Need to get rid of old clothes? You’re not alone: With fast fashion, it’s easier than ever to follow trends. But cheap clothes aren’t made to last, most of which often end up in a landfill (垃圾填埋场). Take US as an example: per person generates an average of 82 pounds of such waste every year, with 85 per cent of it going to landfills even though 95 per cent can be reused.
Donating is a popular alternative — but know that only about 10 to 20 per cent of donated clothing gets sold at thrift shops (廉价旧货店). While all but five per cent of donated clothes are resold for reuse or recycling, it’s impossible to know exactly how much ultimately becomes trash.
The best way to ensure good, usable clothing doesn’t become waste is to increase the chances it ends up with someone who wants it. First, don’t wait too long if you choose to donate clothing to an organization, big or small. The sooner you donate your unwanted items, the more demand there is for them. Wherever you donate, ensure clothes are clean and dry. If it’s damaged or stained, don’t send it to thrift shops. They don’t have the capacity to do repairs and it just creates a financial burden in addition to the eco-burden, and defeats the purpose of the charitable action.
Clothes that are stained or damaged beyond repair will likely never be re-worn but can still be diverted (使转向) from landfills. You can send your clothes directly to recycling companies, like through Retold Recycling or municipal programmes. Old clothes can be downcycled into other items like wipers for car washes, and even generated into new textiles (织品).
Recycling is better than landfilling. It might take time to do a little research to find the right organization that can actually use the items you’re looking to give away. But it’s more rewarding than throwing everything in a big garbage bag, dumping it into a bin, and hoping for the best.
1. What can be learnt about fast fashion?| A．It has reduced the eco-burden. |
| B．It has caused clothing waste. |
| C．It has lost its appeal in the US. |
| D．It has led to a rise in landfills. |
| A．To show the seriousness of the clothing waste. |
| B．To criticize the spending habits of Americans. |
| C．To push for tougher laws against fast fashion. |
| D．To offer practical advice on managing landfills. |
| A．Make them into new textiles. |
| B．Put as many into landfills as possible. |
| C．Downcycle them into wipers. |
| D．Donate them to where they are needed. |
| A．Critical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
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【推荐1】It’s an argument that every modern parent has had with their child: the battle to break them away from the mobile phone they’re staring at. For children, a smartphone is a window to games, videos and constant interaction with their friends. But for parents, it can feel like a minefield.
First, it’s worth bearing in mind that screen time can be beneficial. “
Twining agrees, saying: “I’m less concerned about screen time than about the nature of the interaction around the screen. The screen should become a shared focus for interaction with the family rather than an individual activity. The screen shouldn’t be an alternative to communicating with your child.
| A．It should be an improvement to it. |
| B．It’s a dilemma to judge which side outweighs the other. |
| C．A mobile phone is different from traditional land line phones. |
| D．But at least both parties do recognize that there should be limits. |
| E．Screen time counts down only during the time a child is signed in. |
| F．We tend not to recognize the value of what they do on their mobile devices. |
| G．We should emphasize the difference in understanding children’s mobile phone usage. |
【推荐2】Want to lower your blood pressure, lose weight and reduce the risk of diseases? Go take a walk.
Walking, as a simple activity most of us do without much thought, offers a host of vital health benefits.
Make it a habit.
Make it work. Office types needn’t be confined (限制) to your desks. If circumstances allow, consider a walking meeting. Group discussions can take place during a walk. Or, when you can, walk around the building during phone calls.
Make use of technology. There’s no shortage of high tech fitness tools and apps designed to follow your every move. And it’s certainly fine to keep score.
With these tips to help you, you are sure to benefit a lot from walking.
| A．Make it a group outing. |
| B．Make it a family activity. |
| C．Repetition is the mother of routine. |
| D．Seeing these scores can get you inspired. |
| E．And instead of sending email, walk over to talk to them. |
| F．But don’t choose trackers that simply monitor your step numbers. |
| G．For example, walking just 30 minutes a day can lower your risk of cancer. |
【推荐3】Do you like to bury your head in a good book? Getting absorbed in a good story is a great way to relax. It improves your literacy, and, according to some experts, it’s good for your health as well.
