1 . Imagine there being a business that regularly takes huge quantities of your own products worth millions of pounds and burns them up. Your stock literally goes up in smoke. It sounds crazy, but the practice is common for some of the world’s biggest clothing manufacturers. They argue that it is the most cost-effective way of maintaining their brand's exclusivity (独特性).
The clothes that are burned are those that do not sell at a high enough price. Rather than watch them go on sale, the companies would set fire to them and regain a small amount of energy.
Nobody knows exactly how much unsold stock is burnt annually by those fashion houses, but burning clothes has various negative impacts on the environment. For example burning clothes made from artificial fibers may release plastic microfibers into the atmosphere, which worsens global warming. A U.K. parliamentary committee report on sustainability and the fashion industry advises the government to ban the burning of unsold stock if it can be reused or recycled.
Actually, there are other approaches. What if those companies had a section tasked with taking back unsold clothes, redesigning them into new products, and shipping out the new products to the market once again?
There is also now an opportunity to focus on biodegradable (可生物降解的) fabrics. Clothes that break down faster might not have to be burned. They would also appeal to those who care about the environmental impact of their own wardrobes.
Additionally, we have an over-production problem. According to the World Bank, while clothing sales have risen steadily since 2000, clothing utilization has fallen at roughly the same rate. For every extra T-shirt that is sold, it will be worn roughly half as much as it would have been 20 years ago. That means better forecasting market trends would in theory result in less waste.
Burning clothes won't happen simply through fashion firms. The scale of fashion production has to change. And it's important to recognize that these consumer-focused brands will only go where the market takes them. If protecting the environment really matters to the public, they have to make clear that they want more sustainable clothing in the first place. Without consumers demanding that, it won't change.
1. Paragraph Three mainly talks about _______.| A．how important the U.K. parliamentary committee report is |
| B．why fashion firms should end burning unsold stock |
| C．why fashion firms burn unsold clothes in large numbers every year |
| D．how artificial fabrics will contribute to global warming |
| A．how long clothing lasts | B．how well clothing sells |
| C．how often clothing is used | D．how clothing is designed |
| A．Redesigning and making them into new clothes |
| B．Making consumers feel better about their purchases |
| C．Conducting research on market demand before production |
| D．Making clothes out of environmentally-friendly materials |
| A．Consumers play a key role in stopping burning clothes. |
| B．Burning clothes is a better option for every fashion firm. |
| C．The secret that some fashion firms burn clothes is well kept. |
| D．Today's clothes are better than those two decades ago. |
2 . As Shanghai prepared to introduce mandatory (强制的) garbage sorting on July I, games and toys that examined fun ways to spread information about the garbage sorting were to encourage younger people to take action.
A 15-second video of a game went on Chinese social media. In the video, players wearing VR (虚拟) headsets saw four different types of trash can in front of them, and had to throw different types of garbage into the right buckets (桶) to get points. Although it was not the only VR game in the place, visitors lined up around the booth to explore it because of the garbage-sorting theme.
“As a Shanghai, I am in great need of this game. Maybe I won't need to check how to categorize (分类) each piece of garbage on my phone while going through all my garbage every day if I play this game more often,” said Zhou Zhou, a young Shanghai. But some social media users in Shanghai have complained (抱怨) about the difficulty of sorting different types of garbage.
Wu Xia, founder and CEO of VitrellaCore, the company that created the game, said the idea was to provide an interesting way of learning about garbage sorting. “It’s simple and easy to understand. People can practice sorting garbage without actually going through their trash, and it is a more fruitful method than using paper materials when training volunteers,” Wu said.
