Today, you can buy a pair of sneakers (运动鞋) partially made from carbon dioxide pulled out of the atmosphere. But measuring the carbon-reduction benefits of making that pair of sneakers with carbon dioxide is complex. There’s the carbon dioxide that stayed in the ground, a definite carbon reduction. But what about the energy cost of cooling the carbon dioxide into liquid form and transporting it to a production facility? And what about when your kid outgrows the shoes in six months and they can’t be recycled into a new product because those systems aren’t in place yet?
Researchers are trying to help companies figure out how to account for each step in a product’s life.
As companies try to reduce their carbon footprint, many are doing life cycle assessments to measure the full carbon cost of products, from the obtaining of materials to energy use in manufacturing, from product transport to users’ behavior and end-of-life disposal (处理). It’s an impressively complex measurement, but such bean-counting is needed to hold the planet to a livable temperature, says low-carbon systems expert Andrea Ramirez Ramirez of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Carbon use can be reduced at many points along the production chain—by using renewable energy in the manufacturing process, for instance, or by adding atmospheric carbon dioxide to the product. But if other points along the chain like transporting consume more energy or give off more carbon dioxide, Andrea notes, the final record may show a decrease rather than a reduction. A product is carbon-reduction only when its production actually removes carbon from the environment, temporarily or permanently.
In the rush to create products that can fight climate change, however, some companies have been charged with “greenwashing”—making products appear more environmentally friendly than they really are. Examples include labeling (用标签表明) plastic garbage bags as recyclable when their whole purpose is to be thrown away; using labels such as “eco-friendly” or “100% Natural” without official certification; and claiming a better carbon footprint without acknowledging the existence of even better choices.
1. How does the author lead in the topic of the text?| A．By listing specific figures. | B．By putting up questions. |
| C．By referring to documents. | D．By offering some solutions. |
| A．Difficult but meaningful. | B．Expensive but promising. |
| C．Energy-saving and affordable. | D．Time-consuming and valueless. |
| A．Using renewable energy in production. |
| B．Changing carbon dioxide into material. |
| C．Reducing carbon footprint in products’ life. |
| D．Cutting down carbon dioxide in transporting. |
| A．Companies are sparing no efforts to reduce carbon use. |
| B．Plastic garbage bags must be labeled as “eco-friendly”. |
| C．Most products are less environmentally friendly than before. |
| D．There is a long way to cut some companies’ ”greenwashing“. |
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【推荐1】China suffers choking smog, mass destruction of habitats and food poisoned with heavy metals. But ask an environmentalist what is the country’s biggest problem, and the answer is always the same. “Water is the worst,” says Wang Tao, of the Carnegie Tsinghua Centre in Beijing, “because of its shortage, and because of its pollution.” “Without water，”agrees Pan Jiahua, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, “people cannot survive in a desert.” Wang Shucheng，a former water minister, once said, “To fight for every drop of water or die. That is the challenge facing China.” He was not exaggerating (夸大).
China uses 600 billion cubic meters of water a year. The national average hides an even more alarming regional difference. Four fifths of China’s water is in the south, particularly the Yangtze river basin. Half the people and two thirds of the farmland are in the north, including the Yellow River basin. Beijing has the sort of water shortage usually associated with Saudi Arabia: just 100 cubic meters per person a year.
China is using up water at an unsustainable (无法可持续的)rate. As if that were not bad enough, ______. The Yellow River is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, a third of the water is unfit even for agriculture. Four thousand petrochemical factories are built on its banks.
The water available for use is thus so bad. Song Lanhe, chief engineer for urban water quality monitoring at the housing ministry, says only half the water sources in cities are safe to drink. More than half the groundwater in the north China plain cannot be used for industry, while seven tenths is unfit for human contact, even for washing.
The best answer would be to improve the efficiency with which water is used. Only about 40% of water used in industry is recycled，half as much as in Europe. The rest is dumped in rivers and lakes. Wang Zhansheng of Tsinghua University argues that China is neglecting its urban water infrastructure (基础设施)、leading to more waste. Water prices in most cities are only about a tenth of the level in big European cities, yet the government is unwilling to raise them, for fear of a popular criticism. The result is that China’s “water productivity” is low.
