Your Food Choices Affect the Earth’s Climate
Every action has a cost, even for growing food and delivering it to your dinner plate. A team of researchers has found that meat production releases more climate-warming pollution than it does when producing fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Their calculations suggest that people could do a lot to slow global warming if they limited how much meat they eat.
There are plenty of “costs” of food. As to the visible costs, people pay money for the food as well as the fuel needed to get groceries to the store or restaurant. However, producing foods also takes resources，for example，the water used to irritate (灌溉）crop fields or the fertilizer and chemicals used to promote plant growth and fight pests.
Peter Scarborough at the University of Oxford in England decided to calculate some of the less-visible pollution created by food production. His team focused on greenhouse gases emitted through the production of our food, including carbon dioxide(CO2)，methane(甲烷） and the nitrous oxide. All three gases are important. While CO2 is the greenhouse gas released in the highest volume, methane and nitrous oxide stay in the atmosphere far longer than CO2 does. As such, they are more powerful in warm the earth’s atmosphere.
They used a computer to change the methane and nitrous-oxide emissions for each person’s diet into its carbon dioxide “equivalent.”That’s the amount of CO2 needed to warm Earth’s atmosphere by the same amount as the methane or nitrous oxide would.
As for the calculations of the carbon dioxide “equivalent(等量)”, in the 1990s, a survey asked65,000 adults what they typically had eaten throughout the past year. Scarborough’s team fed those data into a computer and then included the amount of green house gases linked with producing nearly100 common foods. Then the computer matched those green house-gas amounts to the mix of foods each person had reported eating.
It shows that the diet of someone whose meals included an average of 50 to 99 grams of meat each day would be responsible for the daily release of 5.6 kilograms of CO2 equivalent while those vegans had the lowest diet-linked greenhouse-gas emissions (2.9 kg of CO2 equivalent).
Its authors conclude that reducing the intake of meat and other animal-based products can make a valuable contribution to climate change reduction. And compared to meat, more plant-based food calories can be grown on more lands with less water and other resources. In places where many people are going hungry, raising meat may make it harder to ensure that everyone gets enough to eat.
1. What are the visible costs of food mentioned in the article?2. According to the author, why can our food choices affect the earth’s climate?
3. Please underline the inappropriate part in the following statement and explain why.
Plant-based food can adapt to more types of lands than meat, but they may have a higher requirement of water and other resources, which can be a disadvantage of such food.
4. Apart from food choices, are there any other ways for you to protect the environment? List two or more.
Your writing should include the following three aspects:
| 1. description of the picture; 2. analysis of the picture; 3. lessons from the picture. |
The opening part of the writing is given below.
Save Us, Please!
As can be seen from the picture, ...
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3 . Recycling Electronic Waste
When Alex Lin was 11 years old, he read an alarming article in the newspaper which said that people were burying old computers in backyards, throwing TVs into streams, and dumping (丢弃) cell phones in the garbage. This was dangerous because e-waste contains harmful chemicals that can leak into the environment, getting into crops, animals, water supplies—and people.
Alex was really worried and decided to make it next project for WIN—the Westerly Innovations Network. Alex and six of his friends had formed this organization to help solve community problems two years before.
But what could they do about this project with e-waste? The team spent several weeks gathering information about the harmful chemicals in e-waste and their effects on humans. They learned how to dispose (处置) of e-waste properly and how it could be recycled. Then, they sent out a survey and found only one in eight knew what e-waste was, let alone how to properly dispose of it.
Alex and his friends went into action. They advertised in the local newspaper and distributed notices to students, asking residents to bring their unwanted electronics to the school parking lot. The drive lasted two days, and they collected over 9, 500 kilograms of e-waste.
The next step was to set up a long-term e-waste drop-off center for the town. After some research, they’d learned that reusing is the best way to deal with electronic devices and it is seven times more efficient than recycling. So, they began learning to refurbish (翻新) computers themselves and distributed them to students who didn’t have their own. In this way, they could help students in the area and protect the environment at the same time.
