【推荐3】Food made from atmospheric carbon could feed the world while helping to fight climate change, according to Solar Foods, a Finnish company founded in 2017.“We can collect CO2 anywhere,” said its CEO Pasi Vainika, whose company has developed a protein powder made using CO2. “That’s a strategic shift where raw materials are in the air. ” The protein powder, called Solein, can be turned into meat and dairy substitutes or added tofoods and shakes.

Solar Foods uses special units to pull CO2 from the atmosphere. To turn it into protein,microbes (微 物),similar to those in the production of wine and yogurt, will be fed on it to grow and reproduce. During the process, water is split into hydrogen and oxygen. Along with a growth medium containing necessary minerals, the three gases are pumped in to feed the microbes. Harvested and dried, that remaining mixture becomes Solein—a yellow powder made up of single-cell protein, with a nutrient composition similar to wheat flour.

Solar Foods claims that Solein removes most of the emissions associated with modern agriculture, which is responsible for almost one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. “One kilogram of Solein sends out 0.2 kilogram of CO2e(二 氧化碳当量).In comparison.beef herds produce around 100 kilograms and chicken 10 kilograms,” said Vainikka. “ We can rermove the climate impact of modern food systems on the planet, which today account for about 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.” He further stressed that while the company’s factories also require some land used for industrial farming, only about one-tenth of the land is needed compared to photosynthesis (光合作用）. “We could free up agricultural land to grow back forests,” he added, “and those remove carbon permanently from the atmosphere.”

Probably optimists are now contenting themselves with the pleasant scene of masses of trees absorbing CO2: on the planet. However, while that may sound great, Vainikka put it right, “It can happen only if we produce enough Solein from CO, to replace meat and dairy at a large scale.”And that still remains a long way to go.

1. What can we say about Solein?

A．It is in the air.	B．It can be changed into meat.
C．It can take in CO2.	D．It is good for the environment.

2. What are needed to produce Solein according to Paragraph 2?

A．Wine and water.	B．Water and minerals.
C．Mierobes and yogurt.	D．Wine and microbes.

3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us about Solein?

A．Its present situation.	B．Its possible benefits.
C．Its production process.	D．Its potential drawbacks.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Air Protein Produced, CO, Reduced

B．Collecting Air, Removing CO2

C．Climate Changing, Danger Coming

D．Protect Earth, Save Ourselves

【推荐1】Philadelphia in the US passed a significant soda tax proposal that will levy (征税) 1.5 cents per liquid ounce on distributors.

Philadelphia’s new measure was approved by a 13-to-4 city council vote. It sets a new bar for similar initiatives across the country. It is proof that taxes on sugary drinks can win substantial support outside super-liberal areas. Until now, the only city to successfully pass and implement a soda tax was Berkeley, California, in 2014.

The tax will apply to regular and diet sodas, as well as other drinks with added sugar, such as Gatorade and iced teas. It’s expected to raise $410 million over the next five years, most of which will go towards funding a universal pre-kindergarten programme for the city.

While the city council vote was met with applause inside the council room, opponents to the measure, including soda lobbyists, made sharp criticisms and a promise to challenge the tax in court.

“The tax passed today unfairly singles out beverages — including low and no-calorie choices,” said Lauren Kane, spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association. “But most importantly, it is against the law. So we will side with the majority of the people of Philadelphia who oppose this tax and take legal action to stop it.”

An industry-backed anti-tax campaign has spent at least $4 million on advertisements. The ads criticized the measure, characterizing it as a “grocery tax”.

Public health groups applauded the approved tax as a step towards fixing certain lasting health issues that plague Americans. “The move to recapture a small part of the profits from an industry that pushes a product that contributes to diabetes, obesity and heart disease in poorer communities in order to reinvest in those communities will sure be inspirational to many other places,” said Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food America. “Indeed, we are already hearing from some of them. It’s not ‘just Berkeley’ any more.”

Similar measures in California’s Albany, Oakland, San Francisco and Colorado’s Boulder are becoming hot-button issues. Health advocacy groups have hinted that even more might be coming.

1. What does the passage say about the newly-approved soda tax in Philadelphia?

A．It will change the lifestyle of many consumers.

B．It may encourage other US cities to follow suit.

C．It will cut soda consumption among low-income communities.

D．It may influence the marketing strategies of the soda business.

2. What will the opponents probably do to respond to the soda tax proposal?

A．Bargain with the city council.	B．Refuse to pay additional tax.
C．Take legal action against it.	D．Try to win public support.

3. What did the industry-backed anti-tax campaign do about the soda tax proposal?

A．It tried to arouse hostile feelings among consumers.

B．It tried to win grocers’ support against the measure.

C．It kept sending letters of protest to the media.

D．It criticized the measure through advertising.

4. What did public health groups think the soda tax would do?

A．Alert people to the risk of sugar-induced diseases.

B．Help people to fix certain long-time health issues.

C．Add to the fund for their research on diseases.

D．Benefit low-income people across the country.

【推荐1】Carbon Footprint: Definition & Facts

You know you leave a footprint when you walk around with wet foot.     1     This lesson will teach you what a carbon footprint is, what causes carbon footprints, and what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.

What is a carbon footprint?

    2     Most scientists believe that carbon dioxide and other gases like it are contributing to global warming or the slow climate change of our planet. Global warning causes lots of problems for animals and people.

