1 . Even minor changes in behavior can have a positive environmental impact. Therefore, it is suggested to remove or reduce single-use plastic bags from your shopping trips, because the bags break down slowly, causing them to linger in landfills. But how long does a plastic bag really stick around?
The Center for Biological Diversity estimates that it takes a bag roughly 1000 years to break down. The term “break down” is a little misleading, though. Plastic ends up photodegrading (光降解) from ultraviolet (紫外线) radiation because the majority of microorganisms cannot eat it. And even after the bags degrade, the micro-plastics they leave behind may still harm the environment.
While 1000 years seems long, it is only an estimate. Since the invention of plastic bags in the 1950s or so, humankind has never actually seen the substance break down in real time. Instead, scientists have adopted respirometry tests (呼吸运动测量法), which helps estimate the breakdown rate of an organic substance by measuring the CO2 that the microorganisms produce when breaking down the material. When an organic substance, such as food waste, is present, CO2 levels rise, which allows scientists to estimate the rate of breakdown. However, because plastic bags don’t produce any CO2,—microorganisms aren’t eating them, the bags are just sitting there. If buried in a landfill and sheltered from ultraviolet light, plastic bags will last a very long time.
Bags have an impact on the environment beyond just their removal. It takes fossil fuels to make bags; one estimate puts this amount at 12 million barrels (桶) of oil annually. And after a bag has served its purpose in a consumer’s hands, it may then enter the food chain for wildlife. Plastic that builds up along the food chain is consumed by creatures like birds and fish.
While reducing the use of plastic bags is a good idea, choosing a cloth bag might not be the habit that will help the environment the most. The carbon footprint left by the cloth bags must be countered by thousands of uses.
1. What does the underlined word “linger” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Reproduce. | B.Integrate. | C.Emerge. | D.Last. |
A.Its duration of 1000 years is an overestimate. |
B.Exposure to ultraviolet light is essential to it. |
C.Respirometry tests effectively estimate its rate. |
D.The level of CO2 released during it usually rises. |
A.The multiple environmental costs of plastic bags. |
B.The consumption of fuels for plastic bag production. |
C.The harm of plastic bags to the food chain for wildlife. |
D.The challenge of removing plastic bags from the ecosystem. |
A.Declining plastic shopping bag offers. | B.Reducing the production of plastic bags. |
C.Reusing the same cloth bag repeatedly. | D.Switching from plastic bags to cloth ones. |
2 . Eco-friendly replacement products for single-use plastic are appearing everywhere. But have you heard of edible (可食性的) straws?Now EQUO, a new eco-friendly company in Vietnam has come up with a natural edible solution to plastic or paper straws. The edible straws are completely plastic free, nontoxic, chemical free, and 100 percent biodegradable (可生物降解的) according to a company press release.
“It’s well-known that plastic straws are harmful to the environment. Most of the 500 million used every day in America end up in oceans where they pollute water and harm marine life. Currently, over eight billion straws create pollute to the world’s beaches,” said Marina Tran-Vu in the press release. “Although there are some plastic and paper straw alternatives on the market, most are environmentally harmful, but we were also unsatisfied with the quality and lasting of paper straws.”
All of the materials are locally from regions that support sustainable farming according to the company’s website and they struggle to have zero-net influence by “using the power of mother nature”. The name of the company was created by combining “ECO” — meaning environmentally friendly — with “STATUS QUO” — meaning the existent state. EQU stands for creating products that have minimal influence on the environment. The company was first shown on Kickstarter on May 18 and hit their funding goal in only 30 days.
Many counties are banning single-use plastics. The EU banned 10 single-use plastic products including straws that will take effect in 2021. Other items that will no longer be made of plastic include cutlery (餐具), and balloon sticks. These 10 items make up a large percentage of ocean waste that harms marine life.
So do your part, use biodegradable cutlery — you can carry your own edible straws, and reusable water or coffee cups. These small items can contribute to buffering plastic waste.
