Shark attacks in U.S. waters—and how common they really are
The first American shark panic began in the hot summer of 1916, when a series of attacks of the Jersey Shore killed four in two weeks. This was thought to be the work of a single great white shark—a species native to the Atlantic coast and the same likely involved in recent attacks. In a time when little was known about beasts from the deep, the deaths were big news. One paper warned that, facing a scarcity of fish, the shark had “probably acquired a taste for human flesh.”
But 1916 did not start a new time of human-hunting sharks. The rate of attacks in the U.S. stayed relatively stable, at two or three per year, for decades. From the 1950s on, that number rose with human population growth, and its attendant increase of people in the water.
Globally, both numbers have been climbing faster since the late 1980s and into the 21st century, but such encounters with sharks are still remarkably uncommon given that the human population is some 7.5 billion. In 2017, 53 of the world’s 88 confirmed attacks took place on U.S. coastlines, with 31 in Florida - but even there, you’re far less likely to be killed by a shark than by lightning. Thanks to beach safety and hospital access, only five of last year’s global attacks were fatal.
“If sharks were actively hunting people, we’d see far more attacks,” says Gavin Naylor, director at the Florida Museum’s Program for Shark Research.
Statistically, sharks have far more to fear from us than we do from them—fisheries wipe out an estimated 100 million each year, and climate change and other human activity have threatened shark habitats, sending their global population into decline. But that doesn’t make it any less sad when the beasts bite back.
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91. The Problem of Packaging
A large source of rubbish is packaging material. It often makes up more than 30 percent of the total. To understand why this is true, think of the packaging commonly used for a simple product, such as toothpaste. The packaging includes not only the tube for the toothpaste, but also the box for the tube. This box is put into a plastic wrapper. Then, the boxes are transported in a cardboard container.
Most packaging material ends up in a landfill after it is thrown away. Though necessary, landfills take up valuable space, often stink, and can leak harmful substances into the soil. Landfills not included, the production of packaging material itself is a major source of air and water pollution.
People are now trying to solve the problems caused by packaging materials. In 1991, Germany took the lead by requiring companies to recycle the packaging used for their goods. To do this, the companies set up recycling bins in every neighborhood. Consumers now separate their rubbish into three categories—metal, plastic and paper cartons. They then put it into the appropriate bin. The rubbish sorted, it is transported to recycling company for processing.
The programme worked well at first. However, the amount of rubbish has begun to increase again. One reason for this is that many consumers no longer reduce waste because they think the problem is solved. It seems that to properly deal with the problem of rubbish, everyone must remain alert and do their part.
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Why bees are finally getting a break
While people have been confined to their homes this spring, wildlife has faced less human disturbance, traffic and polluting fumes. One animal that could see a much-needed revival is the wild bee.
One of the biggest environmental impacts of the global shut down has been the significant reduction in air pollution. Less fumes from cars on the road makes it easier for bees to find food, as air pollution substantially reduced the strength and longevity of floral scents, making it harder for bees to detect food. This means they often end up flying further to find food and bring it back to their nests. In contrast, shorter and more profitable “shopping trips” help them rear more young.
And as governments are tightening their purse strings due to the pandemic, many have stopped maintaining road verges (绿化带) which have turned into lush habitats as a result. “This unexpected quantity of flowers may well be another benefit for bees, with the unexpected food they provide boosting bee populations,” says Mark Brown, a professor of revolutionary ecology.
But a break for wild bees doesn’t mean it’s a good time for honey. Commercial beekeepers depend heavily on importing queen bees from around the world to replenish (补充) their colonies. Usually the bees are transported by plane, but since flights have been grounded they are being driven across the continent.
This could have serious knock-on effects for farmers, as commercial traveling hive are often relied upon for crop pollination. Take the Californian almond. Almond trees flower in February and March, and by April the visiting commercial hived have usually been moved to other parts of the country to poll in ate different crops. This re location has taken longer this year as some drivers have been told to self-quarantine for 14 days when crossing state borders.
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根据以上现象，思考自己认同哪一方？以“Getting a Pet：From Breeders or Shelters？”为题，写一篇120-150字的文章。
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1．基本情况；
2．景点特色；
3．你的印象和感受。
注意：1．词数80左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Beautiful Tourist Spot in Handan
There are many places of interest in my hometown Handan.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The problem of electronic waste
We have gradually come to realise that in two ways in particular, modern hi-tech can be bad for the planet. The first is its energy use; the worldwide scale of information technology is so enormous that electronics now produce fully two percent of global carbon emissions, which is about the same as the highly controversial emissions of aeroplanes. The other is the hardware, when it comes to the end of its natural life. This, increasingly, is pretty short. We have hardly noticed this important stream of waste, so much so that a Greenpeace report on the untraced and unreported e-waste two years ago referred to it as “the hidden flow”. We need to be aware of it.
The latest United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report estimates that worldwide, electronic waste is mounting by about 40 million tons a year. So what can we do about it?
The European Union has recognised the problem by adopting a key principle: producer responsibility. In other words, making it the duty of manufacturers of electronic goods to ensure their safe disposal at the end of their lives. In practice, an EU regulation now means that electronics dealers must either take back the equipment they sold you, or help to finance a network of drop-off points, such as public recycling sites. Its main feature is quite ambitious: it aims to deal with “everything with a plug”.
The new UN report suggests that all countries could do something about the problem with a change in design. Groups such as Greenpeace have led the way in putting pressure on major manufacturing companies to find substitutes for the toxic chemicals inside their products. Encouragingly, they have had some success in forcing them to develop non-poisonous alternatives to these. This may be the real way forward.
