1 . While waste within the convenience economy should certainly be solved, it is neither realistic nor sustainable to work towards the complete abandonment of plastics for packaging and other convenience items. Plastics play a crucial role in preserving products both physically and from the effects of water, oxygen and other things. Further, we cannot over-rely on recycling when we consider weak market interest in low-grade materials.

What we need is a strong focus on improving the sustainability of the plastics that we will continue to need. For these plastics, the clear goal should be to stop the use of oil. We must turn to materials based on natural, renewable resources and produce plastics that have minimal impact on the environment after multiple use. Several of these products are already available on the market, but the key to challenging the dominance of oil-based plastics is extending and developing the capacity and range of such products with new material science.

Industrial biotechnology is becoming a cornerstone of the bio-economy. It involves working with natural processes to extend biochemical pathways that can be used in manufacturing (制造业). It has the potential to improve how we manufacture materials and allow us to produce entirely new materials, at the same time protecting the environment and reducing costs.

At Biome Bio-plastics, for example, our industrial biotechnology development programme has already successfully produced bio-based chemicals at sufficient scale (规模) for industrial testing from lignin, the woody material in plants and other renewable carbon sources. Availability of these chemicals could-completely transform the bio-plastics market, creating natural polymers (聚合物) that can compete with oil-based polymers on both cost and functionality. We believe that our product can deliver important changes across the materials industry and provide a critical tool in the fight against plastic pollution.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly focus on concerning plastics?

A．Their source materials.	B．Their vital importance.
C．The problems they cause.	D．The methods to abandon them

2. What does the author think of future plastics?

A．They should be eco-friendly.	B．They could be a bit expensive.
C．They could be replaced by plant products	D．They should be made from used things.

3. What makes it possible for Biome Bio-plastics to create their competitive polymers?

A．The high cost of carbon sources.

B．The wide variety of their products.

C．The low availability of oil-based polymers.

D．The application of industrial biotechnology

4. Who is the author most probably?

A．A newspaper journalist.	B．A government officer.
C．A company manager.	D．A university researcher

2 . Hurricane season is here. Fiona ruined Puerto Rico, and less than two weeks later, Ian struck the west coast of Florida and its remnants(残余部分) moved up and hit the Eastern Seaboard.

Extreme weather events like Ian and Fiona have become more intense because of climate change. That reality has implications for those of us in health care. We have a duty to protect and advance the health of our patients.

We typically think of health as something doctors monitor, offering treatment such as prescription medications as needed. But in reality, only about 20% of a person's health is attributable to the medical care they receive. Social determinants such as people's neighborhood and socioeconomic status are actually responsible for 40% of a person's health outcomes. It's a sad truth that a ZIP code can be more predictive of a person's health than his or her genetic code.

Consider how extreme weather events such as this summer's heat waves affected communities unequally. Poor urban neighborhoods, with sparse tree cover but plenty of concrete and asphalt, absorb and retain the heat of the sun's rays, while leafy, shaded countrysides just a few miles away stay much cooler. A University of California–San Diego study that measured land surface temperatures in over 1,000 counties across the United States found that neighborhoods with the lowest average education and income levels generally recorded higher temperatures.

Extreme weather events such as flood can threaten people's physical and mental health long after it recedes. Almost 1 in 3 people in the flooded area were estimated to have suffered from certain post-traumatic stress disorder. Therefore, physicians in regions at increased risk of natural disasters may need to be ready to deliver more mental health care. For example, doctors in drought-stricken areas may need to make water safety a part of their conversations with patients, because groundwater sources can become unsafe to drink without sufficient rainfall.

Climate change has posed an immediate and dire health threat. Now is the time for health care providers to take collective action to adapt to this unfortunate reality.

1. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．ZIP code largely tells a person’s health outcomes.

B．A person’s genetic code is determined by ZIP code.

C．A person’s genetic code is less important than ZIP code.

D．ZIP code is most responsible for people’s health outcomes.

2. Why did the author mention poor urban neighborhoods?

A．To show that people with the lowest education have the lowest income.

B．To show that poor people tend to be more exposed to extreme weather.

C．To show that shaded countrysides stay much cooler than urban areas.

D．To show that poor people live in a less-environment-friendly community.

3. How many kinds of extreme weather are mentioned in the passage?

A．2.

B．3.

C．4.

D．5.

4. What is the tone of the passage?

A．Objective.

B．Urgent

C．Optimistic.

D．Worried.

4 . It goes without saying that plastic is killing our planet.    1    . Here are some ways you can do your part for the earth:

Go cupless

Plenty of restaurants and cafes are now rewarding their customers with discounted drinks.     2    . Many cups for hot drinks are advertised as recyclable. Skip out the fuss and simply bring your own for a guilt free and cheaper coffee

Buy local

A brilliant way to avoid buying needless plastic is to buy fresh produce from local shops. Supermarkets contribute more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste every year.    3    .

Cut down on packaging

Companies such as Lush are passionate about bringing beautiful eco-friendly products to their customers and have very little packaging. Get to know the companies you buy from.     4    .You may get to be surprised at the recycling options they give

    5    .

It has become the norm on a shopping trip to buy many cleaning products. But, there’s a safer and more eco-friendly way to go about it. Cut out the packaging and harmful ingredients by creating natural products of your own. You can make the cleaning products all by yourself.

A．Work together

B．Do a little DIY

C．Get to support them

D．And most products they sell include avoidable plastic

E．By buying locally you reduce the waste and support locals

F．The only condition is that they bring in their own reusable cups

G．It's true that we’ve started to take notice but so much more needs to be done