1 . When Abdus Salam looks across the garbage-filled river near his home in one of the major clothing producing districts in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, he remembers a time before the factories moved in. “When I was young there were no clothing factories here. We used to catch fish in the river,” he said. The river beside him is now black like ink. Waste from nearby clothing factories has polluted the water.
Fashion is responsible for up to one-fifth of industrial water pollution, thanks in part to weak management and enforcement in producer countries like Bangladesh, the world’s second biggest clothing producing country, where wastewater is commonly discharged directly into rivers and streams. The wastewater not only hurts the environment, but pollutes drinking water sources.
Once in waterways, poisonous chemicals from dyes (染料) build up to the point where light is prevented from coming through the surface, reducing plants’ ability to photosynthesize (进行光合作用). This lowers oxygen levels in the water, killing plants and animals. These chemicals and heavy metals can also build up in the body, increasing the risk of serious illnesses and skin problems. What’s worse, chemical-rich water is also used to water crops, with one recent study finding that dyes were present in vegetables and fruit grown aiound Savaz, just north of Dhaka.
Luckily, change is coming. In Bangladesh, there are signs clothing producers are taking environmental responsibility more seriously, with brands committing to initiatives, such as the Partnership for Cleaner Textile, that tackle water, energy and chemical use in the industry. Shahab Uddin of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said a range of measures were being taken to address pollution, including updating conservation and environmental laws, giving fines to polluters, setting up centralized treatment plants, and working with international development partners to improve wastewater treatment. And under a new environmental policy called Zero Liquid Discharge, dyeing, finishing and washing industries must submit a time-bound plan to reduce, recycle and reuse wastewater.
“There is definitely room for further improvement. These challenges cannot be solved overnight,” Uddin added.
1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To blame clothing factories for river pollution. |
| B．To introduce Bangladesh’s clothing industry. |
| C．To call for the closure of clothing factories. |
| D．To recall the good old days in Dhaka. |
| A．It is the biggest clothing producing country. |
| B．It causes 20% of the world’ s water pollution. |
| C．It suffers from serious drinking water shortages. |
| D．It has poor control over wastewater discharge. |
| A．The difficulty of dealing with poisonous chemicals in waterways. |
| B．The chemicals from dyes negatively affecting photosynthesis. |
| C．The damaging effects of wastewater from the fashion industry. |
| D．The way to remove harmful chemicals from the food chain. |
| A．Establish centralized treatment plants. |
| B．Set a deadline for tackling wastewater. |
| C．Pay high fines for discharging wastewater. |
| D．Join international groups to treat wastewater. |
