1 . The Ocean Awareness Student Contest(International)

We invite middle and high school students from around the world to attend the 2017 Ocean Awareness Student Contest! The theme is Making Meaning out of Ocean Pollution, and it challenges you to research, explore, explore interpret, and say something meaningful about the connections between human activities and the health of our oceans.

This year, we challenge you to concentrate on one type of ocean pollution and “make meaning” of it through art, poetry or film. We encourage you to connect it with your own life, your own local community, or something else that is personally meaningful to you, but what’s most important is to pick a topic that inspires you.

To take part:
(1)Research

Do research on your own. Ask tough and complex questions, and think about the way science and society help you explain the topic

(2)Create

To explain your topic, create your own work of art, writing, poetry or film.

(3) Submit(提交)

The closing date for entries is on June 13, 2017, at 11:59pm.

Submit as an individual: This means that you are the only creator of your submission .

Submit as a group: Groups can be of unlimited size, but you must provide the names of each group member. There will be one group leader who will be the contact(联系)person for the group and prizes will be awarded to the group as a whole.

Prizes:

The winners will receive scholarships (up to $ 1,500), and each year we give out over 140 prizes(totaling up to $80,000) as well as chances to the winners to work with us and to get their works exhibited and published.

1. The purpose of the contest is to______.

A．encourage more people to explore the ocean

B．direct students to receive more scholarships

C．draw students’ attention to the health of the oceans

D．help students complete their works in various styles

2. The contest is designed for______.

A．college students	B．teenagers
C．art students	D．people of all ages

3. To take part in the contest, students are asked to______.

A．submit their works in groups

B．experience the life in a local community

C．exhibit or publish their works in advance

D．do research and explain their topics

4. Which of the following prizes is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Scholarships will be offered to the winners

B．The organizers will let the winners work with them

C．The winners will be admitted to famous universities

D．Chances are that the winners can get their works published

2 . In an effort to discourage people from using plastics，scientists have been hard at work inventing alternative packaging products．From water bottles made from seaweed to cutlery(餐具) made from rice and wheat，a number of inventions are set to change the way we eat while we are on the go，or having a relaxing picnic in the park．

The idea of using seaweed to make eco-friendly(环保的) water bottles has been around for a few years．Recently，Ari Jonsson took his invention—a water bottle made from red seaweed—to show off at a festival. The bottles will only hold their shape as long as they are filled．As soon as these bottles are empty they will begin to break down，though they would be perfectly safe to eat．Ari Jonsson’s bottles are a step closer to a widely used alternative to the current plastic ones．

The eatable water container is not the only product to add to our image of the future．Narayana Pessapaty has also created eatable spoons．After the success of his spoons, Mr Pessapaty is ready to expand and introduce forks and chopsticks to his menu．His aim is to largely reduce the amount of plastic waste，which is a huge problem for waste sites all over the world．It is a product that may take up to 500 years to break down，and recycling companies worldwide are struggling to deal with it．

Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment，this new packaging is also cheap to produce and therefore cheap to buy．Even better is the fact that similar eatable cutlery can be made at home，possibly a science project for children or just fun with friends．Why not get experimenting and create your own recipes?

1. Why do scientists invent alternative packaging products?

A．To make people’s life more convenient．

B．To reduce the amount of plastic waste．

C．To charge the way we picnic outside．

D．To show off their inventive talents．

2. What makes Ari Jonsson’s water bottles eco-friendly?

A．They can be made at home．

B．They are cheap to produce and buy．

C．They will hold their shape when they are filled．

D．They will break down themselves when empty．

3. What do Ari and Narayana’s inventions have in common?

A．They are convenient to carry．	B．They are safe to eat．
C．They can be used for a short time．	D．They are heavier than plastics．

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Home-made eatable cutlery is likely to be popular．

B．Eatable cutlery’will completely replace plastics in the near future．

C．No recycling companies can breakdown plastic waste．

D．It’s unsafe for individuals to invent eatable cutlery at home．

3 . C

Apparently, we are safe neither at home nor in the business office. We use water in both places, but the research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects. These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house. They are released(set free)from water by daily actions like water running out of tap, spraying from garden pipes，or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines. As the water is moving, these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health.

     Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists, but we should put all pollution into perspective. Activities at home such as the burning of coal, cooking oil, or even candles release carbon monoxide and particulates such as cigarette ashes which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near heavy traffic. New tugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that “new smell,” which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation (通风), these chemicals can build up to become health problems. Their poisonous effects are only now being slowly recognized.
     These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise warning. Home and office windows should be opened during good weather. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well while in the garage.
     We need further research to understand better other potential health dangers, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build-up), the factory work environment (an endless list of potentially dangerous substances), and even home heating and cooling (the air conditioner may be our enemies, not our friends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that “there is no place like home.”
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．The air we breathe in is harmful.

B．The water in everyday use is unsafe.

C．Chemicals are added to the drinking water.

D．Chemicals are released in the running water.

2. In Paragraph 2, the underlined sentence means that       .

A．bathing should be done with caution

B．homes and offices should be aired often

C．any pollution should be taken into consideration

D．we should prevent any pollution from doing harm to us

3. What ihe purpose of the passage?

A．To call on us to guard our water

B．To show us that no place is like home.

C．To make us aware of the pollution around us.

D．To argue that neither homes nor offices are safe.