1 . The Japanese government said it planned to begin the discharge (排放) of slightly radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Thursday, rejecting calls for a delay from some people in neighboring countries.
An earthquake and tsunami knocked out power at the Fukushima nuclear plant on March 11, 2011, causing meltdowns at three reactors. Tritium (氚) and carbon-14 are, respectively, radioactive forms of hydrogen (氢) and carbon, and are difficult to separate from water. They are widely present in the natural environment, water and even in humans, as they are formed in the Earth’s atmosphere and can enter the water cycle. Both emit very low levels of radiation but can pose a risk if absorbed in large quantities. Water which was used to cool reactor cores as well as rainwater and groundwater that flowed into or near the plant have been contaminated with radioactive substances. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power, or Tepco, has stored the water in more than 1,000 tanks at the facility but says it is running out of room.
Tepco says it will reduce the concentration (浓度) of nearly all radioactive substances in the wastewater to a safe level with the exception of tritium, an isotope (同位素) of hydrogen. The water will then get diluted (稀释) with seawater so the concentration of tritium is reduced to a safe level before the discharge, according to Tepco. As the water is diluted further in the ocean, the concentration of tritium will almost equal the natural level by 6 miles from the discharge point, which is at the end of an undersea tunnel about six-tenths of a mile from the shoreline, a Tepco official said.
But that hasn’t reassured many of Japan’s neighbors, with officials from China and the Pacific Islands voicing alarm and opposition to the plan. Beijing will take “necessary measures” to safeguard food safety and its people’s health, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Tuesday, adding they “strongly urge the Japanese side to correct its wrongful decision”. Meanwhile, fishing communities in Japan and South Korea worry the wastewater release could mean the end of their livelihoods — with consumers across the region already beginning to quit seafood from Japan and its nearby waters, and some governments even banning imported food from parts of Japan, including Fukushima.
1. The meltdowns at three reactors were caused by ________.| A．the greenhouse effect | B．human behaviour |
| C．climate change | D．natural disasters |
| A．purified | B．reduced | C．polluted | D．operated |
| A．More than 1,000 tanks at the facility can store all the radioactive wastewater. |
| B．The concentration of all radioactive substances will be reduced to a safe level. |
| C．The discharge won’t affect the coastal residents since the discharge point is about 0.6 miles offshore. |
| D．The concentration of tritium will be nearly at the natural level after being diluted further in the ocean. |
| A．people in these areas couldn’t make a profit in the future |
| B．it would threaten people’s physical health and livelihoods |
| C．it would be more difficult to import food from parts of Japan |
| D．the local seafood would be unaffordable for people in these areas |
2 . Summer isn’t summer without the beach. For millions of Americans, hitting the sand is a time to catch waves, enjoy the sunshine, build sand castles, have picnics, spot wildlife and go exploring.
Plastic isn’t fantastic.
One of the biggest contributors to beach litter is single-use plastic, such as chip bags, candy wrappers and juice boxes.
It doesn’t matter how much time and effort you spent building a sand castle or digging the giant moat (壕沟) around it. If you are on a beach marked as a sea turtle habitat, fill in the moat and knock down the structure. Otherwise, they can die if they fall into a hole and get trapped.
Respect the animals.
The beach isn’t a petting zoo. People who love the creatures of the ocean have a desire to gain amazing experiences with them and have a connection to them, but don’t touch them.
Read the signs.
Signs posted at the beach aren’t optional reading: they are there to alert you to where you can’t go, what you can’t do, and what you can’t take, so don’t mess with the local ecosystem or its inhabitants.
All the actions above may seem like little gestures, but they will serve as an inspiration to fellow beachgoers.
| A．Destroy what you build. |
| B．Keep off a turtle habitat. |
| C．Plastic toys break easily, leaving behind chips and pieces. |
| D．Work together, and individuals can really make a big difference. |
| E．Buy food and drinks in bulk and put them in reusable packaging instead. |
| F．However, all that fun places stress on the coastal environment and the animals that inhabit it. |
| G．For example, if you take a starfish out of the water, even for 10 seconds, it could choke and die. |
3 . As the world struggles to deal with the climate crisis, some companies are working to remove polluting carbon dioxide from the air.
