| A．The sea is getting smaller. |
| B．The sea is being polluted. |
| C．The sea is getting cleaner. |
2 . In the west of the Greek capital Athens, the fish market of Keratsini is busy early in the morning, with trucks waiting nearby to be loaded with fishes. But on his fishing boat, Arapakis sorts out something different—bottles, boots, plastic pipes and fishing nets, all dragged from the bed of the Aegean Sea.
“We are swimming in plastic,” said Arapakis, whose family has fished for five generations. “By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea,” he said, as recent reports noted.
That morning’s plastic catch weighed “about 100 kilograms,” said the founder of Enaleia, a nonprofit that encourages fishermen to collect marine (海洋的) waste caught in their nets. Since its establishment in 2018, it has worked with more than 1,200 fishermen in Greece to raise concern over the degradation of the marine environment.
Active in 42 ports throughout Greece, Enaleia provides fishermen with large bags for marine waste that they can put in garbage cans once back at port. For every kilogram of plastic they deliver, they receive a small amount of money, which is enough for a drink. Since October, fishing crews have dragged out 20 metric tons of plastic and old fishing equipment each month. Nearly 600 tons have been collected over the last five years. The collected plastic is transported to a recycling plant in the industrial area of Megara near Keratsini, to make new products such as socks, swimwear or furniture.
Arapakis said he went about the cleanup project after a trip to Greece’s Cyclades islands, where he saw fishermen throwing the waste gathered by their nets back into the sea.
Arapakis is convinced there has been a “mentality change” among Greece’s fishermen. “Previously we caught large quantities of plastic, but we only kept the fish. All waste was thrown into the sea,” said Mokharam, team leader on the Arapakis family’s boat. “The project brings practical benefits for fishing boats. In the past, the anchor was often caught by waste, especially nets, and the engine would go out. But now things have changed,” he added.
1. What can we learn about Arapakis from the first 2 paragraphs?| A．He was a successful fish trader. | B．He collected waste from the sea. |
| C．He liked swimming in the sea. | D．He had a large family to support. |
| A．Impact. | B．Worsening. | C．Improvement. | D．Research. |
| A．It will be sold at a high price. | B．It will be exchanged for food. |
| C．It will be thrown back into the sea. | D．It will be well dealt with for reuse. |
| A．Fishing is a tough job for fishermen. | B．The sea in Greece is seriously polluted. |
| C．He thinks highly of the cleanup project. | D．He still feels ashamed for fishermen’s behavior. |
3 . The world’s oceans will likely lose about one-sixth of their fish and other creatures within 100 years if climate change continues on its current path. Every degree Celsius that the world’s oceans warm, their biomass is expected to drop five percent, a study found.
The study predicts that if there is no change in the rate of worldwide greenhouse gas production, there will be a 17-percent loss of biomass by the year 2100. But, if the world reduces carbon pollution, biomass losses could be limited to only about 5 percent.
Warming temperatures are the biggest issue. But climate change also produces oceans that are more acidic and have less oxygen. This also harms sea life. Much of the world depends on the oceans for food or work.
The findings make sense and the possible effects of the predicted losses of animal life are huge. “Climate change has the potential to cause serious new conflicts over ocean resource use as the human population continues to grow,” said scientists.
Marine biologist Boris Worm, who helped run the study, added that the “building blocks of marine life—plankton and bacteria—may decline less heavily.”
“Those marine animals that we use directly, and care about most deeply, are predicted to suffer the most,” said Worm. He works at Canada’s Dalhousie University.
Scientists had already believed climate change would likely reduce future ocean life. But past computer-based studies looked at only part of the picture or used only one model. The latest study used six different computer models to give the best picture look yet, William Cheung said.
University of Georgia marine biologist Samantha Joye was not part of the research. But she praised the study as well researched and extremely detailed, and called it “an urgent call for action”.
1. What does the underlined word “biomass” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Ocean temperature. | B．Total marine life. |
| C．Sea condition. | D．Ocean level. |
| A．It may reduce the sea resource. | B．It leads to the extinction of marine life. |
| C．It pollutes the environment of the ocean. | D．It may increase the world population. |
| A．The largest ones. | B．The ones in deep oceans. |
| C．The bacteria on sea surface. | D．Those we humans need most. |
| A．The stronger sunshine. | B．The heat given off by his car. | C．The pollution in the air. |
| A．The sun is shining stronger. |
| B．His car is giving off too much heat. |
| C．There is more pollution in the air. |
6 . The African penguin is expected to go extinct in the wild in just over a decade, given its current population decline. The main reason is a lack of food caused by disturbance to ocean conditions from global heating and competition from the commercial fishing industry. According to a study, scientists have identified a possible additional cause, one that is an entirely new threat and that further prevents the penguins from finding food: noise pollution from marine (海洋的) ships in a bay.
