1 . Plastic is everywhere, from the Arctic ice to vital organs in the human body. In fact, previous estimates suggest that the average person swallows a credit card-worth of microscopic plastic particles(颗粒) every week. But new research shows that this could actually be an understatement.
Microplastics are plastics smaller than 5 millimeters, found in industrial waste, beauty products, and formed during the degradation of larger plastic pieces. Over time, they break down into even smaller nanoplastics. These tiny particles can pass through our intestines and lungs into our bloodstreams, reaching vital organs like the heart and brain.
While the idea of eating plastic is unsettling in itself, the major concern here is that these plastic particles contain chemicals that can interrupt our body’s natural release of hormones, potentially increasing our risk of reproductive disorders and certain cancers. They can also carry toxins(毒素) on their surface like heavy metals.
In the past, researchers have shown bottled water can contain tens of thousands of identifiable plastic fragments in a single container. However, until recently, only the larger microplastics were detectable with available measuring tools, leaving the area of nanoplastics largely a mystery.
Using Raman microscopy (显微镜学), capable of detecting particles down to the size of a flu virus, the team measured an average of 240, 000 particles of plastic per liter of bottled water, 90 percent of which were nanoplastics, a revelation 10 to 100 times larger than previous estimates.
These plastics likely originate from the bottle material, filters used to “purify” the water, and the source water itself. “It is not totally unexpected to find so much of this stuff, ” the study’s lead author, Columbia graduate student Naixin Qian, said in a statement. His team hopes to expand their research into tap water and other water sources to better inform our exposure to these potentially dangerous particles. “The idea is that the smaller things get, the more of them I reveal, ” he added.
1. What is the primary focus of the new research?A.The presence of plastic particles. | B.The use of plastic in everyday products. |
C.The detection methods for microplastics. | D.The potential risks of nanoplastics to human. |
A.Finding the source of plastic particles. | B.Helping to cure the deadly flu virus. |
C.Detecting the smaller plastic particles. | D.Improving the quality of bottled water. |
A.To focus on areas with higher plastic pollution. |
B.To be aware of the dangerous particles in daily life. |
C.To further measure the types of particles in tap water. |
D.To detect the smaller plastic particles in industrial areas. |
A.Skeptical. | B.Objective. | C.Conservative. | D.Positive. |
2 . Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Men have been polluting the earth. Many years ago, the pollution was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, men moved to another place.
Air pollution is now the most serious. Air makes people sick. And lots of people now are trying to use something to clear the air. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us become angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight air pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is true that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
Although most of the pollution is caused by us, we are the ones who can change the situation. The earth is our home. We must take care of it. And we must pay more attention to the information in pollution at the same time.
1. Why was the pollution in the past less serious?A.Because life in the past was easier. | B.Because there were not so many people. |
C.Because men stayed in one place. | D.Because people used less coal to make fire. |
A.Air pollution. | B.Noise pollution. |
C.Light pollution. | D.Water pollution. |
A.Try to use something to clear the air. | B.Ask people to use public transport more. |
C.Stop putting dirty smoke into the air. | D.Encourage people to move to another place. |
A.To prove life is much easier today. | B.To call on us to take care of our earth. |
C.To show the danger of pollution. | D.To introduce how to fight air pollution. |
3 . As we all know, waste is extremely bad for the environment. Let’s talk about why litter is harmful to our streets and towns, our drinking water, and sea animals.
Waste can have a bad influence on our cities. Cleaning up litter costs US taxpayers (纳税人) and businesses $11.5 billion each year.
As you can see, waste is harmful in many ways.
A.Everybody wants to breathe fresh air. |
B.That money could have been spent on parks. |
C.How do you feel when you see people littering around? |
D.In the future there might be more waste than fish in the ocean. |
E.Litter can go into the soil and water and pollute our drinking water. |
F.We need to stop littering for us, for the environment, and for the planet. |
G.Did you know every day almost 8 million pieces of litter go into the ocean? |
4 . Plastics are amazing materials, which are widely used in our daily life. Besides, they’re often cheap to make. About 8. 3 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced to date. That’s about 1,400 times the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Some of that plastic is still in use. But about 5. 8 billion metric tons have been thrown away.
All that plastic waste is an environmental scourge (祸根). Only about 9 percent of plastic waste has been recycled. Another 12 percent has been burned. The remaining 79 percent wound up in landfills or in nature. And that plastic, like a single Lego block, takes a long time to decompose (分解).
