1 . A small car around the size of a Mini Cooper, the Seagull is a fast-charging electric vehicle (车辆) (EV) produced by BYD. It’s hardly a luxury car but it’s well-equipped, with a power driver’s seat and cruise control. The best part? Its base model costs about $10,700 in China. That’s about a third of the cost of the cheapest EV you can buy in the US. In 2018, Trump put, and Biden has since continued, a special 25 percent tax on Chinese-made cars, on top of the ordinary 2.5 percent tax on foreign-made cars, which perfectly shows that however motivated the Biden government might be by climate concerns, it is much more motivated by a desire to help American carmakers.
The basic environmental argument for electric cars is simple: Burning petrol in internal combustion enginest (内燃机) produces CO2. Electric cars emit (排放) less per mile traveled both because some electricity is generated through clean sources like wind, solar, and because electric motors are far more efficient than petrol engines. EVs are slightly more carbon-intensive (密集) to produce in the first place, but most estimates suggest the lower per-mile emissions of EVs quickly make up for the extra emissions involved in their creation.
But is this still true for Chinese EVs? China still gets more than 60 percent of its electricity from coal, compared to less than 20 percent in the US. So, does this mean that BYD’s cheap EVs are bad for the environment? Hardly. Close to 90 percent of the emissions of a fossil fuel vehicle (化石燃料汽车) are from the combustion of the fuel. Besides, EVs of whatever origin are getting cleaner over time as the electrical grid (电网) gets cleaner. That means EVs will do even more for the environment as the years go on.
The biggest factor for China is that they control all the upstream material supply chain for lithium batteries (锂电池). Even if your EV’s battery is made by a plant of Panasonic in the US, the raw materials for that are processed in China first. “Part of why they’re so successful is they’ve been thinking outside the box on cost reduction for a long time,” an expert says.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．Chinese EVs are a threat to American electric cars. |
| B．American government has placed a ban on Chinese EVs. |
| C．The seagull provides luxury experience at a reasonable price. |
| D．Climate concerns are the only driver of EV development in the US. |
| A．They are no better than typical gas vehicles. |
| B．Their power is generated in green ways. |
| C．They are eco-friendly in the long run. |
| D．Their production causes no pollution. |
| A．Lower carbon emission. | B．The advanced technology. |
| C．The low budget marketing. | D．The control of raw materials for batteries. |
| A．EVs: opportunity and challenge. | B．Chinese EVs: powering ahead. |
| C．Green cars: a long way to go. | D．Petrol vehicles: faded glory. |
2 . When Alex Lin was 11 years old, he read an article about e-waste. The article said that people were dumping (倾倒) their e-waste in places it should never go. This was dangerous, the article said, because e-waste contains poisonous chemicals. These harmful substances can get into crops, animals, water supplies — and people.
“I was really worried,” Alex remembers. He showed the article to a few of his classmates. They were worried, too. “What if it’s happening here? We could be poisoning the environment and not even know it.”
“Maybe we can help,” Alex said. They made this their next project. First, they had to find out what the situation was in their town. So they sent out a survey. What they found amazed them: Of the people who answered the survey, only one in eight even knew what e-waste was, let alone how to properly dispose of (处理) it. One man had dug a huge hole in his backyard and dumped about 50 old Mac computers inside it.
Alex and his friends went into action. They advertised in the local newspaper, asking residents to bring their unwanted electronics to the school parking lot. The drive lasted two days, and they collected over 21,000 pounds of e-waste.
The next step was to set up a permanent e-waste drop-off center for the town and to find a company to recycle the waste. That was when Alex and his friends learned another scary fact about e-waste — some recycling companies don’t dispose of e-waste safely themselves. Instead, they ship it overseas to countries where local environmental laws are not enforced (施行) and kids their age work at picking apart and burning e-waste with no protection. After a while, these kids get very sick. “We checked carefully online to make sure the company we chose didn’t do this,” Alex says.
Because of the work of people like Alex and his team, more and more people are getting the message about safe disposal of e-waste.
