1 . You'll need to take a deep breath before hearing this news. An astonishing 93% of kids around the world live in environments with air pollution levels that are damaging their health, according to a new report by WHO.
Air pollution is to blame for the deaths of 543,000 kids under 5 in 2016, with more than one in four deaths of children under five years old being related to environmental issues. Exposure (暴露)to air pollution can damage the health of kids in a variety of ways, either causing or being associated with everything from low birth weight to childhood obesity and so on.
"The large toll of disease and death revealed (揭示)by these new data should result in an urgent call to action for the global community especially for those in the health department WHO stated. “ Strong action to reduce exposure to air pollution offers an opportunity to protect the health of children. " The report stressed that health experts should communicate with families , communities and policy-makers about the serious risks of air pollution exposure. " Although more researches into how air pollution affects children's health will continue to be valuable, there is already evidence to justify strong, swift action to prevent the damage it clearly produces," WHO added.
Disease caused by dirty air is more common in low-and-middle in come countries, especially those in Africa, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions. Poor countries in these areas have the highest levels of exposure to household air pollution due to the use of polluting fuels and technologies for basic needs like cooking, heating and lighting.
Advised solutions include cleaner transport , cleaner cooking and heating fuels and technologies energy-efficient housing and urban planning, safer industrial technologies and better waste management.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?A.The way to fight air pollution. |
B.The serious result of air pollution. |
C.The illnesses children are suffering. |
D.The deaths caused by air pollution. |
A.Number. | B.Threat. | C.Fact. | D.Report. |
A.Do more researches. | B.Find ways to fight air pollution. |
C.Make the serious risks known. | D.Develop cleaner fuels and technologies. |
A.Researches of this kind have stopped. |
B.Air pollution caused 543,000 kids' death in 2016. |
C.Nothing can be done to stop air pollution al present. |
D.Air pollution is more serious in low-and-middle-income countries. |
2 . The Great Wall, China
Stretching over 21,000 kilometers, the Great Wall was built to prevent invasions and has a history of more than 2,000 years. UNESCO in February 2019 calls it an absolute masterpiece, not only because of the ambitious character of the undertaking but also the perfection of its construction.”
But perfection isn’t protection. 51.2 percent of the Great Wall had either already disappeared or is at a significant risk of disappearing. Besides for wind and rain erosion, the main reasons for the destruction of the Great Wall are human factors such as tourism, construction, human contact and so on.
Pamukkale,Turkey
Pamukkale, which means “cotton castle” in Turkish, is famous for its shining white calcite terraces (方解石阶地)with warm and mineral-rich waters overrun.
Before being listed as a World Heritage Site in 1988, Pamukkale had been severely damaged by human activities. People used hot spring water to fill swimming pools, some visitors stood on the rocks and some even bathed in the hot springs with soap and shampoo. To protect the terraces, the Turkish government has decided to pull down the hotels and require all tourists to visit this site barefoot.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Home to 400 types of coral and 1,500 species of fish, the Great Barrier Reef draws visitors to Australia from all over the world.
However, the Great Barrier Reef is expected to suffer from increasingly frequent bleaching events, cases in which corals turn white and may die, according to a UNESCO report. The heat waves caused by global warming have killed half of the coral here in the two years, according to a CNN report. Pollution from industry developments and harmful fishing practices are also big concerns.
The Dead Sea, Jordan
At 423 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is 10 times saltier than the ocean, meaning that the water is so dense, even tourists who can9t swim will be able to float.
But the seaside resorts built in the 1980s now sit kilometers away from the water’s edge, which has lost half of its surface area in the past 40 years. The damage is irreversible due to the nature of the mineral industry and the type of agricultural use that has drained the water.
1. Which are you required to visit without shoes?A.The Great Wall, China. |
B.Pamukkale, Turkey. |
C.Great Barrier Reef, Australia. |
D.The Dead Sea, Jordan. |
A.Main reasons for the destruction of the Great Wall come from wind and rain erosion. |
B.Pamukkale was damaged by human activities after 1988. |
C.Pollution and the heat waves caused by global warming kill much coral in the Great Barrier Reef. |
D.Half of the Dead Sea surface area has disappeared in the past two decades. |
A.They are all famous endangered natural spots. |
B.They’re damaged only from human activities. |
C.They all draw the attention of the governments. |
D.They’re all seriously damaged. |
3 . Drive through any suburb in the U.S. Today, and it’s hard to miss the recycling bins that have become companions to America’s trash cans. Recycling has become common, as people recognize the need to care for the environment. Yet most people’s recycling consciousness extends only as far as paper, bottles, and cans. People seldom find themselves facing the growing problem of e-waste.
