1 . Plastic is everywhere, from the Arctic ice to vital organs in the human body. In fact, previous estimates suggest that the average person swallows a credit card-worth of microscopic plastic particles(颗粒) every week. But new research shows that this could actually be an understatement.
Microplastics are plastics smaller than 5 millimeters, found in industrial waste, beauty products, and formed during the degradation of larger plastic pieces. Over time, they break down into even smaller nanoplastics. These tiny particles can pass through our intestines and lungs into our bloodstreams, reaching vital organs like the heart and brain.
While the idea of eating plastic is unsettling in itself, the major concern here is that these plastic particles contain chemicals that can interrupt our body’s natural release of hormones, potentially increasing our risk of reproductive disorders and certain cancers. They can also carry toxins(毒素) on their surface like heavy metals.
In the past, researchers have shown bottled water can contain tens of thousands of identifiable plastic fragments in a single container. However, until recently, only the larger microplastics were detectable with available measuring tools, leaving the area of nanoplastics largely a mystery.
Using Raman microscopy (显微镜学), capable of detecting particles down to the size of a flu virus, the team measured an average of 240, 000 particles of plastic per liter of bottled water, 90 percent of which were nanoplastics, a revelation 10 to 100 times larger than previous estimates.
These plastics likely originate from the bottle material, filters used to “purify” the water, and the source water itself. “It is not totally unexpected to find so much of this stuff, ” the study’s lead author, Columbia graduate student Naixin Qian, said in a statement. His team hopes to expand their research into tap water and other water sources to better inform our exposure to these potentially dangerous particles. “The idea is that the smaller things get, the more of them I reveal, ” he added.
1. What is the primary focus of the new research?| A．The presence of plastic particles. | B．The use of plastic in everyday products. |
| C．The detection methods for microplastics. | D．The potential risks of nanoplastics to human. |
| A．Finding the source of plastic particles. | B．Helping to cure the deadly flu virus. |
| C．Detecting the smaller plastic particles. | D．Improving the quality of bottled water. |
| A．To focus on areas with higher plastic pollution. |
| B．To be aware of the dangerous particles in daily life. |
| C．To further measure the types of particles in tap water. |
| D．To detect the smaller plastic particles in industrial areas. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Objective. | C．Conservative. | D．Positive. |
2 . People often recommend planting trees to make cities greener, cleaner and healthier. But during heat waves, city trees can actually increase air pollution. Indeed, a new study has found, up to 60 percent of the smoggy ozone in a city’s air on hot days may trace to chemicals emitted by trees. Galina Churkina, who works at Humboldt University of Berlin, and her team have confirmed it.
The findings might seem the opposite of what you would expect, notes Robert Young, an expert in city planting at the University of Texas at Austin. Indeed, he says, “Everything has multiple effects.” The new findings do not mean cities should discourage tree planting. Instead, cities may need stricter controls on other sources of pollution, such as tailpipeemissions from cars and trucks.
City trees soak up carbon dioxide, and at the same time they release oxygen into the air. But oxygen is far from the only gas that trees and certain other green plants release into the air. One of these chemicals is a hydrocarbon known as isoprene(异戊二烯). It can react with combustion(燃烧)pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides(氮氧化物)emitted by cars and trucks in cities. The result is the formation of ozone, a component of smog, which can irritate the lungs and cause airway diseases.
Churkina says her team is not surprised to see the seemingly contrary relationship between plants and pollution. She adds that its importance is quite amazing. “The results,” Churkina says, “suggest that city tree planting programs should not ignore the role this greenery may play in aggravating summer air pollution.” “Adding more trees will improve quality of life only if those cities also undertake plans to sharply cut vehicle pollution in summer and to increase their reliance on clean energy sources for electric power,” she says.