    3    

Electricity

People use electricity in their homes to turn on lights, plug in(接通电源)kitchen appliances like a microwave, and even watch TV or play video games. When you use electricity in your home, you are not creating carbon dioxide, but the power plants that create your electricity do emit carbon dioxide. Power plants that use coal for energy create the most carbon dioxide.

The Environmental protection Agency (EPA) says that electricity is responsible for the largest part of most carbon footprints.

Gas Heating

    4     Most homes use oil, natural gas, or electricity to heat their home in the winter, and all of theses sources create carbon dioxide. The amount of carbon dioxide that each family uses depends on how high they run the heat and what kind of fuel they use.

Cars

Cars are another thing that contributes to your carbon footprint.     5     Other forms of transportation, like buses, trains, and planes, also increase a carbon footprint.

A．Causes of carbon footprint.

B．But what is a carbon footprint?

C．Ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

D．The car you use would lead to climate change.

E．This happens because the gas that your car uses to run produces carbon dioxide.

F．The EPA says that gas heating is the second largest source of carbon dioxide emission.

G．Every time you use a fossil fuel, like coal or gas, you create a gas called carbon dioxide.

【推荐2】For Cruz, who grew up in Peru’s mountainous region of Cuzco, fog represents a massive opportunity. As a boy, he had to hike for more than an hour every day across hills to collect water from the nearest source. But over time, he realized that during the rainy season, droplets of water would gather in the large leaves of banana trees. So one day he and his father tried to build a canal system with the leaves to collect water and it turned out a success. But afterwards, he moved to Lima at the age of 25.

There, shocked by the water shortages and expensive water supply that some of the city’s poorest residents were faced with, Cruz set up El Movimiento Peruanos sin Agua in 2005. The idea was to deploy the method he learned in his hometown on a larger scale, which would provide free, independently sourced and easily accessible water to those who needed it most. He began installing (安装) a traditional fog catcher model developed in the 1980s.

At the highest point of Los Tres Miradores, there is a curious set of large structures that resemble a fleet of ships in the sky. They are so-called “fog catchers”. Netted devices, made of high density Raschel polyethylene and spanning several meters wide, are lined up at the top of a misty mound and linked by a network of tubes that lead to storage containers. The 40 fog catchers there provide enough water for 180 families, whether to bathe, clean, drink or to irrigate crops on small garden patches.

Supporters believe that fog catchers have the potential to improve water supply for communities around the world among the ever-challenging circumstances. German researcher Lummerich says, “They are cheap, easy to construct.” In a world searching for water supply systems, it is one important puzzle piece that can make an essential difference locally.

However, there are some issues. For one, fog catchers require space, which is not always easy to come by in cities, let alone urban slums. At the same time, fog catchers must be properly cleaned and maintained to stay effective. Most crucially, appropriate climate conditions are required. Fog isn’t everywhere.

1. What does the underlined word “deploy” probably mean in paragraph 2?

A．Employ.

B．Adjust.

C．Design.

D．Study.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The reason why Cruz installed fog catchers.

B．The difficulties of constructing a canal system.

C．The installation and benefits of fog catchers.

D．The inspiration Cruz gained to build a canal system.

3. What is the biggest challenge associated with the use of fog catchers?

A．High costs.	B．Public opposition.
C．Space limitation.	D．Climate conditions.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．Urban Areas: A Struggle for Sufficient Water

B．Innovative Water Collection Techniques in Peru

C．The Global Water Crisis and Possible Solutions

D．Fog Catchers: A Local Solution with Global Potential

【推荐3】Aristotle was among the first thinkers to become interested in the red snow on Mount Parnassus in the 4th century BC. The Greek philosopher owed the colour to hairy worms living in freezing conditions at high altitude. The phenomenon has puzzled scientists ever since. Now a team of French researchers find that snow is getting redder all the time.

The red is indeed produced by organisms in the snow - not by hairy worms, but by microalgae(微藻类)that inhabit ecosystems up to 3, 000 metres above sea level. The microalgae that are green and invisible in the winter become loaded with pigments(色素)in the summer which protect them from the sun, turning the snow reddish. It's when the sun's rays become strong that the microalgae create a protective layer of red molecules(分子) that are like a sun cream.

The researchers say on their website, “The appearance of ‘red snows’ seems to be more and more frequent at high altitudes, as well as in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.” One explanation for the spread of red snows could be global warming, the scientists say. Microalgae capture carbon dioxide when exposed to light, turning it into organic matter and placing it at the foundation of ecosystems in soil, water and snow. With climate change, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing. “It is therefore expected that certain microalgae respond positively to this increase, behaving as markers of climate change,” the website says.

Yet scientists are unsure about what impact the microalgae have on melting glaciers and snow. They suspect that because the red pigments absorb the heat they are accelerating environmental change. “Even if it is fantastic to see microalgae developing in the snow, one of the consequences is... the disappearance of their environment,” the researchers added.

1. What caused the red snow according to the Greek philosopher?

A．High altitude.	B．A kind of worms.
C．The microalgae.	D．The freezing conditions

2. Why do the microalgae turn red in the summer?

A．To generate a sun cream.

B．To be loaded with pigments.

C．To attract people's attention.

D．To defend themselves from the sun.

3. What can we learn about the red snow in paragraph 3?

A．It can contribute to global warming.

B．It can indicate the rise of carbon dioxide.

C．It increases carbon dioxide in ecosystems.

D．It disappears from the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Red snow sends a warning.

B．Microalgae grow in red snow.

C．Microalgae stand climate change.

D．Red snow dances at high altitude.