1 . THE GLOBAL WASTE TRADE IS ESSENTIALLY BROKEN
Cut into hillside in northern Malaysia stands a large, open-air warehouse. This is a recycling factory, which opened last November. On a very hot afternoon in January, Shahid Ali was working his very first week on the job. He stood knee-deep in soggy, white bits of plastic. Around him, more bits floated of the conveyor belt and fell to the ground like snowflakes.
Hour after hour, Ali sorts through the plastic jumble moving down the belt, picking out pieces that look off-color or soiled-rejects (废品) in the recycling process. Though it looks like backbreaking work, Ali says it is a great improvement over his previous job, folding bed-sheets in a nearby textile factory, for much lower pay. Now, if he eats simply, he can save money from his wages of just over $l an hour and send $250 a month to his parents and six brothers and sisters in Peshawar, Pakistan, 2,700 miles away, “As soon as I heard about this work, I asked for a job,” says Ali, 24, a bearded man with glasses and an easy smile. Still, he’s working 12 hours a day, seven days a week. “If I take a day off, I lose a day’s wages,” he says.
In the warehouse, hundreds of bags are stacked more than 60 feet high-each stuffed with plastic wrappers and bags thrown away weeks earlier by their original users in California. The fact that the waste has traveled to this distant corner of the planet in the first place shows how badly the global recycling economy has failed to keep pace with humanity’s plastics addiction. This is an ecosystem that is deeply dysfunctional, if not on the point of collapse: About 90% of the millions of tons of plastic the world produces every year will eventually end up not recycled, but burned, buried, or dumped.
Plastic recycling enjoys ever-wider support among consumers: Putting yogurt containers and juice bottles in a blue bin is an eco-friendly act of faith in millions of households. But faith goes only so far. The tidal wave of plastic items that enters the recycling stream each year is increasingly likely to fall right back out again, casualties of a broken market. Many products that consumers believe (and industries claim) are “recyclable" are in reality not, because of hard economics. With oil and gas prices near 20-year lows, so-called virgin plastic, a product of petroleum feed-stocks, is now far cheaper and easier to obtain than recycled material. That unforeseen shift has yanked the financial rug out from under what was until recently a practical recycling industry. “The global waste trade is essentially broken,” says the head of the global plastics campaign at Greenpeace. “We are sitting on vast amounts of plastic with nowhere to send it and nothing to do with it.”
1. What is the author’s attitude towards Shahid Ali?A.Critical. | B.Merciless. | C.Indifferent. | D.Sympathetic. |
A.The prices of oil and gas have been increasing. |
B.Tons of wastes travel so far before being recycled. |
C.Recyclable products are not really recycled. |
D.Governments don’t support the recycling industry. |
A.Out of stock. | B.Far from pleased. | C.Full of energy. | D.Out of order. |
A.To illustrate how plastic waste has been recycled in the world. |
B.To warn people that the global waste trade is essentially broken. |
C.To analyze the relationship between consumers and factories. |
D.To solve the conflict between the recycling industry and governments. |
A.Explaining why greyhounds are aggressive. | B.Making people know more about greyhounds. |
C.Telling people to stay away from greyhounds. | D.Describing greyhounds of different colors. |
A.They are so big in size. | B.They can live a very long life. |
C.They can run races at any time. | D.They are quiet and easy to look after. |
A.To visit vets regularly. | B.To keep it warm. |
C.To take care of its legs. | D.To keep it slim. |
It is perhaps the most ironic symbol of the life on our planet. The Amazon is the world’s largest and most bio-diverse tropical rainforest and a huge trap for carbon dioxide. The harms of
Gati has spent years
That nightmare situation is the well-known Amazon
Warnings that this is approaching have now taken on extreme urgency. The rate of deforestation has increased sharply and is fast approaching the theoretical
Scientists first began to seriously worry about a potential Amazon tipping point in about 2000, when some studies warned that a combination of climate change and deforestation could cause the rainforest to
A few years later, a team of Brazilian scientists put numbers on it. They
The scientists have since
“Either way, we would be wise not to exceed 20%”, says a scientist, “for the commonsense reason that there is no point in
A.fertilization | B.elimination | C.deforestation | D.frustration |
A.program | B.disaster | C.protection | D.regulation |
A.evolution | B.spotlight | C.condition | D.emergency |
A.measuring | B.observing | C.protecting | D.criticizing |
A.released | B.melted | C.turned | D.supplied |
A.tipping | B.disappointing | C.awarding | D.tapping |
A.build | B.turn | C.cause | D.make |
A.problem | B.prediction | C.aspect | D.limit |
A.base | B.edge | C.surface | D.track |
A.dry out | B.run down | C.pay off | D.rise up |
A.boasted | B.insisted | C.estimated | D.instructed |
A.thirst | B.starvation | C.cold | D.disease |
A.digested | B.revised | C.encouraged | D.previewed |
A.strategy | B.climate | C.average | D.system |
A.diagnosing | B.instructing | C.inquiring | D.discovering |
Kangaroos can “talk” to us
Kangaroos can “talk” to people, according to a new study. The report is the first research of its kind to be done on marsupials—a type of creature whose young get carried in skin pockets on their mother’s body. It suggests kangaroos are cleverer than previously thought.
