1 . For 21-year-old Malhar Kalambe, weekends are not about hanging out with friends. Instead, they have a different mission — cleaning the Datar Beach. Collectively, they have made such a huge difference to the beach that the United Nations has recognized their contributions.
“Actually the idea stemmed from my vacation to Bali, the clean beach leaving a great impression on me. After returning, I found our beaches in shambles. During a conversation with my mother, I was complaining about how bad our beaches are compared to beaches in Bali, and my mother just said, 'Don't complain, if you care, just go and clean. ? and thus 'Beach Please'," Malhar said. “It began on September 10, 2017 and since then cleaning the garbage on the beach has become a weekend routine. Currently, there are 25 odd volunteers spending our weekends cleaning the beach.”
After cleaning the beach for months, Malhar and his friends realized that it was of a little help and there is no end to this. They needed to contain the source which dumps garbage in the ocean. They found that the Mithi River is being used to dump the industrial waste, construction waste and even domestic waste into the ocean and they decided to also clean the river. Now on Saturday, they clean the Mithi River and on Sunday, they focus on the Datar Beach. In order to make a sustainable (可持续的)difference, they must make people understand that they have to stop dumping garbage into any source. “Awareness, recycling and cleaning up are three steps which can bring a change. I hope people realize it's their duty to keep their surroundings as well as the ocean clean,“ Malhar added.
1. What does the underlined phrase “in shambles” in paragraph 2 mean?A.Damp. | B.Messy. | C.Crowded. | D.Abandoned. |
A.He likes hanging out with his friends. | B.He encourages his mother to join him. |
C.He volunteers to clean the Datar Beach. | D.He complains his vacation to Bali to his friends. |
A.Recycling most of domestic waste. |
B.Calling for people to make a green trip. |
C.Raising people's awareness of protecting the ocean. |
D.Seeking for the source of the ocean pollution. |
A.Sympathetic. | B.Considerate. | C.Outgoing. | D.Responsible. |
2 . The early life of the green sea turtle (海龟) is full of danger. Only one in 1,000 baby sea turtles survive to adulthood (成年). From its home in the sand, it breaks its egg with an egg tooth. Its mother is not there to help it. Instead, it is greeted by crabs, coyotes, and dogs waiting to eat it for dinner. To survive, the baby turtle must hide in the sand until night. Then, it moves slowly to the sea.
The small turtle must swim hard to reach the ocean waters. In the sea, it tries hard to find food. It must also keep itself from being food for fish.
As dangerous as the sea turtle’s life is in the natural world, its most dangerous enemies are humans. The rubbish left by humans in the ocean causes problems for the small green sea turtle. A little turtle might eat a piece of plastic (塑料) in the sea. It might also eat oil on the ocean’s surface. Young turtles also get caught in fishing nets. There are laws against hunting sea turtles. Still, many are hunted, both for their meat and for their shells (壳). All of these dangers must be prevented.
Sea turtles that do survive to grow into adulthood go through many changes. For example, adult green sea turtles weigh about 500 pounds. They stop eating jellyfish and other meat and eat only plants. And they may plan a trip to go back home again. A mother sea turtle goes back to the beach where she was born. This is the only place where she will lay eggs. Even if it has been forty years since she was a baby, she always knows her way back home.
1. Why do baby turtles move to the sea at night?A.They dislike sunshine. |
B.They prefer lower temperatures. |
C.They can find food easily then. |
D.They need to avoid enemies. |
A.Pitiful. | B.Careless. |
C.Interesting. | D.Courageous. |
A.They mainly feed on fish and meat. |
B.They always produce eggs at their birthplaces. |
C.They can live for around forty years. |
D.They visit their beach homes several times a year. |
A.The homes of green sea turtles. |
B.How sea turtles find their food. |
C.The dangers faced by sea turtles. |
D.How young turtles become adults. |
3 . Cigarette ends are everywhere--littering our streets and beaches--and for decades they've been thought of as “unrecyclable”. But a New Jersey-based company, called Terracycle, has taken on the challenge, and has come up with a way to recycle millions of cigarette ends and turn them into industrial plastic products. Its aim is to recycle things that people normally consider impossible to reuse.
Obviously it would be even better for the environment if everyone just stopped smoking but the statistics show that although there has been an increase in anti-smoking ads and posters, between 2000 and 2014.global sales of cigarettes increased by 8 percent, and a whole lot of those cigarette ends ended up as trash: Since most of our litter eventually ends up in waterways, cigarette ends can surely pollute the surrounding environment. “It only takes a single cigarette end to pollute a liter of water,” Temacycle’s founder, Tom Swak, said. “Animals can also mistake cigarette ends littered for food.”