1. What is the purpose of the VR game?| A．Just for fun. | B．Teach students to sort garbage. |
| C．Help to release (释放) stress . | D．Teach children to protect environment. |
| A．It is too hard to sort garbage. |
| B．There are too many people lining up. |
| C．The VR game should be more interesting. |
| D．There are more ways to use paper materials. |
| A．Effective. | B．Interesting. | C．Traditional. | D．Scientific. |
| A．Young people like VR games more. |
| B．Shanghai performs mandatory garbage sorting. |
| C．Games were used to help young people sort garbage. |
| D．Learning by playing VR games is practical for the young. |
3 . Though leaders from the International Olympic Committee(IOC)have announced a first-of-its-kind postponement of the Tokyo Summer Olympics because of the corona virus epidemic,people all over the world are still concerned about its preparations.Officials from the Tokyo Olympic Committee say they are sparing no effort and announce the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021 is going green.The 5,000 medals Japan has made are more special than most.
One novel focus of the Tokyo Olympics is to be"sustainable”－to avoid using too many natural resources,so that the games are easy on the environment.As part of this goal,the organizers decided to make all of the Olympic medals out of metal recycled from old electronics.
Almost all electronics are made with small amounts of"precious metals",like gold and silver.But collecting enough of these metals to make 5,000 medals was a huge challenge.That's because the amount of metal in each device is tiny.It would take about 20,000 cell phones to get just l kilogram of gold.
Beginning in April 2017,the organizers placed collection boxes around the country,and asked people to turn in their old electronic devices.Soon people began to respond to the initiative(倡导），turning in smart phones,digital cameras,handheld games,and laptops.At first,collection went slowly,but soon more and more areas began to take part.By the end,1,621 local governments had helped out with the collection process.
Then came the job of breaking those devices down into smaller pieces.After eing taken apart and sorted, the small electronics were smelted(熔炼）to get all the gold,silver,and bronze elements.This is a tricky job, which calls for careful attention and good skill.It's also dangerous,because some of the metals and other things aren't safe for people to touch or breathe.
By the end of March,2019,the organizers had hit their targets of getting enough metal for the medals. They had collected around 32 kilograms of gold,4,100 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of bronze.And now all the 5,000 medals are available for the would-be winners.
1. What can we know about the Tokyo Olympics medals?| A．They are hugely valuable. |
| B．They are of high quality. |
| C．They are made from e-waste. |
| D．They are designed uniquely. |
| A．The difficulty of making the medals. |
| B．The initiative to recycle used smart phones. |
| C．The classification of the collected devices. |
| D．The process of collecting old electronics. |
| A．creative | B．demanding | C．well-paid | D．time-consuming |
| A．To advocate sustainable use of resources. |
| B．To promote the spirit of Olympic Games. |
| C．To introduce a new technique to make medals. |
| D．To show the gravity of environmental damage. |
Environment means all the
The components of nature are made use of by the human beings
5 . Although we're surrounded by millions of them every day, most of us don't think about bricks too often. For thousands of years,the humble clay-fired brick hasn't changed.
They're made from natural materials,but there are problems with bricks at every step of their production. Bricks are made from clay-a type of soil found all over the world.Clay mining harms plant growth.In conventional brick production,the clay is shaped and baked in kilns(窑）heated by fossil fuels,which contributes to climate change.Once made,bricks must be transported to construction sites,generating more carbon emissions.With so many bricks produced globally,their impact adds up.
Gabriela Medero,a professor at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University,decided to find solutions to that.With her university's support,Medero set up Kenoteq in 2009.The company's signature product is the K-Briq.Made from more than 90% construction waste,Medero says the K-Briq- which does not need to be fired in a kiln-produces less than a tenth of the carbon emissions of conventional bricks.With the company testing new machinery to start manufacturing,Medero hopes her bricks will help to build a more sustainable world.
The K-Briq will be comparably priced to old bricks.Additionally,as a new product,the K-Briq has been subjected to strict assessment and authoritative certification.Reusing old bricks is an expensive process and there is no standardized way to check the strength,safety or durability(耐久性）of recycled bricks.Medero says that K-Briqs could solve both these problems.She claims that K-Briqs are stronger and more durable than fired clay bricks.
