Every Wednesday at 7 p.m., a group of runners from different countries gather at a bar in Shanghai before
Here
First, paper shopping bags are better than plastic ones. In fact, both kinds of bags are bad
However, making a paper bag uses four
Second, when you turn off a device, it stops using power. Electricity continues to leak from the device, even when it
Third, eating local food is good for the environment. In fact,
Fourth, it’s better to take a shower than a bath. Actually, if you spend more than eight minutes in a shower, you’ll use as much water as in a bath—about 50 litres of water.
Environmental awareness is now part of daily life. But it’s worth
Lauren Bath, a photo blogger, has attracted many fans. In 2013, she
With the development of society, chemical pesticides and artificial fertilisers have been in
To tackle this problem, farmers use natural waste as
5 . Located in the Indian Ocean,the Maldives(马尔代夫) are among the most beautiful islands in the world,with white sandy beaches,clear water,and amazing coral reefs(珊瑚礁).The country depends on tourism,fishing,and shipping.But the rising sea level and the carbon pollution causing warming oceans are threatening(威胁) their existence.
The Maldives have asked for international help.They are a tiny country.The World Bank,the United States,the European Union,and many other groups have offered money to develop safeguards against climate change.
To protect the islands,the Maldives have built sea walls and increased the elevation(海拔) of important buildings and services such as the two international airports,which lie just 165 feet from the coastline.
They’re also building up islands such as the Hulhumale.The new island is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls.More than 40,000 people live there.The plan is to house 240,000,providing new opportunities for jobs.The goal is an excellent planned community with sustainable housing and buildings sensitive to the environment and needs of the people.
The government will move people living on smaller,lower-lying islands to the new built-up islands.The new islands offer free houses,new schools,health hospitals,fresh water,and waste treatment.Depending on tourism,the country hopes to build 50 more tourist islands.
“Climate change is happening,but we are not leaving the Maldives to the sea,” said Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim.The Maldives will protect their islands,people and tourism with new islands and ongoing island development against the rising sea level.
1. What do we fail to learn according to the passage?| A．The Maldives are a small country. |
| B．Many groups have helped the Maldives. |
| C．240,000 people live on the Hulhumale now. |
| D．The Hulhumale is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls. |
| A．The Maldives will be protected. |
| B．The Maldivians will leave all the islands. |
| C．The Maldives should give up tourism. |
| D．The Maldives will sink to the sea. |
| A．The Maldives and Their Tourism |
| B．The Maldives and Their Rising Sea Level |
| C．The Maldives and Their Climate Change |
| D．The Maldives and Their Fight Against the Rising Sea Level |
| A．Their tourism,fishing and shipping. |
| B．Their rising sea level and carbon pollution. |
| C．Their sandy white beaches and coral reefs. |
| D．Their distant islands and warming oceans. |
On my way home from work yesterday, I
I understand that, but in this case it’s
I really believe we should do away with packaging completely. There is
Fishing is one of the most
The damage done by overfishing goes
Overfishing is closely tied to bycatch — the catch of unwanted sea life while fishing for a specific species. This, too, is a serious marine (海洋的) threat that
Billions of people rely on fish for protein, and fishing is the main livelihood for millions of people
8 . Washing machines and fridges will be labelled with their carbon footprint as part of efforts to promote greener products and bring down carbon emissions (排放).
UK government want to introduce a system in which products would be labelled to show how much greenhouse gases had been given off while making the product. Officials favour a system in which labels describe the product’s emission figure along with a ranking, such as from A to G. A rating of A would represent a “zero emission” product.
In consultation papers published earlier, the government said: “The combination of the emissions figure and ranking system could give a simple way to find out the best products, as well as the raw data needed to make more detailed comparisons.” Officials hope the labelling would encourage people to buy greener products, helping to bring down carbon emissions.
The government has not set out which products the emission figures would apply to, but it is likely to eventually apply to products whose production process involves significant emissions, such as heavy goods involving steel or plastic.
The proposal is among several steps by the government to encourage UK companies to cut their emissions, alongside wider measures to boost clean energy supplies.
