During the just-ended Spring Festival holiday, former fisherman Wang Chaosheng kept
Living in Sinan county in Southwest China’s Guizhou province,
Wujiang River
“I used to catch fish, and now I keep fish. I’m still doing my job,” Wang said.
2 . A carbon capturing device, called Orca, began operating in Iceland in September. The machine was invented and made by a Swiss company called Climeworks. The name comes from the Icelandic word orka which means energy.
Orca can pull carbon dioxide out of the air and send it deep into the ground, where it is turned into stone. The device is made up of four sections which look like giant air conditioners stacked together. Each section contains 12 large fans that suck air from outside into steel compartments.
Inside, the air passes through a filter (过滤器) which gathers the carbon dioxide. It is then heated to a high temperature so the carbon dioxide can be collected from the filter. Then, the carbon dioxide is mixed with water and put deep in the ground into a type of rock called basalt. Basalt causes the carbon dioxide mixture to turn into stone after two or three years.
Orca is an experimental device. It was built to demonstrate that it is possible to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It can remove 4, 000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year. That’s about the same amount as the emissions produced by 850 cars in a year. In order to remove enough carbon dioxide to make a big difference to global warming, much larger devices like Orca would have to be built in many countries around the world.
Some environmental activists say governments should spend more time and money on reducing the amount of greenhouse gas we produce each year, instead of investing in carbon capture methods. But others say that, in order for countries to meet their goal of net zero emissions by 2050, they will need to do both: reduce new emissions and remove the carbon dioxide already in the air.
1. What’s the purpose of designing Orca?A.To conserve energy. | B.To achieve zero emissions. |
C.To protect natural resources. | D.To remove carbon dioxide in the air. |
A.Orca. | B.The basalt. | C.The air. | D.Carbon dioxide. |
a. Sucking the air. b. Collecting the carbon dioxide.
c. Mixing with water. d. Filtering and heating.
e. Putting into the ground.
A.a, d, b, c, e | B.a, c, d, b, e | C.a, d, c, b, e | D.a, b, c, d, e |
A.Reducing emissions is more important. |
B.It might result in new pollution. |
C.The technology is not mature. |
D.It doesn’t work efficiently. |
3 . Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.
Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.
The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”
The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom built up to dangerous levels.
1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house ________.A.is well worth the money spent on its construction |
B.is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation |
C.failed to meet energy conservation standards |
D.was designed and constructed in a scientific way |
A.Poor quality of the air inside. | B.Poor quality of the construction. |
C.Gas leakage in the kitchen. | D.The newly painted walls. |
A.relieve | B.accelerate | C.worsen | D.improve |
A.Because indoor cleanliness was not emphasized. |
B.Because energy used to be inexpensive. |
C.Because environmental protection was given top priority. |
D.Because they were technically unavoidable. |
A.Energy Conservation | B.House Building Crisis |
C.Air Pollution Indoors | D.Traps in Building Construction |
4 . There are few places on Earth that humans haven’t messed up. Now even Antarctica, the only continent with no permanent human inhabitants, is being altered by us. A study found that the increasing human presence in Antarctica is causing more snow melt-bad news for a frozen world already battling the effects of human-caused global warming.
Black carbon, the dark, dusty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels has settled in locations where tourists and researchers spend a lot of time, scientists found. Even the smallest amount of the dark pollutant can have a significant impact on melting because of its very low reflectiveness: things that are light in color, like snow, reflect the sun's energy and stay cool; things that are dark, like black carbon, absorb the sun's energy and warm up.
“The snow albedo (反射率) effect is one of the largest uncertainties in regional and global climate modeling right now,” Alia Khan, a snow and ice scientist at Western Washington University, told CNN. “That’s one of the motivations for the study, to quantify the impact of black carbon on regional snowmelt, which is important for quantifying the role of black carbon in the global loss of snow and ice.”
“Antarctica is sitting there pretty much silently all year. But, if it weren’t there, in the state that it is meant to be, the balance that we have in the climate system will no longer be,” Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor said. “Antarctica’s sea ice is also important to maintain a balance in atmospheric circulation,” he added. As waters get warmer, some Antarctic creatures are finding their homes more and more unlivable.
“Everything we do has consequences,” Raphael said. “We need to educate ourselves about those consequences, especially in systems that we know relatively little about. We have to be careful that we don’t upset the climate balance.”
