【推荐1】San Francisco’s waterfront (海滨) is on the National Register of Historic Places for good reason.

Its beautiful old landmarks, like the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge, have been seen in many books, TV shows and movies—from the stories and novels of Jack London to the 1970s TV series The Streets of San Francisco. The future of San Francisco’s waterfront, however, isn’t safe.

In 2016, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put part of the city’s shoreline on its list of the U. S.’s most endangered historic places, in part because of the threat of sea level rise. The waterfront landmarks of many cities are under increasing threat from floods and rising sea levels brought on by human-driven climate change. St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy and the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles face similar challenges to San Francisco.

“The whole issue of climate change and historic preservation intersects (交织) right at the waterfront,” said Elaine Forbes, director of the Port of San Francisco. As she watched the boats come and go on a sunny afternoon, Forbes said, “Sea level rise hasn’t historically been as much of a threat to San Francisco as major earthquakes.” However, that’s changed. Parts of the main road that runs along the waterfront have flooded from heavy rains in recent years. The state estimates (预估) the water could rise up to about two and a half feet above its present level by 2060, and possibly up to seven feet by the turn of the century.

Now, San Francisco is considering measures to save its historic shoreline. But the growing magnitude and frequency of the climate-related threats, the high costs and effort needed in saving heritage sites, and competing ideas about what’s worth saving and what isn’t, can make it hard for cities to know what to do first.

1. What is San Francisco’s waterfront famous for?

A．Old landmarks.	B．Famous beaches.
C．Beautiful bridges.	D．Comfortable climate.

2. What challenge is the waterfront facing?

A．The loss of public support.	B．The threat from rising sea levels.
C．The influence of tourist activities.	D．The competition from other cities.

3. Why is the earthquake mentioned in paragraph 4?

A．To give an example of existing threats.	B．To stress the seriousness of sea level rise.
C．To compare different types of natural disasters.	D．To show the difficulty in the waterfront protection.

4. What can be learned from the text?

A．Heritage sites are in ruins.	B．Threats have been removed.
C．The shoreline has been flooded.	D．Solutions are under consideration.

【推荐2】    1     “Green” is more than just a color. It also means taking special steps to protect the environment—the water, the land, and the air we breathe. Why green? Plants are green, and without them the earth wouldn't be such a lovely home for us human beings.

Sometimes people call ours a “throwaway society”. That means we are always throwing away old things and buying new ones.     2     For example, if your brother is old enough not to play with his plastic bike, why not give it to another family who has a little kid so that they don't need to buy one? And one less large plastic toy doesn't need to be produced.

    3     Many organizations will pick it up right in front of your house and some towns even require(要求) it. Make sure you encourage everyone in your house to think whether things can be reused or recycled before they're thrown away.

Almost everyone likes traveling. But next time before you travel around the world, take a look at your own backyard. Is there a place where you could plant a tree or put in a little fruit or vegetable garden? If so, get there and get your hands dirty. Then you can watch with pride as your tree takes root, and your garden plants grow into big plants full of ripe, red tomatoes or tiny-juicy blueberries.     4    .

A．Who knew being green would taste so good?

B．Recycling (收利用) has never been easier.

C．Many times, if you no longer need something, someone else just might need it.

D．You'd better not eat when you are traveling.

E．What does it mean to be green?

【推荐3】Before 2019, an estimated 500 million plastic straws (吸管) were used in the U.S. alone every single day, according to the National Geographic. Since then, they have been banned in numerous states, encouraging many businesses to offer paper alternatives in an attempt to cut plastic waste.

But, according to a new study, published in the journal Food Additives and Contaminants, these straws come with their own problems.

“Straws made from plant-based materials, such as paper and bamboo, are often advertised as being more sustainable and eco-friendly than those made from plastic,” Thimo Groffen, an environmental scientist at the University of Antwerp in Belgium who is involved in the study, said in a statement. “However, the presence of PFAS (全氟和多氟烷基物质) in these straws means that’s not necessarily true.” After analyzing 39 different brands, Groffen and his team found that paper straws were more likely to contain toxic-forever chemicals than those using other materials.

These forever chemicals, known as PFAS, can be found in a range of everyday products. And they can lead to increased blood cholesterol and blood pressure, reduced immunity and an increased risk of certain cancers. Not only are these chemicals dangerous to human health, but they can build up in the environment too.

Of the brands tested, 90 percent of paper straws contained these chemicals, compared to 75 percent made of plastic and 40 percent of glass. They were not detected in any of the steel straws investigated.

The study did not test whether the PFAS could leach out into (浸入) the surrounding liquid so further tests are needed to determine the full impact of these products. While more work is needed, the study has highlighted that paper and bamboo straws are perhaps not as “clean” as they claim to be.

1. Why have plastic straws been banned in many states?

A．They are likely to get dirty.	B．They contain PFAS chemicals.
C．They are not sustainable and eco-friendly.	D．They can lead to increased blood pressure.

2. What does Paragraph 4 intend to highlight?

A．The origin of PFAS.	B．The ways to cope with PFAS.
C．The brief introduction of PFAS.	D．The potential risks associated with PFAS.

3. Which type of straw was found to have the highest percentage of containing PFAS?

A．Paper straws.	B．Plastic straws.
C．Glass straws.	D．Steel straws.

4. What is the main point of the study mentioned in the article?

A．Plastic straws are the most dangerous to human health.

B．PFAS chemicals can leach out into the surrounding liquid.

C．Paper straws might not be better for you or the environment.

D．Paper and bamboo straws are more sustainable than plastic straws.