1 . Even minor changes in behavior can have a positive environmental impact. Therefore, it is suggested to remove or reduce single-use plastic bags from your shopping trips, because the bags break down slowly, causing them to linger in landfills. But how long does a plastic bag really stick around?
The Center for Biological Diversity estimates that it takes a bag roughly 1000 years to break down. The term “break down” is a little misleading, though. Plastic ends up photodegrading (光降解) from ultraviolet (紫外线) radiation because the majority of microorganisms cannot eat it. And even after the bags degrade, the micro-plastics they leave behind may still harm the environment.
While 1000 years seems long, it is only an estimate. Since the invention of plastic bags in the 1950s or so, humankind has never actually seen the substance break down in real time. Instead, scientists have adopted respirometry tests (呼吸运动测量法), which helps estimate the breakdown rate of an organic substance by measuring the CO2 that the microorganisms produce when breaking down the material. When an organic substance, such as food waste, is present, CO2 levels rise, which allows scientists to estimate the rate of breakdown. However, because plastic bags don’t produce any CO2,—microorganisms aren’t eating them, the bags are just sitting there. If buried in a landfill and sheltered from ultraviolet light, plastic bags will last a very long time.
Bags have an impact on the environment beyond just their removal. It takes fossil fuels to make bags; one estimate puts this amount at 12 million barrels (桶) of oil annually. And after a bag has served its purpose in a consumer’s hands, it may then enter the food chain for wildlife. Plastic that builds up along the food chain is consumed by creatures like birds and fish.
While reducing the use of plastic bags is a good idea, choosing a cloth bag might not be the habit that will help the environment the most. The carbon footprint left by the cloth bags must be countered by thousands of uses.
1. What does the underlined word “linger” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Reproduce. | B．Integrate. | C．Emerge. | D．Last. |
| A．Its duration of 1000 years is an overestimate. |
| B．Exposure to ultraviolet light is essential to it. |
| C．Respirometry tests effectively estimate its rate. |
| D．The level of CO2 released during it usually rises. |
| A．The multiple environmental costs of plastic bags. |
| B．The consumption of fuels for plastic bag production. |
| C．The harm of plastic bags to the food chain for wildlife. |
| D．The challenge of removing plastic bags from the ecosystem. |
| A．Declining plastic shopping bag offers. | B．Reducing the production of plastic bags. |
| C．Reusing the same cloth bag repeatedly. | D．Switching from plastic bags to cloth ones. |
Light the Cities of the Future
A previously unlit cycle path in the Netherlands has recently drawn our attention. It has been resurfaced with a material that consists of thousands of shining stones in order to create a well-lit route. The Van Gogh Path, so called after the artist who lived in the town of Nuenen in 1883, combines the traditional with the contemporary in a gesture that acknowledge ledges Van Gingh’ masterpiece The Starry Night, but also shows the way ahead for city lighting. The Van Gogh Path is not a single case; it is not difficult to foresee a time when natural materials could help light the cities of the future.
Why should we care about city lighting? What’s wrong with current electrical city lighting anyway? Well, the problem that it causes is two-fold. First, of course, electrical lighting in most cities comes from non-renewable resources. According to the International Energy Agency, almost 20% of global electricity is consumed for lighting, which is responsible for high levels of carbon emissions. But there’s also the belief that electrical light itself is a form of pollution by destroying our view of the night sky.
From the above reasons, then, it seems wise to investigate other approaches. The city of Glasgow is attempting to use intelligent street lighting to monitor how citizens interact with the urban landscape and minimize electrical consumption and thus emissions. This “Smart City approach” is seen by many as the way of the future, but some designers aren’t convinced. They are pioneering the altogether more original approach of using materials from the natural world in order to replace electrical light entirely. They believe that this new “technology” can one day completely replace microchips and digital systems as we find better ways of making use of the light-producing mechanisms (制) that already exist in the natural world.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Our carbon footprint is the estimated amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) given off as we go about our daily lives. While the global average carbon footprint is about 4 tons per person each year, Americans contribute approximately 20 tons of greenhouse gas per person each year. Compared to other countries, even those who use the least amount of energy in the US still contribute double the carbon emissions than the global average per person. And, not surprisingly, a person’s carbon footprint increases in size as his or her income increases.
How is it possible that people in the US who live simple lifestyles, e.g., children or the homeless, make such large contributions to greenhouse gas emissions? The answer is simple: Each US citizen has access to various basic government services such as firefighting and police departments, road and bridge repair, libraries, jails and prisons, the military, etc. When these public services are divided equally among the entire US population, it significantly raises the carbon footprint per person. In fact, according to a study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the lowest carbon footprint that can be calculated for a person living in the US is 8.5 tons. And shockingly, this carbon footprint corresponds to a homeless person who sleeps in public shelters and eats in soup kitchens.
