1 . Organic produce has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, "organic" does not mean "pesticide-free"（无农药的）or "chemical-free". In fact, organic farmers are allowed to use a wide variety of chemical sprays and powders on their crops.

    1     It means that these pesticides, if used, must be got from natural sources, not synthetically（人工合成地）manufactured. Also, these pesticides must be applied using equipment that has not been used to apply any synthetic materials for the past three years.     2     What's more, most organic farmers, and even some conventional farmers, employ mechanical and cultural tools to help control pests.

Many people believe organic produce is healthier and safer. Nobody bothered to look at whether natural chemicals are harmful.     3     But when the studies were done, you found that about half of the natural chemicals studied could cause cancer.     4     We assume that "natural" chemicals were better and safer than synthetic materials, but we were wrong.     5    

2 . Imagine an area 34 times the size of Manhattan. Now imagine it covered ankle-deep in plastic waste—a total of about 19 billion pounds of garbage.     1    .

“We’re being overwhelmed(淹没) by our waste,”said Jenna Jambeck, an environmental engineer who led the 2015 study that determined this astonishing number.     2    , unless something is done to stop the tide of garbage.

Plastic—a widely-used material—has in many ways been a benefit to humans but it has also caused a growing problem. Today, plastics are the No.1 type of garbage found in the sea. Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit that organizes an annual coastal cleanup event worldwide, said plastic waste makes up around 85 percent of the garbage collected from beaches and oceans.

Ocean Conservancy says plastics are believed to threaten(威胁)at least 600 different wildlife species(物种).     3    ; a growing body of evidence suggests humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. A research suggests some plastics could be poisonous to humans, and could potentially increase the risk of health problems.

    4    . At the Economist World Ocean Summit this week, ten nations announced to reduce plastic sea liter as part of UN Environment's CleanSeas campaign.     5    Corporations also have a role, as do individuals. We can start by thinking twice before using single-use plastic products—and when we do use them, we should take care to properly throw them off or recycle.

3 . Dealing with water pollution is something that everyone needs to get involved with. Here are a few things you can do to help. You should never throw rubbish away.     1     . If there is none around, please take it home and put it in your trash can, especially at the beach and at the riverside.

Use water wisely. Do not keep the tap running when it is not in use.     2     . If we all do this, we can significantly prevent water shortages and reduce the amount of dirty water.

Do not throw chemicals, oils, paints or medicines down the toilet. In many cities, your local environment office can help with the disposal (清除) of medicines and chemicals. And you should buy more environmentally-safe cleaning liquids for use at home and other public places. They are less dangerous to the environment.    3     . If you live close to a water body, try to plant trees and flowers around your home, so that when it rains, chemicals from your home do not easily flow into the water.

    4     . These laws are directed at industries ,hospitals, schools and market areas on how to treat and manage sewage (污水). In many developed cities, waste treatment is very efficient, and designed to reduce pollution of water bodies.

There are also lots of organizations and groups that help educate people on the dangers of water pollution.     5     . They regularly encourage other members of their communities to have a better attitude to towards water.

4 . Do you still remember the haze（雾霾）in the winter? So many people got terribly ill during or after the haze.     1    Here is advice for you to protect yourself in hazy weather.

Spend less time outdoors.This is the most effective way for self-protection in such bad weather.With PM2.5 increasing 103mg per cubic meter,residents will risk a 2.29% increase of death,which experts found out in 2012.If you have to get out,avoid riding bicycles.    2    

Close your windows.Experts advice residents to avoid opening windows at home.If you have to ,avoid the time when smog is at its densest（浓的）.    3    Besides,you can keep plants with broad leaves at home to absorb dust,and use air purifiers（清洁器）.

Smoke less.    4    In hazy weather,smoking would be even more harmful.Smokers are advised to keep their distance from cigarettes before the weather gets better.

    5    For example ,wear special masks outside to avoid breathing in PM2.5.Then take off your coat after getting indoors and keep it away from your other clean clothes,Don’t forget to wash your face,rinse（漱）your mouth,and clean your nasal cavity（鼻腔）to clean the particulate matters（颗粒物）that fall on you.Last but not least,keep off stimulating（刺激性）foods.

