1 . I recently gave a talk about zero waste living to university students. During the Q&A afterward, the unavoidable question of cost came up. One student pointed out that he “can’t afford to buy $30 toothpaste.” While the $30 price may be a bit generous, the student did raise a good point -that buying zero-waste products is often more expensive than the overly-packaged conventional ones.

I tried to handle the question as best I could in the moment, but I kept thinking about it afterward. I’m writing about it because I’m sure many others have similar doubts about their own abilities to reduce waste without breaking the bank.

First, once you begin to explore the zero waste world, you quickly realize how pointless many products in your life are. You start using fewer, buying less,and using them interchangeably. Soon you’ll find yourself spending less money overall, which balances the higher cost of the zero waste ones. The total number of products in my bathroom decreased by 50% when I became more focused on waste reduction.

Second, if you stop to examine those zero-waste products, you’ll see that they are usually of superior quality. Companies rarely redesign their packaging to be reusable without also upgrading them to be healthier, safer, and greener. So you’re paying extra money not just for non-disposable（一次性的）packaging, but also for a better product that does less harm.

In my experience, higher-quality skincare products last longer than cheap ones. My personal habits have developed gradually, too. Knowing an item costs more leads me to use it in small quantities and use it to the very end. Moreover, I sometimes even make my own. The price-per-unit is cheap.

To quote Lindsey Miles, a zero waste blogger, “Zero waste is not about what we can afford to buy. It is about what we choose not to buy.” To that student who got me thinking about this, I’d recommend starting with what matters to you. Over time you will figure out where you get the most value for your money. In return, you’ll gain a sense of liberation from the consumer culture, and a rewarding sense of accomplishment.

1. What can we benefit from zero waste products?

A．Saving regularly.

B．Balancing totally.

C．Living conveniently.

D．Spending -economically.

2. What kind of products would the author like to recommend?

A．Zero-cost.

B．Top-grade.

C．Non-breakable.

D．Well-packed.

3. What do Miles’ words in the last paragraph mean?

A．Buy what is necessary.	B．Choose what is affordable.
C．Consider where we save money.	D．Learn what consumer culture means.

4. What is the author’s purpose?

A．To oppose wasting.	B．To analyze a social issue.
C．To promote a new product.	D．To advocate eco-consumption.

3 . Are you afraid of sharks, snakes or spiders? Most of us are.     1     Do you know mosquitos have killed many more humans than all wars in history? Mosquitos are the most dangerous creatures on earth to humans by a mile.

Female mosquitos actually need our blood to make eggs. They give us viruses and diseases that are extremely dangerous.     2    Just one mosquito buzzing (发出嗡嗡声) around your bed can keep you awake all night.

Now, there is a great way to stop mosquitos from annoying you ever again — without using any chemicals at all. It's called Mosquitron, a brand new type of bug catcher/killer. It's perfect for clearing your home of all the annoying and dangerous mosquitos!     3    

Instead of trying to keep the mosquitos away, it actually attracts them, then catches and kills them!     4     Next to the UV-PT light is a powerful fan that sucks the mosquitos through a one-way trapdoor (活板门). Once trapped in the drying basket, they are dried to death by the fan in a matter of 2 minutes.

    5     But when you consider that most devices need expensive refills and don't work for more than 10 minutes, this is a pretty good deal. Plus, it actually works! When you look at the rise in mosquito viruses and diseases and the number of deaths, $89 seems like a good deal for peace of mind that you are protected.

A．Plus they are super annoying.

B．Does it really work in real life?

C．And it's fashionable and easy to control.

D．Here are some ways to keep them away.

E．But there's another creature that is more dangerous.

F．It's now discounted down to $89, which seems expensive at first.

G．It attracts mosquitos nearby using a safe and harmless UV-PT light.

4 . They say, “Online retailers (零售商) try to show you things that you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. But we don’t think it compares to the experience of walking into a store and seeing things you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.”

That’s hardly an old-fashioned view. One of the misunderstandings in retail is that because younger customers are comfortable with digital technologies, they’re less interested in shopping in person. In fact, researchers have found that both millennials (千禧一代) and the generation born after 1995 prefer brick-and-mortar shopping to buying online.

Now in the pandemic age, retailers are working on making ordering online and picking up at the store a seamless (无缝衔接的) process. And that could be just the start. Other mixed models will appear, especially as retailers get rid of delays from the system, says Kirthi Kalyanam, executive director of the Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University in California. Amazon, which already provides free two-day delivery to prime members, now offers one-day delivery nationwide for a fee and same-day delivery on select items in several cities. Its Amazon Fresh grocery service lets shoppers choose delivery within two to three hours.

Stores will increasingly become places to show products rather than to store inventory (存货), says Mr. Kalyanam. Online retailers will re-create their online image in a real space: Think Apple stores or Lululemon. And consumers will have multiple ways to buy their goods. Stores might not even carry inventory, but promise to deliver your purchase from a nearby warehouse in a half-hour.

1. What is the speakers’ attitude to buying online in Paragraph 1？

A．Negative.	B．Positive.
C．Indifferent.	D．Unknown.

2. What does the underlined word “brick-and-mortar” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Imaginative.	B．Physical.
C．Virtual.	D．False.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?

A．Amazon never connects the sales to the delivery.

B．Delivery service of goods online is being improved.

C．All retailers are considering picking up at the store.

D．Retailers can’t remove the delays from the delivery system.

4. What can we learn from the text?

A．Amazon offers one-day delivery nationwide for free.

B．Younger customers are less interested in shopping in person.

C．Instead of storing inventory, stores will become places to show products.

D．Online retailers don't show the things that customers haven't discovered.