1 . Kenya has been at the forefront (前沿) of the global war on plastic since the government banned single-use plastics in protected areas in June 2020. Unfortunately, the preventive measures have barely received attention. Hundreds of tons of industrial and consumer polymer waste continue to get dumped into landfills daily. However, if 29-year-old Nzambi Matee has her way, the unsightly plastic heaps will soon be transformed into colorful bricks.
The materials engineer’s seeking to find a practical solution to control plastic pollution began in 2017. She quit her job and set up a small lab in her mother’s backyard. It took her nine months to produce the first brick and even longer to convince a partner to help build the machinery to make them. But the determined eco-entrepreneur was confident in her idea and did not give up.
She says, “I wanted to use my education to handle plastic waste pollution. But I was very clear that the solution had to be practical, sustainable, and affordable. The best way to do this was by channeling the waste into the construction space and finding the most efficient and affordable material to build homes.” Her company produces over 1,500 bricks a day. The pavers are made using a mix of plastic products that cannot be reprocessed or recycled.
The collected plastic is mixed with sand, heated at very high temperatures, and compressed (压缩) into bricks that vary in color and thickness. The resulting product is stronger, lighter, and about 30 percent cheaper than concrete bricks. More importantly, it helps repurpose the lowest quality of plastic. “There is that waste they cannot process anymore; they cannot recycle. That is what we get.” Matee says.
Matee is not nearly done. Her dream is to reduce the mountain of trash to just a hill by increasing production and expanding her offerings. She says, “The more we recycle the plastic, the more we produce affordable housing, the more we created more employment for the youth.”
1. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 1 imply?A.Matee’s method can be effective if adopted. | B.Matee’s idea has been widely accepted. |
C.Colorful bricks are in huge demand. | D.Plastic waste hasn’t attracted enough attention. |
A.Generous and ambitious. | B.Confident and grateful. |
C.Creative and resolved. | D.Optimistic and modest. |
A.to build cheaper houses. | B.to support the government. |
C.to create job opportunities. | D.to tackle plastic pollution. |
A.Kenya: Pioneer in Banning Plastic Single-use Plastics |
B.Nzambi Matee: Innovator in Solving Plastic Waste |
C.Mix of Plastic Products: A New Construction Material |
D.Plastic Recycling: A Creative Solution to Pollution |
2 . Human beings have somehow managed to engineer the night to receive us by filling it with light. This kind of control is no different from the feat ( 壮 举 ) of damming a river. Its benefits come with
For most human history, the phrase “light pollution” would have
We’ve lit up the night as if it were a(n)
It was once thought that light pollution only affected astronomers, who need to see the night sky in all its glorious clarity. Unlike astronomers, most of us may not need a
In a very real sense, light pollution causes us to
A.consequences | B.achievements | C.agreements | D.circumstances |
A.Randomly-designed | B.Well-designed | C.Poorly-designed | D.Economically-designed |
A.appealed | B.adapted | C.objected | D.amounted |
A.come under criticism | B.made no difference | C.come into effect | D.made no sense |
A.making do with | B.fed up with | C.identifying with | D.overflowing with |
A.visit | B.greet | C.feel | D.smell |
A.independent | B.disconnected | C.unoccupied | D.excluded |
A.exposed | B.captured | C.dismissed | D.frustrated |
A.clear | B.comprehensive | C.traditional | D.critical |
A.Subsequently | B.However | C.Therefore | D.Similarly |
A.Reviewing | B.Embracing | C.Denying | D.Regulating |
A.light | B.rhythm | C.status | D.dawn |
A.emerging from | B.withdrawing from | C.messing with | D.coinciding with |
A.keep track of | B.lose sight of | C.catch hold of | D.let go of |
A.measured | B.neutralized | C.undergone | D.supervised |
Plastic pollution at sea is reaching
As plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, it also enters the marine food chain,
While consumers can help reduce plastic pollution by changing their behavior, governments have to step up and accept
The Communist Party has made great progress in reducing China’s pollution, but
Sandstorms used
Since 2000, the Chinese government
Researchers say they have found microplastics (微塑料) -tiny pieces of plastic that come as a result of the disposal of industrial waste-deep in the lungs of living
The research, which
In the study, researchers
The study notes
The world produces about 300 million metric tons of plastic a year and about 80% ends
6 . In the endless sky, the unaided human eye should be able to perceive several thousand stars on a clear, dark night. Unfortunately, growing light pollution has impeded people from the nightly view.
