1 . Every minute, every single day, about a truckload of plastic enters the ocean.
We buy a bottle of water, drink it for a few minutes, and throw its permanent packaging (包装) “away”. We eat potato chips, finish them, then throw their permanent packaging “away”. We buy produce, take it out of the unnecessary plastic wrap, then throw its permanent packaging “away”.
The cycle is endless, and it happens countless times every single day.
For years, we’ve been told the problem of plastic packaging can be solved through better individual action.
Recycling alone will never stop the flow of plastic into the ocean; we have to get to know the source of the problem and slow down the production of all the plastic waste. Think about it: if your home was flooding because you had left the tap on, your first step wouldn’t be to start mopping. You’d first cut the flooding off at its source — the tap.
We need corporations — those like the Coca-Cola company, Unilever, Starbucks and Neatle that continue to produce throwaway (一次性的) plastic bottles — to step up and take responsibility for the mess they’ve created.
| A．This is their problem to deal with. |
| B．Plastic pollution is becoming very serious. |
| C．But here is the problem — there is no “away’’. |
| D．In some ways, our plastic problem is no different. |
| E．We think that if we simply recycle we’re doing our part. |
| F．It’s impossible for us to get rid of plastic pollution completely. |
| G．Since the 1950s, some 8.3bn tons of plastic have been produced worldwide. |
2 . Nobody wants to snack on plastic bags or soda rings, but according to a recent study from the University of Neweastle, we could be consuming roughly a credit card's worth of plastic every week.
Microplastic, which are less than a quarter-inch size and come in various shapes, have polluted the natural world and infiltrated(渗入)our bodies. The first clue to microplastic exposure in humans came around 2013, when scientists discovered plastic particles in seafood prepared for consumption. But in 2019, when the University of Newcastle study was published, the scientific community understood that the problem was considerably broader. Microplastics shed off clothes and tires and have been found in beer, honey, table salt and other food items. We breathe in plastic staying in the air and drink plastic floating in our drinks. It's no stretch to conclude that our exposure is significant. What we don't know is what this means for us.
The amount of evidence collected on this subject is growing rapidly, according to Scott Coffin, a toxicologist(毒理学家). Studies done on mice and rats have found that plastic in their bodies can severely damage cells and cause stress.
Because microplastics are too small to clean up, the only solution is to stop plastic waste at the source. And doing so would take a thorough adjustment, given that plastics are deeply embedded in our economy and lifestyle. Stopping using them would fundamentally affect countless industries, including textiles(纺织业), transportation and manufacturing.
"I think we need to have more studies coming out that are directly related to human health before we see a lot more concern from the general public," Scott said. "It takes a lot to convince people that something that is really convenient for them to use is something they should sacrifice."
The question of microplastics and human health needs more attention—from the scientific community ,the general public, the government and funding groups. The issue isn't being ignored, but it's not being prioritized either.
1. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us about microplastics?| A．Their wide usage in daily life. |
| B．Their harm to human health. |
| C．Their significant exposure in humans. |
| D．The new study conducted on them. |
| A．The way that microplastics exist. |
| B．The pollution caused by microplastics. |
| C．The relationship between microplastics and human health. |
| D．The reason for the existence of microplastics. |
| A．To cut down plastic production. |
| B．To carry out more studies on mice and rats. |
| C．To invent something more convenient than plastics. |
| D．To promote people's awareness on the harm brought by microplastics. |
| A．Is Microplastic pollution harmful to our health? |
| B．Why is Microplastic pollution everywhere? |
| C．Why is plastic harmful? |
| D．What do you know about Microplastics? |
3 . Every year on April 22,Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.It gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet.The founder was Gaylord Nelson.
What moved Gaylord Nelson to action was the1969massive oil spill（溢出）in California,the largest oil spill in the United States at that time.The spill proved to be an environmental nightmare as it had a strong impact on marine life,killing an estimated3,500sea birds,as well as marine animals such as dolphins,elephant seals and sea lions.Inspired by the student antiwar movement at that period of time,Nelson found it was a right time to channel the energy of the students towards a fight for environmental protection.He decided that it was time to educate the Americans on the need to protect the environment.Thus,Earth Day was born in1970,and public environmental consciousness took centre stage.
