1 . In many ways, life has become far more comfortable and convenient in the past few decades.
Air Pollution
The main cause of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels by vehicles and power plants. Other human activities, such as construction and the burning of waste, also contribute to air pollution. The effects on our health can be very serious.
You can easily contribute to reducing air pollution by only using a car to make journeys when it’s absolutely necessary.
Global Warming
Global warming is the increase in the temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans. It’s caused by the build-up of carbon dioxide and other pollutants in the atmosphere. These trap the Sun’s heat and warm up the planet.
Global warming has already caused a wide range of problems.
Overflowing Landfills
Landfills are used for waste disposal (处理) in many countries around the world. However, these landfills are now nearing their limit. When this happens, the chances of dangerous chemicals in the waste entering our water supply increase.
The amount of waste in landfills in China has risen sharply over the last ten years.
A.If it isn’t, try using public transport instead. |
B.Sea levels are rising due to the melting of polar ice sheets. |
C.However, this has come at a huge cost to the environment. |
D.This resulted in the flooding of the River Po near Turin in Italy. |
E.For instance, that in Hong Kong is likely to reduce within a few years. |
F.Thus, the government is now trying to find alternative waste disposal methods. |
G.Apart from the three Rs, some experts have called for the fourth R—Responsibility. |
2 . A Plastic Ocean is a documentary to make you think. Think, and then act. We need to take action on our dependence on plastic. We’ve been producing plastic in huge quantities. Some bottles, shopping bags and toys are made of plastic.
The documentary begins with a journey to film the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale. But during the journey, the producers made a shocking discovery of a huge, thick layer of plastic floating in the Indian Ocean.
In the documentary there are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life.
We make a shocking amount of plastic. Over 300 million tons of plastic is produced every year, and at least 8 million of it is dumped into the oceans. The results are disastrous, but it isn’t too late to change.
A.It has raised public concern all over the world. |
B.In conclusion, we only have one earth to live on. |
C.But the documentary doesn’t only present the negative side. |
D.These are contrasted with plastic rubbish. |
E.Once you’ve seen the documentary, you’ll realize it is time to do our part. |
F.We live in a world full of plastic, and only a small amount is recycled. |
G.This caused them to travel around the world to look at other affected areas. |
3 . There are a lot of chemicals that can cause indoor air pollution. A recent project conducted has found over 900 different substances in our home are related to it. Many researchers have already examined the causes of indoor air pollution.
It has been proved that different kinds of chemicals can be released by building materials and new furniture. Everything from painting and decorating products, bathroom cleaners and beauty products can contain these chemicals.
As a research from Denmark has highlighted, cooking, particularly roasting can damage our body. Roast dinners contain many potentially harmful pollutants.
As far as cooking emissions are concerned, no one is suggesting switching to takeaways.
A.In the long run, these changes lead to cancer. |
B.They might also arise from cooking at home. |
C.A wide range of sources are under investigation. |
D.Therefore, what results from indoor air pollution? |
E.However, most of us have ignored their bad effects. |
F.So, what are the main contributors to poor air quality? |
G.But we can change how we cook to deal with the emissions. |
4 . Most of us are used to the sound we hear in daily life, such as music, the middle of the night.
Too much noise pollution in working areas such as offices, construction sites, bars and even in our homes can influence psychological health. Studies show that the occurrence of aggressive behavior, sleep disturbance, and constant stress can be linked to excessive (过度的) noise levels.
Loud noises can certainly influence our sleeping pattern.
As of now, there do not exist many solutions to such pollution.
A.You’ll feel it hard to deal with others |
B.They may lead to problems related to tiredness |
C.But everybody can help to reduce the noise in their homes |
D.These, in turn, can cause more severe health problems later in life |
E.Many firm measures should be taken to remove loud noises in our life |
F.Our ears can take in a certain range of sounds without getting damaged |
G.All of these have become a part of the urban culture and rarely disturb us |
5 . Space is where our future is — trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
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.
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. |
6 . As we all know, waste is extremely bad for the environment. Let’s talk about why litter is harmful to our streets and towns, our drinking water, and sea animals.
Waste can have a bad influence on our cities. Cleaning up litter costs US taxpayers (纳税人) and businesses $11.5 billion each year.
As you can see, waste is harmful in many ways.