5 . Methods to Help Solve Air Pollution

With the development of the industry, air pollution has become an internationally concerned issue. The governments are taking efficient measures to prevent the situation getting worse.     1     Here are what you can do to help.

1.Leave your cars at home.

Cars, being the greatest source of air pollution, can be left at home this weekend.     2     Other greener options are carpooling, riding a bike or you can also walk if you want a healthier option and if your workplace is not that far away from your home.

2.Volunteer yourself

This is one of the best things you can do. Why? Because it will do you good too.

    3     If you have time, there are lots of opportunities out there to pitch in, for instance, planting trees, cleaning a park or simply coming up with ways you can preserve mother Earth.

3.Green-up your home.

This is one of the most common things that people do whenever Earth Day rolls around. That is to switch off their lights. However, this is not something you should do just for a day and for only an hour.     4     In addition, take out all the plugs from plug points even after switching them off.

4.Pledge (保证) to do more every day

You know what the best way to celebrate Earth Day is? Extend your celebrations. That’s right! Do something every day that will improve your surroundings to make the planet a better place to live in.     5     The future of our planet is in your hands.

6 . When you think of the Arctic, you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on Earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic trash,     1    

German scientists have recently found microplastics in Arctic snow.     2    Sadly, the scientists found 1,800 pieces of microplastic per liter of snow.

How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists. "It's apparent that the majority of the microplastics in the snow comes from the air." They fall off plastic objects and are moved by the wind, just like dust.     3    Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in. An even higher amount of microplastic was found in the snow around cities.

The high concentrations found in snow samples suggest microplastics, which contain rubber or chemicals used in synthetic fabrics（混合纤维）, may cause significant air pollution.

    4    Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the world Health Organization. We do know that our bodies cannot take in "large" pieces of microplastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time. What's more, earlier studies have shown that microplastics may contribute to lung cancer risk, heightening the need to further assess the risks of taking them in, the study said.

Microplastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Previous research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans, damaging ecosystems along the way.    5    The waste water then flows into rivers and out to sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we're eating the plastic as well.

7 . Many experts are calling the growing problem of global waste a worldwide health crisis in since pollution from trash is not only harming the world’s oceans, air and soil but also endangering people’s health as well as the livelihood of all living creatures.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Such a dilemma raises the question, is there a more responsible way of dealing with trash? Fortunately, there is.     1    One example of this is what’s often called the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. Reducing the use of plastic containers as well as reusing and recycling bottles and cans decreases the amount of garbage being sent to landfills. As a result, less money is spent on waste management, and countries’ financial burdens are significantly relieved. Such positive effects on an economy are known as a circular economy.

Circular economy

Traditionally, manufacturers would make a product to be used and disposed of by consumers. This linear (直线型的) model of production offered no help in the fight against global waste.     2    .

Once a product’s value is exhausted, the materials are recycled and returned to manufacturers. The outcome is less waste. One large-scale example of this is happening on the island of Taiwan.

    3    

In 1997, Taiwan established its signature 4-in-1 Recycling Program, consisting of communities, government cleaning teams, recycling companies and the Recycling Fund. Residents separate their recyclable waste. The local government collection teams collect it.    4    . Importers and manufacturers who are responsible for the recyclable products pay a fee into the Recycling Fund. The Recycling Fund is an essential aspect of the program used to subsidize (补贴) the recycling disposal system, support education and research and development as well as finance recycling efforts in the future.

Turning garbage into gold

By following a circular system, more products than ever are being manufactured using recycled materials. Environmentally-friendly decisions like these help to conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, save landfill space and even create new job opportunities.     5    .

8 . Particulate Matter

There are things floating around in the air. Most of them, you can not even see. They are a kind of air pollution called particles or particulate matter. In fact, particulate matter may be the air pollutant that most commonly affects people’s health.

Have a Look.

Particles can come in almost any shape or size, and can be solid particles or liquid droplets.    1     These two groups differ in many ways. One of the differences is size, we call the bigger particles PM 10 and we call the smaller particles PM 2.5.

BIG.