Officials are also considering introducing new import taxes to protect UK factories from being affected by cheap imports from competitors. Under the proposals, imported goods without costs for going green would face extra taxes. The potential so-called carbon border taxes are aimed at protecting areas such as steel and chemicals.
Matthew Germain, an expert in British Environmental Law, said the measures would mean the UK was “at least keeping step with the European Union (EU)”. The EU reached a deal in December of 2022 to charge carbon taxes on imports of iron and steel, and electricity. Countries will not be affected if they have same climate change policies to the EU.
1. What new information will be added to labels of products?| A．Their raw materials. | B．Consumers’ ratings. |
| C．Amount of carbon emission. | D．Advantages and disadvantages. |
| A．Help consumers save money. | B．Promote eco-friendly choices. |
| C．Improve production efficiency. | D．Develop the country’s industry. |
| A．They bring the country a step ahead of the EU. |
| B．They have no influence on countries of the EU. |
| C．They make British companies more competitive. |
| D．They increase the costs of imported green goods. |
9 . A New Fashion Trend
Fashion designers are always looking for new materials to work with. Lately, it’s all about sustainable materials — recycled tires, mushrooms, even pineapple fibers! What if you want a sustainable pair of shoes? Thaely is here to help.
This sneaker brand out of Dubai wants to fight the growing problem of plastic pollution. Led by 28-year-old Indian businessman Ashay Bhave, they may have found a winning strategy: making shoes out of plastic grocery bags. “Thaely” means “plastic bag” in the Hindi language.
“I was looking to create footwear that is cost-effective and safe for the environment,” Bhave said in an interview with the Khaleej Times newspaper. “I needed to come up with something that uses recycled plastic without creating any more plastic waste.”
Plastic bags were the perfect solution. Bhave’s home country, India, banned single-use plastics. However, in an interview with Elle magazine, Bhave said it’s poorly enforced. He said five trillion (万亿) plastic bags are used around the world each year. “I was motivated to find a solution to this problem,” Bhave said.
That solution was the fabric called ThaelyTex. Made entirely from plastic bags, the material looks and feels like leather, Bhave claimed. That sounds promising. Better yet, the production process requires no additional chemicals and releases no toxic by-products. The end result is a smart-looking pair of white low-top sneakers.
Thaely wouldn’t reveal the full process for making Thaely Tex, but he said that each pair of shoes is made from up to 15 plastic bags and up to 22 plastic bottles. Where do they get so much material? Bhave told Elle that was the hardest part. “The biggest challenge we faced was right at the first step of acquiring the plastic bags.”
Finally, they got help from Trio Tap Technologies, a waste management plant. Bhave said they offered to collect the bags and also to process them into ThaelyTex. So far, it seems like things are falling into place. There are already hundreds of pre-orders in place. It sounds like they have some plans for the future. “We have a few more colours coming up,” said Bhave. They also plan to put out a high-top model and introduce a line of clothing. Let’s hope their growth is also sustainable.
1. The underlined word “winning” in Paragraph 2 means “________”.| A．absolutely perfect | B．highly profitable |
| C．legally responsible | D．mutually favourable |
| A．Plastic bags are a threat to the shoe making industry. |
| B．Making shoes with plastic bags is pollution free. |
| C．The ban on plastic bags doesn’t work well in India. |
| D．Making money is the top priority for shoe designers. |
| A．pollution-free and colourful | B．eco-friendly and leatherlike |
| C．readily available and popular | D．good-looking and durable |
| A．fashion doesn’t necessarily have to pollute | B．changing fashion is a creation of waste |
| C．traditional fashion style is new again | D．recycled fashion meets customers’ needs |
10 . 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.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．Plastic bags are refused by environmentalists. |
| B．Shops in America have limited the use of plastic bags. |
| C．The need of strong and fashionable reusable bags is more than the supply. |
| D．Reusable bags demand more resources to produce and recycle than expected. |
| A．being left in landfills |
| B．being used as much as possible |
| C．replacing plastic bags |
| D．promoting goods on the market |
| A．How to Recycle Reusable Bags |
| B．Disadvantages of Plastic Bags |
| C．Reusable Bags? Think Twice! |
| D．Plastic Bags, Less Popular? |
