Every year, approximately 1.6 million tons of soil flows into Yellow River, China’s second
In fact, it is you
2 . It took a wave of water full of plastic crashing over Babacar Thiaw as he went out to sea for him to decide to act. By the time his surfboard had carried him back to Virage beach on the north shore (岸) of Senegal’s capital, Dakar, Thiaw had a plan to make use of the surfing community he had built there.
Within a year he had turned Copacabana Surf Village, which he founded with his father two decades ago, into a center for young Senegalese eco-surfers, where he organizes beach cleans, environmental courses for children and runs Senegal’s first zero-waste restaurant.
Thiaw grew up in a fishing village near the beach, and the Copacabana Surf Village’s foundations (地基) were laid by his fisher father, who after a day’s work would head to Virage beach to surf on a wooden board. They worked hard to turn the Village into a business by renting out surfboards and later offering lessons with the help of visiting overseas surfers.
It is now a popular surfing location, attracting tourists. It’s also a place where Thiaw teaches young Senegalese how to surf and care for the ocean they spend so much time in.
“When we come to the water to surf, we can see how much plastic is ending up here and it disturbs (使烦恼) us,” says Mohammed Sarr, 17, who Thiaw taught to surf. Sarr says he has become more aware of how he uses and deals with plastic because he and his family, who live near the sea, are directly affected.
Thiaw says there was doubt about the plastic-free initiative (倡议), with diners questioning whether it was healthy for him to be serving water in reusable glass bottles. But he stresses that everyone needs to understand the requirement to change .“ Once the environment is getting worse, you and your family and friends will surely suffer,” he says.
1. What caused Thiaw to decide to make a change?| A．The attack of seawater. | B．The sight of plastic in the sea. |
| C．The dirty Virage beach. | D．The needy surfing community. |
| A．He is very good at running a business. | B．He founded the Village to save the sea. |
| C．He was the first to develop Village beach. | D．He tried hard to get support from the public. |
| A．To show Thiaw’s influence on him. | B．To describe his relationship with Thiaw. |
| C．To share his worries about Thiaw’s efforts. | D．To praise his surfing skills taught by Thiaw. |
| A．They’ll have a healthy diet. | B．They’ll donate to locals in need. |
| C．They’ll do their part for the environment. | D．They’ll contribute to running the restaurant. |
3 . Most Beautiful of All
| A．They smelled wonderful and crunched (发出碎裂声) under our feet as we walked along. |
| B．Then, she approached and asked us whether we had any trash. |
| C．I decided to take my sons for a walk the other day. |
| D．As is often the case, we are too busy to find the beauty of nature. |
| E．As we turned a corner along the walking trail, I noticed a woman slowly making her way towards us. |
| F．Of all the things I saw that day, she was the most beautiful. |
| G．Then, quickly and neatly, she placed it in the trash bag. |
4 . Organic (有机的) farming is a type of agriculture that benefits from the recycling and use of natural products. Use of dried plants not only saves money, but also ensures the growth of crops. The technique is characterized (具有……的特征) by the use of green manure (肥料), biological pest control methods and special farming techniques to keep soil productive. Limiting the use of manmade chemicals or completely doing away with (去掉) them reduces the risk of diseases. Today, organic farming is a major and preferred industry around the world. Organically grown products have a huge market, with farmlands covering about 10% of the total world farmland. The initial effort made by Sir Albert Howard, the Father of Organic Farming, has paid off.
Advantages of Organic Farming：
1. The economics of organic farming are characterized by increasing profits (利润) through reduced water use and reduced soil erosion (侵蚀).
2. Organic farming produces the same crops as those produced through traditional farming methods, but uses half the energy, and holds 40% more top soil.
3. Farming the organic way enables farmers to get rid of weeds without the use of any chemicals.
4. The use of green pesticides (杀虫剂) is environmentally friendly and does no harm to human’s health.
Disadvantages of Organic Farming：
1. Organic methods of farming produce less, compared to traditional farming techniques.
2. Organic agriculture does little to fight global climate change. Though organic farming practices are recognized as giving out less CO2, but not to a significant degree.
