1 . As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states, if we are to avoid a world that is too hot to live in, we need to do everything we possibly can, right now, to cut greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. The fashion industry (时装行业) contributes up to 10% of global emissions — more than international aviation (航空) and shipping combined. It also contributes to biodiversity loss, pollution, landfill issues unsafe work practices and more.
It’s not the first time that people have adapted their clothing in response to the demands of a crisis. During the second world war, clothing styles changed in the United Kingdom and Australia. To protect precious resources, shorter skirts, minimal detailing and a focus on practicability became the norm.
In our current context, the most helpful thing we can do is to buy fewer new clothes, wear them for longer and restrain our desire.
Australians buy a lot of clothes, about 56 items per year on average. That makes Australians the second highest textiles consumers in the world after the USA. The price of clothes has dropped significantly over the past couple of decades, and the number of clothes people have in their closets has grown.
The Berlin-based Hot or Cool Institute suggests a wardrobe (衣柜) of 74 garments ( including shoes but excluding undergarments) is typically sufficient for people who live in a two-season climate (in the tropics) and 85 pieces for those who live in a four-season climate, as most Australians do. If we buy 10 to 12 new items a year, we can replace our entire wardrobe in about seven years.
If we do care about sustainable (可持续的) development, that means changing those choices that are no longer suited to the climate crisis. Clothes need to reflect a person’s situation as well as their identity to “work” well. This may mean that what we wear changes as we make different buying decisions, just as people did in the second world war. We may start to look different, but that change means our values in action.
1. What does the author stress in the first paragraph?| A．The consequences of greenhouse effect. |
| B．The importance of reducing carbon footprint. |
| C．The problems caused by the fashion industry. |
| D．The necessity of developing the fashion industry. |
| A．Satisfy. | B．Express. | C．Control. | D．Abandon. |
| A．Limiting the number of our clothes. | B．Reducing the production of clothes. |
| C．Increasing the number of our clothes. | D．Replacing our wardrobe when necessary. |
| A．Shop Sensibly and Dress Properly |
| B．Wear Wisely and Live Sustainably |
| C．How Many Clothes Should We Buy Every Year |
| D．What Should We Wear to Cut Greenhouse Gases |
2 . In many movies, the clothing the actors wear is an important part of the story. In Rome, there is a workshop that has been a big part of Italian and international film history for 60 years.
Tirelli Costumes in Rome is a workshop that makes special clothing and costumes. It has earned the name the “Oscar tailor’s shop” for its work in film costume design.
In recent years, its workers helped create the costumes for Ridley Scott’s movie Napoleon. The film’s costume designers were nominated (提名) for an Oscar. “Maybe it will win! Let’s add another medal to the medal collection,” the shop’s current head, Dino Trappetti said. “Of course, the Oscar is not won by the shop. The Oscar is won by the costume designers. But the tailor’s shop has the honor of having participated to make it win.”
Umberto Tirelli started the shop in November 1964. It has been behind 17 Academy Awards for best costume design. The beginning of the workshop started with Tirelli’s passion for collecting old clothes. He searched for clothing in the markets worldwide. He slowly collected more than 15,000 real pieces of clothing that date from 1750 to 1980. At the start, the shop had a sewing machine and two cutters.
Tirelli could have accepted many international projects because the market was immediately interested. But Tirelli, who died in 1990, was not sure enough though the co-workers agreed on expanding the market. Dino Trappetti remembered him saying: “I’m not going to America. If America wants, America will come looking for me.”
Over 60 years, the tailor’s shop has created more than 300,000 costumes which feature hand-cut, hand-sewn creations. Costume designers come up with ideas from historical information.
1. Why is Tirelli Costumes called the “Oscar tailor’s shop”?| A．It makes contributions to film costume design. |
| B．Its costumes are popular with many Oscar actors. |
| C．It is a film workshop and shoots many Oscar films. |
| D．It offers interesting stories about costume designers. |
| A．To promote the film. |
| B．To praise Tirelli Costumes. |
| C．To show the film’s achievements. |
| D．To explain the importance of costume designers. |
| A．Time waits for no man. | B．Well begun is half done. |
| C．Hobbies make for success. | D．All roads lead to Rome. |
| A．His sudden death. | B．Trappetti’s opinion. |
| C．The co-workers’ protest. | D．His lack of confidence in the market. |
3 . Dopamine (多巴胺), known as the “source of pleasure”, is a chemical that is released in the brain and provides people with a feeling of reward and motivation. Now, China’s young people are seeking to wear that joyfulness on their bodies, giving rise to the fashion “dopamine dressing style”. Mainly characterized by bright colors, this dressing style is described by many Chinese netizens as “healing” and “a mood booster”. It is part-fashion, part-mindfulness.
