1 . Natural selection is the process by which one type of animal within a species grows or develops well because of certain features that make it more likely(可能的) to live than others in its group. The history of the peppered moth (灰蛾) is an example of the natural selection process.
In nineteenth-century England, certain types of peppered moths were able to better blend (融合) into their surroundings. During that time period, great changes were happening in Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution was part of this change, and with it came air pollution. Natural selection often takes hundreds or even thousands of years to happen. For the peppered moth, this process happened comparatively(相对地) quickly.
At the beginning of the Industrial Age, most peppered moths in England were light-colored and covered with black markings, although a few moths had dark-colored wings. Because the light-colored moths blended into the light-colored bark on the trees, they could not be easily seen by birds that would eat them. As the air grew more polluted, however, tree trunks became covered with soot (煤烟) and became darker. The light-colored moths became easy for birds to see against the dark tree trunks. Since the dark-colored moths now had the advantage, their numbers grew. Within 50 years, the peppered moth went from being mostly light-colored to being mostly dark-colored.
In the twentieth century, the air cleared up, and the peppered moth population changed again. As tree trunks lightened because of less soot in the air, light-colored moths once again had an advantage. Their numbers increased as soot levels dropped. Depending on their environment, the coloration of the moths helped them to be “naturally selected” to survive(生存).
1. What do we know about the peppered moth’s natural selection process?| A．It was a good example of environmental protection. |
| B．The soot levels in England did not affect it. |
| C．This type of color change was typical for moths. |
| D．The length of time was unusual. |
| A．Both kinds of moths preferred the dark-colored trees. |
| B．Birds failed to see light-colored moths. |
| C．There were more light-colored moths than dark-colored moths in the beginning. |
| D．The color of moths was unimportant. |
| A．Birds would eat fewer moths. |
| B．Light-colored moths would disturb people’s life. |
| C．Moths would not be able to stay alive. |
| D．The population of dark-colored moths would increase. |
| A．the surrounding environment may affect some peppered moths’ survival |
| B．birds preferred to eat dark-colored moths than to light-colored ones |
| C．different types of peppered moths liked different kinds of tree trunk |
| D．birds were dangerously affected by the soot levels |
2 . Car tyres produce particles (微粒) when picking up speed or stopping, which are considered by environmental scientists to be one of the most significant sources of microplastics in the ocean. Rainfall and wind carry them into rivers and the sea. They are also released into the atmosphere, where they can circulate into the ocean and back again. A 2020 study suggested windblown microplastics are a bigger source of ocean pollution than rivers.
While it is difficult to pin down the exact composition of microplastics, there is plenty of research which points to tyre dust making up a significant portion. In 2017, a global model found tyre wear to be the second largest source of primary microplatics in the ocean, at 28%. And in 2019, a report by scientists across Europe concluded abrasion (磨损) from car tyres was a large source of microplastics. While there remains a lack of data on risks to the environment and human health, the scientists concluded that if future emissions remain constant or increase, the ecological risks could be widespread within a century.
Tyre-wear particles are ubiquitous. The average tyre loses 4 kg over its lifetime, and tyre particles have been found everywhere from the deep sea to the atmosphere, even in the Arctic and the Antarctic.
The study of microplastic is just beginning. Fewer than 100 scientific papers about them have been published to date, all of them in the last decade. Edward Kolodziej, a professor at the University of Washington, cites two studies from China showing that tyre dust is an important contributor to urban air pollution. “There’re unknown chemicals present in these things that are ending up in our lungs.”
Experts call for more transparency from the tyre companies. “But the formula is what gives a manufacturer competitive advantage. Sharing ingredients is difficult and complicated. Very few people, except manufacturers, know what’s in the tyres,” said Allen. “When it comes to microplastic, we don’t know what a safe level is and we may have already passed it.”
