1 . This may look like an ordinary plastic straw (吸管), but it is not made of plastic. Cameron Ross started the Celise Bio-products company, to produce single-use plastic alternatives from plant materials like these. They are made of poly lactic acid (聚乳酸) known as PLA from com starches (淀粉).
Cameron Ross said, "We work with food service providers, mainly larger brands, to help them get quality sustainable and cost-effective solutions, made from plants to start getting rid of single-use plastics." Single-use plastics such as bottles or straws are major cause of pollution. When we throw these away, they end up in a landfill or in the water like rivers. According to researchers, it could take up to more than 500 years for them to properly break down.
Ross says he wasn't always so environmentally conscious himself. But ever since the hiking trip in West Virginia, when he spent more time picking up trash than enjoying nature, his priorities changed. That meant making biodegradable products that can break down in only a few years.
While many cafes and restaurants are choosing paper products to be more eco-conscious, it isn’t cheap. Paper straws can cost about eight times more than plastic straws. But bio-plastic straws cost less a penny a straw, not even double the price of plastic ones.
Another problem with paper straws is that they get soft and wet. You don't want to be sipping (啜饮) something that alters your drink, or starts to melt while you're drinking and then you have to get which creates more wastes than needed. Ross hopes his Washington DC-based company will provide an eco-friendly solution for food service providers.
1. Which aspect is NOT the focus of the Celise Bio-products?A.Material. | B.Appearance. |
C.Quality. | D.Cost. |
A.High profits. | B.Requests from food service providers. |
C.Lower cost. | D.His changed environmental awareness. |
A.They are widely used in cafes and restaurants. |
B.They cost less than paper ones. |
C.They may soften or even melt while carrying water. |
D.They produce more waste. |
A.To persuade more food service providers to work with Ross. |
B.To explain the development of straws. |
C.To introduce a new eco-friendly straw. |
D.To compare different straws. |
2 . Imagine an area 34 times the size of Manhattan. Now imagine it covered ankle-deep in plastic waste—a total of about 19 billion pounds of garbage.
“We’re being overwhelmed(淹没) by our waste,”said Jenna Jambeck, an environmental engineer who led the 2015 study that determined this astonishing number.
Plastic—a widely-used material—has in many ways been a benefit to humans but it has also caused a growing problem. Today, plastics are the No.1 type of garbage found in the sea. Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit that organizes an annual coastal cleanup event worldwide, said plastic waste makes up around 85 percent of the garbage collected from beaches and oceans.
Ocean Conservancy says plastics are believed to threaten(威胁)at least 600 different wildlife species(物种).
A.The following is what we should do |
B.And it’s not just wildlife that’s threatened |
C.And this figure is likely to double by 2025 |
D.But it’s not just countries that need to do their part |
E.By 2050,that figure is expected to rise to 1000 pieces |
F.That’s how much plastic waste ends up in our oceans every year |
G.All of us have an important role to play in dealing with the problems |
3 . A severe drought(干旱) that has caused water levels in Southeast Asia's Mekong River to drop to their lowest in more than 100 years could have devastating(毁灭性的) consequences for fish, as well as the tens of millions of people living and working along the river, experts warn.
This year, the dry conditions in the Mekong region persisted(持续) due to warm Pacific Ocean currents(洋流)known as the EI Nino effect. But climate change is also a driving factor, experts say, causing the rainy season to shorten considerably. The situation was made worse by hydropower (水利发电)dam operators upstream, in China and Laos , with holding water for their own purposes.
Many rice farmers in the region have been unable to plant their main crop, raising fears 'of a heavily diminished harvest this fall. Less water flow could also have a devastating impact on fish reproduction in the Mekong River basin. Perhaps even more alarming, experts expect that droughts and disruptions(中断)to the water flow of the Mekong will become more common, and they warn that it could eventually lead to the ruin of the entire ecosystem.
Originating in the Tibetan highlands, the Mekong River flows through six Asian counties before emptying into the South China Sea. The river basin is home to the largest inland fishery in the world and more than 60 million people depend on it for their livelihoods.
Few rivers in the world rise and fall with the seasons as much as the Mekong, which can drop Few rivers in the world rise and fall with the seasons as much as the Mekong, which can drop up to40 feet in some places at the end of the dry season. When the rainy season arrives, they normally produce a flood pulse that brings with it sediment(沉淀) important to agriculture as well as huge amounts of tiny fish, including many critically endangered species such as the Mekong giant catfish, that are swept into the Tonle Sap Lake and other floodplains where they can mature.