Rather than making wise reforms in pricing and water protection, China is focusing on increasing supplies. The best known such project is the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze. But this year an even vaster project 一 the South North Water Diversion Project (南水北调工程)-is due to start. It will link the Yangtze with the Yellow River, taking water from the wet south to the dry north. When finished, it is intended to deliver 45 billion cubic meters of water a year and to cost a total of 486 billion yuan ($79.4 billion).
The environmental damage could be huge. The Yangtze is already seriously polluted. The project so far has reduced the quantity of underwater life in the Yangtze by over two thirds. And that was before it even opened. Ma Jun. China's best known environmental activist, says the government’s preference for giant engineering projects only makes matters worse, “causing us to hit the limits of our water resources”. The water crisis is driving China to desperate but eventually unhelpful measures.
1. From the first two paragraphs we know that ___________.| A．water is badly polluted in most of the area of China |
| B．the water in China is unfit for people to survive in a desert |
| C．Wang Shucheng was sad about China’s future |
| D．people in North China are facing a more serious water shortage |
| A．China is polluting what little water it has left. |
| B．The biggest damage of the water shortage could be political. |
| C．300 dead bodies were found floating in the Yellow River near Lanzhou. |
| D．The Chinese government has reacted, to water problems by huge but harm fill projects. |
| A．a vast and significant project | B．a huge and promising project |
| C．a giant but unsuccessful project | D．a costly but effective project |
| A．there is no good way for China to solve the problem of water crisis |
| B．more giant projects like the Three Gorges should be built |
| C．it is urgent for China to deal with the crisis of water shortage and pollution |
| D．China should put forward other efficient ways instead of those giant engineering projects |
【推荐2】Wildlife populations around the world are facing dramatic declines, according to new figures that have led environmental campaigners to call for urgent action to rescue the natural world. The 2022 Living Planet Index (LPI), produced by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), reveals that studied populations of mammals, birds, reptiles (爬行动物) and fish have seen an average decline of 69 per cent since 1970, faster than previous predictions. The LPI tracked global biodiversity between 1970 and 2018, based on the monitoring of 31,821 populations of 5230 vertebrate (脊椎动物) species. Mark Wright of WWF says the degree of decline is destructive and continues to worsen. “We are not seeing any really positive signs that we are beginning to bend the curve of nature,” he says.
Freshwater vertebrates have been among the hardest-hit populations, with monitored populations showing an average decline of 83 per cent since 1970. The Amazon pink river dolphin, for example, has experienced a 65 per cent decline in its population between 1994 and 2016. Meanwhile, some of the most biodiverse regions of the world are seeing the steepest falls in wildlife, with the Caribbean and central and south America seeing average wildlife population declined by 94 per cent since 1970. Habitat loss and reduction is the largest driver of wildlife loss in all regions around the world, followed by species overexploitation by hunting, fishing or poaching (偷猎).
In December, governments from around the world will gather in Montreal, Canada, for the COP15 Biodiversity Framework, a much-delayed summit that aims to agree on a set of new targets intended to prevent the loss of animals, plants and habitats globally by 2030. “This is a once-in-a-decade opportunity that’s coming up,” says Robin Freeman of ZSL. He says it is vital that governments use the summit to agree on “meaningful, well measurable targets and goals”. “We need governments to take action to ensure that those goals deal with the complicated combined threats of climate change and biodiversity, in order for us to see a meaningful action,” says Freeman. But some researchers are critical of the LPI’s use of a headline figure of decline, warning it is easy to be misunderstood.
The findings don’t mean all species or populations worldwide are in decline. In fact, approximately half the populations show a stable or increasing trend, and half show a declining trend. “I think a more appropriate and useful way to look at it is to focus on specific species or populations,” says Hannah Ritchie at Our World in Data. But Wright says the LPI is a useful tool that reflects the findings of other biodiversity indicators. “All of those show they all scream there is something going really very badly wrong,” says Wright.