1. What concerned Alex and his classmates?| A．Their town was polluted on purpose. |
| B．People were ignorant of e-waste in their town. |
| C．Many good electronic devices were thrown away. |
| D．There were many low-quality electronic devices. |
| A．Comforting. | B．Amusing. | C．Misleading. | D．Alarming. |
| A．To find a safe e-waste disposal method. | B．To learn more about the danger of e-waste. |
| C．To select a responsible recycling company. | D．To interpret international environmental laws. |
| A．We might make a difference if we care. | B．We can start small but should dream big. |
| C．We should respect the wisdom of crowds. | D．We should borrow nothing from tomorrow. |
3 . One long gray ship at the Port of Los Angeles is doing its part to combat climate change. On the ship, which belongs to Captura, a Los Angeles-based startup, is a system that takes into seawater and sucks out CO2, which can be used for various purposes or buried. The decarbonated (不含二氧化碳的) seawater is returned to the ocean, where it absorbs more CO2 from the atmosphere, in a small strike against the massive rise of the greenhouse gas.
After a yearlong experiment, Captura is planning to open a 1000-ton-per-year facility that will bury the captured CO2 in rock formations under the North Sea. Equatic, another Los Angeles-based startup, is launching an even larger 3650-ton-per-year ocean CO2 capture plant this year in Singapore.
Supporters say capturing CO2 from the ocean should be easier and cheaper than a seemingly more direct approach: extracting it directly from the air. Direct air capture, which relies on fans to sweep air past absorbent chemicals, currently costs between $600 to $1000 per ton of CO2 removed, largely because atmospheric CO2 is so thin, making up less than 0.05% of the air. Earth’s oceans, in contrast, hold the gas at a concentration nearly 150 times higher, and absorb roughly 30% of all CO2 emissions each year. Companies say they should ultimately be able to capture CO2 at $100 per ton, or less.
Ocean capture advocates are seeking government support. In the US, direct air capture plants earn a $180 tax credit per ton of removed CO2, but Ocean efforts currently don’t qualify. “A similar tax incentive (激励政策) for water-based CO2 removal is absolutely needed,” says Ruben Brands, CEO of Equatic.
Even if the technology takes off, it will have to scale up massively to make a meaning contribution in offsetting (抵消) global emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, by 2050 we will need to remove some 5 billion tons of CO2 every year to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5℃. So far, the ocean capture companies are pulling out only thousands of tons. Matthew Eisaman, a chief scientist at Captura, says, “We have an enormous challenge ahead of us.”
1. How does the system in para. 1 work?| A．It converts seawater into CO2. |
| B．It releases CO2 into the atmosphere. |
| C．It absorbs seawater and extracts CO2. |
| D．It stores decarbonated seawater on the ship. |
| A．CO2 in seawater is more absorbent. |
| B．CO2 is stored in solid form in seawater. |
| C．CO2 in the ocean is more readily accessible. |
| D．CO2 is naturally more concentrated in seawater. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. | C．Supportive. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Combining Ocean CO2 Capture with Air Capture |
| B．Setting a New Example of Climate Change Solution |
| C．Analyzing Ocean CO2 Capture against Climate Change |
| D．Exploring Oceanic Solutions for Reducing CO2 Emissions |
4 . 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. |
1. What did the man do just now?
| A．He took some photos. | B．He did some reading. | C．He shared an article online. |
| A．Seafood will be polluted. |
| B．Ships won’t sail properly. |
| C．The beauty of the ocean will be damaged. |
| A．A reusable bag. | B．A metal straw. | C．A glass bottle. |
| A．Stop buying bottled water. |
| B．Organize beach cleanup events. |
| C．Participate in club activities every month. |
6 . In the hands of a skilled stylist, your hair can help you boost your self-confidence, express your unique personality, and maybe even attract a romantic partner. In the hands of Matter of Trust, however, your hair might be able to do something even more meaningful: help save the environment.
For more than 20 years, Matter of Trust has been collecting hair and fur from hair salons, and farmers around the world for the purpose of making “hair mats” that can assist with oil spill cleanups.
