Ways to Reduce Plastic Waste
Plastic has been found virtually in everything these days. Your food is packaged in it. Your car, phone and computer are made from it.
Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to dramatically decrease the amount of plastic waste you produce.
One of the easiest ways to keep plastic out of the landfill is to refuse plastic straws. Simply inform your waiter or waitress that you don’t need one, and be sure to state this clearly when ordering at a drive-through. Can’t stand giving up the convenience of plastic straws?
Use reusable bags
About one million plastic bags are used every minute. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade(降解). If you’re already bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, you’re on the right track. Purchase some reusable bags and help keep even more plastic out of the landfill. However, you should avoid those bags made from nylon or polyester (聚酯纤维).
Use matches
| A．Say no to plastic straws |
| B．Choose cotton ones instead |
| C．Don’t use plastic containers |
| D．Choose matches instead of plastic lighters |
| E．Most restaurants will have no problem with it |
| F．And you might even chew it daily in the form of gum |
| G．Purchase a reusable stainless steel or glass drinking straw |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】What makes a good scientist?
My name is Clara. I am a climate scientist studying tiny particles in the atmosphere which is a layer of gases that surrounds our planet. I have wondered about what makes a good scientist.
Scientific discoveries do not take place overnight. Many are small and go slowly. Missions often take years to complete.
A good scientist has an open mind. It can be easy to ignore people you do not agree with. But we should be open to new ideas and ask people what they think.
Good scientists are curious, but we should also be curious in our daily lives. When we are curious about other people, we can care about them. We can become more understanding.
After all, it is easy to be kind. You can do it anywhere, and a kind action can make someone’s day. You don’t know what people are going through unless you find out. So, ask questions about everything. Ask your friends how they’re doing. Ask yourself what makes you feel alive. Above all, make sure to pay attention to the world and the people around you.
| A．A good scientist has patience |
| B．Don’t be ashamed of being curious |
| C．Sometimes being open can be very harmful |
| D．That is why having patience is so important |
| E．Ask your workmates to have lunch with you |
| F．To me, it is the same as what makes a good person |
| G．We should do this even when we do not agree with them |
【推荐2】How to stop life getting you down
In our life, we can be faced with a lot of troubles. We don’t like to talk about our struggles.
Hobbies don’t just fill time.
Reach out
If you’re struggling or feeling down, always remember that you don’t need to be on your own.
Try to appreciate the little things.
Those that have recovered from a serious illness often say that they’ve been given a new life and that they wake each morning grateful just to be waking up.
| A．Join in social activities. |
| B．Try out a new hobby. |
| C．Instead, we choose to put on a brave face. |
| D．Try to stay in a completely quiet environment. |
| E．Friends will be happy to help and provide support. |
| F．Focusing on life’s little things can help you to feel more positive. |
| G．They also help to give you a sense of purpose and something to be proud of. |
【推荐3】Open Hearts to Life
We often close ourselves off when unlucky events happen in our lives. We try to reduce the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist.
Breathe into pain.
Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away.
I know we’ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses(冲动): when asked, we can’t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had to get done. To start this process, take few deep breaths and then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?” See what comes up, then take action and evaluate the outcome.
Spend time alone.
For most of our lives we’re surrounded by people: our friends, colleagues, family members, and strangers. How often do we really spend time alone? When you spend time in solitude, you’re free from the influences of other people, and can truly open yourself and explore whatever you’d like. See where your thoughts take you.
Get outside of yourself.
| A．Embrace the uncomfortable. |
| B．Ask your heart what it wants. |
| C．In the end, though, we can’t hide from ourselves. |
| D．We should take a step back and re-evaluate our behavior. |
| E．When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it. |
| F．The golden ticket here is to not let yourself become distracted; just see what it’s like to be alone. |
| G．This may seem a little contradictory to the last tip, but in reality, they actually work hand-in-hand. |
One cool April 22 morning, people started the day as usual. Yet it was not a normal day. What’s so special about April 22? The answer is simple. It is Earth Day. People all over the world celebrate this important day. The idea of having a special day to celebrate Earth began in the 1960s. Life was very different then. Few people talked or even thought about the environment. Most people had no idea how dirty our air and water were.
On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans joined the first Earth Day activities. They showed that people really did want to do something about the environment. Since then laws have been passed to protect the air, water, land and animals.
The vehicles such as cars and buses you ride in must pass tests to make sure they don’t cause too much pollution. Thanks to this law, cars today release about half as many bad chemicals as cars did back in 1970. As a result, the air we breathe is cleaner than it once was.
Rivers and lakes are also cleaner today than they were in the 1970s. It’s a good thing because they needed a lot of help. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted that rubbish and oil on the river even caught fire! Today, the river is cleaner. It no longer burns. It’s healthy enough for birds, fish and other animals.
