2 . Lego is considering a brick(积木)rental plan in an attempt to cut down on plastic waste.The Danish toymaker has promised to make all its bricks from sustainable(可持续的)materials by 2030 and is investing significant resources in finding alternatives.

Tim Brooks,vice-president responsible for sustainability,said the company was“totally open”to the idea of the product rental plan but admitted that lost pieces could produce a significant problem.“What are the chances of giving them to an eight-year-old child and getting them all back again?”Mr.Brooks added.

“There is a lot of technical thinking that needs to be done. We are right at the beginning.” Mr. Brooks said Lego was exploring several ideas with a view to producing the highest value from products while consuming the fewest resources. He said many would “probably never see the light of day”and that there is no current plan to try out the rental plan.

Lego has come under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint for growing international alarm about the impact of plastic waste on the environment.It produces 19 billion pieces per year—36,000 a minute—that are made entirely of plastic while much of the inside packaging is also plastic.

So far,the only breakthrough has been the development of a line of bricks made of plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane.The green trees,plants and flowers were first included in Lego sets late last year but currently make up only 1%— 2% of total plastic elements produced.Henrik Nielson,a production supervisor(主管)in Lego’s factory,said last year:“We need to learn again how to do this.”

Lego reportedly releases around a million tons of carbon dioxide each year, with about 75% coming from raw materials that go into factories. The company has invested more than 100,000,000 euros and hired 100 people to research non-plastic alternatives.It is aiming to keep all of its packaging out of landfill by 2025.

1. What is Lego making great efforts for?

A．promote its brick rental plan	B．explore ways to reduce plastic waste
C．raise its production efficiency	D．develop new products

2. What does Mr.Brooks think about Lego’s brick rental plan?

A．It is well under way.	B．It is totally useless.
C．It has a long way to go.	D．It goes against Lego’s interests.

3. How does the writer tell of Lego’s stress of reducing plastic waste?

A．By means of comparison.	B．By means of examples.
C．By means of figures.	D．By means of classification.

4. What is Lego’s attitude toward developing non-plastic alternatives?

A．Defensive.	B．Doubtful.
C．Disapproving.	D．Determined.

3 . Most of us are used to the sound we hear in daily life, such as loud music, the television, people talking on their phone and even pet dogs barking in the middle of the night.     1     . However, when these sounds keep you from sleeping all night or the traffic starts to give you a headache, it turns into noise pollution. For many of us, the concept of pollution is limited to nature and resources. However, noise that tends to damage the natural rhythm (节律) of life makes solid pollutant.

    2    . Man-made noises such as horns, airplanes and even cars can be too loud for our hearing range. Constant exposure to loud noise can easily result in the damage of our eardrums and loss of hearing.

Too much noise pollution in working areas such as offices, construction sites, bars and even in our homes can influence psychological health. Studies show that the occurrence of aggressive behavior, disturbance of sleep, and constant stress can be linked to excessive(过度的) noise levels.     3    .

Loud noise can certainly influence your sleeping pattern.     4    , if you don’t have a good nights’ sleep. For example, your performance may go down in the office as well as at home. It is therefore recommended to take a sound sleep to give your body proper rest.

As of now, there do not exist many solutions to such pollution.     5    , when it comes to what an individual can do. It is only when our understanding of noise pollution is complete, can we take steps to get rid of it completely.

A．You’ll feel it hard to deal with others

B．It may lead to problems related to tiredness

C．But everybody can help to reduce the noise in their homes

D．These, in turn, can cause more severe health problems later in life

E．Many firm measures should be taken to remove loud noises in our life

F．Our ears can take in a certain range of sounds without getting damaged

G．All of these have become a part of the urban culture and rarely disturb us

4 . A new study shows that air pollution can cause a huge reduction in our intelligence. The study was a project involving researchers at Peking University in China and Yale University in the United States.

The researchers reported that long-term exposure to air pollution can affect a person's mental abilities in two areas: Language and math.

The researchers studied about 25,000 people from across China. Between 2010 and 2014, these Chinese men, women and children were given language and math tests. Then researchers compared the test results with measurements of pollution in the air, namely nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide （二氧化硫）.

Xi Chen of the Yale School of Public Health led the study. He and his team found that breathing polluted air can reduce a person's education level by about one year.

Chen said that the effect generally is worse for those over 64 years of age, for men and for those with little or no education.

“The older persons—they are more affected. And we find, quite amazingly, males are more affected than females. And people working outdoors are more affected than people working indoors.

