1 . Plastic—Eating Worm
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that ends up in landfills(垃圾填埋场) , and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms(幼虫).
Researchers in Spain and England found that the worms of the greater wax moth(大蜡螟) can break down polyethylene(聚乙烯), which accounts for 40% of plastics.
That is to say, part of plastics can be consumed by this kind of worms. The team left 100 wax worms on a plastic shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms' chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物)and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass—apparently broken down by enzymes(酶)from the worms' stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology.
Federica Bertocchini, co—author of the study, says the worms' ability to break down their everyday food—beeswax—also allows them to break down plastic." Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon—carbon bond, is there as well," she explains. "The wax worm developed a method or system to break this bond."
Jennifer Debruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify where the enzyme comes from. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team's findings might one day help make use of the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process—not simply "millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic."
1. What can we learn about the worms in the study?| A．They take plastics as their everyday food. |
| B．They can consume plastics. |
| C．They end up in landfills. |
| D．They are new creatures. |
| A．prove the research findings |
| B．discover other kinds of worms |
| C．increase the breakdown speed |
| D．find out the source of the enzyme |
| A．help to raise worms |
| B．help make plastic bags |
| C．be used to clean the oceans |
| D．be produced in factories in future |
| A．To propose new means to keep eco—balance. |
| B．To present a way to break down plastics. |
| C．To introduce the diet of a special worm. |
| D．To explain a study method on worms. |
2 . In the 1990s, when an area of Brazilian rainforest in Amazon region, the size of Belgium, was cut down every year, Brazil was the world's environmental villain（反派角色）. Now, the Amazon ought to be the image of what is going right. Government figures show that deforestation fell by 70% in this region during the past decade. If deforestation had continued at the rate in 2005, an extra 3.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide—equal to a year's emissions from the EU would have been put into the atmosphere. However, Brazil is now the world leader in dealing with climate change.
But how did it break the vicious cycle（恶性循环）? There was no shortcut but a three –stage process including bans, better governance in frontier areas and consumer pressure on companies.
The first stage, from the mid-1990s to 2004, the government put its efforts into bans and restrictions. For example, every farm in the Amazon, had to set 80% of the land aside as a forest reserve. But this share was too high to reach. This was the worst period. Soybean prices were high and a vast expansion of soybean farming expanded on the south-eastern border of the rainforest.
During the second stage, from 2005 to 2009, Brazil's president made stopping deforestation a priority（优先事项）, resulting in better co-operation between different bits of the government. The area where farming was banned was increased from a sixth to nearly half of the forest.
The third stage, from 2009, was a test of whether a system of restrictions could survive as soybean expansion continued. The government shifted its focus from farms to counties of each stave. Farmers with me worst deforestation rates were banned from getting cheap credit（贷款）until those rates fell.
Brazil's Amazon policy is a success because it relied on restrictions rather than rewards, which have worked better. Brazil also changed itself into a farming superpower, so the country is possible to get a huge increase in food output without destroying the forest. But now the policies have been successful among commercial farms. Small holders care rather less about the law and respond to market pressures, so the government have to persuade them to change their ways. Deforestation has been slowed, but not yet stopped.
1. Brazil is considered to play a leading role in dealing with climate change because________.| A．it has rainforest as large as Belgium |
| B．it has taken action to reduce deforestation |
| C．it has cut down too much rainforest |
| D．it sent 3.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air |
| A．Bans on deforestation. |
| B．Joint efforts between different bits of the government. |
| C．Changing Brazil into a farming superpower. |
| D．A three-stage process of protecting rainforest. |
| A．Small farm holders are a headache for the Brazilian government. |
| B．All the farmers care much about forest protection. |
| C．Brazil has successfully got rid of deforestation. |
| D．Both the food output and the forest in Brazil have greatly increased. |
| A．Restrictions Better than Rewards |
| B．Brazil, the World Leader in Forest |
| C．Cutting Down on Cutting Down |
| D．Former Awareness Creating Wonders |
3 . The Sanjiangyuan National Park, China's first experimental national park, has been established to protect the local environment. The area is known as the country's "water tower" because it houses the headwaters of the three great rivers of the country: the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Lancang rivers.
Covering a total area of 123,100 square kilometers, the national park emphasizes the protection of the entire ecosystem, including all of the local natural resources such as wild animals, water, grassland and forests.
Since the national park started its trial operation in 2016, locals have been called on to help protect and improve the environment. Their work includes patrolling (巡逻) the grassland as well as monitoring and rescuing the park's wildlife. To date, there are 17,211 rangers (护林人) operating in the national park.
Kunsang, now 39 years old, is a Tibetan herdsman (牧人) turned park ranger for the headwaters of the Yellow River in the national park. On November 16th, 2020, Kunsang put his life at risk while attempting to save a wolf trapped in a broken ice patch on a lake. Braving temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius, Kunsang rushed over to the wolf and pulled the wild animal out from the icy opening on the frozen lake with the help of his colleague.