Dopamine dressing is nothing new. In fact, a study published in 2012 found that when participants were asked to wear clothing that held some symbolic meaning, their confidence increased. The study determined that clothing can have a direct impact on their psychological process.
Another 2015 study found that the outfits we wear can directly influence how we think. It suggested that dressing in a certain way can influence the way we make decisions. “What we wear is how we show ourselves to those we interact with — we are influenced by their reaction to it. If we are well received, it builds up our confidence and can eventually affect our well-being.” one of the leading researchers. Mair added.
Actually, dopamine dressing is different for everyone. It’s about wearing the clothes that make you feel good. It could be joggers and a sport shirt; it could be your favorite pair of jeans; or it could be that dress you were saving for a special occasion. In a word, it’s OK to wear anything that can boost your mood.
Color psychologist Karen Haller said: “Color is a great way to lift our spirits and boost our moods in an instant. Our confidence can be boosted when we wear colors that we love and feel good in. We feel and behave differently when we take the colors in through our eyes and through the part of our brain where our emotions exist.” Ultimately, dopamine dressing is whatever makes you feel good.
1. What makes the dopamine dressing a real hit according to paragraph 1?| A．Its featuring only bright colors. | B．Its helping the brain release dopamine. |
| C．Its healing and boosting function. | D．Its allowing people to wear differently |
| A．Dopamine dressing is simply a new concept of dressing. |
| B．Dopamine dressing is influenced by people’s reaction. |
| C．Dopamine dressing has little to do with our decision making. |
| D．Dopamine dressing can benefit people’s happiness. |
| A．The girl chooses her favorite skirt for her birthday party. |
| B．My father has to put on a heavy coat in cold weather. |
| C．Jack often follows the trend to buy clothes in dark colors. |
| D．All the students wear school uniform on Mondays. |
| A．To persuade people to be satisfied with what they wear. |
| B．To convince us to buy more fashionable clothes. |
| C．To arouse our curiosity of the dopamine dressing. |
| D．To promote more people to accept dopamine dressing. |
4 . To produce the classic clothing, blue jeans, producers rely on indigo dye (靛蓝染料), the only molecule known to provide jeans’ unique, beloved color. While indigo itself naturally comes from a plant, growing demand for blue jeans throughout the 20th century gave rise to synthetic (合成的) indigo, which is now more commonly used.
Indigo is the dye that makes jeans blue, but it doesn’t mix with water. To dye clothes, usually, chemicals are needed to make the color stick to the cloth. But in Denmark, scientists have created a new way to dye clothes using an enzyme (酶), which is a kind of protein that can cause chemical reactions, instead of harmful chemicals. This new method is better for the environment and doesn’t use poisonous stuff.
The chemical process for dyeing blue jeans has persisted for the last century. Workers are exposed to the poisonous chemicals, which also pollute the environment near factories. Waste water from those factories often ends up in waterways, decimating local ecosystems and even dyeing rivers blue.
Ditte Hededam Welner, the study’s lead researcher, says their new enzyme works really well and is strong enough for making lots of jeans without breaking down. This enzyme makes dyeing with indican, which is like indigo, much less harmful to the planet — about 92% better than the old way.
However, the new method doesn’t fix all the environmental problems of making jeans. Making a single pair of jeans uses a lot of water — enough to fill many bathtubs — from growing the cotton to putting the final touches on the jeans.
Even though the new dyeing process is better for the environment, it’s not always easy or cheap to change to it. Welner’s team isn’t sure if jeans companies will find it easy or affordable to switch to this method. It costs a little bit more — just seven cents extra per pair of jeans — to use the enzyme for dyeing. But Welner believes it’s worth it because it’s much better for the environment.
