In their book Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable living, Robert and Brenda Vale say keeping a medium-sized dog has the same ecological influence as driving 10,000 km a year a 2.0 liter car.
“We’re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog. We’re just saying that we need to think abut and know the ecological influence of some of the tings we do and that we take for granted.”
Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares（公顷）of land, while growing and manufacturing a dog’s food takes about 0.84 hectares—or 1.1 hectares in the case of a large dog such as a German shepherd.
Convincing flesh-eating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the fate of the planet is a non-starter, the Vales say. Instead they recommend keeping “greener”’ smaller, and more sustainable（可持续的）pets, such as goldfish, chicken or rabbits.
The book’s playful title, and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully “recycled”, by being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die, may not appeal to animal fans. Annoying as the idea may be, the question is valid given the planet’s growing population and limited resources, Robert Vale said.
“Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make choices which are as difficult as eating your dog. It’s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking a cloth bag to the supermarket,” he said.
“It’s about much more challenging and difficult issues,” he added. “Once you see where cats and dogs fit in your overall balance of things, you might decide to have the cat but not also to have the two cars and the three bathrooms and be a meat eater yourself.”
1. What does the Vales’ book mainly focus on?| A．The animals’ rights. |
| B．The way to raise pets. |
| C．The influence of driving cars. |
| D．The environmental protection. |
| A．Teaching animal fans. |
| B．Recycling pet animals. |
| C．Killing animals for food. |
| D．Protecting homeless animals |
| A．Easy. |
| B．Inspiring. |
| C．Impossible. |
| D．Challenging. |
| A．Taking a cloth bag to the supermarket is difficult to carry out. |
| B．Raising sheep is a good idea for animal fans in the Vales’ opinion. |
| C．The bigger pet animals are, the worse ecological influence they have. |
| D．Driving cars is more environment-friendly than keeping pet animals. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Anger can feel like its eating you up inside as it practically ruins your entire day
Anger is not a primary emotion. It's secondary.
For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. It's only logical. Getting angry is not allowing other positive emotions to come in and that is time and space you'll never get back. And life is way too short to be pissed off(使生气) all the time.
Happiness cannot come from hatred or anger. Nobody can say, “Today I am happy because this morning I was angry.”
| A．On the contrary, people feel uneasy and sad. |
| B．You’re responsible for your anger. |
| C．You’ve found the root cause of your anger. |
| D．People will find a way to make you angry. |
| E．while filling your head with a bunch of angry, negative thoughts. |
| F．and it states how easy it is to be angry. |
| G．You're going to die eventually, so be smart about it! |
【推荐2】While you may be doing everything right, ignoring just one or two steps in the process may keep you from getting a job, especially in this fierce market. Here is a checklist that covers some of the major links in the job-search chain.
THE RESUME—Make sure it is up-to-date and tailored to the types of jobs you are seeking for. Have someone else look at your resume. If you cannot afford a career coach，give your resume to friends or family members to scrutinize. Have copies of your resume printed so that you are ready to hand them out at interviews.
COVERING LEITERS—Maybe you've set up a few basic styles in advance, but that's not enough. Each covering letter should be designed to suit the job for which you are applying.
THE WARDROBE (衣橱)—Check your wardrobe to ensure that you have the appropriate professional dress, including shoes，ready for interview.
NETWORKING—Don't isolate yourself from others. Network through e-mail messages, phone calls, appointments and meetings keep you in touch with the outside world and prevent you from becoming depressed.
APPLICATION—A glance at huge online job sites isn't usually the best way to find a job. You are more likely to succeed through the people you know via networking.
INTERVIEWS—If you've got plenty of interviews but no return calls or job offers, take a look at your interviewing skills. This is one area where investing in a career coach may pay off. But if you can't afford one, try to find a job group or service that conducts free mock (模拟) interviews.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS—Finally, recognize that looking for job is rather difficult. Even at the best of times, a job hunt is often about rejection, and that can be hard to endure. Staying in touch with family, friends, professional networks and fellow job seekers can help you to maintain a positive attitude and a sense of perspective.
