2 . As Plastic Chokes the Ocean, Technology Can Help

Some 8 million tons of non-recyclable (不可回收的) plastic end up in the ocean each year. At an alarming rate, the seas may have more plastic than fish by the middle of the century.     1    

Require a global solution to a global problem.     2     The developed countries and most of developing countries show their leadership in this process by setting goals, encouraging other member states, and offering support for poor countries.

    3     Although they are helpful to protect clean water and air, as it is known, non-recyclable plastic is widely used in the markets. Therefore, non-recyclable plastic still can be bought in our daily life. Its disappearance needs much more time and efforts.

Pay more attention to the new studies on plastic and technologies. Some of researchers are aiming to make replacements for plastic.     4     For example, “interceptors” can remove river pollution before it reaches the ocean.

Expect more responsibility from manufacturers.     5     As a start, they should be encouraged to simplify complex packaging. And their working with world governments will support poorer nations to improve waste collection and landfill (垃圾场) management.

The world doesn’t have enough time in trying to solve the problem. The sooner these efforts start, the better.

A．Strengthen the connection between countries.

B．Others are doing more research on new technologies.

C．Nearly 200 countries agreed to ban plastic pollution.

D．Establish production limits for non-recyclable plastic.

E．They should care about different laws on plastic in the poorer countries.

F．They are well aware of how to reduce the harms their products cause.

G．Thus it’s necessary to take immediate action to stop that.

4 . Sustainable tourism focuses on reducing tourism’s negative impacts and on maximizing its positive benefits for communities, cultures, ecosystems, and the planet. There’s never been a better time to rethink past habits and reshape the way we travel.     1     As you read, think about which practices you can adopt.

Use efficient means of transportation. In general, planes and cars tend to be the least efficient means of transportation. When vacationing to closer destinations, travel by train or coach to cut your carbon footprint. Once you’re in your destination, consider taking the bus, or cycling around town.     2    

Conserve water and energy. Beyond transportation, tourism also relies on energy for heating, lighting, and centricity. This along with intensive water use by tourists can put great pressure on local water supplies and energy services.     3     Therefore, when you’re on vacation, do what you can to conserve local resources.

Slow down and stay awhile. Once you’ve reached your destination, you’ll likely spend the majority of your vacation rushing from one place to another.     4     Instead, you’d better slow down and park yourself in an area for a while. It will allow you to build deeper connections with local people and get to know the unique culture.

    5     Travel offers tourists an opportunity to experience other traditions, beliefs and ways of life. Wherever you go, remember that the destination you are visiting is someone else’s home. Be considerate of local people and treat them with dignity. Do your best to leave places like you found them so that future generations of travelers and residents can enjoy them too!

A．Respect local communities.

B．Experience more about local life.

C．Many destinations struggle to keep up with the demand.

D．There are still plenty of businesses that don’t see the value.

E．That’s why we’ve rounded up our tips for sustainable travel.

F．Then you’ll miss out on actually getting to know the destination.

G．Actually, there’s no one-size-fits-all guideline for which method to use.

5 . A big United Nations climate report brought attention to Africa’s potential for renewable kinds of energy production.

The report said renewable energy projects could reduce the effects of global warming and support Africa’s economic development. Many African nations are increasing efforts to use more renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. They are moving away from dependence on fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas. A change to clean energy is also “economically attractive” in some situations. The UN estimates that Africa’s increased use of renewable energy will create more than 12 million new jobs.

However, Africa has received just two percent—$ 60 billion—of the $ 2. 8 trillion invested in renewable energy worldwide in the last 20 years. It also accounts for only three percent of the world’s current renewable energy capacity. More renewable energy programs, such as Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Power, launched in 2019, are needed. That project is estimated to make up 18 percent of the country’s energy production. The company’s chief, Phylip Leferink, said large projects like these can be copied, but difficulties remain.

Since 2012, M - Kopa Solar Company has provided services to over 225,000 homes in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania using solar power not connected to power lines. Kenya has also been expanding its geothermal (地热) and bioenergy use for several years. These projects are a step in the right direction, said report writer and energy expert Yamina Saheb.

The report said Africa has a world-leading potential for solar power projects. Plans are also underway to explore geothermal energy in the East Africa’s Great Rift Valley system. Other African nations, such as Angola, Sudan and Zambia, are investing in wind and hydropower from big dams.

1. What’s Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The types of renewable energy.	B．The benefits of renewable energy.
C．The increasing employment in Africa.	D．The restriction on the use of fossil fuels.

2. Where does the biggest problem facing Africa lie now?

A．Finance.

B．Technology.

C．Sales.

D．Labor.