1. What does ECO stand for?A.It means the original aim. | B.It means the existent state. |
C.It means how to create products. | D.It means being nice to the environment. |
A.Plastic straws will be forbidden. |
B.Ocean waste can be removed completely. |
C.Edible straws will be sold cheaply and widely. |
D.Single-use plastic products will disappear completely. |
A.Preventing. | B.Causing. | C.Reducing. | D.Transforming. |
A.Plastic Straws Do Great Harm to the Environment |
B.Single-use Plastic Straws Are to Be Prohibited Since 2021 |
C.Everyone Can Make a Difference to Declining Plastic Waste |
D.Scientists Have Developed Edible Straws to Replace Plastic Straws |
3 . Discover the Wonders Beneath the Waves
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1. What is emphasized as the top priority of OceanQuest Expeditions?A.Marine biology. | B.Conservation. | C.Adventure. | D.Safety |
A.Coral Reef Encounter. | B.Night Dive Excursion. |
C.Wreck Diving Adventure. | D.Tropical Marine Exploration. |
A.Free diving equipment rental for all participants. |
B.Highly trained marine biologists and divers. |
C.Competitive pricing on dive packages. |
D.Exclusive access to underwater caves. |
4 . Despite the difficulties, the California coastal ecosystem is improving, largely thanks to the huge appetite sea otters (海獭) have for crabs. In a creative study, scientists revealed the return of otters to their former habitat in a Central California river mouth has slowed the decrease of the area’s river banks by up to 90%. “It would cost tens of millions of dollars for humans to rebuild these stream banks and restore these rivers. The otters are stabilizing them for free, in exchange for an all-you-can-eat crab feast,” said biology professor Brian Silliman, Ph. D. at Duke University.
Like many California river mouths, Elkhorn once was a habitat for otters, which need to eat around 20 to 25 pounds of food every day, with crabs being one of their favorite meals. But after fur traders hunted the local otter population nearly to extinction, the number of crabs exploded over the next century. Crabs dig into salt river soil, and over time can cause a salt river to wear away and collapse. Today, years after the otters returned, rivers and stream banks became more stable.
Angelini, one of the study’s authors, said that tool is an encouraging sign for her team as they face similar threats to Florida’s coastlines from sea level rise, storms, and extra nutrients overflowing into coastal waters. “All these seem unsurmountable,” Angelini said. “However, this study shows that, if we truly understand the ecosystem and know what tools to use, we can see significant benefits to the health and stability of these systems.”
The research team conducted large-scale surveys across 13 tidal (潮汐的) streams, as well as small-scale field experiments at five locations around the river mouth over a six-year period. Otters were not included in some lest sites but allowed to be used in others, using a caging system designed by Angelini.
“And all these years later, we now see these amazing results. It’s an inspiring story about the benefits of conservation and persistent, long-term research,” Angelini said.
1. What does Brian Silliman think of the function of sea otters?A.It’s complex. | B.It’s expensive. |
C.It’s effective. | D.It’s inefficient. |
A.The collapse of salt rivers. |
B.The hunting for their fur. |
C.The decrease of the sea crabs. |
D.The pollution of their habitat. |
A.Hard to understand. | B.Difficult to deal with. |
C.Impossible to avoid. | D.Dangerous to settle. |
A.The process of the research. |
B.The purpose of the research. |
C.The limitation of the research. |
D.The discovery of the research. |
5 . Recently, a homeowner in Illinois came face to face with five furry chipmunk (花栗鼠) babies that crowded together in a window well. Shocked and concerned, the homeowner contacted Wildlife Allies (WA), a team committed to the caring removal and rescue of sick and injured wildlife.
Wildlife technician Cat Downs soon arrived at the scene along with an assistant. Together, Downs and the assistant netted the chipmunks, removing them from the window well, and placed them inside a new plastic carrier. The rescuers then moved the five chipmunk babies to a grassy area nearby and put them under a wooden basket where the mother could see them. To make sure the reunion was a success, the rescuers set up cameras and hoped the chipmunk mom would soon return.