New citizen-science-based research throws alarming light on the problem of “sky glow”-the diffuse illumination (漫射照明) of the night sky that is a form of light pollution. The data came from crowd-sourced observations collected from around the world as part of Globe at Night, a program developed by astronomer Connie Walker.
Light pollution has harmful effects on the practice of astronomy but also on human health and wildlife, since it disturbs the cycle from sunlight to starlight that biological systems have evolved alongside. Furthermore, the loss of visible stars is a great loss of human cultural heritage. Until relatively recently, humans throughout history had an impressive view of the starry night sky, and the effect of this nighty spectacle (壮观) is evident in ancient cultures.
Globe at Night has been gathering data on star visibility since 2006. Anyone can submit observations through the Globe at Night web application. Participants record which one best matches what they can see in the sky without any telescopes or other instruments.
Researchers find that the loss of visible stars indicates an increase in sky brightness of 9.6% per year while roughly 2% is measured by satellites. Existing satellites are not well suited to measuring sky glow as it appears to humans, because they can not detect wavelengths shorter than 500 nanometers (纳米). White LEDs, with shorter wavelengths under 500 nanometers, now are increasingly commonly used in outdoor lighting. But human eyes are more sensitive to these shorter wavelengths at nighttime. Space-based instruments do not measure light from windows, either. But these sources are significant contributors to sky glow us seen from the ground.
“The increase in sky glow over the past decade underlines the importance of redoubling our efforts and developing new strategies to protect dark skies,” said Walker. “The Globe at Night dataset is necessary in our ongoing evaluation of changes in sky glow, and we encourage whoever can to get involved to help protect the starry night sky.”
1. What does the underlined word “impeded” in the first paragraph mean?A.separated. | B.disabled. | C.demanded. | D.protected. |
A.Poorer human health. | B.Fewer wildlife species. |
C.More delicate biological systems. | D.Less nightly culture elements of the sky. |
A.Crowd sourced data are invaluable | B.Shorter wavelengths are hard to detect. |
C.Satellites play a vital role. | D.White LEDs are widely used. |
A.Their consistent efforts pay off. | B.The dataset needs to be updated. |
C.The sky glow has been over-emphasized. | D.More participants are expected to join in. |
7 . Last week came solid evidence that living in toxic Britain can seriously harm your health. Cardiologists at Queen Mary University of London found that even "safe" levels of air pollution are linked to heart abnormalities similar to those seen during the early stages of heart failure. Their study of almost 4,000 people was backed up by a major US study which showed that higher exposure to fine particles and nitrogen oxides is linked to an acceleration in the hardening of the arteries (动脉).
We have long known that air pollution leads to coughing, shortness of breath and irritation in the eyes, nose and throat. It is also clearly linked to respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, as well as diabetes and some cancers. It is now beyond doubt that children's health is greatly affected, and links have been made between it and Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia and congenital birth defects.
The statistics are alarming. In the UK, more than 2 million people suffer from cardiovascular (心血管的) diseases, and nearly one in seven men and one in 12 women will go on to die from them. Heart disease costs the UK economy nearly £30 bn a year to treat, as much as the state spends on secondary education. It is one of the greatest single drains on the public purse. Britain, however, rejects common sense, and shows little sign that it wants to seriously address pollution any time soon.
Despite the mounting evidence of air pollution's costs and health impact, Britain has had to be dragged screaming through the courts to make it comply with minimal clean air guidelines and laws. Successive governments have continually tried to evade their legal responsibilities, spending millions of pounds fighting in the courts and lobbying the EU to be allowed to continue to pollute.
The government now has a new draft clean air strategy our for consultation until 14 August and claims to be acting faster to tackle air pollution than almost every other major developed economy. It pledges to halve the number of people living in places that do not meet World Health Organization pollution guidelines, and it propose to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040.
But intending to cut the air pollution bill by around 12.5% in 12 years and waiting 20 years to be rid of the worst vehicles seems criminally weak. Meanwhile, government is knowingly forging ahead with infrastructure plans that will inevitably increase air pollution. The effect will inevitably be to massively increase air pollution and health costs for millions of Britons.
So could the car-clogged streets of Sunder-land, Birmingham and London, where I lived for many years, have contributed to my disease and those of millions of others? Probably. Could the oil companies be responsible for far more than climate change? Certainly. Could Britain's monstrous and mounting bill for heart disease be partly due to the highly polluting diesel cars that governments so scandalously encouraged us to drive? Quite possibly.