1. What does the new study find about city trees on hot days?| A．City trees can reduce the smoggy ozone. |
| B．City trees may easily absorb heat waves. |
| C．City trees may cause more air pollution. |
| D．More city trees can make a city far better. |
| A．The harm ozone does to people in cities. |
| B．The way trees help the formation of ozone. |
| C．The chemicals green plants release into the air. |
| D．The benefits trees bring to the city environment. |
| A．Worsening. | B．Decreasing. | C．Improving. | D．Releasing. |
| A．Planting more trees in cities. |
| B．Advocating using clean energy. |
| C．Improving people’s quality of life. |
| D．Banning vehicle pollution in summer. |
3 . During the pandemic, masks and other forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) have become familiar fixtures of our daily lives. They have helped ensure the safety of ourselves and our loved ones. Yet, the improper disposal of PPE has contributed to a hazardous trend — the accumulation of medical waste and the littering of our planet.
Every month, we use nearly 129 billion masks. In a recent report, the United Nations found that from March 2020 to November 2021, around 87,000 tons of used masks and gloves have become non-disposable waste.
This is very worrying, as the waste traps animals and affects the health of our communities. When not properly discarded (丢弃), PPE waste may be blown into local rivers and streams or mistaken by birds as materials for building nests. It is harmful to the environment because most PPE is made from plastic fibers. These fibers can never fully degrade, and instead, break down into microplastics and nanoplastics that linger in our oceans.
At present, many healthcare facilities do not have systems that can deal with the increasing amount of medical waste. As a result, facilities have resorted to burning medical waste. This can put healthcare workers at a higher risk of catching the disease, and communities near landfills (废弃物品填埋场) can be influenced by the poisonous air from the burn pits.
Instead of traditional masks, the United Nations recommends using safe, biodegradable masks or washable cloth masks as an alternative. Sealing used masks and gloves in a separate bag and cutting mask straps before throwing them away can also prevent PPE from ending up in unintended locations, such as sewage systems on streets.
However, it is important to note that masks should not be placed in household recycling bins because most garbage collection systems in cities are unable to dispose of the materials. Ultimately, knowing how to responsibly discard our PPE can help us not only protect the environment but also ourselves and other individuals in our community.
1. What does the underlined word “hazardous” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Welcome. | B．Clear. | C．Dangerous. | D．Gradual. |
| A．Its amount is decreasing on an annual basis. |
| B．Its fibers can permanently stay in the ecosystem. |
| C．It can be burned by healthcare workers without pollution. |
| D．It can be degraded by the majority of healthcare facilities. |
| A．The components of the used masks should be recycled. |
| B．The used masks should be mixed with household trash. |
| C．The raw material of traditional masks should be reconsidered. |
| D．The community should build sewage systems to collect used masks. |
| A．To appeal to people to recycle. | B．To explain a social phenomenon. |
| C．To stress the importance of PPE. | D．To introduce an environmental problem. |
4 . 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. |
5 . There is increasing alarm about the extent of microplastic pollution, which has been found everywhere from Everest to the Arctic. However, it turns out there’s an even smaller and more toxic form of plastic pollution entering remote reaches of the globe. A new study published in Environmental Research found significant quantities of nanoplastics in ice samples from both the North and South Poles.
“Now we know that nanoplastics are transported to these corners of the Earth in these quantities. This indicates that nanoplastics are really a bigger pollution problem than we thought,” study lead author Dusan Materic said in a press release.
Nanoplastics are plastics that are smaller than a micrometer in size. Their small size means they are more difficult to study than microplastics, or plastics between five millimeters and a micrometer. But they may be even more dangerous.
“Nanoplastics are very toxicologically (毒理学地) active compared to, for instance, microplastics, and that’s why this is very important,” Materic said.
Materic and his team used new methods to measure nanoplastic pollution in ice samples from Greenland and Antarctica. They sampled a 14-meter-deep ice core from the Greenland ice cap and sea ice from Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound. They found that there were an average of 13.2 nanograms per milliliter of nanoplastics in the Greenland ice and an average of 52.3 nanograms per milliliter in the Antarctic ice.
But what was even more surprising than the amount of nanoplastics in the remote ice was just how long they had sat there. “In the Greenland core, we see nanoplastic pollution happening all the way from the 1960s. So organisms in that region, despite the lack of the solid evidence, likely all over the world, have been exposed to it for quite some time now,” Materic said.