1. Why was synthetic indigo created in the 20th century?| A．It made jeans’ color unique. | B．It was easy to dye cloth with it. |
| C．People liked jeans made from it. | D．People were in greater need of jeans. |
| A．Troubling. | B．Entering. | C．Destroying. | D．Defeating. |
| A．The colour is more beautiful than the synthetic indigo. |
| B．The market can keep stable goods supplies. |
| C．Enzyme facilitates the advance of science. |
| D．The dye is more environmentally friendly. |
| A．Production costs. | B．Environmental benefits. |
| C．Water consumption. | D．Laborer shortage. |
5 . If you constantly feel like you “never have anything to wear”, you might be a victim of fast fashion. Constantly purchasing fast fashion clothes means clothes easily break down and lose their shape, causing you to consistently replace them. It’s a challenge on your wallet, not to mention the environment.
Organize a clothing swap.
“One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure.” You might have an item in your closet (壁橱) that you’ve grown less fond of. Organizing a clothing change is one of the best ways to give clothing a second chance at fulfilling their destiny: being worn. Make a night of it!
Rent clothes.
Can you remember that wedding you went to three years ago?
If you own more than 50 articles of clothing, you might forget about each item you own. Purchasing the same or similar items is a common problem with fast fashion victims. Go through your closet monthly or seasonally and take a mental record of what’s in there so you do not risk item duplication(重复).
Invest in timeless pieces.
There is a common misunderstanding that sustainable fashion is expensive. In fact, those items save you money in the long run.
| A．Look for sustainable materials. |
| B．Go shopping in your own closet. |
| C．Does the dress you rent for the day fit you perfectly? |
| D．There are some tips to help you handle the problem. |
| E．Get some tasty food and change clothes with your friends. |
| F．Is the dress you bought specifically for the big day never worn again? |
| G．Divide the cost by the number of times you’ll wear the item and that’s its true cost. |
6 . How To Find Spring Fashion Trends
Fashion changes faster than most people can keep up with.
Look through fashion magazines to get fashion ideas. Magazines like GQ, Vogue, and Cosmo are generally considered “taste makers”.
Find your favorite fashion blogs. What’s on the catwalk isn’t necessarily what’s on the streets, so I also like getting inspiration from travel blogs, fashion blogs, and smaller designers. Many brands, designers, and fashionistas post their inspiration online, as well as recommendations on where to find the best new fashions.
Explore social media. More and more often, people are using the Internet to broadcast their personal fashion recommendations, which is a great way to get a pulse on spring fashion. Sites like Tumblr and Pintrest have specific sections devoted to fashion.
Make your own spring trends. Having confidence in yourself and rocking your outfit is more important than following any trend. Sometimes you still can’t figure out what spring fashion trend to follow.
| A．Make notes of fashions you see often |
| B．Look to warmer areas for inspiration |
| C．They are selling the right clothes for the right season |
| D．Find an outfit you like and make up your own trend |
| E．They are in touch with the big clothing designers |
| F．Spring is often when people launch new and inventive fashion for the warming weather |
| G．Search “Spring Fashion Blogs” and browse through a few to see styles you enjoy |
7 . The Life Cycle of a T-shirt
We all probably have a lot of T-shirts, but do you ever stop and think about the influence of a T-shirt on the planet? You’d probably be surprised to learn what’s involved in the life cycle of just one T-shirt.
There are 5 major stages: material, production, shipping, use and disposal. The material stage involves farming, irrigating, fertilizing, harvesting and ginning. While cotton is a natural fiber and not as harmful to the environment as man-made fibers, it still takes a toll in the material and production stages. Commercial cotton farming uses a large amount of water, and the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) is widespread across the globe, especially in cotton farming. Studies have shown that farmers spend around $4.1 billion on pesticides annually, of which 25% was spent on cotton crops in the US.
Once the cotton is grown and harvested, so begins the production stage: spinning, knitting, bleaching, dyeing, cutting, sewing, etc.—these processes also use a great deal of water and energy. Commercial dyes and bleaches are harmful pollutants and can eventually pollute groundwater.
After the T-shirt is produced, it enters the transportation stage. This often involves overseas shipping. Take a look in your closet. Chances are that most of your cotton garments(衣服) are made in China or India. Garments can be shipped via plane, ship or truck..., all of which spill CO2, into the atmosphere. Calculations show that CO2 emissions from light trucks alone amount to 1.15 pounds per mile.
