4 . The World Health Organization warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. Nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating as well as lighting.

These findings show that the use of deadly fuels in inefficient stoves, space heaters or lights is to blame for many of these deaths.

WHO officials say indoor pollution leads to early deaths from stroke, heart and lung disease, childhood pneumonia and lung cancer. Women and girls are the main victims. These diseases can often result from the burning of solid fuels. These fuels include wood, coal, animal waste, crop waste and charcoal.

The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatermala and Peru,are also at risk.

Nigel Brace is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good cook-stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way.There are already multiple technologies available for use in clean fuels.There is really quite an effective and reasonably low-cost alcohol stove made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company) that is now being tested out. LPG (Liquefield Petroleum Gas) cook is obviously widely available and efforts are under way to make those efficient. Another interesting development is electric induction stoves. WHO experts note that some new, safe and low-cost technologies that could help are already available. In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8.00. And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1.00.

But this,the agency says, is just a start. It is urging developing countries to use cleaner fuels and increase access to cleaner and more modern cooking and heating appliances/devices.

5 . Nobody wants to snack on plastic bags or soda rings, but according to a recent study from the University of Neweastle, we could be consuming roughly a credit card's worth of plastic every week.

Microplastic, which are less than a quarter-inch size and come in various shapes, have polluted the natural world and infiltrated(渗入)our bodies. The first clue to microplastic exposure in humans came around 2013, when scientists discovered plastic particles in seafood prepared for consumption. But in 2019, when the University of Newcastle study was published, the scientific community understood that the problem was considerably broader. Microplastics shed off clothes and tires and have been found in beer, honey, table salt and other food items. We breathe in plastic staying in the air and drink plastic floating in our drinks. It's no stretch to conclude that our exposure is significant. What we don't know is what this means for us.

The amount of evidence collected on this subject is growing rapidly, according to Scott Coffin, a toxicologist(毒理学家). Studies done on mice and rats have found that plastic in their bodies can severely damage cells and cause stress.

Because microplastics are too small to clean up, the only solution is to stop plastic waste at the source. And doing so would take a thorough adjustment, given that plastics are deeply embedded in our economy and lifestyle. Stopping using them would fundamentally affect countless industries, including textiles(纺织业), transportation and manufacturing.

"I think we need to have more studies coming out that are directly related to human health before we see a lot more concern from the general public," Scott said. "It takes a lot to convince people that something that is really convenient for them to use is something they should sacrifice."

The question of microplastics and human health needs more attention—from the scientific community ,the general public, the government and funding groups. The issue isn't being ignored, but it's not being prioritized either.

7 . When you think of the icy Arctic Ocean, do you picture cold blue waters, on which float (漂浮) icebergs home to animals and fish not seen elsewhere on the planet? Think again, or rather add 300 billion pieces of plastic (塑料) to your picture. That's the amount of plastic that scientists believe is floating around the Arctic Ocean. Most of the plastic is in the area to the east of Greenland and north of Scandinavia.

Where did it come from? After all, the lands near the Arctic are not really full of people. It turns out that ocean currents are carrying plastic thrown into the ocean all the way to the Arctic. An ocean current is an unending movement of sea water from one point to another. It is caused by several things including heat from the Sun, wind and movement of the Earth.

Many of these plastic pieces seem to have travelled for years before reaching the Arctic. This was worked out by scientists studying the plastic problem after they observed the condition of the pieces. While much plastic floats on top of the water, a lot also may be on the sea floor.

Plastic has been widely used for 60 years on Earth and our careless throwing of plastic things is slowly turning the once perfectly clean Arctic into a dangerous place. Unlike food waste and plant waste, plastic doesn't break down so easily. In fact the United States Environment Protection Organization reports that “every bit of plastic ever made still exists”.

What's the effect? Seabirds, sea turtles and other ocean creatures could get hurt and die when they accidentally swallow plastic. Plastic waste affects fishing, affecting people who earn money through fishing. Plastics can let out dangerous poisons (毒物) into the water. These may be swallowed by fish, and when these fish are caught and eaten by people or bigger animals, they could get poisoned too!

9 . 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,并将答案填写在答题卡上。

Human activity is changing the surface and temperature of the planet. But new research shows it is also changing the sound of the Earth's oceans and seas. According to a study    1     ( publish) in the magazine Science, the changes in the sounds of our oceans, seas, and other waterways affect many sea animals.

For fish, sound is probably a    2     (good) way to sense their environment than light. Sounds help fish and other sea animals survive.     3     depend on sounds for communication. Sounds also help some sea animals find food and avoid their hunters.     4     addition, many sea animals use sounds to find good places to mate. However, increased noise from humans    5     (be) making it harder for these sea animals to hear each other. The noise comes from shipping traffic, motorized fishing ships, underwater oil and gas exploration ,offshore     6     (construct) , and other noisy human activity.

For many sea species, their attempts to communicate are being masked by sounds     7     have been introduced by humans. Also, the general number of sea animals     8     (decrease) by about half since 1970.

Effects of noise on animals     9     (live) in the seas aren't well understood. However, some studies suggest that noise may bring about hearing loss. The stress from human noise might also affect the immune system-an animal's    10     (nature) defense system.

10 . In recent years, Ethiopia has become a regional leader in solid waste management. Last year, the country transformed the landfill (垃圾填埋场) in Addis Ababa into a new waste-to-energy plant, the first such project on the continent. The plant incinerates up to 1, 400 tonnes of waste every day, about 80 percent of the city's rubbish, supplying the capital with 25 percent of its household electricity needs.

However, despite these important steps, challenges remain in Ethiopia. Although the country has permitted the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions, laws and policies for environmentally sound management of hazardous (有害的) wastes are still not effective in pre- venting littering waste illegally.

To help Ethiopia meet these challenges, the Chemicals and Waste Management Program is supporting the country with a three-year project to enhance its capacity for sound management of hazardous wastes.

In the initial stages, a project management unit will be formed, made up of many representatives from government departments and private organizations. This unit will be responsible for reviewing and assessing Ethiopia's current legal system, which, despite numerous advances in recent years, does not specifically target the recycling of hazardous waste. Once legal gaps are identified, the project will seek to update existing policies and strategies.

Many people in Ethiopia are not aware of the possible effect of environmental damage and the need to report such crimes to the police. To resolve this pressing issue, Ethiopia will be conducting a series of capacity-building activities, including creating awareness-raising programs, training trainers and providing equipment.

Ethiopia will also work to establish a national mechanism for chemicals and waste management by engaging government departments and civil society groups. Authorities will also make budgetary provisions (预算拨款) in national, regional and institutional planning to ensure funding for these activities is sustainable even after the project's completion.