What is certain is that air pollution is now an international scandal, and the cause of a health emergency that governments and industry have failed to address. It undoubtedly threatens life more than any war or disaster. When there are clear alternatives to burning fossil fuels then politicians who do not act to prevent it must stand accused not just of failing to act, but of condoning the mass poisoning of their people.
1. According to the study, ________ is probably unrelated to air pollution.A.diabetes | B.stomachaches | C.Alzheimer | D.artery hardening |
A.British government has been screaming for help in court |
B.EU has dissuaded British government for help in court |
C.British government has tried to have EU's permission for more pollution |
D.The government firmly refused to act in accordance with the clean air guideline. |
A.Britain will implement it faster than other major developed economies. |
B.It presents a practical way to end pollution from vehicles. |
C.Its goal will be achieved at the price of massive health cost. |
D.It's aiming too low when more pollution is expected. |
A.Government officials should feel disgraced for non-action as leaders. |
B.The government should cover the bills for air pollution and related diseases. |
C.Oil companies should not be held accountable for the international scandal. |
D.British government is an irresponsible one for encouraging people to use vehicles. |
8 . A new study suggests classic paintings by well-known Impressionists Joseph Turner and Claude Monet may have been influenced by air pollution during the Industrial Revolution.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by authors from Harvard and Sorbonne universities, analyzed 60 oil paintings by Turner from 1796 to 1850 and 38 paintings by Monet from 1864 to 1901.
Scientists don't know exactly how polluted the cities were during that time for lack of data. However, researchers say examining the works of Turner and Monet can give a picture of long-term environmental change with the air pollution.
In particular, researchers said changes in local sulfur dioxide emissions from burning coal may explain changes in the colour contrast and intensity of Turner, Monet, and others' works, even after taking into account the artistic trends and subject matter of the time.
Scientists successfully measured painters' representation of nature, focusing on differences in local weather patterns which influenced colour in works painted in different parts of Europe. Paintings' done in Britain generally feature a paler blue sky than other works in other parts of the continent. Generally, artists can historically accurately represent their environment, so Turner and Monet were chosen because they are famous for their landscape and cityscape paintings and also because they were active during the Industrial Revolution, when air pollution grew at a rate never seen before.
Additionally, researchers say that as the air in London and Paris became more polluted, the cities would appear hazier to the eyes as well as in photographs. By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet to pictures from the era, they were able to determine the artists were at least partly influenced by the change in emissions.
1. How did the researchers conduct the study?A.By referring to relevant historical records. |
B.By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet. |
C.By relating the paintings to the air conditions then. |
D.By analyzing the data during the Industrial Revolution. |
A.Air pollution at that time. | B.Change in subject matter. |
C.Social trends of the period. | D.Development of photography |
A.European artists preferred landscape paintings. |
B.Scientists focused on studying weather patterns. |
C.Turner and Monet intended to present pollution. |
D.Britain suffered from air pollution most in Europe. |
A.To inform people of a new discovery. | B.To instruct people to appreciate paintings. |
C.To introduce the Industrial Revolution. | D.To call on people to protect the environment. |
9 . Of all the weird and wonderful creatures living under the sea, perhaps the strangest are jellyfish—those rubbery, cone-shaped creatures found floating in the water, their long tentacles trailing behind.
Some jellyfish species have a bad reputation for scaring away tourists, clogging up fishing nets, and even blocking power station pipes. But with more and more plastic rubbish ending up in the sea, these days you’re as likely to swim into a plastic bag as a jellyfish. Now scientific research is discovering that these rubbery sea creatures might provide an answer—a sticky solution to the problem of plastic pollution.
In recent years, tiny pieces of plastic called microplastic have been a significant problem for the world’s seas and oceans. These plastics are not visible to the eye and aren’t caught by seawater treatment plants due to their small size, so they enter our system and harm our health. They’ve been found in many places—in Arctic ice, at the bottom of the sea and even inside animals. Slovenian scientist, Dr Ana Rotter, heads GoJelly, a European research team of jellyfish ecologists looking into the problem.
Microplastics, plastics in general, are becoming an increasing problem. Dr Ana Rotter says when she was a child, people were more environmentally friendly—not harmful to the environment or having the least possible impact on it. At that time, there were very few single-use plastics—plastic items, like spoons and forks, designed to be used just once, then thrown away. The situation since then has changed dramatically. In fact, there’s been such an increase in microplastics that today the UN lists plastic pollution as one of the world’s top environmental threats.
