In an age of rapidly growing urbanization, rooftop farming has emerged as a sustainable response
Rooftop farming, also
As urban populations continue to grow, rooftop farming fosters community engagement
2 . As the world struggles to deal with the climate crisis, some companies are working to remove polluting carbon dioxide from the air.
Scientists say large amounts of CO2 must be removed from the CO2 atmosphere and stored.
That means humans need to come up with ways of removing carbon from the air and storing it. This is called Direct Air Capture(DAC). The science of removing carbon from the air is challenging, and it’s still pretty new.
A company called Heirloom has just opened the first DAC plant in the United States. The company heats up the limestone to separate out the CO2, which is concrete. The process is extremely expensive.
| A．Plants and trees do this naturally. |
| B．That’s a huge and challenging goal. |
| C．Not everyone is excited about carbon removal. |
| D．Graphyte is another US company working on DAC. |
| E．The new plant can remove 1,000 tons of CO2 a year. |
| F．Most DAC processes require a large amount of energy. |
| G．As a matter of fact, CO2 is just a small part of the gases that make up air. |
3 . Is climate candy set to be the next trend?
LA-based PurePlus says yes. The startup launched its first consumer product, Faven, two years ago. Today, each packet of chews contains one serving of fruits and vegetables and saves scores of produce from ending up in landfill.
According to PurePlus, every Faves packet uses six carrots, three heels, one sweet potato, half a squash and one-fourth of a pumpkin. A lot of the time the products are made with “imperfect” produce. The ultimate aim of the company is to tackle food waste in a meaningful and healthy way.
Co-founder and CEO Amy Keller knows sweets. She’s the granddaughter of Norman Spangler, a second-generation leader at Spangler, a second-generation leader at Spangler Candy Co. Instead of following in her family’s footsteps, she set up PurePlus in 2018. PurePlus works with farmers to secure unsold or unsellable produce to turn into plant-based powders that can be used in multiple food and drink applications.
Around 930 million tonnes of food is wasted every year, twice as much as previous estimates, with 61 percent coming from domestic households, 26 percent comes from food services and retail claims the last 13 percent.
The US Sustainable Development Goals initiative have laid out plans to reduce food waste by half by 2030. It is seeking to tackle the issue due to the increased burden on waste management systems, impact on climate change and food insecurity that it brings. Up to 10 percent of global carbon emissions are tied to waste produce.
PurePlus has so far launched two flavors of its fruit and vegetable chew: strawberry and grape. Developed using its special produce powder and sustainable oil, among other things, they are marketed as healthy alternatives to standard sweet chews.
“Faves has set out to solve the climate crisis by preventing food waste by upcycling perfectly good fruits and vegetables to create a candy that’s good for people and the planet, thus, making both healthy choices and climate impact more accessible,” Amy Keller said in a statement. “We don’t make a product unless it will deliver a real benefit and is truly sustainable. ”
1. What does the company PurePlus aim to do?| A．To start a new trend. | B．To produce the best sweets. |
| C．To help people eat more healthy. | D．To recycle food waste in a sustainable way. |
| A．Food waste. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Food insecurity. | D．Waste management system. |
| A．She set up Faves two years ago. |
| B．She was the only founder of PurePlus. |
| C．She has a sense of social responsibility. |
| D．She was the fourth generation leader at Spangler Candy Co. |
| A．A new trend is set by Amy Keller. | B．Climate candy is tackling food waste. |
| C．PurePlus has launched two new flavors. | D．PurePlus has made plans to reduce food waste. |
4 . The green, natural forest absorbs carbon dioxide from the air through photo- synthesis (光合作用). There is another way of dealing with the climate crisis. That is setting up fields of dark-colored solar panels (太阳能电池板), also known as “solar forests”, which replace power stations that use fossil fuels such as coal and gas to make electricity, thus mitigating harmful emissions (排放) of greenhouse gases.
But since they are both relatively dark, they absorb a lot of solar radiation. Some of the energy is used for photosynthesis in natural forests or to produce electricity in “solar forests”, but most returns to the atmosphere, heating it up. Then what would be the more effective land use option in terms of the climate crisis: planting a forest, or building solar panels? This issue has long been debated by decision-makers around the world. Now, we may have an answer, thanks to a new study.
First, the researchers compared the impact of a forest on the climate crisis in a dry area to that of a solar farm in a similar environment. The researchers found that the albedo effect (反射效应) of both of these “forests” was similar, but that the absorption or prevention of carbon emissions was very different. It turns out that it takes 2.5 years for the heat emitted by solar farms to be balanced by the carbon emissions that are avoided, thanks to the energy they produce. In the case of a natural forest of similar size, it would take more than 100 years of photosynthesis to balance its heating effect.