So how do you go about turning all those poisonous ends into something useful? Terracycle does this by first breaking them down into separate parts. They mix the remaining materials, such as the tobacco and the paper, with other kinds of rubbish, and use it on non-agricultural land, such as golf courses. The filters (过滤嘴) are a little harder. To recycle these. Terracycle first makes them clean and cuts them into small pieces, and then combines them with other recycled materials, making them into liquid for industrial plastic products.
They’re now also expanding their recycling offerings to the rest of the 80 percent of household waste that currently can’t be recycled, such as chocolate packaging, pens, and mobile phones. The goal is to use the latest research to find a way to stop so much waste ending up in landfills, and then get companies to provide money for the process. And now, it works well.
“We haven't found anything that we can’t recycle,” communications director of Terracycle, Albe Zakes, said. “But with the amount and varieties of packaging and litter in the world, we are always looking for new waste streams to address.”
1. What does Terracycle intend to do?A.Search for recyclable materials for use. |
B.Deal with as many cigarette ends as possible. |
C.Produce new kinds of industrial plastic products. |
D.Recycle what used to be considered unrecyclable. |
A.Rubbish. | B.Poison. | C.Disaster. | D.Ruin. |
A.The effective use of cigarette ends. |
B.The process of recycling cigarette ends. |
C.The difficulty in recycling cigarette ends. |
D.The reason for breaking down cigarette ends. |
A.There is more and more waste to be recycled. |
B.It is difficult for Terracycle to recycle everything. |
C.Terracycle is trying to meet the challenge of new waste. |
D.Terracycle has successfully recycled a large amount of waste. |
4 . Located in the Indian Ocean,the Maldives(马尔代夫) are among the most beautiful islands in the world,with white sandy beaches,clear water,and amazing coral reefs(珊瑚礁).The country depends on tourism,fishing,and shipping.But the rising sea level and the carbon pollution causing warming oceans are threatening(威胁) their existence.
The Maldives have asked for international help.They are a tiny country.The World Bank,the United States,the European Union,and many other groups have offered money to develop safeguards against climate change.
To protect the islands,the Maldives have built sea walls and increased the elevation(海拔) of important buildings and services such as the two international airports,which lie just 165 feet from the coastline.
They’re also building up islands such as the Hulhumale.The new island is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls.More than 40,000 people live there.The plan is to house 240,000,providing new opportunities for jobs.The goal is an excellent planned community with sustainable housing and buildings sensitive to the environment and needs of the people.
The government will move people living on smaller,lower-lying islands to the new built-up islands.The new islands offer free houses,new schools,health hospitals,fresh water,and waste treatment.Depending on tourism,the country hopes to build 50 more tourist islands.
“Climate change is happening,but we are not leaving the Maldives to the sea,” said Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim.The Maldives will protect their islands,people and tourism with new islands and ongoing island development against the rising sea level.
1. What do we fail to learn according to the passage?A.The Maldives are a small country. |
B.Many groups have helped the Maldives. |
C.240,000 people live on the Hulhumale now. |
D.The Hulhumale is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls. |
A.The Maldives will be protected. |
B.The Maldivians will leave all the islands. |
C.The Maldives should give up tourism. |
D.The Maldives will sink to the sea. |
A.The Maldives and Their Tourism |
B.The Maldives and Their Rising Sea Level |
C.The Maldives and Their Climate Change |
D.The Maldives and Their Fight Against the Rising Sea Level |
A.Their tourism,fishing and shipping. |
B.Their rising sea level and carbon pollution. |
C.Their sandy white beaches and coral reefs. |
D.Their distant islands and warming oceans. |
Are you worried about our earth? Do you want to do what you can to save it?
Turn off anything that uses electricity when not in use.
It's not just paper, plastic and glass that can be recycled — clothes can be, too.
You don't have to travel far to get what you need, and products don't have to travel far to get to you, either. Shop at farmers' markets and buy food that was produced as close to your home as possible. And when you're online shopping, try to find things that won't have to travel long distances.
Save water.If you don't let the water run when you're brushing your teeth and take showers instead of baths, you will be using less water and less energy — but you'll still be just as clean!
A.Buy things nearby. |
B.Think before you eat. |
C.It's hard to know where to start. |
D.Turn short jeans you've grown out of into shorts. |
E.Also, don't wash dishes with the water running continuously. |
F.This goes for lights, televisions, computers, printers, and so on. |
G.Bring a reusable water bottle with you when travelling or at work. |
6 . In the UK, electric and other low-emission(低排放)cars, vans, and buses could be given special green plates to encourage more people to buy such cars, and promote awareness for “clean” cars.