He noted that the youngest people in the study were 10 years old, while the oldest was 90 years old. They came from China's 33 provinces. In his words, the data and facts are convincing and this range of ages and locations across the country provided a real, objective and representative sample.

The researchers noted that the effect of air pollution on verbal ability is even more serious as people age, especially among men and the less educated. The researchers also stressed that every country, whether developed, developing or poor, should focus on air pollution or humans will face a bad situation.

1. What is the result of the study?

A．Air pollution has a bad effect on people's intelligence.

B．Females are more affected by air pollution than males.

C．Americans are more affected by air pollution than Chinese.

D．People working indoors are actually not affected by air pollution.

2. What did Chen say about the study?

A．It is doubtful.

B．It is extremely unfair.

C．It is common and not representative.

D．It is relatively objective and persuasive.

3. What did the researchers emphasize in the last paragraph?

A．The data from the 33 provinces is convincing.

B．The whole world should pay attention to air pollution.

C．The less educated take more responsibility for air pollution.

D．Air pollution's influence on verbal ability is less serious as people age.

4. Where is the text most likely taken from?

A．A life diary.	B．A guidebook.
C．A science magazine.	D．A biography.

5 . Will you stop using plastic?

If you take a look around your kitchen or office right now, chances are that you’ll notice you’re surrounded by plastic—water bottles, to-go coffee cups, straws (吸管), plastic grocery bags, food wrappers, take-out containers, single-serve coffee pods and produce bags.     1    

It’s certainly not realistic to remove all plastic from your life, but let’s examine some statistics that may encourage you to reduce your single-use plastic footprint by throwing away straws, switching to reusable water bottles, bringing cloth bags to the grocery store and more.

According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the popularity of plastic, which began rising in the 1950s, is growing out of control.     2     And there’s no sign of slowing down, considering scientists say that another 12 trillion kilograms will be produced worldwide by 2050.

“Every piece of plastic that has ever been created will remain in the environment in some form, but once we conveniently throw out our rubbish at home, wind and runoff carry our waste from landfills and streets to the ocean,” says Mystic Aquarium’s chief clinical veterinarian Jennifer Flower, DVM, MS. “Given that we are globally producing over 320 million tons of plastic annually, the marine environment is taking a big hit from our daily disposal of plastic.

    3     For example, newborn fish are mistaking tiny bits of plastic waste for food. If they die, there will be fewer big fish—and that could damage the food chain. Often our society is so focused on making our lives more convenient in the short term, but in the long run, our health and the health of marine life are at the expense of those everyday conveniences.”

    4     A recent report suggests that when heated, certain food additives (添加剂) can damage hormones, growth and development, as well as increase chances for children of being fat.     5     It is found in plastic containers and metal cans. Parents are urged to avoid using microwaves to warm food and drinks or placing plastics in the dishwasher.

A．Our plastic consumption is directly affecting the life in the ocean.

B．People are concerned about the results of overusing plastic containers.

C．8.2 trillion kilograms of plastic have been produced around the world.

D．Using plastic containers in microwaves is also harmful to children’s health.

E．Let’s stop using plastic for the benefit of the environment and human beings.

F．These are all examples of single-use plastic products, which is a hot topic nowadays.

G．The most concerning artificial additive BPA is a chemical used in the production of plastics.

6 . Bees and other pollinators(传粉者) use smells to track down fresh flowers. Air pollutants can weaken those scents(气味). Scientists had worried this might make it harder for some pollinators to find a meal.

Many animals help pollinate plants. Species that do this include bees, butterflies, etc. But for many reasons, the pollinators available to help plants in this way are decreasing. Scientists think a loss of habitat(栖息地) can be one factor. Diseases and exposure to poisonous chemicals also count.

Jose Fuentes points to air pollution as another possible factor. He’s an atmospheric scientist at Pennsylvania State University. In an earlier study, he showed some air pollutants could weaken or destroy scents emitted(发出) by flowers.

Searching for a meal leaves pollinators out in the open and at risk of becoming other animal’s lunch. And any time spent hunting food is time away from their duties back home, like protecting a hive(蜂巢) or nest, explains T’ai Roulston. He’s an insect biologist at Virginia University. Roulston worked with Fuentes on the new study.

In the study, the researchers focused on five kinds of representative scent molecules(分子) plants emit. One molecule they looked at, for example, is called beta-myrcene. Many flowers give off this chemical into the air. Normally, this gas can travel some 800 meters from its flower source. But in polluted air, this same molecule could travel only half as far.