For a lasting solution to e-waste, the drop-off center wasn’t enough. Laws would have to be passed. In 2016, WIN helped push for an e-waste bill in their town, which required companies that manufactured or sold electronics to take back e-waste. The bill clearly forbids the dumping of e-waste.
Because of the work of WIN, more and more people, like Alex and his team, are getting the message about safe disposal of e-waste. As Alex says, “Today’s technology should not become tomorrow’s harmful garbage.”
1. What was Alex’s worry after he read the article?| A．The littering of e-waste. | B．The recycling of plastic. |
| C．The change of environment. | D．The overuse of old computers. |
| A．Set up WIN. | B．Collect information. |
| C．Ask friends for help. | D．Carry out a survey. |
| A．Traditional. | B．Competitive. |
| C．Scientific. | D．Convenient. |
| A．There is no end to perfection. |
| B．Success comes through failure. |
| C．Every positive attitude has a reward. |
| D．Young people can make a big difference. |
1. 过去家乡树木成林，如今人们毁林种地建房；
2. 气候变化，土地沙漠化；
3. 植树造林，人人有责。
注意：1. 词数80左右：开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
Dear Editor，
I’m a student at a middle school of Beijing.
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Yours，
Li Hua
5 . Plastic-eating worms
Humans produces more than 30 million tons of plastic each year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(填埋场) , and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests that an answer may lies in the stomachs of some hungry worms.
Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can breakdown polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100waxwormsona commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3%of it. To confirm that the worm's chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films . 14 hours later the films had lost 13%of their mass—apparently broken down by enzymes( 酶 ) from the worms' stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017. Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms' ability to break down their everyday food—beeswax—also allows them to breakdown plastic. “Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well,”she explains, “The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond.”
Jennifer Debruyn, a microbiologist at the University di Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can breakdown polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, Debruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物) ?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team's findings might one day help employ the enzyme to breakdown plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process—not simply “millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic”.
1. What can we learn about the worms in the study?| A．They take plastics as their everyday food. |
| B．They are newly evolved creatures. |
| C．They can consume plastics. |
| D．They wind up in landfills. |
| A．help to raise worms | B．help make plastic bags |
| C．be used to clean the oceans | D．be produced in factories in future |
| A．To explain a study method on worms. |
| B．To introduce the diet of a special worm. |
| C．To present a way to breakdown plastics. |
| D．To propose new means to keep eco-balance. |
Every year thousands of tons of rubbish(废物) are in our oceans, lakes and rivers. 60% of the rubbish
1. What environmental problems is the world faced with?
2. What is the most serious environmental problem in your daily life?
3. What do you plan to do to “Go Green”?
注意：1.词数不少于80；
2.标题已给出，不计入总词数。
Let's “Go Green”
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8 . Garbage cans are not magical openings. Garbage does not disappear when you throw it in a can. Yet, the average American throws away about 1,600 pounds of waste each year. If there are no magical garbage fairies, where does it all go? There are four methods of managing waste: recycling, landfilling, composting, and incinerating. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses. Let's take a quick look at each.
Recycling is the process of turning waste into new materials. For example, used paper can be turned into paperboard, which can be used to make book covers. Recycling can reduce pollution, save materials, and lower energy use. Yet, some argue that recycling wastes energy. They believe that collecting, processing, and converting waste uses more energy than it saves. Still, most people agree that recycling is better for the planet than landfilling.
Landfilling is the oldest method of managing waste. In its simplest form, landfilling is when people bury garbage in a hole. Over time the practice of landfilling has advanced. Garbage is squeezed (挤压) together before it is thrown into the hole. In this way more garbage can fit in each landfill. Large liners are placed in the bottom of landfills so that poisonous garbage liquid doesn't get into the ground water. Sadly, these liners don't always work. Landfills may pollute the local water supply. Not to mention that all of that garbage smells horrible. Nobody wants to live next to a landfill. This makes it hard to find new locations for landfills.
