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Wash Your Clothes with a Cup of Water?
A washing machine that uses only a cup of water to carry a full wash, leaving clothes completely dry, has been developed by British inventors. Researchers say the technology, which uses less than 2 percent of the water and energy of a traditional machine, could save billions of liters of water each year.
The machine works by using thousands of plastic chips— each about half a centimeter in size—to absorb and remove dirt. Around 20 kilos of the chips are added to each load, along with a cup of water and detergent（洗涤剂）. During the washing cycle, the water is heated to help dissolve the dirt, which is then absorbed by the plastic chips. The inventors say the chips should be removed at the end of each wash, but can be used up to 100 times.
The technology, called Xeros, is already being compared to the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner, which revolutionized the home cleaning industry when it was first introduced to the public in the mid-1990s.
If adopted by many homes across the UK, the machine could save billions of liters of water each year. According to the research, washing machine use has risen by 23 percent in the past 15 years, up from three times a week in 1990 to an average four times now. The average UK household uses most 21 liters of water daily on clothes washing. Nationally, this equals to approximately 455 million liters of water a day — enough to fill 145 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Although the Xeros is now in the design and testing stage, the inventors say they are in talks with a commercial partner. The machine could be in the market as early as next year. Tests have produced quite astonishing results. “We’ve shown that it can remove all sorts of everyday stains including coffee and lipstick while using a tiny fraction of the water used by traditional washing machines,” said one of the inventors.
An expert said, “This is one of the most surprising and remarkable technologies I’ve had in recent years. Xeros has the ability to save billions of liters of water per year and, we believe, the potential to revolutionize the global laundry market.
64. Compared with the traditional washing machine, the most outstanding feature of the Xeros is that _________.
A. it doesn’t need any detergent
B. it saves a large amount of water
C. it can remove all sorts of everyday stains
D. the plastic chips can be removed at the end of each wash
65. The writer supports his idea with __________ in Paragraph 4.
A. examples B. words C. data D. imagination
66. What do we know about the Xeros from the passage?
A. It will be quite cheap as the plastic chips can be used up to 100 times.
B. It’ll take the place of the Dyson bagless vacuum cleaner in future.
C. The plastic chips play an important role in absorbing and removing the dirt.
D. It isn’t in the market now because no investors are willing to develop it.
67. What is the writer’s attitude toward the new technology in this passage?
A. Positive. B. Opposed. C. Indifferent. D. Doubtful.