On 22nd April 1970,millions of Americans took to the streets to demonstrate for a healthy,sustainable environment and thousands of students marched in protest of the terrible situation of the environment.Businesses were forced to follow environmental standards if they wanted to continue their operations.The year1990 saw Earth Day reach out to many more countries around the world.It helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro,bringing together many nations,for a joint effort towards protecting the environment.In 2009,the United Nations decided to officially set April 22 as Earth Day.
For his role as founder of Earth Day,Gaylord Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom（1995）,the highest honour given to civilians in the United States.We honor the man,as the fight for a cleaner environment continues.
1. What can we learn about Earth Day?| A．It was founded at the end of 1970s. |
| B．It was first celebrated in Rio de Janeiro. |
| C．People will march on the street on this day. |
| D．It arouses public environmental awareness. |
| A．He reduced the loss of the oil spill. |
| B．He participated in an antiwar movement. |
| C．He set environmental standards for business. |
| D．He involved more people in environmental issues. |
| A．The focus of Earth Day. |
| B．The development of Earth Day. |
| C．The world 's concern on the environment. |
| D．The joint efforts of different countries. |
| A．Intelligent. | B．Responsible. | C．Considerate. | D．Knowledgeable. |
1.活动时间及地点；
2.活动内容：环保宣传、垃圾分类等；
3.活动意义。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
4.参考词汇：社区 community 社会实践 social practice垃圾分类 garbage classification
Dear Alex,
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5 . The convenience plastic offers has led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side. Many of its products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a service life of mere minutes to hours.
Plastic has been the biggest threat to ocean life for decades. Sunlight, wind and wave action break down plastic waste to a certain extent, but it only succeeds in reducing it to smaller pieces.
Tests have also confirmed cell damage and trouble with animals’ reproductive systems caused by plastic-eating. Some species, such as oysters, produce fewer eggs if they wrongly take too much plastic.
Fortunately, solutions are being found. Many scientists agree the top priority is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas.
| A．Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics. |
| B．This makes plastic waste even harder to notice. |
| C．Millions of animals are killed by plastic every year. |
| D．Some pieces have even been found blocking their organs. |
| E．Half of all plastics ever produced have been made in the last 15 years. |
| F．It could be done with improved waste management systems and recycling. |
| G．However, they may remain in the environment for hundreds of years and cause a lot of harm. |
6 . Understanding the link between a clean environment and human life is not a new concept. In fact, it was noticed as early as ancient Rome. Today we see how green living has infiluenced our everyday lives. There is a growing community of people who embrace a zero waste lifestyle and make changes to the way they live to reduce their carbon footprint.
Living a zero waste lifestyle means doing one’s best to achieve the aim of not sending anything to a landfill. People who adopt this lifestyle ultimately cut down on their waste by reducing what they need and want. They reuse what they own, sending few things to be recycled.
Many people who adopt the zero waste lifestyle claim to be frustrated by the many harmful chemical substances found in beauty and cleaning products. They also find the uses of disposable items and excessive packaging. For example, how many times have we had to peel away layers of plastic wrap and cardboard before finally taking out the item which we had bought? Instead of buying pre-packed food and goods, those who identify with the zero waste philosophy tend to shop in stores that allow them to make purchases and bring their own cloth bags and glass jars to store their purchases.
Many people may have the misconception that it is easier to live a zero waste lifestyle in the West. Nevertheless, Malaysian environmental journalist, Ms. Aurora Tin, has proven that a zero waste lifestyle is possible even in the Asian context. Instead of going to the supermarket to buy pre-packaged foods, Ms. Tin now visits the wet market and brings her own bags for vegetables. She has even stopped using store-bought toothpaste and makes her own toothpaste from coconut oil and baking soda. This lifestyle may be too big a change for the average person, but we could follow her suit to make gradual changes to our own lives.
