Governments around the world are pushing for an end to plastic straws（吸管）and bags. More and more businesses are switching（转换）to paper products as an alternative（可供选择的事物）. Paper is considered by many to be better than plastic. However, it is harmful to the environment, too.
Firstly, paper bags and straws are made from trees. Trees, as you know, can reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere（大气）. They can slow down climate change. An increase in the use of paper bags can cause more deforestation（毁林）.
Secondly, the production of paper things requires more energy and water. About 10 percent more energy and four times as much water is used to produce a paper bag than a plastic one. You might say that we can use recycled paper to save that energy and water. This seems to be a good idea. However, it takes even more energy and water to go through the recycling process than to make a new paper bag. Products made from recycled paper are also often short-lived.
Furthermore, paper products are heavier than plastic ones. That means they require more fuel to transport. Seven trucks are needed to transport two million paper bags, while only one truck is needed to transport the same number of plastic bags. The increased weight also leads to a larger amount of waste once the bags are thrown away.
Paper products are actually a loss for both the environment and businesses. They are more expensive than plastic products. A paper straw costs about 5 to 12 cents, while a plastic one usually costs only about 2 cents. The most environment-friendly solution is to avoid single-use things altogether. Products like glass water bottles and steel straws can be used over and over again. They are much better than either paper products or plastic products. Through increasing the use of these items, you can greatly reduce your throwaway waste and truly make our earth a greener place!
1. What can trees do to the environment?| A．They can improve climate quickly. |
| B．They can provide materials for paper products. |
| C．They can cause more deforestation in the end. |
| D．They can make carbon dioxide levels lower in the air. |
| A．paper products are easy to transport |
| B．plastic products are much better than paper ones |
| C．one truck is needed to transport two million plastic bags |
| D．plastic products often lead to a larger amount of a waste |
| A．Recycled paper bags. | B．Steel knives and forks. |
| C．Strong plastic chairs. | D．Single-use cups. |
| A．To push for an end to plastic straws and bags. |
| B．To tell readers the disadvantages of paper products. |
| C．To tell readers the advantages of plastic products. |
| D．To introduce the importance of making our earth a greener place. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In many countries, governments advise people to buy electric cars and tell them that driving an electric car is good for the environment. But is it true?
The University of Minnesota recently studied the waste of different cars. The scientists found that sometimes, electric cars are more harmful than petrol (汽油) cars.
Surprising? Well, please pay attention to the word “sometimes”. Electric cars should be clean. The problem lies in the power. If the power comes from wind or solar energy, electric cars will cause little pollution. However, if the power comes from coal, they will be very harmful. According to the study, pollution caused by these cars kill about 3,000 people a year. Pollution caused by petrol cars only leads to 880 deaths a year.
In fact, sales people are not lying when they say electric cars are clean. However, they are right only when the power is also clean.
So how clean electric cars are depends on where people drive them. In France, more than half of the power comes from nuclear stations. Driving electric cars is good for the environment. In some other counties, however, power still mainly comes from coal. India, for example, depends on coal for 61% of its power. Only 2% of its power comes from nuclear energy. In countries like India, electric cars are not clean at all! They should prepare clean power for their electric cars.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Why do governments advise people to buy electric cars according to the first paragraph?
| A．To have a popular car. | B．To save lots of money. |
| C．To protect the environment. | D．To show the technology |
| A．They use more coal to get power. | B．They need two more drivers during the trip. |
| C．They cause more people to die than petrol cars. | D．They cost more money. |
| A．Nowadays electric cars are not always clean. |
| B．The power of most cars in France comes from nuclear stations. |
| C．Salespeople advise more people to buy electric cars. |
| D．The development of electric cars in different countries. |
| A．To tell us petrol cars are very harmful to the environment. |
| B．To explain why solar energy has a great advantage over coal. |
| C．To tell us what kind of electric cars are good to the environment. |
| D．To tell us whether people should drive electric cars. |
| A．How to choose electric cars | B．Is the electric car always clean |
| C．The difference between electric cars and petrol cars | D．The development of electric cars in different countries |
【推荐2】Taking a bus or subway, making payments online,or just walking-these daily activities can help turn China's deserts（荒漠） into forests if you are using Ant Forest．
Ant Forest is a feature(功能)in the Alipay mobile payment app. It records users' low-carbon（低碳的）activities -taking a bus to work instead of driving, for example - and gives users "green energy". When the user's green energy gets high enough, Ant Forest and its partners will plant a real tree for the user．
Ant Forest recently received the 2019 Champions of the Earth award ("地球卫士奖"), the UN's highest environmental honor (荣誉), for encouraging people to live greener lifestyles and protect the environment．
About half a billion people have used Ant Forest since it came out in August 2016. Ant Forest and its partners have planted about 122 million trees in China's driest areas，including parts of Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai and Shanxi．The trees cover a total area of 112，000 hectares（公顷）．This makes Ant Forest China's largest tree-planting project started by a private（私营的）company．
Executive director of the United Nations Environment Program Inger Andersen said that Ant Forest shows us how we can use technology to solve environmental problems．Ant Forest has "fundamentally（从根本上）redesigning how we interact (相互影响）our planet.” said Anderson．
1. You can get "green energy" in Ant Forest by___．
a.taking a bus b.paying bills c.walking d.planting trees e.opening the app
| A．abc | B．bde | C．acd | D．bce |
| A．it helps people save money |
| B．it is the first company to plant trees. |
| C．it solved a serious environmental problem |
| D．it encourages people to protect the environment |
| A．Alibaba has already planted millions of trees． |
| B．Alibaba only plants trees in poor areas． |
| C．The trees planted by Alibaba have fully covered China's deserts． |
| D．More than half of China’s popuiation is using Ant Forest． |
Our earth is in trouble. Our drinking water is becoming dirtier, and the air is not as clean as before. People and factories are polluting the air, rivers, lakes and seas. You may think there is nothing you can do to help. That’s not true. There are many things you can do to save the earth.
