Let’s say you’re in the far future and you’re looking for evidence of previous civilizations. Where would you look? The first place would be in the rocks. Rocks keep time. Recently, the discovery of rocks made from plastic debris (碎片) in Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island is sparking alarm. Melted plastic has become twisted with rocks on the island, which researchers say is evidence of humans growing influence over the Earth’s geological cycles.
Plastic rocks have been previously found in various parts of the world. Researchers documented plastiglomerates-rock, sand and other debris fused together by melted plastic-in Hawaii in 2014, for instance. Another human-made and plastic-based rock is pyroplastics. Described in 2019 from the shores of Cornwall in southwest Britain, pyroplastics form from burned plastic waste. In laboratory experiments with white or colored plastic pieces, if burned, the plastic melts and forms a gray or black mass. resembling at first glance a rocky pebble. According to geophysicist Douglas Jerolmack, “all around the world where there’s trash being openly burned in mass quantities, you can imagine there are even larger melted plastic deposits” where plastiglomerate could form.
Plastic pollution making its way into the formation of rocks suggests humans are having an effect on what was previously considered a natural occurrence, said Santos, who along with others is continuing research into plastic pollution on Trindade Island. “This is new and terrifying at the same time, because pollution has reached geology, ”Santos told Reuters. The finding of plastic rocks also suggests, some experts say, that a new geological epoch has begun: The Anthropocene epoch. Regardless of whether this represents a new epoch, Santos said, “the pollution, the garbage in the sea and the plastic dumped incorrectly in the oceans are becoming geological material preserved in the Earth’s geological records.”
The researchers are yet unsure of the environmental impacts of plastic rocks. Burned plastic can contain high concentrations of potentially toxic elements, like lead and chromium, derived from the pigments used to dye the plastic material. Buried in the ground, plastic has the potential to survive millions of years and even enter the geological record.
1. Why does the writer raise a question in the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the text topic. | B．To test the readers’ knowledge. |
| C．To present a study finding. | D．To raise the readers’ awareness. |
| A．They are rarely seen in the rocks. |
| B．They look like rocky pebbles if burned. |
| C．They are white or coloured plastic pieces. |
| D．The more trash is burnt, the more they will be. |
| A．Plastic pollution has greatly changed the formation of rocks. |
| B．The impacts that plastic rocks bring still need some further study. |
| C．Geological materials preserve human’s irresponsible behaviour to environment. |
| D．Buried plastic in the ground is unlikely to survive after entering the geological record. |
| A．Plastic Rocks: The Root of the Environmental Impacts |
| B．Plastic Rocks: The Geological Record of Human Development |
| C．Plastic Rocks: The Markers We’re Laying Down in Deep Time |
| D．Plastic Rocks: The New Geological Materials We’re Unsure of |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】People who frequently eat fruit are more likely to report greater positive mental health and are less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who do not, according to new research from the College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University. The team also found that people who eat savoury (咸味的) snacks such as crisps (薯片), which are low in nutrients (营养) , are more likely to report greater levels of anxiety.
Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study surveyed 428 adults from across the UK and looked at the relationship between their consumption of fruit, vegetables, sweet and savoury snacks, and their psychological(心理的) health. The research found that both nutrient-rich fruit and nutrient-poor savoury snacks appeared to be linked to psychological health. They also found that there was no direct association between eating vegetables and psychological health. Based on the survey, the more often people ate fruit, the lower they scored for depression and the higher for mental health, independent of the overall quantity of fruit intake. By contrast, there was no link between these everyday memory lapses (差错) and fruit and vegetables intake or sweet snacks, suggesting a unique relationship between these nutrient-poor savoury snacks, everyday mental lapses, and psychological health.
Lead author, PhD student Nicola-Jayne Tuck commented, “Very little is known about how diet may affect mental health, and while we did not directly examine causality here, our findings could suggest that frequently snacking on nutrient-poor savoury foods may increase everyday mental loss, which in turn reduces psychological health.”