The efforts of rangers including Kunsang are paying off, and the national park has seen its wild animal populations bounce back apparently in recent years. Hoh Xil (Kekexili) National Nature Reserve, one of the largest no man's lands in China and a part of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, is now home to more than 70,000 Tibetan antelopes, said Wang Xiangguo, deputy director of the park. The official explained that the population numbers for the rare species, which is under first-class state protection in the country, once declined sharply to no fewer than 20,000 due to the impacts of illegal hunting.
1. Why is Sanjiangyuan National Park called "water tower"?| A．It protects the local environment. |
| B．It is the largest national park in China. |
| C．It is where the three great rivers head for. |
| D．It is the source of the three great rivers of China. |
| A．By cleaning the water. | B．By watering the grassland. |
| C．By saving wild animals in danger. | D．By doing researches on the species. |
| A．To praise Kunsang for his bravery. | B．To call on people to join the program. |
| C．To give an example of rangers' efforts. | D．To stress the dangerous work situation. |
| A．Hunting should be banned completely. |
| B．The number of wild animals has increased. |
| C．Tibetan antelopes only live in no man's lands. |
| D．Rare species are no longer endangered in the park. |
| A．Fruitful. | B．Unsuccessful. |
| C．Special. | D．Unsatisfactory. |
4 . After a lifetime of bringing nature back. Sir David Attenborough wants us to get out of our comfort zones and help save the natural world. "I think it's terrible that children should
For so many years, he travelled with just a leather suitcase. His wife would see him off at the airport, never knowing
Despite his
So just be modest. Don't waste.”
1.| A．take off | B．grow up | C．live on | D．pass away |
| A．awful | B．amazing | C．courageous | D．excellent |
| A．spread | B．expanded | C．recovered | D．shrunk |
| A．nature | B．humans | C．rate | D．cities |
| A．click | B．remind | C．tip | D．fix |
| A．returned | B．fixed | C．pressed | D．seen |
| A．come out | B．take over | C．wipe out | D．bring out |
| A．quite | B．hard | C．fast | D．luckily |
| A．relief | B．series | C．text | D．reaction |
| A．chest | B．hand | C．face | D．hair |
| A．award | B．approached | C．recognized | D．threw |
| A．credit | B．reward | C．money | D．chance |
| A．stress | B．observation | C．fame | D．explanation |
| A．community | B．generation | C．race | D．species |
| A．precious | B．curious | C．attractive | D．powerful |
Nowadays, people are understanding the need to solve the climate and biodiversity problem. Poor ecosystems, forest fires, Covid-19 and more extreme weather events are showing us that the destruction of the natural world is greatly impacting on the planet.
Rainforest Concern
One of the most immediate threats to the bio-region is heavy industry, resulting in polluted rivers and the
To protect the cloud forests from threats, Rainforest Concern supports community reserves and has created a private reserve,
6 . The lives of sea turtles begin on a beach when hatchlings crawl up out of their sandy nests and try to get to the sea as fast as they can. Those that aren’t eaten by killers on their way to the water swim out into the ocean until they find somewhere they can hide, eat and grow.
Ten to fifty years later, depending on the species, the sea turtles mate in shallow waters. Then the females return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs, and the cycle begins again.
SAVE ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES! Here’s how YOU can make a difference! 1. Only buy ethically harvested seafood. Seafood Watch. org's app will help you choose seafood providers who don't harm sea turtles. 2. Use reusable bags and water containers.Reduce your use of plastics and refuse to use plastic bags, disposable straws and water bottles. 3. Volunteer for beach clean-up activities. Help make our coastlines safer for sea turtles by removing harmful garbage like plastic bags and disposable straws. 4. Clear the beach of obstacles at night. Remove chairs and sandcastles and turn off any lights so sea turtles can more easily travel between their nests and the water. |
Turtles that successfully avoid the numerous threats to their existence can live up to 100 years. But predators, fishing nets and garbage are major problems, and only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings will reach adulthood. There are seven sea turtle species, and six of them are either threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Many organizations around the world are working hard to ensure that sea turtles will not disappear from our oceans.
1. After leaving their nests, how long will it be before the sea turtles are old enough to reproduce?| A．Ten to fifty months, depending on environmental factors |
| B．Six months, if they can survive that long in the open ocean |
| C．One to five weeks, depending on how much they find to eat |
| D．One to five decades, depending on the kind of sea turtle |
| A．Water pollution that harms sea turtles |
| B．Fishing industry practices that harm sea turtles |
| C．Other animals that eat sea turtles |
| D．Turtle overpopulation that makes food short |
| A．It gives the turtles a clear path from their nests to the ocean. |
| B．Tourists won’t trip on anything in the dark when they’re looking for turtles. |
| C．Waste on the beach ruins the view at night. |
| D．It makes it more difficult for killers to hunt the turtles. |
In 2004, the junior high school student, now 13, launched the basketball-themed Hoops of Hope,
“I realized these kids weren’t any
Another participant, Li Yeqiao, a 15-year-old student at Beijing Bayi Middle School, told the conference how the group seeks to improve the way electronic waste
British animal behavior expert Jane Goodall introduced the Roots & Shoots concept to China in 2000 to promote environmental and humanitarian education programs to
8 . Plastic is the workhorse material of the modern economy. Light and durable, it’s been used to make a vast number of products since its introduction over 100 years ago.
