1 . Natural gas produces half as much CO2 when burned as coal, but that doesn't make it harmless. Climate scientists say that rising production of natural gas is becoming one of the biggest driving forces of climate change and that plans for industry expansion could stop efforts to make the Earth’s climate steady. The U. S. energy industry plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars building pipelines and receiving stations in coming years to increase exports of natural gas in supercooled liquefied form, known as LNG(液化天然气).
Climate scientists are concerned about another greenhouse gas that leaks(泄漏) into the atmosphere during natural gas production: methane. Methane has a warming effect up to 80 or 90 times more powerful than CO2 over a 20-year timescale. Many companies say they have been doing more to find and fix methane leaks.
What about gas as a temporary “bridge fuel” to a cleaner future? The industry often describes natural gas as a vital “bridge” to help change from relying on coal-fired power to cleaner sources of energy. Advocates of natural gas argue that gas-fired power plants can provide continuous electricity, backing up wind and solar operations. Climate scientists are increasingly concerned, however, that plans to expand the industry a lot mean that using natural gas as a “bridge” could end up locking the world into a high-carbon and fast-warming future.
1. What does burning natural gas result in compared with burning coal?| A．Producing more greenhouses. | B．Making air much dirtier. |
| C．Providing less electricity. | D．Giving off 1/2 CO2 |
| A．Expand exports of LNG. |
| B．Find and fix methane leaks. |
| C．Make the Earth’s climate steady. |
| D．Build pipelines and oil stations. |
| A．burning natural gas does no harm to the climate |
| B．natural gas is a vital “bridge” to help rely on coal-burned power |
| C．the natural gas production is the smallest driving force of climate change |
| D．methane is a more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2 in a warming effect |
| A．Efforts to avoid climate disaster. |
| B．Worries about a warming future. |
| C．Plans for expanding gas industry. |
| D．Ways to produce cleaner natural gas. |
2 . The Blue Planet Ⅱ's latest episode focuses on how the plastic is having a destructive effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastics in their stomachs. Indeed, oceans are drowned in plastics.
Though it seems that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics, plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s, the same decade when plastic packaging began gaining popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.
We put all these plastics into the environment, but we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. The ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastics in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.
And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see the ocean plastic as a disaster, worth being mentioned in the same breath as climate change. But the ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers(否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don't have to remake our planet energy system.
This is not a problem where we don't know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to deal with it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single-use plastic products. Things may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag, but when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference.
1. Why is plastic pollution research still a very early science?| A．The plastics pollution research is too difficult. |
| B．Plastics have produced less pollution than coal. |
| C．The world couldn't possibly function without plastics. |
| D．Plastics have gained popularity too fast for science to catch up with. |
| A．By citing quotes from leading experts. |
| B．By making a comparison and contrast. |
| C．By presenting solid statistics. |
| D．By listing examples from his own experience. |
| A．We reap（收获） what we sow. |
| B．The shortest answer is doing. |
| C．All things are difficult before they are easy. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
| A．The oceans become choked with plastics. |
| B．The ocean plastic is a global issue. |
| C．The Blue Planet Ⅱ Has left viewers heartbroken. |
| D．Plastics gain popularity all over the world. |
3 . A recent study published in the journal Science Advances has revealed that the United States ranks as high as third among countries contributing to coastal plastic pollution. The new research challenges the once-held assumption that the US is adequately “managing” its plastic waste. A previous study using 2010 data that did not account for plastic waste exports had ranked the US 20th, globally, in its contribution to ocean plastic pollution.
Using plastic waste generation (产生) data from 2016 — the latest available global numbers — scientists calculated that more than half of all plastics collected for recycling (1.99 million tons of 3.91 million tons collected) in the US were shipped abroad. Of this, 88% of exports went to countries struggling to effectively manage plastics; and between 15-25% was low-value or contaminated (受污染的). It means it was unrecyclable. Taking these factors into account, the researchers estimated that up to 1 million tons of US-generated plastic waste ended up polluting the environment beyond its own borders.
