A. causes B. enemy C. factories D. kill E. trees F. friend G. spreads |
Pollution is our great
A. balance B. communicate C. contaminated D. deprive E. disruptive F. dramatically G. interrupt H. mate I. occupational J. respectively K. vibrations |
Noisy Earth
When we think of pollution, we usually think of harmful toxins in the environment. For example, air pollution is
Noise pollution consists of loud sounds in the environment that are
Why should we be concerned about noise pollution? According to a World Health Organization report, noise can cause serious health problems. It may
Physical health problems are just some of the effects of noise. Noise also affects learning ability and memory. Noise poses a threat to animals in nature as well, which can cause them to die from lack of food. For example, some types of birds cannot find food in areas that have bad noise pollution. Whales, for example, produce sounds in order to
Countries around the world recognize that noise pollution is a real problem. Many government agencies already control noise from trucks and buses. Noise barriers covered with plants along the highway
A. restrict B. down C. nonrenewable D. energy-consuming E. taxing F. reusable G. elsewhere H. transport I. intaking J. purchase K. trash-can |
Standing in line at the grocery store last week, I watched the woman in front of me buy a tube of toothpaste. As the clerk placed her
People have come to rely on plastic bags as everything from shopping bags for groceries to
Plastic bags harm the environment in several ways. First, they break
People all over the world are starting to recognize the problems associated with plastic bags. Countries such as China, South Africa, Switzerland, and Uganda are taking action and banning the bags. Other nations, including Italy and Ireland, have been trying to
A. heading B. incredibly C. adaptable D. alternative E. pursuit F. dumped G. recycled H. global I. calculated J. precisely K. generated |
Planet Plastic
Here’s a shocking statistic. Scientists have calculated the total amount of plastic ever made: 8.3 billion tonnes. Looked at another way, that’s as heavy as 25,000 Empire State Buildings or one billion elephants. And
So what’s the problem? Much plastic is in the form of packaging which is used just once and then thrown away. According to a major new study from the University of California, 9% of this is
It’s a situation that has led the paper’s lead author, ecologist Dr. Roland Geyer, to say that we are “rapidly
The team behind this report also estimate that eight million tonnes of plastic waste are
Of course, the reason why there’s so much plastic around is that it’s an amazingly useful material. We can’t get enough of it. It’s durable and
So what’s the
Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist from Plymouth University, says it’s poor design that is at fault. He says that if products are currently designed “with recyclability in mind”, they could be recycled around 20 times over.
Dr. Geyer agrees: “The
A. stem B. dot C. attributable D. exceeded E. overlook F. exposed G. drainage H. emerging I. sinking J. access K. established |
The Mega-City Environment
Mega-cities suffer from a catalog of environmental ills. A World Health Organization(WHO)/United Nations Environment Program(UNEP)study found that seven of the cities-Mexico City, Beijing, Cairo, Jakarta, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Moscow-had three or more pollutants that
According to the World Resources Institute, “Millions of children living in the world’s largest cities, particularly in developing countries, are
Almost all of the mega-cities face major fresh water challenges. Johannesburg, South Africa, is forced to draw water from highlands 370 miles away. In Bangkok, saltwater is invading aquifers(地下蓄水层). Mexico City has a serious
More than a billion people, 20 percent of the world’s population, live without regular
Mega-city residents, crowded into unsanitary slums, are also subject to serious disease outbreaks. Lima, Peru(with population estimated at 9.4 million by 2015)suffered a cholera outbreak in the late 1990s partly because, as the New York Times reported, ”rural people new to Lima...live in houses without running water and use the outhouses(屋外厕所)that
It’s worth looking at some of these
downtown | jam | suit | greenhouse gases |
public transport | complain | anger | get stuck in traffic |
Mary: Morning, Martin. Well, I cycle so I don’t
Martin: Well, I don’t cycle but I do take
Mary: Public transport is also a good way to help reduce the level of
Martin: I know so many people who
Mary. That kind of attitude is common but I think more and more people are beginning to do something which
A. generated B. mechanically C. partnership D. reforming E. powered F. efficiency G. growing H. greatly I. sustainable J. revolutionize K. emissions |
The Inevitable Plastics Revolution
The Guardian once called plastic “Man’s worst invention”. One of the lesser-known uses of plastic is to reduce carbon emissions. For example, plastics make vehicles lighter thereby increasing their
Currently that isn’t the case. Of the 24.5 million tons of plastic waste
That has to change, says Marc, one of the world’s leading chemicals and plastics manufacturers. “With a
Today most plastic is made from petrochemicals, using processes
cause global warming, pick up, sharing cars, get stuck in a traffic jam, are addicted to, make excuses, protect the environment, do a lot of harm |
Many people often
Too many cars
situation However on Amazingly natural |
Boyan Slat has one huge goal. It’s a goal that could be good for people and animals all over the world.
When he was 16. Dutch engineering student Slat was on vacation in Greece, and he started to think about all the rubbish that is pushed onto beaches by water. The oceans around the world are all of plastic—millions of tons of plastic.
The present
Slat started with an idea for an unusual machine to “catch” the plastic floating(漂浮)in the water using the
A year later, Slat was named a “Champion of the Earth” by the United Nations for his valuable work.
A. capable B. effectiveness C. employing D.exposure E.famously F. joining G. limitation H. minimal I.precisely J.recognizing K.worthwhile |
Clean Air Act
The air in modern homes and offices is pretty clean,but not as clean as it might be.Often it contains small amounts of volatile(挥发性的),poisonous,organic compounds.Long-term
Finding an effective way to do so has proved difficult.But Stuart Strand, Long Zhang and Ryan Routsong, of the University of Washington,in Seattle,think they have succeeded,As they report in Environmental Science and Technology, their method involves
The idea of
Dr Strand, Dr Zhang and Mr Routsong thus sought something suitably transgenic ( 转 基 因 的),but that does not flower indoors. The plant they settled on was Devil's vine,