1 . Plastic is low-cost and long-lasting. It is not easily degraded(降解) because natural degradation processes can’t deal with its chemical components(成分). It takes in other ocean-present harmful substances. These chemical and dangerous components are gradually got into the atmosphere with additives such as color, which turns out to be really harmful when the plastic breaks down.
The design and development of new plastic products was sped up after World War II. Life without plastic seemed impossible in the modern age. But even though plastic was quite convenient, the dark side of it was seen as people began to enjoy the throw-away community. Many plastic products, such as plastic bags, have a lifetime of a few minutes to hours. However, they’ll stay in the environment for hundreds of years. We are destroying the very world that nurtured us.
Just 9% of plastic has been recycled and 12% burnt after production rose in the 1950s, which leave s about 79% of the 8.3 billion tons produced sitting in landfills(垃圾填埋场) or damaging our fields, oceans, and waterways. And each year the plastic ends up as contaminants. So to beat plastic pollution, we need to work together.
While plastic burning reduces the amount of waste dumped into oceans and lands, harmful gases are still produced, which also leads to greenhouse gases. However, if we make a firm decision and use modern waste management methods, we will be able to create a safe and healthy world. It is high time that we as responsible global citizens, took on the duty of protecting our environment and made great effort in saving our mother earth, instead of just leaving everything to our government. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s make a promise to successfully deal with plastic waste and protect our world from all possible risks.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The harm of plastic. | B．The convenience of plastic. |
| C．The protection of plastic. | D．The use of plastic. |
| A．Happy. | B．Worried. | C．Excited. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．Things that cause pollution. | B．Things that produce plastic. |
| C．Things that cost money. | D．Things that help people. |
| A．A short story. | B．A speech. | C．A newspaper. | D．A notice. |
2 . As we all know, too much trash is a big problem for our environment. A woman in Indonesia’s Java island has come up with a great idea—lending books to children in exchange for trash.
Raden Roro Hendarti, nearly 50 years old, is a librarian in Muntang village. She started a “trash library”, hoping to make children read more as well as make them realize the importance of environment protection. Each weekday, Raden puts all kinds of books on the back of her three-wheeler (三轮车) and rides to Muntang village. There, children line up to exchange plastic cups, bags and other trash for books from Raden’s mobile library. After finishing the exchange, Raden carries back all the trash.
In the library where Raden works, there are thousands of books. Every time she shows up, children run to her “trash library”. They all carry trash bags, and Raden’s three-wheeler quickly fills with trash as the books fly out. Raden collects about 100 kg of trash each week. It is then sorted out (分类) and sent for recycling or sale. She is happy that children spend less time on online games because of the books.
Raden plans to take the mobile library service to neighboring areas as well. She says, “We all should take care of our trash in order to fight climate (气候) change and save the earth. ”
1. What does the underlined word “trash” mean?| A．plastic | B．rubbish | C．paper | D．information |
①She rides to Muntang village.
②She carries back all the trash.
③Children line up to get books for their trash.
④She puts books on her three-wheeler.
| A．④→①→③→② | B．④→①→②→③ | C．①→③→④→② | D．①→②→③→④ |
| A．About 100 kg. | B．About 50 kg. | C．About 25 kg. | D．About 20 kg. |
| A．To ask her neighbors for help. | B．To give the mobile library to her neighbors. |
| C．To exchange books for trash in more villages. | D．To tell children to spend less time on online games. |
| situation However on Amazingly natural |
Boyan Slat has one huge goal. It’s a goal that could be good for people and animals all over the world.
When he was 16. Dutch engineering student Slat was on vacation in Greece, and he started to think about all the rubbish that is pushed onto beaches by water. The oceans around the world are all of plastic—millions of tons of plastic.
The present
Slat started with an idea for an unusual machine to “catch” the plastic floating(漂浮)in the water using the
A year later, Slat was named a “Champion of the Earth” by the United Nations for his valuable work.
4 . Zologial Sociey of London(ZSL), which runs London Zoo, brought together 16 scientists from different organizations to make a full “heath heck” on 215 miles of the Thames. The results of the first-ever State of the Thames Report have been shown to the public and there’s both good and bad news for London’s main waterway.
First up, since the Thames was pronounced “biologically(生物学地)dead” in1957, the number of animals and plants growing in and around the river has increased greatly. Natural habitats(栖息地)are also on the increase, some of which can help in the fight against climate(气候)change.
It’s not all good news though—like everywhere else, the Thames is influenced by climate change, mainly through changes in water temperature and sea levels. The Thames is increasing in temperature at an average(平均数)of 0. 2℃ each year, changing the natural environment.
Water levels are also rising in the Thames—at Silvertown. There has been an average increase of 4. 26 mm per year since 1990, which makes London more likely to be flooded.
As with pretty much everywhere on Earth, the Thames needs climate change to be stopped in order to make itself a living river in the future.
