Your Food Choices Affect the Earth’s Climate
Every action has a cost, even for growing food and delivering it to your dinner plate. A team of researchers has found that meat production releases more climate-warming pollution than it does when producing fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. Their calculations suggest that people could do a lot to slow global warming if they limited how much meat they eat.
There are plenty of “costs” of food. As to the visible costs, people pay money for the food as well as the fuel needed to get groceries to the store or restaurant. However, producing foods also takes resources，for example，the water used to irritate (灌溉）crop fields or the fertilizer and chemicals used to promote plant growth and fight pests.
Peter Scarborough at the University of Oxford in England decided to calculate some of the less-visible pollution created by food production. His team focused on greenhouse gases emitted through the production of our food, including carbon dioxide(CO2)，methane(甲烷） and the nitrous oxide. All three gases are important. While CO2 is the greenhouse gas released in the highest volume, methane and nitrous oxide stay in the atmosphere far longer than CO2 does. As such, they are more powerful in warm the earth’s atmosphere.
They used a computer to change the methane and nitrous-oxide emissions for each person’s diet into its carbon dioxide “equivalent.”That’s the amount of CO2 needed to warm Earth’s atmosphere by the same amount as the methane or nitrous oxide would.
As for the calculations of the carbon dioxide “equivalent(等量)”, in the 1990s, a survey asked65,000 adults what they typically had eaten throughout the past year. Scarborough’s team fed those data into a computer and then included the amount of green house gases linked with producing nearly100 common foods. Then the computer matched those green house-gas amounts to the mix of foods each person had reported eating.
It shows that the diet of someone whose meals included an average of 50 to 99 grams of meat each day would be responsible for the daily release of 5.6 kilograms of CO2 equivalent while those vegans had the lowest diet-linked greenhouse-gas emissions (2.9 kg of CO2 equivalent).
Its authors conclude that reducing the intake of meat and other animal-based products can make a valuable contribution to climate change reduction. And compared to meat, more plant-based food calories can be grown on more lands with less water and other resources. In places where many people are going hungry, raising meat may make it harder to ensure that everyone gets enough to eat.
1. What are the visible costs of food mentioned in the article?2. According to the author, why can our food choices affect the earth’s climate?
3. Please underline the inappropriate part in the following statement and explain why.
Plant-based food can adapt to more types of lands than meat, but they may have a higher requirement of water and other resources, which can be a disadvantage of such food.
4. Apart from food choices, are there any other ways for you to protect the environment? List two or more.
2 . Could looking through trees be the view to a greener future? Trees replacing the clear glass in your windows is not a work of science fiction. It's happening now.
Forest Products Laboratory researcher Junyong Zhu together with colleagues from the University of Maryland and University of Colorado has developed a transparent wood material that may be the window of tomorrow. Researchers found that transparent wood has the potential to outperform glass currently used in construction in nearly every way.
While glass is the most common material used in window construction, it comes with quite a few bad consequences. Heat easily transfers through glass and amounts to higher energy bills when it escapes during cold weather and pours in when it's warm. Glass production used for construction also comes with a heavy carbon footprint. Manufacturing emissions alone are approximately 25,000 metric tons per year, without considering the heavy footprint of transporting the glass.
The innovation was developed using wood from the balsa tree, which is native to South and Central America. The team treated balsa wood to an oxidizing bath, where the wood is kept in a bleach solution at room temperature to remove the light-absorbing substance from the structure. The wood is then penetrated （注入）with a synthetic polymer called polyvinyl alcohol （PVA）, creating a product that is virtually transparent. So the transparent wood is created, which is far more durable and lighter than glass.
Switching to transparent wood could prove to be cost efficient as well. It is approximately five times more thermally efficient than glass, cutting energy costs. It is made from a sustainable, renewable resource with low carbon emissions.
With all of these potential benefits for consumers, manufacturing and the environment, the case for transparent wood couldn't be clearer.
1. What is the main problem with glass used in window construction?| A．It is inefficient in letting heat out. |
| B．It is inconvenient to transport. |
| C．It causes a high ecological price. |
| D．It scarcely reflects light and heat. |
| A．A way to make colors fade. | B．A liquid to make objects pale. |
| C．A container to store liquids. | D．A process to solve problems. |
| A．Innovation is the vitality of scientific housing. |
| B．Things are not always what they seem. |
| C．There are more ways to the wood than one. |
| D．There is nothing permanent except change. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Ambiguous. | C．Appreciative. | D．Conservative. |
3 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants
Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.
Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.
Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.
The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.
Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.
Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.
1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Diverse ecosystems. | B．Sediment and chemicals. |
| C．Reefs and corals. | D．Small sea creatures. |
| A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef. |
| B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection. |
| C．He feels angry with what his children did. |
| D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection. |
| A．Not increase significantly. | B．Disappear. |
| C．Speed up. | D．Miss the chance. |
| A．were tough to deal with | B．failed to manage their land properly |
| C．reduced the amount of harmful water | D．were eager to quit pesticide soon |
| A．A news report. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A book review. | D．A guide book. |
4 . When we buy something new, we get rid of what’s old. That cycle of consumption（消费）has made electronics waste the world’s fastest-growing solid-waste stream, which is expected to grow as the world upgrades to 5G. However, less than a quarter of U. S. electronic waste is recycled, the rest ending up as rubbish, posing environmental risks.
Part of the problem concerns rule. In states without laws banning (禁止) electronics from the regular trash, electronics often end up in garbage. Even when e-waste rules exist, it’s left to consumers to handle their old devices properly. But recycling them can be a pain. People have to take their electronics to a store, which may pay them for it or charge them to get rid of it. Many consumers simply throw their devices into the trash or throw them in a drawer.
One solution is to make electronics last as long as they once did. Yet, technology companies are speeding the pace of being deserted. “It’s a strategy by producers to force us into shorter upgrade cycles,” said Kyle Wiens, the founder of iFixit, which publishes do-it-yourself repair guides.
Some environmental groups say big companies like Apple and Samsung should pick up the cost of recycling the devices they sell. Lawmakers have passed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, which require producers to establish and fund systems to recycle or collect deserted products.
Some companies are increasing their recycling efforts on their own. For example, Apple in 2018 introduced Daisy, a smartphone-recycling robot that can take apart 200 iPhones every hour. But that's a drop in the bucket compared with the 50 million tons of e-waste produced globally last year.
1. Which of the following statements is true?| A．A large number of electronics end up as waste. |
| B．E-waste problems will be solved if laws are made. |
| C．Most people prefer to sell their old electronics to stores. |
| D．E-waste is the biggest threat to environment. |
| A．are trying to collect their deserted products |
| B．have a short life cycle because of the market |
| C．intend to shorten the life cycle of products |
| D．struggle to provide goods with good quality |
| A．Positive. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Confident. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Choice for Recycled Electronics |
| B．Solutions to the Mountain of E-waste |
| C．Bad Effects of E-waste on the Environment |
| D．Companies on Duty for Nature Protection |
5 . As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
That strategy, called solar climate intervention (干预) or solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun’s energy back into space — abruptly reducing global temperatures in a way that imitates the effects of ash clouds flowing out from the volcanic eruptions. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while exposing the planet to unexpected and potentially threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters.
But. as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters, some researchers and policy experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can’t wait for better solutions.
One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols (气溶胶) into the upper layer of the atmosphere. where those particles reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to Douglas MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.
“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said in an interview. What’s still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”
Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze hundreds of simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.
1. Why do researchers and government agencies work on cooling the earth?| A．To prevent natural disasters. | B．To win more time to reduce gas emissions. |
| C．To imitate volcanic eruptions. | D．To encourage more people to bur fossil fuels. |
| A．More volcanoes will throw out. |
| B．More solar energy will go into space. |
| C．More disasters will endanger the future of the world. |
| D．People will keep burning fossil fuels to keep warm. |
| A．He thinks more research remains to be done. |
| B．He is optimistic about the effect of cooling the earth. |
| C．He is concerned about the reduction in agriculture production. |
| D．He disapproves of the practice of solar climate intervention. |
| A．The rainfall pattern of a region. |
| B．The modest drop in temperature. |
| C．The number of extreme weather events. |
| D．The injection amount of aerosol. |
6 . Over two weeks ago I was standing on the summit of Mount Qomolangma. It was the top of many years' hard work, and the
I have been overwhelmed by the tide of goodwill and support. But one thing has become
The most common question I get asked is: "Is it
I climbed Qomolangma expecting a rubbish dump but what I found
The Nepalese have
The results have been
I have spent time in many of the world's popular wilderness locations and I would say Nepal should be proud. It is an example of man repairing the
| A．realization | B．motivation | C．connection | D．schedule |
| A．slightly | B．naturally | C．increasingly | D．easily |
| A．lost | B．fed | C．counted | D．saved |
| A．adventure | B．pollution | C．settlement | D．choice |
| A．covered | B．seized | C．found | D．poured |
| A．expect | B．fight | C．give | D．report |
| A．plan | B．title | C．voice | D．lesson |
| A．surprised | B．served | C．forced | D．stressed |
| A．silently | B．eagerly | C．frankly | D．hardly |
| A．challenged | B．conducted | C．observed | D．qualified |
| A．appealed to | B．taken in | C．depended on | D．put forward |
| A．share | B．confirm | C．remove | D．bear |
| A．similar | B．unpleasant | C．remarkable | D．regretful |
| A．conclusion. | B．convenience | C．arrangement | D．damage |
| A．impossible | B．necessary | C．unusual | D．extra |
7 . Skeptics are strange a lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The "eco-guilt" brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.
Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much publicity. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the "real state of the world" as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg's views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.
So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg's book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that "After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down."
Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg's "preference for unexamined materials is incredible".
A critical eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interest. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That's a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.
1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as "skeptics"?| A．People who agree on the popularity of "eco-guilt". |
| B．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities. |
| C．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet. |
| D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment. |
| A．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world. |
| B．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests. |
| C．The author convinces people to speak comforting worldviews. |
| D．Industry–funded media present confusing information. |
| A．find fault with Lomborg's book |
| B．voice a different opinion |
| C．challenge the authority of the media |
| D．point out the value of scientific views |
| A．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media. |
| B．To warn the public of the danger of half–blindness with reviews. |
| C．To blame the media's lack of responsibility in information. |
| D．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye. |
Each year, 25 million tons of seaweed
One of the
Van Hal, the scientific coordinator for EU-funded MacroFuels, says learning to manage a 10-acre seaweed farm is similar to managing a 1,000-acre farm. To turn seaweed fuel
Right now， most people's attention is on the COVID﹣19 pandemic. In
World Earth Day， the international movement aiming
That said， the occasion will still continue in a digital way. "
While the event may not reach its originally
10 . It is already known that dogs can use their highly developed sense of smell to search out drugs, and disaster survivors. Now, some are being trained to find a different kind of threat — a plant species (物种) that can harm the environment.
The plant is a yellow-flowered bush called Scotch broom. It is common in areas of America’s Pacific Northwest, but still fairly new to New York. And its rapid growth can also close off areas to wildlife. Officials are trying to stop the plant’s growth before it becomes widespread.
A 2010 study reported high success rates of dogs using their noses to search out invasive (入侵的) species. The study found that trained dogs could smell and find two times more invasive plants than humans could watch with their eyes. Joshua Beese, a dog handler with the Trail Conference group, said, “If we have to find all these plants ourselves, searching the grass for every tiny plant, it will take much longer. And we will still miss a lot, because hundreds of small plants like Scotch broom are largely hidden by other local plants’ growth.”
Another organization working on the problem is Working Dogs for Conservation. It tries to train dogs to protect wildlife and wild places, including invasive species work. The group has trained dogs in several states including Montana, Iowa, Colorado and Hawaii.
Human teams had tried for years to find and remove a destructive (破坏性的) plant in one area of Montana without much success. But after two trained dogs from Working Dogs for Conservation were brought in to help, the species nearly disappeared within a few years, because they could smell plants hidden among other species. That’s a game-changer. Each plant can set up to 15,000 seeds (种子) a year, and seeds can live for seven years in the soil. Dogs find plants before they flower and reproduce.
1. Why do New York officials try to stop Scotch broom’s growth?| A．They know little about the plant. |
| B．They cannot control the plant’s growth. |
| C．They find the plant harmful to the environment. |
| D．They want to see if their dogs are well trained. |
| A．The number of the plants is too large. | B．They look too much like local plants. |
| C．It’s hard to train the dogs. | D．It’s not easy to see them. |
| A．Useful. | B．Doubtful. | C．Puzzled. | D．Surprised. |
①protect wildlife ②protect wild places
③protect invasive species ④search out invasive species
| A．①② | B．①②③ | C．①②④ | D．①②③④ |
| A．The ways to find invasive plants | B．The threat brought by invasive plants |
| C．Scotch broom spreading widely in New York | D．Dogs smelling out dangerous plant invaders |
