1 . Not only doe s the use of plastic water bottles hurt your wallet, it also increases pollution and wastes energy and water. Only 23% of all plastic bottles in America end up in a recycling bin, which means over $1 billion worth of plastic is treated as rubbish a year. Recently, Skipping Rocks Lab has invented a kind of water bottle called Ooho.
It is a convenient, clear water bottle that can be either drunk or eaten. To drink it, you can either peel off the membrane (薄膜) or tear a hole in the membrane with your teeth to pour the water into your mouth. To eat it, you simply put the whole bottle in your mouth. One problem the scientists have run into is how to ship large amounts of Ooho bubbles (水泡) without arriving with a very wet truck. However, they have attempted to package units of individual bubbles together inside a larger and thicker membrane. It is targeting large outdoor events, such as marathons, music festivals, and sporting events, where tons of plastic bottles are used, and frequently left behind as litter. And too much plastic is sure to do harm to the environment, which could account for their purpose of such a new invention.
The team has been working for the past two years to develop the technology and materials needed to produce Ooho; they have recently applied for a patent (专利权) on their new advancements. The price for an individual bubble or a unit of bubbles has not been set yet, but they cost about two cents to create a unit, which is cheaper than a plastic bottle. It has appeared at events in London, San Francisco, Boston, at conferences, festivals, and so on.
Ooho has caught many people’s attention and has raised over $ 1 million and gained 1,000 investors in only three days. It is mostly being sold at events at the moment to keep the consumers’ interest while the production machine is running. It is quickly making a rise, so keep an eye out this year for these bottles of the future.
1. How is most plastic dealt with in America?| A．It’s sold. | B．It’s recycled. | C．It’s processed. | D．It’s wasted. |
| A．To make a profit for a company. | B．To protect the environment. |
| C．To make people eat as they drink. | D．To reduce the cost of plastic bottles. |
| A．It is easy and safe to ship it in large amounts. |
| B．It has become popular since it began to be sold. |
| C．It might be sold at a lower price than plastic bottles. |
| D．It has cost the team a lot of money to develop the technology. |
| A．Ooho is to be a success in the future. |
| B．Ooho is being supported by smart people. |
| C．Ooho is taking the place of plastic bottles now. |
| D．Ooho is being produced to attract more investors. |
2 . A report from the UN warns that countries’ current commitments would reduce carbon by only about 7.5% by 2030, far less than the 45% cut, which scientists say is needed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C, the aim of the COP26 summit.
António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, described the findings as a “thundering wake-up call” to world leaders, while experts called for action against fossil fuel companies.
Although more than 100 countries have promised to reach net zero emissions around mid-century, this would not be enough to avoid climate disasters, according to the UN emissions report, which examines the shortfall (差额) between countries intentions and actions needed on the climate. Many of the net zero commitments were found to be unclear, and unless accompanied by strict cuts in emissions this decade would allow global heating of a potentially disastrous extent.
Guterres said: “The heat is on, and as the contents of the report show, the leadership we need is off. Far off. Countries are wasting a massive opportunity to invest Covid-19 finance and recovery resources in sustainable, cost-saving, planet-saving ways. As world leaders prepare for COP26, that is another thundering wake-up call. How many do we need?”
Inger Andersen, the director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said: “Climate change is no longer a future problem. It is a now problem. To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5℃, we have 8 years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: 8 years to make the plans, put in place the policies, carry them out and deliver the cuts. The clock is ticking loudly.”
Emissions fell by about 5. 4% last year during Covid lockdowns, the report found, but only about one-fifth of the economic recovery spending goes towards reducing carbon emissions. This failure to “build back better”, despite promises by governments around the world, cast doubt on the world’s willingness to make the economic shift necessary to settle the climate crisis, the UN said.
In the run-up to COP26, countries were supposed to submit (递交) national plans to cut emissions—called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) —for the next decade, a requirement under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. But the UNEP report found only half of countries had submitted new NDCs, and some governments had presented weak plans.
