| A．Swimming. | B．Doing the research. | C．Catching fish. |
2 . In May 2021, a hole was found in a robotic arm aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The main cause was believed to be a piece of space junk. While thankfully no astronauts were injured, it has refocused attention on the growing problem of orbital debris (残骸).
It’s easy to forget that just seventy years ago the Moon was the only thing orbiting the Earth. On January 1st, 2021, there were 6,542 satellites in orbit. Actually, only over half of them were active. That’s a lot of useless metal rushing around the planet at 28,000 kilometers per hour.
Jan Wörner, the former European Space Agency Director General, put it this way, “Imagine how dangerous sailing the high seas would be if all the ships ever lost in history were still moving around on top of the water.” In fact, even the smallest pieces can cause huge amounts of damage.
The problem is very bad and getting worse. There are now about half a million pieces of debris about one centimeter wide or larger and 100 million pieces of debris above one millimeter across. Yet only 27,000 pieces are actively tracked.
Space is only going to get more crowded, with the number of satellite launches set to increase by five times in the next ten years. In January 2021, 143 satellites were launched into space on a single SpaceX Falcon rocket alone. And 12,000 more are to be put in orbit by Starlink over the next five years. All this greatly raises the chances of crashes.
Better control of new launches would help as right now it’s a bit of a free-for-all. Increased tracking of existing space junk could also help because active satellites can be moved off a crash course—yet dead satellites are sitting ducks and there’s nothing we can do to prevent a crash. That’s why many are calling for a clean-up job. A space debris removal task called ClearSpace-1 will be launched in 2025 and attempt to deorbit (使...脱离轨道) the upper stage of a rocket left in space back in 2013.
1. What can we learn about space junk?| A．It can be recycled for other uses. | B．It has injured astronauts in space. |
| C．It first appeared over seventy years ago. | D．It threatens the safety of space activities. |
| A．The high speed of orbital debris. | B．The complex procedures of debris clean-up. |
| C．The large amount of untracked space debris. | D．The ineffective functions of clean-up facilities. |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By offering solutions. |
| C．By explaining the causes. | D．By stressing the efforts. |
| A．Orbital Debris: What Results in It? | B．Satellite Launches: The More the Merrier? |
| C．Space Junk: Is It a Disaster Waiting to Happen? | D．Satellite crashes: Who Should Be Responsible? |
3 . We all have an idea about the common types of environmental problems. However, light pollution may be a new term to many of us. But, the fact is that it does affect mankind, other living forms and the environment as a whole.
What is light pollution? It presents all forms of misused man-made light. The obvious cause of light pollution is the use of outdoor lighting products improperly. It can be office lighting, car headlights, station lights, streetlights and many more.
Light pollution is harmful to both animals and plants. Upon studies, it is found that obvious effects are observed in the behaviour of animals that are active at night. Needless to mention, bright light at night makes it difficult for these animals to hunt, wander and perform their regular activities. Light pollution is directly or indirectly responsible for causing several diseases. Its effects are related to disturbance in the physical rhythm (节奏). It contributes to risks of developing cancerous cells. So, it’s nothing less than a threat to human health.
You have already seen the negative effects of light pollution on animals and human health. Apart from this, the actual cost of misused light is about millions of dollars every year. It also leads to the release of greenhouse gases and global warming. After all, coal or gas is used for producing electricity.
While outdoor lighting and using man-made lighting products are part of our modern lifestyle, some simple ways will surely help in reducing light pollution. For example, while installing (安装) outdoor lighting, make sure that they are pointed downwards. Also, use only the required lighting equipment for both home and offices. Believe it or not, many people living in the urban areas cannot view clear sky and stars at night. Let’s contribute our part in reducing the pollution.
1. What can we learn about light pollution?| A．It has little effect on plants. |
| B．It contributes to most cancers. |
| C．It is a negative fruit of light technology. |
| D．It affects animals’ behavior during the day. |
| A．It increases the temperature at night. |
| B．It creates clouds in parts of the Earth. |
| C．It stops the release of greenhouse gases. |
| D．It is related to the burning of coal and gas. |
| A．Forbid the use of outdoor lighting. |
| B．Use clean energy to produce electricity. |
| C．Avoid unnecessary lights at home and offices. |
| D．Reduce money spent on light in urban areas. |
| A．Citizens should be banned to install outdoor lighting. |
| B．Only simple ways can help reduce light pollution. |
| C．There is no clear sky or stars over the urban areas. |
| D．Light pollution needs to be dealt with urgently. |
1. 简述雾霾情况;
2. 倡导绿色生活;
3. 提出具体措施
注意：
1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Green Life, Clearer Air
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5 . 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. |
6 . In the United States alone,over 100 million cell-phones are thrown away each year.Cell-phones are part of a growing mountain of electronic waste like computers and personal digital assistants.The electronic waste stream is increasing three times taster 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 represented by precious metals was relatively small in comparison to total waste,the concentration（含量）of gold and other precious metals was higher in So-called e-waste than in naturally occurring minerals.
Electronic wastes also contain many poisonous metals.Even when the machines are recycled and the harmful metals removed,the recycling process often is carried out in poor countries,in practically uncontrolled ways which allow many poisonous substances to escape into the environment.
Creating products out of raw materials creates much more waste material,up to 100 times more,than the material contained in the finished products.Consider again the cell-phone,and imagine the mines that produced those metals,the factories needed to make the box and packaging（包装）it came in.Many wastes produced in the producing process are harmful as well.
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency notes that most waste is dangerous in that"the production, distribution,and use of products-as well as management of the resulting waste-all result in greenhouse gas release." Individuals can reduce their contribution by creating less waste at the start-for instance,buying reusable products and recycling.
In many countries the concept of extended producer responsibility is being considered or has been put in place as an incentive（动机）for reducing waste.If producers are required to take back packaging they use to sell their products,would they reduce the packaging in the first place?
Governments' incentive to require producers to take responsibility for the packaging they produce is usually based on money.Why,they ask,should cities or towns be responsible for paying to deal with the bubble wrap（气泡垫）that encased your television?
From the governments' point of view,a primary goal of laws requiring extended producer responsibility is to transfer both the costs and the physical responsibility of waste management from the government and tax-payers back to the producers.
1. By mentioning the Swiss study,the author intends to tell us that .| A．the weight of e-goods is rather small |
| B．natural minerals contain more precious metals |
| C．E-waste deserves to be made good use of |
| D．the percentage of precious metals is heavy in e-waste |
| A．from producers to governments |
| B．from governments to producers |
| C．from individuals to distributors |
| D．from distributors to governments |
| A．The increase in e-waste. | B．The creation of e-waste. |
| C．The seriousness of e-waste. | D．The management of e-waste. |
With the
Air pollution is caused by the following
We should take some measures to fight
8 . Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately：the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露) to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problems，but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风) within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物) were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)considers to be of “moderate” (良好) quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.
1. The text mainly discusses the relationship between ________.| A．heart problems and air quality |
| B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking |
| D．heart problems and fatty food |
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
| A．Eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart. |
| B．The EPA conducted many studies on air quality. |
| C．Moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking. |
| D．Stricter regulations on pollutants should be made. |
| A．inform | B．persuade |
| C．describe | D．entertain |