Once the T-shirt reaches the retail market, it is purchased. This stage may seem like the least environmentally damaging part. But consider the number of times you’ve washed and dried your favorite T-shirt. Washing machines are certainly becoming more efficient. However, the average American household does 400 loads of laundry per year, using about 40 gallons of water per load. Such excessive water use is combined with the large amount of energy used by dryers.
The final stage of life is disposal. This releases harmful emissions, or involves a landfill where cotton takes years to break down. Current US records show that an estimated 15% of clothes and shoes are recycled, which means that consumers send a shocking 85% of these materials to landfill.
We all need new clothes every once in a while, but let’s all try to keep in mind what goes into the production of clothing. It has a real impact on the planet.
There are a lot of things you can do to help reduce your impact. Reuse and recycle clothes. If they’re too worn out to wear, cut them up and use them as cleaning rags. Donate them to charity or another organization that recycles textiles. When possible, make an effort to buy organic cotton. Turn down the thermostat on your washer, and line dry your clothes when the weather will allow it.
1. The underlined phrase “takes a toll” probably means .| A．wastes water | B．has a bad effect |
| C．consumes energy | D．takes a lot of time |
| A．pesticides in cotton farming cost over 4 billion dollars every year |
| B．CO2 emissions of land transport amount to 1.15 pounds per mile |
| C．about 16, 000 gallons of water is used annually by an average family on laundry |
| D．about 15% of the clothes and shoes are made of materials that are recycled |
| A．The production process may affect water safety. |
| B．The clothing cost is relatively low in China and India. |
| C．Cotton clothes are buried because they are hard to break down. |
| D．The use stage is the least environmentally harmful of the five stages. |
| A．To introduce the five stages in the life cycle of clothing. |
| B．To encourage people to donate clothes to charity. |
| C．To persuade people to purchase more organic cotton. |
| D．To promote eco-friendly actions related to clothes. |
8 . If you’re a white-collar worker working at an office, it’s unlikely that anyone can guess exactly what you do from your clothes. That’s not true for lots of the people you interact with. The bus driver who gets you to your destination, and the people on reception as you enter the building — they’re likely to be wearing some kind of corporate uniform. A poll of American workers conducted last summer by Gallup found that although most employees wear casual clothes, almost a quarter wear a uniform.
Some employers require uniforms, since they help ensure a level of professionalism in appearance, project a brand identity with useful job-specific features, and send a clear signal to customers about whom they should approach with questions.
Those customers draw different conclusions if staff are in uniform. A study by Robert Smith of Tilburg University and his colleagues asked people to imagine being on the receiving end of poor service when picking up a pizza. They were then shown pictures of uniformed or non-uniformed employees. Participants were more likely to blame the company than the individual for a bad experience when a uniform was involved. If corporate clothing makes each worker seem more representative of their employers, the authors suggest that it may be a good idea not to give it to inexperienced workers.
Uniforms can also affect the psychology of employees. In 2012, Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky coined the term “unclothed cognition” to describe the effect that specific clothes have on the way people think and feel. In one study, Emilie Caspar of Ghent University gave participants the option to apply minor electric shocks to other people in return for money; those dressed in Red Cross uniforms showed more empathy than those in normal outfits.
The effects uniforms have on workers will obviously vary. The obvious objection to uniforms is that they lack individuality. But employees who don’t have to wear a formal uniform tend to have their own pattern of dressing, thus forming another informal uniform.
1. What do we know about white-collar office workers?| A．They must follow strict rules about uniforms. |
| B．Their way of dressing reveals their job duties. |
| C．Their clothes may not be relevant to their work. |
| D．They wear uniforms to inspire customers’ interest. |
| A．They imagined being served in a shop. |
| B．They dressed up in employees’ uniform. |
| C．They were asked to work in a pizza shop. |
| D．They ordered pizza from uniformed employees. |
| A．They block customers’ en-clothed cognition. |
| B．They re an expression of being inexperienced. |
| C．They are inferior to their own pattern of dressing. |
| D．They lack an express on of wearers’ individuality. |
| A．An essay on fashion trend. |
| B．A review of workplace culture |
| C．A guidebook about making clothes. |
| D．An introduction about social customs. |
9 . When we talk about protecting the environment and sustainability, we focus on factories and industries that produce cars, household objects, and materials used in production. However, the carbon footprint of the fast fashion industry is sizeable and should not be overlooked.