Typically, oil spills on land are cleaned up using polypropylene (聚丙烯) mats that are effective but might cause environmental problems. After all, polypropylene is a non-biodegradable (不可生物降解的) plastic that’s made from fossil fuels; using it to clean up oil therefore requires drilling for even more oil. Hair and fur, on the other hand, are of no poison, biodegradable, sustainable, and can absorb more oil.
To date, Matter of Trust has produced more than 40,000 hair mats and more than 300,000 booms, reports CNN. Matter of Trust’s products have been used to clean up not only oil spills, but also non-emergencies like oil leaks from vehicles and machines. In both cases, oil can flow into soil and water, which can harm people, plants, and wildlife, according to Matter of Trust.
Although it’s an elegant solution, it isn’t perfect. Hair mats can only be used once, for instance, and can only be dealt with through incineration (焚化) or composting (堆肥). And in the case of composting, the resulting compost isn’t suitable for growing food.
Still, hair mats are a surprisingly effective tool in the fight for a cleaner planet. And because Matter of Trust hasn’t patented its designs, all that’s needed to produce them are hair cuttings—of which there are plenty, according to Gautier, who says there are about 900,000 qualified hair salons in the U.S. alone, each of which can easily cut at least a pound of hair per week.
“Anyone can make a hair mat,” she told CNN. “It creates green jobs, it cleans water, it reduces waste, and it’s promoting sustainable resources.”
1. Which of the following is NOT the function of your hair based on this text?| A．It can help you keep healthy. | B．It can promote your social contact. |
| C．It represents your personal image. | D．It can help protecting environment. |
| A．Polypropylene mats are poisonous. |
| B．Hair mats are cheaper than polypropylene mats. |
| C．Hair mats are sustainable and environmentally friendly. |
| D．The raw materials for polypropylene mats are hard to find. |
| A．It’s impractical. | B．It’s of short-term effects. |
| C．It’s worthy to be applied. | D．It increases global employment. |
| A．Gautier will apply for a patent for Matter of Trust. |
| B．More and more hair salons will be opened in America. |
| C．Everyone will take action to make hair mats to clean the earth. |
| D．Hair mats have good prospects for development. |
7 . Unless you’ve been faithfully bringing reusable shopping bags to the store, you probably grab the plastic bags waiting for customers at the checkout. You’re not alone.
About 100 billion plastic bags are used in the U. S. each year. Unfortunately, single-use plastic bags have serious consequences once our trip to the store is over. Less than 10% of plastic bags used in the U. S. are recycled, leaving the rest to end up in landfills (垃圾填埋场), and polluting soil, oceans and other natural habitats.
To fight pollution and other environmental problems, major companies are taking steps to get rid of the use of plastic shopping bags. If you’re a frequent customer at Walmart, don’t be surprised if you notice the plastic bags disappearing over the next few months. Last summer, Walmart announced its goal to be a zero-waste company — meaning no more plastic bags.
But Walmart has announced its Beyond the Bag, an initiative (倡议) working to explore reusable options and “reimagine” the plastic bag. Target and CVS are also on board as founding partners of Beyond the Bag, and so far, the three brands have invested $15 million to come up with a brand-new bag design.
The initiative also started the Beyond the Bag challenge, giving innovators (创新者) a chance to share their ideas. The challenge ran throughout the summer of 2020, and nine winners from over 450 submissions were selected. From a station supplying reusable bag in-store to a new and improved paper bag, the winning designs cover a lot of bases. Each product now has the chance to be tested with funding from the initiative.
While a final replacement for plastic bags at Walmart has yet to be decided, there’s a more sustainable future on the horizon. And if you want to start reducing your use of plastic bags right now, check out our list of reusable bags to bring on your next shopping trip.