The study also looked at the types of plastic present in the samples. Half of the Greenland nanoplastics were polyethylene (PE), the kind of plastic used for plastic bags and packaging. A quarter came from tires and a fifth were polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used for clothing and bottles.
1. Why should researchers focus more on nanoplastics?| A．They are more important to science. | B．They are smaller but more dangerous. |
| C．They are easily polluted by ocean water. | D．They are more active in cold surroundings. |
| A．The North and South poles are the birthplace of nanoplastics. |
| B．Kanoplastics have less influence on the planet than microplastics. |
| C．Nanoplastics found in the samples are widely used in the daily life. |
| D．Nanoplastics have been existing since the 1960s throughout the world. |
| A．Greenland ice cap. | B．Antarctica’s McMurdo. |
| C．The south and north poles. | D．All places in the world. |
| A．Mircoplastics—proving more dangerous. | B．Nanoplastics—making its way to the poles. |
| C．Nanoplastics—posing a threat to people’s life. | D．Mircoplastics—setting the alarm bells ringing. |
6 . Wildfires are a major source of air pollution. They are also predicted to worsen as climate change progresses.
Within the smoke particles produced by these fires is a wide range of organic chemical compounds known as “brown carbon”. Brown carbon absorbs sunlight, and in doing so, contributes to global warming.
Over time, the brown carbon is bleached by chemical reactions with oxidants (氧化剂) in the atmosphere (such as ozone) and becomes white. This means that it stops absorbing light and stops warming Earth.
This bleaching process is heavily dependent on atmospheric conditions, which vary across regions. The longer it takes for brown carbon to become white, the greater an impact it can have on the environment.
As atmospheric chemists living in a region frequently polluted by wildfire smoke, we wanted to know more about these effects.
Aerosols are microscopic liquid and solid particles (微粒) suspended in the atmosphere. They’re smaller than the width of a human hair, but are still made up of many molecules. Aerosol particles are everywhere and have a large effect on both health and the climate. When aerosol particles interact with light, a portion of the light is absorbed but the rest reflects and scatters off of the particles.
For most types of aerosol particles, the amount of light being absorbed is negligible. That means a lot of the light reflects back to space. Through this mechanism, some of the pollution we create actually masks the full impact of greenhouse gases.
Some aerosol particles, however, are coloured, which means they are absorbing some light. Any light from the sun that is absorbed instead of getting reflected back into space is converted into heat and warms the planet.
Aerosol particles from smoke contain brown carbon. The various molecules that make up brown carbon are similar to some organic dyes (染料), overall giving it a characteristic brown colour. However, when ozone in the atmosphere reacts with brown carbon, it can transform it into new colourless molecules that do not warm the earth.
1. Which of following can make brown carbon less harmful?| A．The constantly spreading wildfires. |
| B．The worsening climate change. |
| C．The chemical reactions with ozone. |
| D．The slowly bleaching process. |
| A．They reflect most of the light. |
| B．They equal a human hair in width. |
| C．They affect our health in a large scale. |
| D．They expand the impact of greenhouse gases. |
| A．Insignificant. | B．Unavoidable. |
| C．Inaccessible. | D．Unacceptable. |
| A．Adding some dyes to smoke. |
| B．Making the smoke colorless. |
| C．Absorbing light from the sun. |
| D．Transforming particles into molecules. |
7 . Are you a tea drinker? If so, you’re not alone. Every day around the world millions of cups of this popular brew are drunk, and it’s been that way for thousands of years. The oldest discovered tea is from the Han Dynasty, dating from 206BC to 220AD. But it’s thought that the tea trend really took off during the Tang Dynasty in the 8th Century, when it became China’s national drink. Now, Turkey, the Republic of Ireland and the UK are believed to be the biggest tea—drinking nations, per capita.
Tea is consumed in many ways-slurped, sipped or glugged. It can be poured from pots, infused or brewed in the cup using tea bags—and it’s this latter process that is causing concern. Research last year found some premium tea bags might be leaving billions of microscopic plastic particles in the cup. Scientists from McGill University in Montreal found that some ‘plastic’ tea bags shed high levels of micro plastics into water. However, The World Health Organization says such particles in drinking water do not appear to pose a risk.
