1 . At any moment, about half the world’s population is wearing denim (牛仔布). But few realize tiny bits of denim have been adding up to a surprising amount of pollution in water, as a new study shows.

Sam Athey, one of the study’s authors, says, “Even though denim is made of a natural material—cotton—it contains chemicals.” Cotton fibers are treated with many types of chemicals, she notes. Some improve its durability (耐久性) and feel. Others give denim its distinctive blue color.

Athey and her team washed jeans and found that about 50,000 microfibers come off from each pair per wash. Not all of those fibers make their way into the environment. Wastewater treatment plants catch about 83 to 99 percent of them. Catching 99 percent may sound pretty good. But one percent of 50,000 is still 500 fibers per wash. And since every pair of jeans is washed again and again, it still adds up to lots of microfibers entering water environments.

Denim microfibers showed up in sediment (沉淀物) from the Great Lakes. More of these fibers polluted a series of shallow lakes in southern Ontario. They even turned up in sediment from the Arctic Ocean in northern Canada. The team found denim accounted for 12 to 23 percent of microfibers in the sediment. There were other microfibers too. But the team focused on denim because so many people wear jeans.

“Everyone wears jeans so they could be our largest input of microfibers into our streams and soils,” Athey says. “An easy way to limit that is by washing our jeans less often.” Athey grew up thinking she should wash her jeans after every couple of wearings, but most jean companies recommend washing them no more than once a month. “The solution is not that you shouldn’t wear jeans,” she says. “We need to buy fewer denim clothes and only wash them when they truly need it.”

1. Why are chemicals used to deal with cotton according to the passage?

A．To avoid its harm.

B．To make it into denim.

C．To remove its blue color.

D．To prevent fibers from falling.

2. The figures in Paragraph 3 are intended to show _________.

A．wastewater treatment plants are good at dealing with microfibers

B．few microfibers are entering water environments

C．catching 99 percent means doing no harm to the environment

D．the effects of microfibers can not be ignored

3. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The seriousness of denim pollution.

B．The types of water pollution.

C．The wide uses of denim.

D．The large water area of Canada.

4. What does Athey suggest people do about denim pollution?

A．Wash jeans more often.

B．Avoid wearing jeans.

C．Produce less jeans.

D．Reduce denim consumption.

2 . Human and their inventions, such as cars or plastic, have caused most environmental pollution on Earth. Today car emissions (排放物) are a major source of air pollution leading to climate change. In the meanwhile, plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health issue to marine (海洋的) animals.

And what about the electric light, which is thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time? Electric light can be a beautiful thing, guiding us home when the sun goes down, keeping us safe and making our homes bright. However, like CO₂ emissions and plastic, too much of a good thing has started to influence the environment. Light pollution, the wrong use of outdoor light, is affecting human health, wildlife behavior and our ability to observe stars.

Light pollution is a global issue. This became obvious when the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, a computer-created map based on thousands of satellite photos, was published in 2016, which can be viewed online. The map shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia are glowing (发光) with light, while only the most distant regions on Earth (Greenland, Central African Republic and Niue) are in total darkness. Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky, mostly over cities, due to the electric lights of cars, streetlamps, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, and buildings, turning night into day for people who work and play long after sunset.

People living in cities with high levels of sky glow have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. Astronomers (宇航员) are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view stars.

Mostly over 80 percent of the world's population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans live under sky glow.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Electric light should be not be used outdoors.	B．Electric light is the main factor to keep us safe.
C．Electric light has both advantages and disadvantages.	D．Electric light is the greatest human invention.

2. Which of the following places is least affected by sky glow?

A．Niue.

B．Singapore.

C．Kuwait.

D．Qatar.

3. What activity in real life may cause light pollution?

A．Keeping the streetlamps on.	B．Littering plastics about.
C．Driving cars around.	D．Overfishing marine animals.

4. What's the attitude of astronomers towards light pollution?

A．Uncaring.

B．Unclear.

C．Worried.

D．Satisfied.

3 . Have you ever had the feeling that you can’t think when there is too much noise around? Did you ever think a fish could experience that feeling too? A recent paper published in Science titled “Soundscape (声景) of the Anthropocene Oceans”, combined over 10,000 scientific papers, confirming that undersea life knows that exact same feeling, more often than not. Anthropogenic (人为的) ocean noise, also known as underwater noise pollution, has created a dramatic impact on marine life due to “human-caused” activity within and neighboring our oceans.

Disney Pixar’s animated film Finding Nemo educated us about the ocean, and specifically within the ordinary world of a clown fish. A fact many may not know is that clown fish spend the first part of their lives as larvae (幼体), drifting with the current of the ocean until they become strong enough to swim against it. Once they are powerful and strong, they head home in sheltered coral reefs. There is only one drawback-the fish can’t physically see the reef, but they can hear it. The only problem is, if they can’t hear it, will they ever make it home?