1. Why were the findings described as a “thundering wake-up call” in Para. 2?| A．Because the world has failed to live up to its current commitments. |
| B．Because the opportunities presented by covid-19 have been wasted. |
| C．Because the world is falling behind in slowing down temperature rises. |
| D．Because the serious problems were brought about by global fossil fuels. |
| A．current commitments of many countries remain unchanged |
| B．huge gaps are bridged between previous and present proposals |
| C．global sustainable environmental resources develops significantly |
| D．strict measures are taken to reduce emissions in the coming ten years |
| A．To show the number of alarm clocks required. |
| B．To explain the reason for the world’s wasting chances. |
| C．To ask for the number of the countries attending the meeting. |
| D．To stress the need to make the most of resources and reduce emissions. |
| A．Few countries have submitted plans to reduce the emissions. |
| B．Many countries’ plans to cut emissions are far from satisfactory. |
| C．Most of the countries work under the Paris Climate Agreement. |
| D．Much progress in reducing emissions has been made these years. |
3 . The current population of oysters (牡蛎) is only a small part of their historic levels.
The critical nature of oysters in the ecosystem is difficult to overstate. Along the Atlantic shoreline of the United States, the Eastern Oyster is considered a foundation species. Oysters gather together as part of their natural life cycle, forming reefs that provide the habitat for fish, crabs, and other small ocean creatures.
In addition to being the bedrock of many underwater communities, oysters also help maintain the cleanliness of South Carolina’s coastal waters. Dirty water comes in from the ocean and gets filtered by oysters. Water goes back out cleanly.
South Carolina is working hard to rebuild coastal reefs that will support and sustain future oyster populations. It’s worth keeping in mind that every shell removed from the river could be the base for the next year’s new oysters.
| A．Once we lose that natural shell base |
| B．These little tiny fish need somewhere to hide |
| C．Because it is important to recycle the oyster shells |
| D．Even the local tourism industry relies on this effect of oysters |
| E．The best place to settle is going to be where there are adult oysters |
| F．South Carolina is actively working to restore and sustain its wild oysters |
| G．Oyster shells, both live and dead, provide the main habitat for the next generation |
4 . In the old days, when you had to drive to a movie theater to get some entertainment, it was easy to see how your actions could have an impact on the environment. After all, you were jumping into your car, driving across towns, coughing out emissions (排放) and using gas all the way. But now that we’re used to staying at home and streaming (流式传输) movies, we might get a little proud. After all, we’re just picking up our phones and maybe turning on the TV. You’re welcome. Mother Nature.
Not so fast, says a recent report from the French-based Shit Project. According to Climate Crisis: The Unsustainable Use of Online Video, digital technologies are responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, and that energy use is increasing by 9% a year. Watching a half-hour show would lead to 3.5 pounds of CO2 emissions. That’s like driving 6.28 kilometers. And in the European Union, the Eureca project found that data centers (where videos are stored) there used 25% more energy in 2017 compared to just three years earlier, reports the BBC.
Streaming is only expected to increase as we become more enamored of our digital devices (设备) and the possibility of enjoying entertainment where and when we want it to increase. Online video use is expected to increase by four times from 2017 to 2022 and account for 80% of all Internet traffic by 2022. By then, about 60% of the world’s population will be online.
You’re probably not going to give up your streaming services, but there’re things you can do to help lessen the impact of your online use, experts say. For example, according to Lutz Stobbe, a researcher from the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin, we have no need to upload 25 pictures of the same thing to the cloud because it consumes energy every time. If instead you delete a few things here and there, you can save energy. Moreover, it’s also a good idea to stream over Wi-Fi, watch on the smallest screen as you can, and turn off your Wi-Fi in your home if you’re not using your devices.