Scientists say large amounts of CO2 must be removed from the CO2 atmosphere and stored.
That means humans need to come up with ways of removing carbon from the air and storing it. This is called Direct Air Capture(DAC). The science of removing carbon from the air is challenging, and it’s still pretty new.
A company called Heirloom has just opened the first DAC plant in the United States. The company heats up the limestone to separate out the CO2, which is concrete. The process is extremely expensive.
| A．Plants and trees do this naturally. |
| B．That’s a huge and challenging goal. |
| C．Not everyone is excited about carbon removal. |
| D．Graphyte is another US company working on DAC. |
| E．The new plant can remove 1,000 tons of CO2 a year. |
| F．Most DAC processes require a large amount of energy. |
| G．As a matter of fact, CO2 is just a small part of the gases that make up air. |
4 . On December 16,2023, the first section of Maya Train officially opened, which runs between Campeche and Cancun, carrying up to 231 passengers across 290 miles and stopping at 14 train stations.
Built as an ambitious effort to promote tourism and boost Mexico’s economy, the rail system connects the major cities and tourist regions of the Yucatan Peninsula -from Cancun’s beaches to Tulum’s archaeological wonders. Once the project is completed, the entire rail system will link tourist destinations across five states. However, environmentalists and archaeologists argue that the train route will cause great damage to the environment and ancient Mayan sites.
The Maya Train passes through six UNESCO World Heritage sites and thousands of archaeological sites. One particular area of concern is the Calakmul reserve, which is home to many endangered species, such as jaguars and over 500 other animal species. The train lines, more than 60 meters wide, could act as artificial barriers that may make it difficult for these animals to move around and access food and water sources.
Opponents also express safety concerns. Certain sections of the rail system will be built right on top of the aquifer’s (地下水层的) weakest points of contact with the surface. “It’s like wanting to build over eggshells.” says Guillermo Christy, a water treatment consultant. “Putting trains weighing thousands of tons on top could cause the underground caves to crash down.” To construct the train infrastructure (基础设施) also requires driving long piles deep into the ground, which poses a big threat to this weak ecosystem and leads to water shortages.
In the ongoing debate of Maya Train, it is crucial to consider the delicate balance between economic development and environmental preservation. While Maya Train may provide economic benefits, we must not ignore the potential environmental and cultural losses, as well as the safety risks it may bring. Achieving harmony between progress and conservation may be a significant challenge for the project, but we must take into account the long-term consequences of our actions.
1. What is the purpose of the Maya Train project?| A．To help protect the environment. | B．To promote Mexico’s economy. |
| C．To connect tourist regions across states. | D．To give easy access to Mayan sites. |
| A．The movement of species may be limited. | B．Animals may have communication barriers. |
| C．The living habitats of species may be reduced. | D．The reserve may have food and water shortages. |
| A．To prove the urgency of protecting the ecosystem. |
| B．To illustrate the difficulty of constructing the rail lines. |
| C．To explain the reasons for water shortages along the railway. |
| D．To stress the potential harm of Maya Train to aquifer system. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Opposed. | C．Favorable. | D．Indifferent. |
The Northeast China Tiger and Leopard (豹) National Park, bordering Russia and the North Korea,
Located in the temperate (温带) zone of Asia, the park possesses splendid and
The park is a perfect place for the reproduction (繁殖) and
In an age of rapidly growing urbanization, rooftop farming has emerged as a sustainable response
Rooftop farming, also
As urban populations continue to grow, rooftop farming fosters community engagement
7 . Every April 22 people come together to take action that will protect the environment. One theme of Earth Day is “Invest (投资) In Our Planet”. So how is investment in eco-innovation helping to deliver a more sustainable future?
When it comes to the environment, it can be argued that the technology industry is both the problem and the solution. Tech is responsible for between 3.5% and 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions (排放物). And the EU believes the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is responsible for10% of all electricity consumption. On the other hand, we all want a sustainable future for the planet. Yet we also want the convenience and fun of modern living. Obviously, only eco-innovation can deliver the solutions.
