1 . A new study suggests classic paintings by well-known Impressionists Joseph Turner and Claude Monet may have been influenced by air pollution during the Industrial Revolution.
Scientists don’t know exactly how polluted the cities were during that time for lack of data. However, researchers say that examining the works of Turner and Monet can give a picture of long-term environmental change with the air pollution.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by authors from Harvard and Sorbonne universities, analyzed 60 oil paintings by Turner from 1796 to 1850 and 38 paintings by Monet from 1864 to 1901. Scientists successfully measured painters’ representation (再现) of nature, focusing on the colors as well as differences in local weather patterns which influenced coloring. They significantly found that paintings composed in Britain generally feature a greyer blue sky than works in other parts of Europe.
Researchers particularly believe changes in local sulfur dioxide (二氧化硫) emissions from burning coal may explain changes in the color contrast and intensity (亮度) of Turner’s and Monet’s works, even after taking into account the artistic trends and subject matter of the time.
Generally, artists can historically accurately represent their environment. Turner and Monet were chosen because they are famous for their landscape and cityscape paintings and also because they were active during the Industrial Revolution, when air pollution grew at a rate never seen before.
Additionally, researchers say that since the air in London was much polluted, the cities would appear grey and dull to the eyes as well as in photographs. By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet to photos from the era, they were able to determine the painting works were definitely influenced by the change in emissions.
1. What did the researchers find in the works of Turner and Monet?A.Air pollution at that time. | B.Change in subject matter. |
C.Social trends of the period. | D.Development of photography. |
A.By referring to relevant historical records. |
B.By examining the coloring of the paintings. |
C.By comparing the paintings of Turner with Monet’s. |
D.By analyzing the data during the Industrial Revolution. |
A.European artists preferred landscape paintings. |
B.Turner and Monet intended to present pollution. |
C.The research focused on studying weather patterns. |
D.Britain suffered most from air pollution in Europe. |
A.To call on people to protect the environment. |
B.To introduce air pollution in the Industrial Revolution. |
C.To inform people of a new discovery in certain artworks. |
D.To instruct people to admire classic paintings in new ways. |
2 . Chaudhary quietly weaves together lengths of ropes, binding them with grass collected from the riverbank. She skillfully shapes the materials into a jewelry box. Meanwhile, she’s instructing a group of women to work out the materials. The ropes used were once the lifeline for climbers tackling Nepal’s mountains and were then discarded (扔掉). They are now finding new life, transformed by skilled hands into items to sell.
Acharya, working with the cleaning campaign, owns a waste processing business in Kathmandu, also an advocate for sustainable waste management. “Aluminum and other metal waste go through the recycling process, but we found no way to recycle ropes and gas cans,” she says. It struck her that the non-recyclable waste could be reused, but it wasn’t until she met Maya Rai that a solution emerged. Rai, leading Nepal Knotcraft Centre, helped connect Acharya with Chaudhary’s team of craftswomen in hopes of turning the mountain waste into economic opportunity. “While this seems insignificant compared to waste in the mountains, it’s a start. We aim to connect local expertise, mountain waste and local economy,” says Acharya, proudly displaying a mat made from ropes left on Mt. Qomolangma by climbers. Her goal is to ensure that no waste collected from mountains ends up in a landfill again.
Finished crafts are sold at outlets and exhibitions. The craftswomen are paid according to how many items they make and sell. With flexible hours, the project gives women an opportunity to earn money even as they maintain household responsibilities.
Eventually, Acharya hopes to expand the program to involve more women and process more waste. But progress has been slow. “We still have not found a sustainable business plan to make crafts in large quantities, ”she says. Now, she is searching for cooperators to make a model that serves not only the mountain but the communities. “After all, we are trying to craft a sustainable future.”
Each rope turned into a decorative item is a way to help local women earn a living and keep mountains clean.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Chaudhary in paragraph 1?A.To lead in the topic with her example. |
B.To spread her environmental consciousness. |
C.To show her patient instructions to the women. |
D.To speak highly of her outstanding weaving skills. |
A.A business involving waste processing. |
B.A team transforming waste into treasure. |
C.A campaign advocating sustainable management. |
D.A solution connecting expertise, waste and economy. |
A.Selling crafts at outlets can earn more money. |
B.Removing mountain waste generates a sense of pride. |
C.Cooperating with local experts helps promote skills. |
D.Work-life balance can be achieved due to flexible hours. |
A.Hesitant. | B.Positive. | C.Suspicious. | D.Disapproving. |
3 . Nanako Hama gets a lot of mail, mostly from strangers who live in her home city of Tokyo. In light envelopes, they send locks of their hair, hoping to recycle it.
People generate a huge amount of hair waste. Nearly all of that waste ends up in landfill, where it can release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
But hair possesses useful qualities and it’s a shame to simply throw it away. That’s why people all around the world, like Hama, have been collecting hair and finding innovative ways to recycle it, including making mats (垫子) out of it for removing oil leaks,
Hama is part of the nonprofit Matter of Trust (MoT) members working at more than 60 centers dotted across 17 countries, using machines to make hair donated from local salons and individuals into square mats, which are then used to clean up the floating oil.
