1 . Vegan Agriculture

Vegan farming (全素农业) has become more and more popular. It is one of the most environmentally-friendly forms of agriculture. Vegan farming is a good way to grow plants such as vegetables without using animal-derived materials such as their waste.     1     Such an approach to farming also helps preserve the environment and regain soil richness and improve its biodiversity.

    2    Organic farming uses natural products to grow plants — that can include even animal waste as fertilizers. On the other hand, vegan agriculture rejects animal-derived products and usually sticks with plant-based organic compounds, which means that, in general, vegan agriculture has stricter rules than organic farming.

Additionally, vegan farming usually chooses more natural ways to protect the plants, like breaking cycles of plants’ diseases with mixed cropping (混作), using mechanical barriers such as nets, or even attracting opposing organisms to fight the harmful ones.     3     However, they might be less effective against certain plant diseases or pests.

One of the reasons to invest in vegan agriculture is that the vegan way of farming replaces synthetic (合成的) pesticides and uses organic pesticides or other non-chemical methods to protect the crops. By contrast, in conventional agriculture, synthetic pesticides are on a very high level.     4    

In the future, it is of great significance not to rely on animals’ waste for feeding plants. Doing so is not only beneficial to vegans.     5     Even if today’s methods of vegan agriculture might not be perfect, scientists worldwide, together with vegan farmers, are working towards developing plant-based solutions as alternatives to animal-derived fertilizers.

A．Accordingly, the amount of it in food products is much higher.

B．It is apparent that vegan agriculture is not the same as an organic one.

C．In today’s world, the vegan diet and lifestyle are increasingly popular.

D．But it’s also good for the whole world, including other animals and plants.

E．Those ways affect the environment less than the ways of traditional farming.

F．The rise of veganism creates new demand for more vegan-friendly agriculture.

G．Also, vegan farmers are far from applying synthetic fertilizers.

2 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Qinling Mountains are one of the most biodiverse mountain ranges. According to an     1     (announce) from the Shaanxi government, local authorities     2     (shut) over 200 mines and hydropower (水力发电) plants down in key areas of the Qinling Mountains since an official rule designed to protect the rich ecosystem went into effect.

The Qinling Mountains are thought to be home to several organisms found only in China. The scenery is amazing there,    3     (vary) with the season and geography.

Wang Fang, a conservation biologist at Fudan University, said     4     would be affected by the mine and hydropower projects are not only animals but also the region’s climate patterns in the long run. He added such constructions may help the local economy, but it shouldn’t come     5     the cost of the environment.

Before the     6     (prohibit) of mining started, a series of activities had damaged its ecosystem. However, Wang was optimistic     7     the damage could be repaired. Referring to how forest areas     8     (damage) by unregulated logging in the 1990s recovered, he believed stricter laws could prove     9     (benefit) this time, too. “The species at the Qinling Mountains are quite tough, so maybe we’ll see     10     (they) recovery in 20 or 30 years.” he said.

3 . Plastic is nearly everywhere — in shoes, clothes, refrigerators and construction materials. But this highly useful material can have a major defect. Made from oil and slow to break down, conventional plastic is not environmentally friendly. Today, researchers discuss inventing what they say should be a safer, biodegradable (可生物降解的) alternative made from fish waste— heads, bones and skin— that would otherwise likely be thrown out.

If developed successfully, fish-oil-based plastic could help meet the considerable need for more sustainable plastic, says Francesca Kerton, the project’s investigator. Previously, others have developed new plastic using plant-based oils. However, this too comes with a disadvantage: the crops that produce these oils require land that could otherwise be used to grow food.

Leftover fish struck Kerton as a promising alternative. Salmon (鲑鱼) farming is a major industry for coastal Newfoundland, where her university is located. After the fish are processed, leftover parts are often thrown away. Kerton and her colleagues developed a process for turning this fish oil into a plastic-like material. But does the plastic smell fishy? “When we start the process with the fish oil a slight kind of fish smell, but as we go through the steps, that smell disappears,” Kerton says.

In other experiments, they have begun examining how quickly the new material would likely break down once its useful life is over. Kerton put pieces of it in water, and to speed up the degradation for some pieces, she added a chemical capable of breaking down fats like those in the fish oil. Under a microscope, she later saw microbial (微生物的）growth on all of the samples, even those that had been in plain water, an encouraging sign that the new material might biodegrade quickly, Kerton says.

Kerton now intends to study the material’s physical properties to see how it might in real-world applications, such as in packaging or fibers for clothing.

1. What does the underlined word “defect” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Mistake.

B．Burden.

C．Difficulty.

D．Disadvantage.

2. What is wrong with using plant-based oils to make plastic?

A．It causes damage to the soil.	B．It needs a large amount of land.
C．It produces an unpleasant smell.	D．It increases the price of cooking oils.

3. What do we know about this new plastic?

A．It can break down easily.	B．It has a very short useful life.
C．It is hard to mix with plain water.	D．It proved a good packaging material.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A living trend.	B．A fishing method.
C．A scientific project.	D．A biological phenomenon.