Our anthropogenic ocean noise, such as cargo ships, ship and boat propellers (螺旋桨), surfing, deep sea mining, etc. are causing destruction of marine life. According to Time, sound is the sensory signal that travels the farthest through the ocean. Anthropogenic noise drowns out the natural soundscapes, putting marine life under immense stress. Altogether, this stress then affects their general health, disrupts their behavior, physiology, reproduction and, in extreme cases, causes death. Marine life can adapt to noise pollution, however, only if they can escape it. This only renders further complications of forcing species to leave their traditional breeding regions or their families.

Now, what if we told you there is already a solution? Multiple solutions, ideas and designs are currently in the works or already exist to reduce and reverse the damage of anthropogenic ocean noise. As Time explains, from wind-powered ships to noise-reducing propellers, floating wind turbines and “bubble curtains” that muffle construction noise, the solutions are already available and in some cases, cost-effective. The authors of the paper hope it will catch the attention of policymakers, who historically speaking, have ignored the matter still to this day.

Of all the challenges ocean creatures are battling, luckily sound pollution is the easiest compromise (妥协方案) humans can make. Once the noise has decreased, marine life will be able to better manage everything else it is up against.

1. What do we know about “Soundscape of the Anthropocene Oceans”?

A．It analyses how sound travels in the ocean.

B．It discusses different types of ocean pollution.

C．It explores the effects of noise pollution on sea life.

D．It studies how sea animals communicate with each other.

2. The author mentions clown fish in Paragraph 2 to ________.

A．present their life cycles

B．show how terrible their living conditions are

C．introduce a famous animation about the ocean world

D．stress the importance of natural soundscapes to sea life

3. What does the underlined word “renders” probably mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Reduces.

B．Causes.

C．Solves.

D．Prevents.

4. The author writes the article to ________.

A．publicize the knowledge of soundscape

B．regulate human’s activities on the ocean

C．emphasize the importance of animal protection

D．draw people’s attention to anthropogenic ocean noise

5 . Drive through any suburb in the U. S. today, and it’s hard to miss the recycling bins that have become companions to America’s trash cans. Recycling has become common, as people recognize the need to care for the environment. Yet most people’s recycling awareness extends (延伸) only as far as paper, bottle, and cans. People seldom find themselves facing the growing problem of e-waste.

E-waste rapidly increases as the techno-fashionable frequently upgrade to the most advanced devices, and the majority of them end up in landfills (填埋). Some people who track such wastes say that users throw away nearly 2 million tons of TVs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, and other electronics every year. Unless we can find a safe replacement (替代品), this e-waste may get into the ground and poison the water with dangerous toxins (霉素), such as lead, mercury, and arsenic. Burning the waste also dangerously contaminates the air.

However, e-waste often contains reusable silver, gold, and other electrical materials. Recycling these materials reduces environmental problems by reducing both landfill waste and the need to look for such metals, which can destroy ecosystems.

A growing number of states have passed laws to ban (禁止) getting rid of e-waste. Still, less than a quarter of this waste will reach lawful recycling programs. Some companies advertising safe disposal (处理) in fact merely ship the waste to some developing countries, where it still ends up in landfills. These organizations prevent progress by unsafely disposing of waste in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind location.

However, the small but growing number of cities and corporations that do handle e-waste responsibly represents progress toward making the world a cleaner, better place for us all.

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．E-waste cannot be put into trash cans in the U. S.

B．Many Americans now have access to recycling bins.

C．Most Americans have realized the dangers of e-waste.

D．Most of America’s trash cans are made of recycled material.

2. Which can best replace the underlined word “contaminates” in Paragraph 2?

A．Pollutes.

B．Heats.

C．Attacks.

D．Reduces.

3. What can we learn according to paragraph 4?

A．Much e-waste is still not properly handled.

B．Some developing countries welcome e-waste.

C．Laws have played a major role in getting rid of e-waste.

D．The e-waste buried in the landfills won’t destroy ecosystem.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this text?

A．To tell us how to recycle &waste.

B．To talk about the future of e-waste.

C．To discuss if it’s necessary to, recycle e-waste.

D．To encourage people to deal with e-waste properly.

6 . Most environmental pollution on Earth comes from humans and their inventions, such as cars or plastic. Today, car emissions (排放物) are a major source of air pollution leading to climate change, and plastics fill our ocean, creating a significant health issue to marine (海洋的) animals.

And what about the electric light, thought to be one of the greatest human inventions of all time? Electric light can be a beautiful thing, guiding us home when the sun goes down, keeping us safe and making our homes bright. However, like carbon dioxide emissions and plastic, too much of a good thing has started to impact the environment. Light pollution, the inappropriate use of outdoor light, is affecting human health, wildlife behavior and our ability to observe stars.

