1 . New mercury threat to oceans from climate change
Rising temperatures could boost mercury levels in fish by up to seven times the current rates, said Swedish researchers in an article published in Science Journal. They’ve discovered warming increases levels of the toxin in sea creatures. In experiments, they found that extra rainfall drives up the amount of organic material flowing into the seas. This alters the food chain, adding another layer of complex organisms which boosts the concentrations of mercury up the line.
Mercury is one of the world’s most toxic metals, and according to the World Health Organization, is one of the top ten threats to public health. The substance at high levels has been linked to damage to the nervous system, paralysis and mental impairment in children.
The most common form of exposure to mercury is by eating fish containing methylmercury, an organic form of the chemical which forms when bacteria react with mercury in water, soil or plants. Levels of mercury in the world’s ecosystems have increased by between 200% and 500%, since the industrial revolution, say experts, driven up by the use of fossil fuels such as coal.
In recent years there have been concentrated efforts to limit the amount of mercury entering the environment, with an international treaty, called the Minamata Convention, signed by 136 countries in place since 2013.
Researchers hope that the Minamata treaty will be successful and countries reduce the amount of mercury that is being produced. Otherwise this discovery of a previously unknown source could have impacts for human health.
Other researchers in the field say that the new study highlights important issues that have previously been little known.
“This work experimentally proves that climate change will have a significant effect of methylmercury budgets in coastal waters and its accumulation in fish,” said Milena Horvat from the Jozef Stefan Institute in Slovenia.
“This work will also help us understand the formation of mercury in fish and help reduce mercury from emission sources (primarily industrial).”
1. Where did Swedish researchers find warming increases levels of the toxin?| A．In the Pacific Ocean. | B．On the Continent. |
| C．In Red Sea. | D．In sea creatures. |
| A．Exposure to mercury. | B．Mercury at high levels. |
| C．Methylmercury. | D．The use of fossil fuels. |
| A．By limiting the amount of mercury entering the environment. |
| B．By reducing the amount of mercury. |
| C．When bacteria react with mercury in water, soil or plants. |
| D．When climate change returns to normal. |
| A．Climate change will increase the levels of mercury in food. |
| B．Levels of mercury in the world’s ecosystems have increased by between 200% and 500%. |
| C．The Minamata Convention has been signed by 136 countries in place since 2013. |
| D．Mercury reduction from emission sources can be beneficial to fish. |
2 . We all have an idea about the common types of environmental problems.
What is light pollution?
You have already seen the negative effects of light pollution on creatures. Apart from this, the actual cost of misused light is about millions of dollars every year. It also leads to the release of greenhouse gases and global warming
While outdoor lighting and using man-made lighting products are part of our modern lifestyle, some simple ways will surely help in reducing light pollution. For example, while installing outdoor lighting, make sure that they are pointed downwards
| A．Light pollution is harmful to both animals and plants. |
| B．It presents all forms of misused man-mad light. |
| C．After all, fuels are used for producing electricity |
| D．Also, use only the required lighting equipment for both home and offices. |
| E．Citizens should be forbidden to install outdoor lighting |
| F．Light pollution affects animals’ normal activities in the daytime. |
| G．However, light pollution may be a new term to many of us. |
3 . Garbage or trash is a major kind of environmental pollution.Each person produces about 2kg of trash a day.We are making waste products faster than nature can break them down.And we are using up resources（资源）faster than they can be replaced（取代）.
This adds up to trouble for the environment.Where does all that garbage go?What can be done to help dispose of（处理）garbage?How call we make less garbage?
Garbage isn't just the smelly rotting fruits,vegetables or meat that we throw away in our homes.Those are only a small pan of all the stuff we throw away.We create other kinds of waste,in construction,mining and in our factories.
Did you ever wonder what happens to your garbage?Most is burned or buried in landfills（垃圾填埋场）Less than a quarter of our waste is recycled.
With a population of 1.3 billion（十亿）,garbage is a big problem for China.Chinese cities create around 148 million tons of garbage every year.The amount is growing at around 10 percent each year.
