1 . A small car around the size of a Mini Cooper, the Seagull is a fast-charging electric vehicle (车辆) (EV) produced by BYD. It’s hardly a luxury car but it’s well-equipped, with a power driver’s seat and cruise control. The best part? Its base model costs about $10,700 in China. That’s about a third of the cost of the cheapest EV you can buy in the US. In 2018, Trump put, and Biden has since continued, a special 25 percent tax on Chinese-made cars, on top of the ordinary 2.5 percent tax on foreign-made cars, which perfectly shows that however motivated the Biden government might be by climate concerns, it is much more motivated by a desire to help American carmakers.
The basic environmental argument for electric cars is simple: Burning petrol in internal combustion enginest (内燃机) produces CO2. Electric cars emit (排放) less per mile traveled both because some electricity is generated through clean sources like wind, solar, and because electric motors are far more efficient than petrol engines. EVs are slightly more carbon-intensive (密集) to produce in the first place, but most estimates suggest the lower per-mile emissions of EVs quickly make up for the extra emissions involved in their creation.
But is this still true for Chinese EVs? China still gets more than 60 percent of its electricity from coal, compared to less than 20 percent in the US. So, does this mean that BYD’s cheap EVs are bad for the environment? Hardly. Close to 90 percent of the emissions of a fossil fuel vehicle (化石燃料汽车) are from the combustion of the fuel. Besides, EVs of whatever origin are getting cleaner over time as the electrical grid (电网) gets cleaner. That means EVs will do even more for the environment as the years go on.
The biggest factor for China is that they control all the upstream material supply chain for lithium batteries (锂电池). Even if your EV’s battery is made by a plant of Panasonic in the US, the raw materials for that are processed in China first. “Part of why they’re so successful is they’ve been thinking outside the box on cost reduction for a long time,” an expert says.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．Chinese EVs are a threat to American electric cars. |
| B．American government has placed a ban on Chinese EVs. |
| C．The seagull provides luxury experience at a reasonable price. |
| D．Climate concerns are the only driver of EV development in the US. |
| A．They are no better than typical gas vehicles. |
| B．Their power is generated in green ways. |
| C．They are eco-friendly in the long run. |
| D．Their production causes no pollution. |
| A．Lower carbon emission. | B．The advanced technology. |
| C．The low budget marketing. | D．The control of raw materials for batteries. |
| A．EVs: opportunity and challenge. | B．Chinese EVs: powering ahead. |
| C．Green cars: a long way to go. | D．Petrol vehicles: faded glory. |
2 . Unless you’ve been faithfully bringing reusable shopping bags to the store, you probably grab the plastic bags waiting for customers at the checkout. You’re not alone.
About 100 billion plastic bags are used in the U. S. each year. Unfortunately, single-use plastic bags have serious consequences once our trip to the store is over. Less than 10% of plastic bags used in the U. S. are recycled, leaving the rest to end up in landfills (垃圾填埋场), and polluting soil, oceans and other natural habitats.
To fight pollution and other environmental problems, major companies are taking steps to get rid of the use of plastic shopping bags. If you’re a frequent customer at Walmart, don’t be surprised if you notice the plastic bags disappearing over the next few months. Last summer, Walmart announced its goal to be a zero-waste company — meaning no more plastic bags.
But Walmart has announced its Beyond the Bag, an initiative (倡议) working to explore reusable options and “reimagine” the plastic bag. Target and CVS are also on board as founding partners of Beyond the Bag, and so far, the three brands have invested $15 million to come up with a brand-new bag design.
The initiative also started the Beyond the Bag challenge, giving innovators (创新者) a chance to share their ideas. The challenge ran throughout the summer of 2020, and nine winners from over 450 submissions were selected. From a station supplying reusable bag in-store to a new and improved paper bag, the winning designs cover a lot of bases. Each product now has the chance to be tested with funding from the initiative.
