1 . A new study confirms that planting hedges (树篱) between roadsides and school playgrounds can serve as protective barriers against traffic air pollution. The new study differs from conventional air pollution ones because the researchers specifically measured magnetic (磁性) particles — innovatively employing magnetism to study particles which come from vehicle waste gases. That enabled them to distinguish local traffic pollution from other sources of air pollution.

In England alone, studies estimate that 26,000 to 38,000 deaths and thousands of hospital admissions are associated with dust-like particles floating in air pollution — much of which is generated by heavy traffic in urban environments. Particle pollution is composed of a variety of chemical substances, metals and other materials. The bigger particles are called PM10 and are easily absorbed. Finer particles called PM2.5 can go deeper into the lungs. Children attending schools next to busy roads are easily affected by particle pollution because their airways are still developing and they breathe faster than adults.

The team studied magnetic particles obtained by a western red cedar “tredge ” (trees managed as a head-high hedge) which was previously placed outside St Ambrose RC Primary School. “The western red cedar has fine and evergreen leaves into which airborne particles hit and then settle from the roadside air,” said study co-author Professor Barbara Maher.

In the school playground, 30 metres from the road, they measured a 78% decrease in PM10 relative to roadside air and an 80% reduction in PM2.5 particles just behind the tredge. However, they did note a small increase in levels of PM2.5 in the playground, although they were still 63% below roadside air. This shows that some air still goes over or around the tredge. So tredges should be carefully arranged to maximize their ability to absorb particles.

Cllr Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport for Manchester City Council, said, “Manchester seeks to willingly accept innovation in our efforts to become a greener city with cleaner air and tackle climate change. The findings underline the contribution which nature-based innovations can make to rising to that challenge.”

1. How did the new study differ from conventional air pollution studies?

A．It applied a new type of pollution analysis.

B．It identified the source of magnetic particles.

C．It studied the impact of hedges on reducing air pollution.

D．It examined the effects of air pollution on children’s health.

2. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?

A．To inform us of the main types of dust-like particles.

B．To display the complexity of treating breathing illnesses.

C．To analyze the heavy traffic burden on urban environments.

D．To highlight the severeness of traffic-related particle pollution.

3. What can be concluded from the study mentioned in the text?

A．It is challenging to reduce air pollution in the playground.

B．Red cedar “tredges” can significantly remove PM2.5 particles.

C．It is necessary to test other evergreen trees’ ability to absorb particles.

D．The placement of tredges has little effect on reducing particle pollution.

4. What is CIlr Tracey Rawlins’s attitude towards the new study?

A．Conservative.

B．Dismissive.

C．Favorable.

D．Ambiguous.

2 . For most of human history, the stars shone brightly in a dark night sky. But today, cities and towns, increasingly lit by artificial light at night, dramatically reduce the visibility of stars.

Satellite data suggests that light pollution has been increasing in many parts of the world over the last decade. However, satellites miss the blue light of LEDs (发光的二极管), which are commonly used for outdoor lighting, resulting in an underestimate of light pollution.

An international citizen science project called Globe at Night (环球夜景) aims to measure how everyday people’s view of the sky is changing. The data shows that the night sky got, on average, 9.6% brighter every year. For many people, the night sky today is twice as bright as it was eight years ago. The brighter the sky, the fewer stars you can see. If this trend continues, a child born today in a place where 250 stars are visible now would only be able to see 100 stars on his/her 18th birthday.

The main factors leading to increasing brightness of the night sky are industrialization and the growing use of LEDs for outdoor lighting. The loss of dark skies threatens our ability as astronomers to do good science. But everyday people feel this loss too. Starry night skies have inspired artists, writers, musicians and philosophers for thousands of years. Light pollution also has a bad effect on the daily cycle of light and dark that plants and animals use to adjust their lifestyle. Two-thirds of the world’s key biodiversity (生物多样性) areas are affected by light pollution.

Individuals and their communities can make simple changes to reduce light pollution. The secret is using the right amount of light, in the right place and at the right time. Making outdoor lights shine downward, using lights that give out more yellow-colored light instead of white light and putting on light timers can all help reduce light pollution. A view of about 2,500 stars in a truly dark sky might convince you that dark skies are a resource worth saving.