Plastic litters the world from the highest mountaintop to the deepest seafloor. Many animals mistake this rubbish for food. If they get full, these animals may forget to eat real food and suffer. Plastic rubbish in the oceans also leaves birds, turtles and other wildlife in a jam.
Big pieces of plastic aren’t the only problem. Abandoned plastic can break into tiny bits called microplastics. Winds blow these bits far and wide. Ocean currents can spread them throughout the sea. These pollutants build up inside animals. They also get into our food and drinking water. Each American is likely to consume more than 70, 000 microplastic pieces per year. Right now, no one knows what risk that might bring.
Scientists have some ideas about how to clean up this mess. The Ocean Cleanup is developing cleanup systems to fish out plastic pieces from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Microbes or mealworms with an appetite for plastic might someday eat the garbage. And new nanotechnology (纳米技术) could help microplastics decompose in the environment. But many of these plans are still far from effective so far. The best way to help Earth right now is to stop buying so much plastic — and then throwing it out — in the first place.
1. What does the Lego block show about plastic waste?A.It is hard to break down. | B.Little of it has been burned. |
C.It is easy to pile up. | D.Most of it ends up in landfills. |
A.By starving them. | B.By reducing their food. |
C.By piling up in their homes. | D.By changing the environment. |
A.Opposed. | B.Supportive. | C.Indifferent. | D.Doubtful. |
A.To criticize plastic production. | B.To suggest ways to handle plastic. |
C.To advocate environmental protection. | D.To introduce the state of plastic pollution. |
Environmental problems are becoming more and more serious all over the world. For example, cars have made the air unhealthy for people to breathe and poisonous gas is given off by factories. Trees on the hills have been cut down and waste water is being poured continuously into rivers. Furthermore, wherever we go today, we can find rubbish carelessly disposed(处理).
There are different kinds of pollutants, each of which comes from different sources. It is necessary to identify the source of pollution, in order to make a policy to get rid of them. Different products, processes and activities of our industrialized world together form the major source of pollution.
The forms of pollution can be mainly divided into three kinds—solids,liquid and gas. These pollutants have greatly damaged our planet and continue to do so. In fact,pollution is threatening our existence. The whole ecological balance of the earth is changing. Massive destruction of environment has brought about negative effects and even posed a great threat to man’s existence.
We must face the situation that exists and take action to solve our environmental problems. For instance, new laws must be passed to place strict control over industrial pollution; the public must receive the education about the danger of pollution and raise their awareness of protecting the environment and so on.
The earth is our home and we have the duty to take care of it for ourselves and our later generations. Fortunately, more and more people have realized these problems. Measures have been taken to deal with these situations by the government. And laws have been passed to stop pollution, I hope the problems will be solved in the near future and our home will become better and better.
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6 . Damage to Ozone layer Gets Worse
In the middle of winter, when snow is falling in many parts of the United States, scientists have sounded a warning to people who plan to spend many hours in the sun this summer. The warning is: The sun’s summertime rays are more dangerous than once thought.
A team of scientists from 80 nations recently reported to the United Nations that a layer of ozone (臭氧层) in the atmosphere, which protects humans from harmful levels of ultraviolet (紫外线) radiation, will be thinner over the United States this summer. The thinner layer allows more ultraviolet rays from the sun to reach Earth. The extra amount of ultraviolet radiation could cause an increase in the number of cases of skin cancer.
Scientists first became concerned about the ozone layer in the mid-1980s when a hole was discovered in the layer above Antarctica during the winter. The hole was caused by chemicals used in refrigerators and air conditioners. When these chemicals are sent out into the atmosphere, they produce gases that destroy the ozone.
Concern about the protective ozone layer rose more recently when data (数据) from satellites and ground stations showed that ozone levels were dropping over areas other than Antarctica. Low ozone levels were recorded in the spring and summer over the United States and over other populated areas in the world.
Although many countries have already begun stopping the use of ozone destroying chemicals, the new findings are expected to advance the timetable for a total ban (禁止) of the chemicals.
1. The scientists have observed the ozone layer ________.A.since 1980 | B.since last winter |
C.for more than 30 years | D.for about one year |
A.do a lot of good to human beings in many ways |
B.protect humans from diseases caused by bad weather |
C.do a lot of harm to human beings in the summer-time |
D.protect humans from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation |
A.above Arctic during the winter in the mid-1980s |
B.above Antarctica during the winter in the mid-1980s |
C.over somewhere in the north of the equator in 1980 |
D.over the U.S.A in the summertime in the mid-1980s |
A.the changeable weather |
B.ozone-destroying chemicals |
C.chemicals from refrigerators |
D.chemicals from air conditioners |