1. What did the global model find about car tyres?| A．They cause more pollution to the sea than to rivers. |
| B．Their exact composition can be tracked down. |
| C．Tyre particles are one of the largest sea pollutants. |
| D．They have caused great risk to human survival. |
| A．Widespread. | B．Dangerous. |
| C．Complex. | D．Unique. |
| A．The two studies from China are leading the fashion. |
| B．The unknown chemicals in the air are dangerous. |
| C．Tyre particles are a major pollutant in the air in cities. |
| D．Further research should be done about tyre particles. |
| A．Tyres are to blame as a pollutant in the ocean. |
| B．Tyre companies should act against microplastic. |
| C．Tyre dust becomes a huge threat to ocean life. |
| D．Safety levels of microplastic have been raised. |
3 . Natural selection is the process by which one type of animal within a species thrives (兴旺) because of certain characteristics that make it more likely to live than others in its group. The history of the peppered moth (灰蛾) is an example of the natural selection process.
In nineteenth-century England, certain types of peppered moths were able to better blend (融合) into their surroundings. During that time period, great changes were happening in Great Britain. The Industrial Revolution was part of this change, and with it came air pollution. Natural selection often takes hundreds or even thousands of years to occur. For the peppered moth, this process occurred comparatively quickly.
At the beginning of the Industrial Age most peppered moths in England were light-colored and covered with black markings, although a few moths had dark-colored wings. Because the light-colored moths blended into the light-colored bark on the trees, they could not be easily seen by birds that would eat them. The light-colored moths became easy for birds to see against the dark tree trunks. Since the dark-colored moths now had the advantage, their numbers grew. Within 50 years, the peppered moth went from being mostly light-colored to being mostly dark-colored.
In the twentieth century, the air cleared up, and the peppered moth population changed again. As tree trunks lightened due to less soot in the air, light-colored moths once again had an advantage. Their numbers increased as soot levels declined. Depending on their environment, the coloration of the moths helped them to be “naturally selected” to survive.
1. What do we know about the peppered moth’s natural selection process?| A．It was a good example of environmental protection |
| B．The soot levels in England did not affect it. |
| C．This type of color change was typical for moths. |
| D．The length of time was unusual. |
| A．Both kinds of moths preferred the dark-colored trees. |
| B．Birds failed to see light-colored moths blending into the light-colored bark on the trees. |
| C．There were more light-colored moths than dark-colored moths. |
| D．The color of moths was unimportant |
| A．Birds would eat fewer moths. |
| B．The population of dark-colored moths would increase. |
| C．Moths would not be able to stay alive. |
| D．Light-colored moths would disturb people’s life. |
| A．there were always many peppered moths |
| B．birds preferred to eat dark-colored moths |
| C．creatures changed colors to adapt to the environment |
| D．birds were dangerously affected by the soot levels |
4 . Just when you thought you were taking care of your health by eating enough fruit and vegetables every day, new research has come out revealing that you might be swallowing microplastic particles (颗粒) along with all those vitamins, minerals, and fibre. A groundbreaking study published in the journal Environmental Research has found that fruits and vegetables absorb microplastic particles from the soil and move them through vegetal tissues, where they remain until eaten by hungry diners, thus getting transferred to human bodies.
The researchers, who are from the University of Catania in Italy, as well as Sousse and Monastir universities in Tunisia, analyzed a variety of common fruits and vegetables — carrots, lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, apples, and pears. These were chosen for the fact that they are frequently consumed, usually one per day, which allowed the researchers to better assess the dietary intakes of MPs (microplastic particles) and NPs (nano-plastics). The samples were purchased from different sources in the city of Catania, including a small fruit vendor and a supermarket.
The researchers found that apples, followed by pears, were the most polluted fruit samples, and carrots were the most polluted vegetable. In the study’s discussion section, the authors wrote, “We can assume that the fruits contain more MPs not only because of the very high vascularization(血管化) of the fruit pulp(果肉) but also due to the greater size and complexity of the root system and age of the tree (several years) compared to the vegetables (60–75 days for the carrot). ”
This study is important because it’s the first to detect microplastics in fruits and vegetables.
They have been found in other sources before, such as sea salt, beer, water (bottled, in particular), shellfish, sugar, soil, and even air, but never inside fresh produce. It’s an alarming discovery that raises yet another red flag about microplastic pollution in the natural environment.
It’s an area that will likely see a lot more attention in coming years, with the study authors calling for further research into the question of microplastic and whether it harms the health of both plants and humans.
