1 . Kenya has been at the forefront of the global war on plastic since 2017, when officials outlawed plastic bags. In 2020, the government raised the demand with a ban on single-use plastics. Unfortunately, tons of industrial and consumer plastic waste continue to get poured into landfills daily. However, if 29-year-old Nzambi Matee has her way, the unsightly plastic garbage mountain will soon be transformed into colorful bricks.
The materials engineer’s search for an effective solution to controlling plastic pollution began in 2017, when she set up a small lab in her backyard. It took her nine months to produce the first brick and even longer to convince a partner to help build the machinery to make them.
She says, “I wanted to use my education in applied physics and materials engineering to do something about plastic waste pollution. But I was very clear the solution had to be practical, sustainable and affordable. The best way to do this was by channeling the waste into the construction space and finding the most efficient and affordable material to build homes.”
Her company, Gjenge Makers, now hires 112 people and produces over 1,500 bricks a day, which are made using a mix of plastic products that can’t be reprocessed or recycled. The collected plastic is obtained directly from factories or picked by hired locals from landfills and mixed with sand, heated at very high temperatures, and compressed (压缩) into bricks that vary in color and thickness. The resulting product is stronger, lighter, and about 30 percent cheaper than traditional concrete (混凝土) bricks. Most importantly, it helps repurpose the lowest quality of plastic.
Matee, recognized as one of the Young Champions of the Earth 2020 — the United Nations’ highest environmental honor — is far from done. Her dream is to reduce rubbish by increasing production and expanding her offerings. She says, “The more we recycle plastic, the more we produce affordable housing…the more we create more employment for the youth.”
1. Which word best describes Kenyan government’s measures against plastic?| A．Temporary. | B．Effective. | C．Fruitless. | D．Unreliable. |
| A．She turns knowledge into actual products. |
| B．Her company’s funded by the government. |
| C．She produces brick-making machinery herself. |
| D．Her bricks are made from recyclable plastic waste. |
| A．Its low cost. | B．Its wide range of uses. |
| C．Its economic benefit. | D．Its environmental value. |
| A．Matee’s achievement. |
| B．Matee’s greater ambition. |
| C．Multiple challenges Matee faces. |
| D．Innovative solutions to plastic waste. |
2 . As time goes on, people have come to realize the importance of protecting the environment. But they can’t deal with everything by themselves. Take small steps, and you can make a difference.
●Think Green. Think about the environment as you live your life. If you turn off lights and TV when leaving the room, you’ll save energy. If you take shorter showers, you will save water.
●Shop Green. Shopping is fun, but buying things you don’t need is wasteful and even bad for the earth. Before you buy something, ask yourself how much you will use it, and whenever possible, buy things locally made instead of those shipped from far away.
●Dress Green. What really matters is not the colour. It’s how the clothes were made. So look for products made from environmentally friendly(环保的)materials.
●Study Green. What’s better than learning about the environment? Save it while you learn. It can be as simple as using both sides of a piece of paper before you recycle it.
1. What does the writer want us to do?| A．Know some facts. | B．Deal with everything at once. |
| C．Protect the environment. | D．Make no difference. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．Take a shower as long as possible. | B．Wear clothes whose colour is green. |
| C．Buy things that are locally made. | D．Use only one side of a piece of paper. |
| A．children | B．women | C．men | D．all people |
3 . From littering the highest mountain peak to the deepest sea, we have messed up the environment and not left a single spot clean. Plastic pollution was also the theme for the last year’s Environment Day, but has anything changed?
With a “hope” to change things, a 150 feet long and 12 feet high “Wall of Hope” has been constructed using 15,000 discarded bottles collected from various sources such as streets and roads in Mussoorie and the surrounding region, which encourages the tourists to keep the surroundings clean.
Mussoorie attracts armies of visitors from neighboring cities every month so that it sometimes gets choked by over-tourism. But then, people hardly paid attention to the “saving the environment” cried these days. So, in order to convey this message in a meaningful and beautiful way, the locals of Mussoorie came up with this unique concept to remind travelers of the litter they leave behind.
The wall was built by over 50 volunteers that are basically school and college students who stepped forward to help bring this idea to life. For establishing this, plastic bottles of different shapes, sizes, and colors have been collected and fixed in this wall. Seeing their tireless efforts, the village locals also joined in later to help turn this project into a success story and then it spread like wildfire. They are actually admiring this new addition to the landscapes of Mussoorie, saying that the town looks even more beautiful now!