1. Which of the following is a zero waste lifestyle?| A．Bringing a resuable container to take away food. | B．Choosing appliances that cost less money. |
| C．Turning off a device to stop using power. | D．Classifying the garbage before throwing it away. |
| A．Recycable carboard. | B．Excessive packaging. |
| C．Glass jars to store purchases. | D．Natural substances in cleaning products. |
| A．How do people live a zero waste lifestyle. |
| B．Why Ms. Tin chooses to live a zero waste lifestyle.. |
| C．We can also practice a zero waste lifestyle in Asia. |
| D．It is easy to live a zero waste lifestyle in the West. |
| A．Living a zero waste lifestyle. | B．Going green is more than a fashion. |
| C．A zero waste lifetyle is easy to achieve. | D．Making environmentally-conscious decisions. |
7 . A lunch break – it’s an important and often necessary part of our working or school day. And now we’re spoilt (惯坏) with a lot of places to buy our lunch from, all offering attractive dishes and sandwiches to eat on the go.
But our appetite for buying our lunchtime fare is not just costing us money, there might be a cost in terms of damaging our planet too. Just grabbing a sandwich, crisps and maybe a cake and coffee can produce at least four items of waste. Paper boxes, cups, wrappers and plastic knives and forks are all part of our disposable (一次性的) feast in addition to the food waste we create. Some experts say throwing away food, which produces methane (甲烷) as it rots, is a bigger cause of climate change than plastics.
But regardless of what causes the most damage, the solution, according to an environmental campaign group called Hubbub, is to eat packed lunches. Tessa Tricks from the group says “People are saying that they are buying food to take out because life has got busier.” And she says people think they are being more efficient; but she argues that it's usually healthier and cheaper to make your own lunch. It means you can eat the things you really want and make the quantity that you actually need.
Of course, preparing your lunch is another thing to fit into your morning scramble (忙乱) of getting ready for work, so if you haven’t got time and you are going to buy lunch, an alternative that Hubbub suggests is to take your own container to a shop and ask them to put your food in it. The idea of using reusable coffee cups for hot drinks and refilling water bottles has already proved successful, so this could be another step in the right direction.
1. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?| A．It costs a lot of money buying lunch. |
| B．Eating fast food is no good to health. |
| C．Buying lunch leads to great damage to environment. |
| D．Experts give suggestions on eating. |
| A．Stop eating packed lunches. |
| B．Eating what you like. |
| C．Trying to be more efficient in work. |
| D．Making lunch by yourself. |
| A．Buying lunch. |
| B．Taking your own container. |
| C．Using reusable coffee cup. |
| D．Using refilling water bottles. |
| A．Make a full use of lunch time. |
| B．Eating properly to keep healthy. |
| C．Doing what you can to reduce pollution. |
| D．Giving lunch time eating habit a thought to reduce damage to environment. |
8 . Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren't going away any time soon—but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.
In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest impact may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.
Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean. Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems.” he added.
There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
1. What's Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The problem of littering masks. | B．The long time to break down masks. |
| C．The threat of masks to wildlife. | D．The protective use of masks to people. |
| A．They gave first aid to the bird. | B．They released the bird at once. |
| C．They kept the bird for about a week. | D．They sent the bird to hospital. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By giving explanations. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing causes. |
| A．Forbidding the use of single-use masks. | B．Wearing reusable cloth masks. |
| C．Cutting the masks up before throwing. | D．Increasing fines for binning masks. |
9 . Beginning 2020, the fifth generation of wireless technology is expected to be widely used throughout the world. The new network, called 5G, promises to give faster speeds and a higher capacity for the use of more devices. However, while some companies are competing to be the first to deliver 5G to the consumer, the environmental influences of the new network are being overlooked.