1. What is the study about?| A．The main cause of soil pollution. |
| B．The great changes in people’s diets. |
| C．The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables. |
| D．The microplastic pollution in fruits and vegetables. |
| A．To lower the cost of the study. |
| B．To gain widespread acceptance. |
| C．To improve the accuracy of the study. |
| D．To reduce the time for preparing the samples. |
| A．The deep spreading roots. |
| B．The long growth period of fruit trees. |
| C．The complex preservation method. |
| D．The large amounts of the fruit pulp. |
| A．It needs to be further studied. |
| B．It wasted them quite a lot of time. |
| C．It has raised people’s awareness of health. |
| D．It has attracted people’s attention to diets. |
5 . Coca-Cola announced on Wednesday that it will begin transitioning (转变) from green to clear plastic on Aug. I to increase the material’s likelihood of being remade into new beverage (饮料) bottles. The beverage giant is committed to making 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025 and using at least 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030.
Sprite, an important brand of Coca-Cola, currently uses plastic bottles containg a green additive called Polyethylene Telephthalate (PET). These bottles are commonly changed into single-use items like clothing and carpeting that can’t be recycled into new PET bottles.
“Taking colors out of bottles improves the quality of the recycled material,” said Julian Ochoa, CEO of R3CYCLE, which is working with Coca-Cola to improve bottle-to-bottle recycling. “When recycled, clear PET Sprite bottles can be remade into bottles, helping drive a circular economy for plastic.”
Sprite, the popular lemon-flavored soft drink, which first hit shelves in 1961, is also getting a new logo and packaging design. Sprite’s packaging will keep the brand’s recognizable green colour and include noticeable “Recycle Me” message. Other drinks that use green bottles, including Fresca, Seagram’s, and Mello Yello, will also transition to clear packaging in the coming months.
Both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have been criticized for contributing to the world’s plastic pollution. In 2021, both companies ranked as the world’s top plastic polluters for the 4th consecutive (连续的) year by the environmental organization Break Free From Plastic. Global beach cleanups were carried out by more than 11,000 volunteers in 45 countries to identify the most common plastic polluters. Break Free From Plastic found that 20,000 Coca-Cola branded products were picked up, representing more pollution than the next two top polluters combined.
Coca-Cola announced its “World Without Waste” sustainable packaging program in 2018, in which it promised to make all of its packaging recyclable — excluding the caps and labels — as well as have at least 25% of its beverages sold in refillable packaging by 2030.
1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To state the main idea of the text. | B．To introduce Coca-Cola’s new product. |
| C．To give the news’ background information. | D．To draw people’s s attention to Coca-Cola. |
| A．Their material is of low quality. |
| B．They can only be changed into single-use items. |
| C．They contain more pollutants than clear bottles. |
| D．They are more expensive to recycle. |
| A．20,000 Coca-Cola products were produced in 2021. |
| B．Plastic was the most common polluter in 45 countries. |
| C．The top three and four polluters made less pollution than Coca-Cola in 2021. |
| D．Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were responsible for the environmental protection. |
| A．Coca-Cola’s releasing new soft drinks. |
| B．“Recycle Me” message on the clear Sprite bottle. |
| C．Colored bottles decreasing the quality of the recycled material. |
| D．Sprite retiring its signature green plastic bottles after more than 60 years. |
| 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.
7 . The amount of plastic in our oceans-and thus in our seafood-is rising. A study says Europeans alone throw about 11,000 small pieces of plastic every year. And unless we make some very big changes, that number could reach 780,000 pieces per person within a few decades.
Microplastics are popular additives(添加剂)to a wide range of personal care products, from face wash to toothpaste. We wash them off and send them down the drain(下水道), where they head out into the water supply. And there they’ll stay, absorbing chemicals, until something or somebody comes along and eats them.
Studies have found that fish that consume microplastics are smaller than others. They refuse real food in favor of more plastic. Their eggs are less likely to hatch, and they are less likely to escape from other hunters.
