Plastic, once seen as a revolutionary material for its wide application and convenience, has become a global environmental crisis because it is non-biodegradable. The ubiquity (无处不在) of plastic in our daily lives has led to an increasing amount of plastic waste, causing great harm.
One of the most alarming examples of this crisis is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a floating mass of plastic waste in the North Pacific Ocean. It is estimated to be twice the size of Texas and consists of everything from microplastics to abandoned fishing nets. Marine life often mistakes plastic particles for food, leading to ingestion and death. Additionally, the chemicals used in plastic production can pollute water and soil, and finally threaten marine ecosystems.
Plastic waste is not limited to the oceans; it also impacts the land. Landfills overflow with plastic waste, emitting (排放) harmful greenhouse gases as plastics break down slowly over time. The production of plastics is highly energy-intensive and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change. Furthermore, plastic litter is evident in urban and rural landscapes, destroying the natural beauty of our planet.
Beyond its environmental impact, plastic poses serious health risks to humans. Many plastics contain harmful chemicals, which can be found in food and drinks when plastic containers are used for storage and heating. These chemicals have been linked to a range of health problems, including developmental issues and cancer.
In conclusion, the problem of plastic pollution demands urgent action. A comprehensive strategy for cutting down on plastic is essential to tackle these challenges and safeguard the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants.
While reducing the consumption of plastic may seem challenging, it is achievable through a combination of policy measures, technological innovations and changes in consumer behavior. Governments must issue laws to ban or heavily regulate single-use plastics and promote alternatives. Businesses should adopt sustainable packaging practices, and individuals can reduce plastic consumption by making conscious choices.
1. What does the example of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch show?| A．Animals rely on plastic waste to survive. |
| B．Plastic is too widespread to remove. |
| C．Plastic waste is harming the oceans. |
| D．Plastic poses health risks to humans. |
| A．Worsening. | B．Controlling. | C．Recording. | D．Evaluating. |
| A．Ways to cut plastic consumption. |
| B．Problems of handling plastic. |
| C．Alternatives for plastic products. |
| D．Some benefits of banning plastic. |
| A．Plastic Packaging Is Everywhere |
| B．Plastic Consumption Should Be Reduced |
| C．How Should Plastic Be Used |
| D．How Plastic Products Affect People |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Earth Day Photo Contest
Is a picture worth a thousand words? We think so! Snap（拍摄）a digital photograph that answers this question: Why is Earth Day important to our planet? Get details below.
●HOW TO ENTER: This contest begins on January 18, 2016 and ends on March 21, 2016. To enter online, visit timeforkids.com/photocontest and follow instructions to give the following information:
(a) an original and previously unpublished photograph that answers the Earth Day question “Why is Earth Day important to our planet?” and that was photographed by the entrant（参赛者）between March 1, 2015, and March 21, 2016; photographs must be 300 dpi and 5 x 7 inches, and saved as a JPEG file; file sizes may not be more than 10 MB;
(b) a caption（说明文字）describing the picture, what is happening, where the photo was taken, the date the photo was taken and why entrant chose to enter this image;
(c) Entrant’s name; entrant’s e-mail address; and parent’s, or teacher’s e-mail address. Limit one entry per person.
● JUDGING: All entries will be judged by our magazine staff based on the following standards: creativity & originality (50%); photo composition (25%); and appropriateness to contest theme (25%). Winners will be told by e-mail, and must respond within five days.
●ELIGIBILITY（资格）: Open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are elementary school students aged 8–13 years.
●PRIZES: Judges will select 10 Semifinalists, from which one Grand-Prize Winner and nine Finalists will be chosen. The Grand-Prize Winner will receive a digital camera; approximate retail value: $300.00. The photograph entry of the Grand-Prize Winner will be published in the April 15 Earth Day issue of TFK. Other winners will receive an MP4 player and a copy of our magazine. The photograph entries of all Semifinalists will be published in the gallery of timeforkids.com.
1. The entrant must give the following information EXCEPT________.| A．an original photograph | B．a published photograph |
| C．a photo caption | D．the entrant’s e-mail address |
| A．Creativity& originality. | B．Photo composition. |
| C．Photography technique. | D．Appropriateness to contest theme. |
| A．An MP4 player. | B．A copy of magazine. |
| C．A digital camera. | D．A cheque of $300.00. |
【推荐2】
Should we save pandas? Even though the number of giant pandas has dropped to the point where they are considered seriously endangered, some have suggested that it is not worth the efforts to continue trying to save the species. BBC naturalist, Chris Packham, made this shocking statement to Radio Times Magazine: “It’s not a strong species. Unfortunately, it’s big and cute and it’s a symbol of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). And we pour millions of pounds into panda conservation. I think we should pull the plug. Let them go.”