However, a study carried out by the World Economic Forum, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation(基金会) and McKinsey &Company showed the breakdown of the status of the global plastic system. A full 32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into out oceans.
The Ocean Cleanup, a startup founded in 2013, is the brainchild of Boyan Slat, who came up with the idea for the company when he was just 17 years old. Since then, it has received more than $2 million in funding(基金). The company plans to use a large device that will be fixed to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. This will have arms that spread out over 100 km, getting all of the plastic garbage pushed into its nets. This is then collected by a 10,000 metrecube container that will be emptied monthly.
Most recently, the Ocean Cleanup launched a team of explorers aboard a specially refitted C130 Hercules aircraft heavily loaded with specialized sensor equipment. It discovered that the problem was worse than expected with an abundance of plastics measuring up to 1.5m across and at a higher density than previously thought. The organization will continue to pilot the device and will start removing the pile before the end of the decade.
Once the plastic is out, what should we do with it? The foundation hopes that the plastic from the ocean will have a commercial value which can help to fund the project. Ocean plastic is not easy to use, for it’s mixed with everything from intact PET bottles to microplastics. However, some of the world’s biggest companies also see the chance to market products made of ocean plastic.
Transforming today’s plastic economy from its present form (takemakewaste) to a zero waste circular economy (takemaketakemake) is a difficult challenge. However, with cooperative action from producers, recyclers, governments and consumers alike and continuing innovation, it can be done.
1. What’s Boyan Slat’s idea about?| A．A way to collect ocean plastic waste. | B．A new product made of ocean plastic. |
| C．A machine to recycle plastic garbage. | D．An organization to research into plastic. |
| A．About 35 tons. | B．About 25 tons. | C．About 45 tons. | D．About 55 tons. |
| A．It’ll sponsor the foundation. | B．It’ll be recycled by the government. |
| C．It’ll be turned into treasure. | D．It’ll take the form of takemakewaste. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. | C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
Following pressure from animal activist groups , Apsara, the management authority for the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia announced in June 2019 it would ban elephant rides in early 2020. Now the process has already begun.
An Apsara press
In 2016, an elephant named Sambo died at Angkor Archaeological Park,
The ban comes at a time when more and more travelers and tourism organizations around the world have moved to eliminate animal-related attractions. Most recently, Trip Advisor-one of the world’s biggest travel listings and booking sites--announced that
10 . Many of the New World supermarkets in New Zealand are letting their fruits and vegetables go packaging-free. In an innovative project pioneered by the New World supermarket located at Bishopdale in Christchurch, this change has led to an amazing increase in sales according to The New Zealand Herald. "We monitor them year on year and after we introduced the idea, we noticed sales of spring onions, for example, had increased by 300 percent," Bishopdale’s owner Nigel Bond told NZ Herald. "There may have been other factors at play, but we noticed similar increases in other vegetables." Bond explained, "When we first set up the new shelving, our customers were blown away. It reminded me of when I was a kid going to the fruiterer with my Dad you could smell the fresh oranges and spring onions. By wrapping products in plastic, we sanitize and keep people away from this experience, it was a huge regret for us."
This new project is part of the movement to do away with all single-use plastic packaging. There are actually government regulations that went into effect on July 1, 2019 for a phase out(强制逐步淘汰) of plastic bags by all retailers. Plastics take up as much as 20 percent of New Zealand's landfill space to 252,000 tons per year.
The idea for the unwrapped produce came from Bond. He went on a study tour in the US and was impressed by the sales at Whole Foods. Then he spoke to growers and suppliers who were more than happy to look at different ways to provide produce without the plastic packaging.
Now, most of the produce is plastic-free but some items - including grapes and some tomatoes - still come wrapped in plastic. Nine New World supermarkets in the South Island have followed the Bishop dales stores example. And New World is testing another new way to BYO (=bring your own) containers for the meat and seafood departments. All of this is a part of the supermarket chain commitment to sustainable practices.
1. What's the result of making vegetables go packaging-free?| A．An innovative project was carried out. |
| B．More vegetables have been sold. |
| C．Nigel Bond monitored sales stricter. |
| D．Other factors were found to play the role. |
| A．Not using all single-use plastic packaging. |
| B．Limiting the development of retailers. |
| C．Stopping using plastic bags gradually. |
| D．Building more New Zealand's landfill space. |
| A．Whole Foods’ sales. |
| B．His study in the college. |
| C．His impression from work. |
| D．Growers and suppliers' requirements. |
| A．New World's Fruits and Vegetables Going Packaging-Free. |
| B．New Zealand's Supermarkets Calling for Environmental protection. |
| C．New Zealand's Contribution to Reducing the Use of Plastics. |
| D．New World's Supermarkets' New Ways to Promote Sales. |