There is some evidence that the new devices and technologies associated with 5G will be harmful to ecosystems. The main component of the 5G network that will affect the earth's ecosystems is the millimeter waves. The millimeter waves that are being used in developing the 5G network have never been used at such scale(规模)before. Studies have found that there are some harms caused by these new technologies.
The millimeter waves, specifically, had a detrimental effect on birds. In a study, researchers observed that after exposure to radiation from a cell tower for just 5~30 minutes, the eggs of sparrows were disfigured. The disfiguration of birds exposed for such a short amount of time to these frequencies(频率)is significant considering that the new 5G network will have a much higher density(浓度)of base stations(small cells) throughout areas needing connection. The potential dangers of having so many small cells all over areas where birds live could threaten their population's survival.
Additionally, it was found that cellular devices were linked to many disturbances in the ecosystems of bees. In this study, beehives exposed for just ten minutes to 900MHz waves fell victim to colony collapse disorder(蜂群崩坏症候群). Bees are an incredibly important part of the earth's ecosystem. Around one-third of the food produced today is dependent on bees for pollination(授粉), making bees are a vital part of the agricultural system.
The impact that the cell towers have on birds and bees is important to understand, because all ecosystems of the earth are interconnected. If one component of an ecosystem is disrupted the whole system will be affected.
1. What will probably cause the environmental problems with the wide use of 5G network?| A．The lack of the density of base stations. |
| B．The less mature devices and technologies. |
| C．The lower capacity for the use of devices. |
| D．The large amount of use of millimeter waves. |
| A．Important. | B．Unknown. | C．Harmful. | D．Potential. |
| A．They play a key role in food production. |
| B．They can guide some pollinators to work. |
| C．They are likely to reduce unpleasant noises. |
| D．They rid disturbances in the agricultural system. |
| A．Should 5G Be Used in the Future? | B．The Influence of 5G on Ecosystem |
| C．The Research on 5G Technologies | D．How Can Ecosystem Survive 5G? |
10 . A student-led push to get solar panels installed at a middle school in Tacoma is receiving national recognition from a clean energy nonprofit organization called Generation 180. The girls involved are advocating and fundraising for the project.
Sammy Firkins, Gwen Newport and Annie Son will talk about their idea to generate solar electricity at Jason Lee Middle School in a panel discussion organized by Generation 180. In 2019, the three of them teamed up with their science teacher, Kathy Hall, to push for solar panels to be installed. Hall, who uses solar power at her own house, said it’s long been a dream of hers. The school would be the first in the Tacoma district to use solar energy.
The girls presented their idea to Gov. Jay Inslee’s STEM Education Innovation Alliance meeting in early 2019 and received enthusiastic support. They then spoke to the Tacoma school board and obtained buy-in from the district, though they were told the district did not have the roughly $ 200,000 for the 277 solar panels and that they would have to fundraise. They’ve since raised more than half that amount through grants and individual donations.
Gwen Newport said she’s always cared a lot about environmental issues and that she’s troubled that climate change does not get the attention it deserves. “At this point, I feel like it’s kind of been given to my generation almost as our responsibility now and so being able to be a part of this project and take action is really important to me,” she said.
The solar panels have not been installed at the school yet. But Hall said she estimates that the project will reduce the school’s power costs by about $ 14,000 a year, and that it also will serve an educational purpose. “We will have live data always streaming available so that people can see how the panels are working and how they relate to the amount of electricity we’re using, and it will be an incredible learning tool,” she said.
1. What is Generation 180?| A．It is the name of the girls’ team. |
| B．It is a project to use solar power. |
| C．It is a nonprofit environmental group. |
| D．It is a student-led push to install solar panels. |
| A．The girls raised enough money for the project. |
| B．The Tacoma school board rejected the project. |
| C．The girls made great efforts to fulfill the project. |
| D．The district covered the expenses of solar panels. |
| A．Confident. | B．Concerned. | C．Relieved. | D．Content. |
| A．To advocate for donations. |
| B．To serve as a learning tool. |
| C．To protect the environment. |
| D．To cut down the school’s expenses. |