“It is possible that changing what we snack on could be a really simple way to improve our mental health. It is also possible that the future limit of processed (特殊处理的) snacks at checkouts, could not only improve the country’s physical health, but mental health too.”
“Overall, it’s definitely worth trying to get into the habit of reaching for the fruit bowl.”
1. Which may lead to greater level of anxiety?| A．Savoury snacks. | B．Fruit. | C．Vegetables. | D．Grain. |
| A．Rich fruit appears not to be linked to psychological health |
| B．The more fruit people eat, the lower they score for depression |
| C．There is a relation between the nutrient-poor snacks and mental health. |
| D．There is a direct link between eating vegetables and psychological health |
| A．The relation between fruit and vegetables. |
| B．The relation between exercise and health. |
| C．The relation between snacks and mental health. |
| D．The relation between diet and mental health. |
| A．Eating habits can prevent disease |
| B．Eating unhealthy snacks often is harmful to health |
| C．Eating vegetables often can improve mental health |
| D．Eating fruit often may contribute to mental health |
The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center. However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning（抛弃） things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.
It is estimated （估计）that there are now over 500,000 pieces of man-made trash orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour. The junk varies from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras, huge fuel tanks, and even odd items like the million-dollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper lost during a spacewalk.
The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spacecraft(飞船). Moreover, pieces of junk may collide（碰撞） with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.
1. What was the first piece of man-made space trash?
| A．A camera. | B．A tool kit. |
| C．A fuel tank. | D．A broken satellite. |
| A．It no longer served any useful purpose. |
| B．It was millions of miles away from the Earth. |
| C．It did not cause any problems. |
| D．It was regarded as similar to comets and stars. |
| A．It is huge, heavy machines. |
| B．It never changes position. |
| C．It floats slowly around the Earth. |
| D．It may cause problems for space shuttles. |
A, Scientists have cleaned up most of the trash.
| A．Large pieces of space trash are being closely watched. |
| B．Many nations have worked together to stop polluting space. |
| C．Ground stations are built to help store the trash properly in space. |
【推荐3】Among non-humans, the true teacher is rare. Only a handful of species, such as some birds, primates, and insects, can act as teachers.
Risky water exercises
Scientists believe that in some situations, orca (虎鲸) parents teach their young to catch food. Off Patagonia, for instance, some orcas hunt sea lions at the coastline by beaching themselves on purpose. Adults show the young how to perform this dangerous exercise well before they even begin hunting.
Music lessons
Taking early learning to the extreme, Australian Cuckoo birds begin teaching their young before birth. The mother sings to her eggs as often as 30 times per hour, exposing the embryos to a secret musical passcode that is unique to each female.
When a rock ant finds a new food source or nest site, it leads another ant there with a technique called tandem running (领跑行为). The knowledgeable ant guides the new comer along the route, pausing along the way so that the student can memorize each landmark. The teacher relies on feedback from the pupil, which confirms when each lesson is learned.
| A．Showing a friend the way |
| B．Helping each other when they are at risk |
| C．There are various definitions of an animal teacher |
| D．These lessons are not only examples of teaching, but also culture |
| E．And they will help to push their students back into the water when needed |
| F．Scientists have created a specific definition of what makes an animal teacher |
| G．Once out in the world, the young birds will use the sound to ask for food from Mom and Dad |
【推荐1】During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, there was a lot of talk about the environmental efforts taken. Athletes slept on beds made from recycled cardboard. The medals were produced out of old appliances such as smartphones and laptops. Over 90% of Japanese cities, towns and villages participated in the two-year effort to collect recycled materials to produce 5000 medals. Eighty tons of small electrical devices were collected to make this project successful.
With the 2024 Olympics Games underway in Paris, new environmental efforts are coming into play. Observers will sit on chairs made of plastic recycled from local bins. This decision was made due to a lack of unused raw materials to make new seats, so the eco-construction firm Le Pave turned to make the seats out of waste. Around 11,000 seats will be made from recycled materials.