Strange as it may seem, there is some reason to believe that something as small as this could make a big difference. Already, similar ideas have been put into effect in Norway, Canada, Latvia, and China, and the results have been encouraging.
Elisabeth Costa, director of the Behavioural Insights Team, explains, “Simple changes based on behavioral science can have a big impact. Green plates would be more noticeable to road users, and this increased attraction can help normalise the idea of clean vehicles, highlighting(使突出)the changing social norms(规范)around vehicle ownership.”
Actually, hybrids and electric cars accounted for 5.5% of the cars sold in the UK in the first half of the year, compared to 4.2% for the same period in 2017.
However, colored plates can only go so far. At the end of the day, you need strong, concrete(具体的)measures if you want to support a market like electric cars. The UK already has generous allowances for electric cars, but a study for the RAC Foundation found that the lack of reliable, easy-to-use charging stations is the main roadblock to people purchasing more electric cars. This was repeated by separate research from AA, the UK’s largest motorist association, which found that although 1 in 2 young drivers want electric cars, 8 out of 10 drivers feel that the lack of adequate electrical chargers is the main reason not to buy an electric car.
Yet this all shows that more and more people are nearing a tipping point where they are willing to buy electric cars. And a small PR stunt(噱头), the “coolness factor” of the colored plates could end up making a difference. Similarly, having red plates for the more polluting cars might also play a role.
A spokesman for the Environmental Transport Association said, “While green number plates will be positive PR for low-emission car makers and early adopters of the technology alike, to be truly effective any such measures will need to at the same time shame the drivers of the most polluting vehicles.”
1. Why does the UK give green license plates to cars?A.To promote car sales. |
B.To beautify the environment in the UK. |
C.To separate “clean” cars from polluting cars. |
D.To inspire people to buy low-emission vehicles. |
A.The results of giving colored plates are discouraging. |
B.The measures of giving colored plates will be at an end. |
C.Giving colored plates has a limited impact on promoting “clean” cars. |
D.Giving colored plates will be replaced by strong, concrete measures. |
A.Allowances for electric cars are not attractive. |
B.They aren’t fond of the green color. |
C.Charging stations are not readily available. |
D.Electric cars are unaffordable to them. |
A.Banning people from buying polluting cars. |
B.Continuing the use of green number plates. |
C.Replacing green plates with red ones. |
D.Shaming the drivers of polluting cars into buying “clean” cars. |
7 . Going green seems to be fad (时尚) for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can’t really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22,2011,we decided to be green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 different things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day a year, Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic (有机的) stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planets.
1. What might be the best title for the passage?A.Going Green. | B.Protecting the Planet. |
C.Keeping Open-Minded | D.Celebrating Our Green Year. |
A.they were expected to follow the green fad |
B.they didn’t know how to educate other people |
C.they were unwilling to reduce their energy |
D.they needed to perform unusual green tasks |
A.They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. |
B.They ignore others’ ungreen behavior. |
C.They chose better chemical cleaners. |
D.They sold their home-made food. |
A.The government will give support to the green people. |
B.The couple may continue their project in the future. |
C.Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas. |
D.Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. |
8 . Royal Dutch Shell is launching a $ 300 million and forestry program, at a time when an increasing number of oil companies are putting money in carbon offset (碳补偿)plans to meet climate goals. The company will spend the money over the next three years on projects to store carbon, including large forests in the Netherlands and Spain, and will start offering motorists the option of purchasing carbon offsets when they buy petrol at the pump.
The executives of the company explained that these carbon offset projects were a new business opportunity for Shell, as well as a way to meet its climate targets. “We believe that over time we will be building a business, because these carbon credits will become more valuable as carbon becomes more limited," they said. Shell recently decided to cut its net carbon footprint (碳排放)by 2-3 percent in five years, which includes emissions (排放)from the products it sells. The company plans to produce carbon credits from the forestry projects, then sell these credits on to customers buying its oil and gas products, or apply the credits to its own operations to lower its carbon footprint.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and restoring forests and other natural areas is considered one of the simplest ways to store carbon. However, the voluntary market for carbon credits based on forestry projects has its critics, as projects in developing countries can be hard to monitor. Shell's move has also been criticized by some environmentalists. They worried that there was a risk of " greenwash when companies invested in forestry projects. "There is an entire debate about whether forestry projects truly reduce emissions or not," they said, pointing out that planting in one area could cause deforestation (滥伐森林)to another.
Shell said it would rely on the third party to ensure its forest program to meet the Voluntary Carbon Standard and strict biodiversity requirements. Mark Lewis, head of climate change investment research at BNP Paribas, said, " Planting trees to offset emissions, as far as it goes, is a step in the right direction."
