With greater climate catastrophe (气候突变) on Earth, it is natural for us to make every effort to stop the potential floods, snowstorms, and alarming reports from scientists. For many of us (myself included), part of that means running out to buy reusable straws, organic cleaners, and packaging-free products.
However, before you are delighted at “green” purchases, take a second to consider the results of a new study from Arizona University. By comparing the shopping habits, mental health and environmental impact of young people, the researchers reconfirmed a principle: Buying less beats buying “green” stuff without effort. And that is true whether you are looking at the impact that your purchases have on the Earth or on your own happiness.
It should not come as a shock that simply consuming less is better for the planet. After all, every new item a factory yields requires some resources to produce. Take plastic bag bans for instance. If your city is getting rid of single-use shopping bags, it can be attractive to pay for a fashionable organic cotton bag hanging in the check-out line of your local supermarket. However, experts insist that growing cotton is actually no better for the Earth than producing the conventional plastic bags. Then what is your best bet for carrying your groceries if you care about sustainability? Any bag you already own.
It is not just the Earth that will be happier if you buy less. You will feel more contented too, according to the new study. “People believe that they might well be self-satisfied about becoming environmentally conscious through ‘green’ buying patterns, but it doesn’t seem to be that way”, said the lead researcher Sabrina Helm. “Reduced consumption has effects on increased well-being, but we don’t see that with ‘green’ consumption.”
“Owning every new ‘green’ product on the market might make you feel contented, but if you relieve yourself of that burden of ownership, most people report feeling a lot better,” said Helm.
1. Why does the writer mention “green” shopping habits?A.To call on a green lifestyle. | B.To praise people’s green efforts. |
C.To introduce a social trend. | D.To present a half true “green” truth. |
A.The plastic bag bans are of no effect. | B.Using any bag you have is the best bet. |
C.Reduced consumption is better for the Earth. | D.Growing cotton is far worse for the Earth. |
A.The sense of achievement. | B.The sense of happiness. |
C.The sense of relief. | D.The sense of security. |
A.Less is More | B.The Greener, The Happier |
C.Happiness Guarantee | D.What Are Green Products? |
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【推荐1】After decades of work trying to save the giant panda, Chinese officials have announced the species is no longer endangered. The pandas have been reclassified in the country from endangered to vulnerable (易危的) after efforts to increase the population. Now the number has risen to 1,800 in the wild.
“China has established a relatively complete nature reserves system,” Cui Shuhong, director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said on Wednesday. “Large areas of natural ecosystems have been systematically and completely protected, and wildlife habitats have been effectively improved.” The latest classification upgrade reflects their improved living conditions and China’s efforts in keeping their habitats integrated, Cui added.
Bamboo makes up 90% of pandas’ diets, and the animals would likely starve without the shoots (竹笋). Experts believe China’s efforts to replant bamboo forests have been the key to the increase in the population of pandas. Generally speaking, a panda has to eat at least 26 pounds of bamboo every day to maintain its energy, so large areas of bamboo forests are primary to their survival.
Planting bamboo also has advantages for the planet, as the bamboo is grass, not a tree, and is incredibly efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide, as well as emitting (排放) 35% more oxygen than trees.
“The Chinese have done a great job in investing in panda habitats, expanding and setting up new reserves,” Ginette Hemley, senior vice president of conservation at the World Wildlife Fund, told the media. “They are a wonderful example of what can happen when a government is committed to conservation.”
Continuing China’s success will be dependent on the country protecting land from agricultural and urban development. As land becomes rarer, measures will need to be extended to protect more land, to ensure bamboo forests can thrive and as a result, protect the future of the world’s most lovable, lazy, and monochrome (black and white) creature.