The researchers also studied how the heating-cooling relationship changed in other climates and found that in more humid environments, the heating effect of planting large numbers of trees is smaller. And the break-even point is reached within 15 to 18 years.
“In dry places, building solar forests seems far more effective in addressing the climate crisis. Meanwhile, forests absorb about a third of annual carbon emissions and play a vital role in the global rain cycle, in maintaining biodiversity and in many other environmental and social contexts. Preventing them from being cut down and planting more trees in humid areas are of great significance,” explains one of the researchers in the study.
1. What does the underlined word “mitigating” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Releasing. | B．Decreasing. | C．Generating. | D．Stabilizing. |
| A．They cause much damage to the land. |
| B．They result in a serious loss of farmland. |
| C．They contribute to the warming of the atmosphere. |
| D．They lose energy during the absorption of solar radiation. |
| A．The natural forest exhibits a stronger albedo effect. |
| B．The solar forest can generate more energy in dry areas. |
| C．The solar forest is superior in balancing the heating effect. |
| D．The natural forest is more effective in solving the climate crisis. |
| A．More trees should be planted in dry regions. |
| B．More methods should be adopted to address the climate crisis. |
| C．Fields of solar panels should be set up everywhere on the earth. |
| D．Building solar panels and planting trees should be effectively combined. |
1. How did Alex get to know something about e-waste?
| A．From the newspaper. | B．From the Internet. | C．On TV. |
| A．To produce new electronic equipment. |
| B．To help people recycle and reuse-waste. |
| C．To help people stay away from e-waste. |
| A．About 300. | B．About 200. | C．About 150. |
| A．The poor students in Asia and Africa. |
| B．The poor students in Central America and Asia. |
| C．The poor students in Central America and Africa. |
6 . In the global effort to protect biodiversity, Mexico has been at the forefront. In particular, for more than 30 years. Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) has promoted research, compiled information on the biodiversity of Mexico and elsewhere, and connected academia, government, and society to guide decision-making. Unfortunately, last month, the Mexican government announced its intention to reduce CONABIO from a multi-ministry federal government agency to a branch within the environment ministry. This will rid CONABIO of its independent voice, credibility, and influence on national and international policy.
CONABIO was created in 1992, which aimed to promote international cooperation on environmental issues of the 21st century. Since then, CONAB1O has digitized tens of millions of records in national and foreign collections and has processed satellite data on vegetation cover and wildfires. It is not only a data base but a model for best practices in biodiversity management. All information is publicly available online, and contributors decide when the information they provide will be made public. In the past 5 years, CONABIO had an average of 1000 users per week, and it was consulted at least once per day by health, agriculture, environment, foreign affairs, and government agencies from Mexico and other countries. CONABIO has become a world-sought reference on how to effectively compile useful information and make specific policy for the benefit of the population and biodiversity.
The proposed change for CONABIO will likely eliminate the support it provides for the sustainable management, use, and conservation of biodiversity for Mexico and the world. Given that Mexico is home to 10% to 12%of the world’s species, there is much at risk. CONABIO is already very cost-efficient, and its capacity to influence political decisions depends directly on its multi-ministerial character. Burying the agency is a path to put it to an end.
Should this move become effective, it would be the end of the many essential benefits that CONABIO provides to address the environmental crises that threaten the future of all life on Earth. It is time for Mexico’s scientists, Mexico’s population, and the world to speak out against destroying this valuable institution.
1. What may happen to CONABIO according to paragraph 1?| A．It may be charged. | B．It may be dismissed. |
| C．It may be investigated. | D．It may be downgraded. |
| A．Its original purpose. | B．Its bright prospect. |
| C．Its great contributions. | D．Its awkward situation. |
| A．Remove. | B．Improve. | C．Obtain, | D．Ignore. |
| A．Promote Mexico’s Biodiversity | B．Stand Up for CONABIO |
| C．Stick to Sustainable Biodiversity | D．Improve the Fame of CONABIO |
7 . Look, let’s be honest-there’s no such thing as a “green” vacation. You’ll leave a carbon footprint, no matter what.
Is it a B Corp?
B Corps are businesses that meet a strict set of standards by the nonprofit B Lab. They include requirements for governance, workers, customers, community and the environment.
Does the company have any other environmental certifications?
Third-party certifications from Green Key, LEED and WELL can be signs that a travel company means business about the environment. Transportation companies may also offer verified certifications from organizations like Terrapass or the Gold Standard Foundation.
If the company claims to be green, don’t just take its word for it. Listen to what it says. If you see nothing but models on its Instagram channel or ads for online discounts on its site, perhaps it’s a shade of fake green. “A company’s social media strategy is generally a reflection of its current ethos and goals,” explained Julia Carter, founder of Craft Travel.