Fortunately, not many people share this extreme viewpoint. Instead of just allowing the species to become extinct, panda conservation efforts are in full force, and you can help! Why not “adopt” a panda at the WWF or Pandas International? Both organizations raise money for giant panda conservation. You can also help raise attention to this endangered species. The following ideas are from Pandas International: spread the word; share your passion to save pandas; sponsor or adopt a giant panda; sign up for monthly donations to Pandas International or another organization; consider a project for your class, if you are a student; or at your next celebration (birthday, holidays, etc.) ask guests to make a donation to help pandas, rather than bring a gift.
There are only about 1,900 giant pandas and as left in the wild. One of the biggest reasons why giant pandas are dying out is the loss of habitat. Pandas rely on bamboo for food, and the plant is slow-growing. In their native lands of Southeast Asia, many bamboo forests have been cleared. This drives pandas farther away in search of food. Many die of hunger before they can get to the next forest.
Personally, I don’t think that something should be given up just because it is difficult. After all, the panda is not endangered as a result of natural selection. Its habitat has been destroyed by our actions.
1. This passage is written to ________.| A．ask the readers to save pandas |
| B．prove that pandas can be saved |
| C．explain why pandas are dying out |
| D．help us know more about pandas |
| A．Leave. | B．Stop. | C．Think. | D．Try. |
| A．The functions of Pandas International. |
| B．Efforts people have made to save pandas. |
| C．Things to do for pandas as a student. |
| D．Things we can do to help pandas. |
| A．provide various kinds of food for pandas |
| B．let pandas kept in zoos back to forests |
| C．establish bamboo forests |
| D．adopt pandas and raise them |
【推荐3】In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources (资源), the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decades has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon(低碳) or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decades. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains. In addition, we are also seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油)， which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development. Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of growing population within the limits in this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.
1. The traditional business model is harmful because of all the following EXCEPT that ______.| A．It makes the world warmer |
| B．it consumes natural resources |
| C．it brings severe damage to forests |
| D．it makes growth hard to continue |
| A．China lacks wind and solar energy. |
| B．China is the leader of the low-carbon market. |
| C．High-speed trains are a low-carbon development. |
| D．Palm oil is made at the cost of valuable forests. |
| A．develop sustainable products |
| B．explore new natural resources |
| C．make full use of natural resources |
| D．deal with the major challenge |
| A．To introduce a new business model. |
| B．To compare two business models. |
| C．To predict a change of the global market. |
| D．To advocate sustainable development. |
【推荐1】One of the two major types of smog - consisting of smoke fog, sulfur dioxide (二氧化硫), sulfuric acid, ash, and soot (煤烟) -is called London smog. Indeed, the word smog is thought to have originated in England in 1905 as a short form of the words “smoke” and “fog.”
Probably the worst case of smog in history started in London on Thursday, 4 December, 1952.
Saturday was a day of darkness. For twenty miles around London, no light came through the smog. The air was cold and still.
By the time a light wind cleared the air on Tuesday, 9 December, more than 4,000 deaths had been caused by the smog. This is more people than were ever killed in any single hurricane, mine disaster, shipwreck, or airplane crash.
| A．Where does “smog” come from? |
| B．Soot and ash can be removed in a scientific way. |
| C．And the coal fires continued to bum throughout the weekend. |
| D．A large cold air mass moved into the valley of the Thames River. |
| E．The factories added their smoke and chemical gas to the atmosphere. |
| F．This is more people than were killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. |
| G．The city’s hospitals were overflowing with patients with breathing-related diseases. |
【推荐2】Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately: the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problems, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke(中风) within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants(污染物) were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be of “moderate” quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.
