A awareness B. clear C. encourage D. ignore E. immediate F. limiting G. redesigning H. significantly I. team J. theme K. unlikely |
Go Recycling
No one looking at the state of Earth in 2023 can be in any doubt that we are facing three serious environmental problems: climate problem, loss of biodiversity (生物多样性) and pollution of air, soil and water. To solve the problems, we increase the use of electric cars,
We should realize that a key
A shocking figure lies at the heart of our special report on our world — of the more than 100 billion tons of things that humans use each year, hardly 10% is recycled. That makes it obvious a full-range war on waste should be paid
Solving the three problems calls for a huge transition with joint efforts. Governments must take the lead by introducing laws with the purpose of rewarding green practices, such as the
2 . Reducing the workweek to four days could have a climate benefit. In addition to improving the well-being of workers, cutting working hours may reduce carbon emissions. But those benefits would depend on a number of factors, experts emphasize, including how people choose to spend nonworking time.
Commuting and travel
Transportation is the biggest contributor to greenhouse emissions. A November 2021 survey of 2,000 employees and 500 business leaders in the United Kingdom found that if all organizations introduced a four-day week, the reduced trips to work would decrease travel overall by more than 691 million miles a week.
But the climate benefits of less commuting could be eliminated, experts said, if people choose to spend their extra time off traveling, particularly if they do so by car or plane.
Energy usage
Shorter working hours could lead to reductions in energy usage, experts said. According to a 2006 paper, if the United States adopted European work standards, the country would consume about 20 percent less energy.
Energy could also be conserved if fewer resources are needed to heat and cool large office buildings, reducing demands on electricity. For example, if an entire workplace shuts down on the fifth day, that would help lower consumption — less so if the office stays open to accommodate employees taking different days off.
Lifestyle changes
It’s possible that fewer working hours may lead some people to have a larger carbon footprint, but experts say research suggests that most people are likely to shift toward more sustainable lifestyles.
One theory is that people who work more and have less free time tend to do things in more carbon-intensive ways, such as choosing faster modes of transportation or buying prepared foods. Convenience is often carbon-intensive and people tend to choose convenience when they're time-stressed. Meanwhile, some research suggests that those who work less are more likely to engage in traditionally low-carbon activities, such as spending time with family or sleeping.
“When we talk about the four-day workweek and the environment, we focus on the tangible, but actually, in a way, the biggest potential benefit here is in the intangible,” experts said.
1. What is identified as the leading cause of greenhouse emissions according to the passage?A.The well-being of employees. |
B.The conservation of energy. |
C.Commuting and travel. |
D.The European work standard. |
A.People will have big potential in achieving intangible benefits while working. |
B.People are more likely to engage in carbon-intensive activities due to time constraints. |
C.People may shift toward more sustainable lifestyles and lower carbon footprints. |
D.People may travel more frequently by car or plane during their extra time off. |
A.highlight the importance of shortening working time in the context of well-being |
B.provide an overview of transportation emissions worldwide |
C.analyze the impact of reduced working hours on mode of business |
D.illustrate factors affecting the climate benefits of a shorter workweek |
3 . Each one of us shares this planet with seven billion other individuals. And we all need transportation. The majority of cars, motorcycles, boats and planes cause pollution. They are also noisy. This is a serious problem in many cities. So inventors are coming up with innovative ideas to try to reduce the pollution and noise.
By Land
In many cities around the world, motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular. Currently, Vietnam has around 33 million motorcycles. China has almost 120 million. The convenience of these motorcycles comes at a cost. Air pollution is a growing problem. In large cities, people often complain it is difficult to breathe. They also complain about the noise.
To solve these problems, a U.S. company designed an environmentally friendly motorcycle. It uses electricity as fuel. You can drive it for 40 miles (64 kilometers) before recharging the battery.
It is also quiet and fast-60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour. This makes it a good choice for getting around a city.
By Water
The Italian city of Venice is a city with only a few roads. There are no cars in the city center. Instead of cars, water taxis and buses carry people along the city’s canals. The engines of these boats are simple and cheap. However, they cause pollution, particularly to the water. This causes damage to the city’s buildings.
English mechanics Dick Strawbridge and Jem Stans designed a solar-powered water taxi. The solar panels charge three electric batteries. These, in turn, provide power to the engine. The water taxi can carry six passengers. It can run for a day. In the future, solar taxis could be an alternative to Venice’s current taxis.
By Air
Designing an environmentally friendly airplane is a real challenge. Planes use an enormous amount of jet fuel. This means they cause significant air pollution, and they are very noisy. Some major airplane manufacturers have started to address the problems. They are using cleaner fuels, for example. However, Swiss engineers have gone one step further. They developed a solar airplane — the Solar Impulse. Solar panels cover its wings. These panels provide power to four electric motors and batteries. The batteries allow the plane to fly at night. This plane holds the world record for the longest solar-powered flight — 985 miles (1541 kilometers) from Arizona to Texas in the United States.