The Environment Agency has put together the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan which sets out a long-term plan for dealing with the influence of rising sea levels for the rest of this century, in order to protect London from floods.
James Brand, Thames Estuary 2100 Advisor at the Environment Agency said, “We are glad to support the State of the Thames Report. If we are going to stop climate change, nature needs to be at the heart of our activities, both in slowing the pace of future change and dealing with the changes that we are already seeing.”
1. What did the 16 scientists do with the Thames?| A．They did an examination of it. | B．They gave an introduction to it. |
| C．They brought new animals to it. | D．They organized a clean-up of it. |
| A．The way animals are raised. | B．The development of natural habitats. |
| C．The meaning of “biologically dead”. | D．The welcome changes to the Thames. |
| A．It has caused many floods. |
| B．Its temperature has been rising. |
| C．Its plants have become fewer and fewer. |
| D．It is home to a smaller number of animals. |
| A．To record the rising sea levels. | B．To help rebuild London. |
| C．To explain the importance of nature. | D．To fight against climate change. |
| A．In a storybook. | B．In a health magazine. |
| C．In a research paper. | D．In a geography textbook. |
5 . Phil Wise’s heart raced as he opened one of the transport tubes. He and a team of scientists stepped back as a young Tasmanian devil(袋獾) named Oddity came out. Oddity took a cautious look around and then ran into the forest on Maria Island.
Wise is a wildlife biologist from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program. The scientists working with this program study Tasmanian devils, monitor their health, and track the devils found in the wild. Because a rare disease is reducing the number of devils, Oddity and 14 others were raised on a preserve and then brought to Maria Island to be released into the wild.
Though they are raised in zoos all over the world, devils live wild only in Tasmania. They are important to the ecosystem because they eat dead animals they find, which helps clean up the environment. But a cancer called Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) is killing devils on mainland Tasmania, endangering the species. The goal of the scientists who released Oddity and the others was to create a population of disease-free Tasmanian devils on Maria Island. Oddity is a part of this “insurance population” of devils raised in zoos and wildlife preserves.
The scientists chose Maria Island for the release because there is no DFTD there. It is separated from mainland Tasmania by the ocean. Devils from the rest of Tasmania can’t get there, which prevents the facial disease from spreading.
Wise and his fellow scientists monitored Oddity and the 14 other Tasmanian devils. The animals did so well that 13 more devils were released. The 28 original Tasmanian devils have reproduced; there are now around 80 devils. Scientists are now figuring out their next move. According to Wise, the focus will soon shift to moving some of the healthy devils back to mainland Tasmania.
Wise says he is “extremely happy to know that animals are getting a chance to be free in the wild in an area that is free of DFTD. It is the ultimate aim of all who work to conserve threatened species.”
1. Why did Wise and his team release the Tasmanian devils like Oddity?| A．To prevent DFTD killing them out. | B．To find out a treatment for DFTD. |
| C．To control the DFTD spread in zoos. | D．To protect Maria Island from DFTD. |
| A．Its wildlife diversity. | B．Its geographic location. |
| C．Its natural resources. | D．Its improved ecosystem. |
| A．Their safety was uncertain. | B．Their number was going up. |
| C．They hardly enjoyed freedom. | D．They recovered from DFTD. |
| A．A program studying Tasmanian devils. | B．A disease threatening Tasmanian devils. |
| C．A measure to save Tasmanian devils. | D．A habitat of wild Tasmanian devils. |
6 . If you have lived in New York City for many years, like I have, the skyline becomes part of you and your daily life.
When I was invited to visit the recently completed Summit One Vanderbilt, New York’s fourth-highest tower, I wasn’t expecting much. I felt like I’d seen it all and I thought that this observation deck (观测台) would be another space for a view of the city, but nothing else.
Let me tell you something: I have never seen one like this before. It sits on top of a building on 42nd street and Vanderbilt, right next to Grand Central Station. Once you have ascended to the top floor, you step into air, which makes you feel like being at l,000 feet above ground level with its mirrored floors. Once you make your way throughout the space, you feel like New York is part of a body, and your sense of space is challenged by the reflections of the light. The reflections create endless possibilities for photos and videos, and the light changes throughout the day. I took out my camera and began to take photos, feeling a connection with the city that no other observatory has been able to give me.
Summit is something unique, an art work with architecture. It will be an observatory that will change with the city. I personally can’t wait to take photos at sunset, or when winter arrives.
1. How did the author feel when invited to visit Summit One Vanderbilt?| A．Curious. | B．Happy. | C．Amazed. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．Risen. | B．Turned. | C．Referred. | D．Adapted. |
| A．It is the only tower in New York. |
| B．It lies far from Grand Central Station. |
| C．It provides a good place for taking photos. |
| D．It is exactly 1, 000 feet high from the ground. |
| A．To stress a point. | B．To introduce a site. | C．To raise awareness. | D．To promote tourism. |