1. What topic is the first paragraph intended to lead in?| A．The environmental effects of driving private cars. |
| B．The improvements on environmental awareness. |
| C．The environmental impacts of streaming services. |
| D．The change in the way people seek entertainment. |
| A．Get more skeptical of. | B．Become more aware of. |
| C．Ge more worried about. | D．Feel much crazier about. |
| A．Its environmental effects are worsening. | B．It is being reduced to protect the planet. |
| C．It is easily available to almost everyone. | D．Its side effects have drawn global attention. |
| A．Playing Online games over mobile networks. | B．Downloading music on a personal computer. |
| C．Uploading a lot of images of the same thing. | D．Watching downloaded movies on a mobile phone. |
5 . Pangolins (穿山甲) are the world’s most heavily poached (偷猎) mammal. And three out of four Asian pangolin species are critically
Growing up near Cue Phuong National Park in Vietnam’s Red River Delta, Thai Van Nguyen had been accustomed to seeing dead pangolins.
To change the fate of the pangolins, Nguyen set out to
Then Nguyen founded Vietnam’s first Asian Pangolin Rehabilitation Center. So far it has managed to
In 2018, Nguyen
Nguyen devotes his life to
| A．significant | B．endangered | C．valuable | D．dangerous |
| A．threatened | B．associated | C．matched | D．compared |
| A．Therefore | B．Otherwise | C．Nevertheless | D．Moreover |
| A．potential | B．courage | C．ability | D．passion |
| A．possibility | B．challenge | C．goal | D．risk |
| A．instruct | B．consult | C．serve | D．prepare |
| A．applied to | B．counted on | C．took up | D．began with |
| A．trap | B．farm | C．restore | D．relieve |
| A．expanded | B．reduced | C．hurried | D．turned |
| A．scheduled | B．continued | C．suspended | D．developed |
| A．advance | B．result | C．revival | D．decline |
| A．seeking | B．raising | C．freeing | D．studying |
| A．sufferings | B．contributions | C．sacrifices | D．experiences |
| A．fortune | B．difference | C．living | D．choice |
| A．particularly | B．primarily | C．naturally | D．eventually |
6 . Zea Tongeman, a 14-year-old student, who is crazy about the Internet, applied technology to create an application that encourages people to recycle while having fun.
Zea was really inspired when she attended “Little Miss Geek Day”, an event that is aimed at making technology more accessible and appealing to young women and inspiring them to consider technology careers. Soon after, she entered “Apps for Good”, a competition that encourages students to create positive changes through technology. Teaming up with her friend, Jordan Stirbu, she laid the foundations for “Jazzy Recycling”.
The “Jazzy Recycling” application is designed to encourage young people to recycle more, which wins the favor of the youth and turns waste disposal (处理) into a game and helps you find places to recycle. Then you scan what you need to recycle, share it, and get rewards such as shopping vouchers (代金券) and games to be unlocked for what you have recycled.
Making use of the teen enthusiasm for sharing every little aspect of their daily life on social media like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, recycling efforts can be shared too as a fun game among friends, which makes more people take part in recycling activities.
Zea explains why she is addicted to the Internet and how technology has changed her, “I used to think technology was just fixing computers and using smartphones; I have become very tired from just using what is available. I have discovered another side to it — I can make technology of my own.”
In fact, Zea Tongeman has taken the idea of recycling seriously and hopes all her fellow beings would give it a serious thought. This teen girl from the United Kingdom has made use of computer programming to create her own app that would encourage people to go recycling for a better world.
1. What is “Little Miss Geek Day” intended to do?| A．To introduce some young women. |
| B．To inspire people to go recycling. |
| C．To encourage students to create more careers. |
| D．To get girls interested and involved in technology. |
| A．It combines recycling with fun. |
| B．It offers money to those who recycle. |
| C．It raises their awareness of waste disposal. |
| D．It provides varieties of convenient services. |
| A．Technology does more harm than good. |
| B．Zea shows interest in computer science. |
| C．Zea has changed her ideas about technology. |
| D．Zea used to think technology was of little use. |
| A．Teenagers have a talent for creating apps. |
| B．Technology plays a significant role in education. |
| C．Competitions inspire teenagers to achieve success. |
| D．Youngsters can make a difference in their own ways. |
7 . Each year, the world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic waste, which can take a longtime to breakdown. Almost a third of the world’s plastic waste is polypropylene, a hard plastic used to make bottle: caps and food containers that typically take hundreds of years to degrade.
