1 . All of us spend a large part of our lives at home — eating, sleeping, relaxing and communicating with our family members. Our home is a shelter for us, away from the noisy, busy, and polluted world outside — a place where we can let down our hair and dress casually. Ecofriendliness (环保) is a hot word today and we all know we should make our environment as ecofriendly as possible. This is not only good for our health, but also good for the outward environment. Here are some easy and helpful tips to make your home ecofriendly.
Kitchen
Plan the kitchen to be bright and airy so that you don't have to turn on the lights at daytime. Don't make wasteful use of the gas. Keep all ingredients for cooking ready before lighting the gas. Turn it to low when not required — always using it on "high" burns a lot of gas.
Indoor plants
Plants are extremely ecofriendly and can be used to make your home look lively. Apart from adding life to home, they give out O2, thus making the air inside fresh. You can keep plants in your home, but be sure to show them some sunlight regularly. Also, if they are kept outside, clean their leaves with a wet cloth, as dust may be added to them. A home decorated with plants looks attractive. Plants are a natural home decorating gift that shows concern about the environment. A green plant is a wonderful gift which will protect the earth and is sure to be appreciated.
Saving water
Most of the time, we take water for granted — we keep water running while brushing our teeth or washing clothes. Needless to say, this is a huge waste of natural resources. Try to recycle water. For example, the water used for washing vegetables can be used for watering plants; the soapy water used for washing clothes can be used to clean the bathroom and kitchen.
1. Why is the importance of our home discussed in Paragraph 1?| A．To advise us to communicate more with our family members. |
| B．To show the outside world is noisy and polluted. |
| C．To advise us to spend more time staying at home. |
| D．To show it's necessary to make our home ecofriendly. |
| A．To open the window. | B．To save energy. |
| C．To prepare simple meals. | D．To turn down lights. |
| A．We don't use water frequently. |
| B．We try our best not to waste water. |
| C．We don't realize the importance of water. |
| D．We make full use of water. |
Starbucks will eliminate plastic
Starbucks’ pushback against plastic has drawn a mixed
3 . A student-led push to get solar panels installed at a middle school in Tacoma is receiving national recognition from a clean energy nonprofit organization called Generation 180. The girls involved are advocating and fundraising for the project.
Sammy Firkins, Gwen Newport and Annie Son will talk about their idea to generate solar electricity at Jason Lee Middle School in a panel discussion organized by Generation 180. In 2019, the three of them teamed up with their science teacher, Kathy Hall, to push for solar panels to be installed. Hall, who uses solar power at her own house, said it’s long been a dream of hers. The school would be the first in the Tacoma district to use solar energy.
The girls presented their idea to Gov. Jay Inslee’s STEM Education Innovation Alliance meeting in early 2019 and received enthusiastic support. They then spoke to the Tacoma school board and obtained buy-in from the district, though they were told the district did not have the roughly $ 200,000 for the 277 solar panels and that they would have to fundraise. They’ve since raised more than half that amount through grants and individual donations.
Gwen Newport said she’s always cared a lot about environmental issues and that she’s troubled that climate change does not get the attention it deserves. “At this point, I feel like it’s kind of been given to my generation almost as our responsibility now and so being able to be a part of this project and take action is really important to me,” she said.
The solar panels have not been installed at the school yet. But Hall said she estimates that the project will reduce the school’s power costs by about $ 14,000 a year, and that it also will serve an educational purpose. “We will have live data always streaming available so that people can see how the panels are working and how they relate to the amount of electricity we’re using, and it will be an incredible learning tool,” she said.
1. What is Generation 180?| A．It is the name of the girls’ team. |
| B．It is a project to use solar power. |
| C．It is a nonprofit environmental group. |
| D．It is a student-led push to install solar panels. |
| A．The girls raised enough money for the project. |
| B．The Tacoma school board rejected the project. |
| C．The girls made great efforts to fulfill the project. |
| D．The district covered the expenses of solar panels. |
| A．Confident. | B．Concerned. | C．Relieved. | D．Content. |
| A．To advocate for donations. |
| B．To serve as a learning tool. |
| C．To protect the environment. |
| D．To cut down the school’s expenses. |
4 . On a sunny afternoon, Andreas Fath climbed out of a river in Paducah. A small crowd was on hand to witness his setting a new world record. This man had just finished swimming the entire length of the Tennessee River—1,049 kilometers. And he did it in just 34 days!
As a chemist from Hochshule Furtwangen University, the 52-year-old man had taken on this swim for science. His primary goal was not to get his name into Guinness World Records. What really drove this swim was a desire to make people aware of the seriousness of water pollution.
Fath’s crew included his family. Martin Knoll, who helped organize Fath’s swim, also took par t. Knoll is an environmental scientist at the University of the South. He describes this swim as a vehicle for getting people interested in water quality and how we pollute water without realizing it.
It took Fath 34 days to swim the river’s length. Along the way, his crew took measurements of the water’s temperature and pH. They also recorded weather and the speed of the river’s currents (涌流). As for the Tennessee River, they collected daily water samples. A small plastic device attached to one leg of Fath’s wet suit sampled the chemical pollutants (污染物) through which he swam. Finally, Fath’s goal is to use such data to know what on earth results in water pollution. Then he wants to find ways to keep those chemicals out of the water.