1. What is popular among oil companies these days?A.Studying climate changes. |
B.Launching forestry programs. |
C.Working out carbon offset plans. |
D.Attracting motorists to buy their petrol. |
A.By quitting the emissions of its products. |
B.By reducing its carbon footprint by a quarter. |
C.By limiting the oil used by its own operations. |
D.By putting carbon credits it produces on the market. |
A.The projects can't really stop carbon emissions. |
B.The projects are hard to monitor in poor countries. |
C.The projects may lead to deforestation in other forests. |
D.The projects haven't met strict biodiversity requirements. |
A.Discount. | B.Cheat. |
C.Decline. | D.Change. |
9 . Before you throw your trash into the nearest can, think for a moment. Not all your garbage can be dumped into one trashcan. It needs to be sorted out with different things going into different bins. Waste classification, a practice that has long been normal in developed countries like Japan, is the new challenge for many Chinese urban residents. However, though initially you might need to rack your brains to figure out which trash goes into which can, in the long run, the result is well worth the effort.
Landfills, sites where waste is buried and covered over with soil, are a major method of disposing of residential waste in China. However, considering the environmental disaster associated with burying waste, there is a pressing need to reduce the amount of waste that goes into a landfill. Classification, sorting waste into different categories such as harmful waste, recyclables and kitchen waste, is a key solution.
Currently, 46 cities across China, are carrying out a program that aims to put in place a classification-based garbage disposal system by the end of 2020. It is hoped that this will reduce the quantity of waste that ends up in landfills by a large degree. Shanghai came into the media focus in early July after it carried out compulsory garbage sorting rules that those who fail to dispose of garbage properly should be fined. Beijing is reviewing its regulations to follow in Shanghai's footsteps. The new rules may cause short-term inconvenience but they are meant to help residents follow the concept of garbage classification for the common good.
As the programs show, residents can gradually develop this habit with their growing awareness and the help of advanced technology. In future, this practice should be adopted across China, in urban cities and rural areas alike. With public involvement, China's garbage sorting program will contribute not only to the nation's sustainable (可持续的) development but also to making the planet a better place to live in.
1. What is the most probable reason for classifying waste?A.No site for burying waste. | B.People's habit. |
C.Economic cost. | D.Environmental pollution. |
A.To practise waste classification. |
B.To protect environment. |
C.To save oil for farming. |
D.To reduce the quantity of waste. |
A.A program adopted across China. |
B.Shanghai carried out new disposal rules. |
C.Doing the best with waste. |
D.Protecting environment is necessary. |
A.China will become the leading country of the program. |
B.The program will be spread nationwide. |
C.Development in rural areas will make great progress. |
D.People will help develop modern technology. |
10 . You may not think it very much—a used ice cream tub on the beach, a cigarette butt in the sand. But these little pieces of litter amount to around 8.8 million tons of trash in the world’s oceans, poisoning and choking sealife, according to figures from the World Wildlife Foundation.
Now, in a set of images titled The Price Of Convenience by Waters has shown the destructive effects casual littering has on creatures. In one image called “Your convenience is their extinction”, a sea turtle’s shell is hollowed out and filled with banana skins, soda cans, and other debris.
“It is shocking the amount of trash in the oceans,” Waters, 23, said, describing his project in which he has begun a campaign to the WWF. “When you leave litter on the beach we are treating the ocean like a trash can. When you throw trash over the side of a boat, you’re treating the ocean like a trash can. And when you leave litter at a beach festival or party, it’s the same. Obviously it would be impossible to clean the oceans but I felt I had to try something.”
The turning point came as he visited Malaysia with his girlfriend last year. To his surprise, he reached the shore to find piles of trash. It was beautiful, the smell of the air, of the ocean. He had a strong feeling for it after he started researching trash in the ocean. A few months later, he came across the video of a sea turtle in obvious agony with a drinking straw stuck up its nostrils. That video inspired the first of Waters’ three images. “Sea turtles are such gentle creatures. I felt sick watching that video. Trash left on a beach by humans caused so much pain and suffering. These animals don’t have voices so we’ve got to speak up for them,” he added.
Waters has not yet received a response from WWF regarding his images. For now, he says, he is inspired to develop more and more campaigns that raise awareness of environmental concerns.
1. What does the author want to tell us with the figure from WWF?A.How seriously the ocean has been polluted. | B.When people can take their actions. |
C.What measures people should take. | D.Where people should throw the rubbish. |
A.Seawater. | B.Creatures. | C.Rubbish. | D.Fruits. |
A.Excited. | B.Anxious. | C.Shocked. | D.Disappointed. |
A.The used ice cream tub. | B.The cigarette butt. |
C.The banana skin. | D.The drinking straw. |