Over the next 18 months,Medero plans to get K-Briq machinery on-site at recycling plants.＂This will reduce transport-related emissions because trucks can collect K-Briqs when they drop off construction waste,"says Medero.
1. What inspired Medero to reinvent the conventional bricks?| A．The poor quality of the bricks. |
| B．The outdated style of the bricks. |
| C．The high cost of manufacturing bricks. |
| D．The problems with the brick production. |
| A．It won't produce extra waste. |
| B．It brings no pollution to the air. |
| C．The plants occupy much less land than before. |
| D．The products are mainly made from construction waste. |
| A．The popularity of the K-Briqs. |
| B．The advantages of K-Briqs over traditional bricks. |
| C．The special materials used in K-Briqs. |
| D．The advanced technology used for K-Briqs. |
| A．To ensure fewer emissions. |
| B．To speed up the production. |
| C．To lower the production cost. |
| D．To collect more construction waste. |
6 . Have you ever sat down in a restaurant and felt instantly drawn to a particular dish on the menu? The reason might be something as simple as that you love the dish's main ingredient, but it's often more than that.
Scientists are finding that the way food is presented can make a big difference. In one study, for example, party guests were given a glass of a drink called mango lassi. Half the guests were told the lassi was healthy. The rest were told it was unhealthy. Those who had the “healthy” drink considered it 55% less enjoyable than those who drank the “unhealthy” one, though the drinks were exactly the same.
People's choices around what to eat are influenced by lots of small factors unconsciously. But we can make those choices more conscious by arming ourselves with information.
Agriculture accounts for about 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions (排放) warming the planet. But not all foods have equal influences. Globally, the production of animal-based foods accounts for about two-thirds of agricultural emissions, while plant-based foods generally have lower environmental influences.
Increasing the share of plant-based foods in our diets is therefore a key step in reducing agriculture's pressure on climate. That doesn't mean giving up meat, though. We can eat less animal-based food and more plants.
By examining how food decisions are made, scientists have learned that simple pushes can change people's behavior in big ways. Restaurants, hotels, universities, and even cities have begun applying the latest behavioral science to help consumers cut their carbon footprint by choosing more sustainable (可持续的) foods. Burger King began a trial of the plant-based Impossible Burger. At Seattle Pacific University, campus food service provider Sodexo doubled the size of its plant-rich food station.
1. Accordign to scientists, people tend to choose some food or drink mainly because _______.| A．it’s good for their health | B．it’s good for the environment |
| C．they are attracted by its color | D．they like its ingredient and how it’s presented |
| A．They are harmful to the environment. |
| B．They are the main reason for climate change. |
| C．They provide more nutrients than plant-based foods. |
| D．They are less consumed compared to plant-based foods. |
| A．Pay attention to how food is cooked. |
| B．Choose healthy foods to live a longer life. |
| C．Consider climate change when deciding what to eat. |
| D．Give up meat to reduce pressure on the environment. |
| A．Burger King's new plant-based burgers. |
| B．Scientists' new findings on people's food decisions. |
| C．How consumers' food decisions are influenced by small factors. |
| D．The society's efforts to help people make eco-friendly food decisions. |
7 . China’s war on garbage is as digital as the country itself. Think QR codes attached to trash bags that allow the government to trace exactly where its trash comes from.
On July 1, Shanghai began a compulsory garbage sorting program. Households and companies must classify their wastes into four categories and dump them in appointed places at certain times. The strict program became a headache for some residents. Not even the most environmentally conscious person can get all the answers right. Like, which bin does the newspaper you just used to pick up dog poop (粪便)belong to?
Gratefully, China’s tech startups are here to help. For instance, China’s biggest internet companies responded with new search features that help people identify what wastes are “wet”, “dry”, “toxic”, or “recyclable”. Simply pull up a mini app on WeChat, Baidu or Alipay and enter the keyword. The tech firms will give you the answer and why.