For the purist, the only way to digest a good story is with a paperback or hardback book. Being in print, it’s possible to feel and even smell the book. And of course it’s very portable.
The e-book has become popular in schools, too, and according to one school in London, it’s encouraged more children to read.
The recent lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic have certainly given us all time to read more, and in the UK at least, sales of physical books have risen strongly.
| A．Last year, some 202 million paperbacks and hardbacks were sold. |
| B．Reading books does not rate highly among Britons as a leisure activity. |
| C．For adults, e-books are certainly a lightweight way of accessing our favourite literature on the move. |
| D．But for those who can’t or don’t want to look at the text in a book, there are audiobooks to listen to. |
| E．Research has shown that readers remember more information reading from paper books than e books. |
| F．But the traditional book has had a rival (竞争对手) in recent years from e books, which are read on e-readers or tablets. |
| G．Studies show that it can increase our emotional intelligence as we understand a range of perspectives and motivations. |
【推荐1】Today, methane(甲烷) is a central but under-appreciated part of the fight against climate change. Human activity releases far less methane than carbon dioxide, but methane packs a heavier punch. Over the course of 20 years, a ton of the gas will warm the atmosphere about 86 times more than a ton of carbon dioxide. Chief among the reasons for methane emissions(排放) are the gassy output of raising farm animals (cows release it most), rice production (certain environments involve micro-organisms that make it) and the fossil fuel industry(pipelines leak it) .
Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for centuries, making it hard to reduce its concentrations. By contrast, methane has a half-life of roughly ten years. If new emissions can be cut to below the rate at which old emissions reduce, the concentration of methane remaining in the atmosphere will soon fall, slowing global warming.
A big step would be to stop millions of tons of methane from leaking out of fossil fuel industry each year. Natural gas operators will be able to sell more gas in exchange for an acceptable investment so as to monitor and repair leaks. The International Energy Agency estimates that 40% of methane emissions from fossil fuels can be cut at no cost for firms.
The harder task is to reduce emissions from agriculture, but even here farmers can draw on new ideas, including developing new forms of feed for farm animals, and changing how rice field is irrigated.
However, politicians and the public tend to ignore the effects of cutting methane emission. But dealing with the gas with the efforts of the ordinary people would have a large effect at a relatively low cost.
1. What do we know about methane from the first two paragraphs?| A．Raising farm animals releases most methane. |
| B．A ton of methane will warm 86% of the atmosphere. |
| C．It drops faster than carbon dioxide if its emission cuts. |
| D．Fossil fuel is the fundamental cause of methane emission. |
| A．By selling more gas. | B．By turning to fossil fuels. |
| C．By repairing the leaks. | D．By exchanging for investment. |
| A．Why politicians ignore the effects of cutting methane. |
| B．What ordinary people can do to cut methane emission. |
| C．Which method of cutting methane is at the lowest cost. |
| D．How we can reduce emissions from the agriculture industry. |
| A．Banning the Use of Methane |
| B．Cut Methane Emission, Now |
| C．Methane — Solution to Clear Air |
| D．The Relation of Methane and Carbon Dioxide |
【推荐2】Since the African Union first launched Great Green Wall in 2007, the initiative has struggled to make headway. Made up of local efforts across 11 countries, it has reached just 16% of its overall goal. But last month, the project, which analysts estimate will cost at least $30 billion, got a major boost: a total of $14 billion in funding over the next 5 years from a union of international development banks and governments.
Environmental restoration and community development specialists welcomed the news. But many are also apprehensive. In recent years, research by ecologists and social scientists has shown that many forestry projects in Africa have failed because they didn’t adequately address fundamental social and ecological issues.