“Hair is particularly well-suited for this,” says MoT co-founder Lisa Gautier, “That’s because its rough sort of outer layer lets oil stick to it.” MoT’s mats have been used in major oil leaks, including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 2007 Cosco Busan incidents.
In a 2018 study, Murray, an environmental scientist at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia found that mats made of recycled human hair could absorb 0.84 grams of oil onto its surface for every gram of hair — significantly more than polypropylene (聚丙烯), a type of plastic that’s typically used to clean up floating oil.
Besides, hair is also useful as fertilizer (化肥). Hair contains a relatively high nitrogen (氪), a chemical element crucial for plant growth, and each lock of hair is made of roughly 16 percent of this essential nutrient. Last year, more than 560 gallons of liquid fertilizer made from human hair was sold to farmers in northern Tanzania and the feedback from the farmers has been very encouraging.
“It’s just a great way to use hair in a productive way. Hair is an answer literally hanging in front of our eyes-for oil and soil, ” Hama says.
1. What can the mat made of human hair do?A.Clear the sea of oil. | B.Improve soil. |
C.Take in harmful gas. | D.Prevent oil leaks. |
A.Its color and strength. | B.Its length and amount |
C.Its structure and component. | D.Its weight and flexibility. |
A.To state a fact. | B.To support a point. |
C.To make a comparison. | D.To clarify a concept. |
A.Unclear. | B.Optimistic. | C.Doubtful. | D.Negative. |
4 . Back in 1973, out of concern that many of American native plants and animals were in danger of extinction, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. The law allows the government to decide species as either “endangered” or “threatened”. Once plants and animals are on the list, they can’t be harmed or harvested, and their living places can’t be changed or damaged in a way that kills, injures or weakens their ability to breed (繁殖), feed or perform other functions necessary for existence.
While environmentalists have thought the law is of great importance in history, mining and the agribusiness (农业综合企业) interests don’t think so. They argue that when an endangered animal is found on public land, the use of the land is strictly controlled, which can prevent farming, and other business use of the land. So, the recent US government has sought to change the way that the law is applied to reduce what it considers overprotection for threatened species.
But a study published in the journal PLOS ONE in January revealed that researchers looked at 31 different populations of ocean animals, and that they found that 78 percent of the mammals (哺乳动物) and 75 percent of the turtles increased their population size after receiving protection under the Act. What was even more impressive was that the number of Hawaiian humpback whales increased from just 800 in 1979 to more than 10,000 in 2005.
“We should celebrate the Act’s track record of reducing the harm from water pollution, overfishing, beach habitat loss and killing. Humans often destroy ocean ecosystems(生态系统), but our study shows that with strong laws and careful administration, we can also help them make a comeback.” said Shaye Wolf, a researcher of the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona.
1. What can we know about the Endangered Species Act in Paragraph 1?A.It mainly focuses on protecting ocean species. |
B.It covers almost all the details of wildlife protection. |
C.It encourages people to raise wildlife in a careful way. |
D.It asks the whole world to work together to protect wildlife. |
A.The Act has limited the economic benefits of land. |
B.Some land has got polluted due to the Act. |
C.Some states refuse to follow the Act. |
D.The Act fails to save enough endangered species. |
A.Quite a lot of ocean animals’ population is still worrying. |
B.The government failed to put some rare species on the list. |
C.The Act turned out to be effective for ocean animal protection. |
D.Whales benefit most from the Act after receiving protection. |
A.More strict rules should be added to the Act. |
B.Overfishing is the main threat to ocean animals. |
C.The damage caused by human activities to the ecosystem is unavoidable. |
D.Proper laws play a powerful role in environmental protection. |
5 . Drive through any suburb in the U. S. today, and it’s hard to miss the recycling bins that have become companions to America’s trash cans. Recycling has become common, as people recognize the need to care for the environment. Yet most people’s recycling awareness extends (延伸) only as far as paper, bottle, and cans. People seldom find themselves facing the growing problem of e-waste.
E-waste rapidly increases as the techno-fashionable frequently upgrade to the most advanced devices, and the majority of them end up in landfills (填埋). Some people who track such wastes say that users throw away nearly 2 million tons of TVs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, and other electronics every year. Unless we can find a safe replacement (替代品), this e-waste may get into the ground and poison the water with dangerous toxins (霉素), such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Burning the waste also dangerously contaminates the air.
However, e-waste often contains reusable silver, gold, and other electrical materials. Recycling these materials reduces environmental problems by reducing both landfill waste and the need to look for such metals, which can destroy ecosystems.
A growing number of states have passed laws to ban (禁止) getting rid of e-waste. Still, less than a quarter of this waste will reach lawful recycling programs. Some companies advertising safe disposal (处理) in fact merely ship the waste to some developing countries, where it still ends up in landfills. These organizations prevent progress by unsafely disposing of waste in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind location.