While a final replacement for plastic bags at Walmart has yet to be decided, there’s a more sustainable future on the horizon. And if you want to start reducing your use of plastic bags right now, check out our list of reusable bags to bring on your next shopping trip.
1. What does the author mean by saying “You’re not alone” in the first paragraph?| A．Reusable shopping bags are becoming more popular. |
| B．Customers need to wait for long at the checkout. |
| C．Some people are waiting in the line with you. |
| D．Many people use plastic bags when shopping. |
| A．Single-use plastic bags cause severe environmental problems. |
| B．Supermarkets should stop providing single-use plastic bags. |
| C．Single-use plastic bags should be more widely recycled. |
| D．More landfills should be built to deal with plastic bags. |
| A．To attract more customers. | B．To provide more plastic bags. |
| C．To set a good example to Target and CVS. | D．To make shopping more environmentally friendly. |
| A．People pay more attention to environmental protection. |
| B．Walmart is getting rid of single-use plastic bags. |
| C．Reusable paper bags are becoming more popular. |
| D．Free plastic bags have become a thing of the past. |
3 . In an effort to help out important insects like bees and butterflies, bus stops across the United Kingdom (UK) are getting living roofs. Small gardens on bus shelter roofs are being planted with flowers chosen to help support the struggling insects. The gardens provide much-needed islands of nature in a man-made environment of a city.
Humans count on bees and other “pollinators (授粉者)” like butterflies to help grow plants, such as flowers and trees. But with humans taking over more and more land for cities, roads and farms, more natural areas have disappeared. The Wildlife Trusts, a group which works to protect wildlife in the UK, says that 97% of England’s wildflower fields have been lost since World War II and the insect numbers there have dropped by 50% since 1970. Bee bus stops are a small step toward supporting these important insects.
The advertising company Clear Channel is working with The Wildlife Trusts and city governments to set up bee bus stops in cities across the UK. Bee bus stops are like ordinary bus shelters, but small gardens have been added to the roofs. The gardens are filled with flowers and plants chosen to attract bees and butterflies. The company plans to set up 1,000 bee bus stops in the UK.
Clear Channel already has bee bus stop programs in several countries in Europe. In the Netherlands, the city of Utrecht has 300 bee bus stops. Research shows that these bus stops—along with many other steps taken to support pollinators—may be helping. After decades of dropping numbers, bee populations in the Netherlands seem to have become more stable over the last few years.
The little gardens can also help to slightly lower city temperatures. Even though the bus shelter gardens are small, together they add up to a much larger area. Thirzah McSherry, who works for The Wildlife Trusts, says, “We’re living through a nature and climate crisis and we need to use every tool we’ve got to deal with it.”
1. Why are bee bus stop gardens being built in the UK?| A．To beautify the city. | B．To improve urban farming. |
| C．To solve the environmental pollution. | D．To provide shelters for pollinating insects. |
| A．Losses of forests. | B．Climate changes. |
| C．Human activities. | D．Natural disasters. |
| A．By analyzing the data. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By showing similar examples. | D．By presenting its bright future. |
| A．The urban environment is getting worse. |
| B．The United Kingdom is building bee bus stops. |
| C．City should build larger gardens for the insects. |
| D．The bee bus stop is the best way to save the city. |
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Green Travel
There are many ways we can choose from to travel to and from school.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . Improper disposal of electronic devices can lead to negative impacts on the environment. So if you are in possession of an “old electronics” box or merely an old iPhone, consider recycling as an option. Here are some organizations worth checking out.
EcoATM
EcoATM is an automated kiosk that collects your unwanted cellphones and tablets and gives you cash for them. You'll find them by the checkout lines at various grocery store chains. It accepts devices from any era or in any condition, and offers anywhere between a few bucks to a few hundred dollars in return.
Best Buy
Best Buy offers a simple, straightforward recycling program. You can take your old phone to any of its retail stores and it'll take care of the entire recycling process for you. Best Buy will even give you a gift card for the value of the device you give them.