Since 2016, a new shipping practice has started at Algoa Bay. The bay offers ship-to-ship refueling for ships anchored offshore. Since the start of this practice, marine traffic in the bay has doubled. The number of bulk carriers (散货船) pulling into the bay has increased by ten times as much. Thus the noise levels in the area had doubled and the population of penguins has dropped sharply. High noise levels affect the ability of marine animals to find food, communicate or navigate properly.
Researchers used data from ship identification tools to estimate underwater noise from passing ships. They also attached underwater microphones and accelerometers (感应器) to some of the penguins. Recording the noise will tell researchers what the penguins are hearing, if they’re talking while hunting, if they’re changing their movements in response to noise, and if the noise is drowning out their hunting conversations. This will allow researchers to determine whether the sound disturbance is a direct cause of the penguins’ ongoing difficulties in finding sufficient food.
The study is the first to explore the effects of ocean traffic noise pollution on seabirds and the consequences of offshore shipping activities on underwater noise levels. Experts are considering proposing various global best-practice approaches to reduce some of the impacts of noise pollution, such as policies that limit the number and size of ships allowed into a bay of this kind. “We also need more scientific monitoring of noise, before these measures are put in place and afterward, so that we have a proper understanding of what works.” a researcher said.
1. What is caused by the noise pollution?| A．The penguins’ lack of food. |
| B．The penguins’ proper navigation. |
| C．People’s communication disability. |
| D．The commercial competition. |
| A．Because they wanted to study the way of relieving marine traffic pressure. |
| B．Because they could determine and analyze the source of ocean noise pollution |
| C．Because it helped to calculate underwater noise levels caused by different ships. |
| D．Because the impact of ocean on penguins’ hunting behavior could be found. |
| A．By exploring the real effects of ocean traffic. |
| B．By restricting the ships to go into the bay. |
| C．By banning all the offshore shipping activities. |
| D．By increasing ship-to-ship refueling activities. |
| A．Evaluate the risk of the noise. |
| B．Establish a monitoring system. |
| C．Put the measures in place. |
| D．Try to understand what happens. |
7 . The essence (本质) of fast fashion is to make clothes inexpensively and quickly, to get new trends and styles into stores and online as soon as possible, and it comes at a high social and environmental cost. Keeping production costs low means they can make their clothes cheap, using cheap labour in unsafe working conditions, and in countries with bad environmental regulations.
Throw-away culture is deeply rooted in our society; three in five of our clothing pieces are thrown out within a year. Fast fashion brands keep the consumers hungry and feeling like they need more by attracting them with newness and convincing the consumers that they need what they’re selling. This only results in increasing textile waste as people no longer want but throw it away.
Criticisms of the fast fashion industry include its negative environmental impact: water pollution, the use of toxic (有毒的) chemicals and increasing levels of textile waste. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally, after agriculture. Fast fashion companies rely on their products being made cheaply and quickly, so they avoid talking when it comes to being aware of their impact on the environment. Greenpeace’s recent Detox Campaign showed that many brands use toxic and dangerous chemicals in their supply chains, and many of the chemicals are either banned or strictly controlled in lots of countries.
In conclusion, the fast fashion industry has a bad effect on our environment through fast fashion brands’ ecological practices and only continues to make the problem last for a long time in the future through extreme consumerist culture. In order for change to happen, the common people need to open their eyes and take measures to prevent the fast fashion from growing.
1. What’s one of the characteristics of fast fashion?| A．Causing a lot of anxiety. | B．Making people buy old clothes. |
| C．Selling most clothes through stores. | D．Producing clothes quickly. |
| A．They are mainly sold online. | B．They are made in unsafe countries. |
| C．They are made by cheap labour. | D．They save the cost of advertising. |
| A．Natural. | B．Surprising. | C．Absurd. | D．Puzzling. |
| A．Changing fast fashion brands’ working conditions. |
| B．Changing clothes stores’ sales model. |
| C．Introducing stricter laws for factories. |
| D．Raising public awareness of preventing fast fashion. |
8 . Around the world, people are realizing the significant problems caused by plastic waste. In the last 65 years, we have become increasingly dependent on plastic. It’s easy to understand why: it’s cheap to produce, light — therefore easy and cheap to transport — and incredibly strong and durable.