Once we used about 3 billion plastic shopping bags every day in China.The result was a great waste of resources and serious pollution.So we did something about that.Now we use more cloth bags and shopping baskets when we shop.
In the coming years China will build waste-to-energy plants in cities to clean up the garbage.But there’s a lot more that needs to be done.And you can play a part.
1. What can be learned from the first paragraph?| A．Garbage is the most serious environmental pollution. |
| B．Each person produces 20kg of garbage a week. |
| C．Nature can break the garbage down as soon as we produce it. |
| D．We may use up our resources before they can be replaced. |
| A．homes | B．schools |
| C．factories | D．banks |
| A．植物 | B．种植 |
| C．设备 | D．工厂 |
| A．How to deal with garbage in daily life. | B．Let's make the Earth a cleaner place. |
| C．New resources. | D．Problems in big cities. |
| A．An English scientist. | B．A Chinese journalist. |
| C．A UN governor. | D．An American student. |
4 . There’s a trend that more city people decide that they want to grow crops and raise some live-stock (家禽). After all, there are few things more satisfying than biting into a bunch of tender, red carrots you grow yourself, or a fresh egg from the backyard.
Most gardeners understand that the soil in big cities is often polluted with lead and know to get their soil tested. But most are pretty clueless about how to prevent other types of pollutants, like heavy metals and asbestos(石棉)from getting into their vegetables.
Part of the problem is that “there might be pollutants that gardeners can’t test for,” says Brent Kim, a program officer. Most soil tests look for lead, cadrniunt(镉)and arsenic(砷). But they don’t test things like chemicals left behind by cars, which might have escaped into the soil.
So if you’re thinking of staring an urban garden, Kim says, once you’ve found a plot of land, you should learn what’s now an empty plot or a backyard might once have been a parking lot, a gas station or a chemical ground. “Knowing its past will give you some idea about what might be in that soil,” he says.
“People tend to think raised beds are going to solve their pollution problem,” Kim says. But polluted soil could easily kicked onto your plants, especially if the beds are low to the ground.
“Another consideration is that you have to be careful about the materials that you’re using to build a raised bed,” Kim says. Recycling wood from an old construction site might seem like a good, eco-friendly idea. But that wood could be treated with chemicals you don’t want touching your fruits and veggies, Kim says. And it’s always a good idea to use gloves while gardening, and wash all your produce thoroughly.
“I see these urban growing spaces as these oases(绿洲)in the middle of these urban environments,” Kim says. “They bring communities together, and they help people save money on fresh produce. Urban growing spaces are amazing. Let’s keep doing this, but let’s do it safely.”
1. What does the underlined word “clueless” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．unaware | B．careless |
| C．helpless | D．considerate |
| A．Build it on a parking lot | B．Keep it low to the ground |
| C．Know the history of the ground | D．Use recycled wood to build it |
| A．They are free from some tests | B．Their plants can be poisoned |
| C．They are environment-friendly | D．Their materials are all recycled |
| A．More fresh vegetables are produced by urban gardeners |
| B．Growing vegetables become a fashion in big cities |
| C．Big cities are short of soil for growing fresh produce |
| D．Urban gardeners may not realize the seriousness of polluted soil |
5 . In today's world, almost everyone knows that air pollution and water pollution are harmful to people's health. However, not all the persons know that noise is also a kind of pollution, and that is harmful to human health, too.
People who work and live under noisy conditions usually become deaf（聋）. Today, however, scientists believe that 10 percent of workers in Britain are being deafened by the noise where they work. Many of the workers who print newspapers and books, and who weave（织）cloth become deaf. Quite a few people living near airports also become deaf. Recently it was discovered that many teenagers in America could hear no better than 65-year-old persons, for these young people like to listen to pop music and most of pop music is a kind of noise. Besides, noise produced by jet planes or machines will make people's life difficult and unpleasant, or even make people ill or even drive them mad.
It is said that a continuous noise of over 85 decibels（分贝）can make people deaf. Now the governments in many countries have made laws to control noise and make it less than 85 decibels.