The plastic collection for Paris 2024 has been carried out in the region’s schools, and over five million coloured bottle caps have been recovered. Moreover, 80% of the 100 tons of recycled plastic needed to make the seats come from the yellow bins collections. This is all part of the Paris 2024 “zero waste” strategy to limit single-use plastic usage and encourage a circular economy.
The Olympic Games organizers are planning to make the Paris 2024 Games the greenest Olympic Games yet. They intend to employ a carbon-neutral approach that will lessen the climate impact of the Games by predicting, avoiding, reducing and balancing emissions and encouraging others to get involved. The Summer Games have emitted 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions in previous years. The Paris 2024 Games has set a carbon budget of 1.5 million tons which includes the emissions from construction, transportation and operations of the Games.
These plans are ambitious but are achievable. If Paris 2024 successfully reduces emissions and promotes a circular economy, it might set the standard for future Olympic and Paralympic Games, regardless of where they are held.
1. What were the 2020 Olympics medals made from?| A．Raw metal. | B．Recycled cardboard. |
| C．Reused plastic. | D．Used electronic devices. |
| A．To stop carbon emissions. | B．To make seats for athletes. |
| C．To collect coloured bottle caps. | D．To restrict single-use plastic usage. |
| A．Limitation to single-use plastics. | B．Reduction of carbon emissions. |
| C．Promotion of recycling in school. | D．Encouragement of a circular economy. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐2】We’re drowning in plastic. If you want to reduce your own contribution to the plastic pollution problem, recycling might seem like an easy solution.
But what happens after you clean out those plastic containers and pour them into a recycling bin? Unfortunately, the outcome isn’t as rosy as many people think; recycling is unlikely to give plastic to-go containers new life. “Of all the waste produced in 2017, only 8.4% of it eventually got recycled. It’s not that consumers aren’t motivated to recycle or that they don’t have ready access to recycling programs; the United States simply doesn’t have the proper facilities (设施),” said John Hocevar, a marine biologist with Greenpeace USA.
A recent report surveyed the United States’ 367 materials recovery facilities—the facilities that sort our recycling—and found only plastic bottles were regularly recycled. The fate of most other types of plastic such as packaging usually ends up being buried or burnt.
Not all plastic is created equal. If you turn over a transparent plastic bottle, like those used to hold water, you’ll notice a number “1” inside a triangular recycling symbol. Non-transparent jugs, like the kind that hold milk, get a “2”. At materials recovery facilities, or MRF’s, plastics get sorted based on these numbers, which indicate how recyclable they are.
Numbers 1 and 2 are relatively recyclable. Recycling gets more difficult with higher numbers, called “mixed plastic”. This waste makes up around 69% of all the plastic we use. It’s much more expensive to process than numbers 1 and 2.
So what the United States needs is facilities equipped to process other kinds of plastic. But Hocevar came up with a different solution: “The really simple answer is that we have to stop making so much throwaway plastic.”
That said, is recycling worth it? For bottles labeled (贴标签) “1” or “2”, the answer is “yes”. There’s also a growing market for plastics labeled “5”. For other numbers, Hocevar’s answer was simple: a resounding (响亮的) “no” on numbers 3, 4, 6 and 7.