Back in Germany, Fath and his students have finished examining their data. They plan to publish their findings soon. Identifying materials that hide in the river isn’t only important for the animals that live there. “It’s also a way to protect human health,” says Fath.
1. What was the main purpose of Andreas Fath’s long swim?| A．To make history. | B．To set a new world record. |
| C．To bring attention to water pollution. | D．To provide inspiration for scientific research. |
| A．It was tiring. | B．It was painful. | C．It was interesting. | D．It was meaningful. |
| A．To identify the sources of pollution. | B．To learn a lot more about the currents. |
| C．To know chemicals’ effects on water. | D．To get pollutants removed from the water. |
| A．Analyze the collected data. | B．Get the findings published. |
| C．Study how to improve health. | D．Identify materials in other rivers. |
5 . Every year, butterfly(蝴蝶) lovers in California go out in November to count monarch butterflies. They
The orange and black monarch butterflies are famous
Monarchs, like most butterflies, are
But monarchs have been facing growing problems for years. As more and more wild land has been turned into large farms, the monarchs have had trouble
Scientists say monarchs will be in danger of dying out in the next 20 years if nothing
Scientists have exposed that around two-fifths of the world’s plants are at risk of extinction. A top botanist, Professor Alexandre Antonelli, said, “We are living in
It's a very
There
7 . Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger to wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren’t going away any time soon — but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.
In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest effect may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world’s oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.
Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead puffer fish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean.
Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact the entire ecosystems,” he added.
There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
1. What does the underlined word “decompose” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Burn away. | B．Produce. | C．Break down. | D．Improve. |
| A．The environmental group saves many animals. |
| B．Sea wildlife is fond of feeding on face masks. |
| C．Measures should be taken to protect sea wildlife. |
| D．Masks thrown around finally do harm to human. |
| A．By increasing fines for throwing masks. | B．By preventing the public using single-use masks. |
| C．By working with campaigners’ groups. | D．By washing face masks frequently. |
| A．Wildlife Faces a Threat from Face Masks | B．Face Masks can Harm the Environment |
| C．Animal Protection Organizations Matter | D．Government should Ban Littering Face Masks |
8 . A waste management system is a collective kind of efforts and has to be supported by the government and all the people. There are some countries with the most interesting waste sorting culture.
Germany is the country with the world's number one recycling system. It has a quite detailed way of sorting their waste-down to the colour of glass waste and the type of paper that could be put inside the paper waste bin. Items like used batteries, electronics, unused paints and appliances must be returned to special locations to be recycled. Other items such as clothes, shoes and furniture are advised to be sold or donated. There's this thing called deposit in Germany, a certain part of the price on a bottled drink that you get back if you return the bottle. German law requires that all shops selling bottled drinks should have such a return point.
South Koreans used to ignore how to sort their waste, but in 1995 their government took a different path from other countries: they set up a systematic(系统的)and strict waste management standard to make sure the development of their future economy. Their government knows that a, good waste management system brings money-saving and environment-caring. South Korea succeeded in changing the people's behavior and did everything to ensure their waste reduction.
It's never too hard to throw your garbage in Indonesia. What Indonesians commonly do is putting your trashes in your personal garbage area at the front of your house, right at the side of the street. And the garbage collectors with their big garbage truck will pick the trashes up. Imagine how much culture shock an Indonesian would suffer when they live in a country famous for its complicated waste sorting system such as Japan, South Korea or Germany-a place where public shaming and fine for a failure in obeying the waste sorting rules is more likely to happen.
1. What can we know about Germany according to the text?| A．It sorts the waste in a simple way. |
| B．It has the best waste-recycling system. |
| C．It pays no attention to sorting the waste. |
| D．It advises people to donate unused paints. |
| A．Fund donated by the public. |
| B．Drinks forbidden by laws. |
| C．Money returned to customers. |
| D．Places set up for recycling. |
| A．Indonesia. | B．Japan. | C．South Korea. | D．Germany. |
| A．To inform a way of recycling. | B．To compare different cultures. |
| C．To advertise a sorting company. | D．To introduce waste managing systems. |
1 .垃圾分类的好处； 2.讲座具体时间和地点； 3.邀请居民参加。
注意：1. 词数80词左右；开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:垃圾分类garbage classification
Dear sir or madam,
I' m writing this letter to call on attention to the community lecture concerning garbage classification.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Hongqi Community
10 . The convenience plastic offers has led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side. Many of its products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a service life of mere minutes to hours.
Plastic has been the biggest threat to ocean life for decades. Sunlight, wind and wave action break down plastic waste to a certain extent, but it only succeeds in reducing it to smaller pieces.
Tests have also confirmed cell damage and trouble with animals’ reproductive systems caused by plastic-eating. Some species, such as oysters, produce fewer eggs if they wrongly take too much plastic.
Fortunately, solutions are being found. Many scientists agree the top priority is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas.
| A．Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics. |
| B．This makes plastic waste even harder to notice. |
| C．Millions of animals are killed by plastic every year. |
| D．Some pieces have even been found blocking their organs. |
| E．Half of all plastics ever produced have been made in the last 15 years. |
| F．It could be done with improved waste management systems and recycling. |
| G．However, they may remain in the environment for hundreds of years and cause a lot of harm. |
