1 . Plastic pollution is growing rapidly across Earth’s ecosystems and its threat to humanity and wildlife is too. Outcomes for health and the environment will be severe unless we address it, says a United Nations (UN) report. But the discovery of microplastics in human blood means immediate action is needed.
Researchers found tiny plastic particles (微粒), less than one-thousandth of a millimeter in size, in almost 80 percent of 22 people they tested. Such small plastics can travel through the body and could stick in our vital organs. These tiny pieces could damage cells and tissues, causing many diseases like cancer.
“I was shocked but not surprised. We already knew that microplastics have been found in human organs. The body finds it hard to break these particles down, which associate them with chronic (长期的) disease,” said Jo Royle, the CEO of Common Seas—a social enterprise looking to stop plastic pollution. “It’s clear that the best way to battle with microplastics and prevent health problems is to make sure they don’t end up being deserted in our environment in the first place,” added Royle. “This is why we need leaders and businesses to take responsibility for plastic trash along its lifecycle.”
Some oil and gas companies that supply plastic products plan to expand plastic output and double production in the next 20 years. But analysts say that would backfire on people, governments, and industries rejecting plastic to protect the environment. Big brands are reducing plastic packaging and changing to alternatives. Plastic is seen as a threat as large as climate change and a UN treaty against pollution is the result.
Natural products like plant materials and even silk offer plastic alternatives, especially in food and product packaging. But the UN believes we cannot simply recycle our way out of the problem. An immediate reduction and industry transformation are needed. As the blood microplastic study suggests, that transformation must be rapid. Because the rate at which we absorb plastic into our bodies is faster than the rate we remove it. And that needs a planet-wide response.
1. What is the best way to solve microplastics problems according to Royle?| A．Medical treatments for microplastics. |
| B．Restrictions on throwing plastic waste. |
| C．Developing natural alternatives to plastic. |
| D．Raising personal awareness of microplastic. |
| A．Go against. | B．Apply to. | C．Depend on. | D．Respond to. |
| A．Recycling plastics proves to be not effective at all. |
| B．Rapid transformation in plastic industry is needed. |
| C．Most natural materials can be alternatives to plastics. |
| D．The rate of bodies’ absorbing plastics is uncontrollable. |
| A．Plastic Pollution Is Transforming Humans’ Lifestyle |
| B．Increasing Updated Plastics Have Enjoyed Popularity |
| C．Microplastics in Blood Highlight Health Emergency |
| D．Practical Solutions to Plastic Waste Are Approaching |
Japan said on Tuesday that it had decided to
The
“The Japanese government ignores concerns and strong opposition both at home and abroad. Such an
Greenpeace(绿色和平组织)criticized Japan’s plan and said there are other solutions that should
Beaches across the planet share many features: sand, water, ocean gentle winds — and plastic. At Floyd Bennett Field, the coastal area
Plastics will indeed be the product of our age,
Rosenthal observed how bottles,
A project begun for aesthetics (美学) has got a
4 . Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing sharply over the last several years, in a large part because it is an essential part of batteries as well as several key sustainable technologies where energy storage is of huge significance. As electric cars, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has become key to engineering a future free of fossil (化石) fuels.
But acquiring lithium comes at an enormous cost. It often works like this: Water containing lithium is delivered to the surface from underground and mixed with fresh water. The mixture then sits in pools to get rid of water, leaving the rest of its contents behind as brightly colored “mud”. Then heat and chemical reactions are used to get lithium from that, changing it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to buyers around the world.
Any accident that releases mine contents into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have unimaginable long-term impacts. To be specific, indigenous (土著的) communities often bear the damage, and political leaders have typically given little weight to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s cultural and historic sites. Recently, mining lithium and other precious metals has brought about conflict: How do you ensure the availability of materials essential to the future of renewables while protecting those communities’ rights?
Mining of the metal is expected to increase dramatically in coming years. Over time, experts say, that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by making electric cars more affordable and, therefore, more popular. As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.
1. What does the author’s intention of writing Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the background of an event. | B．To explain a complex industrial theory. |
| C．To describe a noticeable recent tendency. | D．To predict the future of a main technology. |
| A．Unexpected material leak. | B．Violent chemical reactions. |
| C．Wrong political decisions. | D．Lithium mine expansion. |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Uncaring. | C．Favorable. | D．Objective. |
| A．High Expense of Lithium Mining | B．Potential Benefit of Using Lithium |
| C．Hidden Threat behind Clean Energy | D．Bright Future of Renewable Resources |
5 . The tradition of giving gifts didn’t start with the modern holidays we celebrate. Many ancient cultures celebrated holidays with the exchange of gifts. People who love to give gifts often can’t wait until it’s time for the recipients to open their gifts. If you’ve ever been given a gift, you know that part of the fun is the curiosity that builds as you wonder what the gift is.
The wish to hide the identity of a gift until just the right moment led people to wrap gifts long, long ago. Historians believed wrapping gifts in paper probably started not long after paper was invented thousands of years ago.
Wrapping paper like what we use today, though, is a much more recent invention. More than 100 years ago, gifts were usually wrapped in heavy brown paper. Before that, cloth was often used. The technology to mass-produce wrapping paper didn’t come along until the early 1900s. The first American gift wrap company— Hy-Sill Manufacturing Inc. — was founded by Eli Hyman and Morris Silverman in 1903. It wasn’t as easy to wrap presents back then as it is today, though, because adhesive tape (胶带) wasn’t invented until 1930.
Over the years, wrapping paper has developed into what we see in stores each holiday season. But scientists say that the United States alone produces an extra 5 million tons of waste over the holidays, most of which is from wrapping paper and shopping bags. To cut down on this waste, some people carefully unwrap presents, so that the wrapping paper can be reused. Others have started to use reusable gift bags instead of wrapping paper.