1. Which problem is the USA facing according to the text?| A．People don’t know the best way to recycle. |
| B．Ready recycling programs are not accessible. |
| C．People lack awareness about plastic recycling. |
| D．There isn’t suitable equipment for plastic recycling. |
| A．Productive. | B．Promising. |
| C．Unsatisfying. | D．Controversial. |
| A．Whether it is easy to recycle them. |
| B．The recycling technology they need. |
| C．They places where they were produced. |
| D．Which dustbin we should put them into. |
| A．Give up the use of plastic. |
| B．Develop more cheaper facilities. |
| C．Only recycle plastics labeled 1 to 5. |
| D．Reduce the production of mixed plastic. |
【推荐3】Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein’s jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers’ argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don’t dispute(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
1. What has Steven Stein been hired to do?| A．Help increase grocery sales. |
| B．Recycle the waste material. |
| C．Stop things falling off trucks. |
| D．Argue for the use of plastic bags. |
| A．Bans on plastic bags. |
| B．Effects of city development. |
| C．Headaches caused by garbage. |
| D．Plastic bags hung in trees. |
| A．They are quite expensive. |
| B．Replacing them can be difficult. |
| C．They are less strong than plastic bags. |
| D．Producing them requires more energy. |
| A．Plastic, Paper or Neither |
| B．Industry, Pollution and Environment |
| C．Recycle or Throw Away |
| D．Garbage Collection and Waste Control |
【推荐1】The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty of us all. I felt a call to that duty.
—Abraham Lincoln
Probably the greatest example of persistence is Abraham. Lincoln. If you want to learn about somebody who didn't quit, look no further.
Born into poverty, Lincoln was faced with defeat throughout his life. He lost eight elections, failed in business twice and suffered a nervous breakdown
He could have quit many times-but he didn't and because he didn't quit, he became one of the greatest presidents in the history of the U.S.A.
Lincoln was a champion and he never gave up. Here is a sketch of Lincoln's road to the White House.
1816 His family was forced out of their home. He had to work to support them.
1818 His mother died.
1831 Failed in business.
1832 Ran for state legislature — lost.
1832 Also lost his job -wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in.
1833 Borrowed some money from a friend to begin a business and by the end of the year he was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off this debt.
1834 Ran for state legislature again-won.
1834 Was engaged to be married, sweetheart died and his heart was broken.
1836 Had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months.
1838 Sought to become speaker of the state legislature — defeated.
1840 Sought to become elector—defeated.
1843 Ran for Congress—lost.
1846 Ran for Congress again—this time he won—went to Washington' and did a good job.
1848 Ran for re—election to Congress—lost.
1849 Sought the job of land officer in his home state—rejected.
1854 Ran for Senate of the United Sates — lost.
1856 Sought the Vice-Presidential nomination at his party's national convention and got less than 100 votes.
1858 Ran for U.S. Senate again—again he lost.
1860 Elected president of the United States.
The path was worn and slippery. My foot slipped from under me, knowing the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, "It's a slip and not a fall."
—Abraham Lincoln (after losing a senate race)
1. What personal quality did Abraham Lincoln possess according to the passage?| A．Modesty. | B．Sense of humor. |
| C．Persistence | D．Curiosity. |
| A．When Lincoln failed in business for the first time, he was in heavy debt. |
| B．Lincoln had never planned to get married in his whole life. |
| C．Lincoln once suffered a mental illness resulting from heartbreaks. |
| D．Lincoln displayed a remarkable strength of character on the way to presidency. |
| A．Though suffering a loss in the senate race, he remained optimistic. |
| B．He didn't take the senate race seriously and considered the loss unimportant. |
| C．He felt that he was lucky because he recovered from the loss in the race. |
| D．He considered the loss in the race a fatal mistake that he couldn't afford to make. |
【推荐2】The school hallway between classes may seem disordered. But there’s likely more order in the crowd than you think. In a heavy crowd with people going in opposite directions, there’s often a pattern. People tend to sort themselves into lanes (队伍) that run parallel to each other. If a space is wide enough, two groups of people passing each other head-on will form multiple lanes. Each lane will be about the width of two people. If two groups cross paths at right angles, they still form lanes. But these lanes behave differently. Each person stays in their lane, but the lane shifts to the side as the groups cross. Attempts to direct the crowd may not help, and it will mess up this natural flow. This slows everybody down.