1. The author's purpose of writing this text is to ________.| A．suggest graduates should find suitable jobs |
| B．give people some tips on searching for jobs |
| C．tell people how to improve their interview skills |
| D．teach people how to get ready for an interview |
| A．check | B．use |
| C．rewrite | D．criticize |
| A．You should have your resume read by your friends after finishing it. |
| B．You should create different covering letters for the different jobs you apply for. |
| C．Searching online is the most effective way to look for a job. |
| D．You should wear appropriate professional clothes and shoes for the interview. |
| A．Carefully review your interviewing skills. |
| B．Ask a fellow job seeker to help you. |
| C．Rewrite your resume as soon as possible. |
| D．Go to the managers' offices to find out why. |
| A．people often pay no attention to writing their resume |
| B．the interview is the most difficult step for interviewees |
| C．a career coach often offers free mock interviews to interviewees |
| D．your social network may help you a lot in your job hunt |
【推荐3】In today's fast-paced and sometimes uncaring society, it can be challenging to find anything to lift your spirits when you feel sad. In spite of how bad things may appear, there are some things you can do to get happy and enjoy your day.
Get yourself an attitude of gratitude. For centuries, people over the world have recognized how powerful gratitude is when it comes to lifting one's spirits. Frequently we are so caught up in what we lack that we fail to recognize all that we possess. Often, we are only reminded of the blessings present in our world when we meet someone worse off than we are or when those blessings are no longer a reality.
Brighten someone's day. It may be you who are feeling the blues, but when you brighten someone else's day, yours automatically becomes brighter. Smiles spread easily.
Get some fresh air. Fresh air refreshes the senses and makes you more likely to get up and do something rather than sit there in an unpleasant mood.
| A．Get some exercise. |
| B．Be thankful for what you have. |
| C．Here are some great ways to lift your spirits. |
| D．Go for a walk with a friend or take a bike ride. |
| E．Do what you can to start an outbreak of happy faces. |
| F．This promotes the production of the body's natural pain relievers. |
| G．Organize cupboards，garages and other areas that have become untidy. |
【推荐1】Our world’s forests are becoming isolated and broken. In fact, today we have only two remaining continuous forests systems in the world—the Amazon and the Congo. The rest of the world’s forests are becoming separated-kind of like islands.
Why should that concern most of us city dwellers? It turns out that forests affect us in ways more than we can see and experience. If you had your breakfast this morning, blew your nose on a tissue, switched on a light or are reading this article, you have one thing to thank for—the world’s forests and the products they supply us. Forest products are used by us in our daily lives either directly or indirectly. Think of paper and wood—your school textbook, newspaper your parents read, or the furniture you are sitting on. Even for our medicines and cosmetics we depend on forest products.
But that is only one way of looking at it. In another sense, forests are habitats for diverse plant and animal species; many people around the world depend on forests for their livelihood. Forests give us our rivers, help maintain the water cycle, act as a carbon sink and help prevent soil erosion.
For all that forests provide us, humans are using its resources faster than the forests can regain themselves, so much so that we are losing them fast—too fast for our own good! Forests today make up 30% of the land area of the world. But just in the last 50 years, more than one half of the world forests are gone. It is believed that forest areas, about half the size of Singapore, are being lost every day!
Forests don’t disappear in a day. It is gradually eroded (侵蚀) away. The biggest cause is roads and man-made developments, as well as natural events such as wildfires. Did you know that when an area of a forest gets broken-up by artificial barriers, these areas tend to lose about 50% of all their species within a couple of decades?
The areas that are exposed by the disappearing forests now begin to experience extreme temperature, pressure and wind. Now add to it, invasive species that destroy the habitat.
It is in our hands to do something about it. If government officials and local populations can work together to reconnect the mini forests by planting linking trees, it may not be too late to preserve what we already have.
1. Paragraph 2 is mainly about ______.| A．main causes of forest loss | B．benefits of forests in our life |
| C．different kinds of forest products | D．waste of forest products in life |
| A．provide habitats only for humans | B．help speed up soil erosion |
| C．be preserved by planting linking trees | D．disappear on earth all of a sudden |
| A．The blowing of strong wind. | B．The coming of invasive species. |
| C．The natural wildfires. | D．The disappearance of species. |
| A．The Forests Meet with Wildfires |
| B．The Earth Has Many Mini-Forests |
| C．The Forests Are in Great Danger |
| D．The Earth Suffers from the Loss of Its Species |
【推荐2】The world celebrates Earth Day every year on April 22.But one school in Potomac，Maryland tries to honor Earth Day every day.Very young children are learning about the environment and taking action to show their love for the Earth.