How deep is its commitment to the environment?
| A．But your trip can be green-ish. |
| B．What’s the company saying to everyone? |
| C．How can we find a reliable company online? |
| D．Don’t trust anything the company says to the public. |
| E．These certifications aren’t a guarantee the company is green. |
| F．Look for reliable reports on sustainability from a travel company. |
| G．You can search the directory of these forward-looking companies online. |
I recycle
9 . Aviation is a big polluter. Cutting the sector’s impact on global warming is high on the agenda. Although many governments are regulating emissions from cars and trucks, air transportation is technologically rooted in old patterns.
Facing the reality that the sector will keep emitting a lot, ICAO has established an international carbon-trading plan—Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA. This encourages wide use of offsets (抵消) : aviation companies can buy emissions credits or invest in sectors that store carbon, such as forestry, to allow them to carry on as normal. CORSIA aims to keep CO2 emissions at 2019 levels through such purchases for emissions over that year’s baseline. ICAO predicts that increasing demand might reach 1. 7 billion tons by 2035, potentially making aviation the largest offset market in the world.
Yet offsetting faces a fundamental challenge: the size of the offset requires estimating flows of warming pollution that would have occurred if the carbon-removal project hadn’t existed, and comparing them against flows with the project in place. The former — a baseline that is unobservable — is a hotbed for shady accounting.
The vast majority of offsets today and in the expected future come from forest-protection and regrowth projects. The track record of reliable accounting in these industries is poor, because they lack convincing baselines. Even with oversight, forest projects are often troubled by wild assumptions, for example that trees would disappear completely from these areas in the absence of those projects, even when there are other forest protections in place. Such assumptions drive up baselines and flood the market with huge volumes of offsets. They make it easier for accountants to claim a net reduction in emissions even though the atmosphere sees little or no benefit. These problems are essentially unfixable. Evidence is mounting that offsetting as a strategy for reaching net zero is a dead end.
In our view, this approach could prove dangerously narrow. Removing aviation’s impact on global warming means upending the industry. The longer that reality is overlooked, the harder it will be to find effective solutions.
1. What does aviation refer to in the passage?| A．A project which needs revising. | B．A resource which needs trading. |
| C．A market which needs expanding. | D．An industry which needs reforming. |
| A．To support the development of forestry. | B．To earn the largest profit in offset market. |
| C．To keep the levels of emission unchanged. | D．To make up for emissions over the baseline. |
| A．Too many offsets are filling the market now. |
| B．Some projects may cheat to create more offsets. |
| C．Offsetting contributes a lot to reducing emissions. |
| D．Trees would totally disappear without the projects. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Confused. | C．Favorable. | D．Unconcerned. |
10 . Eco-friendly replacement products for single-use plastic are appearing everywhere. But have you heard of edible (可食性的) straws?Now EQUO, a new eco-friendly company in Vietnam has come up with a natural edible solution to plastic or paper straws. The edible straws are completely plastic free, nontoxic, chemical free, and 100 percent biodegradable (可生物降解的) according to a company press release.
“It’s well-known that plastic straws are harmful to the environment. Most of the 500 million used every day in America end up in oceans where they pollute water and harm marine life. Currently, over eight billion straws create pollute to the world’s beaches,” said Marina Tran-Vu in the press release. “Although there are some plastic and paper straw alternatives on the market, most are environmentally harmful, but we were also unsatisfied with the quality and lasting of paper straws.”
All of the materials are locally from regions that support sustainable farming according to the company’s website and they struggle to have zero-net influence by “using the power of mother nature”. The name of the company was created by combining “ECO” — meaning environmentally friendly — with “STATUS QUO” — meaning the existent state. EQU stands for creating products that have minimal influence on the environment. The company was first shown on Kickstarter on May 18 and hit their funding goal in only 30 days.
Many counties are banning single-use plastics. The EU banned 10 single-use plastic products including straws that will take effect in 2021. Other items that will no longer be made of plastic include cutlery (餐具), and balloon sticks. These 10 items make up a large percentage of ocean waste that harms marine life.
So do your part, use biodegradable cutlery — you can carry your own edible straws, and reusable water or coffee cups. These small items can contribute to buffering plastic waste.
1. What does ECO stand for?| A．It means the original aim. | B．It means the existent state. |
| C．It means how to create products. | D．It means being nice to the environment. |
| A．Plastic straws will be forbidden. |
| B．Ocean waste can be removed completely. |
| C．Edible straws will be sold cheaply and widely. |
| D．Single-use plastic products will disappear completely. |
| A．Preventing. | B．Causing. | C．Reducing. | D．Transforming. |
| A．Plastic Straws Do Great Harm to the Environment |
| B．Single-use Plastic Straws Are to Be Prohibited Since 2021 |
| C．Everyone Can Make a Difference to Declining Plastic Waste |
| D．Scientists Have Developed Edible Straws to Replace Plastic Straws |