Because of all the negative attention that landfilling has received, interest in composting has grown. Composting is when people pile up organic matter, such as food waste, and allow it to decompose. The product of this decomposition is compost. Compost can be added to the soil to make the soil richer and better for growing crops.
One thing that is easier to do is burning garbage. There are two main ways to incinerate waste. The first is to create or harvest a fuel from the waste, such as methane gas (沼气), and burn the fuel. The second is to burn the waste directly. The heat from the incineration process can boil water, which can power steam generators. Unfortunately, burning garbage pollutes the air. Also, some critics worry that incinerators destroy valuable resources that could be recycled.
Usually, the community in which you live manages waste. Once you put your garbage in that can, what happens to it is beyond your control. But you can make choices while it is still in your hands. You can choose to recycle, you can choose to compost, or you can choose to let someone else deal with it. The choice is yours.
1. Why does the author mention magical garbage fairies in the first paragraph?| A．To creatively support his argument with evidence. |
| B．To point out that garbage doesn't disappear by itself. |
| C．To make the language more attractive to please readers. |
| D．To draw attention to different kinds of garbage thrown away. |
| A．Some think recycling is a waste of time. |
| B．Incineration may destroy recyclable resources. |
| C．Finding new locations is the focus of landfilling. |
| D．The purpose of a compost pile is to make soil rich. |
| A．involves burying garbage in a hole | B．reduces the horrible smells |
| C．squeezes garbage together | D．protects ground water |
| A．Magic: Bringing Back What Was Once Lost |
| B．Deal with the garbage: Which is Best for You? |
| C．Methods of Waste Management: Advantages and Disadvantages |
| D．Do Your Part: How to Save the Earth by Recycling and Composting |
| athlete destroy shelter creative unique recommend adult emergency organize volunteer |
The overflowing of the Nile River is a natural, yearly event. However, this year’s floods have been record-breaking. The floods, which started in late July, have killed over 100 people,
“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” That’s a common expression, but the next time you throw something away, think about a twist on the old saying. What if your trash could become your own treasure? Many creative, thrifty, and environmentally minded people have come up with a way to make that happen. It’s called upcycling. Our world would be a better place if everyone would begin upcycling.
Upcycling is the practice of taking an unwanted item and turning it into something useful. For example, how about that pair of jeans with a hole in one knee? It could become a new pillow for your bedroom. How about the old T-shirts you never wear anymore? It could be sewed together to make a picnic blanket. All of these are examples of upcycling.
Upcycling is not the same as recycling. Upcycling is actually much better for the environment. Recycling takes an item made of glass, paper, metal, or plastic, breaks it down to its base material, and then uses that material to make another product. This requires a great deal of energy. On the other hand, when you choose to upcycle, the only energy you use is your own. And upcycling not only reduces the amount of trash that goes into our landfills, but it also protects natural resources, such as oil and gas. Recycling is good for the environment, but upcycling is even better.
Upcycling also makes a family’s budget stretch further. Before you run to the store to buy something, look around your house. Old teacups can be transformed into candles. And an old ladder can even become a bookshelf. Of course, the idea of reusing items to save money is not new. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, many families lived on a tight budget. People had to use what they already had in order to meet their needs. Flour sacks were used to make clothes, and a broken door became a new table. Today we should follow the examples of our great-grandparents and save money by upcycling.
As responsible citizens, we should all be concerned with protecting our environment and budgeting our resources. Upcycling is a fun and creative way to help. The next time you go to toss something into the trash can, stop and think about what it could become. Chances are, there’s a brand-new item in your hand just waiting to be upcycled.
1. What is upcycling according to the passage?2. Why is upcycling much better for the environment than recycling?
3. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
4. The Spring Festival is coming. Figure out one thing to upcycle. Explain what you will do with it and how it will help with the celebration of the festival. (about 40 words)