“The chipmunk babies were enveloped in fear and tiredness,” a representative from Wildlife Allies recalled. Rescuers didn’t wait long and soon found an empty wooden basket. Then, checking the camera recording, they joyfully realized that the whole family had been reunited. “When we loaded the photos on to our computer and saw the mom, a burden was lifted from our hearts and pure joy came over us,” one Wildlife Allies representative said.
The Wildlife Allies team watched in satisfaction as the chipmunk mom tended to each of her babies. “The chipmunk mom emerged and heroically freed her precious babies from the wooden basket,” Anderson Humane wrote in a post about the rescue. “With determination, she made multiple trips, releasing all five babies and carrying the last one away to safety!”
According to Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, chipmunk babies rely heavily on their mother throughout the first few months of their lives, as she teaches them what to eat and how to survive. Usually, families like these stick together until the fall, when the babies are old enough to stand on their own feet.
Together at last, this little family is filled with happiness, thanks to those rescuers.
1. Where did the chipmunk mom find her babies?A.Beside a grassy area. | B.Inside a window well. |
C.In a new plastic carrier. | D.Under a wooden basket. |
A.Relieved. | B.Regretful. | C.Discouraged. | D.Motivated. |
A.They stick together for food. | B.They can standup afterbirth. |
C.They are dependent on moms. | D.They get survival skills in the fall. |
A.Wildlife Allies: Our Last Hope | B.Guide for Wildlife Rescuers |
C.Chipmunk Mom’s Rescue Trip | D.Reunite a Chipmunk Family |
6 . Check out our tsunami (海啸) facts and lean some interesting information related to these great walls of water that can cause so much destruction. Find out what causes tsunamis and read about some notable recent examples of tsunamis that have occurred around the globe.
Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions.
As a tsunami approaches the shore, water may move back from the coast. If it is shallow enough, the water may be pulled back hundreds of meters. If you are in the area, observing this is a good indication that a tsunami is on the way.
Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning systems in place to give people as much time to evacuate (撤离) as possible.
When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast), they slow down but increase in height.
An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over 200, 000 people in 14 countries.
In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major factor in the death of over 15, 000 people.
The tsunami waves created by the Tohoku earthquake reached heights of over 40 metres (131feet) in mine areas, wiping out coastal towns and causing a number of nuclear accidents.
The Japanese word “tsunami” literally means “harbour wave”.
Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves but this term has fallen out of favour because tsunamis are not related to tides.
1. Which of the following shows a tsunami is coming soon?A.An earthquake takes place. |
B.The water marches towards the coast. |
C.The water near the shore is pulled back. |
D.The water near the shore is very shallow. |
A.the earthquake itself |
B.the lack of warming systems |
C.the tsunami caused by the earthquake |
D.the nuclear accidents caused by the tsunami |
A.The word “tsunami” is from British English. |
B.The term “tidal wave” is used more often than “tsunami” |
C.Some nuclear accidents happened after Indonesia tsunami. |
D.More people died in Indonesia tsunami than in Tohaku tsunami. |
7 . Researchers recently discovered that mosquitoes who have their sleep interrupted would rather get rest than go looking for their next meal. “It was a bit surprising. Sleep deprived (睡眠不足) or not, a blood meal should appeal to them,” said Oluwaseun Ajayi, the leader of the study.
To study mosquitoes, researchers spent more than a year developing ways to analyze how they sleep, and to show the posture of mosquitoes accurately and count their amount of sleep. It was particularly challenging because of something researchers call the “observer effect”. This is when the act of just observing something can change its outcome. In the case of mosquitoes, they’re able to sense that people are nearby due to their body heat, movement, smells and breath. To deal with those circumstances, researchers set up the experiment in a quiet lab where the mosquitoes were several rooms away from anybody who might pass by. They placed cameras and infrared sensors (红外传感器) in the room so they could record whenever the mosquitoes moved without any risk of disturbing them.