The big particles are between 2.5 and 10 micrometers (from about 25 to 100 times thinner than a human hair). These particles are called PM 10 (we say ―PM ten, which stands for Particulate Matter up to 10 micrometers in size).    2    

SMALL.

The small particles are smaller than 2.5 micrometers (100 times thinner than a human hair).    3    We say ―PM two point five, as in Particulate Matter up to 2.5 micrometers in size.The smaller particles are lighter and they stay in the air longer and travel farther. PM 10 particles can stay in the air for minutes or hours while PM 2.5 particles can stay in the air for days or weeks.And travel?     4     PM 2.5 particles go even farther; many hundreds of miles.

Particulate Matter and Your Health.

When you breathe, you take in the air along with any particles in the air, like heavy metal sand cancer causing organic compounds. Both PM 10 and PM 2.5 particles can cause health problems, specifically respiratory (呼吸的) health.    5     Exposure to particulate matter leads to increased use of medication and more visits to the doctor or emergency room.

9 . Will you stop using plastic?

If you take a look around your kitchen or office right now, chances are that you’ll notice you’re surrounded by plastic—water bottles, to-go coffee cups, straws (吸管), plastic grocery bags, food wrappers, take-out containers, single-serve coffee pods and produce bags.     1    

It’s certainly not realistic to remove all plastic from your life, but let’s examine some statistics that may encourage you to reduce your single-use plastic footprint by throwing away straws, switching to reusable water bottles, bringing cloth bags to the grocery store and more.

According to a study published in the journal Science Advances, the popularity of plastic, which began rising in the 1950s, is growing out of control.     2     And there’s no sign of slowing down, considering scientists say that another 12 trillion kilograms will be produced worldwide by 2050.

“Every piece of plastic that has ever been created will remain in the environment in some form, but once we conveniently throw out our rubbish at home, wind and runoff carry our waste from landfills and streets to the ocean,” says Mystic Aquarium’s chief clinical veterinarian Jennifer Flower, DVM, MS. “Given that we are globally producing over 320 million tons of plastic annually, the marine environment is taking a big hit from our daily disposal of plastic.

    3     For example, newborn fish are mistaking tiny bits of plastic waste for food. If they die, there will be fewer big fish—and that could damage the food chain. Often our society is so focused on making our lives more convenient in the short term, but in the long run, our health and the health of marine life are at the expense of those everyday conveniences.”

    4     A recent report suggests that when heated, certain food additives (添加剂) can damage hormones, growth and development, as well as increase chances for children of being fat.     5     It is found in plastic containers and metal cans. Parents are urged to avoid using microwaves to warm food and drinks or placing plastics in the dishwasher.

10 . Environmental pollution kills 1.7 million children under the age of five every year worldwide. This is according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO warns that child deaths will increase greatly if pollution continues to worsen.

The most common causes of death among children aged one month to five years are diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia. This is according to the WHO.       1     . This means providing access to safe water and sanitation, limiting exposure to dangerous chemicals, and improving waste management.

    2    The WHO estimates that air pollution is responsible for about 6.5 million premature, or early deaths every year. That number includes nearly 600,000 deaths of children under age five. Most of these deaths take place in developing countries.

Air pollution is a leveler between rich and poor, according to WHO environment and health chief Maria Neira.     3    And one of the most important ways to reduce air pollution is to produce cleaner fuels for cooking and heating. “Almost half of the world population is using dirty fuels for cooking, heating, and lighting at home. And, this is affecting very much mothers who are staying and cooking at home, but the children who are around mothers -- they are exposed as well. ” Early exposure to harmful pollutants can lead to increased risk of chronic respiratory disease, asthma, heart disease, stroke and cancer later in life.

Cleaning up how the world cooks, heats and lights homes and other buildings is a big- picture goal. The WHO is advising government departments and industries such as construction and the health sector to work together to clean up their environment.

    4    . The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency has the following suggestions：

• Avoid walking where there is a high volume of vehicle traffic.

•    5    

• Limit your time outside if you live in an area that issues warnings about air quality.

• Wear high-grade, rated face masks tightly to the face when air quality is poor.

• Remove your clothes and wash immediately after entering your house if you live or commute in a very polluted area.