1. What is true about the Mekong River?A.The Mekong River basin is home to the largest fishery in the world. |
B.The average depth of the Mekong River in the dry season is 40 feet. |
C.The water of the Mekong River has fallen to the lowest level in history. |
D.The Mekong River originates in China and flows into the South China Sea. |
A.The benefits of the Mekong River this year, |
B.The climate change of the Mekong River this year. |
C.The natural disasters of the Mekong River this year. |
D.The reasons for the drought of Mekong River this year. |
A.Plentiful. | B.Decreasing. | C.Large. | D.Disappointing. |
A.Optimistic. | B.Neutral. | C.Worried. | D.Puzzled. |
4 . The idea of turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing is not new. During the past five years, a large number of clothing companies, businesses and environmental organizations have started turning plastics into fabric to deal with plastic pollution. But there’s a problem with this method. Research now shows that microfibers (微纤维) could be the biggest source of plastic in the sea.
Dr. Mark Browne in Santa Barbara, California, has been studying plastic pollution and microfibers for 10 years. He explains that every time synthetic (合成的) clothes go into a washing machine, a large number of plastic fibers fall off. Most washing machines can’t collect these microfibers. So every time the water gets out of a washing machine, microfibers enter the sewer and finally end up in the sea.
In 2011, Browne wrote a paper stating that a single piece of synthetic clothing can produce more than 1,900 fibers per wash. Browne collected samples (样本) from seawater and freshwater sites around the world, and used a special way to examine each sample. He discovered that every single water sample contained microfibers.
This is bad news for a number of reasons. Plastic can cause harm to sea life when eaten. Studies have also shown that plastic can absorb (吸收) other pollutants.
Based on this evidence, it may seem surprising that companies and organizations have chosen to turn plastic waste into clothing as an environmental “solution”. Even though the science has been around for a while, Browne explains that he’s had a difficult time getting companies to listen. When he asked well-known clothing companies to support Benign by Design, his research project that seeks to get clothes that have a bad effect on humans and the environment out of the market, Browne didn’t get a satisfying answer. Only one women’s clothing company, Eileen Fisher, offered Browne funding.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?A.The use of plastic bottle has been reduced in the past five years. |
B.Turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing hasn’t been put into practice. |
C.New microfibers have been discovered. |
D.Making clothes from plastic bottles can’t reduce the pollution. |
A.The relationship between plastic pollution and microfibers. |
B.How microfibers end up in the sea. |
C.How to wash synthetic clothes. |
D.How to prevent plastic pollution. |
A.It has achieved great success. | B.It is facing some difficulties. |
C.It is known to very few people. | D.It hasn’t got anything done. |
A.Microfibers, the biggest source of plastic in the sea |
B.Recycled plastic clothing: solution or pollution? |
C.Environmental protection : moving forward or backward? |
D.Turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing, a new step in environmental protection |
5 .
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场)in good condition.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements(代替物)for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces.
A.It will cost you a lot. |
B.This causes major environmental effects. |
C.There are many environment-friendly sports. |
D.Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. |
E.If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. |
F.There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. |
G.More and more people are concerned about environmental protection. |
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. A half-century ago, activists
But you don’t have to be an activist to make
7 . If the three Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) is a guideline to save the planet, garbage-sorting is where the efforts start. Since May 1, Beijing has started to carry out mandatory garbage-sorting in new efforts to better protect the environment. Under the new regulation, residents are required to classify household waste into four categories: kitchen, recyclable, hazardous and other waste. People who fail to sort their garbage properly can be fined from 50 to 200 yuan, reported Xinhua.
Some residential communities in Beijing have introduced rewards to encourage residents to sort their garbage. According to Xinhua, residents can earn points by classifying their domestic waste correctly and then exchange the points they accumulate for daily necessities such as soap.
Garbage sorting practices have reached over 70 percent of housing estates in 18 cities, including Shanghai, Xiamen and Hangzhou, according to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Shanghai first enacted a mandatory garbage-sorting regulation in July 2019 and has had a 90 percent compliance (服从) rate among its housing estates.
According to a report by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, over 90 percent of the public believe that garbage-sorting is important for the protection of the environment. However, garbage-sorting is still a big problem in China. Only 30 percent of participants said they think they are completely sorting their waste, the report noted. According to Xinhua, it’s partly because many people lack the willingness to sort their own waste. Also, some previous garbage regulations didn’t include fines for people who failed to obey them.