Tim Rogers and Karol Bacik reported these results in a journal. They began working on crowds during the pandemic. They were working to design spaces where people could stay socially distanced to prevent viral spread. Decades ago, Dirk Helbing, a physicist in Switzerland, created a mathematical model that describes the direction a walker plans to go. Rogers and Bacik added factors related to crowd patterns to Helbing’s software. The resulting model describes lane formation as a result of two processes.
The first process is drift. As soon as a line of people starts to form headed one way, others going the same way are drawn to it. This encourages lane formation. The second one is diffusion (扩散) which causes people to spread out from a crowded space. In a crowd, the end result is lanes about two people wide — just big enough to resist diffusion.
The model’s predictions stood the test of a real crowd. The researchers filmed a group of 70 people walking through an open space. People consistently ordered themselves into lanes as expected, while past work has shown that crash and other problems are more common where more routes intersect (交叉). Public spaces can be designed to help prevent such disasters. The takeaway: When people are traveling two ways, trust the wisdom of crowds. When there’s a three-way or four-way intersection, watch out.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The benefits of attempting to direct the crowd. |
| B．The different behaviour habits of human beings. |
| C．The automatic formation of a pattern in a crowd. |
| D．The possible cause of mess in the school hallway. |
| A．It lacks a clear conclusion. | B．It is aimed at detecting viruses. |
| C．It is completed by observation. | D．It is based on previous research. |
| A．Diffusion causes increase of crowd density. |
| B．Lanes may not be erased when wide enough. |
| C．Following others occurs in opposite directions. |
| D．Moving on the right contributes to lane formation. |
| A．The model’s predictions failed to be proven by the real situation. |
| B．The natural flow of crowds can speed up if directed intentionally. |
| C．The width of lanes in a crowded space is determined by diffusion. |
| D．Public spaces with multiple intersecting routes are more dangerous. |
【推荐3】In today's global world, more and more people travel to foreign countries. Cross cultural awareness and an understanding of foreign etiquette is important if you want to succeed as an international business person. Behaviour that is polite at home may be considered rude in another country. In particular, by learning about dining etiquette and table manners, you can avoid offending people and this can directly influence your business success.
John Smith's book The Perfect Guest is a goldmine of information for the globe-trotting business person. There are chapters dedicated to all the main problem areas of dining etiquette and entertaining in different countries and tips on how to cope with embarrassing situations.
These are some of the areas which are covered in the book.
Seating arrangements
Whether you are eating at a restaurant or at someone's home, there may be a fixed protocol of who sits where. Do men and women sit together? Is there a hierarchy according to age or status? Rules vary greatly. For example, in Korea, it is customary to offer the best seat to the most senior person; in the US, there are no specific seating rules. If you don't know where to sit, wait until your host shows you.
Conversation
Is the dining table the right place to have a conversation or is the meal taken in silence? In France, for instance, the meal is a social affair with loud animated conversations and most topics are acceptable, including business. In Japanor Vietnam, on the other hand, only quiet conversation is acceptable and business is never conducted at the dinner table.
Food
What type of food is popular? Is it polite to remark on the food? Should you eat everything or leave some food on your plate? Is il polite to ask for the salt and pepper if it isn't on the table? And how can you deal with a food delicacy that you find disgusting? In Europe, it is polite to eat everything on your plate whereas this would be considered rude in Egypt. If you clean your plate, it will be filled up again immediately.
1. Who is most likely to find the information useful?| A．A business person. |
| B．A scientist. |
| C．A student. |
| D．A soldier. |
| A．In the best seat. |
| B．Where your host shows you to sit. |
| C．Wherever you like. |
| D．Next to the senior. |
| A．to show that you have eaten enough |
| B．so that there are leftovers for the cat |
| C．to show that you don't like the food |
| D．but it is considered rude. |
| A．cross cultural dining etiquette |
| B．cultural differences around the world |
| C．how to improve cultural awareness |
| D．why the book is worth buying |
