1 . On a break from his studies in the MIT Media Lab,Anirudh Sharma traveled home to Mumbai, India. While there, he noticed that throughout the day his T-shirts were gradually gathering something that looked like dirt."I realized this was air pollution，or sooty（像煤一样）particulate matter (PM)，made of black particles released from exhaust（尾气）of vehicles，" Sharma says. "This is a major health issue."Soot consists of tiny black particles, about 2.5 micrometers or smaller, made carbon produced by incomplete burning of fossil fuels.
Back at MIT,Sharma set out to help solve this air-pollution issue. After years of research and development, Sharma’s startup Graviky Labs has developed technology that attaches to exhaust systems of diesel generators（柴油发电机）to collect particulate matter.Scientists at Graviky then turn it into ink, called Air-Ink, for artists around the world. So far, the startup has collected I.6 billion micrograms of particulate matter.More than 200 gallons of Air-Ink have been harvested for a growing community of more than 1,000 artists, from Bangalore to Boston, Shanghai,and London.
Posted all over Graviky Lab's Facebook page today are photos of art made from the Air-Ink and pant, including street wall paintings, body art and clothing prints.At first, there was still no specific application for the ink. Then the startup decided to find new ways to further spread its mission.It chose to do so through art."Art helps us raise awareness about where the ink and paint comes from. Air pollution knows no borders. Our ink sends a message that pollution is one of the resources in our world that's the hardest to collect and use.But it can be done,"Sharma says.
1. What struck Sharma most during his break in India?| A．Dirt on his T-shirts. | B．Health issue of the locals. |
| C．Coal industry in Mumbai. | D．Incomplete burning of fossil fuels. |
| A．a cleaner of outdoor air | B．a product made from PM |
| C．a newly-founded company | D．a printing technology |
| A．It improves artistic effect. | B．It makes pollution acceptable. |
| C．It helps Sharma make a profit. | D．It raises environmental awareness. |
| A．Arts know no borders | B．Waste has no price |
| C．Less pollution, more art | D．Creative thinking, effective painting |
2 . Killer whales, or orcas, are known for their severe attacks on sea animals but they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since late July, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, 2020, when a 46-foot boat was repeatedly attacked for almost an hour by nine orcas, causing the boat to rotate(旋转) 180 degrees and having its engine switched off. Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. On September 23, 2020, Spain's government banned boats of less than 50 feet in length from sailing in the 60-mile stretch of the Atlantic coastline between Ferrol and the Estaca de Bares Cape, where the attacks have been occurring.
Researchers across the world are trying to explain the orcas' behavior. Some believe it could be a result of the overfishing of the bluefish tuna - the orcas' primary food source -which has left the area's killer whales starving and unable to feed their babies. "I saw them look at boats carrying fish. I think they know humans are somehow related to food shortages, "says Ken Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research in Washington, USA. The environmentalists believe the sudden increase in boat traffic and fishing activities, after months of absence due to restrictions on human activity last spring, could also be contributing to the agitation.
However, Alfredo López, a biology professor in Galicia, Spain, thinks the attacks are defensive measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the of the videos of a few incidents and noticing that two of the young killer whales involved had serious injuries. Hopefully, the experts will be able to find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and the humans soon.
1. What do we know about orcas in paragraph 1?| A．They are friendly to humans. | B．They have changed their behavior. |
| C．They are famous for hunting skills | D．They have met tough living conditions. |
| A．Ken Balcomb. | B．The environmentalists. |
| C．Alfredo López. | D．Spain's government. |
| A．The attacks. | B．Food shortages. | C．The overfishing. | D．Human activities. |
| A．How do killer whales attack humans? |
| B．Why Are Killer Whales attacking Boats? |
| C．How can we live in harmony with animals? |
| D．Why are boats banned from sailing on the sea? |
3 . The Tibet autonomous region has placed nearly half its land area under the strictest ecological supervision (监督).It was announced at an annual meeting of the regional People's Congress, which kicked off on Wednesday.
The ecological protection area, which covers more than 539,000 square kilometers, makes up 45 percent of the region's area, and 22 ecological reserves have been built and are operational.
According to the government work report, the rate of days with good air quality in Tibet's cities has reached 99.4 percent, and all the region's drinking water sources have met applicable standards.
The report also said that the number of Tibetan antelope (羚)in the region has risen to more than 200,000, wildlife species to 1,072 and black-necked cranes to more than 8,000. Five rare new species have been discovered in recent years. The region has spent 12.2 billion yuan ($1.9 billion) on ecological protection projects in recent years. Five cities and three counties have been named as national-level ecologically civilized model cities and counties, and more rural residents have benefited financially by undertaking part-time ecological protection work.