Researchers found that the mosquitoes in the lab slept between 16 and 19 hours each day. When mosquitoes were actually in a sleep-like state, their hind legs are lowered, and they bring in their bodies closer to the surface where they are resting. Then, researchers moved their sound equipment regularly at night or during the day to subject them to sleep deprivation. More than three-quarters of the mosquitoes that got to sleep normally went hunting for a blood meal when they were awake. But less than one-quarter wanted to eat after a sleepless night.
Mosquitoes can spread serious diseases to humans. By understanding the sleep rhythms of insects, researchers hope to find new methods to prevent the spread of infections. “In fruit flies, a link between sleep and immunity (免疫力) has been established. And immunity is an important factor for disease transmission in mosquitoes,” Ajayi says. “Based on this, this research would provide us with an understanding of the role of sleep on the disease transmission in mosquitoes.”
1. What did the researchers recently find?A.The regular sleep patterns of mosquitoes. |
B.An effective way to prevent mosquito bites. |
C.The lack of sleep increases the death of mosquitoes. |
D.Sleep deprivation influences mosquitoes’ eating behaviors. |
A.Interrupting the sleep of mosquitoes. | B.Avoiding the impacts of observers’ act. |
C.Figuring out the number of mosquitoes. | D.Placing suitable equipment in the laboratory. |
A.The results of the experiment. | B.The process of the experiment. |
C.The purpose of the experiment. | D.The significance of the experiment. |
A.Conduct research on sleep rhythms of humans. | B.Explore new means of improving human sleep. |
C.Help reduce the diseases spread by mosquitoes. | D.Present the relationship between sleep and immunity. |
8 . In Takoma Park, Maryland, in suburban Washington, people, adults or students, lined up at a pay phone outside a restaurant several times a week.
“Once I put the phone out there, it just took off,” said David Schulman, a Takoma Park violinist who created the Bird Calls Phone. Listeners push 1 to hear a yellow-crowned night heron (夜鹭), 7 to hear a pileated (红冠) woodpecker’s call and 9 for the distinct scream of a red-tailed hawk. Instructions about how to use the phone are in three languages: English, Spanish and Amharic — a reflection of Takoma Park’s Ethiopian community. In all, 10 birds native to the Takoma Park area are featured.
In addition to being fun, listening to Bird songs can reduce stress and anxiety, studies show. Even hearing recordings of birds can relieve negative emotions.
After noticing an abandoned, nonworking pay phone in town, Schulman wondered if he could turn it into something appealing. He said, “I really like the old technology of just picking up a receiver, pressing one button and having something happen.” Schulman thought bringing birds sounds to the abandoned phone was a way to add a bit of nature to the neighborhood.
Takoma Park city officials agreed, and they budgeted $5, 000 to complete the project. Schulman reached out to The McCaulay Library in Ithaca, New York, which agreed to send him a few dozen recordings of native birds. He then managed to gain the help of software engineer and artist Branden Hall to rewire the phone to play different bird calls. Schulman said he persuaded several of his friends to record short descriptions of each bird to go with the calls.
“One thing I like about the Bird Calls Phone is that it’s the opposite of a loud broadcast,” Schulman said. “Only one person can listen at a time, and each person will take away their own unique experience.”
1. What will listeners hear if they press buttons on the pay phone?A.The calls of native birds. | B.Songs in different languages. |
C.Descriptions of local creatures. | D.Instructions on reducing stress. |
A.Observant and nature-loving. | B.Diligent and easy-going. |
C.Serious and public-spirited. | D.Ambitious and kind-hearted. |
A.It encourages art appreciation. | B.It presents the harmony among birds. |
C.It turns loud broadcasts into private phones. | D.It receives broad support from the community. |
A.A Violinist Specializes in Ecology | B.Pick up the Phone, Hear Bird songs |
C.Close to Nature, Far From Depression | D.Turn Trash into Treasure in Washington |
9 . There’s nothing wrong with a tomato that isn’t perfectly round or a peach with an extra dimple or two; they still carry the same benefits and flavors as the versions we’re used to seeing in grocery stores (食品杂货店). Farmers throw away these imperfect items, as many grocery chains won’t buy them for fear that they are unsellable. However, a growing group of grocery chains are fighting to make these discarded fruit and vegetables part of consumers’ buying habits.