A child’s world is the world of playing.They love being outside in the open air，running，sliding and swinging on playground equipment.But children at St.James Children’s School also add to that fun by picking up rubbish in the school.Inside，they learn to save water and electricity.They also recycle and reuse things.And every spring they get the soil ready to plant flowers and vegetables in the school garden.
The children at St.James range from six weeks to six years old.The environmental study begins at age two.Rebecca Boker teaches the children the importance of taking care of the Earth.Boker says every day at St.James is Earth Day.She points to books in all the classrooms and in the library.Most contain materials that urge children to do something to help the environment and protect the Earth.
St.James children observe the growth of plants from seeds to sprouts(苗，芽) in cups kept in the classroom.Then they watch the plants continue to grow after placing them in the garden.The students also observe the lifecycle of some insects.After that，they know it is their job to respect their home just like they want others to respect theirs.
But do these very young children really get the message that their teachers try to communicate？Ms Boker says yes.On April 22 the kids at St.James will go out to the school’s garden for the yearly cleanup.But for them，Earth Day will continue for the school days ahead as well.
1. Which might be the best title for the passage?| A．Earth Days at St.James Children’s School |
| B．How to Celebrate Earth Day |
| C．How to Protect the Environment |
| D．Young Children’s Love and Respect for the Earth |
| A．At the age of six weeks. |
| B．At two years old. |
| C．At age six. |
| D．At age seven. |
| A．teach the importance of respecting the Earth |
| B．help the children write better compositions |
| C．enrich the children’s knowledge in agriculture |
| D．let the children enjoy the growth of life |
| A．Anxious. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Negative. | D．Positive. |
【推荐3】Perhaps the most common climatic effect of global warming is rapid extension of ice melt. Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Himalayas will very likely lose most of their glacial ice within the next two decades, affecting local water resources. NASA scientists determined Greenland’s ice sheet is thinning by about 1m per year. The additional melt water, especially from continental ice masses and glaciers, is adding to a rise in sea level worldwide. Satellite remote sensing is monitoring global sea level, sea ice, and continental ice. Worldwide measurements confirm that sea level rose during the last century.
Okay, so how much is melting of Greenland contributing to sea level rise? Estimates are about 270 gigatons of water per year. The melting of an ice sheet can occur from the surface as air temperatures and sunlight warm the upper layer of ice. It can also occur from the edges as ice shelves collapse and fall into the oceans in large pieces. The bedrock underneath the ice sheet is not also flat. There are undulations that rise and fall and change the water-ice-ground connection, which can make it easier for ice to melt and can increase the rate of ice shelf collapse. So scientists have a real interest in learning about the land underneath ice sheets so that they can better predict ice collapse and sea level rise.
Greenland ice has its feature, meaning it acts slowly but once it gets going, it’s hard to stop. So predicting how fast this melt will take is interesting from a scientific advantage point but there are also enormous social and economic consequences. Right now, 150 million people live within 3 feet of today’s sea level. If you live near the coast, the question of “when” is really important. This suggests that “when” may be sooner than we hoped.
1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly talk about?| A．A rapid extension of ice melt. | B．Himalayan ice. |
| C．Greenland’s ice sheet. | D．A big rise of sea level. |
| A．The rise of sea level. | B．The undulant bedrock. |
| C．The temperature and sunlight. | D．The shape of ice sheet. |
| A．Greenland ice is sure to melt as fast as before. |
| B．Scientist are indifferent to the melt of Greenland ice. |
| C．Greenland ice is a potential danger to people living near the coast. |
| D．People living within 3 feet of today’s sea level will have to move next year. |
| A．Historical Legend. | B．Planet Earth. |
| C．Bear Grylls: Mission Survive. | D．Beyond the Red Carpet. |