1. What is the interesting part of people giving a gift?| A．Hiding their gifts and their feelings. |
| B．Giving the recipients a surprise. |
| C．Letting the recipients open gifts at once. |
| D．Following a century-old tradition. |
| A．People didn’t know wrapping paper until 1903. |
| B．Heavy brown paper has been used to wrap gifts for 100 years. |
| C．Technology made wrapping paper widely available. |
| D．Adhesive tape was first created by gift wrap companies. |
| A．The future of reusable gift bags. |
| B．The waste produced by Americans. |
| C．Wrapping paper’s influence on the environment. |
| D．People’s admiration for wrapping paper. |
| A．The popularity of wrapping gifts. |
| B．The start of wrapping gifts in paper. |
| C．The problems caused by wrapping paper. |
| D．The story behind wrapping paper. |
6 . Buses take about 24 million children to school in some countries each year. Some parents think they’re the safest way to get the children to school — eight times safer than riding in a passenger car. But what parents don’t expect is that most school buses also pollute the air with tail gas, and that’s bad news for the kids on the bus.
The problem is that children are breathing in tail gas when they play near idling (空转的) school buses or while they ride the bus. Studies show that over time, breathing in tail gas can cause serious health problems — one concern is that the particulate (微小的) matter in tail gas can contribute to many illnesses, plus it’s been linked to increased risk of lung cancer.
There are several different ways to clean up school buses.
A simple change that can make a big difference is to reduce idling by turning off the engine as soon as the bus is parked. Some communities have carried out voluntary “no idling” zones, which help keep the air cleaner for bus riders and everyone else.
Another choice is to switch to cleaner burning fuels. One popular choice is B20. According to the EPA, it reduces particulate matter by about 10 percent. Another clean fuel being used in school buses is natural gas.
One of the best choices for clean buses is to replace older buses with newer, cleaner running buses. Because emission (排放) standards have changed obviously over the last 30 years, you can tell a lot about how much a bus pollutes simply by finding out how old it is. Buses produced after 1990 produce much lower particulate levels than older buses, and those produced in 1994 and later are even cleaner.
1. What is beyond parents’ expectation about school buses?| A．Being safer than passenger cars. | B．Lower risk of suffering cancer. |
| C．Being faster than passenger cars. | D．The air pollution caused by them. |
| A．To save money. | B．To reduce pollution. |
| C．To increase bus life. | D．To avoid making noise. |
| A．By looking at its production date. | B．By examining its size of tank. |
| C．By checking its running distance. | D．By counting its times of idling. |
| A．Suitable Ways to Handle Old School Buses |
| B．Illnesses Students Get From School Buses |
| C．School Bus Pollution and Ways to Reduce It |
| D．Serious Results Old School Buses Bring |
1. Where did the speaker get the news?
| A．On TV. |
| B．In the newspaper. |
| C．Through the Internet. |
| A．China’s traffic development. |
| B．China’s car problems. |
| C．China’s pollution. |
| A．About 20 million. |
| B．Almost 140 million. |
| C．Nearly 1,000 million. |
| A．Fewer road accidents than in other countries. |
| B．A faster traffic system which costs less. |
| C．More road blocking than now. |
| A．A new plan. | B．Air pollution. | C．Water pollution. |
| A．The fish in it has died out. |
| B．It has stopped flowing. |
| C．It’s got badly polluted. |
10 . Millions of tons of electronic waste, known as e-waste, is produced ever year. In 2016, the world’s population make 49 million tons of electronic waste. It has been calculated that there will be more than 60 million tons by 2021. The amount of electronic waste is growing so rapidly that it has become a global problem that needs to be addressed.
What is causing the upsurge(激增)in e-waste? Technology is becoming more and more widespread, covering almost every aspect of our lives. Meanwhile, the lifespan of devices is getting shorter— many products will be thrown away once their batteries(电池)die, to be replaced by new devices. Companies update the design or software so quickly and it is usually cheaper and easier to buy a new product than to repair an old one. Since prices are falling, electronic devices are in demand around the world.
As more people buy electronic equipment, manufacturers(制造商)are beginning to face shortages of the raw material needed to make their products, so recycling and reusing materials from discarded(废弃的)products and waste makes economic and environmental sense. Recycling e-waste is practiced both formally and informally. Formal e-waste recycling usually involves taking apart the electronics, separating and sorting through the materials and cleaning them. Companies must obey health and safety rules to reduce the health and environmental harm of handling e-waste by using pollution-control technologies. All this makes formal recycling expensive.
With the amount of e-waste growing around the world, recycling alone will not be enough to handle the problem. In order to reduce e-waste, manufacturers need to design electronics that are safer, and more durable (耐用的)repairable. As a customer, you’d better get our old product repaired if possible and buy a new device only when you really need.
1. The underlined word “addressed” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by _________.| A．reduced | B．changed |
| C．controlled | D．solved |
| A．The problems caused by the upsurge in e-waste. |
| B．The reasons for e-waste’s sharp increasing. |
| C．The bad effect of updating devices. |
| D．The causes of devices’ price dropping. |
| A．Improving the quality of e-devices. |
| B．Lowering the costs of technology innovation. |
| C．Relieving companies’ lacking raw materials. |
| D．Increasing the variety of electronic products. |
| A．Recycling is the only way to reduce e-waste. |
| B．Companies should be mainly responsible for reducing e-waste. |
| C．Repairing a device is better than buying a new one. |
| D．Everyone should take action to reduce e-waste. |
