2 . When I give public lectures about the climate crisis, the most common question people pose is: “Are you an optimist or a pessimist?”

My answer is the former one. California has achieved significant emission (排放) reductions in a strong economy, which makes me hopeful, yet in general the fossil-fuel industry is determined not to change. The second most common question is: “What can I, personally, do?”

That’s a tough one. The major drivers of climate change are collective enterprises (集体企业) such as industry, large-scale agriculture and transportation systems. Real emission reductions in these settings most likely will not come from personal actions; they will come from laws and policies such as carbon-pricing systems, revised building codes and supports for green investment.

Some people have argued that calls for individual actions actually distract us from the responsibility of big companies. That could explain why the fossil-fuel industry is fond of such requests. Oil giant BP popularized and promoted the idea of a carbon footprint, turning attention to its customers who, it suggests, should take personal responsibility by lowering their carbon footprints. One study found that focusing on individual activity actually makes it harder for more effective policies such as a carbon tax to be carried out. Another problem with personal behavior is that people do not like to be told what to do.

Yet individual acts can grow into influential group activity. One effective act, and one that can be amplified (放大), is to eat less red meat. Cutting meat consumption is a powerful and personal thing most Americans can do to deal with the climate crisis, and they can do it immediately. About 40 percent of greenhouse gases come from agriculture, deforestation and other land-use changes. Meat — particularly beef — drives climate change in two ways: first, through cows’ emission of methane, a greenhouse gas, and second, by destroying forests as they are changed to grazing land (牧场) to satisfy the global demand for beef. By eating less beef, we can start to decrease that demand. You do not have to become a vegan to do this. If every person in the U. S. cut their meat consumption by 25 percent, it would reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent. That might not sound like a lot, but it would help protect the rainforest, so the positive effects — including reduced water and fertilizer use, improved biodiversity and safeguarded rights of local peoples — would be amplified.

Perhaps most important, social action is contagious — in a good way. If lots of us begin to eat less meat and if we talk about it constantly, we are likely to influence others. Pretty soon the 1 percent reduction becomes 2 percent or more. Reduced demand for meat could motivate my local supermarket to carry better produce, making it easier for me and my neighbors to prepare a few more satisfying meat-free meals. In the end, changes in demand will influence industry. Forty years ago few mainstream supermarkets carried organic products; now nearly all do. Consumer demand did that.

Cutting back on red meat also has the added benefit to your health. So while I wouldn’t advise governments to order people to stop eating hamburgers, if anyone asks, “What can I do?” a simple answer is: “Eat less meat. It’s in your control, and you can begin right now. It benefits both you and the planet.”

3 . When Abdus Salam looks across the garbage-filled river near his home in one of the major clothing producing districts in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, he remembers a time before the factories moved in. “When I was young there were no clothing factories here. We used to catch fish in the river,” he said. The river beside him is now black like ink. Waste from nearby clothing factories has polluted the water.

Fashion is responsible for up to one-fifth of industrial water pollution, thanks in part to weak management in producer countries like Bangladesh, the world’s second biggest clothing producing country, where wastewater is commonly differed directly into rivers and streams. The wastewater not only hurts the environment, but pollutes drinking water sources.

Once in waterways, poisonous chemicals from dye (染料) build up to the point where light is prevented from coming through the surface, reducing plants’ ability to photosynthesize (进行光合作用). This lowers oxygen levels in the water, killing plants and animals. These chemicals and heavy metals can also build up in the body, increasing the risk of serious illnesses and skin problems. What’s worse, chemical-rich water is also used to water crops, with one recent study finding that dyes were present in vegetables and fruit grown around Savar, just north of Dhaka.

Luckily, change is coming. In Bangladesh, there are signs clothing producers are taking environmental responsibility more seriously, with brands committing to initiatives, such as the Partnership for Cleaner Textile, that title water, energy and chemical use in the industry. Shahab Uddin of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said a range of measures were being taken to address pollution, including updating conservation and environmental laws, giving fines to polluters, setting up centralized treatment plants, and working with international development partners to improve wastewater treatment. And under a new environmental policy called Zero Liquid Discharge, dyeing, finishing and washing industries must submit a time-bound plan to reduce, recycle and reuse wastewater.