Researchers at the University of Ghent in Belgium have been studying the effects of microplastics on shellfish(海贝). The average shellfish sucks(吮吸)in and spits(吐)out about 20 liters of water per day. Most of the plastic particles in that water will be sent back out into the ocean. Most, but not all; lead researcher Colin Janssen says the shellfish they examined had an average of one tiny plastic piece.
Janssen and his colleagues say the same process occurs in humans who consume shellfish. About 99 percent of the microplastics will pass through your system. That still leaves 1 percent to stay in the body, and we don’t yet know what that means for our health.
“We do need to know the fate of the plastics,” Janssen said. “Where do they go? Are they forgotten about by the body, or are they causing inflammation (炎症) or doing other things? Are chemicals coming out of these plastics and then causing damage? We don’t know.”
1. What does the underlined word “They” refer to in paragraph 3?| A．The researchers in the study. |
| B．The fish which eat the small fish in the ocean. |
| C．The common people who eat fish and seashell. |
| D．The small fish which eat plastic pieces. |
| A．It will be easier to catch them. |
| B．Their population will get smaller and smaller. |
| C．They will help reduce the amount of plastic pieces in the ocean. |
| D．People will find it an effective way to deal with water pollution. |
| A．It means developing a good taste in delicious food. |
| B．It means that eating sea creatures is dangerous. |
| C．It means storing plastic in the human bodies. |
| D．It means that plastic shellfish can take the place of real one. |
| A．No one will be sure of its effects. | B．They will lead to some strange diseases. |
| C．They will be forgotten. | D．They will give off some poisonous chemicals. |
Since people can’t always eat out or cook for
9 . Pollution is one of the biggest problems in the world today. In many places, rubbish is thrown into lakes and rivers.
In some cities, the air is filled with pollution.
If we do not act to improve the environment, more living things will be killed by pollution.
If we can do these, we will make the world a better place to live in.
| A．This makes some old people and children ill. |
| B．As well as people, animals are also harmed by pollution. |
| C．We can make our lakes and rivers cleaner and cleaner. |
| D．It’s time for all of us to take action right away! |
| E．Because of this, these places have already been polluted. |
| F．Trees reduce dust and help keep the air clean. |
| G．A few of us should take action to protect the environment. |
10 . An Ontario teen is making waves by turning old fishing gear (用具) into new treasures. Since last year, Natalie, 15, has been taking lost or thrown — away fishing nets and rope and transforming them into bracelets, rope art, mats, baskets and necklaces.
Last year, Natalie was working on an assignment for her science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) class. As part of the assignment, she learned about “ghost nets”, which are fishing nets that have been left or lost in the ocean by people who fish.
“They have huge effects on our environment. They can kill coral reefs and many animals,” said Natalie. “46 percent of the Pacific garbage is ghost gear.” The Great Pacific Garbage is a huge collection of trash floating in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California.
Natalie told her mom she wanted to do something to help. She got in touch with a handful of charities, including the Sea Protection Society and Coastal Action.
After getting some shipments of ghost nets and rope from those organizations, Natalie, with the help of her family, started turning the discarded gear into new artworks. “We’ve made bracelets, rope art, mats, baskets, and we’ve made necklaces, which also use beach glass in them,” she said. Natalie then started selling the artworks online, the crafty buying and selling website.
She donated all her profits — minus a small sum of change to cover supplies— to the charities that donated fishing supplies to her. She’s also been donating all the income from her non-profit business, called Nautical Waters, to charity. Natalie said she hoped to continue her passion for ocean life, with plans to study marine biology in university.
1. How did Natalie help with ghost nets?| A．By turning them into artworks. |
| B．By collecting money from charities. |
| C．By asking support from her mother. |
| D．By selling ghost nets at a good price. |
| A．To prepare for her study in university. |
| B．To collect supplies for the artworks. |
| C．To protect coral reefs and marine animals. |
| D．To complete an assignment for her STEM class. |
| A．Waste. | B．Virtual. | C．Polluted. | D．Discovered. |
| A．Charities Make a Big Difference | B．Ghost Nets Ready for Sale |
| C．Natalie’s Passion for Ocean Treasures | D．Teen Turns Old Fishing Nets into Artworks |
