2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. increases B. investigated C. comparison D. sustainable E. advertised F. accessible G. process H. footprint I. discourage   J. causes   K. promote

Clothing rental is a hot new industry and retailers are demanding to get on board in hopes of attracting green shopper.

But is renting fashion actually more environmentally-friendly than buying it, and if so, how much more? Journalist and author Elizabeth Cline     1     this question and concluded that it’s not as     2     as it seems.

Take shipping, for example, which has to go two ways if an item is rented-receiving and returning. Cline writes that consumer transportation has the second largest carbon     3       of our collective fashion habit after manufacturing.

She writes, “An item ordered online and then returned can send out 20 kilograms of carbon each way, and     4     up to 50 kilograms for rush shipping. By     5     the carbon impact of a pair of jeans purchased from a physical store and washed and worn at home is 33.4 kilograms, according to a 2015 study by Levi’s.”

Then there’s the burden of washing, which has to happen for every item when it’s returned, regardless of whether or not it was worn. For most rental services, this usually means dry cleaning, a high impact and polluting     6    . All the rental services that Cline looked into have replaced perchloroethylene, an air pollutant that     7     cancers, still used by 70 percent of US dry cleaners, with alternatives, although these aren’t great, either.

Lastly, Cline fears that rental services will increase our appetite for fast fashion, simply because it’s so easily     8    . There’s something called “share washing” that makes people waste more precisely because a product or service is shared and thus is regarded as more eco-friendly. Uber is one example of this,     9     as “a way to share rides and limit car ownership.” and yet “it has been proven to     10     walking, bicycling, and public transportation use.”

Renting clothes is still preferable to buying them cheap and throwing them in the dustbin after a few wears, but we shouldn’t let the availability of these services make us too satisfied. There’s an even better step-that’s wearing what is already in the closet.

3 . In the days before the Internet, critical thinking was the most important skill of informed citizens. But in the digital age, according to Anastasia Kozyreva, a psychologist at the Max Planck Institute of Human Development, and her colleagues, an even more important skill is critical ignoring.

As the researchers point out, we live in an attention economy where content producers on the Internet compete for our attention. They attract us with a lot of emotional and eye-catching stories while providing little useful information, so they can expose us to profit-generating advertisements. Therefore,we are no longer customers but products, and each link we click is a sale of our time and attention. Toprotect ourselves from this, Kozyreva advocates for learning the skill of critical ignoring, in which readers intentionally control their information environment to reduce exposure to false and low-quality information.

According to Kozyreva, critical ignoring comprises three strategies. The first is to design ourenvironments, which involves the removal of low-quality yet hard-to-resist information from around. Successful dieters need to keep unhealthy food out of their homes. Likewise, we need to set up a digital environment where attention-grabbing items are kept out of sight. As with dieting, if one tries to bank onwillpower not to click eye-catching “news”, he’ll surely fail. So, it’s better to just keep them out of sightto begin with.

The next is to evaluate the reliability of information, whose purpose is to protect you from false and misleading information. It can be realized by checking the source in the mainstream news agencies which have their reputations for being trustworthy.

The last goes by the phrase “do not feed the trolls.” Trolls are actors who internationally spread false and hurtful information online to cause harm. It may be appealing to respond to them to set the facts straight, but trolls just care about annoying others rather than facts. So, it’s best not to reward their bad behaviour with our attention.

By sharpening our critical ignoring skills in these ways, we can make the most of the Internet while avoiding falling victim to those who try to control our attention, time, and minds.

1. What can we learn about the attention economy from paragraph 2?

A．It offers little information.	B．It features depressing stories.
C．It saves time for Internet users.	D．It seeks profits from each click.

2. Why does the author mention dieters in paragraph 3?

A．To discuss the quality of information

B．To prove the benefits of healthy food.

C．To show the importance of environments.

D．To explain the effectiveness of willpower.

3. What should we do to handle Internet trolls according to the text?

A．Reveal their intention.	B．Turn a deaf ear to them.
C．Correct their behaviour.	D．Send hard facts to them.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Reasons for critical thinking in the attention economy.

B．Practising the skill of critical ignoring in the digital age.

C．Maximizing the benefits of critical ignoring on the Internet.

D．Strategies of abandoning critical thinking for Internet users

4 . In 2022, campaign group Fashion Revolution Chelsea dye a garden for its Chelsea Flower Show presentation. An ancient craft, natural dyeing is a practice whose time has come again, with hand tie-dyed fashion also making a comeback in recent years.