1. What does the underlined phrase in the first paragraph mean?| A．Loving and protecting nature. | B．Preserving the diversity of nature. |
| C．Underestimating the benefits of nature. | D．Destroying and changing nature. |
| A．the number of Amazon dolphins is on the rise |
| B．freshwater vertebrates are at risk of extinction |
| C．there are no positive measures to protect nature |
| D．some of the world’s wild animals are in decline |
| A．It makes sense to focus on a particular species. |
| B．Preventing the loss of habitats by 2030 is certain to happen. |
| C．New agreement on the prevention of habitat loss will be in vain. |
| D．The Caribbean wildlife has been well protected in recent decades. |
| A．The COP15 Biodiversity Framework |
| B．Wildlife Population Declining Sharply |
| C．Urgent Action to Save the Earth |
| D．Correct Interpretation of LPI |
【推荐3】Songs of Disappearance is a 24-minute album of endangered birdcalls recorded by Australia’s best wildlife sound recordist, David Stewart. It sold over 2,000 copies and shows the love of Australians who want to help their native species — with all proceeds (收益) going to conservation of our feathered friends.
Its genesis came when Stephen Garnett, a conservation professor at Charles Darwin University, finished the2020 Action Plan for Australian Birds, a set of recommendations that found 1 in 6 native species are threatened with extinction. He had a conversation with his Ph.D. student Anthony Albrecht, a classical cellist (大提琴手) and one-half of a two-person multimedia company called the Bowerbird Collective.
Albrecht asked his advisor if there was anything Bowerbird Collective could do to make people aware of the action plan. That was when they discussed the idea of an album. “I knew it was an ambitious thing to suggest and — I don’t know — Stephen’s a little bit crazy like me, and he said, let's do this,” Albrecht tells NPR. The other half of Bowerbird, the violinist Simone Slattery, arranged a musical collage (拼贴) of all 53 birds on the record, while the remaining tracks are each bird’s individual songs recorded by Stewart.
“We did it! Thanks to your incredible support we reached Number 3 in the ARIA charts, ahead of Taylor Swift, ABBA, Mariah Carey and Michael Buble,” the organizers wrote on their website, noting the Christmas-time bump given to the latter.
All proceeds of the album were donated to BirdLife Australia, which helped in production.
Some of the singing comes from birds that are Critically-Endangered, and one bird, the Night Parrot, wasn’t even known to science until 2013. “The golden bowerbird sounds like a death ray from some cheesy 70s sci-fi series,” says Sean Dooley, the national public affairs manager at BirdLife Australia.
1. What does the underlined word “genesis” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Conversation. | B．Change. | C．Record. | D．Beginning |
| A．David Stewart. | B．Anthony Albrecht. | C．Simone Slattery. | D．Sean Dooley. |
| A．To state the popularity of the album. |
| B．To compare different musical styles. |
| C．To stress the influence of the album. |
| D．To show Taylor Swift’s love for the album. |
| A．To record a new album. |
| B．To preserve endangered birds. |
| C．To donate to charity organizations. |
| D．To expand the multimedia company. |
【推荐1】How many phone numbers can you remember by heart? It’s probably fewer than you would like. Actually, you’re not alone. Some said that they couldn’t recall the phone numbers of their friends and neighbors. And others said that they couldn’t remember their relatives, phone numbers. In their eyes, there is no point in filling their heads with phone numbers if they’re all stored in smart phones that are with them almost all the time.
In fact, most people are suffering from a sort of digital amnesia(健忘). More than 90%℉ those agreed that they used the Internet as an online extension of their brains. Rote memorization(死记硬背) was once an important part of education, but we just need a click the computer or slide now. That’s making us worse at remembering things.
However, I believe that there are more risks to this new world of memory beyond losing our ability to recall some information such as who the 15th President was. That kind of information may always be a click away, but the important things are personal ones, like the way your parents smile at your wedding. It’s harder to recall or find online. If you’re relying on yourself to keep track of those memories, they will be much more meaningful.