Call2Recycle
Call2Recycle is one of the largest recycling programs in the United States. The company collects used smartphones and batteries and has them either recycled or refurbished (翻新) for future use. It partners with various retailers to provide recycling services in stores like Lowe’s, The Home Depot and other smaller businesses.
Eco Cell
Eco Cell takes a unique approach to recycling phones. The program collects used smartphones and other gadgets for recycling through local zoos and other wildlife organizations. It then gives what it makes from recycling or refurbishing the devices back to those organizations in order to continue their work.
1. What do EcoATM and Best Buy have in common?| A．They are based in grocery stores. |
| B．They offer a reward for recycling. |
| C．They collect various kinds of devices. |
| D．They refurbish recycled items. |
| A．Call2Recycle | B．Eco Cell | C．Best Buy | D．EcoATM |
| A．The variety of items it recycles. |
| B．Its marketing strategies. |
| C．Its pricing policies and structures. |
| D．Its dedication to preserving wildlife. |
6 . When Jane Goodall was young, reading and exploring nature were her ideas of fun. Her mother encouraged her to learn and ask questions. Goodall dreamed of seeing the habitats of her favorite animals on her own.
In 1957, Goodall visited a farm in Kenya, Africa. There, she met a famous paleoanthropologist (古人类学家), Louis Leakey. He was looking for someone to study chimpanzees, which could tell us about early human history. Once he got to know Goodall, he knew she was the perfect person for the job.
Goodall arrived in Tanzania, East Africa, in 1960, and journeyed to the Gombe Stream Game Reserve. She learned early on that studying chimpanzees wouldn’t be easy. To observe them up close, she had to take months to gain their trust. To her, the chimpanzees were complex creatures with lives surprisingly similar to humans’. She rejected the practice of identifying chimpanzees by numbers and gave each of them a human name. Goodall was observing chimpanzees she’d named David Greybeard and Goliath. She watched as they made tools out the roots of grass to pick termites (白蚁) out of a nest. Until then, people thought humans were the only species that used tools. Because of Goodall’s discovery, chimpanzees are now accepted as intelligent and social animals.
Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to provide conservation and environmental education. In the late 1980s, her focus changed to something much larger. Deforestation (滥伐森林) and climate change were affecting the world’s natural habitats. The plants that the chimpanzees depended on for food were in danger. The fight she began against habitat loss continues today, through animal preserves and research sites.
Throughout her life, Goodall’s work has protected the lives of people and animals around the world. And she encourages young people to join this struggle for a better world. Goodall says that the world will be a better place if people do some help.
1. Why did Louis Leakey pick Jane Goodall to study chimpanzees?| A．Jane Goodall’s mother inspired him to do that. | B．Louis Leakey wanted to know animals’ history. |
| C．Jane Goodall had fun in exploring the unknown. | D．Jane Goodall was just the right one for the work. |
| A．Chimpanzees could use simple tools. |
| B．Chimpanzees could follow humans’ commands. |
| C．Chimpanzees had the ability to swim and fish for food. |
| D．Chimpanzees lived in large societies similar to humans. |
| A．The reasons for chimpanzees’ using tools. | B．The Jane Goodall Institute’s establishment. |
| C．Fewer habitats and unfriendly climate change. | D．The change of her main interest. |
| A．Jane Goodall’s early career. | B．Jane Goodall’s research techniques. |
| C．Jane Goodall’s focus on chimpanzees’ using tools. | D．Jane Goodall’s discoveries and conservation work. |
7 . The Japanese government said it planned to begin the discharge (排放) of slightly radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Thursday, rejecting calls for a delay from some people in neighboring countries.