The revival has been encouraged by Covid lockdowns, “which allowed people to explore the craft at home, says natural-dyeing enthusiast and teacher Susan Dye. It’s unlikely, though, that the practice would have caught on in quite the same way if not for a continually growing discomfort about fashion’s heavy footprint. From carbon emissions to animal cruelty, fashion is under considerable inspection. “Put it this way, 97% of dyes used in the industry are petrochemically (石油化学产品) based,” says sustainable fashion consultant Jackie Andrews, who helped advise the UN Ethical Fashion Initiative. We’ve got net zero targets which mean we’re going to have to remove all those petrochemicals from the manufacturing cycle.

Fashion is a huge polluter. According to the UN Environment Program, the industry is responsible for up to one-fifth of all industrial water pollution—due to the fact that most clothes today are produced in poorer countries where regulation is weak and enforcement weaker. Waste water is dumped directly into rivers and streams, poisoning the land as well as the water sources of people and animals who rely on them.

It’s easy to see why someone who cares about people, planet and animals, as well as clothes, might turn to natural plant dyeing. From the beauty of the raw materials—often wild plants-to the property of only bonding with natural fiber like cotton and linen (亚麻布) from the minor footprint of recycling old clothing that has grayed or faded over time to the vibrant and long-lasting dyeing results, plant dyeing feels like a quiet act of rebellion. This is why, while beginners start with simply changing their clothes’ color, new worlds open. Many of today’s natural dyers grow their own dye plants, run local community workshops, and advocate for change in industrialized fashion systems and beyond.

1. What is the main reason for the growing discomfort mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．The adoption of petrochemical-based dyes

B．The disturbing consequences of the fashion industry.

C．The fashion industry’s focus on luxurious designs.

D．The challenging net zero targets to be achieved.

2. How does the author illustrate Fashion is a huge polluter?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By listing numbers
C．By giving examples.	D．By introducing a new topic

3. What does the underlined phrase a quiet act of rebellion in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．A protest against turning to natural fiber.

B．An objection to recycling old clothing

C．A resistance to vibrant colors in natural dyeing

D．A struggle for a sustainable fashion industry

4. What would be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．The Environmental Impact of Natural Dyeing

B．The Return of Natural Dyeing with Ethical Appeal

C．Fashion Revolution’s Dye Garden Presentation

D．The Petrochemical Dye Industry and Its Challenges

5 . When international aid is given, steps must be taken to ensure (确保)that the aid reaches the people for whom it is intended. The way to achieve this may not be simple. It is very difficult for a nation to give help directly to people in another nation. The United Nations Organization (UNO) could undertake to direct the distribution of aid. Here however rises the problem of costs. Also tied with this is time. Perhaps the UNO could set up a body of devoted men and women in every country who can speedily distribute aid to victims of floods and earthquakes.

More than the help that one nation can give to another during a disaster; it would be more effective to give other forms of help during normal times. A common proverb says, “Give me a fish and I eat for a day,teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” If we follow this wise saying, it would be right to teach people from less developed nations to take care of themselves. For example, a country could share its technology with another. This could be in simple areas like agriculture or in more complex areas like medical and health care or even in building satellites. Even small country is able to help less developed nations. Sometimes what is take for granted, like the setting up of a water purification plant or the administration of a school, could be useful for countries which are looking about to solve common problems. It does not cost much to share such simple things. Exchange students could be attached for a number of months or years and learn the required craft while on the site. They can then take their knowledge back to their homelands and if necessary come back form time to time to clear doubts or to update themselves. Such aid will be truly helpful and there is no chance of it being temporary or of it falling into the wrong hands.

Many countries run extensive courses in all sorts of skills. It will not cost much to include deserving foreigners in these courses. Besides giving effective help to the countries concerned, there is also the build-up of friendships to consider. Giving direct help by giving materials may be effective in the short run and must continue to be given in the event of emergencies. However, in the long run what is really effective would be the sharing of knowledge.

1. According to the author, how could international aid reach the victims in time?

A．By solving the cost problems

B．By solving the transportation problems

C．By setting up a body of devoted people in every country.

D．By relying on the direct distribution of the UNO.

2. What does the author try to express in the underlined sentence?

A．Providing food is vital	B．Learning to fish is helpful
C．Teaching skills is essential	D．Looking after others is important.

3. The second paragraph is developed mainly _________.

A．by example

B．by process

C．by comparison

D．by contrast

4. Which aid is likely to fall into the wrong hands?

A．A medical team.	B．An exchange program.
C．A water plant.	D．Financial support.

5. What can we infer about international aid from the passage?

A．It is facing difficulties

B．It is unnecessary during normal times

C．It should be given in the form of materials

D．It has gained support developed countries