“There is definitely from for further improvement. These challenges cannot be solved overnight,” Uddin added.

6 . I recently gave a talk about zero waste living to university students. During the Q&A afterward, the unavoidable question of cost came up. One student pointed out that he “can’t afford to buy $30 toothpaste.” While the $30 price may be a bit generous, the student did raise a good point that buying zero-waste products is often more expensive than the overly-packaged traditional ones.

I tried to handle the question as best I could in the moment, but I kept thinking about it afterward. I’m writing about it because I’m sure many others have similar doubts about their own abilities to reduce waste without breaking the bank.

First, once you begin to explore the zero waste world, you quickly realize how pointless many products in your life are. You start using fewer, buying less, and using them interchangeably. Soon you’ll find yourself spending less money overall, which balances the higher cost of the zero waste ones. The total number of products in my bathroom decreased by 50% when I became more focused on waste reduction.

Second, if you stop to examine those zero-waste products, you’ll see that they are usually of better quality. Companies usually redesign their packaging to be reusable, upgrading them to be healthier, safer, and greener. So you’re paying extra money not just for non-disposable (非一次性的) packaging, but also for a better product that does less harm.

In my experience, higher-quality skincare products last longer than cheap ones. My personal habits have developed gradually, too. Knowing an item costs more leads me to use it in small quantities and use it to the very end. Moreover, I sometimes even make my own. The price-per-unit is cheap.

To quote Lindsey Miles, a zero waste blogger, “Zero waste is not about what we can afford to buy. It is about what we choose not to buy.” To that student who got me thinking about this, I’d recommend starting with what matters to you. Over time you will figure out where you get the most value for your money. In return, you’ll gain a sense of liberation from the consumer culture, and a rewarding sense of accomplishment.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Nowadays, people are understanding the need to solve the climate and biodiversity problem. Poor ecosystems, forest fires, Covid-19 and more extreme weather events are showing us that the     1     (destroy) of the natural world is greatly impacting on the planet.     2    , it is time to take action.

Rainforest Concern       3     (establish) in 1993 aims to protect endangered natural habitats, the biodiversity they contain, and the people who depend on them for their survival. For over 20 years, Rainforest Concern     4     (protect) threatened cloud forests in north-west Ecuador, within the global biodiversity hot spot,     5     contains one-sixth of all plant life on the planet.

One of the most immediate threats to the bio-region is heavy industry, resulting in polluted rivers and the disappearance of hectares of forest, massively impacting on     6     (region) climatic conditions and     7     (potential) putting even more species on Red List.

To protect the cloud forests from threats, Rainforest Concern supports community reserves and has created a private reserve,     8     (focus) on forming ecological passages to connect existing protected areas. These measures are all helping to protect the weak cloud forest ecosystem from     9     (damage) and stop the reduction of its wildlife. But it takes money to keep going, and     10     more human pressures on the region, threats are increasing, and the forests and our planet are running out of time.

8 . 3月12日是一年一度的植树节，学校组织全体学生参加“我给学校添抹绿”的植树活动，请以学生会的名义拟一则通知，内容包括：

1.活动安排；

2.注意事项（着装，安全等）；

注意：

1.词数80左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Notice

March 9^th, 2022

Tree-planting Activity

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9 . 假定你是李华，你的学校将举办以“Protect Wild Animal”为主题的演讲比赛，请你根据提示写一篇演讲稿。

内容包括：

1. 野生动物现状；

2. 保护建议(至少两点)；

3. 美好的愿景。

注意：

1. 词数80词左右；

2. 请按格式作答。

Good morning, everyone!

I’m very glad to give a speech today. The topic of my speech is

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Thanks for listening.