1 . The essence (本质) of fast fashion is to make clothes inexpensively and quickly, to get new trends and styles into stores and online as soon as possible, and it comes at a high social and environmental cost. Keeping production costs low means they can make their clothes cheap, using cheap labour in unsafe working conditions, and in countries with bad environmental regulations.
Throw-away culture is deeply rooted in our society; three in five of our clothing pieces are thrown out within a year. Fast fashion brands keep the consumers hungry and feeling like they need more by attracting them with newness and convincing the consumers that they need what they’re selling. This only results in increasing textile waste as people no longer want but throw it away.
Criticisms of the fast fashion industry include its negative environmental impact: water pollution, the use of toxic (有毒的) chemicals and increasing levels of textile waste. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture. Fast fashion companies rely on their products being made cheaply and quickly, so they avoid talking when it comes to being aware of their impact on the environment. Greenpeace’s recent Detox Campaign showed that many brands use toxic and dangerous chemicals in their supply chains, and many of the chemicals are either banned or strictly controlled in lots of countries.
In conclusion, the fast fashion industry has a bad effect on our environment through fast fashion brands’ ecological practices and only continues to make the problem last for a long time in the future through extreme consumerist culture. In order for change to happen, the common people need to open their eyes and take measures to prevent the fast fashion from growing.
1. What’s one of the characteristics of fast fashion?| A．Causing a lot of anxiety. | B．Making people buy old clothes. |
| C．Selling most clothes through stores. | D．Producing clothes quickly. |
| A．They are mainly sold online. | B．They are made in unsafe countries. |
| C．They are made by cheap labour. | D．They save the cost of advertising. |
| A．Natural. | B．Surprising. | C．Absurd. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．Changing fast fashion brands’ working conditions. |
| B．Changing clothes stores’ sales model. |
| C．Introducing stricter laws for factories. |
| D．Raising public awareness of preventing fast fashion. |
2 . China’s newest online hit is a pink fox called LinaBell, who resides in Shanghai Disneyland Resort. After making her first public appearance on September 29, the life-size plush animal has taken the Chinese social media. On Weibo, the hashtag (话题标签) of LinaBell had amounted to over 430 million views by November 19.
Unlike other Disney characters, LinaBell has never been on the big or small screen. She’s not in any cartoon series or movie and doesn’t have a full back story. All we know is that she met Duffy, Mickey Mouse’s teddy bear, in the forest and helped him find his way home, according to Disney’s introduction video of the character. Despite her confusing history, she has gone to conquer the hearts of many Chinese. But why?
A lot is working for LinaBell. Disney says she’s “a fox with an curious mind and the intelligence that supports it,” but those who’ve come to know her say they were swooned by her unique personality and adorable appearance.
Videos of meet-and-greets with the pink fox are all over the internet and LinaBell can be seen communicating with every visitor through expressive body language. She corrects those who mispronounce her name, shows love for those queuing up for hours to meet her and hands out free candy. She’s been called witty, sharp and fun-loving. “I feel cured by LinaBell, I watch her videos every night before bed. I even got an annual pass to Disney just for her,” wrote a blogger called “Dobby.” She posted a video of her talking to LinaBell on her account on social media platform “Little Red Book” and received 15,000 likes.
As a “locally born and bred” Chinese fox, LinaBell can understand different Chinese dialects beyond that of Shanghai, and can communicate with visitors from different parts of China. “With or without her fans waiting in line, LinaBell is delivering love and warmth, she made me forget all the displeasure of real life,” reads one popular comment by Miss Luo. “Maybe this is the power of magic.”
1. Which of the following sets LinaBell apart from other Disney characters?| A．She loves helping animals in the forest. |
| B．She is not a character in a movie or TV series. |
| C．She keeps updating her everyday life by posting videos online. |
| D．She first appeared on Disney’s introduction video on September 29. |
| A．Trapped. | B．Infected. | C．Astonished. | D．Attracted. |
| A．Friendly and sensitive. | B．Humorous and adorable. |
| C．Cute and ignorant. | D．Intelligent and tricky. |
| A．The mystery of LinaBell. | B．The attraction of Shanghai Disneyland. |
| C．The popularity of Disney’s pink fox. | D．The birth of a new cartoon character. |
