost its food scraps. The 500 students place their food waste into bins during lunch periods. The bins are then collected by Rust Belt Riders. “This program has created a space for all students to become environmental stewards (管家) in their own cafeteria when they might not otherwise have the opportunity,” Emily Cass says, who is a farm-to-school coordinator at Dentzler.

1.What does the company Rust Belt Riders aim at?

A Tackling global food crisis.

B Reducing food consumption.

C Improving the environment.

D Helping leaders and scientists.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第一段中的“to fight climate change by recycling as much food waste as possible”“tackle food waste”可知Robert Kurtz的公司致力于通过回收更多的食物垃圾来应对气候变化，即Rust Belt Riders正致力应对气候变化，改善环境。故选C。

2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “fuels” in the second paragraph?

A Supplies.

B Increases.

C Reduces.

D Eases.

解析：选B。B 词义猜测题。根据前一句“Methane traps heat in the atmosphere.”甲烷将热量困在大气中，而大气中的热量过多会加剧气候变暖。故选B。

3.Rust Belt Riders’ services don’t include ___________.

A asking people to collect their food waste

B telling people about the impact of food waste

C picking up people’s extra food from their places

D teaching people how to make the compost soil

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第三段中的“The company’s seven trucks and 30 employees pick up their clients’ extra food. Then they compost it, turning it into soil.”该公司去客户那里运回多余的食物，然后将其转化为堆肥土壤。可知，Rust Belt Riders并不教人们如何制作堆肥土壤。故选D。

4.What’s Emily Cass’s attitude towards Rust Belt Riders?

A Doubtful.

B Approving.

C Critical.

D Ambiguous.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据最后一段中Emily Cass所说的话“This program has created a space for all students to become environmental stewards (管家) in their own cafeteria when they might not otherwise have the opportunity”这个项目为所有学生创造了一个空间，让他们在自己的食堂里成为环境管家，否则他们可能没有机会（这样做）。由此可知，她对Rust Belt Riders提供的这个项目表示赞赏。故选B。