Alipay, Alibaba’s electronics payment company, claims its garbage sorting mini app added one million users under just three days. The mini app has so far indexed (编索引) more than 4,000 types of rubbish. Its database is still growing, and soon it will save people from typing by using image recognition to classify trash when they snap a photo of it. If people are too busy or lazy to hit the collection schedule, well, startups are offering trash service at the doorstep. A third-party developer helped Alipay build a recycling mini app and is now collecting garbage from 8,000 apartment complexes across 11 cities. To date, two million people have sold recyclable materials through its platform.
Besides helping households out, companies are also building software to make property managers, life easier. Some residential complexes in Shanghai began using QR codes to trace the origin of garbage. This way, regulators in the region know exactly which family has produced the trash and fine violators.
1. What are some residents confused about?| A．Environmental knowledge. | B．Bin for dog poop. |
| C．Some waste classification. | D．Time for dumping. |
| A．It provides time flexibility. | B．It reduces household waste. |
| C．It saves people from typing. | D．It classifies rubbish properly. |
| A．Third-party developers. | B．Company managers. |
| C．Community administrators. | D．Rubbish collectors. |
| A．People need recycling apps badly. |
| B．People should classify their rubbish. |
| C．How regulators benefit from the tech. |
| D．How China uses tech to sort waste. |
8 . Reducing plastic waste isn't easy because the cheap material is found in almost every household item. Now, a delicious and nutritious solution has come up to help reduce our dependence on this environmental hazard.
David Christian, the co-founder of Evoware, says the idea of creating the biodegradable (生物降解的) products came from concern at the country’s high pollution rate. Indonesia is home to four of the world's worst polluted rivers. Since single-use packaging is a large contributor to the problem, Evoware decided to deal with that first.
After investigating various materials, the company settled on seaweed. Unlike corn, commonly used for biodegradable containers, seaweed does not require resources like water or large amounts of space. Since Indonesian farmers already harvest more seaweed than they can sell, it's easy for the company to find the material.
Though they will not reveal their production process, Evoware says the seaweed packaging contains no chemicals and is safe to consume. The company has also invented single-use cups, which can break down 30 days after they're thrown away.
While replacing plastic with the seaweed products may seem appealing to most of us, it is a hard-sell in Indonesia. According to Christian, ''The awareness to reduce single-use plastic is still very low. This makes our bioplastic unnecessary.” Also a factor is the cost, which is higher than using plastic. Hopefully, Evoware will succeed in convincing Indonesians and people worldwide that switching to their products will be helpful to protecting our beautiful planet.
1. What problem did Evoware decide to deal with first?| A．Ways to clean the four worst polluted rivers. |
| B．What nutritious materials for people to use. |
| C．How to deal with single-use packaging. |
| D．Means to contribute to the country's economy. |
| A．It didn't require much space and was easy to get. |
| B．It could be found everywhere in his country. |
| C．It was most commonly used for packaging. |
| D．It grew thickly in most of the polluted rivers. |
| A．Their seaweed products have won government support. |
| B．Sometimes it's hard to get people to reduce the use of plastics. |
| C．Their new products have received worldwide popularity. |
| D．The cost of making seaweed products will be lowered soon. |
| A．Something lasting long. | B．Something hard to accept. |
| C．Something easy to get. | D．Something commonly seen. |
9 . National lawmakers are calling for more effective environmental protection of the Qilian Mountains, a vast natural habitat in western China.
The mountains stand across the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces. The nature reserve became a national protected site in 1988, but hundreds of mines in the area and various construction projects took a toll on the environment.
Thanks to the recovery of the mountains’ environment and greater efforts to protect wildlife, many protected and rare wild animals have been sighted very often in recent years.
The city has also moved away all farmers, herdsmen and one-third of its people who were living in the mountains to a new zone and helped them find jobs in an effort to reduce the pressure on the environment.
Scientific research and advanced technology are key to the restoration (重建) of the mountains’ ecology (生态), said Wang Tao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources.