More advanced monitoring facilities have been in place in the reserve, with more ecological protection inspectors employed to undertake protection work. The professional ecological inspectors are provided with basic tools such as motorcycles, telescopes and paging receivers, and they provide feedback regularly. Professional inspectors also receive one week of training every year from professors at Tibet University.
Kunsang Darje, a railway maintenance worker in Nagchu, said that apart from maintaining the railway and highway, he also collects trash along the section with his colleagues. “The place I work is in a no-man's land, and I think it's very important to protect the animals there without affecting them with human activities, and we are also bound to take responsibility there," he said.
1. What is the main idea of the text?| A．The ecological situation in Tibet has been totally improved. |
| B．Almost half Tibetan land has been ecologically supervised. |
| C．Many more operational ecological reserves have been built. |
| D．More Tibetan protection inspectors have been employed. |
| A．Larger protection areas. | B．Numerous rare new species. |
| C．More days with quality air. | D．Global capital investments. |
| A．protection inspectors can employ other people |
| B．protection inspectors are supplied with cars |
| C．Tibet's rural residents can get annual training |
| D．Tibet's rural residents can earn extra money |
| A．He asks his colleagues not to litter everywhere. |
| B．He attaches importance to raise animals there. |
| C．He keeps railway and highway in good condition. |
| D．He has a sense of duty to protect animals there. |
4 . If you live in China, mandatory (强制的) garbage sorting is coming to a city near you. In the UK, people have been sorting out rubbish for a while. For most people, it’s just second nature to sort waste at home before throwing it into separate bins.
But like most Brits and other Westerners, I had no idea that most of our recycling used to go to China until the country banned foreign trash imports last year. With its booming middle class of urban consumers, China has its own increasing waste problems that it urgently needs to deal with. During China’s new drive to sort out its trash problem, I was keen to see what Hangzhou was doing to get residents ready.
It was seven a.m. when I first got to work, in a local community where residents were heading out to work, school or for a morning walk. I was joined by Liu Lianqun, a “garbage guide” next to the local trash sorting station. When many locals approached us, enthusiastically holding their green bags given for free, it was up to us to give them a kind but firm telling-off. “Kitchen waste is food items only! No tissues! No paper! No plastic!” Some people took our advice while others were clearly angry at being told what to do. It’s understandable. Our rubbish can be very personal and something that we keep to ourselves. Any attempt by a stranger to spy into our bin bags is going to be unwelcome. But Liu was very optimistic that progress was being made.
In another community, I found a different approach to garbage sorting—rewarding residents with points in return for their recyclable waste. By scanning a QR code through a smart phone app, locals can collect points for their cardboard, plastic bottles and old clothing, and exchange them for goods or cash in local shops.
If common people could see truck after truck pouring glass, paper and plastic into landfill with their own eyes, they would likely give garbage separation a lot more attention. For China’s garbage separation campaign, education will be essential in the long term.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 2?| A．Foreign trash imports have done great harm to China. |
| B．Imports of foreign garbage have not been banned up to now. |
| C．Residents in Hangzhou are ready for garbage sorting. |
| D．Most of the foreign garbage in China comes from Britain. |
| A．Carrying out severe punishment. | B．Showing a warm welcome. |
| C．Pointing out their mistakes seriously. | D．Giving them guidance. |
| A．Because the green bags are given to them free of charge. |
| B．Because residents there tend to be defensive towards strangers. |
| C．Because only food items can be kept in kitchen waste garbage bags. |
| D．Because the contents in green bags may let out personal information. |
| A．Wealth hidden in waste |
| B．Less garbage, clearer environment |
| C．More points, more rewards |
| D．Good start for garbage sorting |
5 . Kamikatsu, a small town in Japan, has shown the world that our garbage has far-reaching effects, and not just on our environment.
The experiment in going zero waste started when the town built a new incinerator 20 years ago. But almost immediately, the incinerator was determined to be a health risk due to the poisonous gases when garbage was burned in it. It was too expensive to send waste to other towns, so locals had to come up with a new plan. Then the Zero Waste Academy was born, which helped perform this plan.
Now Kamikatsu people separate their waste into 45 different categories. But in the beginning, it wasn't easy to convince local people to do all this work, and there was some pushback. Only after that initial education period did most residents come on board.
This is all great news for waste reduction of course, but it has also had some unexpected social benefits as well. Like much of Japan, Kamikatsu's population is aging, and about 50 percent of the locals are elderly. The fact that the whole community takes their trash in to be recycled has created a local action and interaction between generations.
That idea has been purposefully expanded to include a circular shop where household goods are dropped off and others can take them, and a tableware "library" where people can borrow extra cups, glasses, silverware and plates for celebrations.