In China, the government is trying to solve not only air and water pollution problems but also noise pollution problems.
1. The text is mainly about ____________ .| A．air pollution | B．water pollution |
| C．noise pollution | D．world pollution |
| A．they are working in noisy places | B．they often listen to pop music |
| C．they live near airports | D．they are too busy to listen to others' talk |
| A．less than 85 | B．less than 65 |
| C．about 65 | D．over 85 |
| A．only air pollution | B．only air and water pollution |
| C．only water pollution | D．air, water and noise pollution |
6 . Kitchen waste refers to deserted or uneaten refuse produced by household kitchens. It is heavy in weight and can not easily be disposed(处理)of like other garbage due to dampness.
Separating kitchen waste from other waste can help to reduce organic matter in landfills, reducing smell and waste liquid and protecting disposal equipment. It is therefore necessary to perform garbage classification when disposing of kitchen waste.
There are special garbage trucks to process kitchen waste. Labeled “Kitchen Waste”, the beds of the trucks are covered in a hermetic(密封的) metal topper to contain the smell of the rotting organic waste. There are two sizes of the trucks—the smaller ones are designed to move through narrow streets, especially in the old-fashioned hutong, the larger ones are for wider streets.
Everyday, they stop at the residential(居住的) communities in Xicheng district, pick up their kitchen waste and carry it to the kitchen waste transfer buildings nearby. And Fengrongyuan residential community is one of them. It has 10 residential buildings and 606 families. In the afternoon. Two garbage trucks arrive at the community to collect its kitchen waste. The community now has 31 sets of garbage cans. Every set has three cans in different colors, green for kitchen waste, blue for recyclable waste and grey for other garbage.
Yang Kun, an official of Financial Street office, said that if residents in the community can respect the waste regulations and make it a standard practice in their daily life, they could be rewarded for their efforts.
After the two trucks are loaded with kitchen waste at Fengronfyuan, they will leave for the Xibianmen garbage storage building, where they are weighed before driving to an area to unload. The building has six big boxes to contain the kitchen waste.
To save resources and promote the disposal of household waste, the first step is garbage classification as conducted by residents.
1. What can be learned about kitchen waste from Paragraph1?| A．It is too damp and heavy to easily dispose of. |
| B．It can be as easily disposed of as other garbage. |
| C．It helps to reduce organic matter in landfills. |
| D．It is necessary for garbage classification. |
| A．Trucks with a hermetic metal topper. |
| B．Trucks labeled “Kitchen Waste”. |
| C．Wider streets for garbage trucks. |
| D．Waste transfer buildings nearby. |
| A．Old-fashion hutong. |
| B．Xicheng district. |
| C．Fengrongyuan residential community. |
| D．The Xibianmen garbage storage building. |
| A．Kitchen waste does harm to the disposal equipment. |
| B．It’s a practice to respect the waste sorting regulations. |
| C．The disposal of kitchen waste is aimed to save resources. |
| D．The disposal of household waste begins with garbage classification. |
7 . When the population of the port town began to suffer from poisoning, the police came to find the cause of the poison. They thought someone was poisoning the people on purpose but no one knew how it was possible. Soon people took the position that the pork was poisoned. It was a popular food everyone ate and it could have possibly made everyone sick. Anyone who had possession of pork would throw it out. Even the poorest of the poor wouldn’t eat pork. Signs were posted on poles and letters were sent to everyone to warn people of the pork. Shortly afterwards, even policemen in high positions were also getting sick.
Soon it became political and popular. Politicians rushed to the town to talk about politics and promised how they would find the solution if they were elected. Everyone was so sick that they didn’t care about politics. Everyone was in a position where he or she didn’t know what to do anymore. They went to the post office to mail posts out asking for help. The poor town didn’t know how to deal with the situation.
One day, a well-known scientist from New York came to the town with a huge box containing many instruments and his possessions. He went to pools and the port and made measurements. He was quiet and polite. Then one day he made a speech at a newspaper meeting-room to announce his findings.