1. The passage aims to________.| A．call the government to improve environmental air quality |
| B．list all the factors that can cause heart problems |
| C．inform people of the relationship between heart problems and air quality |
| D．persuade people to exercise more and give up smoking to decrease the risk of heart problems |
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low | C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
| A．Smoking is the most immediate factor that causes heart problems. |
| B．High level of air pollution can lead to heart problems in a short time after exposure. |
| C．Moderate air quality doesn’t raise the risk of stroke. |
| D．It’s not important to be aware of the air quality. |
【推荐3】Jake Oldershaw and his daughter Mollie from Birmingham, Britain have asthma (哮喘). Mollie, 11, has required hospital treatment several times while Jake Says he always finds breathing more difficult when there is heavy traffic. Air quality has an enormous impact on their lives and both noticed a marked improvement during the spring lockdown because of the epidemic (疫情). Jake said, “During lockdown there was a noticeable difference in air quality. I didn't suffer any asthmatic attacks during that period. These days you can feel the effects.”
However, under current COVID-19 restrictions in the UK this winter, many people probably will have to work from home. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) says while emissions (排放) have dropped this year because we've been travelling less and doing less, the expected use of gas boilers to provide heating and hot water could rise by more than half.
Heating accounts for nearly 37% of the UK's total carbon emissions. Modelling by the ECIU suggests a 56% increase in boiler usage this winter resulting in a 12% increase in emissions of carbon. The ECIU says that's enough to offset the last two years' worth of progress on reducing traffic emissions.
Jess Ralston, author of the analysis for the ECIU, said, “Working from home and having increased gas use in the home could be really critical for air pollution and also climate change. The way we heat our homes needs to change if we are to get to net zero by 2050.”
Jess Ralston said, “The increase in pollution from gas boilers expected this winter provides a graphic illustration (图解) of their forgotten role in air pollution. And it is a role set to continue without practical policies to decarbonize home heating. ”
The government is set to publish its Heat and Buildings Decarbonisation Strategy in a few weeks which is expected to give details on plans to try to switch British homes to cleaner sources of heat.
1. How did the spring lockdown in the UK affect Jake?| A．He was cured of his asthma. |
| B．He had to go to hospital for retreatment. |
| C．He suffered a noticeable difficulty in study. |
| D．He didn't suffer any asthmatic attacks during that period. |
| A．The epidemic will become worse. |
| B．Air pollution will get worse this winter. |
| C．People may have to work from home longer. |
| D．There is less energy for gas boilers in winter. |
| A．People prefer to work from home in winter. |
| B．The government failed to protect the environment. |
| C．People tend to ignore the harmful effect of home heating. |
| D．The climate has suffered a lot from the epidemic this year. |
| A．A warmer winter season. |
| B．Less and less gas boilers. |
| C．Practical plans from the government. |
| D．Improved awareness of cutting down pollution. |
【推荐1】In an effort to help out important insects like bees and butterflies, bus stops across the United Kingdom (UK) are getting living roofs. Small gardens on bus shelter roofs are being planted with flowers chosen to help support the struggling insects. The gardens provide much-needed islands of nature in a hard, man-made environment of a city.
Humans depend on bees and other “pollinators (授粉者)” like butterflies to help grow plants, such as flowers and trees. But with humans taking over more and more land for cities, roads and farms, more natural areas have disappeared. The Wildlife Trusts, a group which works to protect wildlife in the UK, says that 97% of England’s wildflower fields have been lost since World War II and the insect numbers there have dropped by 50% since 1970. Bee bus stops are a small step toward supporting these important insects.
The advertising company Clear Channel is working with The Wildlife Trusts and city governments to set up bee bus stops in cities across the UK. Bee bus stops are like ordinary bus shelters, but small gardens have been added to the roofs. The gardens are filled with flowers and plants chosen to attract bees and butterflies. Because the soil for the rooftop garden is heavy, especially when it rains, the bus shelters need to be sturdy. The rooftop gardens need to be cut about twice a year. But other than that, not much is needed to keep the gardens going.
Clear Channel manages about 30,000 bus stops across the UK. It says that most bus stops last about 20 years. The little gardens can also help to slightly lower city temperatures. Even though the bus shelter gardens are small, together they add up to a much larger area. Thirzah McSherry, who works for The Wildlife Trusts, says, “We’re living through a nature and climate crisis and we need to use every tool we’ve got to deal with it.”