E-waste rapidly increases as the techno- fashionable frequently upgrade to the most advanced devices, and the majority of them end up in landfills (垃圾填埋地). Some people who track such waste say that users throw away nearly 2 million tons of TVs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, and other electronics every year. Unless we can find a safe replacement, this e-waste may get into the ground and poison the water with dangerous toxins (毒素), such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Burning the waste also dangerously contaminates the air.
However, e-waste often contains reusable silver, gold, and other electrical materials. Recycling these materials reduces environmental problems by reducing both landfill waste and the need to look for such metals, which can destroy ecosystems.
A growing number of states have adopted laws to ban dumping e-waste. Still, less than a quarter of this waste will reach lawful recycling programs. Some companies advertising safe disposal in fact merely ship the waste to some developing countries, where it still ends up in landfills. These organizations prevent progress by unsafely disposing of waste in an out- of- sight, out- of- mind location.
However, the small but growing number of cities and corporations that do handle e- waste responsibly represents progress toward making the world a cleaner, better place for us all.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?A.Many Americans now have access to recycling bins. |
B.E-waste cannot be put into trash cans in the U.S. |
C.Most Americans have realized the dangers of e-waste. |
D.Most of America’s trash cans are made of recycled material. |
A.pollutes. | B.heats. |
C.absorbs. | D.reduces. |
A.It’s important. | B.It’s unsafe. |
C.It’s acceptable. | D.It’s uncommon. |
A.To tell us how to recycle e-waste. |
B.To talk about the future of e-waste. |
C.To discuss if it’s necessary to recycle e-waste. |
D.To encourage us to deal with e-waste properly. |
4 . Are Your Clothes Causing Pollution? Very small pieces of plastic, called microfibers, are polluting rivers and oceans.
Pollution caused by plastic is not new, but recent studies have shown the effect of microfibers in the environment. Studies show very small microfibers are ending up in our waters, which may come from waste water treatment factories. A 2015 study found them in fish from California.
Microfibers, effect on food supplies.
Beyond the waterways, the researchers say microfibers may end up in soil and agricultural lands.
Steps to save or keep microfibers from the environment.
Until more information becomes known, there are steps to take to reduce the amount of microfibers in the environment. People should use less of the artificial materials. If we already have those in our lives and we're using them, an important step would be washing them less.
A.New technology may also help. |
B.Studies on microfibers in the environment. |
C.They can also move around the atmosphere. |
D.Studies on how much of the microfibers is released. |
E.The source of these microfibers may surprise you: your clothes. |
F.Washing machines keep microfibers from escaping with wash water. |
G.So if these microfibers have been found in fish and seafood, are they safe to eat? |
Apparently, we are safe neither at home nor in the business office. We use water in both places, but the research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects. These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house. They are released(set free)from water by daily actions like water running out of tap, spraying from garden pipes,or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines. As the water is moving, these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health.
Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists, but we should put all pollution into perspective. Activities at home such as the burning of coal, cooking oil, or even candles release carbon monoxide and particulates such as cigarette ashes which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near heavy traffic. New tugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that “new smell,” which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation (通风), these chemicals can build up to become health problems. Their poisonous effects are only now being slowly recognized.
These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise warning. Home and office windows should be opened during good weather. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well while in the garage.
We need further research to understand better other potential health dangers, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build-up), the factory work environment (an endless list of potentially dangerous substances), and even home heating and cooling (the air conditioner may be our enemies, not our friends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that “there is no place like home.”
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.The air we breathe in is harmful. |
B.The water in everyday use is unsafe. |
C.Chemicals are added to the drinking water. |
D.Chemicals are released in the running water. |
A.bathing should be done with caution |
B.homes and offices should be aired often |
C.any pollution should be taken into consideration |
D.we should prevent any pollution from doing harm to us |
A.To call on us to guard our water |
B.To show us that no place is like home. |
C.To make us aware of the pollution around us. |
D.To argue that neither homes nor offices are safe. |