1 . Goodish News of Climate Change
Emissions of carbon dioxide (related to energy production) have stabilized, for now.
Is it a peak, a stutter or just a brief pause? Time will tell. But whatever it is, on February 11th the International Energy Agency (IEA), an intergovernmental
Energy-related emissions, which include those (produced by electricity generation), heating and transport,
As a result of this the CO₂-intensity of electricity generation—a(n)
This is not the first time energy related emissions have plateaued (保持稳定). Between 2013 and 2016 they hovered around 32.2bn tonnes a year, before rising again in 2017 as the use of coal to
A.circumstance | B.environment | C.contribution | D.organization |
A.available | B.similar | C.related | D.referred |
A.call for | B.account for | C.stand for | D.allow for |
A.decline | B.increase | C.promotion | D.recovery |
A.product | B.idea | C.measure | D.result |
A.floating | B.falling | C.disappearing | D.remaining |
A.outcome | B.change | C.effect | D.achievement |
A.fuel | B.regulate | C.handle | D.expand |
A.frequent | B.previous | C.natural | D.disastrous |
A.tips | B.plans | C.warnings | D.comments |
A.booming | B.dynamic | C.strong | D.depressed |
A.In addition | B.By contrast | C.In consequence | D.In fact |
A.accidentally | B.absolutely | C.historically | D.correctly |
A.prospect | B.ability | C.need | D.decision |
A.anger | B.hope | C.devotion | D.surprise |
A. banned F. regularly | B. imperfect G. reusing | C. delivered H. throw | D. growing I. victim | E. embrace J. relatively | K. keep |
Tips for More Sustainable Living
Making some small changes to your routine can pay off big in various ways:helping the planet while saving your time, money, or both. You will be surprised by how big a difference you can make with
Give up throwing certain items. Your coffee grounds, and used tea leaves can be fertilizer (肥料) instead of being thrown in the trash. If you don’t have access to a fertilizer factory, you can hire a company to
Try to
Forget fast fashion. The average American throws away 82 pounds of fast fashion clothing each year. Thankfully, there’s a(n)
Don’t get cheated. Because of the consumer trend toward more eco-friendly products, many companies make exaggerated (夸张的) claims about their own efforts. For instance, a brand might boast that its products are free of a certain chemical, even though that chemical has been
3 . They, stretching along the shore, swim quite lovely, looking for underwater greens to feed on. However, in these days, something is mixing with the sea grass that manatees(海牛)like to eat along Florida’s western coast. And it’s making them sick-even killing them.
It’s a poisonous form of algae, which is usually called “red tide” because of its color. Algae are plant-like organisms that live mainly in water. Most are harmless, but red tide is an exception. When it gets mixed in with the grass and the manatees eat it, they get so sick that they can’t even swim.
“They’re basically paralyzed(瘫痪的), and they become unconscious,” said Virginia Emonds, an animal care manager. Manatees are mammals and they need to surface often to breathe in air. If a manatee is paralyzed, it can’t swim and will drown.
As of Monday, the current red tide outbreak has killed at least 184 manatees since the beginning of this year. That has already beaten Florida’s record-high number for manatee deaths in a single year-and we still have nearly nine months to go!
The experts aren’t sure when the red tide outbreak will end. So many more manatees are in danger. The situation has gotten so desperate that Florida zoos have rescued at least a dozen manatees. You can find manatees anywhere from Brazil up to Florida-and throughout much of the Caribbean Sea.
In fact, the manatee is officially considered an endangered species. Thanks to the US government’s protection, Florida’s manatee population has grown to approximately 5,000 in recent years. But the red tide is threatening their survival. Some experts suspect that pollution from farms even might be fueling the red tide outbreak, because fertilizer that’s used on farms often winds up in water. And when that fertilized water runs off into the Gulf of Mexico, it makes things grow faster-just like on land.
1. The word “them” (in the first paragraph) probably refers to “______”.A.endangered animals | B.manatees |
C.algae | D.underwater greens |
A.has caused damage to most of the underwater greens |
B.serves to cultivate farm lands |
C.destroy manatees’ ability to surface to breathe |
D.give rise to 184 manatees’ deaths every month |
A.The current situation of manatees in Florida. |
B.The potential cause of the expansion of the red tide. |
C.The fatal effect of the poisonous red tide on manatees |
D.The researchers’ efforts to prevent the red tide from spreading. |
A.The red tide has been changing the manatees’ habitat. |
B.The red tide has been posing a threat to the manatees. |
C.The manatee is officially an endangered species. |
D.More efforts should be put to save the manatees. |
Throughout the world, only 15% of the material that are used to make clothing is properly recycled, according to the Alle SacUrthur Club, an organization in Liverpool, UK, that boosts the circular economy. Most clothing waste—an
A change in the manufacturing process is being applied to the textile-waste problem by Essen, a start-up in Seattle, Washington.