An earthquake and tsunami knocked out power at the Fukushima nuclear plant on March 11, 2011, causing meltdowns at three reactors. Tritium (氚) and carbon-14 are, respectively, radioactive forms of hydrogen (氢) and carbon, and are difficult to separate from water. They are widely present in the natural environment, water and even in humans, as they are formed in the Earth’s atmosphere and can enter the water cycle. Both emit very low levels of radiation but can pose a risk if absorbed in large quantities. Water which was used to cool reactor cores as well as rainwater and groundwater that flowed into or near the plant have been contaminated with radioactive substances. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power, or Tepco, has stored the water in more than 1,000 tanks at the facility but says it is running out of room.
Tepco says it will reduce the concentration (浓度) of nearly all radioactive substances in the wastewater to a safe level with the exception of tritium, an isotope (同位素) of hydrogen. The water will then get diluted (稀释) with seawater so the concentration of tritium is reduced to a safe level before the discharge, according to Tepco. As the water is diluted further in the ocean, the concentration of tritium will almost equal the natural level by 6 miles from the discharge point, which is at the end of an undersea tunnel about six-tenths of a mile from the shoreline, a Tepco official said.
But that hasn’t reassured many of Japan’s neighbors, with officials from China and the Pacific Islands voicing alarm and opposition to the plan. Beijing will take “necessary measures” to safeguard food safety and its people’s health, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Tuesday, adding they “strongly urge the Japanese side to correct its wrongful decision”. Meanwhile, fishing communities in Japan and South Korea worry the wastewater release could mean the end of their livelihoods — with consumers across the region already beginning to quit seafood from Japan and its nearby waters, and some governments even banning imported food from parts of Japan, including Fukushima.
1. The meltdowns at three reactors were caused by ________.| A．the greenhouse effect | B．human behaviour |
| C．climate change | D．natural disasters |
| A．purified | B．reduced | C．polluted | D．operated |
| A．More than 1,000 tanks at the facility can store all the radioactive wastewater. |
| B．The concentration of all radioactive substances will be reduced to a safe level. |
| C．The discharge won’t affect the coastal residents since the discharge point is about 0.6 miles offshore. |
| D．The concentration of tritium will be nearly at the natural level after being diluted further in the ocean. |
| A．people in these areas couldn’t make a profit in the future |
| B．it would threaten people’s physical health and livelihoods |
| C．it would be more difficult to import food from parts of Japan |
| D．the local seafood would be unaffordable for people in these areas |
8 . In a world with limited land, water and other natural resources, the harm from the traditional business model is on the rise. Actually, the past decades has seen more and more forests disappearing and globe becoming increasingly warm. People now realize that this unhealthy situation must be changed, and that we must be able to develop in sustainable (可持续的) ways. That means growth with low carbon or development of sustainable products. In other words, we should keep the earth healthy while using its supply of natural resources.
Today, sustainable development is a proper trend in many countries. According to a recent study, the global market for low-carbon energy will become three times bigger over the next decades. China, for example, has set its mind on leading that market, hoping to seize chances in the new round of the global energy revolution. It is now trying hard to make full use of wind and solar energy, and is spending a huge amount of money making electric cars and high-speed trains.
In addition, we are seeing great growth in the global markets for sustainable products such as palm oil (棕榈油) , which is produced without cutting down valuable rainforest. In recent years the markets for sustainable products have grown by more than 50%.
Governments can fully develop the potential of these new markets. First, they can set high targets for reducing carbon emissions (排放) and targets for saving and reusing energy. Besides, stronger arrangement of public resources like forests can also help to speed up the development.
Finally, governments can avoid the huge expenses that are taking us in the wrong direction, and redirecting some of those expenses can accelerate the change from traditional model to a sustainable one.
The major challenge of this century is to find ways to meet the needs of growing population within the limits if this single planet. That is no small task, but it offers abundant new chances for sustainable product industries.