“I’m sorry to say your water supply is so heavily polluted; it is poisoned. I know who has been poisoning you all for such a long time. It is you who have been poisoning yourselves with pollution. A great deal of rubbish has been thrown into the water day after day. No one here has taken good care of the environment. It is no wonder all of you have been sick.” Shocked at the news, the people present were lost in thought.
1. Which is the correct order of the events that took place in the story?a. People suffered from poisoning
b. Politicians came to make promises
c. People began to realize the real cause
d. Pork was thrown away
e. The water there was polluted
f. scientist came to check the water
| A．e, a, d, c, f, b | B．e, a, d, b, f, c |
| C．a, e, b, d, f, c | D．f, c, d, b, e, a |
| A．held the opinion | B．took the place |
| C．took the job | D．made the plan |
| A．Everyone was so sick of politics that they didn’t care about those politicians. |
| B．According to the scientist from New York, not all the population in the town have taken good care of the environment. |
| C．The reason why the people in the town got sick was that they ate the pork poisoned by heavily polluted water. |
| D．If the people in the town hadn’t polluted the water supply, they would not have suffered from poisoning or sickness. |
| A．pork was the main food of the people in the town |
| B．politicians took every chance to make themselves elected |
| C．people in the town were not well-educated |
| D．even some police officers were getting ill |
8 . Nuclear power is the world's largest source of clean energy. Nuclear power plants(电厂) produce no controlled air pollutants, such as sulfur or greenhouse gases. The use of nuclear power in place of other energy sources helps to keep the air clean, preserve the earth's climate, and prevent acid rain.
However, there exist safety concerns if the plant is not operated correctly or unforeseen things happened when the plant was developed, as happened at the Fukishima(福岛) plant in Japan. It may cause damage to everything, including our health. Nuclear power's danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be summed up in one word: radiation.
Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected by human senses. It can't be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we can't detect them, sense them, without a radio receiver. Similarly, we can't sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things.
At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being immediately by killing masses of cells in vital organs. But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no levels of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be serious. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed immediately. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They reproduce themselves in a deformed way. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years.
This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the victim being aware at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated(辐射)and feel fine, then die for cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak as a result of radiation absorbed by its grandparents. Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth.
1. What can we infer from the passage?| A．We can’t detect radioactivity even with modern equipment. |
| B．Only radiation at very high levels can kill an animal or human being. |
| C．If a few cells are only damaged, healthy cells will take the place of dead ones. |
| D．Radiation is harmful no matter what level it is. |
| A．By killing many cells in important organs. |
| B．By killing a few cells. |
| C．By hitting any place in its body. |
| D．By damaging its heart. |
| A．die of cancer after many years |
| B．die immediately |
| C．have a child who may be born weak |
| D．all of the above |
| A．Discussing the cause of cancer. |
| B．Solving the mystery about radiation. |
| C．Emphasizing the importance of protection from radiation. |
| D．Introducing the nuclear power. |
9 . For years, people living near the Taj Mahal have burned fuel and garbage. Slowly, tiny pieces of those fires are changing the marble on the Taj Mahal from bright white to brownish yellow. The pollution leaves particles(微粒) that change the marble’s color.
The 17thcentury monument is located in the busy, industrial city of Agra in northern India. Many have long blamed the city’s air pollution for discoloring the famed monument.
Researchers from two American universities and several Indian institutions led a yearlong study to test the idea. They placed small pieces of clean marble on the Taj Mahal. They left them there for two months, and then studied the particles that landed on their surfaces.
Professor S.N.Tripathi at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur is one of the authors of the study. He said that the particles came from many sources—especially from diesel trucks(柴油车)．
“We have an increase in diesel vehicles nowadays in cities, especially large vehicles and trucks; that is number one, and that is a major emission(排放) source for black carbon and organic carbon.”
Mr. Tripathi said burning garbage and cow dung(牛粪) was another major source of discoloring organic carbon. Especially now, when it is cold, he said, people burn almost anything to keep warm.
Over the last ten years officials have banned vehicles within 500 meters of the monument. They have also tried to support clean fuel and improve the power supply to lessen the effect of diesel machines.