The wall was designed by Subodh Kerkar, founder of the private art gallery Museum of Goa. Talking to Hindustan Times, Kerkar said, “The wall will draw structural strength from steel pillars (柱子) being fixed two feet deep into the ground. The structure is completely rain and wind proof. I hope the wall will inspire a sense of beauty and will add color to the peaceful background of the hills.”
1. What is the function of the question mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of the passage. |
| B．To remind readers of the climate change. |
| C．To show the theme of the Environment Day. |
| D．To stress the bad effect of plastic pollution. |
| A．Abandoned. | B．Decorated. | C．Broken. | D．Donated. |
| A．It was made of certain equal- sized bottles. |
| B．It was designed by some college students. |
| C．It attracts fewer tourists to visit Mussoorie. |
| D．It raises tourists’ environmental awareness. |
| A．Towering and less known. | B．Common and well-received. |
| C．Unique and far reaching. | D．Huge and money consuming. |
4 . In India, there are many ironing vendors (商贩) who
India’s science and technology department
After seeing her
Vinisha, a student from Tamil Nadu, India, had the idea of creating a renewable energy source to
She spent six months designing a wheeled cant. The cant has solar panels which
To complete the invention, Vinisha devoted herself to reading college-level physics textbooks to
Now, her innovation is getting
“I am not just a girl from India. I am a girl from Earth,” Vinisha said in her speech. “All of us should understand that environmental issues are real and can’t be
| A．make | B．tailor | C．press | D．sew |
| A．fueled | B．supported | C．consumed | D．burned |
| A．recalled | B．estimated | C．reviewed | D．criticized |
| A．charity | B．committee | C．school | D．neighborhood |
| A．processed | B．used | C．burning | D．grilled |
| A．streets | B．neighborhood | C．environment | D．blocks |
| A．gases | B．air | C．covering | D．emission |
| A．instead of | B．take place | C．upgrade | D．replace |
| A．submit | B．reflect | C．absorb | D．expose |
| A．contained | B．stored | C．sucked | D．conveyed |
| A．work on | B．know from | C．approve of | D．figure out |
| A．Engineers | B．People | C．Faculty | D．Intellectuals |
| A．national | B．global | C．nationwide | D．neighboring |
| A．address | B．outspeak | C．deliver | D．present |
| A．raised | B．avoided | C．fostered | D．fixed |
5 . Angela Pozzi didn’t like seeing plastic trash washing up on the shore near her home in Bandon, Oregon. She wanted to unite her community to clean it up, so she started an organization and called it Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea.
Volunteers help clean up Oregon’s 300 miles of shoreline. Then, using only plastics from the beach cleanup, Ms Pozzi and her staff and many, many volunteers create sculptures of sea animals. Ms Pozzi says, “I want to create sculptures that, hopefully, will make people consider their plastic purchases and be aware of how so much plastic ends up in the oceans.”
Since 2010, more than 10,000 volunteers have collected 21 tons of trash and helped create more than 70 works of art. Four traveling exhibits have displayed the sculptures in more than 18 places. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, hosted an exhibit through September 2018.
People have used plastics to create life-saving medical devices, inexpensive containers and gadgets, and toys, of course. But unlike wood, cotton, and other natural materials, plastics don’t break down into anything useful to other living things. Instead, they stay for years in landfills, waterways, and the oceans. The materials are harmful to some sea animals, such as turtles, sea lions, and birds. Some of these creatures eat plastic objects that look like food. Others become entangled (被缠住) in plastic nets or packaging.
Ms Pozzi gives credit to everyone who helps. “One person didn’t create these sculptures,” she says. “Some people have picked up the plastic; others have sorted the items by color. Still others have washed each piece of plastic trash. Volunteers have drilled holes or helped to make the small wire-stitched panels, while others welded (焊接) the giant frames. I do the heads and detail work, and my staff and I take all the pieces everyone contributes to finish the work.” Says Ms Pozzi, “Until we run out of plastic on the beach, the work will continue.”
1. According to the passage, Washed Ashore ________.| A．is an official organization | B．collects plastics for money |
| C．turns the waste into artworks | D．aims to prevent the use of plastics |
| A．The long history of the organization. |
| B．The accomplishments of the organization. |
| C．The sculptures are popular in many places. |
| D．Many people are in favour of the organization. |
| A．A double-edged sword. | B．A threat to living things. |
| C．More stable in landfills. | D．Food for sea creatures. |
| A．To teach it to readers. | B．To show its difficulty. |
| C．Because she feels very proud. | D．Because it is an art by teamwork. |
6 . Puppies can be taught. So can human children, though not for the first couple of years. Now, in the hope of fighting climate change, Dr Jan Langbein, of the Fredrich-Loweffler-Institut in Germany, and his colleagues hope they can train cows to use the toilet, too.