Most tea bags are made from paper, with a small amount of plastic used to seal them shut— made from oil. This has led to debate about whether they can be recycled, but many are still composted. However, gardener Mike Armitage has told the BBC that the plastic contained in the soil could be washed into streams and rivers and ultimately out to sea.
Unilever, the owners of the tea brand PG Tips, said their tea bags are made with a small amount of plastic—used to seal them—and that they are suitable for composting. And the brand Yorkshire Tea said their bags do contain 25% polypropylene, but they were “actively developing plant—based and biodegradable alternatives”.
While tea bag manufacturers might be doing their bit to reduce plastic pollution, it could be a good time to switch your favourite beverage to coffee, or if that isn’t your cup of tea then try using loose-leaf tea, which can have a better flavour.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?| A．Tea can be consumed in many ways. |
| B．The use of tea bags doesn’t appear to pose a risk |
| C．The use of tea bags is causing concern. |
| D．Some tea bags might be leaving microscopic plastic particles in the cup. |
| A．reduce the amount of plastic used to seal tea bags |
| B．wash the plastic in the soil into streams, rivers and sea |
| C．develop plant-based and biodegradable alternatives |
| D．switch to coffee or try to use loose-leaf tea |
| A．Supportive | B．Indifferent | C．Opposed | D．Neutral |
| A．Potential Plastic Pollution |
| B．Chinese tea culture |
| C．What is your favorite drink? |
| D．The Humble tea bag |
8 . Researchers out of Australia’s Flinders University recently studied various physical reactions during sleep when exposed to noise. They found that certain levels of noise exposure while sleeping, even those below recommended safe levels, may affect a person’s cardiovascular (心血管的) response. When slowly activated during sleep, these responses “could potentially have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system,” said researchers.
Researchers exposed 20 adult participants to various decibels (分贝) of wind farm and road noise while asleep, and then monitored physical responses including blood flow and heart rates as well as sleep awakenings. Although asleep, participants reacted to these noises, as found by the researchers.
For example, a 48-decibel (dB) noise, which is quieter than the 50-dB hum of a refrigerator, was 3.4 times more likely to cause a change in participants’ pulse wave amplitude (脉搏波振幅), which is a measurement that relates to blood flow. Participants’ heart rates responded to the noise as well. After being exposed to a noise of over 40 dB, they experienced an increase followed by a decrease in their heart rates. The study noted that these sound levels are under the recommended 70 dB limit by the World Health Organization.
Physiological reactions that the study monitored, such as heart rates and blood flow, may root in the proper responses that may be “potentially needed to defend against threats during sleep,” researchers said.
Sleep is typically a time for the body to rest and recover, and noise-caused activation of these cardiovascular responses during sleep may prevent a person from getting the proper amount of healthy sleep they need.
Researchers noted that exposure to noise pollution during sleep may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, heart disease, and other harmful health effects. To help reduce the potential increased health risks caused by frequent noise-caused sleep disturbances, researchers note that their findings help create public policies around noise levels during sleep.
1. What does the underlined word “adverse” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Positive. | B．Obvious. | C．Harmful. | D．Common. |
| A．Pulse wave amplitude. | B．Sense of safety and duty. |
| C．Blood flow and heart rates. | D．Possible sleep awakening. |
| A．All people can rest and recover in noise-free environments. |
| B．Physiological reactions can be monitored for most people. |
| C．Frequent noise-caused sleep disturbances will disappear soon. |
| D．Official bans can be put on noise pollution to guarantee better sleep. |
| A．Noise during sleep affects your heart. |
| B．Noise-free sleep is changing your life. |
| C．Noise pollution during sleep will be banned. |
| D．Various physical reactions arise during sleep. |
9 . Not even the sea is safe from the glare (强光) of humans’ light at night. Researchers published the first global maps of ocean light pollution. It shows large parts of the sea lit up at night. And that risks confusing or disrupting the behaviors of sea life.