One such business is Imperfect Produce, a start-up that provides fresh ugly produce for consumers. Through this service, you can get up to 20 pounds of fruit and vegetables for around $20 a week. This is about a 30 percent discount compared to what’s now sold in stores. Recently, the company had a major advancement when Whole Foods Market accepted their partnership and agreed to sell the misshapen produce.
While this movement might be a new trend here in the U.S., it’s already gained serious momentum (势头) in Europe. In 2014, the EU announced the European Year Against Food Waste, with French supermarket chain Intermarché launching a very successful campaign called Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables and England’s Waitrose selling weather blemished apples. In Portugal, a similar company to Imperfect Produce called Fruta Feia has also taken off.
Buying the unfortunate-looking produce should be attractive to consumers not only because of the affordability, but also because of the support it gives to farmers and the direct impact it has on reducing food waste and environmental pollution. When the discarded fruit and vegetables decompose, they release (释放) methane (CH.), a greenhouse gas. When released into the air, it is about 86 times as powerful as carbon dioxide (CO,) over a 20-year period. Waste is, in fact, the ugliest thing of all.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Thrown away. | B.Harvested. | C.Eaten up. | D.Packaged. |
A.To make better profits. | B.To sell unattractive goods. |
C.To get discounts from farmers. | D.To compete with Whole Foods Market. |
A.It hardly produces misshapen fruit and vegetables. |
B.It has more successful food chains than the U.S. |
C.It is facing the serious problem of unfavorable weather. |
D.It solves the problem of ugly produce earlier than America. |
A.It pollutes the farms. | B.It gives off a bad smell. |
C.It contributes to global warming. | D.It produces lots of carbon dioxide. |
10 . Dogs are man’s best friends, and they may be the heart’s best friends as well.
A group of heart disease experts from the American Heart Association (AHA) reviewed research connecting heart health with owning a dog and found that owning a dog has a likely nexus with a lower risk of heart disease for those without a history of heart problems, and with greater survival rates among heart disease patients.
The group, chaired by Dr. Glenn Levine, a professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, released a scientific statement in favor of having a dog to lower the risk of heart disease by helping people to be more physically active as well as reduce blood pressure and minimize the effects of stress. Previous studies showed that the companionship and close relationship that owners build with their dogs can boost levels of anti-stress hormones (抗应激激素) that can increase resilience (适应力) and help people to cope with stressful situations. One of the studies found, for example, that those who adopted dogs enjoyed a drop in blood pressure, while another revealed that among 5,200 adults, those who owned dogs were 54% more likely to get recommended levels of exercise and be active than non-dog owners. That trend is supported by other studies that found people who owned dogs were less likely to be overweight.
According to a report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), dogs aren’t a panacea (灵丹妙药) against heart disease, and it’s likely that taking care of them requires their owners to get more exercise, which can reduce stress, weight and blood pressure and thus benefit the heart. “If someone adopts a pet, but still sits on the couch and smokes and eats whatever he wants and doesn’t control his blood pressure,” Levine told the Nero York Times, “that’s not a wise strategy to decrease the risk”.
1. What does the underlined word “nexus” in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Comparison. | B.Similarity. | C.Combination. | D.Link. |
A.Stress is the cause of heart attack. |
B.People raising pets can be slimmer. |
C.Dogs’ companion holds back hormone functions. |
D.Anti-stress hormone levels are low in dog owners. |
A.Dog owners work out more by walking the dog. |
B.Dogs can be trained to detect high blood pressure. |
C.Dogs can prevent owners from smoking on the couch. |
D.Dog owners attach importance to monitoring heart health. |
A.How dogs promote owners’ mental health. |
B.Raising dogs can help reduce heart attack. |
C.What are the advantages of raising dogs. |
D.Having a dog may lower heart disease risk. |