Cow pee（尿）contains a nitrogen-rich substance that, when broken down by enzymes（酶）, is transformed into ammonia（氨）. Bacteria in the soil, in turn, transform that ammonia into nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas. Collecting and treating cow pee before the ammonia can be produced might, therefore, seem like a good idea. But it has proved difficult in the past without limiting the cows to small areas, which is bad for their welfare.
As Dr Langbein describes in Current Biology, this confusing problem could be solved if cows could be persuaded to voluntarily relieve themselves in a toilet. He has developed a three-stage process to help cows master toilet training. The first job was to establish the toilet. Calves（小牛）were limited to a toilet and rewarded with treats after peeing in it. Next, they were given the freedom to wander around a path outside the toilet. Peeing in the toilet were rewarded; those in the path were gently punished with a spray of water. Finally, the path was extended, to allow the animals to practice self-control over a greater distance.
Of the 16 calves involved in the training process, 11 were considered successfully toilet-trained by the end of it. Their overall performance, say the researchers, was almost comparable to that of human children. The animals managed to pee in the toilet around 77% of the time.
The next step, says Dr Langbein, is to see if cattle on a working farm can be similarly trained. Whether farmers will be keen is another question. Building toilets and training animals costs time and money, after all. But when it comes to climate change, every little helps.
1. Why did Dr Jan Langbein and his team train cows to use toilet?| A．To make use of cow pee. | B．To keep the environment clean. |
| C．To reduce greenhouse gas. | D．To limit the cows to small areas. |
| A．Using rewards and punishments. | B．Forcing them to use the toilet. |
| C．Making the toilet-training interesting. | D．Keeping them from wandering around. |
| A．It was successful. | B．It was doubtful. |
| C．The training proved difficult. | D．Calves were as smart as human children. |
| A．To encourage people to train their pets. | B．To explain an abstract science concept. |
| C．To raise awareness of caring for animals. | D．To introduce a new eco-friendly method. |
7 . Among the world’s waste-recycling pioneers, Germany is the leader. The country has quite a detailed way of sorting their waste-down to the color of glass waste, the type of paper, the separate bin for metals, etc.
Here below are what you should know about Germany’s waste sorting system：
◇You are expected to gather your waste in your apartment/housing area’s local public garbage bins.
◇There are commonly several types of public garbage bins available in the German’s apartment/housing areas：
Blue bin — for paper and cardboard
Green and white bin — for glass, different bins for differently colored glass, not available for holiday decorations and lights
Yellow/orange bin — for plastic and metals
Brown bin — for goods that can be changed naturally by bacteria into substances that don’t harm the environment, like leftovers, fruit and vegetables
Gray/black bin — for everything else that can’t be recycled such as used cat litter and animal waste
◇Some items don’t belong in these public garbage bins. Items like used batteries, electronics, unused paints, and lights must be returned to the special agent/locations so they can be properly recycled. Other items such as clothes, shoes, and oversized rubbish and furniture are advised to be donated or sold.
◇There’s this thing called Pfand in Germany, a certain part of the price for a bottled drink that you get back if you send back the bottle to certified (有资历的) shops. German law requires shops over a certain size selling bottled drinks have a Pfandruckgabestelle, or place for bottles with deposits (押金). These bottles usually made of glass or plastic will be refilled. Of course, there’re strict health regulations.
1. Which bin should the fallen leaves be classified into？| A．The blue bin. | B．The brown bin. |
| C．The grey/black bin. | D．The green and white bin. |
| A．By returning it to special agents. | B．By placing it in a specific location. |
| C．By giving it away to those in need. | D．By donating it to a Pfandruckgabestelle. |
| A．To collect money for some shops. | B．To help shops reuse plastic or glass. |
| C．To reduce the broken bottles. | D．To encourage bottles to be returned. |
8 . The worldwide 20th century “Green Revolution”, which saw huge year-by-year increases in global grain yields (产量),was fueled by the development in the 1960s of new high-yielding dwarfed (矮小) varieties known as Green Revolution Varieties (GRVs).