1. Paragraph 1 is mainly used to ________.| A．serve as the background of memory | B．introduce the topic |
| C．explain a new research | D．study people’s memory |
| A．Dealing with too many things. |
| B．Seldom thinking about questions. |
| C．Relying on the Internet too much. |
| D．The changes of their meme. |
| A．Worried. | B．Optimistic. | C．Disappointed. | D．Confident. |
【推荐2】Money doesn’t grow on trees but gold does. Scientists in Western Australia claim to have made a new discovery—they have found gold in the leaves and branches of trees. The researchers believe that the trees suck up the gold from deep underground, over 30 metres down. The discovery has been described as the first of its kind in the world.
Australian gold exploration companies are pleased because it will make finding gold cheaper. Rather than drilling deep holes to find gold, they will be able to examine tree leaves and branches. The trees show what is happening under the earth’s surface. There is only a tiny amount of gold in the leaves. It would take 500 trees to make one gold ring. The gold is found using a special X-ray machine and a powerful microscope, which scan the leaves and branches.
The claim is that this is the first time that gold particles have been found in living material. However, this might not be true. Ancient Chinese wisdom understood the connection between plants and the precious stones and minerals underneath them. They used plant life to find minerals — and that was thousands of years ago. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was written in a book that a certain plant grew only near deposits (矿床) of gold. Over the next 2,000 years, Chinese people wrote about different plants and how they grew, showing where minerals and precious stones such as jade, copper, lead, silver and gold were Even more importantly, in the 1000s, Su Song described how Portulaca plants could yield mercury if crushed, dried and allowed to decay (腐烂). That was certainly the first time ever that a metal was obtained from a plant.
The Previous Secrets of the Realm of the King of Xin, written during the Ming Dynasty, described how different metals were observed and extracted (提炼) from certain plants. This knowledge was unknown in the rest of the world until about 1600, when a British man realised that oak trees grew larger and greener where there was alum in the ground. Maybe ancient Chinese knowledge has more to teach modern scientists.
1. According to Australian scientists, where can gold be probably found?| A．In the roots of trees. | B．In the leaves of trees. |
| C．In the trees everywhere. | D．In the underground near trees. |
| A．By drilling deep holes in the trees. |
| B．By cutting the leaves of trees into pieces. |
| C．By examining the surface of the ground under the trees. |
| D．By scanning the leaves and branches using a special microscope. |
| A．Australian scientists. | B．Su Song. |
| C．Ancient Chinese people. | D．A British man. |
| A．using examples | B．making comparisons |
| C．listing figures | D．analyzing effects |
【推荐3】Piaget’s theory of cognitive(认知的) development is a theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. It was first created by the Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980). The theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it . Piaget’s theory is mainly known as a developmental stage theory.
To Piaget, cognitive development was a progressive reorganization of mental processes resulting from biological maturation and environmental experience. He believed that children construct an understanding of the world around them, experience differences between what they already know and what they discover in their environment, and then adjust their ideas accordingly. Besides, Piaget claimed that cognitive development is at the center of the human organism, and language is depending on knowledge and understanding acquired through cognitive development.
Piaget’s earlier work received the greatest attention. Child-centered classrooms and "open education" are direct applications of Piaget’s views. Despite its huge success, Piaget’s theory is not perfect and Piaget has recognized it himself: for example, the theory supports sharp stages rather than continuous development.
Piaget noted that reality is a dynamic system of continuous change. Reality is defined (给……下定义) in reference to the two conditions that define dynamic systems. Specifically, he argued that reality involves transformations and states. Transformations refer to all manner of changes that a thing or person can experience. States refer to the conditions or the appearances in which things or persons can be found between transformations. For example, there might be changes in shape or form , in size, or in placement or location in space and time. Thus, Piaget argued, if human intelligence is to be adaptive, it must have functions to represent both the transformational and the static aspects of reality.