Tim Smyth led a team to research where in the water this glow is strongest. Smyth and his colleagues started with a world map of man-made night-sky brightness that had been created in 2016. Then they added data on the ocean and atmosphere. Some data came from shipboard measurements of man-made light in the water. Others came from satellite images that judge how clear the water is. Particles (微粒) in the water, such as tiny floating plants and animals, can affect how far downward light travels. These factors vary from place to place and may change with the seasons. The team also used computers to copy how different wavelengths of light move through water.
Next, they wanted to know how that underwater light might affect animals. Not all species will be easily affected. The team focused on copepods (桡足亚纲甲壳动物) . These common creatures are a key part of many ocean food webs. They use light as a signal to move all together to the dark deep, seeking safety from other surface creatures. Normally they use the sun or the winter moon as their signal. Too much man-made light can mess up their usual patterns.
Light pollution is strongest in about three feet of the water. Here, man-made light can be strong enough to confuse the copepods. Nearly 2 million square kilometers of ocean get such strong night light. That’s an area about the size of Mexico. Farther down, the light gets weaker. But even 65 feet deep, it’s still bright enough to bother copepods across 840,000 square kilometers of ocean.
The team described its findings December 13 in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.
1. Which of the following best explains the underlined word “disrupting” in Paragraph 1?| A．Upsetting. | B．Observing. | C．Ensuring. | D．Protecting. |
| A．They are not affected by underwater light. |
| B．They can escape attacks with the help of light. |
| C．They are main eaters of other creatures. |
| D．They can weaken the effect of man-made light. |
| A．By stating opinions. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By giving reasons. |
| A．Light Pollution from Sea Life | B．Living Conditions of Copepods |
| C．Discoveries of Copepods | D．Light Pollution Even in Sea |
10 . There is an “environmental silver lining” as a result of the corona virus (冠状病毒) —carbon emissions have been reduced by more than 4%, many wildlife markets around the world have been closed and air quality in some places has slightly improved, Dave Ford, founder of the environmental literacy organization Soul Buffalo, says.
However, because of an increase in pandemic-related, non-recyclable materials such as take-out plastic containers and masks, 30% more waste has entered our oceans, he notes. “There's 129 billion facemasks being made every month—enough that you could cover the entire country of Switzerland with facemasks at the end of this year if trends continue,” he says. “And a lot of these masks are ending up in the water.” The masks look like jellyfish—in other words, food—to turtles and other wildlife creatures, thus, attractive to those animals and then endangering them, he says.
Very little of the plastic we use is actually recyclable. Sharon Lerner of The Intercept told Here & Now last year that "the vast majority of plastic that has ever been produced—79%—has actually ended up in landfills or burned, but not remade into new products." Even if the plastics we have can be reused, Ford says recycling programs across the globe are facing severe budget cuts.
“We're starting to see recycling programs stopped, waste picking communities operating at 50% or actually shutting down. They are the last line of defense between plastic and the environment,” he says.
Last year, Unilever planned to cut its use of non-recycled plastics in half by 2025. In an interview with Here & Now, Richard Slater, Unilever's chief research and development officer, drew on the industry argument that plastic packaging is lighter, which means less shipping and therefore fewer dangerous emissions that cause climate change.
Yes, plastics are lightweight and can cut down on fuel spending. But on the other hand, plastic waste is being found in every aspect of life—even in the deepest ocean.
1. What does “environmental silver lining” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．An environmental organization. |
| B．The closure of some wildlife markets. |
| C．Benefits on environment from the corona virus. |
| D．The decrease of carbon dioxide emissions. |
| A．There is a continuous shortage of food in the ocean. |
| B．They contain certain unique chemicals. |
| C．Many sea creatures like to chase plastic by nature. |
| D．They look like the sea creatures' food. |
| A．The majority of it is buried or burned. |
| B．Most of it is recycled into new products. |
| C．129 billion facemasks end up in the ocean. |
| D．There is enough budget for plastic recycling. |
| A．Plastic can cut down fuel spending |
| B．The corona virus has caused more ocean plastic |
| C．Recycling programs are shutting down |
| D．Solutions to ocean plastic pollution are being explored |
