2 . Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is a light-weight material, about 95 percent air, with very good insulation (隔热) properties, according to Earthsource. org. It is used in products from cups that keep your drinks hot or cold to packaging material that protects items during shipping. With the above good features, Styrofoam still enjoys a bad reputation. It cannot be recycled without releasing dangerous pollution into the air. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is the fifth-largest creator of harmful waste.

But now the common worms which are usually disgusting can come to the rescue, specifically, meal-worms. Scientists from the U. S. and China have discovered that meal-worms can digest plastic. One meal-worm can digest a pill-sized amount of plastic a day. Study co-author Wei-Min Wu says that in 24 hours, the plastic is turned into carbon dioxide.

Since Styrofoam has no nutrition at all, are the worms hurt by eating plastic? Much to the scientists’ surprise, the study found that worms eating Styrofoam were as healthy as worms eating bran (谷糠) . The researchers will study the worm’s eating habits and digesting system, looking to copy the plastic breakdown but on a larger scale. Once the way can be put into practice, it will make a revolutionary difference to the disposal of plastic.

“Solving the issue of plastic pollution is important”, says Wu, a Stanford University environmental engineering instructor. After all, our earth is small and landfill space-is becoming limited with too much garbage waiting to be dealt with, he says.

About 33-million tons of plastic are thrown away in the United States every year. Plastic plates, cups and containers take up 25 percent to 30 percent of space in America’s landfills. One Styrofoam cup takes more than 1 million years to recycle in a landfill, according to Cleveland State University.

1. What do we know about Styrofoam?

A．It can be used to cool drinks.	B．It is a weightless material.
C．It is harmful when recycled.	D．It is usually used on ships.

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Meal-worms have amazing digesting power.	B．Meal-worms are not bad in their nature.
C．Meal-worms can rescue people’s lives.	D．People misunderstood meal-worms in the past.

3. In the future, plastic may be recycled _______.

A．by raising amounts of meal-worms	B．by environmental engineering instructors
C．using a method inspired by eating meal-worms	D．without sending out dangerous pollution

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Styrofoam is widely used in daily life.	B．Meal-worms are genius at eating plastic
C．Plastic recycling may be no more a problem.	D．Plastic can be turned into carbon dioxide

3 . When thinking about what you can do to help the planet, do you support regenerative (再生) agriculture? Do you even know what it means? While it sounds like something that is up to farmers, there are ways that the rest of us can support it; one way is to practice soil-friendly eating.     1    .

Eat a variety of foods

A group of different foods can be good for getting a variety of nutrients, and by eating different types of foods, you’ll help create demand for a wide variety of agricultural products, which is better for soil.     2    .

Embrace the pulses (豆类)

The pulses are cheap and great alternative to meat.     3    . Pulse crops are able to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. This process is called nitrogen fixation and provides a natural fertilizer, which is available for subsequent crops.

Make sure meat is sustainably produced

    4    . However, if you do shop for meat, look for the meat which has been produced sustainably. For example, animals feeding on pasture (牧草) rather than grain are better because grain requires a lot of land, water and agrichemicals. Animals take a lot from the soil, so it’s important to support owners of pasture who work to keep their soil healthy.

Reduce food waste

Reducing food waste has been getting much attention recently. By some accounts, it is one of the most important things we can do to fight the climate.     5    .

A．We generally recommend eating less meat or none at all

B．It also helps ease the strain on soil since it reduces its workload

C．Almost everyone mentions the need for regenerative agriculture

D．It turns out that they are also a top choice for soil-friendly eating

E．Here are some steps for how to eat in ways that are harmonious with soil

F．If we don’t take care of the soil, the soil will lose its ability to take care of us

G．Food diversity helps with soil fertility when land is used to grow multiple crops

5 . 习近平总书记一直提倡“厉行节约，反对浪费”的社会风尚，假定你是某中学的学生会主席，请以此为主题，向全校同学写一封倡议书，号召同学们“从我做起，拒绝浪费”。要点如下：
(1) 珍惜粮食；
(2) 不浪费学习、生活用品；
(3) 合理使用零用钱。
注意：(1) 词数80左右（开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数）；
(2) 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear fellow students,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you!

The Students’ Union

6 . It’s been more than 60 years since Jane Goodall started her pioneering work. In 1960, she was chosen to go to what is now Tanzania and study the little-known world of chimpanzees. Since then, Goodall has received many awards and honorary degrees as a world-famous conservationist (自然环境保护主义者). Now, Goodall has received an unusual honor. She is becoming a toy — a Barbie doll.

Goodall may not have expected to become a Barbie at 88 years old — but it’s not just any doll, it’s made out of recycled plastic. And Barbie is partnering with the Jane Goodall Foundation and its Roots & Shoots program which inspires young people to protect animals and the environment.

“You know, the main message is that every day you live, you make an influence on the planet and you get to choose what sort of influence you make,” Goodall said.

“There was a little boy of 7 in Burundi, and I had given a talk to the school and he came up to me and said, ‘If I pick out a piece of trash every day, it will make a difference, won’t it?’ And I said, ‘Yes it will. And suppose you persuade (劝说) 10 of your friends to pick up a piece of rubbish every day.’ He said, ‘Oh, that would really make a difference and then they could all get 10 of their friends, couldn’t they?’ Goodall said, “So, that’s it. The cumulative (积累的) effect of small actions can lead to big change.”

She’s been inspiring young people for decades, but now, newer generations will get to know Jane Goodall. “I sincerely hope that it will help to create more interest in the natural world,” she said about the Barbie. “Because hopefully, you know, they’ll learn more about me through the doll. And that will get them interested. It doesn’t really matter if they have a career in conservation, as long as they pay attention to conservation in their daily lives.”

