2 . Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is a light-weight material, about 95 percent air, with very good insulation (隔热) properties, according to Earthsource. org. It is used in products from cups that keep your drinks hot or cold to packaging material that protects items during shipping. With the above good features, Styrofoam still enjoys a bad reputation. It cannot be recycled without releasing dangerous pollution into the air. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is the fifth-largest creator of harmful waste.

But now the common worms which are usually disgusting can come to the rescue, specifically, meal-worms. Scientists from the U. S. and China have discovered that meal-worms can digest plastic. One meal-worm can digest a pill-sized amount of plastic a day. Study co-author Wei-Min Wu says that in 24 hours, the plastic is turned into carbon dioxide.

Since Styrofoam has no nutrition at all, are the worms hurt by eating plastic? Much to the scientists’ surprise, the study found that worms eating Styrofoam were as healthy as worms eating bran (谷糠) . The researchers will study the worm’s eating habits and digesting system, looking to copy the plastic breakdown but on a larger scale. Once the way can be put into practice, it will make a revolutionary difference to the disposal of plastic.

“Solving the issue of plastic pollution is important”, says Wu, a Stanford University environmental engineering instructor. After all, our earth is small and landfill space-is becoming limited with too much garbage waiting to be dealt with, he says.

About 33-million tons of plastic are thrown away in the United States every year. Plastic plates, cups and containers take up 25 percent to 30 percent of space in America’s landfills. One Styrofoam cup takes more than 1 million years to recycle in a landfill, according to Cleveland State University.

1. What do we know about Styrofoam?

A．It can be used to cool drinks.	B．It is a weightless material.
C．It is harmful when recycled.	D．It is usually used on ships.

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Meal-worms have amazing digesting power.	B．Meal-worms are not bad in their nature.
C．Meal-worms can rescue people’s lives.	D．People misunderstood meal-worms in the past.

3. In the future, plastic may be recycled _______.

A．by raising amounts of meal-worms	B．by environmental engineering instructors
C．using a method inspired by eating meal-worms	D．without sending out dangerous pollution

4. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Styrofoam is widely used in daily life.	B．Meal-worms are genius at eating plastic
C．Plastic recycling may be no more a problem.	D．Plastic can be turned into carbon dioxide

3 . It’s been more than 60 years since Jane Goodall started her pioneering work. In 1960, she was chosen to go to what is now Tanzania and study the little-known world of chimpanzees. Since then, Goodall has received many awards and honorary degrees as a world-famous conservationist (自然环境保护主义者). Now, Goodall has received an unusual honor. She is becoming a toy — a Barbie doll.

Goodall may not have expected to become a Barbie at 88 years old — but it’s not just any doll, it’s made out of recycled plastic. And Barbie is partnering with the Jane Goodall Foundation and its Roots & Shoots program which inspires young people to protect animals and the environment.

“You know, the main message is that every day you live, you make an influence on the planet and you get to choose what sort of influence you make,” Goodall said.

“There was a little boy of 7 in Burundi, and I had given a talk to the school and he came up to me and said, ‘If I pick out a piece of trash every day, it will make a difference, won’t it?’ And I said, ‘Yes it will. And suppose you persuade (劝说) 10 of your friends to pick up a piece of rubbish every day.’ He said, ‘Oh, that would really make a difference and then they could all get 10 of their friends, couldn’t they?’ Goodall said, “So, that’s it. The cumulative (积累的) effect of small actions can lead to big change.”

She’s been inspiring young people for decades, but now, newer generations will get to know Jane Goodall. “I sincerely hope that it will help to create more interest in the natural world,” she said about the Barbie. “Because hopefully, you know, they’ll learn more about me through the doll. And that will get them interested. It doesn’t really matter if they have a career in conservation, as long as they pay attention to conservation in their daily lives.”

1. What is the intention of Barbie’s making a doll of Jane Goodall?

A．To give Jane Goodall a surprise.

B．To test the quality of recycled plastic.

C．To encourage environmental protection.

D．To start a cooperative research program.

2. What idea does Goodall’s conversation with the little boy mainly convey?

A．Everyone can make an impact on the planet.

B．Children will make the future world a better place.

C．Every child should pick up a piece of rubbish every day.

D．The accumulation of tiny actions makes a great difference.

3. What is Goodall’s attitude towards the Barbie doll?

A．Critical.	B．Supportive.
C．Disapproving.	D．Doubtful.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．Jane Goodall’s Good Expectation of Nature Conservation

B．Young People’s Strong Interest in Nature Conservation

C．Great Popularity of a New Barbie Doll of Jane Goodall

D．Inspire Newer Generations to Care About Conservation Through a Doll

4 . Ecotourism has become increasingly popular in recent years.Travelers visit natural environments funding conservation efforts or promoting local economies.In many cases, ecotourism involves close interaction with wildlife.

Now, scientists have analyzed more than 100 research studies on how ecotourism affects wild animals.They find the presence of humans changes the way animals behave, and those changes may put them at risk.Therefore, they have concluded that such trips can be harmful to the animals.

When animals interact in seemingly kind ways with humans, they may let down their guard.As animals learn to relax in the presence of humans, they may become bolder in other situations.If this transfers to their interactions with predators (捕食者), they are more likely to be injured or killed.

The presence of humans can also discourage natural predators.It creates a kind of safe place for smaller animals that may make them bolder.For example, in Grand Teton National Park, elk and pronghorns in areas with more tourists are less watchful and spend more time eating.

Interacting with people can cause great changes in the characteristics of various species over time.“If animals become accustomed to tourists, we might create unintended consequences — affecting the behavior or population of a species and influencing the species’ function in its community,” the researchers write.

Ecotourism has effects similar to those of animal domestication (驯养) and urbanization.Research has shown that domesticated silver foxes become more obedient and less fearful.Fox squirrels and birds that live in urbanized areas are slower to flee from danger.The phenomena result from evolutionary changes, but also from regular interactions with humans.

Scientists hope the new analysis will encourage more research into the interactions between people and wildlife.It is essential to develop further understanding of how various species in various situations respond to human interaction and under what conditions human exposure may place them at risk.

1. We can learn from the passage that ___________.

A．ecotourism causes damage to the natural homes of wildlife

B．it is easy for eco-tourists to build up trust with wild animals

C．the effects brought by ecotourism may be harmful to the animals

D．wildlife interactions with humans strengthen their function in community

2. What does the underlined word “bolder” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．shyer

B．braver

C．wiser

D．swifter

3. The author mentions pronghorns in paragraph 4 as an example to show that ________.

A．wild animals become more relaxed due to evolution

B．animals’ reactions to humans vary from species to species

C．smaller animals tend to be in harmony with natural predators

D．the presence of humans reduces their awareness of potential danger

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．Ecotourism Can Put Wild Animals at Risk

B．Ecotourism Has Become A Popular Trend

C．Wildlife’s Reactions to Human Activities

D．Latest Research Findings on Ecotourism