However, the small but growing number of cities and corporations that do handle e-waste responsibly represents progress toward making the world a cleaner, better place for us all.
1. What can we know from the first paragraph?A.E-waste cannot be put into trash cans in the U. S. |
B.Many Americans now have access to recycling bins. |
C.Most Americans have realized the dangers of e-waste. |
D.Most of America’s trash cans are made of recycled material. |
A.Pollutes. | B.Heats. | C.Attacks. | D.Reduces. |
A.Much e-waste is still not properly handled. |
B.Some developing countries welcome e-waste. |
C.Laws have played a major role in getting rid of e-waste. |
D.The e-waste buried in the landfills won’t destroy ecosystem. |
A.To tell us how to recycle &waste. |
B.To talk about the future of e-waste. |
C.To discuss if it’s necessary to, recycle e-waste. |
D.To encourage people to deal with e-waste properly. |
6 . Looking to make the biggest impact during a crisis? This guide will help you get the necessary resources to the right people quickly and easily, as well as help you prepare for a potential emergency.
Create a fundraiser.
Put simply, more people equals more money, and creating your own fundraiser is a great way to encourage people who want to help. If you’re dealing with a local natural disaster, start by raising money through your community
Collect supplies.
Donate your skills or time.
You can contact your local emergency services, to see if they are seeking a helping hand. If you don’t have a particular skill, offer your time to help with clean up afterward. However, always call or check online first.
One of the most helpful things you can do in a natural disaster is to prepare yourself ahead of time. Not only will these preventive measures protect you, but they will also limit damage in case disaster strikes. The first step is to find out which disasters are most likely to affect you. The second step is stocking up on essential emergency items.
A.Learn to cooperate with others |
B.Prepare for a natural disaster in advance |
C.Here is how to help those affected by natural disasters |
D.Designate a charity to receive the funds so people can donate directly |
E.If you’re trying to figure out how to help with natural disasters, you’re in the right place |
F.It’s best to take a little extra time to figure out what is really in short of |
G.Do not go as an individual volunteer to a disaster zone expecting to find ways to help |
July 2023 was the world’s warmest month on record, with heat waves spreading across North America, Asia and Europe. How to cool the planet
According to Euro news, a European television news network, one idea
However, following the report,
Located in Ordos, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Kubuqi Desert (库布齐沙漠) is the closest desert to China’s capital Beijing. It was once known as the “sea of death”. However, in the past 30 years, the government, social organizations and local farmers
Historically, Kubuqi was a rich city filled with water and grass. But due
The 102,000 residents in the desert have enjoyed the benefits of managing with desertification. Meng Keda,
9 . An earthquake can strike without warning. But many injuries and deaths from this kind of natural disaster can be prevented if people follow these safety tips.
If you’re inside a building, stay there! One of the most dangerous things to do in an earthquake is to try to leave a building.
If you are trapped in the ruins, cover your mouth with a handkerchief or a piece of clothing. Use your cellphone to call for help if possible. Don’t shout.
Be prepared for aftershocks
A.Don’t move about or kick up dost. |
B.If you’re outside, go to an open space. |
C.Shouting can cause you to breathe in dust. |
D.Don’t park your car under a tree or any tall object. |
E.Take a good hold of your cellphone in the building. |
F.They can happen in the first hours after the earthquake. |
G.Most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to get out. |
10 . After years of heated debate, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Fourteen wolves were caught in Canada and transported to the park. By last year, the Yellowstone wolf population had grown to more than 170 wolves.
Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and much of the continental United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had practically disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around.
The disappearance of the wolves had many unexpected results. Deer and elk populations — major food sources (来源) for the wolf — grew rapidly. These animals consumed large amounts of vegetation (植被), which reduced plant diversity in the park. In the absence of wolves, coyote populations also grew quickly. The coyotes killed a large percentage of the park’s red foxes, and completely drove away the park’s beavers.
As early as 1966, biologists asked the government to consider reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park. They hoped that wolves would be able to control the elk and coyote problems. Many farmers opposed the plan because they feared that wolves would kill their farm animals or pets.
The government spent nearly 30 years coming up with a plan to reintroduce the wolvers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully monitors and manages the wolf packs in Yellowstone. Today, the debate continues over how well the gray wolf is fitting in at Yellowstone. Elk, deer, and coyote populations are down, while beavers and red foxes have made a comeback. The Yellowstone wolf project has been a valuable experiment to help biologists decide whether to reintroduce wolves to other parts of the country as well.
1. What is the text mainly about?A.Wildlife research in the United States. |
B.Plant diversity in the Yellowstone area. |
C.The conflict between farmers and gray wolves. |
D.The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park. |
A.Damage to local ecology. |
B.Preservation of vegetation. |
C.A decline in the park’s income. |
D.An increase in the variety of animals. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Uncaring. | C.Positive. | D.Disapproving. |