One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single use plastics. In the British supermarkets, shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.
However, such plans may not be beneficial to eliminate (消除) the use of single-use plastic altogether.
Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example.
Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
| A．But it’s these advantages that also make it so harmful. |
| B．They are very fragile and rarely reusable, unlike plastic. |
| C．One of the fields where single-use plastic has a vital role is medicine. |
| D．However, simply banning their single use may not be the best option. |
| E．It also boosts the local economy and save costs in managing littering and waste. |
| F．Bans on single-use plastic items like drinking straws are also coming into place. |
| G．According to a research, they require four times more energy when produced than a plastic bag. |
9 . The Blue Planet Ⅱ's latest episode focuses on how the plastic is having a destructive effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastics in their stomachs. Indeed, oceans are drowned in plastics.
Though it seems that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics, plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s, the same decade when plastic packaging began gaining popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.
We put all these plastics into the environment, but we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. The ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastics in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.
And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see the ocean plastic as a disaster, worth being mentioned in the same breath as climate change. But the ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers(否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don't have to remake our planet energy system.
This is not a problem where we don't know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to deal with it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single-use plastic products. Things may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag, but when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference.
1. Why is plastic pollution research still a very early science?| A．The plastics pollution research is too difficult. |
| B．Plastics have produced less pollution than coal. |
| C．The world couldn't possibly function without plastics. |
| D．Plastics have gained popularity too fast for science to catch up with. |
| A．By citing quotes from leading experts. |
| B．By making a comparison and contrast. |
| C．By presenting solid statistics. |
| D．By listing examples from his own experience. |
| A．We reap（收获） what we sow. |
| B．The shortest answer is doing. |
| C．All things are difficult before they are easy. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
| A．The oceans become choked with plastics. |
| B．The ocean plastic is a global issue. |
| C．The Blue Planet Ⅱ Has left viewers heartbroken. |
| D．Plastics gain popularity all over the world. |
10 . A new research shows human activity is changing the sound of the Earth's oceans and seas. Scientists say the sound changes of our oceans, seas, and other waterways affect many marine (海洋的) animals - from very small shrimps to huge whales.
Sound travels very far underwater, Francis Juanes, an ecologist at the University of Victoria in Canada, told the Associated Press. For fish, he explained, sound is probably a better way to sense their environment than light. Sounds help fish and other marine animals survive and communicate with each other. Sounds also help some ocean animals find food and avoid their hunters.
However, increased noise from humans is making it harder for these animals to hear each other. The noise is coming from shipping traffic, underwater exploration, and other noisy human activities. For many marine animals, their attempts to communicate are being masked by sounds that humans have produced. Experts explain that masking happens when one or more noises in the water block sound important to a marine animal's living. The overall number of marine animals has gone down by about half since 1970. Some studies show the stress from human noise might also affect the immune system as well as reproductive health or behavior. Imagine having to raise your kids in a place that's noisy all the time," said Joe Roman, a marine ecologist at the University of Vermont.
"When people think of problems facing the ocean, we often think of climate change, plastics, and overfishing. But noise pollution is another thing we need to be monitoring. Sound pollution may be easier to deal with than other ocean problems," Scientist Juanes says. "If we make something for the ocean, think about how to make it quieter."
1. Why is sound underwater important for ocean animals?| A．It changes with light. | B．It helps them judge and contact. |
| C．It travels very fast. | D．It guides fishermen to find where they are. |
| A．Underwater exploration must be stopped. |
| B．Kids exposed to noise can’t be healthy. |
| C．Human noise brings stress to marine animals. |
| D．Marine animals have got used to sound changes. |
| A．To introduce the principle of sounds. |
| B．To draw attention to ocean noise. |
| C．To show the effects of human activities。 |
| D．To share a method of studying oceans. |
| A．How to protect marine animals. |
| B．What is the main cause of sea pollution. |
| C．How to keep the number of marine animals. |
| D．What to do to reduce sound pollution in the ocean. |