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7 . Directions: Read the following three passages. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
IKEA, known around the world as a supplier of furniture and other home goods, is taking steps to protect the environment. By 2030 IKEA plans to be a circular business, one whose products can all be reused or recycled rather than thrown away. To achieve this goal, the company is redesigning all of its products. How can it design products that will last longer and be easier to fix and that people can recycle when they are finished with them? By answering these questions, IKEA hopes to improve the sustainability of its business model.
IKEA wants people to be able to repair its products rather than throw them away when something goes wrong. To accomplish that goal, the company is standardizing the parts, materials and colors that it uses. This means that if a part needs to be replaced, it will be easy to find. In the past IKEA has only offered spare parts for some products; now it is greatly expanding the number of spare parts customers can purchase. This makes it feasible for customers to repair their own furniture. IKEA is also redesigning the parts of its products that are most likely to wear out quickly.
To extend the life of its products, IKEA is trying to make their maintenance easier. It is also making its products easier to take apart and transport, so the furniture is less likely to break when being moved or changing hands.
Sometimes people replace their furniture not because there is something wrong with it, but because their needs have changed. So IKEA is also trying to help people keep furniture for a longer time by making it easy to modify. Some pieces can be expanded or reduced in size as family members and guests come and go. Others have covers that can be exchanged for different look.
But even with all these efforts, it is likely that certain products will eventually no longer be usable. At that point they can be remanufactured — the pieces reassembled (重新组装) into something new-or recycled. And IKEA is designing products to make these processes easier. The company is also working to reduce waste in other areas, such as packaging and food waste from restaurants inside its stores.
These efforts to reduce the number of IKEA products that are abandoned and thrown in landfills will help create a more environmentally friendly economy.
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More than any other aspect of the climate crisis, it is the over-production of carbon dioxide that has been valued. But nitrogen and its abundant use in commercial fertilizer, also leads to air pollution and climate change. Evidence suggests their use also contributes to air pollution, increases the rates of cancer and reduces biodiversity, as well as releasing gas (laughing gas).
But nitrogen helps feed around half the world’s population and remains essential for the foreseeable future. With prices of fertilizer rising, many developing countries don’t have access to it, with resulting threats to food security. The global nitrogen challenge involves both reducing fertilizer use, and getting it to where it’s needed most.
A team of scientists has come up with a five-step plan to solve this two-sided problem. Benjamin Houlton, the leader, explains that only by undertaking a holistic approach and combining solutions can the problem be solved on both levels.
The five steps identified involve changing agricultural practices, getting fertilizer to the places it’s needed, reducing nitrogen pollution and finally, both reducing food waste and promoting a change in diet. The latter two are essential because approximately one-quarter of all global food produced is wasted along the supply chain, which means that a large portion of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to crops is ultimately wasted.
Benjamin admits that adding nitrogen to the list of existing climate woes might cause a sense of exhaustion. Nevertheless, he has an encouraging message. “The truth is, nitrogen is a blessing and a curse,” he says, “But if you can reduce the spill-overs of nitrogen, you can quickly get systems to return to a more original state. That makes it very different from CO2. We lock in 30 to 50 years of climate impacts every time we send out a molecule of CO2 into the air. But with nitrogen you can get immediate returns on investment.”
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Benefits of Green Spaces
We all know the value of taking a walk in the fresh spring weather. It allows your mind to relax and forget about the problems in everyday life. Studies have commonly shown the benefits of being around green spaces, including gardens, urban parks and forests.
But did you know that being in contact with these natural surroundings during childhood could positively impact your mental health as an adult? A study by the Institute for Global Health surveyed 3,600 people from all over Europe.
The all-adult study gave participants a questionnaire (问卷) on how frequently they used natural spaces during childhood — for example, playing in a garden or riding a bike at the park. They were also asked about the importance they put on using such places. Volunteers were then given a psychological test, which included a variety of questionnaires and problem-solving activities, to analyze their nervousness and feelings of depression within a four-week period. The results consistently showed that the people who were more exposed to natural spaces had higher mental health scores compared to those with lower childhood exposure — as did those who attached higher importance to using green spaces. The study’s assistant, Wilma Smith, wrote that the results “show the importance of childhood exposure to natural spaces for the development of a nature-appreciating attitude and a healthy psychological state in adulthood”. She also stressed the importance of “recognizing the implications of growing up in environments with limited opportunities for exposure to nature”.
According to the study, 73 percent of Europe’s population only has limited access to natural spaces. So we call on policymakers to improve the availability of natural spaces for children.
While this study was based in Europe, a lack of green space can affect anyone, anywhere. So remember to make time to expose yourself to nature, as your mental health is just as important as the physical one.
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下面的图表和漫画反映了世界上野生动物种类的变化情况和原因，请根据你对图表和漫画的理解，用英语写一篇短文。写作要点：
1.描述野生动物种类的变化趋势；
2.分析导致野生动物种类变化的原因；
3.谈谈你对保护野生动物的看法和建议。
注意：
1.可参照图表、漫画及下面文章开头所给的提示进行必要的发挥；
2.词数100左右。开头已经写好，不计入总词数。
Many animals are in danger of dying out.
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In my opinion, it is high time that we should take action to protect them and give wild animals a good living environment. In addition, the government should pass more laws to forbid killing wild animals. Only in this way can we live in harmony with wild animals.