Cars burn oil. This will make a lot of CO₂ into the air. Too much CO₂ is making the earth warmer than ever. So try to walk, ride a bike or take a bus. This can save some oil and produce less CO₂.
The biggest energy use at home is for keeping warm or cool. So turn off the air conditioner (空调) when you don’t need to use it. Use lights that save energy. Use fewer things that cannot be used again. When you buy something, consider those made from things that can be used again first. A lot of water is needed for shower. So take shorter showers. That can cut the use of the water
Every small action can make a big difference to our earth. Let’s take action to protect it.
1. The water is polluted. But the air is very clean now.2. There is nothing you can do to help save the earth.
3. Too much CO₂ can make the earth warmer
4. We should buy those made from things that can be used again.
Taiwan has been part of China since ancient times, which lies in the southeast of China, facing the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest island in China, covering an area of about 36, 000 square kilometers with a population of over 20, 000, 000. Taiwan is rich in natural resources, having world-famous agricultural products, such as pineapples, sugarcane (甘蔗) and tea. This island, with rich resources, beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate, attracts (吸引) tourists from all over the world each year. If you have an opportunity to visit Taiwan, make sure to include the most famous scenery, Sun Moon Lake in your travel plan.
1. Taiwan is the ________ island in China.| A．richest | B．largest | C．smallest | D．oldest |
| A．pineapples | B．sugarcane | C．tea | D．all of them |
| A．northeast | B．northwest | C．southwest | D．southeast |
| A．Beautiful scenery. | B．Pleasant climate. | C．Rich resources. | D．A, B and C. |
| A．Taiwan has a population of 36, 000. |
| B．Diaoyu Island lie to the south of Taiwan. |
| C．Sun Moon Lake is a famous scenery in Taiwan. |
| D．Taiwan only produces pineapples and sugarcane. |
【推荐2】Trees are important and they can help us in many ways. However, some of them are in danger and need to be taken care of as much as possible. There are some ways to save trees.
Use paper wisely. We can save trees by using paper in a right way. What can we do? Use both sides of paper when doing homework. Borrow books to read when you needn’t buy them. Never throw old books away, but be kind to donate them to others who need them. In place of paper towels, use cloth towels.
Plant trees. To save trees, it’s a great idea to plant them. Spring is the best season to plant trees. If everyone around us does it, millions of trees will appear and make our world become green and beautiful.
Tell people to understand the importance of trees and help save trees. Try to write letters to government official(官员) and persuade(劝) them to use as little paper as they can.
1. How many ways are there to use paper wisely?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．lead | B．sell | C．throw | D．give |
| A．All trees on the Earth are in danger. | B．Trees can make our world beautiful. |
| C．To save trees, never buy books. | D．Most people can’t understand trees. |
| A．why to save trees | B．how to save trees |
| C．where to find trees | D．when to plant trees |
【推荐3】Teen (青少年的) Writing Competition
Do you love writing? Do you want to show your great talent (天赋) for writing to others? Then we have a competition just for you!
This competition is for children between 14-16 years old. You need to write an English passage (段落) of 500 words at most.
| Prizes(奖) | |||
| 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | Other writers |
| 1 in number | 2 in number | 4 in number | |
| 3,000 yuan A trophy (奖杯) A book | 1,000 yuan A trophy A book | 500 yuan A trophy A book | A book |
For all writers:
①. Your passage must be your very own work.
②. Only one passage each person, please.
③. You should fill in an entry form (参赛表格) with your name, age, email and the title of your passage.
④. For more information about the competition and the entry form, visit www.teenwritingcompetition.org.
1. What do we know about the prizes?| A．Every writer will get a trophy. | B．Every writer will receive a book. |
| C．There will be three 3rd place winners. | D．The 1st place winner can get 1, 000 yuan. |
| A．be the writers’ own works | B．be longer than 500 words |
| C．have the writers’ real name and age | D．talk about the writers’ own experiences |
| A．A teacher’s notebook. | B．A class report. |
| C．A book about how to write. | D．A magazine for teens. |
