1 . Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on the Earth. What many people don’t know is that rubbish is becoming a problem in outer space too. Years of space exploration (探索) have left tons of “space junk” (太空垃圾) around the planet.
According to the reports of BBC, there are more than 22,000 pieces of rubbish in space around the Earth. And these are just the objects that are easy to see. There may be millions of smaller pieces of rubbish that we can’t see.
The pieces of space junk move around the planet at very high speeds. They move so fast that even a very small piece can become dangerous. If they crashed (碰撞) into each other, it could cause explosions that might even hurt people on the Earth. If the tiniest piece of rubbish crashed into a space shuttle (航天飞机), it could blow open a hole as big as an elephant.
To help solve this problem, countries around the world have agreed to limit the time their space tools stay in space to 25 years. Each tool must fall safely into the Earth’s atmosphere, or upper parts of the sky. There, it will burn up, and it won’t crash near the Earth.
1. What is becoming a problem in outer space?| A．Unseen things. | B．Many big holes. |
| C．Too much space junk. | D．A lot of explosions. |
| A．It may kill elephants. |
| B．It causes air pollution. |
| C．It moves faster than space shuttles. |
| D．It may cause explosions and hurt people. |
| A．Burn them on the Earth. | B．Limit their time in space. |
| C．Let them crash in the sky. | D．Make them move slowly. |
2 . Human-made plastic materials have become so essential that it can be hard to grasp that they barely existed a century ago. At my desk, I'm typing on a plastic keyboard, scrolling a plastic mouse, and picking up a plastic pen. Day after day, more plastic enters my life, whether it's a shampoo bottle or new running shoes.
The invention of synthetic(合成的) plastics in the early 1900s was a success of innovation，with chemists realizing they could orchestrate molecular structures(编排分子结构) to create materials that are lighter, stronger, brighter, cheaper, more flexible and more durable. During World War II, nylon and other plastics became essential to the war effort. When the war ended, the initial plastics industry focused on making products for everyday life.
But the overuse of plastic has become a curse, with abandoned objects blocking waterways and landfills. And when plastic does finally fall apart, tiny particles go into the environment. We've known for years that microplastics have spread into the oceans. In this issue, we report on research confirming that microplastics are also storing up in our bodies. Plastic particles have been found in human blood, in body tissues and in breast milk.
Talk about environmental pollution hitting close to home. As independent journalist Anne Pinto-Rodrigues reports, microplastics probably enter the human body through the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. Though consuming microplastics along with lunch is frightening enough, the idea that we might be taking in invisible bits with each breath feels much more disturbing.
Researchers have only recently begun quantifying the abundance of microplastics in the air, so it's not yet clear where people face the most exposure. Also unclear is what impact, if any, microplastics have on human health. Science is full of examples of unintended consequences.
Microplastics are an unintended consequence that we can't put back into the Tupperware. Merely switching from plastic to paper bags won't fix this problem. Science now needs to determine the extent of the threat microplastics might pose and invent new ways to protect against any harms.
1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about concerning plastic?| A．The widespread use. | B．The serious consequences. |
| C．The recycling methods. | D．The chemical structure. |
| A．that is shocking | B．that is declining |
| C．that is appealing | D．that is demanding |
| A．It can take the place of paper. |
| B．It poses no threat to some extent. |
| C．New solutions are expected to deal with its harms. |
| D．Tupperware is to blame for its unintended results. |
| A．Plastic bags or paper bags? |
| B．Microplastics: To die out or not? |
| C．Will you welcome plastics into your life? |
| D．Where does plastic go when we're done with it? |
As we all know, plastic bags
4 . A cap and trade system is a method for managing pollution, with the end goal of reducing the overall pollution in a nation, region, or industry. Many supporters of pollution control are in favor of the concept of such systems, arguing that well-designed cap and trade systems are extremely effective, and that they make sense economically as well.
Under a cap and trade system, a government authority first sets a cap, deciding how much pollution in total will be allowed. Next, companies are issued credits, essentially licenses to pollute, based on how large they are, what industries they work in, and so forth. If a company comes in below its cap, it has extra credits that it may trade with other companies.
For companies that come in below their caps, this system is great, because they can sell their extra credits, profiting while reducing their pollution. For companies that cannot get their pollution under control, the system punishes them for their excess pollution while still bringing overall pollution rates down. In a sense, the need to purchase credits acts as a fine, encouraging companies to reduce their emissions.