Fast fashion has seen quite the rise recently, with stores spreading far and wide all over the world. They mass-produce one collection after the other, always on trend, and always encouraging consumers to follow the said trend. However, what about the impact this kind of business model has on the environment?
The clothing industry is the second-highest polluter of water. Factories of fast fashion poured poisonous chemicals into clean water supplies because clothing production is a land-and water-intensive industry, responsible for 10% of all carbon release globally. Even after the clothes are produced in factories, they can still affect the environment. For example, polyester (涤纶) can release plastic microfibres into the water system, which contributes to the already existing plastic problem.
The fashion industry is indeed causing great harm to the environment; moreover, the clothes being made are not meant to last. In most cases, the quality is not there, and the clothes are only used a few times before being discarded. Before the rise of fast fashion, clothes were made to last and were not meant to have the high turnover that clothes have.
There are many designers who are committed to mass-producing their clothes in sustainable ways. Some big brands are also trying to make improvements in the materials they use and the mass-producing process, but big efforts are needed if we are going to see a change. What we as consumers can do is shop consciously and consider how the clothes have been made and whether we truly need that piece or not.
1. What can be inferred about fast fashion from the first two paragraphs?| A．It stresses offline sales. | B．It affects the environment seriously. |
| C．It is a sustainable industry worldwide. | D．It is popular among young consumers. |
| A．It makes clothing last long. | B．It reduces carbon footprint. |
| C．It results in water pollution. | D．It lowers the production cost. |
| A．Thrown away. | B．Picked up. | C．Passed down. | D．Turned in. |
| A．Support big fashion brands. | B．Stop buying long-lasting clothes. |
| C．Think twice before shopping for clothes. | D．Change dressing styles frequently. |
10 . If you work in a white-collar job in an office, it is likely that you will wear a uniform. Why do you need to wear one?
For employers who require it, there are several arguments in favour of uniforms. They help ensure a level of professionalism in appearance. They project a brand identity, from the red coats of Virgin Atlantic crew to the “Browns” uniform of UPS delivery drivers. They may have useful job-specific features.
A study by Robert Smith of Tilburg University and his colleagues asked people to imagine being on the receiving end of poor service when ordering a pizza. They were then shown pictures of the uniformed or non-uniformed employee. The person without a uniform who had treated them badly was circled. In this sense, if corporate clothing is a symbol of good service, the authors suggest that it may be a good idea not to give it to inexperienced workers, because, to some extent, it’s a representative of a profession.
Uniforms can also affect the psychology of employees. In 2012, Hajo Adam, a professor in Columbia Business School, coined the term “enclothed cognition (认知)” to describe the effect that specific clothes have on the way that people think and feel. Questions have been raised over the validity of enclothed cognition, but a new meta-analysis by Messrs Adam and Galinsky, along with Carl Blaine Horton of Columbia Business School, concludes that the phenomenon is real.
The obvious objection to uniforms, at least from people who do not wear them, is that they limit individuality and autonomy. But employees who do not have to wear a formal uniform often gravitate towards a costume anyway. Some coders (编码人员) seem to be under an unspoken duty to wear T-shirts. The combination of shirt, trousers and Patagonia gilet (马甲) is known as the “midtown uniform” for finance types in New York. Bosses build brands by wearing the same outfit day after day. Therefore, you may not be required to wear a uniform when you head off to work. You may still be in uniform.
1. Why is Virgin Atlantic crew mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．To emphasize the need for uniforms in all industries. |
| B．To highlight the importance of job-specific features in uniforms. |
| C．To provide an example of how uniforms establish a brand image. |
| D．To discuss the variety of uniform styles across different professions. |
| A．They mean professional. |
| B．They impress customers. |
| C．They guarantee quality service. |
| D．They symbolize the corporate image. |
| A．The variety of the coined term. |
| B．The state of being logical and true. |
| C．The context of questions being raised. |
| D．The complexity of the phenomenon. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Dismissive. | C．Approving. | D．Doubtful. |