These dwarfed GRVs are common all over the world in today’s wheat and rice crops. Because they are dwarfed, with short stems, GRVs devote relatively more resources than tall plants to the growth of grains rather than stems, and are less likely to suffer yield losses from wind and rain damage. However, the growth of GRVs requires farmers to use large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers (氮肥) in their fields. These fertilizers are costly to farmers and cause extensive damage to the natural environment. The development of new GRVs combining high yields with reduced fertilizer requirements is thus a global agricultural goal.
Researchers at the University of Oxford and the Chinese Academy of Science have discovered for the first time a gene that can help reach the goal. Comparing 36 different dwarfed rice varieties, the researchers identified a novel natural gene that helps increase the rate at which plants make use of nitrogen from the soil. This gene, called GRF4, can increase the amount of a protein (蛋白质) in plant cells. GRF4 is actually a promoter that encourages the activity of other genes—genes that promote nitrogen uptake (摄入). Professor Harberd said, “Increasing GRF4 levels could contribute to an increase in the grain yields of GRVs, especially at low fertilizer input levels.”
The researchers say the latest rice variety containing GRVs should now become a major target for farmers in increasing crop yields and fertilizer use efficiency, with the aim of achieving the global grain yield increases necessary to feed a growing world population at a reduced environmental cost. It is very urgent at the moment.
Professor Harberd added, “This study is an example of how studying fundamental science objectives can lead rapidly to potential solutions to global challenges. It shows how the discovery can enable chances for food security and future new green revolutions.”
1. What can we know about dwarfed GRVs?| A．They have higher yield and taller stems. |
| B．They are a “double-edged sword”. |
| C．They are environmentally friendly. |
| D．They can be easily affected by weather. |
| A．Increasing the rate of nitrogen use. |
| B．Producing cheaper nitrogen fertilizers. |
| C．Using fewer fertilizers to produce more grains. |
| D．Finding a gene to solve agricultural problems. |
| A．It promotes other genes' activity. |
| B．It increases the output of crops. |
| C．It takes in nitrogen from the soil. |
| D．It lowers fertilizer input levels. |
| A．Decreasing the amount of fertilizers required by GRVs. |
| B．Encouraging farmers to adopt the new rice variety. |
| C．Calling on farmers to use effective fertilizers. |
| D．Focusing on the improvement of GRF4. |
| A．GRVs—a potential measure to achieve global food security. |
| B．The influence of agricultural development on the environment. |
| C．The importance of raising public awareness of global issues. |
| D．GRF4—foundation for new green revolutions. |
9 . Paper is one of our oldest, simplest and most important inventions. But it also presents a danger to the world in two significant ways. First, the making of paper requires the loss of millions of trees each year. Between 2001 and 2019, the world lost 386 million hectares of forest. Of the trees that were cut down, 42% went to paper production. And worldwide use of paper is expected to double in the next 40 years. Clearly, the planet cannot sustain such a high rate of forest loss.
The second great problem with paper is what happens once it is no longer useful. A huge quantity of wastepaper ends up in dumps and landfills (垃圾填埋场), where it can produce harmful gases. Paper in landfills leads to the release (释放) of methane, a gas that is a significant contributor in global warming.
One simple solution can greatly reduce both of these problems: paper recycling. Paper is mainly made from cellulose (纤维素), which makes up the cell walls of trees and many other plants. Because of its structure, cellulose can be used repeatedly in papermaking. So far, trees are the only source of cellulose that can fill the massive demand for paper products. Therefore, recycling paper is simply one of the best ways to save trees.
Thanks to advances in processing, recycled paper isn’t the dull-colored stuff many of us are familiar with any more. It now can offer the same print performance as non-recycled paper.
Effective recycling requires a consistent effort. The way to begin is with education and understanding. Once enough people realize the need for recycling, more effective recycling systems can be carried out. The massive loss of trees affects everybody on earth. Everyone should do their part to recycle paper and encourage government and industries to do the same.
1. What does the author want to express in paragraph 1?| A．Consequences resulting from forest loss. |
| B．The significance of paper in daily life. |
| C．The disadvantages of current paper production. |
| D．The severe situation caused by papermaking. |
| A．It releases smelly gases. | B．It results in global climate change. |
| C．It pollutes the nearby land. | D．It may lead to fire accidents. |
| A．It produces cellulose to make more paper. | B．The structure of cellulose makes it possible. |
| C．The color of recycled paper is different. | D．It produces cellulose without using trees. |
| A．To introduce paper recycling technology. | B．To stress the threat of global warming. |
| C．To appeal to people to recycle paper. | D．To describe the considerable need for paper. |
Tourists have been warned not to take sand and seashells from beaches in Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. More than 40 people,