Eco-innovation is the key to doing more with less. All over the world, and across many different industries, innovators are working to reduce the human footprint while improving productivity. Innovative farming is a good example.
Until recently, most agricultural improvements focused on the development of machines. Now digital tools are causing a new wave of efficiency. Innovative farming companies look to increase farm efficiency and reduce input waste through farming techniques. And they are using real-time devices located in the field or in equipment. The data collected by these devices help farmers make better decisions about where to provide effort and resources while reducing the environmental footprint.
As people’s awareness of environmental protection continues to increase, the tech industry needs to keep working on the inventions like those described above. These breakthroughs will help us all to do more with less. Also, tech companies are facing calls to keep their own houses in order. Lawmakers and consumers want them to use fewer materials in the production process and rethink their approach to recycling and waste. The good news is that governments and eco-innovative companies have already carried out a major clean-up mission.
1. What can we learn about the technology industry according to paragraph 2?| A．It contributes to saving electricity. |
| B．It will change our traditional way of life. |
| C．It benefits and damages the environment. |
| D．It is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions. |
| A．The use of digital equipment. | B．The training of farmers. |
| C．The collection of resources. | D．The invention of machines. |
| A．Build more greenhouses. | B．Meet the market requirements. |
| C．Watch their environmental behavior. | D．Change their management style. |
| A．The long-term goal of Earth Day |
| B．Modern farming and technological change |
| C．The key to the development of technology industry |
| D．Eco-innovation and environmental protection |
8 . Every order of takeout comes with a side of single-use plastics and each plastic fork. knife, spoon and straw-whether or not you wanted it or used it-ends up in the trash.
New research found that 139 million metric tons of single-use plastic waste was generated in 2021-six million metric tons more single-use plastics compared to 2019. A hunger for takeout meals during the pandemic contributed to the surge.
An estimated 60% of Americans order takeout or delivery at least once a week and online ordering is growing 300% faster than in-house dining; that means millions of single-use plastic utensils (餐具) are going out with every order.
New laws aim to address the problem. Some of the recent bills are thanks to The National Reuse Network, part of the environmental nonprofit Upstream, which launched a national Skip the Stuff campaign to work out policies that require restaurants to include single-use plastic utensils, straws, and napkins only when customers request them.
The bills also require meal delivery and online apps like Uber Eats, GrubHub and Door Dash to add single-use extras to their menus; customers can choose the items and quantities to have them included in the order. Customers that don’t order the single-use plastics won’t receive them. The goal of the bills is to reduce the 40 billion plastic utensils sent to the landfill (垃圾填埋场) every year.
“Most of the time, people are taking food home or to their offices where there are reusable utensils so these utensils wind up in a drawer or get thrown out,” says Alexis Goldsmith, national organizing director for a nationwide project Beyond Plastics. “Some people do need utensils, but for the most part, they’re not needed.”
To date, Skip the Stuff bills have been passed in several cities, including Denver, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, California and Washington state passed statewide bills that make single-use plastic “accessories” available with takeout orders only upon request.
Organizations like Upstream, Beyond plastics and NRDC have created toolkits to help additional communities launch their own Skip the Stuff campaigns.
1. What does the underlined word “surge” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Great desire. | B．Sharp decline. | C．Rapid increase. | D．Obvious panic. |
| A．Choosing green products. | B．Adding single-use napkins. |
| C．Recycling and reusing utensils. | D．Providing utensils only on request. |
| A．To reduce plastic waste. | B．To stop bad eating habits. |
| C．To encourage people to eat out. | D．To better the dining environment. |
| A．Unimportant. | B．Damaging. | C．Much-needed. | D．Well-known. |
9 . Three years ago, Juan Carlos Sesma had a realization. Global warming and climate change seemed to be a mounting problem, with scientific records indicating rising temperatures and sea levels across the world. At the same time forest fires, logging, and aggressive human expansion meant the supply of trees which helped to regulate and remove greenhouse gases from our atmosphere was dwindling .
