2 . To be clear, plastic bags are rightly thought of as a threat that’s harmful to human health. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, a decade ago, the average American family took home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year, filling our cabinets, kitchen drawers, and landfills (垃圾填埋场). Today the numbers are slightly better: According to National Geographic, as of 2018, shoppers in the United States used almost one plastic bag per resident per day.

This is not a story about the evil of plastics, but about whether the reusable bag can justify its existence. Although more environmentally friendly than traditional single-use plastic bags, reusable bags, depending on what they are made of, are more energy-intensive (耗能的) to recycle.

According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme, depending on what they are made of, reusable bags might have to be deconstructed in a costly recycling process to separate the different materials. As a result, in many cases, reusable bags are not recycled. That means despite the best intentions, millions of reusable bags designed to replace the need for traditional plastic shopping bags, will also end up in landfills.

Another point to consider, not all reusable bags are equal in terms of their recyclability. There are a wide range of reusable bag options on the market, and reusable bags tend to be made of more than one material to give the bag added reinforcement and added street fashion. On a life cycle basis, stronger, heavier bags—no matter what material they are made of—will have a more severe environmental effect. That’s because heavier bags use more resources to produce as well as distribute.

Just like plastic bags did, reusable bags multiply rapidly. Used for promotional (促销的) purposes and marketing of all kinds, reusable bags’ growing popularity means bags that have been used very little (or not at all) can be found piled in streets, in garbage cans, in city parks, and basically everywhere. Therefore, consumers have come to see them as disposable, defeating their very purpose.

In the end, the best practice of dealing with reusable bags is to have no half measures: Either use them all the time or don’t use them at all. Using a reusable bag once or twice and then throwing it away doesn’t do the environment any favors.

3 . Climate change, pollution, overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze, India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile, WWF said on Tuesday. At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”,the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic(水生的) life.

“If these rivers die, millions will lose their livelihoods, biodiversity(生物多样性)will be destroyed on a massive scale, and there will be less fresh water and agriculture, resulting in less food security,”said Rayi Singh, Secretary General of WWF-India. The report, launched ahead of “World Water Day” today, also cited the Rio Grande in the United States, the Mekong and the Indus in Asia, Europe’s Danube, the La Plata-Parana River in South America and the Murray and the Darling in Australia as in need of greater protection.

Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up. Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains, while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them. Fish populations, the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being threatened. The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization, damming and huge influxes(流入) of sediment(沉淀物) from land conversion.

Climate change, including higher temperatures, also means serious consequences for fishery productivity, water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin. Tributaries(支流)flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation.

4 . When an empty parking spot appears before us, many of us would see it for what it is — a place that could be filled with cars and trucks. But to eco-engineer Shubhendu Sharma, it’s a space to be planted with trees and turned into a forest.

What’s more, he believes these tiny forests can grow anywhere, including our most crowded and polluted cities where they can help maintain clean air and water and provide habitat for animals. “A forest is not an isolated piece of land where animals live together,” says Sharma. “A forest can be a complete part of our urban existence.” Most of us know just how important trees are to our health and to the planet. Yet millions of hectares of forest are cleared every year due to farming, ranching, logging and construction. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest and surrounding ecosystems have already been lost.

Inspired by the work of Japanese scientist Akira Miyawaki, Sharma built a forest in the backyard of his family’s house in northern India in 2010. He planted 100 young trees in the 75-square-meter plot. They grew and a dozen species of birds came to check them out. The plantings created welcome shade, and their roots were able to absorb even the abundant monsoon (季风) rains. After a year, he had his own forest. Since then, Sharma has founded a company called Afforestt. Its top priority is to bring back natural forests to places where they no longer exist. So far, Afforestt has planted 144 forests in 45 cities around the world. Sharma has shown you can make a space the size of six or seven parking spots and create a forest with 100 trees. Ready to create your own tiny forest? If your answer is yes, let’s follow Sharma’s 5-step procedures to grow our own forests.

5 . The endangered pandas in the Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food, bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.

Adult pandas spend most part of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of rising temperature worldwide.

A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate changes. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature rises 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century,” said Liu Jianguo, one of the report’s authors.

He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in the Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening all around the world.”

In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger natural reserves.

“But it is far from enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,” said Shirley Martin from the World Wildlife Fund but not a member of the team.

The Qinling Mountains, in the southwest of China, are home to about 260 pandas. That is about 13% of China’s wild panda population. In addition, about 375 are living in research centers and zoos in China.

If you leave the tap running while you brush your teeth, leave a light on when you go out or you drop a piece of litter and can’t be bothered to pick it up, you are     1    (probable) suffering from what is known as “Just-me-ism”. You might think it is no big deal. “How can     2     matter if I leave a little piece of litter on the road?” But what if millions of people think the same? Then our world would be piled with litter and run short of natural resources at the same time. See? “Just-me-ism” is     3    (harm)! 