1. What do the three innovative ideas proposed have in common?A.They aim to solve traffic problems in big cities. |
B.They use cleaner energy and cause less pollution. |
C.They aim to change traditional way of transporting goods. |
D.They are good will of developed countries to help developing countries. |
A.China owns the largest number of motorcycles. |
B.There are no cars in the center of Venice city. |
C.Solar-powered water taxi can run for a day with one battery at work. |
D.The newly designed motorcycle can drive 60 miles after being charged. |
A.lighter wings | B.less noise |
C.powerful batteries | D.longest solar panels |
A. alarming B. carbon-intensive C. durability D. glued E. labels F. man-made G. manufacturing H. recycle I. redefine J. samples K. share |
How sustainable are your sneakers?
Over the last five years the sneaker industry has grown rapidly and shows no sign of slowing down. The global athletic footwear market is expected to exceed 95 billion (USD) by 2025. According to the World Footwear Yearbook, over 24 billion pairs of shoes are produced annually. Among them sneakers account for the largest
Sneaker production is very
These emissions mainly come from
Then why don’t we move away from the use of plastic? Since sneakers have to endure much more than a regular pair of shoes, the aspect of their
The footwear industry is at least 10 years behind the rest of fashion in terms of environmental standards. Seven out of ten brands are having discussions on sustainability, yet only 40% of companies have a sustainability program in place. Big industry players (such as Adidas and Nike) and some smaller
Considering that close to 25 billion pairs of shoes were produced worldwide in the last year, it is clear that immediate action is very important. It is my hope that we consumers will
5 . A simple piece of rope hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors. On one side stand those who have begun to see clothes dryers as a wasteful consumers of energy (up to 6% of total electricity) and powerful emitters of carbon dioxide (up to a ton of CO2 per household every year). As an alternative, they are turning to clotheslines as part of what Alexander Lee, an environmentalist, calls “what-I-can-do environmentalism.”
But the other side are people who oppose air-drying laundry outside on visual grounds. Increasingly, they have persuaded community and homeowners associations (HOAs) access the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, which they say not only look unattractive but also lower surrounding property values. Those actions, in turn, have led to a right-to-dry movement that is pressing for making laws to protect the choice to use clotheslines. Only three states — Florida, Hawaii and Utah — have laws written broadly enough to protect clotheslines. Right-to-dry advocates argue that there should be more.
Matt Reck is the kind of eco-conscious guy who feeds his trees with bathwater and recycles condensation drops (冷凝水) from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But Otto Hagen, president of Reck’s HOA in Wake Forest, N.C., notified him that a neighbor had complained about his line. The Recks ignored the warning and still dry their clothes on a rope in the yard. “Many people claim to be environmentally friendly but don’t take matters into their own hands,” says Reck. HOAs Hagen has decided to hold off taking action. “I’m not going to go crazy,” he says. “But if Matt keeps his line and more neighbors complains, I’ll have to address it again.”
North Carolina lawmakers tried and failed earlier this year to insert language into an energy bill that would expressly prevent HOAs from regulating clotheslines. But the issue remains a touchy one with HOAs and real estate agents. “Most visual restrictions are rooted. to a degree, in the belief that homogenous (统一协调的) external appearance are supportive of property value,” says Sara Stubbins, executive director of the Community Association Institute’s North Carolina chapter. In other words, associations worry that housing prices will fall if prospective buyers think their would-be neighbors are too poor to afford dryers.
Alexander Lee dismisses the notion that clotheslines devalue property advocating that the idea “needs to change in light of global warming.” “We all have to do at least something to decrease our carbon footprint,” Alexander Lee says.