Light pollution is a global issue. This became obvious when the World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness, a computer-generated map based on thousands of satellite photos, was published in 2016. Available online for viewing, the map shows how and where our globe is lit up at night. Vast areas of North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia are glowing (发光) with light, while only the most remote regions on Earth (Greenland, Central African Republic and Niue) are in total darkness. Some of the most light-polluted countries in the world are Singapore, Qatar, and Kuwait.

Sky glow is the brightening of the night sky, mostly over cities, due to the electric lights of cars, streetlamps, offices, factories, outdoor advertising, and buildings, turning night into day for people who work and play long after sunset.

People living in cities with high levels of sky glow have a hard time seeing more than a handful of stars at night. Astronomers are particularly concerned with sky glow pollution as it reduces their ability to view stars.

More than 80 percent of the world’s population, and 99 percent of Americans and Europeans, live under sky glow.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．The use of outdoor light must be forbidden.

B．Electric light is the greatest human invention.

C．Electric light is the main factor to keep us safe.

D．Electric light has both advantages and disadvantages.

2. Which of the following places is least affected by sky glow?

A．Qatar.

B．Niue.

C．Kuwait.

D．Singapore.

3. Why do astronomers especially complain about sky glow?

A．Sky glow costs too much.	B．Sky glow has a bad effect on their sleep.
C．Sky glow affects their viewing stars.	D．Sky glow wastes too much electricity.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Light pollution

B．Plastic pollution

C．Star pollution

D．Air pollution

7 . The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.

Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.

Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.

Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.

Pollution by SO₂ is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.

The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time.

1. Hundreds of years ago, life was ________ it is today.

A．much easier than

B．as easy as

C．much harder than

D．as hard as

2. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because ________.

A．it makes much noise	B．it makes us angry more easily
C．it makes our rivers and lakes dirty	D．it’s bad for all living things in the world

3. There are rules people make to fight against pollution Except ________.

A．stopping people from burning coal.

B．stopping people from pouring dirty water into the ocean.

C．stopping people from moving to other places.

D．stopping people from putting dirty smoke in the air.

4. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution.

B．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does.

C．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth.

D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2.

9 . Space is where our future is — trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond.    1     But, since our space journey started we have left so much trash (垃圾) there that scientists are now concerned that if we don’t clean it up, we may all be in great danger.

The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center.    2    

    3     The junk varies from tiny pieces of paint chipped off rockets to cameras, huge fuel tanks, and even odd items like the million-dollar tool kit that astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn Piper lost during a spacewalk.

    4     Moreover, pieces of junk may crash with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth.    5     Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.

A．But how should we deal with so much trash?

B．I’m sure future plans will make a difference.

C．To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky.

D．Most people would think that aside from comets (彗星) and stars there is little else out there.

E．The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spaceship.

F．It is said that there are now over 500,000 pieces of man-made trash orbiting the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour.

G．However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any results, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning (抛弃) things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.

10 . The first time ever I realized that plastic was a serious matter for our planet was during a road trip in Western Australia, almost 12 years ago.

We________at a supermarket along the Coral Bay coast to buy some groceries and the lady at the counter told us they didn’t sell any shopping bags in order to prevent plastic in the________and to help preserving the endangered turtles living in that area. After a first reaction of surprise, we________all our shopping in our arms and left.

This was just one of the many experiences I’ve lived that made me more________about my impact and pushed me to adopt different habits to live and________more sustainably.

Our trip to Borneo was another life-changing________that has strengthened my resolution to a zero-waste lifestyle. While traveling in some Asian countries, we came to know that________drinkable water was always a challenge. So we had to travel with our water bottle, and we________to avoid using plastic during our trip.

Besides, we were also________impressed by our stay on Libaran Island. A sustainable turtle conservation________and the community had made big efforts to________ the beaches and creatively re-use plastic for ten years. Despite that, the shore is________daily with tons of plastic coming from the tides.

Facing this global issue________, raised in me a feeling of sadness and anger that soon turned into________: to do as much as possible to reduce plastic in our life. Small changes can________a difference!

1.

A．stayed

B．visited

C．worked

D．stopped

2.

A．land

B．ocean

C．district

D．supermarket

3.

A．threw

B．picked

C．dropped

D．carried

4.

A．sure

B．proud

C．concerned

D．comfortable

5.

A．travel

B．deliver

C．remove

D．play

6.

A．story

B．growth

C．experience

D．suffering

7.

A．free

B．cheap

C．valuable

D．safe

8.

A．failed

B．managed

C．hesitated

D．happened

9.

A．firmly

B．violently

C．deeply

D．dramatically

10.

A．action

B．project

C．schedule

D．protection

11.

A．dry up

B．tie up

C．clean up

D．take up

12.

A．washed

B．proved

C．rushed

D．injured

13.

A．on purpose

B．for sure

C．by mistake

D．in person

14.

A．confusion

B．determination

C．frustration

D．satisfaction

15.

A．make

B．do

C．achieve

D．find