1. The traditional business model is harmful because of the following EXCEPT that ____________.| A．it makes the world warmer | B．it consumes natural resources |
| C．it brings severe damage to forests | D．it makes growth hard to continue |
| A．cut public expenses | B．forbid carbon emission |
| C．develop public resources | D．encourage energy conservation |
| A．To introduce a new business model. | B．To compare two business models. |
| C．To predict a change of the global market. | D．To advocate sustainable development. |
A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young couple to dive (潜水) in Thailand on one of my favorite reefs (礁). The weather conditions were perfect, with mild currents and excellent sight of the beautiful ocean and the bright, vivid corals. Even with their masks on, I could see the smiles on my students’ faces.
The div e couldn’t have gone better. However, things changed as we made our way back to the boat. As we swam back along the reef, I noticed the current (水流) changing As it did, huge quantities of trash and plastic began to flood the area . I saw small reef fish swimming amongst the straws, plastic bags and other bits of rubbish. I noticed that some of the fish were pecking away (啄) at the plastic. By the time we got back onboard the boat, there were bits of plastic floating all around us. It looked more like a trash site than the ocean.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to go online and research plastic pollution in the ocean . I was surprised to find out that over the past decade, divers and beach lovers have seen a lot of changes in the oceans. Even very remote locations were suddenly filled with plastic and other chemicals. Plastics were entering our oceans at an alarming rate —up to 12 million tons each year. This huge amount of plastic was wreaking havoc (破坏) not only on the environment, but also on the marine animals that lived in the ocean, such as sea turtles and sea birds. Some of them were sadly mistaking the pieces of plastic for food. Pollution has brought our oceans to the point of disaster, and unless we make a great change, then our oceans and all of its living things, will be at risk.
Since that unforgettable plastic-polluted dive, I have become an ocean supporter and spend my days trying to get the message out there about just how harmful ocean pollution is, not only to marine life, but also to mankind.
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Paragraph 1
Then the idea came to me: I could appeal to my fellow divers to take action.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2
I decided to take it a step further to try and stop those companies producing single-use plastics.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________10 . Textile (纺织品) waste is a growing problem for our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the US throws away more than 11 million tons of clothing every year. That is why some small businesses spotting the problem are beginning to recycle in ways they haven’t before.
Create Good Company is a clothing company that tries to produce sustainable (可持续的) clothing and repurpose older clothing into updated fashionable items. Maggie. Hendricks, the owner of Create Good Company, said, “If you can revamp what you find, why wouldn’t you do that instead of buying new things? It’s a big issue not to create new waste. I would say we are 90%recycled materials.”
According to the EPA, the average consumer (消费者) throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes every year. “Anywhere between 10%-17%of the waste that’s going into landfills (废弃物填埋场) is made up of things like textiles and clothing,” said Danny Katz with the CoPIRG Foundation.” A lot of the clothing that we’re producing doesn’t even get worn, so it’s going right to the landfill or even being burned and contributing to pollution that way. It’s really worrying.”
This is why businesses like Create Good Company exist—to use outdated clothing and turn it into dresses or jackets.
“There’s just so much waste and so many big companies that might not think about it,” Hendricks said. “Just standing with other like-minded people who are interested in sustainability is important.”
Another important element Hendricks has focused on is creating these items and selling them at an affordable price.
“Sustainability sometimes is green washed in companies and they make things more expensive,” Hendricks said. “That’s not how we become a sustainable world. I think making products affordable is important to me. I want to buy things that are better for the environment without throwing my pocketbook in the fire.”
1. What does the underlined word “revamp” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Share. | B．Decorate. | C．Replace. | D．Improve. |
| A．The use of old clothing. | B．The cost of textile pollution. |
| C．The effect of clothing waste. | D．The future of the textile industry. |
| A．Its sales. | B．Its price. | C．Its producer. | D．Its quality. |
| A．The EPA’s measures to reduce textile waste |
| B．Small businesses working to prevent textile waste |
| C．Textile businesses’ social responsibility and their waste |
| D．Consumers being aware of the seriousness of textile waste |