Researchers from the University of Roehampton in the UK and the University of Sydney in Australia tested kangaroos at the Australian Reptile (爬行动物) Park, Wildlife Sydney Zoo and Kangaroo Protection Co-operative. The scientists put food in a box that the kangaroos could not open, and waited to see what the animals would do. Rather than giving up, 10 out of the 11 kangaroos actively looked at the person who had put the food in the box and then looked at the box. The researchers said this could be interpreted as the kangaroos requesting help to open the container.
Dr Alexandra Green, a co-author of the study, told The Guardian newspaper that some of the kangaroos actually approached the person and started scratching (挠) and sniffing (嗅) him, then looked back at the box. “So they were really trying to communicate,” Green said. This behaviour is not uncommon in animals. However, it is usually only seen in domesticated animals, such as pets or farm animals. The lead author of the study, Dr Alan McElligott, explained, “Through this study, we were able to see that communication between creatures can be learnt and that the behaviour of looking at humans to access food is not related to domestication. “Indeed, kangaroos showed a very similar pattern of behaviour we have seen in dogs, horses and even goats, when put to the same test,” he added.
It is hoped that the study will give people a more positive attitude towards kangaroos, which are sometimes seen as harmful creatures that damage farmers’ crops.
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5 . Greening the blue
Is there a “natural” way to enhance the potential of the oceans to lock away climate-warming CO2? Planting more trees on land can help draw down more CO2 from the atmosphere—the basis of many plans for carbon credits that companies buy to offset their emissions (抵消其排放).
Some regard the potential for this “blue carbon” as huge, although as yet there is no mechanism for integrating it into carbon offsetting plans. John Virdin of Duke University in North Carolina says, “
A.Using the oceans as a solution to climate change is hardly a new idea. |
B.There is still some doubt about how big the marine offsetting effect might be. |
C.It’s really hard to turn blue carbon conservation and restoration into carbon credits that you can sell. |
D.Something similar might work in the oceans, by stimulating the growth of marine and coastal ecosystems. |
E.And conserving them is important given how much fishing and other activities have degraded them. |
F.The big objection to all these plans is the possibility of negative environmental side effects. |
6 . After five long years, it appears California’s drought is finally becoming less severe.
The state’s water struggles,
The quick inrush of water has also created a(n)
For now, though, Jones is focused on planning and ensuring the state’s water supply whatever may happen. “We’re halfway through our wettest season, and conditions have been encouraging,” she says. “I would say we’re
A.According to | B.With respect to | C.Thanks to | D.In addition to |
A.official | B.exhaustible | C.unexpected | D.crucial |
A.experienced | B.improved | C.worsened | D.investigated |
A.pollution | B.restrictions | C.pressure | D.cycles |
A.nevertheless | B.therefore | C.meanwhile | D.moreover |
A.accurate | B.plentiful | C.consistent | D.emergent |
A.productive | B.unchangeable | C.progressive | D.unreliable |
A.fell behind | B.broke down | C.came about | D.took off |
A.Or else | B.In other words | C.At that point | D.Above all |
A.Literally | B.Contrarily | C.Historically | D.Consequently |
A.levels | B.formations | C.struggles | D.reserves |
A.random | B.delicate | C.mechanical | D.insensible |
A.heightens | B.assumes | C.minimizes | D.identifies |
A.restorations | B.calculations | C.conditions | D.projections |
A.hopelessly | B.extremely | C.guardedly | D.cheerfully |
7 . “It’s a windy day in Laguna San Ignacio, and the waves seem to come from all directions,” said Sara Clemence in Bloomberg Businessweek. My children and I are riding on a 18-foot boat—small enough that we can reach down into the water if a gray whale swims up alongside. And then we see what we’ve come for: a heart-shaped shower of water and a dark mass rushing below it. As instructed, we splash (溅泼) the water strongly to signal the huge whale, which turns out to be a mother with her weeks-old baby. The baby soon swims beneath our boat, emerges to blow mist in my face, then “lies onto its side like a 2-ton puppy.” Leaning down, I touched its skin gently. “It feels electric. Also, a bit like petting a hard-boiled egg.”
San Ignacio is one of very few places where a person can pet a whale. The whales come each year to the coast of Baja California to give birth and to mate. If you’re lucky, you can “shake hands with a leatheryfin (鳍)” or even “plant a kiss on a cold, salty cheek.” I usually worry about such interactions, because wild creatures can become deeply stressed by human contact. But boat numbers are strictly limited in these protected waters. And any whale that approaches a boat does so on its own terms. Like that baby whale: “We see him a few times, and he seems to like being petted and splashed.”
So we are two species, connecting through touch, but also through eye contact: “More than once, after nosing around our boat, a young gray turns on its side so one dark, baseball-size eye is looking up at us.” Whalers used to call gray whales “devil fish” because these magnificent creatures turn violent when threatened—“or, say, when their babies are harmed.” That makes it feel even more of a blessing when, on our third day there, a large mama whale approaches the boat. “I’m splashing when I feel her nose press up into my hand.” Though she’s “wiser and apparently more alert” than her child, “she still decides to trust us.”
1. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A.The writer was on a whale-touching trip. |
B.The writer’s boat went down with a huge wave. |
C.The baby whale splashed water all over the writer. |
D.The mother whale’s skin felt as hard as a boiled egg. |
A.mad with too many visitors | B.ready for hands-on attention |
C.restricted in swimming routes | D.enclosed in their safety zones |
A.strange appearance | B.inborn violence |
C.surprisingly enormous size | D.fierceness in danger |
A.popularize the knowledge of whales | B.show admiration for whales’ motherhood |
C.share an experience of the sea voyage | D.advocate harmony between man and nature |
8 . Nobody expects a natural disaster to strike. Neither does anyone know the impact it can have on life. The following measures can save your life in an emergency.
Typhoon
Typhoons occur in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, particularly in exposed regions like the Caroline Islands, the Philippines, and Japan. The best place to hide during a typhoon is a secure basement or a bathroom with no windows. It is also a good idea to get under a solid piece of furniture to save yourself from a collapsing roof. A must-have device is a battery-powered weather radio, through which you will hear evacuation orders or in other cases, instructions on how to survive in your shelter and learn about the weather situation.
Flood
Floods occur more often than any other natural disaster and change the landscape dramatically. They are usually caused by intense rainfalls lasting for days. Don't try to be the bravest person around and stay in your house. Once you hear the evacuation warning, leave for safer higher grounds with your important papers in a waterproof container.
Avalanche
An avalanche can hit when you are enjoying Alpine skiing in a dreamlike location. It is very fast and disastrous, burying everything in its way under tons of snow. When an avalanche starts, try to move to the side of the slope as fast as you can. There will be more snow in the centre of the flow. To move faster, drop any heavy equipment you have on you. If you get buried in the snow, dig an air pocket to be able to keep breathing. Wait for the rescue team to find you and don't waste your energy shouting or digging frantically. Call out when you hear the team approaching.
Wildfire
Wildfires spread at an amazing speed and destroy everything in their way. If you are caught in a wild fire, use a wet cloth to cover your nose and mouth to ensure that you can breathe. Try to stay upwind of the fire at all times and get close to a pond or river. If there is no water nearby, move to a place which has already burned out and is less likely to spark again. Stay low and cover yourself with wet clothing, a blanket, or soil until the fire passes.
1. Among the four natural disasters, which one requires people to hide indoors?A.Typhoon | B.Flood | C.Avalanche | D.Wildfire |
A.get to a basement or windowless bathroom |
B.find something solid to hide under |
C.leave the place where they are |
D.get a torch in case of a blackout |
A.Typhoons occur only in the exposed regions in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. |
B.Floods cause the most frequent damage among the disasters mentioned. |
C.Those who meet with avalanches are advised to call out the minute they’re trapped. |
D.Getting clean air matters most in the case of wildfires, despite the difficulty. |
A. abandoned;B. adventure;C. allow;D. appreciate E. curving;F. effortlessly;G. exploring;H. outlines I. relatively;J. territory;K. winds |
Marvelous Mallorca
Located off the southern coast of Spain, the island of Mallorca is often praised as one of the jewels of the Mediterranean. As the Spanish royal family’s preferred summer vacation spot, Mallorca
Since it is a(n)
However, most of the island’s visitors come to see Mallorca’s splendid coast. Though there are several busy beach resorts built specifically for tourists, you’re better off
Although Mallorca’s beaches have been its main attraction for many years, more recently, visitors have begun to appreciate the island’s cultural attractions too. Many of Mallorea’s grand old houses and
Palma, Mallorca’s lively capital, is also home to many museums, historic buildings, and galleries. Here you’ll be able to
As the day
10 . For the longest time, the predominant description about renewable energy featured awkward technologies, high costs, and burdensome allowance. In the
But now that these technologies have come of age, a new story is being written. Around the world, businesses, governments, and households are taking advantage of more cost-effective low-carbon technologies.
As in any rapid transition, a full understanding of what is happening has
To be sure,
As the green transition comes of age, it will offer solutions to all of humanity’s energy needs, placing a clean, prosperous and secure low-carbon future well within reach. Yet even as we hug
A.license | B.absence | C.application | D.promotion |
A.invisible | B.unbelievable | C.inevitable | D.unaffordable |
A.Instead of | B.Owing to | C.In case of | D.According to |
A.resources | B.revolutions | C.prospects | D.priorities |
A.caught up with | B.compared with | C.taken place of | D.fallen behind |
A.relevant | B.inferior | C.synthetic | D.experimental |
A.mixture | B.caution | C.conflict | D.approval |
A.in case | B.so that | C.even though | D.the moment |
A.significance | B.invention | C.happiness | D.progress |
A.dramatically | B.economically | C.independently | D.equivalently |
A.interaction | B.modernization | C.motivation | D.transformation |
A.natural | B.potential | C.positive | D.original |
A.influence | B.optimism | C.estimation | D.extension |
A.starting | B.failing | C.emerging | D.continuing |
A.sustainable | B.traditional | C.available | D.industrial |