1. Why are bee bus stop gardens being built in the UK?| A．To improve farming conditions. | B．To make the city more beautiful. |
| C．To solve the environment pollution. | D．To provide shelters for pollinating insects. |
| A．Loss of forests. | B．Climate changes. | C．Human activities. | D．Natural disasters. |
| A．Easily broken. | B．Extremely popular. |
| C．Firmly fixed. | D．Finely decorated. |
| A．The city temperature is getting lower slowly. |
| B．Small actions can also make a big difference. |
| C．Cities should map out larger gardens for the insects. |
| D．The bee bus stop will change the climate of the UK. |
【推荐2】Junior Alvarado was worried when he began his first year at a public high school in Washington, DC. He often struggled in his math classes and earned poor grades in middle school. But the teachers at the Washington Leadership Academy used computer programs to identify the areas he was weak in and design a learning plan just for him.
As Alvarado started geometry in his second year of high school last week, he said he felt much better about his math skills. "For me, personalized learning is having classes set at your level," the 15-year-old said. "They explain the problem step by step. It wouldn't be as fast. It will be at your speed."
Many schools in the United States struggle to raise the high school graduation rate. They also have difficulty helping many minority and low-income students perform at the same level as others. So many educators see digital technology as a way of solving these problems.
The use of technology in schools is part of a larger idea of personalized learning. This idea has been gaining popularity in recent years. The Education Department put $500 million into personalized learning programs in 68 school districts. These programs served almost 500,000 students in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
Supporters say traditional methods do not match the modern world, but personalized learning helps teachers follow their students' progress and make changes to lessons that meet students' individual needs and students, in this way, are able to master subjects at their own speed.
Still, many researchers say it is too early to tell if personalized learning works better than traditional teaching. The Rand Corporation recently did a study of personalized learning and found that it only led to small improvements. It found only a 3-percentile improvement in math and even smaller improvements in reading compared to schools with traditional teaching methods. Some teachers have their doubts as well. They admit that technology can be helpful in many ways, but they argue that no computer program should ever replace the personal touch, support and inspiration that teachers give their students.
1. What or who did Alvarado give his thanks to for his better performance in math skills?| A．His new math teacher. | B．Personalized learning. |
| C．The Education Department. | D．The traditional teaching. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Reserved. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．It has benefited students all over the USA. |
| B．It can help improve students’ scores greatly. |
| C．It can be helpful for students’ individual learning. |
| D．It will take the place of traditional teaching in no time. |
【推荐3】For decades, China had wanted a Nobel Prize. Tu Youyou, a researcher who helped to develop a malaria(疟疾)medicine, finally won the country that honor.
In fact, Tu is not the only scientist in China who is catching the world’s attention. In 2016, the journal Nature published a list of the top 10 science stars in China. Gao Caixia and Cui Weicheng are two of them.
Gao Caixia has been devoted to genetic engineering for her whole career. She is known for using CRISPR-Cas9, the revolutionary gene-editing technique that is sweeping through biology labs around the world—in crops.
At first, Gao was unwilling to take up gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9 because her lab at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing had already created mutations(变异)in 82 genes using an older type of technology. But after thinking carefully about it, she decided to give it a try.
After a year of hard work, her lab finally succeeded. Gao worked on genetic engineering in wheat, a crop that is famous for being difficult to work with. Now she is considered one of the best scientists in the world at engineering wheat.
Cui Weicheng is the developer of China’s record-setting Jiaolong submersible(潜水器). He is now a professor at Westlake University. In 2012, Cui rode inside China’s Jiaolong submersible and reached a depth of more than 7,000 meters in the Pacific.
Thanks to Jiaolong and the 57-year-old developer, China is now one of only a few nations that can explore the deep sea. Jiaolong can travel deeper than any other manned research submersible currently in use, which shows China’s increasing ambition and leadership in deep-sea research.
1. Why is Tu Youyou mentioned at the beginning of the passage?| A．To show one of China’s long-held dreams. |
| B．To stress the importance of the Nobel Prize. |
| C．To praise Tu Youyou for her contributions. |
| D．To introduce more top Chinese scientists. |
| A．A kind of gene-editing technique. |
| B．A lab where scientists work. |
| C．A kind of crop that is widely planted in the world. |
| D．A research team that works on genetic engineering. |
| A．He teaches about the sea at a university. |
| B．He developed China’s Jiaolong submersible. |
| C．He is devoted to genetic engineering. |
| D．He reached the bottom of the ocean. |
| A．China’s Science Stars |
| B．China’s Nobel Prize Dream |
| C．Gao Caixia—China’s Crop Engineer |
| D．Cui Weicheng—China’s Deep-sea Diver |