By creating a cap, nations make it clear that they want to reduce overall emissions, rather than just fining companies for excessive emissions or trying to force all companies to reduce their emissions by a set percentage. Cap and trade systems allow for flexibility, which usually benefits the market. Some people view the concept as preferable to a taxation or fining system, because it is easier to administer and it results in a pollution reduction. These systems are most commonly used for carbon emissions, leading people to refer to it as “carbon trading”, and there is a potential for a global carbon trading market, in which more efficient nations could trade credits with other countries.
1. What can be inferred about the cap and trade system?| A．It can greatly promote economy in a nation. |
| B．It will soon be welcomed by all companies. |
| C．It is well-designed and extremely effective. |
| D．It is environmentally and economically friendly. |
| A．Those who always have more extra credits. |
| B．Those whose overall pollution is below their caps. |
| C．Those who have never been fined for overall pollution. |
| D．Those who help other companies reduce their pollution. |
| A．All the pollution will be reduced by the cap and trade system. |
| B．Carbon trading is likely to be conducted among countries. |
| C．Carbon trade is more effective than the cap and trade system. |
| D．The taxation and fining system now is out of use. |
| A．The use of credits in reducing pollution. |
| B．Efficient ways to manage overall pollution. |
| C．An introduction of the cap and trade system. |
| D．Potential application of the cap and trade system. |
5 . Scientists visiting tiny Henderson Island in the South Pacific recently made an alarming discovery.
Plastic waste in the sea has long been known about, but only now are we discovering the true extent of the problem. Plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose, so all the plastic ever produced still exists somewhere. Around 95% of plastics made are not recycled, and large amounts enter the sea. Currents(洋流) collect this waste in large circular systems called “gyres”.
The problem gets worse as plastic breaks down into very small pieces, or “micro plastic”,
“Sea plastic is a symbol of the negative effects of our lifestyle and technology,” he says. “
| A．it goes unnoticed and finds its way to human bodies. |
| B．This is eaten by fish and leads to massive species loss. |
| C．To work with the currents would help collect the waste. |
| D．Our aim should be to create a new lifestyle for this century. |
| E．However, there are some young minds working to clean up the sea for future generations. |
| F．Although remote and previously untouched by humans, the island was covered in plastic waste. |
| G．One of the largest is in the Pacific Ocean, an area now known as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”. |
6 . Are you a tea drinker? If so, you’re not alone. Every day around the world millions of cups of this popular brew are drunk, and it’s been that way for thousands of years. The oldest discovered tea is from the Han Dynasty, dating from 206BC to 220AD. But it’s thought that the tea trend really took off during the Tang Dynasty in the 8th Century, when it became China’s national drink. Now, Turkey, the Republic of Ireland and the UK are believed to be the biggest tea—drinking nations, per capita.
Tea is consumed in many ways-slurped, sipped or glugged. It can be poured from pots, infused or brewed in the cup using tea bags—and it’s this latter process that is causing concern. Research last year found some premium tea bags might be leaving billions of microscopic plastic particles in the cup. Scientists from McGill University in Montreal found that some ‘plastic’ tea bags shed high levels of micro plastics into water. However, The World Health Organization says such particles in drinking water do not appear to pose a risk.
Most tea bags are made from paper, with a small amount of plastic used to seal them shut— made from oil. This has led to debate about whether they can be recycled, but many are still composted. However, gardener Mike Armitage has told the BBC that the plastic contained in the soil could be washed into streams and rivers and ultimately out to sea.
Unilever, the owners of the tea brand PG Tips, said their tea bags are made with a small amount of plastic—used to seal them—and that they are suitable for composting. And the brand Yorkshire Tea said their bags do contain 25% polypropylene, but they were “actively developing plant—based and biodegradable alternatives”.
While tea bag manufacturers might be doing their bit to reduce plastic pollution, it could be a good time to switch your favourite beverage to coffee, or if that isn’t your cup of tea then try using loose-leaf tea, which can have a better flavour.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?| A．Tea can be consumed in many ways. |
| B．The use of tea bags doesn’t appear to pose a risk |
| C．The use of tea bags is causing concern. |
| D．Some tea bags might be leaving microscopic plastic particles in the cup. |
| A．reduce the amount of plastic used to seal tea bags |
| B．wash the plastic in the soil into streams, rivers and sea |
| C．develop plant-based and biodegradable alternatives |
| D．switch to coffee or try to use loose-leaf tea |
| A．Supportive | B．Indifferent | C．Opposed | D．Neutral |
| A．Potential Plastic Pollution |
| B．Chinese tea culture |
| C．What is your favorite drink? |
| D．The Humble tea bag |
7 . We know light pollution can threaten the heath and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment. Researchers have long studied the impact on birds and how brightness can affect their reproduction (繁殖), feeding, and migration behaviors. A new study, published in Nature, takes a comprehensive look at how light pollution affects birds throughout North America. It found that these factors can affect how birds succeed in reproduction and often are related to the impacts of climate change.