He decided the best way to tackle a problem this large was to combine two of the most powerful forces emerging in technology: big data and robotics. Sesma founded a new company called CO2 Revolution, whose plan was to use drones(无人机) to better understand where new trees should be planted and to automate the process of planting so that much larger areas of forest could be repopulated. The company designed a special smart seed that helped to deliver just the right amount of protection and nutrition to the young saplings. The overall goal was to considerably lower the time and cost of large-scale re-forestation.
CO2 Revolution isn’t alone. In the UK, a startup called Biocarbon Engineering ran a trial earlier this year where it used drones to help replant Mangrove trees in Myanmar. It has also deployed(部署) its technology in Australia, South Africa, and Morocco. “In a lot of places, people will either have a map taken by aeroplane, or just use Google Earth satellite imagery.
They’ll draw things out freehand and manually plant, either by hand or tractor,” said CEO Susan Graham in a recent interview.
The challenge for all these startups is to find ways to create a profitable, or at least sustainable, business model. For Sesma and the team at CO2 Revolution, recent regulatory action has highlighted one potential pathway. “We offer a solution that allows clients to carry out massive plantings, increasing forest mass and thus compensating for their carbon footprint.” Amid growing calls for carbon sequestration, this kind of effort might prove not just noble, but financially sensible for large corporations.
1. What drove Sesma to set up CO2 Revolution?| A．Big data and robotics. | B．Forest fires and human expansion. |
| C．Global Warming and climate change. | D．Powerful forces emerging in technology. |
| A．Declining. | B．Changing. | C．Recovering. | D．Expanding. |
| A．Drones are populated in larger areas of forests. |
| B．CO2 Revolution calls for a profitable drone model. |
| C．Biocarbon Engineering sets up worldwide technology centers. |
| D．Smart seeds are designed to improve the accuracy of planting. |
| A．Conventional. | B．Valueless. | C．Beneficial. | D．Impractical. |
10 . Students at the Calhoun School in New York City have much more than a roof over their heads. They have a rooftop garden, with lush grass, colorful flowers and fragrant herbs. “Green roofs” are sprouting up all over, from schools to city skyscrapers. And roofs aren’t the only things going green. Architects are finding all sorts of new ways to build buildings that are easier on the environment. These schools, homes, and offices are called “green buildings”.
Normally it takes a lot of energy to run appliances. Too often, that energy comes from burning fossil fuels. So green buildings are designed to do all these things with much less energy. An energy-smart building starts with thick walls. A layer of insulation (隔热材料) traps air to stop heat from passing through. That keeps heat inside in the winter, and keeps heat outside in the summer. This saves energy for heating and cooling.
Heat pumps are another power-saving way to stay comfortable. A ground heat pump moves heat through pipes that run through the ground next to the building. A few feet under the ground, the temperature stays around 10℃ all year round. Water flowing around the pipes helps heat the building in winter and cool it in summer.
Another way to build green is to use recycled materials. That saves the cost and pollution of manufacturing something new. In the Chicago Center for Green Technology, the ceiling tiles (瓷砖) are made of pressed newspaper. The bathroom floors are tiled with recycled glass, and the stall walls are recycled plastic. Builders have found many creative ways to re-use old materials.
As more people become concerned about climate change, more buildings are going green. Green buildings produce less of the gases that warm the planet. City planners like green buildings because they save money. And they are healthier for the people who work and live inside. But you don’t need to build a whole new building. Simple changes like shading windows and planting trees can make any home greener—and a better Earth home for us all.
1. How are green buildings designed to keep warm in the winter?| A．By-burning fossil fuels. | B．By using thick walls with insulators. |
| C．By running heating devices. | D．By equipping buildings with appliances. |
| A．saving water | B．using recycled materials |
| C．using less energy | D．reducing greenhouse gas emissions |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. | C．Economy. | D．Technology. |
| A．Recycling: to make a better earth for us all |
| B．Heat Pumps: a new approach to saving energy |
| C．Green Roofs: more than a roof over our heads |
| D．Building Green: to hug the earth more kindly |
