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阅读理解精讲精炼21 116. Harvard researchers have created a tough, lowcost, biodegradable(可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp (虾) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called “shrilk.” It is thin, clear, flexible and strong. A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for onetime products such as plastic bags, or shortlived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years? Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer (肥料), and so will enrich the soil. Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk lowcost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material. | 
