1 . There are many kinds of pollution, which can be classified by environment, including air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Modern society is also concerned about specific types of pollution, such as noise pollution, light pollution and plastic pollution. Pollution of all kinds may not only have negative effects on the environment and wildlife, but also do harm to human health and well-being.

Although environmental pollution can be caused by natural events such as forest fires and active volcanoes, use of the word “pollution” generally means that the wastes have an anthropocentric source—that is, a source created by human activities. Pollution has accompanied humankind ever since groups of people first congregated and remained for a long time in any one place. Indeed, ancient human settlements are frequently recognized by their wastes, Pollution was not a serious problem as long as there was enough space available for each individual or group. However, with the establishment of permanent settlements by great numbers of people, pollution became a problem, and it has remained one ever since.

By the middle of the 20th century, an awareness of the need to protect air, water, and land environments from pollution had developed among the general public. In particular, the publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring focused attention on environmental damage caused by improper use of pesticides such as DDT. In response, major pieces of environmental law and regulation were passed in many countries to control the environmental pollution.

Great efforts are made to limit the release of harmful substances into the environment. Unfortunately, attempts at pollution control are surpassed by the scale of the problem, especially in less-developed countries. Noxious levels of air pollution are common in large cities. To control the pollution completely, we still have a long way to go.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly talk about?

A．The history of pollution.	B．The types of pollution.
C．The causes of pollution.	D．The effects of pollution.

2. What is the original cause of pollution according to this passage?

A．Natural disasters.	B．Forest fires.
C．Volcanoes.	D．Human activities.

3. What does the underlined word “congregated” mean in paragraph 2?

A．Gathered.	B．Separated.
C．Attended.	D．Lived.

4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．No measures have been taken by the government to control the problems of pollution.

B．The book Silent Spring helped to improve the awareness of protecting the environment.

C．Silent Spring concentrated on the improper use of plastic bags.

D．The pollution has been controlled in less-developed countries.

2 . Microplastics, or tiny plastic particles - have been found in human blood for the first time.

In a paper published in Environment International, researchers in the Netherlands analyzed 22 blood samples from healthy donors and found that 17 or almost 80% contain microplastics.

The team tested for five types of plastics. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), commonly used in disposable water bottles, was the most common plastic type and found in about 50 percent of the donors. The second most common, polystyrene (PS) which is used for food packaging, was found in about 36 percent. Alarmingly, the researchers found up to three different types of plastic in a single blood sample.

Previously, microplastic pollution has been recorded to the summit of Mount Everest, oceans, seafood, water and air. It is the first study to find such tiny particles in human blood. “The particles are transported throughout the body and stay in internal organs,” study author Dick Vethaak, an ecotoxicologist in the Netherlands says to the Guardian.

The health effects of taking in microplastics are currently unclear. Today, the only data available are laboratory studies that show its unfavorable effects on mice or rats when given large quantities of microplastics. As Professor Mark Taylor of Macquarie University in Sydney told The Guardian last year, “nobody really knows.” However, as he stressed., “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” If we’re to understand the effects, the first step underway at the moment is understanding levels of exposure.

It is estimated that since the 1950s, more than 70 million tons of microplastics have been dumped into the oceans due to industrial manufacturing processes. A WWF report also suggested we’re all unintentionally taking in 125 grams of plastic every 6 months. Despite the small number of donors in the study, pollution expert Fay Couceiro of the University of Portsmouth, who was not involved in the study, tells the AFP that the study was “solid and will stand up to examination.” Now, many countries are taking action to reduce microplastics in the environment.

1. What did scientists find in the study of 22 donors’ blood samples?

A．Half the blood samples contained microplastics.

B．PET was the most common plastic in the samples.

C．Altogether three types of plastics are detected in samples.

D．Donors were healthy despite microplastics in their blood.

2. What concerned scientists in the Netherlands?

A．Microplastics can damage human internal organs.

B．Microplastics have unfavorable effects on humans.

C．Multiple types of plastic were found in one sample.

D．Microplastics have polluted the peak of Mount Everest.

3. What does Mark Taylor’s words concerning microplastics mean?

A．Their effect is too weak to note.

B．Evidence shows no health impacts.

C．Lots of more study about them is needed.

D．Levels of exposure to microplastics matter.

4. What will the writer focus on in the following paragraph?

A．How microplastics get into the food chain.

B．How widespread microplastics have become.

C．Distribution of microplastics in the ecosystem.

D．Effective measures taken to restrict microplastics.

3 . Residents of several villages in Russia’s Magadan region have recently reported black snow caused by the black powder produced by an outdated, coal-powered water-heating plant. In Omsukchan and neighboring Seimchan, two villages in the Siberian far east, snow doesn’t always look the way you’d expect. In fact, sometimes it’s quite the opposite. Instead of white snow covering everything as far as the eyes can see, locals are treated to a bad view of black snow that the kids sometimes play in. Photos and videos of this disturbing scenery have been doing the rounds online every winter for years, but locals say that despite the temporary anger they express online, nothing ever changes.

Black often represents tough luck but the black snow isn’t the result of some sinister, unexplained phenomenon. Omsukchan is home to a coal-burning hot water plant that provides heating to several settlements in the area, and as temperatures drop in the winter months, more coal has to be burned in order to keep water temperatures up. This results in increasing black smoke in the atmosphere. The smoke coming out of the plant’s chimneys eventually falls to the ground, covering everything, including white snow. So the black snow that people see is simply the effect of coal pollution.

Oksana Gerasimova, the head of the Srednekansky district, tells Magadan Pravda newspaper that the plant is indeed to blame, but adds that the situation is better than it was a few years ago. It’s true that the ash and smoke collectors at the plant don’t do a perfect job, but the situation is only temporary and the black snow is apparently “not a reason to worry”.

Authorities’ plans to change the filters in the coal-burning plant to stop the pollution are underway, and they want to replace the old plant with an electricity-powered one, but it requires new sources of funding. Most of the people living in Omsukchan and Seimchan have heard that before and they are raising their hopes.

1. What causes the black snow in Russian Magadan Region?

A．Coal smoke.

B．Water pollution.

C．Shooting angle.

D．Video technology.

2. What does the underlined word “sinister” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Evil.

B．Damp.

C．Sensitive.

D．Recreational.

3. What does OKksana Gerasimova say about the problem of the black snow?

A．It is unrelated to any plants.	B．It will worry people forever.
C．It will be solved in the future.	D．It receives less attention than before.

4. What is the most locals’ attitude towards authorities’ plans?

A．Cautious.

B．Expectant.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Reserved.

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（每空1.5分计15分）

In the United States alone, over 100 million cell-phones are thrown away each year. Cell-phones are part of a     1     (grow) mountain of electronic wastes like computers and personal digital assistants.     2     electronic waste stream is increasing three times faster than traditional garbage as a whole.

Electronic devices contain valuable metals such as gold and silver. A Swiss study reported that while the weight of electronic goods     3     (represent) by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste, the concentration (含量) of gold and other precious metals was     4     (high) in so-called e-waste than in naturally occurring minerals. Aside     5     that, electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals. Even when the machines are recycled and the     6     (harm) metals are removed, the recycling process is often carried out in poor countries where many poisonous substances     7     (allow) to escape into the environment, or in practically uncontrolled ways     8     make more wastes generated.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that most wastes are so dangerous that the tough     9     (restrict) are supposed to be put on the production, distribution, and use of electronic products, aimed     10     (tackle) this problem to the greatest extent.