1. How is the first paragraph mainly developed?

A．By giving an example.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By reaching a conclusion.	D．By raising a question.

2. What do the figures in the third paragraph indicate?

A．The light pollution is getting more serious.

B．The night sky today gets darker than before.

C．It’s difficult to imagine a child’s fast growth.

D．LEDs are commonly used for outdoor lighting.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．The bad effects of light pollution.	B．The factors causing light pollution.
C．The functions of starry night skies.	D．Key biodiversity areas in the world.

4. What is the purpose of writing this text?

A．To explain a phenomenon.	B．To suggest a solution.
C．To remember a scientist.	D．To increase public awareness.

3 . 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.

2. What do the underlined words “backfire on” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Go against.

B．Apply to.

C．Depend on.

D．Respond to.

3. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

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.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the text?

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

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Japan said on Tuesday that it had decided to    1    (gradual) release tons of treated wastewater from the ruined Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant (福岛第一核电站) into the ocean,    2     (describe) it as the best solution to dealing with the leftovers (残留物) from the Fukushima nuclear accident, one of the    3    (serious) in the world.

The    4    (decide) ends years of debate over how to deal with the water,    5    is enough to fill more than 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“The Japanese government ignores concerns and strong opposition both at home and abroad. Such an    6    (responsilble)act not only directly harms the interests of the people in Japan’s neighbouring countries, but    7    threatens the global marine environment and international public health security,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Greenpeace(绿色和平组织)criticized Japan’s plan and said there are other solutions that should    8    (censider). “    9    than using the best available technology to store and process the water    10    the long term, they have chosen the cheapest solution, damping the water into the Pactfie Ocean.”

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Beaches across the planet share many features: sand, water, ocean gentle winds — and plastic. At Floyd Bennett Field, the coastal area     1     artist Barry Rosenthal goes collecting, rubbish piles up fast and in layers, as if at an archaeological (考古的) site.

Plastics will indeed be the product of our age,     2     (particular) in oceans where the material goes into ecosystems and floats around the world. More than millions and millions of pieces of plastic already fill the seas, with some nine million tons     3    (add) each year.

Rosenthal observed how bottles,     4    (toy), and food boxes fade, wear out, yet never disappear. He started building and photographing sculptures (雕像) of ocean trash to illustrate the problem of ocean pollution. Finally he began to gather the rubbish to use as his art materials, cleaning     5     small part of the coast over and over again. “I started to just collect as much as I could and go back to my studio to sort       6     out,” he says. Each sculpture has a theme, by color, shape, or intended use, such as the oil containers.

A project begun for aesthetics (美学) has got a     7    (two) purpose: raising social and environmental awareness. Over the last few years, Rosenthal     8    (tour) to speak about ocean pollution and what might help clean it up. The most     9    (meaning) advance, he says, would be to rethink our method of consuming (消费). “We need a change in all packaging design     10    (make) people feel good,” he says.

6 . 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.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

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.

3. What do scientists worry about?

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.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

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.

7 . 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.

2. Why should school bus engines be turned off when they stop according to the text?

A．To save money.	B．To reduce pollution.
C．To increase bus life.	D．To avoid making noise.

3. How can you know the pollution degree of a bus according to the text?

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.

4. What is the suitable title for this text?

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

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where did the speaker get the news?

A．On TV.

B．In the newspaper.

C．Through the Internet.

2. What is the speaker mainly telling us?

A．China’s traffic development.

B．China’s car problems.

C．China’s pollution.

3. How many cars are there on roads at the moment?

A．About 20 million.

B．Almost 140 million.

C．Nearly 1,000 million.

4. How will the traffic be in China in the future?

A．Fewer road accidents than in other countries.

B．A faster traffic system which costs less.

C．More road blocking than now.

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于 3 个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

My home town used to     1    a beautiful place but mow thick trees and grass can be no longer seen on the hills, which is due to people’s     2    (cut) down trees illegally. And sandstorms strike the area now and     3    . With more and more factories     4    (build) ,the waste water is     5     (direct) poured into the river, which causes fish     6    (die) .That water drunk     7    people is polluted as well. The air doesn’t escape being polluted. We do need development, but we need to find ways to develop economy     8    protect the environment at     9    same time. I hope all the people keep     10    a duty to protect the environment.