1 . Dairy (奶品场) packaging has been changing a lot for so many years. Now, businesses are using technology to create more sustainable (可持续的) packaging options along the whole supply chain.

Ian Olmstead, program manager at Dairy Australia, says, “We’re trying to make sure the plastics we use are designed in a way that allows them to be recycled. Then we have partnerships in place that support the processes for recycling, and seek to increase the food-grade recycled content that can be used again in dairy packaging.”

Brownes Dairy — Australia’s oldest dairy has worked with Tetra Pak to make its next change. Brownes’ senior marketing manager, Nicole Ohm, says it has been important to create a product that not only is recyclable, but starts life in a sustainable way, too. “The start of life is just as important as the end of life,” she says. “Being able to make an effective change at the start of life just makes for a greener result.”

Milk packaging is made of three covers. Recyclable cardboard sits in the middle, with polyethylene (聚乙烯) plastic on both sides acting as a protection. Historically, these outer covers have been made from plastic, but Brownes’ new packaging will use a renewable resource: sugarcane, a kind of plant. “The plant-based protections behave in the same way,” Ohm says, “and so does the recyclability.” “Being Australia’s oldest dairy carries a level of responsibility,” Ohm says. “Even though we are very old, we are not at all traditional—we are very advanced.”

When it comes to plastic packaging, the dairy industry faces many challenges. Recyclable material must be food safe, for example. And one plastic milk bottle might contain a number of different plastics, from the bottle itself to its cover. Even the glue on the label becomes part of the recycling challenge that needs to be got over.

Dr Stephanus Peters is a managing partner at PEGRAS, a global technical solutions consulting company. Peters explains the problem PEGRAS has been asked to solve: make it easier to take away non-recyclable parts from milk bottles to avoid pollution. “You always have a little bit of glue left,” he says. “We have to take away the glue before the bottle can be recycled. If successful, this advance could be used in every industry.”

1. What change does Nicole Ohm expect to happen in dairy packaging?

A．It will be of excellent quality.	B．It will help keep the milk fresh.
C．It will reduce the cost of products.	D．It will be environmentally friendly.

2. What advantage does Brownes’ new milk packaging have over the old one?

A．It has more covers.	B．It is much more protective.
C．It uses plant-based materials.	D．It has a renewable middle cover.

3. What is one challenge faced by the dairy industry?

A．The recycling may require a lot of steps.	B．The recycling may cause more pollution.
C．The recycling may take a mass of money.	D．The recycling may impact on food safety.

4. What is PEGRAS trying to do?

A．Set up a plastic-free dairy business.	B．Make its company a sustainable one.
C．Rid packaging of non-recyclable parts.	D．Come up with a type of recyclable glue.

2 . The oceans play a crucial role in lightening global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide emissions. However, in a study conducted by the University of Texas, researchers found that the oceans’ capacity to absorb carbon dioxide (CO₂) would reach its maximum by 2100 and decrease to half of its current efficiency by 2300, based on a climate simulation (模拟) that was set for a worst-case emissions scenario (设想).

The decline happens because of a surface layer of low-alkalinity (碱度) water that can hinder the ability of the oceans to absorb CO₂. Alkalinity affects how much CO₂ can dissolve in seawater. Although the emissions scenario used in the study is unlikely because of global efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the findings reveal a previously unknown tipping point that if activated would release an important brake on global warming.

“We need to think about these worst-case scenarios to understand how our CO₂ emissions might affect the oceans not just this century, but next century and the following centuries. Climate simulations had previously shown that the oceans slow their absorption of CO₂ over time, but none had considered alkalinity as an explanation. We recalculated pieces of a 450-year simulation until we hit on alkalinity as a key cause of the slowing.” said Megumi Chikamoto, who led the research at the University of Texas Institute.

The effect begins with extreme climate change, which slows ocean currents. This leaves the surface of the oceans covered in a warm layer of fresh water that won’t mix easily with the cooler, more al kaline waters below it. That means more of it is left behind in the atmosphere. This in turn produces faster warming, which sustains and strengthens the low-alkalinity surface layer. Co-author, Pedro DiNezio, said that the discovery was a powerful reminder that the world needs to reduce its CO₂ emissions to avoid crossing this and other tipping points.

1. What may happen after the year 2300?

A．More CO₂ will be absorbed by the oceans.

B．The oceans will lose all their current efficiency.

C．The world will face even more severe warming.

D．The oceans will be less crucial to global warming.

2. What does the underlined word “hinder” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Improve.

B．Weaken.

C．Protect.

D．Control.

3. What does Megumi Chikamoto say about the oceans?

A．Finding why they slow CO₂ intake is hard.

B．Their ability to absorb CO₂ is at their maximum.

C．They will decide on the future of human beings.

D．They will slow down CO₂ absorption very quickly.

4. Where is this text probably taken from?

A．A biology textbook.	B．A government report.
C．Science fiction.	D．An environmental journal.

4 . A new study says that no matter how much the world cuts back on greenhouse gases, a large and important part of ice of Antarctica (南极洲) is expected to disappear.

Researchers used computer models to expect the future melting (融化) of protective ice around Antarctica’s Amundsen Sea in western Antarctica. They said the melting will take hundreds of years. It will slowly add nearly 1.8 meters to sea levels. And it will be enough to change where and how people live in the future.