Worse still, air pollution might do more than just weaken scent plumes(气味烟云). Chemical reactions between air pollutants and plumes may transform the flowers’ smells, creating new scents. And these scents may be unrecognizable to pollinators.

That’s certainly Fuentes’ concern. So, he says his next research project will look at how insects handle any new flower scent. “It’s possible that some insects will change ways to detect and use these new molecules to find food,” he says.

1. What does the underlined word "this" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Weakening scents.	B．Pollinating plants.
C．Finding a meal.	D．Smelling flowers.

2. How would bees be affected by their difficulty in finding meals?

A．They may get lost.	B．They may get burnt out.
C．They may die from hunger.	D．They may be killed by enemies.

3. Why do bees spend longer time in search of flowers in polluted air?

A．They lose their ability to smell flowers.

B．Scented plumes travel in a new direction.

C．Flower scents spend more time reaching them.

D．Air pollution makes flowers emit fewer scents.

4. What is Jose Fuentes’ attitude towards insects’ ability to adjust to new conditions?

A．Positive.

B．Worried.

C．Unclear.

D．Disappointed.

7 . Sound travels very well through water-much better, in fact, than it does through air. So it shouldn’t be surprising that many ocean animals make noise. They use sound to communicate and hunt. As biologist Brandon Southall says, “Their whole world is related to sound.”

Dolphins whistle, organizing hunts. Lovesick whales sing so loudly they can be heard hundreds of miles away. But these days they aren’t the only ones sounding off. They have more and more competition from human machines.

Every day, thousands of huge container ships sail across the world’s oceans. On top of the engine noise, the ships’ propeller (螺旋桨) make a loud noise all the time. All that can make it hard for ocean animals trying to listen out for friends, or dinner. Animals swimming nearby a ship can be deafened or even killed.

Underwater construction can also be dangerously loud. When construction machines called pile drivers were used during repairs to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, dead fish appeared.

Geologist (地质学家) pound on the seafloor too, trying to find oil wells and map Earth’s surface. The results are useful lo science, but all that hammering probably gives ocean animal a headache.

As people realize how important sound is to ocean animals, they are looking for ways to reduce human noise. Ships could get quieter just by slowing down. Engineers are also trying to find quieter propeller ships.

Now some companies are using a simple invention called a bubble curtain, which makes sound waves passing through it lose energy and gel quieter. It seems to work - when bubble curtains were fixed on the San Francisco bridge project fish deaths dropped.

We still have a lot to learn about sound in the oceans, but together we can help keep the sea a quieter place.

1. Dolphins and whales are mentioned to show       .

A．sound travels very well through water

B．they are surprisingly noisy in the sea

C．the ocean is filled with sound

D．ocean noise is a big problem

2. What is happening to ocean animals these days?

A．Human noise is causing danger to their safety.

B．There is less food in the ocean for them.

C．They are being killed in large numbers.

D．They are losing their hearing.

3. During the first repair to the bridge, some fish       .

A．started to die	B．were attracted to it
C．got quiet underwater	D．suffered from headaches

4. Bubble curtains are used to       .

A．research on fishes underwater	B．build the San Francisco bridge
C．stop noisy machines working	D．reduce construction noise

8 . 假如你是李华，你的美国笔友Bill来信询问你的家乡是否有雾霾天气，情况如何。请按下面提示写一封电子邮件，开头已给出。
介绍情况：
1．最近发生数次雾霾天气；
2．人们已经认识到雾霾天气的危害，正采取各种举措减少其发生；
3．你自己为此做了什么或打算做什么。
注意：词数1 00个左右。
参考词汇：雾霾：smog
Dear Bill,

I'm glad to receive your letter. Thank you for your caring for the weather and my health. Now I’d like to tell you something about the smog.

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9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容或括号内单词的正确形式。

The way we cook is important. In many countries, the two choices are     1     (nature) gas or electric-powered stoves.

The World Health Organization warns that millions of people     2     (suffer) from indoor air pollution at present time, which results from the use of dangerous     3     (fuel) and cook-stoves in the home.

WHO officials say nearly three billion people are     4     (able) to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating and lighting. As a result, more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Most of the deaths are in     5     (develop) countries, such as lndia, China and Latin American countries.

WHO officials say opening a window or door     6     (let) out the harmful air will not correct the situation.     7     will only pollute the outdoors.

Nigel Bruce,     8     is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool, says researchers are developing good cook-stoves and other equipment to burn fuels     9     a more efficient way.

But, this is just a start. It is urging developing countries to use     10    (clean) fuels and increase access to cleaner and more modern cooking and heating appliances (用具).