The Problem With Fast Fashion
There’s nothing quite like new clothes, is there? The UK certainly loves them. According to a report by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), the UK consumes five times more clothes today than it did in the 1980s. That’s more than any other nation in Europe and amounts to around
26.7 kg per person.This results in 235 million garments being dumped into landfills - victims of fast fashion.
Fast fashion is defined as “an accelerated fashion business model ”involving “increased numbers of new fashion collections every year,” “quick turnarounds(周转期)”and “lower prices,” according to the EAC. Globalization means that clothing is made in countries where labour is cheaper. These savings are passed on to consumers, who then consider the clothes they own disposable - easily replaceable with something more trendy. And that creates problems.
First, there’re the environmental costs. Manufacturing any kind of textile costs resources. For example, synthetic fibres, which are made from plastic, have a larger carbon footprint than natural ones. Natural fibres, although more carbon-efficient, still require more water to grow. And further resources are used as the cloth is dyed, made into clothing and transported to retail for sale. Secondly, the fast-fashion industry is under pressure to put the latest trending items on shelves faster, which can lead to workers being exploited and forced to labour in poor working conditions. In countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia and the Philippines, workers are paid wages that are insufficient to live on. One worker in Ethiopia told the BBC that they had to deal with intolerable conditions, such as withheld overtime payments, verbal abuse, and unsanitary toilets.
So what can be done in the UK to reduce clothing waste? The EAC has recommended eighteen improvements to the UK government, from increasing tax on purchases to fund recycling centres to introducing more sewing lessons in schools, encouraging a make do and mend attitude when things become worn out.
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的宣传后所采取的行动。请根据图片的先后顺序,为校刊“英语园地”写一篇短文。
When I was eleven years old, I moved to Tampa, Florida. My parents traveled for a living, so Aunt Emily took care of me while they were away. One rainy morning, there was an old lady who was dressed in a bright orange coat carrying a rubbish bag and a stick. “What’s that old lady doing?” I asked Emily, pointing out of the window to the street in front of the house.
Hearing my question, Emily answered, “She’s picking up rubbish around here for fun.” “Oh,” I answered. “Interesting... Why would someone think picking up rubbish is fun?” For a long time, I often saw that old lady—rain or shine—on my way to school. In the beginning, I thought she was crazy to pick up rubbish. However, I finally smiled and waved at her each time I saw her.
Later, when I moved to college, I’d see rubbish in the grass and feel really angry about it. I’d think, “Why isn’t anyone picking up rubbish? People are so unconcerned!” But shortly after that, I said to myself, “Why do I think picking up rubbish is someone else’s duty?” And I couldn’t walk past trash without feeling guilty (内疚的).
So while walking in the college, I began picking up rubbish and made sure the campus was in better shape than I previously found it. My behavior influenced some students. They started to help me out.
Like me, they also picked up rubbish whenever they noticed it. And our college became more beautiful. Seeing that, I began to think, “If I can pick up rubbish outside the college—in other places of the town, it may make a big difference to the town.”
But picking up rubbish in front of many people outside the college needs courage. It could be embarrassing. But it was the right thing to do. I decided to try it.
注意:1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
So one day I called up all my courage and collected rubbish on a nearby street.
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I thought if more students took part in the voluntary activity, things would be much better.
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Helen and her family moved to a new location in the city. Helen was excited because most of her friends lived in the same street.
It was the first morning in their new house. She woke up early that day and went out on her balcony (阳台). She was expecting wonderful, lovely birds and beautiful greenery with fresh air, but instead it was the complete opposite. There was garbage right outside their front gate. There were no trees and instead of the sweet chirping (鸟叫声) of birds, there were annoying g traffic noises. Helen was angry. “What is this? Why can’t someone do anything about it?” she thought. She went inside the living room. She sat at the dining table, thinking about what she could do about the pollution in her locality.
The next day at school, she went into her class and asked loudly, “Who’s fed up with stinking garbage?” This caught many students’ attention. “Who’s fed up with air pollution and the diseases spread by it?” This time many students answered, “Me!” Helen smiled and then said, “We must clean our surroundings. So help me get rid of the garbage. Help me pick it up! That’s the best thing we can do. We will all go to other classes and ask if they want to join us. I am sure as long as we work together, our community will become a better place!”
In the break time, they all went to other classes, and by the end of the school day, Helen had gathered almost 25 students ready to help her. The day before cleaning, the students took out their pocket money and bought garbage bags, masks and gloves.
注意:1. 续写词数应为120左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The big day came and the students gathered at the school gate.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon the headmaster knew what the students did.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________你的短文应包括以下内容:
1. 描述图片内容,如情景、人物、动作、表情等;
2. 分析这一现象对孩子成长的危害;
3. 结合自身实际,就父母如何陪伴孩子给出合理的建议。
注意:
1. 根据图片及中文提示,作必要的发挥想象;
2. 词数120词左右;
3. 作文中不得提及考生所在学校和本人姓名。
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请你谈谈读了以下报道后的感想。
【英国《每日电讯报》网站报道】题:推特(Twitter)和脸谱网(Facebook) “有害儿童发展”。据称,在早期过度沉溺于网络世界后,青少年的大脑将不能得到适当发展。牛津大学药理学教授格林菲尔德说,与人实际接触减少意味着孩子们难于形成基本的社交技巧和情绪反应。她批评某些用户“不健康地”沉溺于推特网,称他们在网络的掩护下情绪日趋冲动易怒。就在格林菲尔德发表这番言论前一天,教师们警告,过度沉溺于高科技产品正在损害孩子们在课堂上集中注意力的能力。中学语文教师的一次调查发现,超过四分之三的教师认为,如今,学生的注意力持续时间短于以往任何时候。格林菲尔德援引的一些数据显示,如今,超过一半的13岁至17岁孩子每周花在电子游戏机、计算机、电子书、手机和其他以显示屏为基础的高科技产品上的时间超过30小时。
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Students who have used electronic cigarettes by the time they start ninth grade are more likely than others to start smoking traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products within the next year, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, deliver nicotine to the lungs by heating a liquid solution that contains nicotine and other chemicals to produce a spray that the user takes in.
As part of a survey of substance use and mental health among high school students in Los Angeles, the study compared the start of tobacco use among 222 students who had used e- cigarettes, but not any other tobacco products, and 2,308 who had neither used e-cigarettes or any other tobacco products when initially surveyed at the start of ninth grade. The 2,530 students who initially reported never using tobacco underwent follow-up assessments after six and 12 months. Students were asked about lifetime and past six-month use of e-cigarettes or any other forms of tobacco products.
During the first six months after being surveyed, 30.7 percent of those who had used e- cigarettes started using tobacco products, such as cigarettes, and cigars, compared to only 8.1 percent of those who had never used e-cigarettes. Over the following six months leading into the start of 10th grade, 25.2 percent of e-cigarette users had used tobacco products, compared to just 9.3 percent of nonusers.
“While teen tobacco use has fallen in recent years, this study confirms that we should continue to closely watch teen smoking patterns,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. “Parents and teens should recognize that although e-cigarettes might not have the same harmful effects of regular cigarettes, they do carry a risk of addiction.”
“Recreational e-cigarette use is becoming increasingly popular among teens who have never smoked tobacco,” said Adam M. Leventhal, Ph.D., the first author on the study. “While we cannot conclude that e-cigarette use directly leads to smoking, this research raises concerns that recent increases in youth e-cigarette use could ultimately lead to the spread of smoking- related illness."
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