“It’s a must to have a legal guarantee to promote garbage sorting,” Liu Jianguo, a professor from Tsinghua University, told China Daily, “Aside from China, many countries like Germany, Spain and Britain, also ask people to sort waste into specific categories. In Japan, there is a fixed time for the sorting of each kind of garbage and littering.”
1. What can we learn about the new regulation in Beijing?A.It hasn’t been put into use yet. |
B.Residents can sort the garbage as they like. |
C.People can get money if they classify their domestic waste correctly. |
D.Those who can’t sort the garbage as the new rule requires shall be fined. |
A.Most people are unaware of its importance in protecting environment. |
B.Some people don’t want to take the trouble to sort the garbage. |
C.Only residents in big cities can sort the trash correctly. |
D.The government doesn’t have enough money to support garbage sorting. |
A.It’s difficult to carry out garbage sorting in China. |
B.Some laws in garbage-sorting are needed. |
C.People in developed countries can better sort the garbage. |
D.We should learn from Japan. |
A.Garbage sorting, a new start in China | B.New regulations in Beijing |
C.Argument on garbage sorting | D.How to sort domestic garbage |
8 . The victims were carried in one by one,their paws and fur burned,suffering from dehydration(脱 水)and fear.Their caretakers
Koalas,unlike kangaroos,birds or snakes,do not
But during big fires,such as those that have burned in recent weeks,the animals are far less likely to
The tough situation of the koala has raised
We have these
A.touched | B.treated | C.ignored | D.discovered |
A.threw | B.locked | C.laid | D.forced |
A.familiar | B.plentiful | C.beautiful | D.expensive |
A.reached | B.left | C.burned | D.trapped |
A.killed | B.recognized | C.hurt | D.rescued |
A.flat | B.black | C.broad | D.safe |
A.escape | B.die | C.suffer | D.rise |
A.balance | B.protection | C.challenge | D.comfort |
A.attack | B.come | C.pass | D.avoid. |
A.jump | B.climb | C.fall | D.survive |
A.top | B.leaves | C.trunk | D.root |
A.passion | B.concern | C.fear | D.interest |
A.chances | B.choices | C.neighbors | D.threats |
A.weakening | B.developing | C.enriching | D.ensuring |
A.lonely | B.stupid | C.lazy | D.unique |
9 . Kevin Randall, a teacher,who teaches biology at Grandville High School,runs the environmental club at the high school,which has around 2,000 students.The club is known as the GHS Green Team,and it aims to raise awareness among students and teachers about sustainability(持续性).It also works on projects to reduce the environmental footprint of the building itself.
One of the club's recent projects focused on reducing waste in the school cafeteria.Randall said their cafeteria supervisor told them that the school went through 54,000 plastic forks every year.The club applied for a financial help,built recycling centers for the cafeteria,and purchased metal silverware.
And now every student uses a durable metal fork or a spoon instead of disposables.(一次性用品),“and that's just one way we're trying to capture the low-hanging fruit,if you will,"Randall said.
The efforts of Randall and his students have earned Grandville High School the Michigan Green School certification from the state.In addition to their work reducing waste in the cafeteria, the GHS Green Team has also built a garden with flowers and vegetables on campus,and leads cleanups on site and out in the community.Over the years,Randall and his students have also been working on raising money to install solar panels(太阳能板) on the roof of the high school.
Randall said he was motivated to take the lead on environmental issues for his school because he wanted his students to have someone to turn to in the building who understands what's at stake(利害攸关)when it comes to climate change.
"And I also felt like I needed to do more in my life for my own two children at home," Randall added,"They need to know that their dad is working as hard as he can to reduce the effects of climate change,and to spread the word,and to make sure that other students out there are learning about this just the way they are at home."
1. What is the purpose of the GHS Green Team club?A.To inspire students' love for biology. |
B.To finish the projects assigned by school. |
C.To prepare students for their future jobs. |
D.To promote environmental protection. |
A.It has changed the outlook of the cafeteria. |
B.Students can have more fruits in the cafeteria. |
C.Plastic forks are no longer used in the cafeteria. |
D.The school has become famous nationwide. |
A.The classification of the projects. |
B.The characteristics of the club. |
C.The activities organized by the club. |
D.The future of the club. |
A.To educate the young. |
B.To get material rewards. |
C.To amuse his children. |
D.To make himself famous. |
At 8,844.43 meters high, Mount Qomolangma is
According to the UN, over 140 tons of trash have been left on the mountain. To reduce trash, China is limiting the number of people
Local residents cleaned the mountain last year,
This year, the local government plans to spend 4 million yuan
In addition to trash, workers will also collect the bodies of
A group of artists will try to turn some trash into artwork. They will show these works