1. What does the underlined "it" in the first paragraph refer to?| A．The theory. |
| B．Cognitive development. |
| C．The knowledge itself. |
| D．The development of human intelligence. |
| A．has some limitations |
| B．applied "open education" |
| C．wasn’t well received in the beginning |
| D．is about human nature and development |
| A．Space and time. |
| B．Transformations and states. |
| C．Changes in shape and form. |
| D．The conditions and the appearances. |
| A．Piaget’s contribution to a theory |
| B．The applications of Piaget’s theory |
| C．The development of Piaget’s theory |
| D．Piaget’s theory of cognitive development |
【推荐1】The day will come when renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal and others replace fossil fuels as the major source of world energy. However, most analysts insist that this day will not arrive for many decades to come — certainly well past the middle of the century. Systems of fossil fuels have already been firmly set up, and it is too costly or impractical to replace the existing systems with renewables. But there are good reasons to believe that the transition (转变) to renewables will come much faster than previously thought.
It is hardly surprising that many experts say we will see a relatively slow transition from fossil fuels to renewables, given what is known about previous energy changes of this sort. “Energy transitions take a long time,” observed Vaclav Smil of the University of Manitoba. It took more than 50 years for coal to replace wood as the world’s leading source of energy and another 50 years for oil to replace coal; the change from fossil fuels to renewables, he argued, is not likely to come any faster.
Under ordinary circumstances, Smil’s forecast would no doubt prove accurate. But these are not ordinary times. Growing concern over climate change is leading to increasingly strict controls on CO2 and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (排放), while the development in renewables technology is lowering their price and speeding their installation (安装).
There are, of course, many difficulties in the effective control of carbon emissions, as demonstrated by coal companies to block the introduction of new rules by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Nevertheless, it is impossible to take no notice of the progress being made at the local and international levels to promote the use of renewables. The European Union (E.U.), for example, is well on the way to achieving a 20% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2025, along with a 20%increase in the use of renewable energy.
The transition to renewables will be faster due to dramatic US improvements in the pricing and performance of such systems. As a result of the steady increases in the efficiency of wind and solar systems, together with the savings achieved through large- scale manufacture, the price of renewables is falling globally. With prices dropping this fast, solar energy is now proving competitive with fossil fuels for generating electricity in many areas.
The change from fossil fuels to renewable energy will not come overnight, and it will not escape many setbacks. Nevertheless, renewables are likely to replace fossil fuels as the main source of electrical power well before mid-century.
1. Vaclav Smil believes that ________.| A．renewable energies are not very practical |
| B．the change to renewables will come slowly |
| C．systems of fossil fuels have been firmly set up |
| D．there are many setbacks of renewable energies |
| A．has cut down half of the carbon emissions |
| B．has failed to find a way to reduce GHG emissions |
| C．is trying its best to encourage the use of renewables |
| D．tries to stop the introduction of new rules on renewables |
| A．their falling prices | B．the decline in the coal industry |
| C．international trade | D．the new rules on CO2 emission |
| A．Smil’s forecast has proved to be inaccurate in all situations |
| B．Renewable energy serves as a major source of energy in today’s world |
| C．Companies supported the rules made by US Environmental Protection Agency |
| D．There has been a steady improvement in the efficiency of wind and solar systems |
| A．call on people to use fewer fossil fuels |
| B．give advice on how to promote renewables |
| C．argue that the energy transition will come sooner |
| D．prove that renewables will be the major source of energy |
【推荐2】Electric vehicles (EVs) are a strong weapon in the world's efforts against global warming. But the effects of EVs depend on what country you are in. In some nations, electric vehicles lead to the release of more carbon gasses than gasoline cars, new research shows.
The Radiant Energy Group (REG) compared gas emissions caused by a gasoline vehicle and from charging an electric vehicle. The study compared the emissions caused by charging a Tesla Model 3 to drive 100 kilometers with the emissions coming from an average gasoline car driven the same distance.
Countries where charging an electric vehicle is cleaner than driving a gasoline-powered car use a lot of hydroelectric, nuclear or solar power.
Sales of electric cars are rising the fastest in Europe. Data from REG suggests that EVs in Poland and Kosovo actually create more carbon emissions because their electric systems depend so much on coal.
In other European countries, however, EVs result in reduced emissions. The carbon gas reduction depends on what energy supplies electricity systems and the time of day vehicles are charged.