1. What is NOT mentioned as a disadvantage of using clothes dryers?A.Electricity consumption. | B.Air pollution. |
C.Waste of energy. | D.Ugly looking. |
A.Opposers think air-drying laundry would devalue surrounding property. |
B.Opposers consider the outdoor clothesline as an eyesore to the scenery. |
C.Right-to-dry movements led to the pass of written laws to protect clotheslines. |
D.Most of states in the US have no written laws to protect clotheslines. |
A.clotheslines should be banned in the community |
B.clotheslines wouldn’t lessen the property values |
C.the globe would become warmer and warmer |
D.we should protect the environment in the community |
A.Opinions on Environmental Protection | B.Opinions on Air-drying Laundry |
C.What-I-Can-Do Environmentalism | D.Restrictions on Clotheslines |
Saving the Planet is Kids’ Task Environmental problems plague every country, but where there’s energy and enthusiasm, there’s hope. Nowhere is energy and enthusiasm more boundless than amongst school-age children. Now thousands of Australian children can have fun while learning to develop a real passion for protecting the environment. Sponsored by Australia Post, the ‘Ollie Saves the Planet’ interactive CD-ROM and associated website (www.olliesworld.com) introduce children to the concept of conservation and encourage them to consider their actions in the areas of waste, water, energy, air, and bio-diversity. It is a great resource for classroom activities and school projects, with lots of games for hours of entertainment. A complimentary(免费赠送的) copy of the CD-ROM, which retails for $24.95, has been sent to every school throughout Australia to show young environmentalists how they can ‘reduce, reuse, recycle and rethink’. Order your CD-ROM today! Hours of easy-to-use edu-tainment Suitable for PC and Mac Project resource information Extensive teachers’ notes & lesson plans A range of interactive games and puzzles Real-life case studies Hurry, the environment needs your help! Call 1800 804 078 NOW! AUSTRALIA POST |
A.trouble | B.arouse | C.target | D.motivate |
A.to draw the readers’ attention to bio-diversity |
B.because they’re easy for students to remember the projects |
C.to show the writer’s skill of using similar words |
D.because they are the technical terms for environment protection |
A.The CD-ROM product is fun for children to use. |
B.Children must have certain skills to use this product. |
C.It is important to act quickly to obtain this product. |
D.The CD-ROM will help children become environmentally aware. |
A.To command school to introduce the CD-ROM to students. |
B.To provide a discount for the schools to buy the products. |
C.To encourage Australian children to contribute to protecting environment. |
D.To collect education resources for classroom activities and school projects. |
A.45% | B.54% | C.70% | D.74% |
A.To make supportive policies to call on people to use water wisely. |
B.To get more people to use water in environmental-friendly ways. |
C.To develop more water recycling systems in poor countries. |
D.To encourage people to save energy actively as much as possible. |
A.Estimates about water use. | B.Importance of fresh water. |
C.Concerns about water issues. | D.Lack of safe drinking water. |
8 . The Last Straw?
Every second, the world uses 160,000 plastic bags — that is a total of over five trillion per year. Up to 99 percent of these plastic bags hang around for at least 1,000 years and pollute Earth. And yet, plastic bags are hardly a necessity in our lives. Of all the changes we could make to create a more sustainable lifestyle, a total ban on plastic bags should be simple.
At the beginning of 2021, Shanghai put in effect a ban on all plastic bags in shopping malls and supermarkets, as well as a ban on non-degradable plastics in many other areas. Over the years, individuals and companies have worked to replace plastic items, such as cups and straws, with paper ones.
Customers complain that paper straws often become soft and break before they can finish their hot drinks. Experts, however, have repeatedly stressed plastic substitutes (替代品) are not the ultimate solution, and that our consumption habits need a bigger change.
In college, one of my environmental science professors promoted a type of waste-free living. She carried around a small glass jar with her, and in it was all her trash she collected for the entire year. She was able to do this by bringing her own cup to Starbucks, her own bags to the shops, and never buying anything that came wrapped in plastic. Her food waste also became compost.
Plastic bags are incredibly easy to forget about when they become increasingly common.
A.Clearly she demonstrated our ability to live a completely healthy life without creating a great deal of plastic waste. |
B.Plastic bag litter has even caused great problems in some areas. |
C.If they’re free to use and easily disposed of, they’re a mere tool that we don’t have to think about. |
D.Some of these decisions have been met with criticism. |
E.Unfortunately, such a high level of pollution doesn’t come without consequences. |
9 . China becomes a world leader in clean technology by fighting environmental pollution, sharing experience.
Erik Solheim, former executive director of the United Nations Environmental Programme, said he is
This is very
He believes that it’s time for the rest of the world to
For Solheim, who is also the former Norwegian Minister of the Environment and Minister of International Development, China’s achievements on the climate and environmental fronts all started with its fight against
“People wanted to see beautiful skies over their cities,” he told China Daily. “The
The latest
Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu told a news conference on Sept 15 that the country’s toughest measures and greatest progress on the ecological and environmental front have occurred in the last decade.
He said that
While poor air quality used to be a source of frequent public complaints, the average
About 87.5 percent of days last year were rated as having good air quality, up 6.3 percentage points from 2015, making China the country with the biggest
In the last decade, the
China has has legislated or revised roughly 30 laws and regulations, some of which focused on water resource protection, including the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law, which was modified in 2017, and the Yangtze River Protection Law, which
A.confused | B.impressed | C.obsessed | D.connected |
A.available | B.accessible | C.sustainable | D.substantial |
A.evident | B.attractive | C.invisible | D.unique |
A.donating | B.contributing | C.manufacturing | D.distributing |
A.fall behind | B.put forward | C.look up | D.catch up |
A.pollution | B.environment | C.ecology | D.emission |
A.probably | B.inevitably | C.incredibly | D.traditionally |
A.biological | B.advanced | C.far-reaching | D.green |
A.study | B.figures | C.technologies | D.innovation |
A.thanks to | B.despite | C.regardless of | D.other than |
A.height | B.length | C.concentration | D.weight |
A.obstacle | B.improvement | C.contribution | D.cultivation |
A.quality | B.flavor | C.deposit | D.proportion |
A.accounting | B.making | C.looking | D.applying |
A.took effect | B.took place | C.took to | D.took in |
Wood Houses
In the fairy tale Three Little Pigs, the second little pig built his house from sticks. Unluckily, it
In 2015 world leaders