While it is admirable to make changes in lifestyle to reduce a carbon footprint, in reality, it is very difficult to do. The MIT study revealed that a “rebound effect” occurred when someone made an effort to reduce his or her carbon footprint. Take the example of a person who made the deliberate choice to buy a hybrid car instead of a large SUV to save money on gas costs. Very often that person would use the money he or she saved to do something else, e.g., take a long airplane trip. In this case, just one long airplane trip produces more CO2 emissions than driving the large SUV for a year. This ends up having a negative impact on a person’s carbon footprint by making it bigger!
Can Americans reduce their carbon footprints? According to the study, it is possible, but it would require lifestyle changes such as giving up long-distance travel and buying fewer smartphones, tablets, and MP3 players that have large energy costs to produce and deliver. Another way to lower the average Americans US carbon footprint is to add a CO2 tax on food, housing, and transportation, and most Americans don’t want their taxes raised. Unless we can find a way to reduce our carbon footprints, the price we may ultimately have to pay is much higher than the amount Americans will ever have to pay in taxes.
1. The first two paragraphs are intended to____.| A．show why people in the US should live simple lifestyles |
| B．argue against the world’s misinterpretation of US lifestyles |
| C．reveal how big the carbon footprints of people in the US are |
| D．stress the impact of carbon footprints on American peoples life |
| A．Mary ate a large meal after she had been on diet for a week |
| B．Tom bought a hybrid car because it saved him a lot of money |
| C．Susan gave up long airplane trips to do her bit for the environment. |
| D．David had a good knowledge of what harm CO2 emissions would do. |
| A．Investment in basic government services should be reduced. |
| B．A homeless person’s carbon footprint is not easy to calculate. |
| C．The less a person spends, the more environmentally friendly he is. |
| D．A CO2 tax has already been added on food, housing and transportation. |
| A．How Can We Change Our Lifestyles? |
| B．Can We Make Our Footprints Smaller? |
| C．Why Are Our Carbon Footprints Important? |
| D．What Makes Contributions to Green house Gas Emissions? |
| A. applied B. impurity C. embraced D. commercial E. Mixed F. promises G. imposed H. demonstration I. employs J. giant K. version |
How to get all of the toothpaste out of the tube haunts many a bathroom. Bus not, perhaps, for much longer. Colgate-Palmolive, an American consumer-goods
In 2012, two inventors set up a company called LiquiGlide to commercialise their work on making liquids flow easily through pipes and out of containers. What caught many people’s imaginations at the time was a(n)
So far, ketchup-makers have not
LiquiGlidc’s deal with Colgate is, though, the firm’s first big break into a consumer business. The new toothnastc called Elixu, comes in three varicties: a formula tor whitening teeth, one for gum and enamel care and a “detox”
To produce the slippery pipes and containers, a pattern is first
Besides pleasing customers who like to get their money’s worth, the new, slippery toothpaste tubes should help with recycling. Existing tubes are rarely recycled, not only because they have residue left inside them but also because they are usually made from a laminate of plastic and aluminum foil.
1.介绍活动；
2.你的看法；
3.欢迎他参加。
注意：
1. 词数 80 词左右；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
3. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Alan,
I’m excited to tell you about the campus activities to celebrate the second National Ecology Day on August 15, 2024.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Best regards,
Li Hua
| A．They support human lives. |
| B．They cure human discases. |
| C．They estimate species. |
| D．They stop plant extinction. |
| A．Polluting the environment. |
| B．Destroying wildlife habitat. |
| C．Organizing activities. |
| D．Introducing new species. |
| A．To analyze the main causes of the disappearing of some wild animals. |
| B．To appeal to people to protect wildlife. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of the earth. |
| D．To describe different ways to stop pollution. |
7 . On December 16, 2023, the first section of Maya Train officially opened, which runs between Campeche and Cancún, carrying up to 231 passengers across 290 miles and stopping at 14 train stations.
Built as an ambitious effort to promote tourism and boost Mexico’s economy, the rail system connects the major cities and tourist regions of the Yucatán Peninsula —from Cancún’s beaches to Tulum’s archaeological wonders. Once the project is completed, the entire rail system will link tourist destinations across five states. However, environmentalists and archaeologists argue that the train route will cause great damage to the environment-and ancient Mayan sites.