1. What do we know about the giant panda according to paragraph 1?A.It is an endangered species. | B.It increases by 1,800 each year. |
C.It has seen a decline in population. | D.It has got a classification upgrade. |
A.Social media makes a difference. | B.Panda habitats are getting smaller. |
C.Government’s commitment is crucial. | D.Setting up new reserves is impossible. |
A.Lazy and monochrome animals. |
B.Lack of support from the World Wildlife Fund. |
C.The emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. |
D.The influence of agricultural and urban development. |
A.A news report. | B.A educational journal. |
C.A travel magazine. | D.A biology textbook. |
【推荐2】Tropical (热带的) forests could become so hot that some kinds of leaves will no longer be able to conduct photosynthesis (光 合 作用), according to a study. The photosynthetic machinery in tropical trees begins to fail at about 46.7℃ on average. The research suggests that forests may be nearing dangerous temperature sooner than expected. Models predict that once we hit a global temperature increase of 3.9℃, these forests might experience mass leaf damage.
Chris Doughty, an associate professor at Northern Arizona University and the lead researcher of the study, said the leaf-warming experiments had revealed a nonlinear rise in temperatures. “We were really surprised that when we warmed leaves by 2, 3 or 4℃, the highest leaf temperatures actually increased by 8℃. This shows a concerning nonlinear feedback that we were not expecting.” said Doughty. “If we adopt a do-nothing response to climate change and tropical forest air temperatures increase by greater than 4℃, there could be massive leaf death.” he added.
Avoiding high emissions (排放) in the first place is key to stabilizing temperatures. “We should do all we can to avoid high-emissions. Under low-emissions, almost all tropical forest tree leaves can avoid death from overheating and the trees will survive,” said Simon Lewis, a professor of global change science at University College London. “Yet what the study doesn’t look at is heatwaves. We still might see tree deaths from overheating for limited periods during heatwaves under lower emissions.”
Researchers suggest that the damage is not yet unchanged. “Vote for people who are serious about addressing climate change and transferring to low-carbon economies, ”Disney, one researcher, advocated. More generally, we can all recognize the importance of supporting those countries and people who live in and rely on tropical forests economically, But the serious changes to tropical forests don’t just affect the local people it’s a global issue.
1. Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “nonlinear” in Paragraph 2?A.Global. | B.Dramatic. | C.Steady. | D.Minor. |
A.Planting more trees. | B.Exploring heatwaves. |
C.Conducting researches. | D.Pursuing low emissions. |
A.Promoting global efforts. |
B.Seeking economic support. |
C.Helping tropical countries. |
D.Boosting low-carbon education. |
A.Global warming harms trees. |
B.Tropical forests lose functions. |
C.Tropical leaves struggle in heat. |
D.Forests near dangerous temperature. |
【推荐3】Looking back at the history of the Earth, thousands of animals have died out. Many animals disappear when their environment changes. For example, some scientists believe that dinosaurs died out because a large meteorite (陨石) fell on Earth from outer space. This changed the weather conditions of our planet. Certain plants became rare, and the huge animals died.
In recent times, more animals have disappeared because of humans. In the early 1900s, animals and plants were dying out at the rate of 27, 000 per year, according to Harvard biologist Edward Wilson. And the number of extinctions continues at a high rate in the twenty-first century.
One of the most important causes of extinction is having no place to live. When populations increase, countries clear land for agriculture and for housing. Forests, wetlands, and grasslands disappear, and humans enter the living areas of animals. Animals lose their land. In East Africa, for example, hundreds of wild animals used to live across the lands. Nowadays elephants are sharing their space with farmers. Few large animals live in national parks.
Another problem that large animals face is hunters who kill elephants for their teeth, tigers for their skin, and so on. The hunters can sell the animal parts for plenty of money. There seems to be no escape for the animals.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, environmental experts saw the need to protect the environment and animals, and they created national parks. The first national park in the world was Yellowstone, in the northwestern United States, built in 1872. Later many other national parks were built around the world. Now there are more than 100 national parks in 120 countries. They help to protect many of the world’s wild animals.