Now the celebration has spread to other countries. More than 175 countries take part each year.
In 2007, people in China paid much attention to a big problem. People were throwing away 27 million plastic bags a day! People had “Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week”. They wanted everyone to see how polluted it was to throw away so many plastic bags. In 2008, China passed new laws against them.
Every April 22, millions get together to clean and protect Earth. They also celebrate how far we have come. Our job is to put this knowledge to work. You can help keep our planet healthy too!
1. What is so special about April 22? (no more than 5 words)2. When did twenty million Americans join the first Earth Day activities? (no more than 5 words)
3. What caught fire on the Cuyahoga River? (no more than 5 words)
4. How many countries take part in the celebration each year now? (no more than 3 words)
5. What can you do to celebrate Earth Day? (no more than 20 words)
【推荐2】They give us paper and fuel, as well as vital ecological services-like cleaning the air, storing carbon and providing habitat. We’re talking about trees, of course. But human changes to the environment largely appear to be causing profound transformations in trees around the world.
In a new study, scientists reviewed global research on trends in tree seedlings (籽苗), growth and death. They combined those data with an analysis of deforestation. And they found that worldwide, older trees are dying at a higher rate than in the past due to factors like rising air temperature, wildfires, drought and pathogens (病原菌).
“And most of the drivers of that decrease in large, old trees are increasing themselves, such as temperature is going up, droughts are more severe, wildfires, windstorms and deforestation are all on the increase—although variable across the globe — they’re generally increasing. And so for both the loss has already occurred, but we expect more continued loss of big, old trees,” said Nate McDowell, an earth scientist at Pacific Northwest National Lab, who was one of the study’s authors.
“So if we have an increasing rate of death, particularly of the larger, older trees, what’s left are the younger trees. So that’s why, on average, through the loss of bigger, older trees, our forests are becoming naturally younger and shorter.”
This is a problem, because old trees are vitally (至关重要) important.
“For sure, the increase in death does limit the carbon storage (储存) of an ecosystem and can force the system to become a carbon source to the atmosphere. The second reason we care is from a biodiversity (生物多样性) perspective (角度): Old trees tend to house a higher biodiversity than young forests do. And another reason is beauty: As a society, we care about these trees. We have national parks named after these big trees. So there’s a personal reason for people to care about this as well.”
1. What’s the result of the new study?| A．Trees are disappearing in a rapid way. |
| B．The global climate is becoming warmer and warmer. |
| C．Older trees are dying at a higher rate than before. |
| D．Wildfires, drought and pathogens happen more often than before. |
| A．Operators. | B．Factors. | C．Researchers. | D．Participants. |
| A．Forests are dying out. |
| B．It’s hard to prevent the death of forests. |
| C．Younger trees are growing faster than older trees. |
| D．The forests are becoming younger and younger. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
【推荐3】Durham County will use a combination of recycled tyres and plastic waste to create more long-lasting and environmentally friendly road surfaces.
Concrete and cement (水泥) are responsible for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions (排放) globally and with a lot of the cement produced today used for the surfacing of roads, many organizations are looking for alternative materials that are less costly to the environment.
In a bid to reduce their carbon foot print, Durham has announced that they will be working with the road surfacing builder, Rainton Construction, to create roads that will be resurfaced with plastic and tyre waste.
A typical single truck load of the surfacing material amounts to 1, 064 plastic bags and 51 car tyres. Rubber from tyres was previously an un-recyclable material, but Rainton Construction will combine waste from the tyre recycling process, with plastic and tarmac (柏油路) to create a more long-lasting road surface.
The combination of the rubber and the plastic improves the performance of the road. The materials provide a water-resistance surface that reduces the damage caused by freezing weather and is less likely to break and change shapes in hot weather. The new surface is also expected to last longer than traditional materials and when the road surface needs replacing, the materials can be reprocessed and used again.
Managing director of Rainton Constructions, David Elliot said, “It is great for us as a business to have a partner like Durham County who are as enthusiastic as we are about the re-use of end of life wastes, that would normally be got rid of. We have and will continue to spend money on the development of these products in order to maximize our findings and obtain the best value both economically (经济上) and environmentally.”
In related news, researchers at the University of the West of England, Bristol, stated that recycled waste material could play a major role in the construction of roads in Europe, bringing both environmental and economic benefits.
1. What does the author think of the new road surface?| A．It’s very easy to make. | B．It’s made of concrete and cement. |
| C．It’s less costly to the environment. | D．It’s more likely to break in hot weather. |
| A．The materials of the new road surface. | B．The benefits of the new road surface. |
| C．How to make the new road surface. | D．Why to make the new road surface. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. | C．Favorable. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．Tech & Science. | B．Entertainment. | C．Art & Culture. | D．Business. |