The Maya Train passes through six UNESCO World Heritage sites and thousands of archaeological sites. One particular area of concern is the Calakmul biosphere reserve, which is home to many endangered species, such as jaguars and over 500 other animal species. The train lines, more than 60 meters wide, could act as artificial barriers that may limit the movement of these animals within the reserve making it difficult for them to move around and access food and water sources.
Opponents also express safety concerns. Certain sections of the rail system will be built right on top of the aquifer’s(含水层的) most fragile points of contact with the surface. “It’s like wanting to build over eggshells,” says Guillermo Christy, a water treatment consultant. “Putting trains weighing thousands of tons on top could cause the underground caves to crash down.” To construct the train infrastructure also requires driving long piles deep into the ground, which poses a big threat to this fragile ecosystem and leads to water shortages.
In the ongoing debate of Maya Train, it is crucial to consider the delicate balance between economic development and environmental preservation. While Maya Train may provide economic benefits, we must not overlook the potential environmental and cultural losses, as well as the safety risks it may bring. Achieving harmony between progress and conservation may be a significant challenge for the project, but we must take into account the long-term consequences of our actions.
1. What do we know about the Maya Train project?| A．It consumes lots of labor in Mexico. |
| B．It has concerned some professionals. |
| C．It was completed on December 16,2023. |
| D．It blocks the development of local tourism. |
| A．Restricting their activities. |
| B．Polluting their water sources. |
| C．Disturbing their sleeping patterns. |
| D．Attracting their enemies to the area. |
| A．To show the difficulty of constructing the rail lines. |
| B．To prove the urgency of protectıng the fragile ecosystem. |
| C．To explain the reasons for water shortages along the railway. |
| D．To stress Maya Train’s potential harm to the aquifer system. |
| A．Preserving cultural sites requires strong financial support. |
| B．It is time to speed up the con truction process of Maya Train. |
| C．We should value the economic benefits of the project in the long run. |
| D．Economic development should not come at the cost of the environment. |
8 . Deserts could be the best places on Earth for harvesting solar power. They are spacious, relatively flat, and never short of sunlight. So researchers imagine it might be possible to transform the world’s largest desert, the Sahara, into a large solar farm, capable of meeting four times the world’s current energy demand.
While the black surfaces of solar panels absorb most of the sunlight that reaches them, only around 15% of that incoming energy gets turned into electricity. The rest is returned to the environment as heat, affecting the climate. If these effects were only local, they might not matter in a thinly populated desert. But the area of the installations in the Sahara would be vast, covering thousands of square miles. Heat released from an area this size will be redistributed by the flow of air in the atmosphere, having regional and even global effects on the climate.
A 2018 study used a climate model to assess the effects of building massive solar farms in the Sahara. The model revealed that when the size of the solar farm reaches 20% of the total area of the Sahara, the heat released by the darker solar panels creates a big temperature difference between the land and the surrounding oceans that ultimately lowers surface air pressure and causes wet air to rise and condense (凝结) into raindrops. With more rainfall, plants grow and the desert reflects less of the sun’s energy since vegetation absorbs light better than sand and soil. With more plants present, more water is evaporated (蒸发), creating a better environment that causes vegetation to spread.
So, a large solar farm could generate enough energy and at the same time turn one of the most abominable environments on Earth into a habitable place. Sounds perfect, right? Not quite. In a recent study, we used an advanced Earth system model to closely examine how Saharan solar farms interact with the climate. It showed there could be unintended effects in remote parts of the land and ocean.
We are only beginning to understand the potential consequences of establishing massive solar farms in deserts. Solutions like this may help society reduce the use of fossil energy, but Earth system studies like ours underscore the importance of considering the numerous coupled responses of the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface when examining their benefits and risks.
1. What can be learned about solar farms?| A．They are mainly located in deserts. |
| B．They can affect the local and even global climate. |
| C．They can make the best use of incoming energy. |
| D．They satisfy the world’s current energy demand. |
| A．It might become greener. |
| B．It might reflect more sunlight. |
| C．Its surface air pressure will increase. |
| D．Its temperature difference between day and night will decrease. |
| A．Addictive. | B．Dynamic. | C．Sensitive. | D．Unpleasant. |
| A．It is an impossible task. |
| B．It will do more good than harm. |
| C．It calls for more consideration. |
| D．It might be the solution to fossil fuel pollution. |
9 . In the scenic coastal city of Cornwall, Lizzi Larbalestier has become a beacon of hope for marine (海洋的) wildlife. As a committed volunteer for British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), her journey began with transforming her Airbnb, an online platform that allows people to rent out their homes or accommodations to travelers, into a temporary haven for injured seals. This effort came as the result of the increasing incidents of marine animals suffering from human-related injuries and the lack of specialized care facilities in the region.