3. What’s Yamina Saheb’s attitude toward the prospect of renewable energy in Africa?

A．Doubtful.

B．Pessimistic.

C．Conservative.

D．Favorable.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Africa a Possible Center for Renewable Energy

B．Renewable Energy a Solution to Global Warming

C．The Potential Advantages of Renewable Energy

D．The Complicated Problems of Traditional Energy

6 . One of the biggest topics of the last decade, sustainability has become the beacon (灯塔) of hope to protect the planet. From supermarkets taking action on plastic packaging to the zero waste movement that can be practised from your kitchen, changes made by individuals and organizations across the globe has had an impact on the way we think, shop and live.

So what does that mean for the world of technology? You’d be forgiven for thinking that the words “sustainable” and “tech” don’t usually go hand in hand.E-waste is, after all, one of the planet’s biggest contributing waste streams. Not only that, but the materials that go into tech products are also part of the problem.

But with a challenge comes an opportunity, and there’s already some brilliant progress happening — great news for those of us wanting to be more sustainable with our tech. Firstly, renewed is having its moment. While consumers would previously turn their noses up at the idea of a second-hand device, there’s been a huge surge in demand for renewed tech. The second major step in tackling the problem of e-waste is a change in attitudes from owning a product to subscribing for one. A subscription for a smartphone might sound like a foreign concept, but it’s already gaining momentum. At the forefront of this movement is London-based tech startup Raylo, a pending B Corp which offers a subscription service for the latest iPhone. As customers aren’t paying to own the phone at the end of their contract, the monthly price is significantly lower than average.

Studies show that extending a phone’s lifespan from one to four years can decrease its environmental impact by about 40%.So the next time it comes to refreshing your device — whether a smartphone, laptop, tablet or something else-consider the more environmentally-friendly options that are at your fingertips.

1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To change the way we think, shop, and live.

B．To introduce the topic of sustainability in tech.

C．To tell us what people have done to protect the planet.

D．To call on people to do something for the environment.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．High-tech products are in short supply.

B．E-waste contributes to the biggest waste streams.

C．The two sustainability problems in technology.

D．Ignoring sustainable technology is unforgivable.

3. Which of the following best explains “turn their noses up at” underlined in paragraph 3?

A．Oppose.

B．Present.

C．Explain.

D．Accept.

4. How can we become sustainable in technology according to Raylo?

A．By upgrading the old one.

B．By paying monthly for a smartphone.

C．By spending less money on a smartphone.

D．By replacing the old one with the latest one.

7 . The Children’s Climate Prize (CCP) was started by the Swedish company Telge Energi. It’s been given every year since 2016 to teens who have made “extraordinary efforts” to improve life on the planet now and in the future. Here are some of CCP finalists this year:

Reshma Kosaraju, a 15-year-old girl from Saratoga, California, the USA. She built her deep learning model by using weather information like temperature, humidity, wind speed, and how dry the soil is. Her model can predict where and when forest fires are most likely to happen. She hopes to turn her program into an app that’ll be useful to firefighters.

Fernanda Barros, a 16 year old girl from Pará, Brazil. She helped start the group Fridays For Future Amazonia (FFFA), which is working to protect Brazil’s Amazon rainforest that is seriously threatened. Fernanda says, “We have the science, we have team effort, and we won’t stop!”

Anjali Sharma, a 17-year-old girl from Melbourne, Australia. She was named a finalist for taking Australia’s Environment Minister to court in an attempt to stop a coal mine from being expanded. The case resulted in the court saying that the government had a “duty of care” to protect young people.

Lesein Mutunkei, a 17-year-old boy from Nairobi, Kenya. His project is called Trees For Goals, which encourages soccer teams to plant 11 trees for every goal scored. Already, over 1, 500 trees have been planted, and Lesein is working to spread the idea further. He’d really like to get the soccer group FIFA to back the idea.

1. What is CCP intended to do?

A．Improve teenagers’ school life.

B．Strengthen teenagers’ communication.

C．Inspire teenagers’ ideas of environmental protection.

D．Help the developing countries in science and technology.

2. Who made efforts to predict wildfires?

A．Anjali Sharma.	B．Fernanda Barros.
C．Lesein Mutunkei.	D．Reshma Kosaraju.

3. Why was Anjali Sharma chosen to be one of the finalists?

A．She won a case to stop the expansion of a coal mine.

B．She helped reduce the threats to Amazon rainforest.

C．She planted many trees every year.

D．She developed an app detecting climate.

8 . After you finish your fries, eat the ketchup packet. When you add your pasta to boiling waler, put the bag into the pot, too. If these instructions sound confusing to you, it’s only because you haven’t yet heard of Notpla, a London-based startup company that is designing a seaweed-based replacement for single-use plastic packaging. Notpla design director Karlijn Sibbel says they look lo nature as inspiration for the ideal packaging like the skin on a fruit. “A peel will eventually be used as nutrients by nature, and disappear and become a part of the cycle.” she said.