Now, a group of scientists at the University of Sydney, in Australia have developed a solution: using fungi (真菌) found in soils to devour lab samples of polypropylene.
In the experiment, the scientists first weakened pieces of polypropylene plastic by exposing them to heat, chemicals, or ultraviolet (UV) light so the fungi can do their job quickly. Fungi degrade materials like plastic into simpler molecules that they can then get rid of. The usually smooth plastic become full of marks as the fungi carryout their dirty work.
The two fungi, Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album, made a meal of the plastic in the lab experiments. As the researchers reported, between 25 and 27 percent of samples were digested after 90 days, and the plastic was completely broken down after 140 days.
More than 400 microorganisms have so far been found to degrade plastic naturally, with fungi attracting a fair bit of attention for their ability to degrade all sorts of man-made materials. “Recent studies suggest some fungi may even degrade some of the ‘forever chemicals’ like PFAS, but the process is slow and not yet well understood,” explains microbiologist Dee Carter of the University of Sydney.
Currently, the team is testing ways to speed up the degradation process, and assessing the economic and environmental factors of potential commercial use. If the team can transform their laboratory solution into a commercial-scale plastic waste management system, the world will finally have a promising solution to one of our most pressing environmental issues.
1. What does the underlined word “devour” probably mean in paragraph 2?| A．Produce. | B．Consume. | C．Analyse. | D．Recycle. |
| A．To leave marks on the sample. |
| B．To reduce plastic waste globally. |
| C．To change the shape of the plastic. |
| D．To quicken the degradation process. |
| A．Putting the solution into commercial use. |
| B．Establishing a system for rubbish sorting. |
| C．Maintaining a steady speed in the process. |
| D．Tackling the issue of pollution completely. |
| A．Scientists cutting down on waste |
| B．A solution used on a large scale |
| C．Plastic-eating fungi doing the trick |
| D．Severe plastic pollution reduced |
8 . With an abundance of sun and wind, Spain is positioning itself as Europe’s future leader in green hydrogen production to clean up heavy industries. But some energy experts express caution because this process relies on massive availability of zero-carbon electricity.
Green hydrogen is created when renewable energy sources power an electrical current that runs through water, separating its hydrogen and oxygen molecules (分子). The process doesn’t produce planet-warming carbon dioxide, but less than 0.1% of global hydrogen production is currently created in this way.
The separated hydrogen can be used in the production of steel, ammonia (氨) and chemical products, all of which require industrial processes that are harder to stop fossil fuels. Hydrogen also can be used as a transportation fuel, which could one day transform the highly polluting shipping and aviation sectors.
Spain’s large, windswept and thinly populated territory receives more than 2,500 hours of sunshine on average per year, providing ideal conditions for wind and solar energy, and therefore green hydrogen production.
“If you look at where hydrogen is going to be produced in Europe in the next million years, it’s in two countries, Spain and Portugal,” said Thierry Lepercq, the founder and president of HyDeal Ambition, an industry platform bringing together 30 companies. “Hydrogen is the new oil.”
Lepercq is working with companies like Spanish gas pipeline corporation Enagas and global steel giant ArcelorMittal to design an end-to-end model for hydrogen production, distribution and supply at a competitive price. Criticism has centered on green hydrogen’s higher cost compared with highly-polluting “gray hydrogen” drawn from natural gas. Lepercq argues that solar energy produced in Spain is priced low enough to compete.
Globally, Lepercq said, “Electricity is 20% of energy consumption. What about the 80% that is not electrified? ... You need to replace those fossil fuels. Not in 50 years’ time. You need to replace them now.”
1. Why are some experts cautious about green hydrogen production in Spain?| A．It needs large amounts of sun and wind. | B．It has an effect on heavy industries. |
| C．It causes conflicts among countries. | D．It uses lots of zero-carbon electricity. |
| A．Ideal geographical conditions. | B．The support from government. |
| C．Hydrogen production technology. | D．Well-developed public transports. |
| A．It is highly priced. | B．It is easy to store. |
| C．It is competitive. | D．It is highly-polluting. |
| A．Spain manages to use zero-carbon electricity. | B．Spain struggles to lead EU in heavy industry. |
| C．Spain takes the lead in preventing air pollution. | D．Spain replaces fossil fuel with green hydrogen. |
9 . Worried about the climate?