Wang said a research center led by the institute was set up last year to focus on ecosystem recovery and the ecological management of the mountains under the influence of global climate change.
The center has begun research to carry out environmental observation and assessment (评估), providing support for the creation of a Qilian Mountains national park, he added.
To better protect the mountains, Wang said, it’s necessary to promote large-scale, rapid observation approach and build a great ecological assessment system in the reserve.
A data-sharing (数据共享) management system should be pushed forward to create a database (数据库) of the mountains, environment, which would support its protection in a scientific way, he added.
1. What does the underlined phrase “took a toll” in the second paragraph mean?| A．protected | B．ignored | C．harmed | D．controlled |
| A．To create a national park |
| B．To found a research center. |
| C．To increase the number of wildlife. |
| D．To reduce the pressure on the environment. |
| A．Rare wild animals can be seen everywhere in the reserve. |
| B．A research center was established for ecosystem restoration. |
| C．Since 1988, the Qilian Mountains have been well protected. |
| D．Many effective laws have been made to protect the environment. |
| A．An ecological assessment system should be set up. |
| B．Scientific research plays the biggest part in restoring ecology. |
| C．Global climate change influences the research on ecological assessment. |
| D．A data-sharing management system has been widely applied in the reserve. |
10 . When you open your closet (壁橱), chances are that you will see some unwanted clothes lying in the corner. But instead of throwing them away, wouldn’t you rather give them a second chance to shine? Well, people around the world are doing just that.
This spring, upcycled denim (牛仔布) and sustainable (可持续的) lace are gaining popularity. They are part of the “ethical” (合乎道德的) and “sustainable” trends that have become the biggest buzzwords in fashion in recent years, the Guardian reported.
Upcycling, according to sustainability website TriplePundit, is a way to process an old item to make it just as good, or even better, than it was originally. For example, you could turn some old pajamas (睡衣) into a new summer dress.
Among upcyclable fabrics (面料), denim is one of the most comfortable and fashionable. That’s why many people like to create their own unique upcycled denim items, such as cutting a headband (头带) from a denim shirt.
Many fashion companies have also joined the trend. For example, there are upcycled denim companies that combine the spirit of vintage (复古的) denim with the principles of sustainability. “For as long as denim has been around, we have found ways to reuse it and upcycle it,” US stylist Kelly Nagel told fashion website sulky.com. “Denim is such a great fabric for so many things, and I especially love it when it has been ‘worn-in’ (磨平的). That is when denim has the most character.”
Lace is another timeless fabric that can be repurposed. According to the Guardian, it can be created from recycled fishing nets and other nylon (尼龙) waste products and used for making elegant dresses or beautiful decorations.
Indeed, fashion holds up a mirror to society. Now, the fashion industry cares not only about creating new looks, but also about its impact on the environment. “Choosing better fabrics is essential to us transforming this industry for the better,” Clara Vuletich, a Sydney-based sustainability expert, told the Guardian. “If you consciously decide to purchase clothes made using a recycled material or an exciting new fiber (纤维), such as cruelty-free leather (皮革) made in a lab, you are supporting companies creating new markets, and avoiding the negative impacts associated with conventional textiles (纺织品).”
1. What is likely to be the most suitable title for the passage?| A．Unwanted clothes to shine | B．Denim or lace ,which is getting more popularity? |
| C．Fashion, a mirror to society. | D．Trend for recycled fashion |
| A．Making use of advanced production techniques. |
| B．Making money for charity with unwanted clothes. |
| C．Being more friendly to the environment. |
| D．Changing fashion trends as quickly as possible. |
| A．It is a material that lasts a long time. | B．It shows character after being worn in. |
| C．It matches well with many other fabrics. | D．It is the cheapest fabric to upcycle. |
| A．How fashion reflects social changes. | B．How fashion benefits from social development. |
| C．The bright future of the fashion industry. | D．Potential problems of upcycling. |