According to the UN, 9.15 billion tons of plastic has been produced since the early 1950s, and about 60% has been land-filled or abandoned outdoors. Micro-plastics, which are often the result of larger plastics breaking down, pollute the ocean, the air and our bodies. Over the past few years, there has been a growing movement against single-use plastics as many experts have argued the products are unnecessary and harmful. In the US, some places have taken action: New York banned most plastic shopping bags, and in Miami Beach, plastic straws have been outlawed. “Overseas, the European Union put a broad ban on single-use plastics into effect this summer.” the government announced in August.

Notpla’s founders, Rodrigo Garoia González and Pierre Paslie, initially looked to seaweed as the solution to the world’s plastic problem because “it is abundant, grows quickly, doesn’t compete with land crops.” Sibbel explained. There are also many different seaweed species, and it can be harvested or farmed. Seaweed doesn’t use land; it doesn’t use pesticides. It can grow into the ocean and the sea, where it actually has a lot of positive benefits so it can create new ecosystems for other organisms to thrive in.

“As they scale up, Notpla’s team hopes seaweed could replace single-use plastic in the supply chain more broadly.” Sibbel said. But with the volume of plastics used around the world, she understands the enormity (巨大) of such a task. “I don’t think one material or one solution is going to solve everything, but we think that seaweed really ticks the right boxes.” she said.

1. What does the author mainly talk about in the first paragraph?

A．The tasty food made from seaweed such as pasta.

B．Common functions of seaweed.

C．The famous company called Notpla.

D．Plastic packaging made from seaweed.

2. What can be learned about plastic pollution and solutions from the passage?

A．Micro-plastics can only be found in the sea.

B．The single-use plastics are considered avoidable by many experts.

C．More than half of the plastic produced has been land-filled.

D．The European Union and the US have completely slopped using single-use plastics.

3. Which is not the reason for the company’s founders turning to seaweed?

A．It is pesticide-free.

B．It is easily accessible.

C．It can grow on land.

D．It can do good to the ocean.

4. Which word best describes Karlijn Sibbel’s attitude to the future use of seaweed?

A．Optimistic.

B．Uncertain.

C．Negative.

D．Worried.

9 . Trees are symbols of hope, life and transformation. They are also increasingly labeled as a straightforward, relatively inexpensive, and best solution to climate change. Lately, society has been putting a lot of pressure on trees to get the whole world out of the climate change emergency. Accordingly, enthusiasm is worldwide popular among governments, businesses and individuals for ambitious projects to plant billions, even a trillion more, so as to help cut current emission (排放).

“Trees are having a bit of a moment right now,” says Joe Fargione, an ecologist with The Nature Conservancy based in Minneapolis. “There’s no anti-tree lobby. Trees have lots of benefits for people. Not only do they store carbon, they help provide clean air, prevent soil erosion, shade and shelter homes to reduce energy costs and give people a sense of well-being.”

Yet, as global eagerness for adding more trees grows, some scientists are urging caution. Before moving forward, they say, such massive tree projects must address a range of scientific, social and economic concerns. Poorly designed projects that don’t address these issues could do more harm than good, the researchers say, wasting money as well as public goodwill. “There’s a real feeling that forests and trees are just the idea we can use to get some unspeakable support for many, perhaps more complicated, types of landscape restoration initiatives”, says ecologist Joseph Veldmanan.

The concerns are myriad: There’s too much focus on numbers of seedlings planted, and too little time spent on how to keep the trees alive in the long term, or in working with local communities. And there’s not enough emphasis on how different types of forests store very different amounts of carbon. There’s too much talk about trees, and not enough about other carbon-storing ecosystems. And over the last decade, a diverse garden of tree-centric proposal has spread across the globe. That can lead to all kinds of problems, Joseph adds. “For me, the devil is in the details.”

1. According to Paragraph 1, what is the global fever?

A．Getting rid of the air pressure of the earth.

B．Launching environment-based movements.

C．Spending more time on global tree projects.

D．Planting more trees to handle climate change.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A．Tree-planting projects might be wrongly used.

B．There’s no scientific basis for planting programs.

C．Growing mere trees is just a waste of money.

D．Public goodwill is surely abused to a certain degree.

3. What does the underlined word “myriad" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Unique.

B．Precise.

C．Many.

D．Reliable.

4. How does the author like the tree-based idea to solve climate change?

A．Positive.

B．Doubtful.

C．Neutral.

D．Unclear.