But despite these measures, a 2010 study found that the nonstop growth of industry, population and traffic has only worsened air pollution in Agra.
Preservationists, or people trying to keep the monument safe, say that the monument needs more targeted protection.
Ratish Nanda in New Delhi said some changes were to be expected in a monument that is over 360 years old. He believes that the single issue of discoloration should not cause an overreaction.
But Mr. Nanda said the scientific community needed to be more involved in observing and preventing damage to the monument. And he said that it needed more money to protect the Taj Mahal.
“The whole preservation mechanism(机制) of the Taj Mahal needs to change...Absolutely, the one thing that is absolutely essential is to put in a system or even a law of conservation, requiring that whatever cleaning is done should be sensitive and have absolutely no long term impact.”
Since 1994, authorities have been giving the monument mud pack treatments to dislodge the discoloration. The treatment is just like the beauty treatment women have used on their faces and bodies for centuries. A mud pack treatment involves covering the Taj’s surface with clay, and then taking it off. The monument received the treatment for the fourth time, but experts warn the process could have unwanted side effects.
In 2013, nearly 6 million people visited the monument. It is considered one of the finest examples of Mughal art and architecture in India.
1. The passage mainly wants to indicate that ________.| A．the Taj Mahal is one of the finest Mughal arts |
| B．modern industry is destroying ancient arts |
| C．pollution is changing the color of the Taj Mahal |
| D．India is trying to save and protect the Taj Mahal |
| A．Ratish Nanda thought the Taj Mahal wasn’t worth protecting. |
| B．Because of its discoloration, the Taj Mahal attracted fewer visitors than before. |
| C．The dust brought by vehicles’ passing by damaged the Taj Mahal seriously. |
| D．The researchers have confirmed the pollution source of the Taj Mahal. |
| A．the Taj Mahal’s situation will get even worse |
| B．diesel trucks are the main vehicles in India |
| C．garbage and cow dung are India’s main fuel |
| D．some people are surprised at something normal |
| A．greatly changed the situation |
| B．been made but are not so effective |
| C．caused more and worse side effects |
| D．been scientifically carried out recently |
| A．raise enough money to repair it |
| B．beautify it with mud pack treatments |
| C．cut down the number of vehicles |
| D．preserve and repair it professionally |
| A．Remove. | B．Analyze. |
| C．Improve. | D．Change. |
10 . Clean water is not only important for food production, but necessary for our life. However, large numbers of people in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are going without. The World Health Organization reports that almost 4,000 children die each day for dirty water or lack of water.
Agriculture is the primary user of water at 70-85% of fresh water in the world. Industrial uses of water don’t often come to mind, but you may be surprised to know that industry uses 59% of the water supply in developed countries.
Home use takes up only 8% in the world. But as cities grow, the local government has to cut down on water use. Many cities are turning to privatization (私有化) of water as a method of controlling use. The poor are paying as much as a quarter of their monthly income for water in some developing countries.
In 60% of large European cities, groundwater is being used at a faster rate. People are saving water by simply using less and being careful with what they do use. Sometimes it’s as simple as not throwing out water that they could use elsewhere.
In Australia overuse of water has always been a problem. The Australian government has encouraged households and industries to collect rainwater and reuse water from showers. Technology is helping householders for shower and bath water for reuse in toilets or gardens.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made a water saving program designed to encourage families and businesses to examine their water use and save more water. Good water management has been considered by scientists and the UN as the key to solving the water problem. We can all work together to protect our valuable water in our daily life.
1. In developed countries, most water is used by ______.| A．industry | B．agriculture |
| C．families | D．businesses |
| A．Find more groundwater. |
| B．Make good use of rainwater. |
| C．Encourage people to have fewer showers |
| D．Recycle water for a second use. |
| A．popularize privatization of water |
| B．cut down on water use at home |
| C．have good control over water use |
| D．introduce water-saving technologies |
| A．Water — the source of all lives |
| B．Save water, save the world |
| C．New ways to save water |
| D．Water and people’s health |