Although there are abundant technical challenges, the main barrier
Using renewables seems to cut carbon more than nuclear. Nations that embraced renewable forms of energy have significantly cut their carbon emissions, but
Nuclear and renewables are seen as two key ways for governments to decarbonize(去碳), but the question of whether one is more effective for dealing with climate change
To find out, Benjamin Sovacool at the University of Sussex and his colleagues looked at carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and GDP over 25 years. They found that in 117 countries that had been using renewables, CO2 emissions per capita(人均地)dropped from 0.69 tonnes(公吨)on average between 1990 and 2004 to 0.61 tonnes between 2000 and 2014 and
During the same periods, however, the 30 countries that had been using nuclear power largely stayed flat, shifting from an average 0.52 tonnes of Co2 emissions per capita to 0.51. The two groups of countries overlap because some fall into both. Renewables included wind, solar, hydroelectric, and biomass energy. “If you’re focusing on
The reason
6 . People are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Purchasing property that is environmentally responsible is a good investment for those who are
If everything goes according to plan, Dockside Green will be a
Energy efficiency is one of the
Planners of eco-communities such as Dockside Green must take the
Dockside residents will be encouraged to make use of a mini transportation system and buy into the community’s car share program. Finally, plans are in the works for a high-tech heating system that will use
Dockside residents will
A.frightened of | B.concerned about | C.linked with | D.fed up with |
A.symbol | B.talent | C.focus | D.trust |
A.intelligent | B.strange | C.dizzy | D.self-sufficient |
A.take in | B.depend on | C.consist of | D.make up for |
A.natural | B.mixed | C.sealed | D.mysterious |
A.livestock | B.pesticides | C.paperwork | D.vehicle |
A.top | B.stressful | C.minimum | D.limited |
A.convenience | B.achievement | C.charity | D.impact |
A.for fear that | B.so that | C.as | D.though |
A.In all | B.In particular | C.Therefore | D.In addition |
A.profit | B.future | C.traffic | D.media |
A.emissions | B.disagreements | C.unemployment | D.disease |
A.less | B.man-made | C.renewable | D.various |
A.result from | B.apply for | C.contribute to | D.benefit from |
A.desirable | B.reliable | C.recyclable | D.imaginary |
A. expanding B. alternative C. bridge D. recycled E. contributed F. concerns G. encouraging H. landscape I. marine J. dispose K. widening |
Food delivery apps are changing the way we eat
It’s raining, it’s dinnertime, and the fridge is nearly empty. Years ago, we made do; today, we order food through our phones. Within twenty minutes, we get whatever it was we were craving, we’re warm and dry, and there’s not a single dish to wash afterward.
Food delivery apps have altered the
Of course, these apps bring all types of cuisines around the city to our fingertips, but it comes at a cost. And one of the real environmental
In the US alone, packaging accounts for 30 percent of municipal solid waste. In 2017, that meant 80.1 million tons. Food delivery systems are likely
Restaurant delivery is a global phenomenon – as is the impact on the environment. Meituan, one of the leading Chinese delivery platforms, delivered 6.4 billion food orders in 2018. It is estimated that China
In the EU, University of Manchester researchers estimate, over two billion single-use takeaway containers are used every year. Most of those are not
Plastic bans,
8 . Ranchers(农场主) and environmental advocates haven’t always seen eye to eye, but the differences between the two aren’t as extreme any more, as more and more ranchers have come around to the understanding that taking good care of the land supports both economic stability and environmental health.
“For some, ranching was pursued in the past with an emphasis on raising beef at the expense of everything else,” says Bill Bryan of the Montana—based Rural Landscape Institute in a recent Christian Science Monitor. “As a matter of necessity, the old way of ranching is giving way to a new pattern. Raising animals for the dinner table isn’t an activity that has to be at odds with the environment.”
According to the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund (WWF), grazing (放牧)—when done right—is key to maintaining biological diversity and ecosystem health across the Northern Great Plains, across 183-million-acre expanse of rangelands spanning five US states and two Canadian provinces.
This vast landscape evolved in harmony with large herbivores (食草动物), such as bison and elk, and must be grazed in order to remain healthy, reports WWF, which works with hundreds of ranchers across the region as part of its Sustainable Ranching Initiative. “Without grazing, woody vegetation, such as juniper and cedar creeps in and kills plants that threatened species, such as grassland birds, need to survive.”
Not surprisingly, many of the ranchers that are following in the forebears’ footsteps have been using what we now call “sustainable ranching practices” for decades already. One example is rotational (轮流的) grazing, that is moving cattle herds more frequently to different pastures(牧场), so they don’t overgraze any one particular patch of land.
A newer “best practice” involves depositing a quarter to half inch of cattle wastes on grazed land to kick-start the soil chemistry below while also absorbing significant amounts of methane (沼气)—the most potent greenhouse gas—before it can head for the atmosphere. This technique is now becoming more commonplace as today’s ranchers care about reducing their carbon footprints like no generation before them.
1. In the first two paragraphs, what does the writer imply about the relationship in the past between ranchers and environmentalists?A.They worked together to reduce the impact of grazing on the environment. |
B.They didn’t look each other in the eyes when they meet. |
C.They had great differences between each other. |
D.They both agreed that raising animals for food benefits the environment. |
A.be favourable to |
B.be in disagreement with |
C.stand a chance with |
D.be unusual for |
A.Many ranchers persist in prioritising raising cattle over anything else. |
B.Grazing done in the right way helps biological diversity and ecosystem. |
C.“Rotational grazing” has been recently employed to raise animals. |
D.Grazing contributes to trees competing favourably with plants. |
A.grazing can be functional in the chemistry field |
B.methane is another powerful greenhouse gas besides carbon dioxide |
C.ranchers tend to remove their footprints as they are grazing |
D.grazing has become more eco-friendly as time goes by |