1. Why can the smallest amount of black carbon have huge impact on melting?A.It is highly reflective. | B.Its dark colour absorbs heat. |
C.It produces vast energy. | D.It causes much pollution. |
A.To measure the impact of black carbon on melting. |
B.To quantify the cost of battling against climate change. |
C.To remove the uncertainties of global warming effects. |
D.To urge people to pay more attention to melting problem. |
A.The change caused by Antarctic melting. | B.The methods to stop Antarctic ice melting. |
C.The significance of Antarctic being in its state. | D.The sufferings Antarctic creatures are experiencing. |
A.Reduce tourist numbers. | B.Face the consequences. |
C.Acquire professional education. | D.Stop disturbing the climate. |
5 . Should We Create More National Parks to Save Endangered Animals?
Don’t you find it worrying that more and more species of animals are in real danger of becoming extinct?
In addition, national parks protect animals from the danger of being hunted. A major reason why many species are endangered is that these animals are killed by hunters. They hunt animals to make money.
On the other hand, some people fight against the creation of national parks because they consider it is wrong to interfere with nature. They believe that wild animals are happier living in their natural environment.
All in all, these disadvantages are far less important than the benefits of national parks.
A.To begin with, animals are important to humans. |
B.Some hunters even hunt animals simply for sport. |
C.I personally believe that we must save these animals. |
D.These parks allow animals to live in a safe environment. |
E.Firstly, national parks protect these animals’ natural environment. |
F.They say though the animals may face danger, they enjoy a free life. |
G.There is a heated discussion about whether to create more national parks. |
6 . A shocking 53.6 million tons of electronic waste were discarded(丢弃)last year, a new UN-backed report has revealed. The report shows that e-waste is up 21%from five years ago. This isn't surprising, considering how many more people are adopting new technology and updating devices regularly to have the latest versions, but the report also shows that national collection and recycling strategies are nowhere close to matching consumption rates.
E-waste contains materials including copper(铜), iron, gold and silver, which the report gives a conservative value of $ 57 billion. But most are thrown away or burned rather than being collected for recycling. Precious metals in waste are estimated to be worth $ 14 billion, but only $4 billion-worth is recovered at the moment.
While the number of countries with national e-waste policies has grown from 61 to 78 since 2014, there is little encouragement to obey and a mere 17% of collected items are recycled. If recycling does occur, it's often under dangerous conditions, such as burning circuit boards to recover copper, which "releases highly poisonous metals" and harms the health of workers.
The report found that Asia has the highest amounts of waste overall, producing 24.9 million metric tons (MMT), followed by Europe at 12 MMT, Africa at 2.9 MMT, and Oceania at 0.7 MMT.
But whose responsibility is it? Are governments in charge of setting up collection and recycling points, or should companies be responsible for recycling the goods they produce? It goes both ways. Companies do need to be held accountable by government regulations and have incentives to design products that are easily repaired. At the same time, governments need to make it easy for citizens to access collection points and deal with their broken electronics in a convenient way. Otherwise, they may turn to the easiest option-the landfill.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?A.What e-waste refers to. |
B.Where e-waste is collected. |
C.Why e-waste is increasing rapidly. |
D.How many kinds e-waste includes. |
A.The functions of policies. |
B.The great damage to environment. |
C.The change of consumption rates. |
D.The urgency of recovering e-waste. |
A.It does harm to the workers' health. |
B.It lacks national policy support. |
C.It hardly makes profits. |
D.It takes too much time. |
A.New technology should be used to update old devices. |
B.Governments and companies should take responsibilities. |
C.Non-poisonous metals had better be used in e-device. |
D.Citizens must play a key role in recycling e-waste. |
Traditionally, livestreamers(主播)sell delicious snacks or local goodies. But a recent livestream event in Tibet autonomous region did something different. Waste plastic bottles,
According to the Sohu website, in 2019, about 40 million tourists visited Tibet, which
Over the past few years, more than 5,000 volunteers of different ages and from all walks of life
The livestream has successfully involved more people in the anti-white pollution campaign. People can scan QR code and donate money to encourage more people to collect bottles. It's really a meaningful event and helps to make
8 . Around the world, people are realizing the significant problems caused by plastic waste. In the last 65 years, we have become increasingly dependent on plastic. It’s easy to understand why: it’s cheap to produce, light — therefore easy and cheap to transport — and incredibly strong and durable.
One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single use plastics. In the British supermarkets, shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.
However, such plans may not be beneficial to eliminate (消除) the use of single-use plastic altogether.
Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example.
Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
A.But it’s these advantages that also make it so harmful. |
B.They are very fragile and rarely reusable, unlike plastic. |
C.One of the fields where single-use plastic has a vital role is medicine. |
D.However, simply banning their single use may not be the best option. |
E.It also boosts the local economy and save costs in managing littering and waste. |
F.Bans on single-use plastic items like drinking straws are also coming into place. |
G.According to a research, they require four times more energy when produced than a plastic bag. |
9 . More than 45,000 years ago,by the shore of present-day Tasmania,a local person picked up a large piece of thick,dark brown seaweed.And he realized that this giant piece of seaweed could be used to make a watertight bag.And 45,000 years later on mainland Australia,people are again turning to seaweed to solve pressing problems.Today,it is used to address the world's climate crisis.
Winberg,a marine ecologist at the University of Wollongong,has spent decades studying seaweed.She believes seaweed's fast growth rate and ability to absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide can help fight climate change,de-acidify(降低酸度)the oceans,and change the way we farm,not just in the oceans but also on land.
“If we used the infrastructure we have in the ocean and created seaweed islands,we would actually get rid of many climate change issues we have today,” says Winberg.Realizing seaweed's potential as a climate solution,Winberg opened Australia's first land-based,commercial seaweed farm in 2013.On her farm in New Wales,Winberg produces seaweed extracts(提取物)that are used in food,cosmetics and medicines
Like plants on land,seaweed absorbs CO2 and grows biomass(生物量).Coastal marine systems can absorb carbon at rates up to 50 times greater than forests on land,according to Emily Pidgeon,senior director of strategic marine initiatives at Conservation International.Globally,seaweeds are thought to absorb nearly 200 million tons of CO2 every year - as much as New York State's annual emissions.And when the seaweed dies,much of the carbon locked up in its tissues is transported to deep oceans.
By raising pH levels in the ocean,seaweeds also improve growing conditions for shellfish such as oysters and mussels,whose shells become more fragile(脆弱的)in acidic environments.
The potential for seaweed cultivation doesn't stop in the oceans.Winberg has found there are benefits to doing it on land too.She believes that seaweed farming offers “huge potential” to not only address the climate crisis,but also feed a growing population in a sustainable way.According to Winberg,one hectare(公顷)of a seaweed farm can produce more protein than the same amount of land used for cattle.“We're sitting on undiscovered,renewable,sustainable resources,” she says.
1. What is mainly introduced about seaweed in paragraph 1?A.Its use. | B.Its history. |
C.Its origin. | D.Its appearance. |
A.It lowers the ocean temperature directly. |
B.It contributes to shellfish's growing speed. |
C.It produces the same amount of protein as cattle. |
D.It grows fast and can absorb carbon at a high rate. |
A.Unclear. | B.Favorable. |
C.Critical. | D.Doubtful. |
A.CO2,a Killer of Climate Change |
B.Pollution,the World's Climate Crisis |
C.Seaweed,a Potential Climate Solution |
D.Infrastructure,a Way of Eliminating Climate Issues |
10 . Made out of thin air
The world has experienced a lot of extreme weather this year due to climate change, which carbon emissions are believed to be most responsible for.
Meat made from air
It is hard to imagine that food consisting of protein could be produced from CO2, but that is exactly what Solar Foods is working on. To create the protein, the company uses renewable energy to split water cells into hydrogen and oxygen.
What about wearing a pair of shoes made of carbon emissions? On Running, a Swiss sports shoe brand, is trying to make foam(泡沫) for its shoed from captured carbon. In November, it announced it was teaming up with US-based company LanzaTech to make ethanol(乙醇) out of waste CO2, which would otherwise be burned, releasing CO2. On Running hopes to produce its first pair of shoes made wholly from carbon sometime next yeat.
Turning CO2 into perfume
What is the smell of a perfume made from CO2? New York-based startup Air Company is selling perfume made from CO2. Perfume has an alcohol base. When mixed with a bit of water and fragrance(芳香) oil, it becomes perfume. Ethanol is widely used in perfume production because it has a neutral smell. This means you only smell the oil.
A.Running on foam |
B.Stepping on carbon |
C.This kind of fragrance oil is made from CO2 by Air Company. |
D.Then it mixes the hydrogen with CO2 and adds other nutrients. |
E.They are expected to not cost much more than a regular pair of shoes. |
F.To solve the problem, capturing and reusing CO2 is an option for tech companies. |
G.What Air Company is able to do is transform CO2 into a very pure form of ethanol. |