The study found that even if future warming was limited to just a few tenths of a degree more, it would have limited power to prevent ocean warming that could lead to the breakdown of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Study lead writer Kaitlin Naughten is an expert on oceans at the British Antarctic Survey. She said their research suggests that Earth is set on the path to a quickly increasing speed of ocean warming and ice shelf melting over the rest of the century.

While past studies have talked about how serious the situation is, Naughten was the first to use computer modeling to study how warm water from below will melt the ice. The study looked at four different cases in how much greenhouse gases the world produces. In each case, ocean warming was just too much for this area of the ice to survive.

Naughten looked at floating areas of ice that hold back glaciers (冰川). Once these areas of ice melt, there is nothing to stop the glaciers behind them from flowing (流) into the sea.

The study also looked at what would happen if future warming was limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius over mid-19th century levels: the international goal. They found the rapid melting process in this case as well.

The world has already warmed about 1.2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times and much of this summer went past the 1.5 degrees mark.

1. Which can best describe the findings of the study?

A．Cheerful.

B．Encouraging.

C．Misleading.

D．Disappointing.

2. What makes Naughten’s work on Antarctic ice special?

A．Her research area.	B．Her research time.
C．Her research method.	D．Her research purpose.

3. What do we know about floating areas of ice?

A．They will flow into the sea.	B．They protect the Antarctic ice.
C．They have warmed about 1.2℃.	D．They disappear faster than other ice.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Ice in Parts of Antaretica Will Disappear	B．Climate Change Will Harm Humans
C．Sea Level Will Rise Suddenly in the Future	D．Limiting Greenhouse Gases Makes No Sense

6 . 由于校园里存在一些不环保的行为，学校决定举行“building a greener campus”活动。假定你是李华，你受学生会委托为校宣传栏“英语天地”写一份倡议书，督促学生积极行动起来，保护校园环境。
内容如下：1. 写信目的；
2. 活动原因；   
3. 活动建议（节约能源，垃圾分类，植树等 ）；
4. 呼吁加入。
注意：词数 80 词左右。
Dear friends,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With best wishes,

Li Hua

8 . Most people have already heard we are facing an era of massive species extinction, that we run out of insect pollinators (传粉者) for our plantations and that springs are silent now. It is also agreed that a diverse nature is essential for our economic and emotional well-being and for human health. But how to achieve this?

Buildings produce dangerous emissions (排放物) polluting the air. The nation’s buildings are responsible for 40% of all US carbon emissions. Designing buildings that put the environment first is essential. Daniel Jaconetti, the National Sustainable Design Leader for the architecture firm HED tells Gb&d Magazine, “Our first responsibility is to educate and then to design for clients the best possible building that meets their needs.”

The best buildings are designed to be resilient (能复原的) , energy efficient, comfortable, and without poisonous chemicals. They are probably the ones-that make the most sense to people—being as efficient as possible. “You’re putting out fewer emissions.” Daniel Jaconetti tells Gb&d.

Eco-conscious design can be found-in a number of ways. The application of solar power is just one common design trend. Choosing eco-friendly building materials can also help. This can include a wide variety of materials, from bamboo to those recycled.

When looking for ways to cater to eco-friendly design, biophilia (热爱生物) has been used in architectural design to unite nature into the environment. With common elements of biophilic design in buildings including indoor trees and plants and living walls creatures, we can enjoy the various benefits associated with the presence of nature indoors. For already constructed homes, biophilic design element can help create an environmentally friendly atmosphere. Bringing in plants is just one major way to make an eco-friendly statement. Properly styling the greenery can be the difference between showcasing the tree itself and allowing it to complement the surrounding design.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To raise people’s awareness of pollution.
C．To call on people to protect wildlife.	D．To draw people’s attention to emotional well-being.

2. Why is designing environmentally-friendly buildings important?

A．We need new buildings to be comfortable.	B．Buildings are to blame for serious emissions.
C．Buildings are where we spend most of our time.	D．We need different buildings to cheer ourselves up.

3. Which of the following can describe best buildings?

A．Luxury.

B．Splendid.

C．Eco-friendly.

D．Life-changing.

4. What can you do with a constructed home?

A．Redecorate it.	B．Give it a thorough clean.
C．Change its design style.	D．Add some green plants to it.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

While there is growing consumer     1     (realize) of the environmental impact of fast fashion, can the same be said about fast furniture? The chairs and tables that fill many of our homes and everyday spaces are manufactured on a mass scale, and the cheaper items often end up     2     landfills.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2020 over 12 million tons of furniture     3     (throw) out in America and some into the forest illegally. Buying furniture can be     4     (incredible) expensive. Many of us switch over to cheaper, instant brands like IKEA,     5     manufacturers use materials harder to recycle, which is likely to damage the environment.

With growing calls for sustainability, many brands are announcing to change though it remains     6     (see) whether they will keep these promises. In     7     (it) current sustainability strategy, IKEA commits itself to using only recyclable materials in all its products in an effort to practice “circular” design and cut emissions to net-zero. The concept of circular design     8     (win) increasing concern up to now. In     9     circular system, furniture products would be designed to last longer and be fully recyclable, thus forming a     10    (close) loop (环).