    4    (inspire) young people to take action for the environment, animals and their community, Roots & Shoots     5    (establish) in the early 1990s by Dr. Jane Goodall, a scientist who’s the world’s best-known expert on wild chimpanzees. In addition to her research, she has been whole-heartedly committed     6     environmental protection. The whole purpose of Roots & Shoots is to educate young people so they can help to build a future     7     is secure and live together in peace with nature. 

Dr. Jane Goodall is convinced that: “Every individual matters. Every individual has     8     role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” So her institute Roots & Shoots is all about     9    (educate) people to play     10    (they) part in making the world a better place. And you cannot be absent.

7 . The increasing environmental problems and need for eco-friendly products and services are creating a new job section of green-collar jobs.     1     It is expected that by 2025 about 25% of the jobs in developed countries will be green-collar jobs. Doesn’t the data look promising for the future?

    2     And jobs will pop up at every income level, from environmental managers to gardeners. For example, many countries including the United States have understood that fossil fuels have negative effect on the environment which can later become a serious danger to mankind.     3     The increasing demand for newer resources has created the need for experts and researchers who can find better ways to deal with the ongoing needs. In addition, in order to meet the increasing demand for environment-friendly equipment, both green product designers and trained workers are needed. Management of environmental organizations also demands a large number of environmental managers.

    4     The Internet is undoubtedly the best way to find information on almost any matter. Nowadays different kinds of jobs are being posted online. Search through a couple of job websites to look for a bright future in energy conversion and management and the recycling of waste. Check regularly and find the right work for yourself.     5    

9 . Life is a series of choices whose consequences we cannot always foresee. Harry Saleem, an obese man with too much money and power, faced a choice. Outside his office waited his personal doctor who has brought him significant news about the only medicine that could save his life. On the other side of the world, one of his engineers waited for his decision on an important matter of business.

His secretary urged him several times to bring the doctor in but received only an indifferent reply from the billionaire: “No, let the fool wait.” “Business comes first!” Growled Saleem who was still obsessed with making money, despite the health problems caused by his huge weight. He raised a fat finger, and one of his staff hurried to switch on a large television set whose screen flashed to life, and Saleem’s engineer appeared. The man talked by satellite directly to his master although they were thousands of miles apart: “It’s all ready to blow, Mr Saleem,” he said. “Just say the word.”

His engineer was standing above Pakan Valley in South America which had been a rain forest just a few months ago, but then Saleem’s men came, cutting down all the valuable trees and forcing the villagers to move out. Across the bottom of the valley, a dam had been built which would provide power for the planned factories which would bring Saleem vast profits. Therefore, he saw no reason to delay and ordered the engineer to press the button. The camera panned away into the distance, and then a cloud of dust rose up, followed shortly by a dull explosion. A roaring river changed its course, and water flooded into the doomed Pakan Valley.

”Good, that’s that. Turn it off. Now get that doctor in here,” he commanded. The doctor came in with a worried look and started to examine his wealthy patient. “You’re doing very well, Mr Saleem,” he said finally. “The new medicine is saving your life but the only difficulty is getting more of it.” “Can you get more? Money is no problem,” Saleem said. “Tell me what you need, and we’ll get it.”

”The main ingredient of this medicine came from a newly discovered plant—a small, green orchid,” the doctor explained. “We’ll need many of them to make enough medicine. They are very rare. There’s only one place in the world where they grow.”

“Where?” demanded the businessman, impatiently.

The doctor smiled. “Well, lucky the orchids come from some land which you own, sir, so there won’t be any difficulty finding them. They’re from a place in South America known as Pakan Valley.”

Helping the Environment

We are all aware of the many threats to the environment and the need to act in a responsible manner to protect the world which we all share. Many people say that they are in favour of the “Green Movement”. However, it is often difficult     1    (find)anything practical which you can do to help, and you     2    feel that you cannot take any action to support the cause. One thing you can do is to try to buy “green” products.

For example, let us consider the problem of the ozone layer. Around the Earth, there is a thin layer of ozone, a kind of gas     3    (protect)us from many of the harmful rays of the Sun. A few years ago, scientists in the Antarctic became aware of holes growing in the ozone layer. As these holes get     4    (big), harmful rays from the Sun are increasingly reaching us, causing crop damage and cancer. This is a big problem in countries near the polar regions, like Australia,     5    skin cancer caused in part by ozone depletion is now considered a national epidemic.

Further research     6    the problem showed that the ozone layer is being destroyed by gases     7    (call)CFCs. These gases are released into the atmosphere by the chemicals used in aerosol cans, refrigerators and air conditioners. To help save the ozone layer, many manufacturers     8    (stop)producing aerosol cans that use CFCs. They have switched to other less harmful chemicals, and labeled their cans “ozone-friendly” or “no CFCs”.

The problem of refrigerators and air conditioners has been more difficult to solve. However, more and more manufacturers are now producing refrigerators and air conditioners that do not use CFCs. Therefore,     9    you go shopping you should choose ozone—friendly products. Then you will be doing     10    to help the environment.