For the study, researchers looked at data collected by other researchers and by citizen scientists. They analyzed how light pollution affected the reproductive success of more than 5800 nests from 142 bird species across North America. They considered several factors including the time of year when reproduction happened and whether at least one chick got the feathers necessary for flight or independent activity.
Birds typically reproduce about the same time each year, using daylight cues to time their reproduction to coincide with when the most food will be available to feed their babies. “Artificially changing day length with light pollution essentially misleads them to stat reproducing earlier than they normally would,” Francis says. When that happens, sometimes chicks hatch before food is available. But with climate change, sometimes the results are a little different.
“We also found that the same species that reproduce earlier appear to benefit from light exposure in terms of nest success. This was unexpected. We do not know for sure that light pollution helps birds cope with climate change. It needs to be tested in further research. Nevertheless, it is quite possible that light allows birds to ‘catch up’ to earlier prey availability due to climate change,” Francis explains.
Researchers know through studies of climate change that plants and insects are starting to emerge earlier each spring. They respond to warmer temperatures rather than light. So possibly the birds are benefiting from that change. “A likely explanation is that light pollution causes birds to nest earlier and restore the match between the timing of their nesting and the highest availability of their food,” Francis says. “Again, this needs to be tested. Still, if true, it means that birds exposed to light pollution are ‘ keeping up ’ with climate change and those in pristine areas where there is no light pollution would not. ”
1. What does the passage mainly talk about?| A．The data that had been collected previously. |
| B．The effects of light pollution on birds reproduction. |
| C．The ways to improve birds’ reproductive success. |
| D．The loss of birds caused by light pollution. |
| A．They get confused about the reproductive time. |
| B．They are more likely to abandon their babies. |
| C．They have a harder time finding food. |
| D．It’s harder for them to hatch the eggs. |
| A．They nests earlier. | B．Plants grow taster. |
| C．Insects appear earlier. | D．There are more lights. |
| A．Light pollution has a great negative effect on the birds’ life. |
| B．Climate change is causing birds to change their food choices. |
| C．Birds look for other suitable breeding sites because of light pollution. |
| D．Birds are adjusting their reproductive time to adapt to climate change. |
8 . The truest explanation of recycling involves taking a material, melting(融化) it down, and turning it back into itself over and over. This can be done with glass and metal, which can both be remelted and reformed into bottles or cans forever. This is a closed-loop(闭环) system, so it’s very desirable. On the other hand, some materials slowly degrade(降解) over time, meaning they can be reformed maybe once or twice, but after a while the chemical composition of the original substance has changed and it can no longer be turned back into what it once was. This is called downcycling(降级回收).
The downcycling of plastic is one of the serious issues surrounding this material. For example, plastic water or soda bottles are seldom turned back into bottles. The other is the fact that plastic never biodegrades(生物降解). Many materials newspaper included, will biodegrade at the end of their lives. When paper enters the environment, given exposure to the air, it breaks down, leaving the world undamaged. Plastic, on the other hand, photodegrades(光降解), and this is very concerning. As discussed earlier, in the process of photodegrading, wind, sun, and water break plastic down into smaller and smaller particles(颗粒) that will cause great damage to the ocean ecosystem.
Finally, there is concern about heating food in plastic containers. Avoid reheating food in plastic containers in the microwave, and stop covering food with plastic wrap. Storing cool food in plastic containers isn’t as big a concern, but avoid heating food and plastic together to eliminate the possibility of plastic into your food.
So the disadvantages to plastic are that it can’t really be recycled in the true meaning of the term, it will never disappear from our environment because it can’t biodegrade, and it is a vehicle to deliver dangerous chemicals into our food chains.
1. What is a satisfying recycling system?| A．It’s easy to find alternative metals. | B．Its process is an open-loop system. |
| C．Materials can be reused over and again. | D．Composition of materials can be changed. |
| A．The threat to oceans. | B．The impact on foods. |
| C．The process of breaking down. | D．The pollution of the atmosphere. |
| A．Assess. | B．Remove. | C．Weight. | D．Reduce. |
| A．Positive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Negative. | D．Unclear. |
9 . Although a rich literature exists documenting the negative relationship between air pollution and physiological (生理的) health, little has been done to examine the role of air pollution in psychological heath. In the study, titled “Air Pollution Reduces Interpersonal Trust” researchers used three different experimental designs to test their theory that air pollution would reduce one's level of trust in others.