The countries with the biggest carbon gas savings from EVs use a lot of nuclear and hydroelectric power. An EV driver in Germany reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent over a gasoline car. Germany uses a mix of renewable energy and coal to produce electricity.
Germany and Spain create a lot of electricity from the sun and wind. But the sun and wind do not add to a country's electricity system equally throughout the day.
For this reason, the amount of carbon emissions saved by driving an EV depends on the time of day it is being charged. Charging in the afternoon, when there is more sun and wind, saves 16 to 18 percent more carbon than at night when electricity systems are more likely to be using gas or coal.
Automakers including General Motors, Stellantis and Volkswagen have set targets to sell mainly electric vehicles in Europe in the coming years. U.S. car manufacturer General Motors said it will have all new electric cars by 2022.
1. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?| A．The amount of carbon emissions saved by EVs depends on the source of electricity used for charging. |
| B．Charging EVs during daylight hours with renewable energy sources can cause more carbon savings. |
| C．The time of day when EVs are charged can significantly affect their carbon footprint. |
| D．General Motors plans to sell only gasoline-powered cars by 2022 in the United States. |
| A．The demand for EVs in Europe is expected to decrease in the near future. |
| B．These manufacturers believe that EVs will become the norm in Europe in the coming years. |
| C．Europe has banned the sale of gasoline-powered cars entirely. |
| D．These manufacturers are not confident in the long-term viability of EVs. |
| A．The limited range of EVs compared to gasoline-powered cars. |
| B．The high initial cost of EVs compared to traditional vehicles. |
| C．The inconsistency of renewable energy sources for EV charging. |
| D．The lack of charging stations in rural areas. |
| A．The Environmental Impact of Electric Vehicle Charging. |
| B．The Global Shift to Electric Vehicle Adoption. |
| C．The Economics of Electric Vehicle Ownership. |
| D．The Future of Renewable Energy in Automobiles. |
【推荐3】It is a strange coincidence(巧合) that as humanity attempts to greatly reduce its carbon emissions(排放), it is also rushing to develop a technology that could, in theory, consume an unlimited amount of energy.
Doing things against facts is a dangerous game, but you can picture a world in which, having chosen to start dealing with climate change properly in the 1990s, we would be just wrapping up the gentle path to net-zero emissions in time for a rapid AI increase fuelled by green power. Instead, we find ourselves at risk of running a 21st-century technology on a 20th-century energy supply.
If you live in the US, every time you use an AI model, around 20 per cent of the electricity required will be produced by burning coal. The explosive growth of AI makes this an even more pressing concern. According to one analysis, if Google chose to shift to an entirely AI-powered search business, its electricity consumption could match that of some countries.
Such estimates may be magnified, but evidence of rising power consumption from AI is all around. Microsoft is placing bets on nuclear plants to power its data centres, while the English government has promised to boost its national computing capacity by 50 per cent by 2025, which would help it keep pace with rapid AI developments in the world.
Thankfully, we may soon reach a turning point. As is reported, this year the global power department came close to reaching peak greenhouse gas emissions, as the switch from fossil(化石) fuels to clean and renewable sources is well underway. The question now is whether we can quicken the pace of decarbonisation (脱碳) to match the coming growth in energy consumption as AI becomes increasingly rooted in our society. Silicon Valley’s intelligent machines may grab the headlines and the imagination, but the people really inventing the future are working in the energy department.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．Carbon emissions have been reduced a lot. |
| B．The reality is far from what we expected. |
| C．The rapid AI increase brings many benefits. |
| D．Climate change poses a threat to green electricity supply. |
| A．More AI models mean burning more coal. |
| B．Many countries turn to nuclear plants for power. |
| C．There is a lack of ban on tech-giants’ electricity consumption. |
| D．Google’s electricity consumption equals that of some countries. |
| A．Overstated. | B．Undervalued. | C．Common. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．Shifting to a fully AI-powered search business. |
| B．Achieving net-zero emissions as soon as possible. |
| C．Balancing energy-hungry AI with decarbonisation. |
| D．Creating an unlimited energy-consuming technology. |