1. What causes more animals to disappear recently?A.Humans, | B.Global warming. |
C.Reducing forests. | D.Climate changes. |
A.For building national parks, | B.For feeding more pets. |
C.For agriculture and for housing. | D.For planting more crops. |
A.The people who love animals. | B.The people who are hurt by animals. |
C.The people who are afraid of animals. | D.The people who kill animals for money. |
A. | B. | C. | D. |
A.To let children learn more about animals. |
B.To call on all the people to protect animals. |
C.To introduce some ways to protect animals. |
D.To show the importance of protecting animals. |
【推荐1】A child plays many roles, such as friend, neighbor, son or daughter. Simply reminding children of that fact can lead to better problem-solving and more flexible (灵活的) thinking, finds a new research from Duke University.
“This is some of the first research on reminding kids about their many roles said lead author Sarah Gaither, a professor at Duke. “Such reminders improve their problem-solving skills and how flexibly they see their social worlds.”
In one experiment, Gaither and her workmates looked at 196 children, aged 6 and 7. All were native English speakers. The first group of children was reminded of their various identities, such as son, daughter, reader or helper. A second group of children was reminded of their many physical features. The rest of the children were reminded of other children’s many roles, not their own.
All the children solved many tasks. The first group of children showed stronger problem-solving and creative thinking skills. For example, when shown pictures of a bear looking at a honey-filled beehive (蜂巢) high up in a tree, these children had more creative ideas for how the bear might get the honey, such as turning over a bowl as a seat.
The second group of children also showed more flexible thinking about social groupings. When asked to group different photos of faces, they suggested many ways to do so. For example, they identified smiling faces VS unsmiling ones, and old VS young faces. The other children mainly grouped people’s faces by race and gender.
“We often only think about ourselves in connection with one important group at a time,” said Christopher Marlowe, a schoolmaster in Durham, North Carolina. “When we remind kids that they have various identities, they think more and remember that there are many other groups. They are more open-minded.”
1. Who is Sarah Gaither?A.A reader. | B.A professor. | C.A reporter. | D.A schoolmaster. |
A.The research was intended for people of all ages. |
B.The first group was reminded of various identities. |
C.Children in the second group are the most creative. |
D.All tasks were solved by the other children. |
A.To remind children of childhood. |
B.To make children more creative. |
C.To show the result of the research. |
D.To inform children of wildlife protection. |
A.Critical. | B.Unclear. | C.Doubtful. | D.Positive. |
【推荐2】Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (依偎) against me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is understanding which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their mind. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental (思想的) break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
1. “The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son ________.A.keeps himself away from his parents | B.begins to dislike his parents |
C.is always busy with his study | D.doesn’t want to be ignored |
A.Their daughter isn’t as lovely as before. |
B.They can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly. |
C.They don’t know what to say to their daughter. |
D.Their daughter talks with them only when she needs help. |
A.Teenagers talk a lot with their friends. | B.Teenagers do not understand their parents. |
C.Teenagers talk little about their own lives. | D.Teenagers do not talk much with their parents. |
A.Parents shouldn’t be angry with teenagers. |
B.Parents have to talk with children face to face. |
C.Parents are unhappy with their growing children. |
D.Parents should try to understand their teenagers. |
【推荐3】Language is always changing. In a society where life continues year after year with few changes, the language does not change, either. The earliest known languages had difficult grammar but a small, limited vocabulary. Over the century, the grammar changed, and the vocabulary grew. For example, the English and Spanish people who came to America during the sixteenth century gave names to all new plants and animals they found. In this way, hundreds of new words were introduced into English and Spanish vocabularies. Today life is changing very fast, and language is changing fast too.
There are several major language families in the world. Some scientists say there are nine main families, but other scientists divide them differently. The languages in each family are connected, and scientists think that they came from the same parent language About 3 percent of the people in the world speak languages that are not in these major families.
1. The early language had ______.A.a lot of problems | B.words and easy grammar |
C.words but no grammar | D.grammar but not many words |
A.stay exactly the same | B.change a great deal |
C.change only a little | D.add more words and drop some grammar |
A.languages change fast |
B.languages really don’t want to change |
C.language changes with changes of society |
D.Spanish and English change |
A.language can change very slowly or very quickly |
B.Though our life changes, our language won’t change. |
C.we should give our plants new names |
D.English and Spanish are the only languages that have changes |