1 . Clothes were once used until they fell apart-repaired and sewed to be re-used, ending their lives as dishcloths. Not today. Clothing, footwear and upholstered furniture are increasingly frequently bought, thrown away and replaced with new fashions, which are themselves soon abandoned and replaced.
‘Fast fashion’ is so called partly because the fashion industry now releases new lines every week, when historically this happened four times a year. Today, fashion brands(品牌)produce almost twice the amount of clothing that they did in 2000. But incredibly, more than 50 billion clothes are deserted within a year of being made.
The trend is having an astonishing environmental impact. Take water. The fashion industry, one of the world’s largest users of water, consumes anywhere from 20 trillion to 200 trillion litres every year. Besides, plastic fibres are released when we wash polyester(聚酯纤维)and other polymer-based textiles(纺织物), and make up between 20% and 35% of the microplastics choking the oceans. Added to this are specific chemicals used to make fabrics dirt resistant and the pesticides required to protect crops such as cotton.
Change is badly needed, but will require the fashion industry to work harder to embrace more of what is known as the circular economy. That will involve at least two things: refocusing on making things that last, and so encouraging reuse; and more rapidly expanding the technologies for sustainable manufacturing(制造)processes, especially recycling. There is work to be done for researchers on improving and expanding textiles recycling. Most used textiles go to landfill(废物填埋场), in part because there are relatively few systems that collect, recycle and reuse materials. Such recycling requires the manual separation of fibres, as well as buttons and zips. Different fibres are not easy to identify by eye, and overall such manual processes are time-consuming. Machinery is being developed that can help. Technologies also exist to recycle used fibres chemically and to create high-quality fibres that can be reused in clothing. But these are nowhere near the scale(规模)needed. Another challenge for researchers is to work out how to get consumers and manufacturers to change their behaviour.
Small steps are good, but big changes are needed. The shameful environmental cost of a new cupboard needs to be tackled immediately, at scale, with style.
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．Clothes should be used until they fall apart. |
| B．Fashion brands are replaced with new ones frequently. |
| C．Fast fashion leads to a significant increase in fashion waste. |
| D．Fashion brands produce twice more clothing than necessary. |
| A．Improving the production of natural textiles. |
| B．Studying how fast fashion affects the environment. |
| C．Releasing new lines four times a year instead of every week. |
| D．Making durable things and expanding the technologies for recycling. |
| A．Consumers are fond of chemically recycled fibres. |
| B．Systems that collect, recycle and reuse are insufficient. |
| C．Manual separation of fibres is preferred by manufacturers. |
| D．Environment damage is mainly caused by using chemicals. |
| A．Big changes are needed to follow fashion styles. |
| B．Huge steps should be taken for the needs of consumers. |
| C．More should be done to deal with the heavy environmental cost. |
| D．Consumers and manufacturers will change their behaviour immediately. |
2 . After graduation I managed to work at a news organization. As I was new to the world of
I
After we got back to the office, Joy asked me to
When Joy
I stared at Joy
| A．reporting | B．socializing | C．writing | D．communicating |
| A．heavy | B．easy | C．boring | D．tiring |
| A．bury | B．find | C．express | D．involve |
| A．general | B．vivid | C．positive | D．subjective |
| A．dared | B．reminded | C．expected | D．convinced |
| A．acquainted | B．occupied | C．assisted | D．tasked |
| A．thrilled | B．relaxed | C．confused | D．surprised |
| A．purchase | B．replay | C．make | D．borrow |
| A．regret | B．disappointment | C．horror | D．annoyance |
| A．raised | B．trembling | C．crossed | D．freezing |
| A．trusted | B．comforted | C．persuaded | D．warned |
| A．carelessness | B．rudeness | C．selfishness | D．weakness |
| A．wandered | B．arrived | C．approached | D．returned |
| A．held back | B．broke down | C．got away | D．gave in |
| A．experience | B．qualities | C．enthusiasm | D．responsibilities |
| A．astonishment | B．appreciation | C．calmness | D．hesitancy |
| A．decisions | B．commitments | C．statements | D．errors |
| A．at heart | B．in disbelief | C．by accident | D．with sorrow |
| A．controllable | B．unacceptable | C．predictable | D．unavoidable |
| A．changes | B．perfects | C．determines | D．reflects |
3 . This morning it was harder for me to get out of bed than usual. Usually, I have nightmares (噩梦) because of the terrible movies I watched the night before, and sometimes spicy (辛辣的) food makes me feel uncomfortable in sleeping. However, last night I turned all night because my anxiety was at an all-time high. I kept thinking about what my first day of high school would be like. What should I wear? What should I put in my schoolbag? I finally fell asleep around 5:45 and my alarm started going off at 6.
I couldn’t let those thoughts cloud my mind. I had to prepare myself for one of the most important days of my life. I packed my things and headed out of the door. My first class wasn’t too bad. I listened to my English teacher discuss the importance of themes, but otherwise, it was a pretty easy-going class.
During lunchtime, I had a pizza and an orange soda. I’m grateful for the food not tasting terrible so I wouldn’t keep thinking about that all day. I still didn’t manage to find any new friends to sit with, but I’m just happy I found a quiet place to stay. It would have been uncomfortable if I had to sit in a noisy classroom to eat lunch, or an empty hallway with some kids walking past and laughing.
Once the last bell rang, I was eager to get home and tell Charlie, my childhood friend how my day went at a new school. I was just excited to speak to a familiar voice and share my feelings of the whole day. I wondered how his day went at his new school as well. I got on the same train line that I took to school and headed back home.
Speaking to Charlie on the phone, I found out he made many new friends today. Once I got off the phone, I threw myself on the bed with a long sigh (叹气). Although I’d experience this again tomorrow, I’m glad I got through my first day at school.
1. What made the author fail to fall asleep last night?| A．Anxiety of preparations for school. |
| B．Noise of the alarm that kept ringing. |
| C．Discomfort brought by spicy food. |
| D．Nightmares caused by a terrible movie. |
| A．The author disliked eating in a noisy place. |
| B．The author was quite satisfied with the food. |
| C．The author made some new friends at school. |
| D．The author found it difficult to find a quiet place. |
| A．To play with his childhood friend. |
| B．To know how Charlie’s first day went. |
| C．To catch the train line she took to school. |
| D．To share feelings about school with Charlie. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Shocked. |
| C．Relaxed. | D．Delighted. |
4 . Sports play an important role in teenagers’ lives. They help teenagers keep fit and teach them teamwork. Four teenagers from different countries talk about their sports.
Li Yue, China
I do many sports, but my favourite is table tennis. I play table tennis in a club at the weekend and I’m quite good at it. On Saturday I teach some younger children to play table tennis, and that’s really fun.
Sophie, Britain
My sport is rugby. I play for the U15s, the team for players under the age of 15. My team always plays a match on Saturday or Sunday, and I usually go to practice games three times on weekdays. It’s hard work, but it’s never boring!
Ben, Canada
I love the snow and the mountains. In the holidays, I always go to the mountains with my family. I go snowboarding with my sister and other young people every day, and I’m getting really good. I want to be a famous snowboarder one day.
Laura, America
I started running when I was really young. When I was 13, I joined a club and started taking part in competitions. I have never won a race, but I’m improving all the time. That’s the most important thing for me. I’ve also made many friends since joining the club.
1. Who is good at playing table tennis?| A．Li Yue. | B．Sophie. | C．Ben. | D．Laura. |
| A．Play a match. | B．Go snowboarding. |
| C．Go to practice games. | D．Practice running in a club. |
| A．Winning races. | B．Enjoying the sport. |
| C．Making friends. | D．Improving all the time. |