The project leaders often planted species in places where they didn’t belong, and did little to help the young trees survive. “Tree planting is often viewed as the simple act of digging a hole,” forest scientist Karen Holl said. “But this short-term view has resulted in large quantities of money being spent on efforts that have failed almost entirely.”
In Africa, the adoption of one approach called Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), is credited with regreening a notable portion of the Sahel. The low-cost restoration technique took off in Niger in the 1980s and has since spread to other nations. It relies on farmers to protect and nurture trees that grow from existing root systems and seeds in the soil. Over decades, FMNR has led to greater tree cover and other ecological benefits, such as higher soil carbon content, researchers have found.
But many efforts, particularly those not led by local communities, stumble (蹒跚而行). Newly planted trees can die of neglect when planners don’t engage communities from the start in discussions about which species to plant, as well as whether residents are willing and able to provide the water, fertilizer, and protection from grazing animals that trees need. “The farmers are often busy and have their own priorities; they will not manage trees that they do not value,” forest specialist Abayneh Derero wrote in a study.
1. What is the good news for Great Green Wall?| A．It will get more funds. | B．It will be completed soon. |
| C．More countries will build it. | D．More scientists will study it. |
| A．Address their own issues properly. |
| B．Help young African people survive. |
| C．Act according to the local conditions. |
| D．Learn how to dig holes and plant trees. |
| A．To analyse a different reason | B．To offer a practicable solution. |
| C．To present a social background. | D．To explain a similar phenomenon. |
| A．It’s vital to protect trees from animals. |
| B．The farmers have their own priorities. |
| C．The residents’ abilities need developing. |
| D．Local people’s involvement is important. |
【推荐3】Sputnik, the world’s first satellite, was sent up in October 1957. About 100 trillion human-made objects are circling the planet now! The jaw-dropping number was provided by an international team of researchers writing in the journal Science. There are 9,000 active satellites in space, the scientists report. That could grow to more than 60,000 by 2030.The rest of that 100 trillion figure includes everything from used-up rockets and stray bolts(螺栓) to metal pieces and paint chips.
Don’t think a tiny piece of debris(碎片) is harmless. Traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, it can strike a spacecraft hard. The International Space Station is dotted with dents(凹陷) and holes. Astronauts often take shelter in an attached spacecraft to wait out a passing group of space pieces. That way, if the station is severely damaged, they can escape out in a hurry.
For years, this waste has formed an ever-growing mass near Earth. All of these pieces will eventually fall to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere. But we’re replacing the waste more quickly than it’s falling.
The mess we’ve made in space is like the mess we’ve made in the oceans. We’ve had centuries to pollute the oceans. But it has taken just decades for us to do the same in space. That’s why the Science authors include experts in satellite technology and in ocean plastic pollution. Cleaning up space has a lot in common with the challenges of dealing with environmental issues in the oceans.
In March 2022,170 countries signed a global plastics treaty(条约) in the United Nations. This is an agreement to throw away less plastic in the oceans and get rid of what’s already there. There could be similar rules for how many pieces a launch can create. Old satellites could be taken out of space. And technologies could be developed for cleaning up the waste.
1. Why are small space pieces harmful to spaceships in space?| A．They travel at a high speed. | B．They can be attached to spacecraft. |
| C．They carry damaging weapons. | D．They contain poisonous matter. |
| A．It flies over the earth forever. | B．It is removed faster than produced. |
| C．It can be reduced in the existing ways. | D．It can cause serious pollution to the oceans. |
| A．A global plastics treaty. |
| B．Possible effort to clean up the space. |
| C．Satellites collecting the space waste. |
| D．Technologies developed for cleaning up the waste. |
| A．Space Debris | B．Ocean Pollution |
| C．Space Challenges | D．Man-made Spacecraft |
【推荐1】It was a February afternoon in a Brooklyn classroom. Sixteen-year-old Taylor Engler came face to face with a cow. But it was all in her head. She was transported by a virtual reality (VR) headphone. It took the Berkeley Carroll School junior and eight other classmates to a northern New York farm. The farm was 250 miles away. For students, the technology means field trips are no longer kept within the length of a bus ride.