However, though there are some disadvantages to organic farming, farms where organic methods for cropping have been used have more advantages than traditional farms. Organic agriculture is surely better in the long term.
1. Organic farming uses the manure made from ________.
| A．expensive soil | B．dried plants |
| C．harmful pests | D．manmade chemicals |
| A．worked hard for nothing |
| B．succeeded in organic farming |
| C．spent all his time on organic farming |
| D．didn’t expect organic farming to be successful |
a.is more environmentally friendly
b.produces a lot more food
c.uses less energy
d.results in more weeds in the farmland
e.is better for human’s health
| A．abc | B．acd | C．ace | D．bce |
| A．anxious | B．hopeless |
| C．unclear | D．optimistic |
5 . Lying alongside mountains of smelly garbage under the South American sun, Cateura is a long way from the conservatories of Prague or Vienna. Yet the township, which grew out of Paraguay's largest dump(垃圾场), is gaining a reputation as a hothouse for musical talent and for its youth orchestra(管弦乐队) that plays instruments made from garbage. "The world sends us garbage. We send back music," says Favio Chavez, leader of the "Recycled Orchestra," during a recent visit by the group to Los Angeles. Orchestra members, poor children from Cateura, play violins fashioned from oven trays and guitars made from dessert dishes. The orchestra provides the youngsters an outlet and an escape, a chance to go beyond the mess of their slum(贫民窟) through the music of Mozart, and even Sinatra. "In the beginning, it was difficult to play," says the l0-year-old violinist Celeste Fleitas." But Favio helped me learn over time. From Favio, I have learned to be more responsible and value the things I have."
The destination for more than 1,500 tons of waste each day, the community has no safe drinking water and little access to electricity or sanitation(卫生设施). Illiteracy is severe, and the children of the township often fall into drugs, violence and crimes.
Favio Chavez, a musical talent, came to Cateura as an environmental technician in 2006 and started a youth music school. He knew shop-bought instruments were beyond the means of villagers whose sheds are worth less than a violin, so he approached a carpenter to make some out of waste from the dump.
The orchestra caught the eye of Paraguayan filmmaker Alejandra Amarilla. She uploaded a short piece of the orchestra to YouTube in 2012, hoping to secure crowdfunding for what would become Landfill Harmonic, a documentary released across the United States this month and promoting the youngsters on a tour of the world's music halls later on.
1. What is the best title of the text?| A．Youngsters carry tunes from garbage to victory |
| B．A music talent hit the road to the world stage |
| C．A town for music fans |
| D．An orchestra on a global tour |
| A．It has raised people's awareness of recycling trash |
| B．It has caught more attention through the orchestra |
| C．It recycles more than l,500 tons of rubbish per day |
| D．It provides its children with better schooling conditions |
| A．To assist the youngsters with a world tour |
| B．To collect funding for a documentary |
| C．To organize carpenters to make instruments |
| D．To catch the eye of the Paraguay government |
| A．To work in a team weighs more |
| B．To recycle things is to conserve things |
| C．To be creative is a quality of a leader |
| D．To own nothing is no excuse to do nothing |
6 . Green building refers to both a structure and the using of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle. Green buildings can also refer to environmentally friendly houses, factories, and offices.
Green building means “reducing the effect of the building on the land”, Taryn Holowka of the U. S. Green Building Council (评议会）in Washington, D, C, said. According to Holowka, building accounts for 65 percent of total US, electricity use.
But green buildings can reduce energy and water use- Also, the buildings are often located near public transportation such as buses and subways, so that people can drive their cars less. That could be good for the environment, because cars use lots of gas and give off pollution. Green buildings are often built on developed land, so that the buildings don’t destroy forests.
Marty Dettling is project manager for a building that puts these ideas into action. The Solaire has been called the country's first green high-rise building. According to Dettling, “We’ve reduced our energy use by one-third and our water by 50 percent.”
The Solaire cuts energy in part by using solar power. “On the face of the building we have solar panels which change the sun's energy into electricity,” Dettling explained.