1. What does the author mean by saying “You’re not alone” in the first paragraph?| A．Reusable shopping bags are becoming more popular. |
| B．Customers need to wait for long at the checkout. |
| C．Some people are waiting in the line with you. |
| D．Many people use plastic bags when shopping. |
| A．Single-use plastic bags cause severe environmental problems. |
| B．Supermarkets should stop providing single-use plastic bags. |
| C．Single-use plastic bags should be more widely recycled. |
| D．More landfills should be built to deal with plastic bags. |
| A．To attract more customers. | B．To provide more plastic bags. |
| C．To set a good example to Target and CVS. | D．To make shopping more environmentally friendly. |
| A．People pay more attention to environmental protection. |
| B．Walmart is getting rid of single-use plastic bags. |
| C．Reusable paper bags are becoming more popular. |
| D．Free plastic bags have become a thing of the past. |
1. 讲座的举办时间、地点；
2. 讲座的目的。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Dr. Carpenter,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li hua
9 . In an effort to help out important insects like bees and butterflies, bus stops across the United Kingdom (UK) are getting living roofs. Small gardens on bus shelter roofs are being planted with flowers chosen to help support the struggling insects. The gardens provide much-needed islands of nature in a man-made environment of a city.
Humans count on bees and other “pollinators (授粉者)” like butterflies to help grow plants, such as flowers and trees. But with humans taking over more and more land for cities, roads and farms, more natural areas have disappeared. The Wildlife Trusts, a group which works to protect wildlife in the UK, says that 97% of England’s wildflower fields have been lost since World War II and the insect numbers there have dropped by 50% since 1970. Bee bus stops are a small step toward supporting these important insects.
The advertising company Clear Channel is working with The Wildlife Trusts and city governments to set up bee bus stops in cities across the UK. Bee bus stops are like ordinary bus shelters, but small gardens have been added to the roofs. The gardens are filled with flowers and plants chosen to attract bees and butterflies. The company plans to set up 1,000 bee bus stops in the UK.
Clear Channel already has bee bus stop programs in several countries in Europe. In the Netherlands, the city of Utrecht has 300 bee bus stops. Research shows that these bus stops—along with many other steps taken to support pollinators—may be helping. After decades of dropping numbers, bee populations in the Netherlands seem to have become more stable over the last few years.
The little gardens can also help to slightly lower city temperatures. Even though the bus shelter gardens are small, together they add up to a much larger area. Thirzah McSherry, who works for The Wildlife Trusts, says, “We’re living through a nature and climate crisis and we need to use every tool we’ve got to deal with it.”
1. Why are bee bus stop gardens being built in the UK?| A．To beautify the city. | B．To improve urban farming. |
| C．To solve the environmental pollution. | D．To provide shelters for pollinating insects. |
| A．Losses of forests. | B．Climate changes. |
| C．Human activities. | D．Natural disasters. |
| A．By analyzing the data. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By showing similar examples. | D．By presenting its bright future. |
| A．The urban environment is getting worse. |
| B．The United Kingdom is building bee bus stops. |
| C．City should build larger gardens for the insects. |
| D．The bee bus stop is the best way to save the city. |
Growing up in a coastal town in San Francisco, Christian had a special love for the ocean and its creatures. He had always found joy in the rhythmic tides and the ocean waves against the shore. The salty wind and the cries of the seagulls (海鸥) had been like a comforting song to him during his childhood.
However, all these changed over the years. Every time he wandered along the familiar stretch of sand, his heart sank. The once charming beach was now littered with plastic bags, bottles and other wastes, a distinctive contrast to the natural beauty that had always absorbed him.
The sight was a painful reminder of the harm the locals were bringing to the very land where he was growing up. Christian felt a deep sense of loss and responsibility. Previously, he had seen the news reports about the severe effects of plastic pollution on the oceans, and the images of sea creatures stuck in plastic wastes haunted (萦绕于脑际) him.
Determined to make a change, Christian decided to take action. He knew he couldn’t solve this problem alone, but he could start something that might grow into a powerful movement. With the passion and belief of a young man who loved his ocean and his land deeply, he founded an organization called Waves of Change. The early days presented challenges in calling on volunteers.
He began by reaching out to the students in his school. He shared the shocking reality of the polluted beaches and the urgent need to reduce plastic litter. To his delight, gradually more and more schoolmates started showing interest in the organization and many were eager to join in the cause. They were all too familiar with the beauty of the ocean and were equally saddened by the damage they had witnessed. As high school students, Christian and other members properly allocates (分配) time to balance the cause and their academic work.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Together, Christian and other members did a lot of things in their free time.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Their efforts finally paid off.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
