1 . It’s no secret that inhaling (吸入) smoke is bad for your lungs. But now, scientists are suggesting smoke may also carry and spread infectious diseases. The theory, published in Science Magazine, is based on research that found wildfire smoke is crowded with thousands of species of microorganisms. Some of these microorganisms, including bacteria and fungal spores, are known to cause disease.

The new research suggests that when a wildfire burns plant or animal matter and disturbs soils, it exposes thousands of species of bacteria and fungi that otherwise might not easily become airborne (空气传播的). You might think the high heat from fire would kill these organisms, but one study mentioned in the article found that some bacteria even multiply post-fire. Scientists say the organisms attach to smoke particles, allowing them to travel thousands of miles across continents.

Dr. Peter Chen, director of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, is interested in the theory but somewhat skeptical that the microorganisms in smoke would actually cause infections. Many bacteria and fungi don’t cause lung infections, says Chen, but it’s certainly possible that a significant amount could worsen symptoms in someone with a preexisting lung condition. “I always thought it was the particles in smoke that were causing these issues,” says Chen. “But when I read this, I started thinking: Could it be the microorganisms that are also worsening existing illnesses?”

Whether the microorganisms in smoke actually cause infection or simply worsen potential respiratory (呼吸的) issues, the article raises a new health threat that is “certainly alarming”, says Kelsey Jack, an associate professor of environmental and development economics. This is especially true for lower-income populations, Jack says, because people with fewer means are often more exposed to the environment. If smoke is affecting the air quality in a certain area, the people who work outside, or who have to go to the office on foot or by bike will inhale more smoke than those who drive.

But until more research is done, Chen says the best thing people can do is just follow existing recommendations when air quality is poor—including staying indoors, keeping windows and doors closed, using HEPA filters and running air conditioning.

1. What can we know about the microorganisms from paragraph 2?

A．They could be killed by high heat.

B．They could reproduce in large numbers after fires.

C．They could possibly travel through air by themselves.

D．They can easily attach themselves to smoke particles.

2. How do most microorganisms affect people according to Dr. Peter Chen?

A．They might worsen lung diseases.	B．They will cause lung infections.
C．They will destroy living environments.	D．They might damage respiratory systems.

3. Why are low-income people suffering more than others?

A．They live in poor areas.

B．They drive to and from work.

C．They have suffered from lung disease.

D．They are exposed to polluted air more frequently.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Results of the new research.

B．Suggestions on dealing with poor air quality.

C．Disagreements between the author and Chen.

D．Benefits of preventing smoke from polluting the air.

2 . The idea of turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing is not new. During the last five years, a large number of clothing companies, businesses and environmental organizations have started turning plastics into fabric to deal with plastic pollution. But there’s a problem with this method. Research now shows that microfibers could be the biggest source of plastic in the sea.

Dr. Mark Browne in Santa Barbara, California, has been studying plastic pollution and microfibers for 10 years now. He explains that every time synthetic clothes go into a washing machine, a large number of plastic fibers fall off. Most washing machines can’t collect these microfibers. So every time the water gets out of a washing machine, microfibers are entering the sewers and finally end up in the sea.

In 2011, Browne wrote a paper stating that a single piece of synthetic(合成的) clothing can produce more than 1, 900 fibers per wash. Browne collected samples from seawater and freshwater sites around the world, and used a special way to examine each sample. He discovered that every single water sample contained microfibers.

This is bad news for a number of reasons. Plastic can cause harm to sea life when eaten. Studies have also shown that plastic can absorb other pollutants.

Based on this evidence, it may seem surprising that companies and organizations have chosen to turn plastic waste into clothing as an environmental “solution.” Even though the science has been around for a while, Browne explains that he's had a difficult time getting companies to listen. When he asked well-known clothing companies to support Benign by Design-his research project that seeks to get clothes that have a bad effect on humans and the environment out of the market, Browne didn’t get a satisfying answer. Only one women’s clothing company, Eileen Fisher, offered Browne funding.

1. What has happened during the past five years?

A．Fabric has become much stronger.	B．Plastic pollution has been less serious.
C．Many plastic bottles have been reused.	D．Microfibers have been greatly improved.

2. What does Browne think of washing synthetic clothes?

A．It is adding microfibers to the clothes.

B．It is worsening environmental problems.

C．It is making synthetic clothes last longer.

D．It is doing great damage to washing machines.

3. What can be inferred about Browne’s Benign by Design research project?

A．It has achieved great success.	B．It hasn’t got anything done.
C．It is known to very few people.	D．It is facing some difficulties.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．It’s important to learn to recycle

B．It’s never easy to solve pollution problems

C．Recycled plastic clothing: solution or pollution?

D．Are human beings moving forward or backward?

3 . 阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。

Environmental problems are becoming more and more serious all over the world. For example, cars have made the air unhealthy for people to breathe and poisonous gas is given off by factories. Trees on the hills have been cut down and waste water is being poured continuously into rivers. Furthermore, wherever we go today, we can find rubbish carelessly disposed(处理)．

There are different kinds of pollutants, each of which comes from different sources. It is necessary to identify the source of pollution, in order to make a policy to get rid of them. Different products, processes and activities of our industrialized world together form the major source of pollution.

The forms of pollution can be mainly divided into three kinds—solids，liquid and gas. These pollutants have greatly damaged our planet and continue to do so. In fact，pollution is threatening our existence. The whole ecological balance of the earth is changing. Massive destruction of environment has brought about negative effects and even posed a great threat to man’s existence.