"The elderly see this not as a waste-collection service, but an opportunity to socialize with the younger generation and to chat. When we visit them, they prepare lots of food and we stay with them for a while, we ask how they are," Sakano, the founder of the Zero Waste Academy, said.
Sakano's ideas are truly revolutionary if you think about it. She's proving that community can be found through handling the stuff we no longer want and need.
1. What is mainly talked about in paragraph 2?| A．What harmful effects garbage burning has. |
| B．Why garbage sorting is necessary in Japan. |
| C．How the idea of zero waste was put forward. |
| D．What the Zero Waste Academy functions as. |
| A．Inactive response. | B．Generous reward. |
| C．Bitter suffering. | D．Beneficial guidance. |
| A．Reducing waste. | B．Creating community. |
| C．Increasing people's income. | D．Developing a new technology. |
| A．Technology. | B．Health. | C．Workplace. | D．Lifestyle. |
China was once the world’s biggest recipient of overseas trash. Because of a
7 . The last complete ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has collapsed(倒塌).The Milne Ice Shelf is
Above normal air temperatures,offshore winds and open water in front of the shelf are all parts of the
＂It was only a
| A．at the edge of | B．in front of | C．at the back of | D．at the end of |
| A．rather than | B．less than | C．other than | D．more than |
| A．situations | B．conditions | C．elements | D．problems |
| A．combines | B．covers | C．evaluates | D．obtains |
| A．seriously | B．especially | C．naturally | D．nearly |
| A．down | B．below | C．up | D．above |
| A．reduced | B．broken | C．threatened | D．brought |
| A．which | B．that | C．where | D．whose |
| A．uncovered | B．discovered | C．predicted | D．spotted |
| A．program | B．progress | C．project | D．process |
| A．question | B．thing | C．matter | D．concept |
| A．possibly | B．likely | C．probably | D．surely |
| A．simplified | B．launched | C．confirmed | D．accompanied |
| A．research | B．search | C．culture | D．business |
| A．dreams | B．ideas | C．attitudes | D．memories |
1.目前汽车带来的空气污染和交通堵塞等问题。
2.骑自行车的益处，如能环保有利健康等。
参考词汇：低碳生活（low-carbon life） 节能 (energy saving)
注意：1.词数：100词左右；
2.演讲稿开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Good morning, everyone!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
That’s all! Thank you for your listening!
9 . World Environment Day: Eco-friendly fashion tips
June 5 saw another World Environment Day. Yet environmental protection ought to be an everyday activity. It shouldn't be something only remembered as a slogan. Saving water and using public transportation can help benefit our future generations in the long run.
Buy less
Many people take shopping, or buying things that are not necessary, as a way to release pressure. And nowadays, almost everyone buys more clothes than needed.
Natural material is good for not only the environment, but also the mind and body. The feeling of wearing a polyester shirt and an organic cotton shirt is totally different, especially in the hot summer.
Use natural cleanser
Washing powder will pollute the water and harm your clothes. Try a natural cleanser. It can clean your clothes thoroughly without doing any harm to either the environment or your skin.
Dry cleaning will cause a lot of damage to the environment. Baby shampoo can clean these delicate textiles as well.
Smart shopping
| A．Choose naturally dyed products |
| B．Choose natural and organic material |
| C．Secondhand clothes can be a smarter choice. |
| D．Find a better and healthier way to release pressure. |
| E．Reduce the times you dry-clean pure woolen and silk items. |
| F．Your wardrobe could also be more environmentally friendly too. |
| G．If you still can't change old shopping habits, try to buy less fur products. |
10 . For some people, walking or running outdoors is a great way to exercise. What may not be so great is seeing rubbish all over the ground. Well, some people are doing something about it.
A Swedish man named Erik Ahlström, started the movement in 2016. He moved to Stockholm from a small community (社区) in northern Sweden. Each day he would ride his bike to work. He became worried about the amount of rubbish and litter he saw each day on his way to work. So, he took matters into his own hands. He began picking up the rubbish.
Today, plogging is an official activity, which is becoming more and more popular. People of all ages are welcome to plog. Exercise while helping your community.
Along with cleaning up the environment, there may be another reason to choose plogging instead of just jogging. You may get a better workout. One fitness app, Lifesum, records one hour of plogging as burning 288 calories.
As can be seen, cities around the world now hold plogging events. The goal is to spread the idea that littering is not acceptable. People would think twice before dropping a garbage on the ground.
| A．Plogging is equal parts of exercise and community service. |
| B．And that is how plogging was born! |
| C．And plogging does good to your health. |
| D．Usual jogging burns about 235 calories. |
| E．They are plogging! |
| F．There are people all around the world doing this. |
| G．You get to know your neighbors. |