It's unknown how many classrooms have or will use the technology, but experts say few classrooms do or will do. Headphones that require a user's phone can cost as little as $20 or $30, but systems and software for classes run into thousands of dollars. The problem of not having good software is disappearing as more companies enter the market. But the rules for use haven't kept abreast of the development of the technology. In New York, for example, virtual reality lab experiments are not included in the state's hands-on lab time requirements.
Experts say science classes are where virtual reality holds promise for classrooms. “The biggest problem, I think, is going to be how closely it mimics the real world." That's according to David Evans, the director of the National Science Teachers Union. However, he said, “The ability to do dangerous things and to run many, many more cases in a virtual space as opposed to the real physical space stands for a huge learning chance.”
Lamb taught chemistry and he agreed. “Too often in schools, when you do experiments in labs, you mix these together, you mix those together and you get this result. And if you don't get that result, you have done something wrong. But we don't have enough resources for you to redo it, “he said. “In virtual reality, all I do is hit reset on the computer. I don't have to actually use chemicals.”
1. What was Taylor Engler doing?| A．Riding a bus. | B．Giving a lesson. | C．Designing a farm. | D．Experiencing VR. |
| A．Led to. | B．Focused on. | C．Caught up with. | D．Broken away from. |
| A．Helpful. | B．Troublesome. | C．Interesting. | D．Challenging. |
| A．To point out the importance of practice. | B．To introduce the use of VR in teaching. |
| C．To give information about modern schools. | D．To show the appearance of VR technology. |
【推荐2】We have searched the nation to find some of the top summer programs hosted at some universities for gifted students to grow, learn and be challenged in unique ways.
Cornell University
Cornell University Summer College is three or six weeks of an Ivy League experience for gifted students. Participants can earn three to six credits while living, studying, and networking with other students from over 40 countries. For students meeting the requirements, they can choose courses within sixteen different fields.
Stanford University
During this summer program, students can explore recreational activities available at university, and choose up to five from 145 different courses. In addition, the program provides free teachers, academic skill coaches, and academic advisors in most academic areas.
Harvard University
Students can take part in the Pre-college Program which is designed to give them a preview of college academics. Over the course of a seven-week session, students attend college courses for credits alongside current college students. There are over 200 courses to choose from.
Brown University
Talented students choose Brown University Pre-college Programs to experience the challenge of college-level academics. Brown offers sessions that are one to seven weeks in length, and more than 300 courses to choose from on campus, online, and abroad. Students can live and learn on Brown's beautiful Ivy League campus.
1. What can participants do at Cornell University Summer College?| A．Earn at least six credits. | B．Communicate with other students. |
| C．Choose courses in any fields. | D．Live with current college students. |
| A．It has many different courses. | B．It has limited recreational activities. |
| C．It offers free learning resources. | D．It sets a short learning time. |
| A．They both set many kinds of sessions. | B．They both admit students from abroad. |
| C．They both offer students online lessons. | D．They both offer Pre-college Program. |
【推荐3】Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.
Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.
Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.
For example, when farmer killed large numbers of hawks, the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by mice. Why? Because hawks eat mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the mice multiplied quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.
1. Animals are important to us mainly because .| A．they give us a source of food |
| B．they are beautiful and lovely |
| C．they keep the balance of nature |
| D．they give us a lot of pleasure |
| A．Became more. | B．Became less. |
| C．Turned black. | D．Ate food. |
| A．people have known the importance of animal protection since a long time ago |
| B．animals play an important role in people’s life |
| C．the number of hawks is on the decrease |
| D．many countries passed laws forbidding the killing of any animal |
| A．Save the Animals |
| B．Useful Animals |
| C．Laws for Animals |
| D．Animals in Danger |
