1 . Information from this year’s IQAir World Air Quality Report showed only seven countries met the World Health Organization’s pollution recommendations in 2023, which were Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand. Of the 134 countries and regions measured, 124 had higher levels than called for in the WHO pollution guidelines.
The report said the five countries with what it called the lowest air quality had particle (颗粒物) levels at least nine times higher than what the WHO recommends. Three South Asian countries — Bangladesh, Pakistan and India — had the world’s lowest air quality. In 2022, India was eighth and Bangladesh was fifth.
The information came from the Swiss company IQAir. The report used measurements from over 30,000 stations across 134 countries. IQAir used the WHO standard of PM 2.5 to measure the size of breathable pollutant particles in the air. The PM2.5 measurement means the particles are 2.5 microns (微米) or less in diameter (直径). The diameter of human hair, for example, is about 30 times larger than a particle of 2.5 microns.
In Bangladesh, the concentration of PM2.5 particles reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic meter in 2023. In Pakistan, the number was 73.7. India’s level was 54.4, Tajikistan in Central Asia was 49 and Burkina Faso in West Africa was the fifth-most polluted nation at 46.6.
Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at North South University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, said 20 percent of the early deaths in the country were caused by air pollution. He added spending on pollution-related healthcare was equal to four to five percent of the nation’s economy.
Christi Chester Schroeder oversees air quality science for IQair. She said South Asia’s geography and climate conditions influence its air quality. “The pollution has nowhere to go,” she added. “Because of agricultural practices, industry and population density, it really does look like it is going to get worse before it gets better.”
1. What can be inferred from the text?A.Bangladesh’s air quality may have decreased in 2023. |
B.India’s air quality was greatly improved in 2022. |
C.Mauritius had the fifth-worst air quality in the world in 2022. |
D.Pakistan’s air quality was the third-worst in the world in 2023. |
A.To demonstrate how to use hair products. |
B.To offer suggestions to people with hair problems. |
C.To emphasize the difficulty of measuring pollutant particles. |
D.To explain the size of breathable pollutant particles in the air. |
A.Developing agriculture will help improve air quality. |
B.Geographical conditions have little influence on air quality. |
C.The future of air quality in South Asia does not look bright. |
D.South Asian countries should try to increase their populations. |
A.A report on global air pollution. | B.Plans to fight against air pollution. |
C.The harm of air pollution to humans. | D.Advice on cutting air pollution. |
A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching a young couple to dive (潜水) in Thailand on one of my favorite reefs (礁). The weather conditions were perfect, with mild currents and excellent sight of the beautiful ocean and the bright, vivid corals. Even with their masks on, I could see the smiles on my students’ faces.
The dive couldn’t have gone better. However, things changed as we made our way back to the boat. As we swam back along the reef, I noticed the current (水流) changing. As it did, huge quantities of trash and plastic began to flood the area. I saw small reef fish swimming amongst the straws, plastic bags and other bits of rubbish. I noticed that some of the fish were pecking away (啄) at the plastic. By the time we got back onboard the boat, there were bits of plastic floating all around us. It looked more like a trash site than the ocean.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to go online and research plastic pollution in the ocean. I was surprised to find out that over the past decade, divers and beach lovers have seen a lot of changes in the oceans. Even very remote locations were suddenly filled with plastic and other chemicals. Plastics were entering our oceans at an alarming rate—up to 12 million tons each year. This huge amount of plastic was wreaking havoc (破坏) not only on the environment, but also on the marine animals that lived in the ocean, such as sea turtles and sea birds. Some of them were sadly mistaking the pieces of plastic for food. Pollution has brought our oceans to the point of disaster, and unless we make a great change, then our oceans and all of its living things, will be at risk.
Since that unforgettable plastic-polluted dive, I have become an ocean supporter and spend my days trying to get the message out there about just how harmful ocean pollution is, not only to marine life, but also to mankind.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Then the idea came to me: I could appeal to my fellow divers to take action.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I decided to take it a step further to try and stop those companies producing single-use plastics.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. How much rubbish have people created in Britain this year?