In Study 1, participants were presented with landscape photos that showed either polluted scenes or clear scenes. Those who viewed photos of polluted scenes reported lower scores when completing a questionnaire measuring social trust.
In Study 2, researchers used a “big data” approach, collecting mass information from social media platforms and analyzing it in connection with weather monitoring data. Their analysis showed that polluted conditions were associated with reduced expressions of positive emotions on social media sites, while clearer conditions were associated with stronger positive emotional expressions.
Finally, in Study 3, participants who were asked to read social media posts about poor air quality reported less social trust than those who read posts unrelated to pollution. This makes sense---as air pollution causes negative emotions, people are more likely to focus on others' negative characteristics and find them less trustworthy.
The effects of this study are far-reaching. By reducing trust in others, this study suggests that air pollution can have negative effects on social unity and harmony. Considering widespread air pollution throughout the globe, any effect between pollution and human psychology should be given serious attention.
1. What did the researchers design three different experiments for?| A．To prove that one's level of trust would be negatively affected by air pollution. |
| B．To test the theory that air pollution would increase the level of trust in others. |
| C．To prove that air pollution would have a positive effect on trust in others. |
| D．To test the theory that air pollution would have a negative effect on physical health. |
| A．A fair day | B．A happy day |
| C．A rainy day | D．A polluted day |
| A．People expressed their feelings more positively in polluted weather on social media sites. |
| B．People posted more negative feelings in clearer weather on social media sites |
| C．Polluted weather led to less positive emotion expressions on social media sites. |
| D．Clearer weather led to less positive emotion expressions on social media sites |
| A．It has little effect on the society and can be ignored. |
| B．It should be paid special attention to. |
| C．It should be further conducted. |
| D．It should be stopped. |
10 . Rain is vital to life on Earth. However, rain isn’t just made of water anymore—it’s partly made of plastic.
Millions of tiny pieces of plastic, called microplastics, are wandering around Earth’s atmosphere and traveling across entire continents, according to a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on April 12. Another study, published in the journal Science in June 2020, has revealed that every year more than 1,000 tons of the particles (颗粒)—equivalent to over 120 million plastic bottles—fall in rain.
Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter (直径) and come from a number of sources. Plastic bags and bottles released into the environment break down into smaller and smaller bits. Some microplastics are manufactured deliberately to provide abrasion (研磨) in a host of products, such as toothpaste and cleansers, according to the Daily Mail. Another major source is your washing machine. When you wash synthetic (合成的) clothing, tiny microfibers get flushed (冲掉) away with the wastewater. Even though the water is treated by a wastewater plant, the microplastics remain, and they are released into the sea, according to American magazine Wired.
Plastic rain may remind people of acid rain, but the former is far more widespread and harder to deal with. The tiny particles, too small to be seen with the naked eye, are collected by the wind from the ground. They are so light that they stay in the air to be blown around the globe. As they climb into the atmosphere, they are thought to act as nuclei (核心) around which water vapor (水蒸气) condenses (凝结) to form clouds. Some of the dust falls back to land in dry conditions, while the rest comes down as rain, according to the Daily Mail.
Microplastics have been found everywhere you can imagine. From fish and frogs to mice and mosquitoes, their bodies have been found, on average, to contain 40 pieces of microplastic, reported Daily Mail. As the top of the food chain, humans are exposed to microplastics, too. “We live on a ball inside a bubble,” microplastic researcher Steve Allen at University of Strathclyde, Scotland, told Wired. “There are no borders, there are no edges. It (plastic rain) raining on the land and then getting blown back up into the air again, to move somewhere else. There’s no stopping it once it’s out.”
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?| A．How microplastics should be handled. | B．How microplastics are used widely. |
| C．How microplastics pollute water. | D．How microplastics come into being. |
| A．They are light and can be easily dealt with. |
| B．They result in both acid rain and plastic rain. |
| C．They have a diameter of at least 5 millimeters. |
| D．They have nearly affected the whole food chain. |
| A．No place is safe from microplastic pollution. |
| B．The atmosphere possesses the capacity to self-cleanse. |
| C．Countries should work together to fight plastic pollution. |
| D．It is important to remove microplastics somewhere else. |
| A．To compare acid rain and plastic rain. |
| B．To warn people of the dangers of microplastics. |
| C．To call on people to reduce using plastic products. |
| D．To introduce the sources and effects of microplastics. |