•Count the birds and the bees
Get closer to nature by becoming a citizen scientist. You could be counting birds in your garden, butterflies, insects and flowers, or even reptiles and hedgehogs.
•
Media headlines can be alarming when it comes to the climate and nature crisis or ignoring the issues completely. Hosting a local discussion can allow space for reflection, debate, ideas and collaboration (合作) to take action on global issues at a local level.
•Set up a library of things
Internet shopping has made it too easy to buy new stuff at the click of a button.
•Start a climate emergency centre
| A．Cooperate with your locals |
| B．But where is it all going to end up |
| C．Host a climate and nature discussion |
| D．But how have we consumed the things |
| E．The climate and nature crisis isn’t going away |
| F．There are lots of citizen science projects to take part in |
| G．Small local actions with neighbors, local businesses and politicians can make a difference |
10 . Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 new species living on the seabed in an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean that has been identified as a future hotspot for deep-sea mining, according to a review of the environmental surveys carried out in the area.
It is the first time the previously unknown biodiversity of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a mineral-rich area of the ocean floor that spans 1.7m sq miles between Hawaii and Mexico in the Pacific, has been comprehensively documented. The research will be critical to assessing the risk of extinction of the species, given contracts for deep-sea mining in the near-pristine area appear imminent.
Most of the animals identified by researchers exploring the zone are new to science, and almost all are unique to the region: only six, including a carnivorous sponge and a sea cucumber, have been seen elsewhere.
Contracts for mining exploration in the CCZ have been granted to 17 deep-sea mining contractors in an area covering 745,000 sq miles. The companies, which are backed by countries including Britain, the US and China, want to dig for minerals including cobalt manganese and nickel in part to sell to the alternative energy sector.
To better understand the impact of mining this fragile ecosystem and its newly discovered inhabitants, an international team of scientists has built the first “CCZ checklist” by compiling all the records from expeditions to the region. Published in the journal Current Biology, it includes 5,578 different species, of which an estimated 88% to 92% had never before been seen.
To study and collect specimens (样品) from the ocean floor, biologists have joined research cruises in the Pacific that send remote-controlled vehicles to traverse (穿越) the seabed 4,000 to 6,000 meters below. Adrian Glover, a deep-sea biologist at the NHM and senior author of the study described it as an “incredible privilege”. The expedition, funded through the Natural Environment Research Council and others, is backed by UK Seabed Resources (UKSR), a deep-sea mining company that operates the UK’s exploration area. The scientists watch operations by video link direct from the boat as new species are gathered by remote control vehicles in the darkness below.
The seabed, Glover said, is an “amazing place” where, despite the extreme cold and dark, life thrives. “One of the characteristics of the abyssal plain is the lack of food, but life has a way of persisting down there,” he said, “It’s a mystery.” One of the deep-sea animals discovered was nicknamed the “gummy squirrel”, because of its huge tail and jelly-like appearance, he said. There are also glass sponges, some of which look like vases.
With approval for deep-sea mining looming, Glover said he believed it was “imperative that we work with the companies looking to mine these resources to ensure any such activity is done in a way that limits its impact upon the natural world”.
1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “imminent”?| A．Easy to carry out. | B．Ready to take place. |
| C．Hard to cope with. | D．Important to look over. |
| A．Identifying new species living on the seabed. | B．Assessing the risk of extinction of species. |
| C．Documenting the biodiversity of the area. | D．Exploring the potential for deep-sea mining. |
| A．Abundance of food. | B．Extreme lifeless environment. |
| C．Presence of glass sponges. | D．Prosperous life despite challenging conditions. |
| A．A magic zone:available to mining companies |
| B．A mineral-rich area: Clarion-Clipperton Zone |
| C．An “amazing place”: new species booming |
| D．Deep-sea wonders: the new species found in a Pacific mining hotspot |