A.Everybody wants to breathe fresh air. |
B.That money could have been spent on parks. |
C.How do you feel when you see people littering around? |
D.In the future there might be more waste than fish in the ocean. |
E.Litter can go into the soil and water and pollute our drinking water. |
F.We need to stop littering for us, for the environment, and for the planet. |
G.Did you know every day almost 8 million pieces of litter go into the ocean? |
7 . Have you ever stopped to consider how empty the world would look without trees? Below are five of the top benefits that trees provide.
Trees help you heal faster. Natural environments, including forests, help you reach a more positive state of mind.
Trees reduce air pollution and improve respiratory (呼吸的) health. Trees take in many harmful pollutants from our environment.
Trees provide oxygen. Trees are like the lungs of our Earth. They supply us with oxygen while taking away our carbon dioxide and ask for nothing in return. A single tree can provide enough oxygen for four people.
Trees cool cities. Trees cool things down by offering shade and through evapotranspiration (蒸腾作用).
A.Trees cheer you up! |
B.Trees help reduce the effects of climate change. |
C.This, in turn, affects your overall state of wellness. |
D.In fact, large forests can influence regional weather patterns. |
E.So plant more trees around your home if you want to feel cooler. |
F.And of course, trees also provide plenty of oxygen for birds and other wildlife. |
G.For example, in the US, forests remove 17.4 million tons of pollution per year. |
8 . The world has a plastic problem—and it is increasing.
1.Replace plastic bags. People use a lot of plastic bags worldwide every year.About 10 percent are used in the United States alone. That’s almost one bag per American per day.
2.Skip the straw(吸管).Today, around 8.3 billion plastic straws pollute the world’s beaches.
3.Use limited plastic bottles. Buy a reusable bottle and fill it with any type of beverage(饮料)you like.
4.Avoid plastic packaging materials.Don’t buy fruit or vegetables in plastic packaging.In the United Kingdom, leaders are calling for supermarkets to have plasticfree areas.They also want to tax plastic takeout containers.
5.Recycle. We can’t recycle all plastic items, but it is possible to recycle most bottles and milk or juice cartons.Today, Norway recycles 97 percent of its plastic bottle.How?
A.Likewise, the average Dane(丹麦人) uses four plastic bags per day. |
B.In contrast, the average Dane uses four singleuse bags per year. |
C.So when you order a drink, say no to the straw, or bring your own reusable one. |
D.However, there are still loads of people ignoring the seriousness of it. |
E.Scientists are working to find a longterm solution by making plastic more biodegradable (可降解的). |
F.Some cities, like Bundanoon in Australia and San Francisco in the U.S., have completely or partially banned bottled water. |
G.Machines at most supermarkets take the bottles and give a refund (退款) of up to 2.5 kroner (32 cents) per bottle. |
9 . 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 ban single-use plastic. In the UK, shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food. A tax has already been placed on plastic carrier bags, which has cut their use by 90%.
Such plans are well-intentioned, but may not be helpful in getting rid of the use of single-use plastic altogether.
Another issue is that alternative(可供替代的) materials 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 easily broken and rarely reusable, unlike plastic. |
C.It improves the local economy and saves costs in managing litter and waste. |
D.One of the fields where single-use plastic has an important role is medicine. |
E.However, simply banning the use of single- use plastic may not be the best option. |
F.Bans on single-use plastic items like drinking straws are also coming into play. |
G.Research shows four times more energy is required to produce a paper bag than a plastic bag. |
10 . A Plastic Ocean is a film to make you think.Think,and then act.We need to take action on our dependence on plastic.We’ve been producing plastic in huge quantities.Drinking bottles,shopping bags and even clothes are made with plastic.
The film begins as a journey to film the largest animal on the planet,the blue whale.But during the journey the filmmakers make the shocking discovery of a huge,thick layer of plastic floating in the Indian Ocean.
In the film there are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life.
They present short-term and long-term solutions.These include avoiding plastic containers and recycling as much as you can.The filmmakers also stress the need for governments to work more on recycling programmes.
We make a shocking amount of plastic.Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year,and at least 8 million of those are dumped into the oceans.The results are disastrous,but it isn’t too late to change.
A.This causes them to travel around the world to look at other affected areas. |
B.Once you’ve seen the film,you’ll realize it is time to do our part. |
C.It has raised public concern all over the world. |
D.We live in a world full of plastic,and only a small amount is recycled. |
E.But the film doesn’t only present the negative side. |
F.In conclusion,we only have one earth to live on. |
G.These are contrasted with dumps of plastic rubbish. |