2 . 阅读下面短文，根据文章内容及题目要求回答问题。

A new study found that light pollution is making the night sky brighter and the stars dimmer. Man-made lighting is the main cause, making the night sky about 10 percent brighter each year.

The result was a much faster rate of change than scientists had estimated. The research team gave an example to explain the result. If a child is born where 250 stars can be seen on a clear night, by the time that child turns 18, only 100 stars will be seen.

The researchers said they had hoped to see improvements in light pollution in recent years, because many urban centers have changed their lighting to be more energy-efficient. Towns and cities are replacing older streetlights with modern LEDS that are more carefully directed downwards, where the light is useful.

The hope was that if the light was better directed, the situation would get better. But there are many types of lighting — streetlights, decorative, advertising. So, with all these things combined — and possibly more lighting overall, we are making sky brightness worse. The relatively low cost of LED lighting is also contributing to the problem, that is, the cheaper and better the lighting, the higher society’s addiction to light.

Consequently, light pollution leads to a loss of universal human experience, a source of inspiration for art, science, literature. It also affects the routine of human as well as other forms of life. Migratory songbirds normally use starlight to position where they are in the sky at night. And when sea turtle babies hatch, they use light to position toward the ocean — light pollution is a huge deal for them.

1. What causes light pollution?
___________________________________________________________________________
2. What are the negative effects of light pollution?
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The sky brightness becomes worse because of more modern types of lighting being used and the lack of LED lighting.
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Besides light pollution, what do you think is the most serious pollution in life? And explain its effects. (In about 40 words)
___________________________________________________________________________

3 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

Just as noise pollution negatively impacts human health, it also affects wildlife. It can affect animal communication, their abilities to find food and impact where they live. A recent study published in Biology Letters found that human-created noise is affecting a wide range of animals. Noise pollution is caused by cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, factories, industrial activities and sounds from cities, among others. Researchers found that wildlife in many different land and water ecosystems showed significant responses to human-created noise.

For example, bats use ultrasonic sound waves to get around and to find food. However, noise pollution affects this and causes them to spend more time and energy locating their food source. Shipping lanes in the UK can be deafening to harbor seals, and noises from ships are seriously impacting killer whales ability to find food and avoid potential dangers, according to episode 2 of CBC s Killers: J pod on the brink (边缘). And it’s no secret that many human-created conditions, like noise, are changing the behavior of birds. You may be surprised to learn that plants are also impacted, since pollinators (传粉昆虫) often relocate to quieter areas.

Not unlike the impact of light pollution on insects, noise pollution is causing change. It can change the types of species living in many different ecosystems, which in turn impacts the functions of these areas, according to The Guardian.

The good news is that if noise is reduced or simply turned off, it more or less removes the issue. The impact does not remain in the same way as other forms of pollution, like plastic or chemicals. And efforts are already underway in Canada.

BC Ferries is working to lessen the effects of underwater noise, especially along ferry routes that pass through critical habitats. WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) Canada is encouraging the federal government to increase protective measures in the Arctic. They’re also working with international colleagues to address the increase of noise in the region as a result of new shipping routes.

While these initiatives demonstrate progress, tightening rules and regulations around noise pollution is an important measure for conserving wildlife in Canada.

1. Why do bats spend more time looking for food?
________________________________________________________________
2. What is the influence of noise pollution on ecosystems?
________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Noise pollution affects animals in many ways, and compared with other forms of pollution, noise pollution is harder to deal with.
________________________________________________________________
4. Please give some advice on how to reduce the effects of noise pollution on animals. (In about 40 words)
________________________________________________________________

4 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英语回答问题。

Japan started releasing nuclear-contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean on August 24th and will continue to do so for at least 30 years. In the face of strong questioning and opposition from the international community, Japan plays word games by referring to the discharged “nuclear-contaminated water” as “treated nuclear wastewater”.

However, the two are fundamentally different. Nuclear wastewater refers to the wastewater produced during the normal, daily operation of a nuclear power plant, such as large quantities of water used to cool down the reactor of the plant. Because the water doesn’t touch radioactive substances (放射性物质) in the nuclear reactor, it can be flushed out after strict processing.

Nuclear-contaminated water refers to cooling water that comes into direct contact with radioactive materials inside the reactor when the reactor is breached after a nuclear accident. The cooling water becomes contaminated with highly radioactive substances, thus becoming nuclear-contaminated water.

The Fukushima nuclear power plant experienced a major incident in 2011, bringing water into contact with radioactive substances. The Japanese side’s conflation (混淆) of this with wastewater from normal operations is a deceptive attempt to hide the truth. The Japanese side claims that the multi-nuclide treatment system ALPS is used to treat nuclear contaminated water, and that the treated water is safe and even meets drinking water standards. However, such statements fail to alleviate public concerns. Japan has yet to address major international concerns, such as the long-term reliability of the purification facility, the authenticity and accuracy of the nuclear-contaminated water data, and the effectiveness if the monitoring arrangement. This is extremely selfish and irresponsible, as the discharge will spread the risks of nuclear contamination to the rest of the world.