A.416 million tons. | B.404 million tons. | C.400 million tons. |
A.Britain is the most wasteful country in the world. |
B.People who live on their own create more rubbish. |
C.The rubbish problem is not so serious as scientists think. |
A.People don’t like to use rubbish bags. |
B.The rubbish always gives out a bad smell. |
C.People’s incorrect behavior makes recycling difficult. |
A.To criticize rich families for producing so much rubbish. |
B.To call on people to find ways to deal with the rubbish problem. |
C.To explain why people pay little attention to the rubbish problem. |
4 . After a week of talks in Canada, negotiators (谈判者) from 170 countries have a “clear path to landing an ambitious deal” on plastic pollution at a final round of negotiations in South Korea in November, Inger Andersen, executive director of the U. N. Environment Programme, said in a statement.
“The work, however, is far from over,” she added. “Some countries continue to block a crucial measure: a global limit on the production of new plastic, which is essential to control pollution.”
Plastic is made from fossil fuels, and major oil and natural gas producers like Russia and Saudi Arabia have been widely criticized for throwing up roadblocks in the negotiations in order to protect future profits. However, scientists and environmentalists say the United States also bears a lot of blame. The country is the top producer of oil and gas globally, and it has the world’s biggest economy, which has historically given the U. S. huge power in environmental negotiations.
Critics say American negotiators haven’t been willing to push for a global cap (限额) on plastic production, and are instead throwing their weight behind measures like recycling that are favored by the country’s fossil fuel and petrochemical industries.
Erin Simon, head of plastic waste and business at the World Wildlife Fund who attended the talks in Canada, says the U. S. and a lot of other countries are brainstorming and trying to come up with creative solutions to meet everybody’s needs as best as possible.
The State Department has said that for an agreement to be effective, it needs to be supported by every country, including nations that are major producers of fossil fuels and plastics. More than 50 countries now say they want an agreement to include targets for reducing plastic production.
“The drumbeat to reduce plastic production is growing from countries worldwide,” Ana Rocha, the director of global plastics policy in Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, said in a statement. “More and more leaders are waking up to what the science and our lived experiences tell us: plastic is pollution, and we need to stop it where it starts.”
1. What is the key to controlling plastic pollution according to Inger Andersen?A.Limiting the use of second-hand plastic. |
B.Raising people’s environmental awareness. |
C.Reducing the worldwide production of plastic. |
D.Passing laws to regulate the disposal of waste plastic. |
A.Stopping producing plastic. | B.Sharing quality plastic. |
C.Forbidding using plastic. | D.Recycling used plastic. |
A.All countries’ support. | B.The shared laws. |
C.Everyone’s permission. | D.Creative solutions. |
A.Plastic production is reducing all the time. |
B.The plastic pollution should be handled technically. |
C.People’s awareness of reducing plastic pollution is increasing. |
D.More leaders realize lived experiences can help handle plastic pollution. |
1. What is the woman doing?
A.Joining a protest. | B.Interviewing the man. | C.Giving a speech. |
A.She is looking for her husband. |
B.Her salary hasn’t been paid by the boss. |
C.The factory is polluting the environment. |
A.The woman’s husband. |
B.People in the community. |
C.The workers in the factory. |
A.To shout with her. |
B.To go to the government. |
C.To cover the event. |
The beautiful Li River and its
1. What did the man do just now?
A.He took some photos. | B.He did some reading. | C.He shared an article online. |
A.Seafood will be polluted. |
B.Ships won’t sail properly. |
C.The beauty of the ocean will be damaged. |
A.A reusable bag. | B.A metal straw. | C.A glass bottle. |
A.Stop buying bottled water. |
B.Organize beach cleanup events. |
C.Participate in club activities every month. |
As we all know, there are varieties of resources in the depths of the sea. However,
First of all,
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1. Why does the factories dump waste to the river?
A.To follow the trend. |
B.To cut down on cost. |
C.To avoid being punished. |
A.They are sent to the hospital. |
B.They have sore eyes. |
C.They cough a lot these days. |
A.They will talk with the factory director. |
B.They will report it to the police. |
C.They will go to buy masks. |