Recognizing the urgent need for a more permanent solution, Lizzi, alongside her husband and a team of committed volunteers, established a fully equipped seal hospital. This facility, now in its third year of operation, has expanded its capacity to ten pens and is prepared to recover around 100 seals annually. The hospital caters to a variety of cases: seals injured by boats or caught in fishing gear (用具), young pups separated from their mothers, and young seals weakened by poor nutrition. Each animal receives personalized care, ranging from basic first aid to extensive recovery programs. After initial treatment, seals are often moved to larger recovery centers for further care before their release back into the wild.
Lizzi’s commitment to marine conservation extends beyond seal rescue. She is an active participant in environmental campaigns like Surfers Against Sewage and Ghostnetbuster. Her tireless efforts were recognized when she received the Animal Action Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Lizzi owes the success of BDMLR’s operations to the collective effort of all volunteers, emphasizing the importance of teamwork in achieving their conservation goals.
The BDMLR team also responds to emergencies involving other marine wildlife, like whales and dolphins. Lizzi recalls several successful operations, including the rescue of stranded (搁浅的) dolphins and a turtle that required specialized care.
Lizzi’s story is not just about rescuing marine animals; it’s a proof of the power of community involvement and the impact of individuals on environmental conservation.
1. What inspired Lizzi to protect the marine wildlife?| A．One of her trips to the seaside. | B．Increasing profits from her Airbnb. |
| C．Her love for the marine creatures. | D．More and more injured marine animals. |
| A．It has been in operation for five years. |
| B．It provides a separate space for each seal. |
| C．It is the largest recovery center in the area. |
| D．It offers temporary help to injured animals. |
| A．All roads lead to Rome. | B．Many hands make light work. |
| C．Every cloud has a silver lining. | D．Actions speak louder than words. |
| A．A professional guide to seal rescue. |
| B．Challenges of marine wildlife recovery. |
| C．The journey of a marine life rescuer in Cornwall. |
| D．The impact of human activities on marine ecosystems. |
10 . In the late 19th century Yellowstone became the first great National Park, described as America’s “best idea.” But the park was devastating for the Native Americans who had lived or hunted within their borders and who were displaced.
The U. S. has taken one small step to compensate by returning the National Bison Range to its Native owners as a first step. Next, at the 2021 UN Biodiversity Conference, the government should ensure new conservation plans support Indigenous (本土的) and local communities for their conservation achievements.
In 2016 biologist Edward responded to the biodiversity crisis by calling for half of Earth to be left to wilderness, birthing the“30×30”campaign to protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and sea surface by 2030. Backed by many scientists, major conservation organizations, the target is likely to be adopted by the CBD.
Critics argue that the “30×30” initiative, aimed at conservation, could become a tool for exploitation (剥削). They claim it may unjustly burden those least responsible for environmental issues like climate change and biodiversity loss. There’s concern that powerful entities could use the proposal as an excuse for seizing land from disadvantaged groups. Indigenous territories, which host 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity, are particularly at risk of being targeted in the name of protection. Tragically, the very communities that bravely protect nature against exploitation could face displacement, with estimates suggesting up to 300 million people could lose their homes.
There is a way to do global conservation right. Indigenous communities are as good as or better than governments at protecting biodiversity and already conserve a quarter of Earth’s land surface. The CBD needs to ensure that they get secure rights to their territories, as well as the resources to defend them.
The National Park could lead the way in this effort by helping rescue nature and its most passionate defenders from the militarized (军事化) conservation model it pioneered one and a half centuries ago. That is a crucial step toward a relief for the incredible life forms that share our planet, as well as their Indigenous guardians.
1. What does the underlined word “devastating” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．innovative | B．beneficial | C．promising | D．disastrous |
| A．A biologist’s advocate to conserve nature. |
| B．CBD’s ambition to empower Indigenes. |
| C．The compensation made by the United States. |
| D．An excuse to seize land from dominant groups. |
| A．Precautions against reducing Pygmy people to poverty and misery. |
| B．Relying on the governments to displace locals from their homeland. |
| C．Militarized conservation model pioneered by the United Sates. |
| D．Returning the land in the care of the Indigenous communities. |
| A．Conservation or Modernization? |
| B．Where Is the Next Yellowstone? |
| C．Protect Biodiversity’s Protectors. |
| D．Government as Nature’s Guardian. |