1. How does the Japanese mislead the international community?
_________________________________________________________
2. In what way nuclear-contaminated water is different from nuclear wastewater.
_________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Japan’s deceptive attempts to hide the truth alleviate public concerns over the long-term reliability of the purification facility, etc.
_________________________________________________________
4. How is Japan’s dumping nuclear-contaminated water related to you? (In about 40 words)
_________________________________________________________

5 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

THE GROWING PROBLEM OF E-WASTE

The term e-waste is short for “electronic waste”. It refers to electrical or electronic products that are thrown away when they are no longer needed. These include computers, televisions, ovens, and basically anything else that runs on batteries or has an electrical cord.

E-waste has been a problem since the 1970s because of how difficult it is to separate things like metal and plastic from various products. Also, many electronics contain toxic materials that can pollute the environment if left in landfills. Over the past few decades, the problem of e-waste has only increased along with advancements in technology.

E-waste is now the fastest-growing waste stream around the world. The total amount of e-waste created every year is expected to reach 74 million tons by the year 2030. Currently, it’s estimated that only about 17 percent of global e-waste is properly recycled. However, the United Nations hopes to bring that number up to 30 percent by the end of 2023.

With more people using smartphones and computers every year, the problem of e-waste cannot be ignored. To increase the recycling rate of e-waste items, cities should consider adding special collection boxes at grocery stores or government offices. There should also be delivery or pick-up services for e-waste items. That way, these items can be sent directly to people who are able to properly take them apart and recover their useful components.

Despite current difficulties, e-waste has great recycling potential. In addition to the items thrown away, lots of people keep old devices that aren’t used anymore. As a whole, they add up to a lot of metals and minerals that can, and should, be recycled. If these components are recycled to make new products, there would be less of a need to dig for more around the world.

So, if you must replace your phone or computer, try returning the device to the manufacturer or dropping it off at an e-waste processing facility if there is one nearby.

1. What does “electronic waste” refer to?
__________________________________________________________________
2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
__________________________________________________________________
3. Decide which part of the following statement is wrong. Underline it and explain why.
▶In order to reduce e-waste, people had better keep old devices that aren’t used anymore or drop them off in special collection boxes.
__________________________________________________________________
4. Apart from the ways mentioned in the passage, please share your way(s) to reduce e-waste. (About 40 words)
__________________________________________________________________

7 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

Recently, researchers announced that they had found tiny pieces of plastic in water samples from around the world. These pieces of plastic have been found in drinking water across the world,     1    means that we are drinking plastic every day. It is not yet clear what level of harm this     2    (cause) us in the future. Some scientists are now appealing to the governments and corporations to consider spending money     3     the equipment and other resources that help deal with the problem.

8 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

Mussels in Port Phillip Bay are taking in microplastics used in cosmetics(化妆品). The microplastics travel from bathroom sinks to the ocean, where they are easily confused with seaweeds. Because the mussels cannot tell the difference, they take in the plastic along with their normal diet of seaweeds.

According to researcher Dr Charlene Trestrail, the plastic doesn’t affect mussels directly, but it does reduce their ability to digest the real food. It means they miss out on energy and nutrients, which affects their ability to grow and reproduce.

“Besides being a tasty treat for humans, mussels play an important role in keeping marine ecosystems healthy,” Dr Trestrail said. “And because of the reduced ability to grow and reproduce, we could see a drop in mussel populations, with knock-on effects for other marine wildlife.”

While environmental campaigners have worked hard to reduce the amount of plastic in the oceans from easily visible items such as shopping bags and packaging, most people are not aware of the impact of microbeads and other hidden plastics in products including toothpaste or bath scrubs.

“We know lots about how plastics affect animals externally—we’ve all seen photos of birds and turtles twisted in plastic—but this is the first study to investigate how tiny plastics affect animals’ stomachs,” Dr Trestrail said.

There has been a push in recent years to reduce microplastic pollution. But while the Government has supported phasing out(淘汰) microbeads, some cosmetics industries stopped short of banning their use.

We need to take pollution from microplastics seriously. Because they’re so small, once they’re in the ecosystem they are impossible to remove. The only solution is not to use them in the first place.

mussel
1. Why do mussels eat microplastics?
________________
2. What will eventually happen to mussels if they eat microplastics mistakenly?
________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
       The first thing to solve microplastic pollution is not to use microplastics and some cosmetics industries agreed to stop using microbeads.
________________
4. Please briefly present your own solutions to the plastic pollution problem in your daily life. (In about 40 words)
________________

9 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Pillar coral (柱状珊瑚),     1     (find) throughout the Caribbean, is critically endangered now. Its population

    2     (decline) by more than 80 percent since 1990.     3    (rise) ocean temperatures and pollution make corals more easily get certain deadly diseases. And the pillar coral is really just the tip of the iceberg     4     it comes to the difficulty of corals.

10 . 语法填空

A study     1    (lead) by Stanford University explores the influence microplastics(塑料微粒) have on whales. Microplastics are pieces of plastic less than five millimeters in length and are now frequently found     2     the whales live. The team found the whales mainly find food from 50 to 250 meters below the surface. At such depth, the highest concentrations of microplastic in the open ocean take place. Researchers estimate that up to 10 million pieces     3    (consume) by each whale per day.