1. What is the intention of Barbie’s making a doll of Jane Goodall?

A．To give Jane Goodall a surprise.

B．To test the quality of recycled plastic.

C．To encourage environmental protection.

D．To start a cooperative research program.

2. What idea does Goodall’s conversation with the little boy mainly convey?

A．Everyone can make an impact on the planet.

B．Children will make the future world a better place.

C．Every child should pick up a piece of rubbish every day.

D．The accumulation of tiny actions makes a great difference.

3. What is Goodall’s attitude towards the Barbie doll?

A．Critical.	B．Supportive.
C．Disapproving.	D．Doubtful.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Jane Goodall’s Good Expectation of Nature Conservation

B．Young People’s Strong Interest in Nature Conservation

C．Great Popularity of a New Barbie Doll of Jane Goodall

D．Inspire Newer Generations to Care About Conservation Through a Doll

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

According to Science Daily, the Arctic, the only natural habitat for polar bears, is in danger. Sea ice in the area could disappear    1    (complete) by 2035. This is undoubtedly bad news for the animal, as they use the floating sea ice to hunt.

Scientist made this    2    (predict) by using the UK Met Office’s Hadley Center climate model. This model allowed researchers    3    (compare) Arctic sea ice conditions during the last interglacial period-the warm period that     4    (occur) around 127, 000 years ago-to present day conditions. Researchers found during the last interglacial period many shallow pools of water formed on the surface of the Arctic sea ice. These pools     5    (know) as melt ponds, played a crucial role in the melting of the sea ice. This is because if there are larger areas of melt ponds, more heat    6    (absorb) by sea ice, which causes it to melt further.

In the last interglacial period, the Arctic sea ice actually disappeared. This is a    7    (frighten) thought for scientists     8    see the pattern repeating. “If what is happening to the Arctic right now is anything like the last interglacial period, there is     9    chance that it could be virtually free of sea ice in only 15 years,” the researchers said.

In addition     10    the potential extinction of some animal species, the melting of sea ice could cause devastating natural disasters.

9 . They say once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget. Most of us learned to ride when we were kids, and many still wear our helmets, put our feet on the pedals, and shoot off for a ride on the streets. In recent times, cycling has seen an increase in popularity, so many people raise a question:     1    

First, let’s look at the health benefits. Cycling can improve your cardiovascular (心血管的) health and burn extra body fat. Strengthening your muscles in your legs helps increase your potential torque (扭矩) and cadence (节奏).     2     A long ride in the countryside could help you clear your mind, or de-stress. But it’s not only about your body and mind there are also some plus sides for your wallet’s health.

Cycling can be a great way to go to work or get about town.     3     If you drive to work, sometimes finding somewhere to park can be a nightmare, whereas finding somewhere to chain your bike up can be much simpler. Then, on the subway, there are changes at stations and other people who go to work speaking loudly on their phones to deal with.     4     And if you’re worried about safety, there are designated cycle lanes in many major cities. In addition, wearing high-visibility clothing is another way to improve your safety when cycling on the roads.

    5     It can help you reduce your carbon footprints. Not giving off greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is better for the planet and your own environment.

So, whether people want to cycle for their health, their wallet, the environment, or a combination of all of them —the popularity of cycling is on the rise.

A．What makes cycling so convenient?

B．But cyclists face neither of these issues.

C．And people will choose to go to work by cycling.

D．This can save you a lot of money on fuel or public transportation.

E．Finally, cycling can also be good for the environment.

F．And the benefits from cycling aren’t just physical, but mental as well.

G．What makes it so attractive for people to take their bikes once again?

10 . Rubbish of all kinds is piling up in landfill and polluting our rivers and oceans. A more recent addition to the list of things we discard is e-waste — electronic items that are broken and not recycled. A UN report claims the 50 million tonnes of e-waste produced every year will more than double to 110 million tonnes by 2050, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the world. Now ways are being found to give it a new life.

There’s a growing trend for repair events and clubs which could be part of a solution to the growing amount of electrical and electronic garbage. The BBC visited a Restart Project in London, which is one of the many found around the world. One of its volunteers, Francesco Calo said, “This project allows you to reduce waste, lengthen the life of objects, and it helps people who cannot afford to get rid of items that have developed a fault. ”

Electronics consist of materials like plastic, metals, chemicals and glass. As many electrical items contain valuable metals, another idea is e-waste mining. An experiment at the University of New South Wales includes extracting (提取) these materials from electronic items. It’s thought that doing this could be more profitable than traditional mining. With phones typically containing as many as 60 components, this could be part of the solution to our appetite for new technology.

These projects make total sense — collections of e-waste for recycling are not progressing or even decreasing according to Ruediger Kuehr of the United Nations University. And in countries where there are no recycling laws, much of it is got rid of. However, the European Union, for example, is trying to settle the problem by insisting business firms have to make appliances longer-lasting and have to supply spare parts for machines for up to 10 years.

1. What does the underlined word “discard” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．throw away	B．take apart
C．make the best of	D．put together

2. What does the Restart Project in London help people do?

A．Collect electronic garbage.	B．Use their electronics longer.
C．Buy good-quality electronics.	D．Get jobs in recycling companies.

3. Which part of electrical items can be mined and used again?

A．Hard plastic.	B．Precious metals.
C．Toughened glass.	D．Various chemicals.

4. What is suggested in the last paragraph about the problem of e-waste?

A．Improving recycling process.	B．Replacing spare parts timely.
C．Using electronics permanently.	D．Making e-waste recycling laws.