We must face the situation that exists and take action to solve our environmental problems. For instance, new laws must be passed to place strict control over industrial pollution; the public must receive the education about the danger of pollution and raise their awareness of protecting the environment and so on.

The earth is our home and we have the duty to take care of it for ourselves and our later generations. Fortunately, more and more people have realized these problems. Measures have been taken to deal with these situations by the government. And laws have been passed to stop pollution, I hope the problems will be solved in the near future and our home will become better and better.

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4 . Three­quarters of a million tourists flock to the white beaches every year, but this booming industry has come at a price. Poisonous smoke rising from open fires, rubbish made up of plastic bottles, packets..., it’s a far cry from the white sands, clear waters and palm trees that we associate with the Maldives (马尔代夫), the paradise island holiday destination set in the Indian Ocean.

Of its 200 inhabited islands, which are spread across an area of 35, 000 square miles, 99 are good resorts (旅游胜地)．So many tourists come every year, more than double the local population. Of these, over 100, 000 travel from the UK. The capital, Male, is four times more densely populated than London. Given these facts, it’s hardly surprising that the Maldives has a waste disposal problem.

Years ago, when the tourists left, the government had to deal with a stream of rubbish. Their solution was to turn one of the islands into a dumping ground. Four miles west of Male is the country’s dumping ground, Thilafushi.What you are seeing here is a view of the Maldives on which no honeymooners would like to clap eyes.Each visitor produces 3.5 kg of waste per day.The country dumps more than 330 tons of rubbish on the island every day.

Now, since many waste boats, tired of waiting seven hours or more, directly offload their goods into the sea, the government of the Maldives has banned the dumping of waste on the island. So, the waste boats ship the rubbish to India instead.

1. The underlined part in Paragraph 1 can probably be understood as“________”．

A．It’s quite similar to

B．It’s a long distance from

C．It’s a loud shout from

D．It’s totally different from

2. What is the main cause of the waste disposal problem?

A．The large local population.

B．Too many waste boats.

C．The large number of tourists.

D．Dumping rubbish into the sea.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．It is much more crowded in Male than in London.

B．Another island will be used as a dumping ground.

C．No honeymooners are willing to visit the Maldives.

D．Waste on islands will be offloaded directly into the sea.

6 . E-waste is fast becoming a serious global problem.     1    

The source of e-waste

We live in a society that constantly produces and consumes electronic products. It is often cheaper to buy new pieces of equipment than to repair old ones. Also, through clever advertising, companies persuade consumers to replace their old TVs, mobile phones and computers for the latest models. E-waste is created when we throw away electronic equipment like this. In the EU alone, about 8.7 million tonnes of e-waste is produced each year.     2    

The problem with e-waste

Burying e-waste in landfills or burning it causes serious problems for the environment.     3     These substances can then leak into the ground in landfills or pollute the air when they are burnt.

Global recycling schemes (计划)

    4     However, their schemes are not always managed properly and sometimes electronics are just sent to poor countries such as Ghana. Here they are often burnt in public areas, which is very bad for people’s health. Setting up recycling programs in the countries that create e-waste could solve this problem. E-cycling centres could recycle the parts that we can reuse and properly dispose of the rest.

Take-back policy

Another solution to e-waste is to make manufacturers responsible for their used products. This could mean forcing them to take back old products which are no longer wanted.     5    

Consuming less

We can all reduce the amount of waste we produce by buying electrical products only when we have to.

A．In recent years, many countries have started recycling e-waste.

B．They should then make sure they are properly recycled or reused.

C．Sadly, just over one million tonnes is recycled.

D．This report will examine this problem and provide some possible solutions.

E．By resisting the temptation to buy a product just to have the latest version, we cut down on e-waste.

F．Electronics contain dangerous chemicals and metals.

G．Both manufacturers and consumers must accept their responsibilities and make efforts to keep it to a minimum.

7 . If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars, we would go in darkness happily, the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal (夜间活动的) species on this planet. Instead, we are diurnal (白天的) creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun’s light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don’t think of ourselves as diurnal beings. Yet it’s the only way to explain what we’ve done to the night: We’ve engineered it to receive us by filling _______ with light.

The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences — called light pollution — whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design, which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky. III-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels — and light rhythms — to which many forms of life, including, ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect or life is affected .

In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze (霾) that mirrors our fear of the dark. We’ve grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit night — dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadow on Earth, is wholly beyond our experience, beyond memory almost.

We’ve lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further form the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing. Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet (磁铁). The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being “captured” by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms. Migrating at night, birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings.

Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times righter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint including most other creatures ,we do need darkness .Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself.

Living in a glare of our making, we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage — the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night .In a very real sense light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe, to forget the scale of our being, which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way — the edge of our galaxy arching overhead.

1. According to the passage, human being          .

A．prefer to live in the darkness

B．are used to living in the day light

C．were curious about the midnight world

D．had to stay at home with the light of the moon

2. What does “it” (Paragraph 1) most probably refer to?

A．The night.	B．The moon.
C．The sky.	D．The planet.

3. The writer mentions birds and frogs to             .

A．provide examples of animal protection

B．show how light pollution affects animals

C．compare the living habits of both species

D．explain why the number of certain species has declined

4. It is implied in the last paragraph that             .

A．light pollution dose harm to the eyesight of animals

B．light pollution has destroyed some of the world heritages

C．human beings cannot go to the outer space

D．human beings should reflect on their position in the universe