The Solaire also has lights that automatically turn off when people leave the room. In addition, the building has lots of windows, allowing people to use the sun for light during the day. The Solaire cuts water by reusing it.
Not everyone is eager to move into a green building, however. Some people think that things like solar panels cost more money than more traditional energy sources. Anyhow, Holowka said, “It’s going to be big.”
1. A green building is often built on an area of land ________.| A．where traveling around by car is most convenient |
| B．which has thick forests around |
| C．where people of high income live |
| D．which has already been for buildings |
| A．a building that uses no electricity |
| B．a green-colored building |
| C．a building occupying less land |
| D．a building that saves energy and water |
| A．will be more comfortable |
| B．will be more environmentally friendly |
| C．will become popular in future |
| D．will take the place of traditional buildings |
7 . There’s a trend that more city people decide that they want to grow crops and raise some live-stock (家禽). After all, there are few things more satisfying than biting into a bunch of tender, red carrots you grow yourself, or a fresh egg from the backyard.
Most gardeners understand that the soil in big cities is often polluted with lead and know to get their soil tested. But most are pretty clueless about how to prevent other types of pollutants, like heavy metals and asbestos(石棉)from getting into their vegetables.
Part of the problem is that “there might be pollutants that gardeners can’t test for,” says Brent Kim, a program officer. Most soil tests look for lead, cadrniunt(镉)and arsenic(砷). But they don’t test things like chemicals left behind by cars, which might have escaped into the soil.
So if you’re thinking of staring an urban garden, Kim says, once you’ve found a plot of land, you should learn what’s now an empty plot or a backyard might once have been a parking lot, a gas station or a chemical ground. “Knowing its past will give you some idea about what might be in that soil,” he says.
“People tend to think raised beds are going to solve their pollution problem,” Kim says. But polluted soil could easily kicked onto your plants, especially if the beds are low to the ground.
“Another consideration is that you have to be careful about the materials that you’re using to build a raised bed,” Kim says. Recycling wood from an old construction site might seem like a good, eco-friendly idea. But that wood could be treated with chemicals you don’t want touching your fruits and veggies, Kim says. And it’s always a good idea to use gloves while gardening, and wash all your produce thoroughly.
“I see these urban growing spaces as these oases(绿洲)in the middle of these urban environments,” Kim says. “They bring communities together, and they help people save money on fresh produce. Urban growing spaces are amazing. Let’s keep doing this, but let’s do it safely.”
1. What does the underlined word “clueless” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．unaware | B．careless |
| C．helpless | D．considerate |
| A．Build it on a parking lot | B．Keep it low to the ground |
| C．Know the history of the ground | D．Use recycled wood to build it |
| A．They are free from some tests | B．Their plants can be poisoned |
| C．They are environment-friendly | D．Their materials are all recycled |
| A．More fresh vegetables are produced by urban gardeners |
| B．Growing vegetables become a fashion in big cities |
| C．Big cities are short of soil for growing fresh produce |
| D．Urban gardeners may not realize the seriousness of polluted soil |
Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified (提炼) to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage (污物) treatment works plant in Didcot.
The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria (厌氧菌) digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes (酶) to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.
Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families.
The Didcot project cost ￡2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020.
The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families.
1. Which of the following is true of the biomethane gas?
| A．It’s mainly made from rotting plants. |
| B．It’s an environmentally friendly gas. |
| C．Its production process is too long. |
| D．It’s easily recognized by the customers. |
| A．To digest the solid waste material. |
| B．To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria. |
| C．To help purify the biomethane. |
| D．To speed up the digestion process. |
| A．as the power for the vehicles |
| B．for the heating and cooking |
| C．to produce the electricity |
| D．to drive a variety of machines |
| A．UK government supports the biome thane projects |
| B．the biome thane projects are very costly |
| C．the biome thane projects still face many barriers |
| D．the biome thane projects are promising |
| A．Computer science. | B．Engineering. | C．Energy. | D．Business. |