But how do jellyfish fit into the story? Well, it’s the ‘jelly’ part of jellyfish, and specifically their sticky, jelly-like mucus that is key. Jellyfish produce a thick, sticky liquid called mucus. Dr Ana Rotter has discovered that this mucus has strong absorptive capabilities—it can absorb, take in liquids and other substances. One of the substances jellyfish mucus absorbs are the particles that make up microplastics.
Dr Rotter’s research is still in the early stages, but it’s hoped that jellyfish mucus could hold the key to a future free of microplastic polluted oceans. Scientists are hoping that the mucus’s absorptive properties—its abilities to absorb liquids and other substances and hold them, will allow it to trap particles of plastic floating in the sea. By trapping these, the mucus acts like a magnet—an object that attracts certain materials, like metal, but in this case, microplastic waste.
1. Paragraph 3 mainly talks about ________.A.where microplastics can be found |
B.why microplastics can harm our health |
C.what problems the seas and oceans are facing |
D.how the research was carried out by the scientist |
A.Jellyfish species cause a great threat to the sea. |
B.Jellyfish species like to swim and live in plastic bags. |
C.Jellyfish mucus can attract metals and break them down. |
D.Jellyfish mucus can absorb liquids and some other substances. |
A.Qualities. | B.Substances. | C.Choices. | D.Materials. |
A.To show the harm that sea and ocean pollution brings to human beings. |
B.To introduce the living habits of the weird and wonderful creatures in the sea. |
C.To provide a new method for collecting data on environmental threats in the sea. |
D.To inform a promising scientific finding for dealing with plastic pollution in the sea. |
10 . On Christmas Eve, a team of reindeer (驯鹿) will help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children all around the world. The reindeer, led by their fearless leader Rudolph, won’t be the only ones doing something special. Back in the highest Arctic, their cousins have a remarkable ability changing their eye color.
During the summer months, when the days are long and the sun is bright, reindeer’s tapetum lucidum (荧光膜), a mirror-like layer at the back of their eye, appears golden, which helps bounce the majority of light off the eyes, effectively acting like a pair of natural sunglasses. As winter comes, and the days become shorter and darker, the tapetum lucidum turns blue to absorb more light, allowing reindeer to improve their night vision and see clear in low light conditions.
With these adaptations, reindeer can adapt and thrive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Unlike humans, reindeer can see well into the shorter Ultra Violet (UV) range. This UV vision enables them to spot food and predators more effectively in the snowy landscape. Lichens, a key part of their winter diet, absorb UV, so they show up dark against UV-reflecting white snow. Wolf and polar bear fur also absorb UV, so instead of disappearing against snow they pop out in high contrast, allowing reindeer to spot potential threats from a distance.
Reindeer change their eyes by adjusting their tapetum lucidum, which is made of collagen fibers. In winter, the collagen fibers become packed tighter, causing the tapetum lucidum to mainly reflect blue light. This change happens when reindeer dilate their pupils (瞳孔). In summer, the reindeer’s pupils return to a smaller size, which helps reindeer reduce the amount of light entering the eye.
But their unique adaptation may hurt them. Today, the increasing use of artificial lighting, especially during the winter months, poses a potential threat to their sensitive eyes. It can make reindeer lose their way, affecting their ability to survive in their challenging environment. So it is crucial for us to be mindful of our use of electricity and make efforts to minimize light pollution to ensure the well-being and survival of these magnificent creatures.
1. What do we know from paragraph 2?A.The shape of reindeer’s eyes varies with seasons. |
B.It is difficult for reindeer to live in low light conditions. |
C.The tapetum lucidum helps reindeer adapt to seasonal changes. |
D.Reindeer’s eyes appear golden in winter while blue in summer. |
A.To help them see clear in dark nights. |
B.To distinguish food of different colors quickly. |
C.To protect their eyes from harsh sunlight in summer. |
D.To better locate food and enemies during snowy days. |
A.Relax. | B.Expand. | C.Narrow. | D.Hide. |
A.To call on people to protect reindeer from light pollution. |
B.To show the reasons for the decline in reindeer population. |
C.To present humans’ great efforts to reduce artificial lighting. |
D.To prove reindeer’s strong adaptability to harsh environments. |