Using 2016 data, the paper also estimated that between 0.91 and 1.25 million tons of plastic waste generated in the US was either littered or illegally dumped into the environment domestically. Combined with waste exports, this means the US contributed up to 2.25 million tons of plastics into the environment. Of this, up to 1.5 million tons of plastics ended up in coastal environments. This ranks the US as high as third globally in contributing to coastal plastic pollution.
“The US generates the most plastic waste of any other country in the world, but rather than looking the problem in the eye, we have outsourced it to developing countries,” said Nick Mallos, senior director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas program and a co-author of the study. “The solution has to start at home. We need to create less, by cutting out unnecessary single-use plastics; we need to create better, by developing innovative new ways to package and deliver goods; and where plastics are inevitable, we need to greatly improve our recycling rates.”
“Previous research has provided global values for plastic input into the environment and coastal areas, but detailed analyses like this one are important for individual countries to further assess their contributions,” said Dr. Jenna Jambeck, Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia’s College of Engineering and a co-author of the study. “In the case of the United States, it is critically important that we examine our own backyard and take responsibility for our global plastic footprint.”
1. Compared with the previous study, the new one ________.| A．covers data more comprehensively |
| B．excludes plastic waste shipped abroad |
| C．is contrary to the latest global numbers |
| D．challenges the recycling way of plastics |
| A．Over half of it ended up polluting the environment outside the US. |
| B．Most of its exported plastic waste wasn’t worth recycling. |
| C．Less than half of it was actually recycled domestically. |
| D．More of it is littered or illegally dumped than exported. |
| A．plastic pollution in developing countries is more serious |
| B．US has been irresponsible in dealing with its plastic waste |
| C．US should cooperate with others to handle its plastic waste |
| D．innovative means are needed to eliminate single-use plastics |
| A．Plastic Pollution Great Risk to Marine Life |
| B．US Top Contributor to Coastal Plastic Pollution |
| C．Plastic Waste Major Source of Coastal Pollution |
| D．Recycling Effective Way to Address Plastic Waste |
4 . During a waste collection session in May at the base of Mount Qomolangma, in the Tibet Autonomous Region, participants put garbage（mostly plastics）into bags and prepared to transport them downhill.
Dressed in camouflage and a blue vest, Samdrub dragged a sack to a blue truck parked a few hundred meters away. Scores of similar sacks were piled up along the roadside, waiting to be loaded onto the vehicle. Not far away, a couple of sheep roamed the deserted land looking for grass. “Loads of it here. Loads of it. This is the fifth consecutive time we have come here and we still haven’t finished the clean-up, ” said Samdrub, 64, who, like many Tibetans only uses one name. Samdrub and her companions are members of a regular clean-up campaign organized by the Lhasa Ban-White Association, an environmental advocacy group that taps the volunteer spirit to control abandoned plastic trash, also known as “white pollution”. The volunteers are of all ages and come from different walks of life. Now retired and with time to kill, Samdrub and her friends have taken to the city’s ravines and riverbanks to battle the pollution. “In recent years, I’ve read reports that livestock choked and died after eating plastic. I was born and raised in rural Shigatse, and I know how big a financial loss that is for herders. ” Samdrub said.
Tersing Dorji, 62, a member of the Lhasa Ban-White Association, said the worst pollution results from rural farmers’ markets and the common use of plastic bags, which are super-thin and relatively expensive to recycle. “They are of various colors and very light, and when the wind blows they fly everywhere. ” she said.
A rule was then implemented by authorities in Lhasa that banned the production of super-thin plastics and ordered retailers to charge customers a fee if they wanted a regular plastic bag. The ban was later extended to the entire region. It has worked well generally, especially in supermarkets and other large operations, where additional charges for plastic bags have prompted many shoppers to opt for reusable items, such as cloth bags.
1. Why do the local volunteers like Samdrub participate in waste collection?| A．They are retired and have little time left. |
| B．They can make money by collecting waste. |
| C．They are encouraged by an environmental group. |
| D．They fight against pollution to help the Tibetans. |
| A．It will soon finish with people’s efforts. |
| B．People put it into sacks and dragged them downhill. |
| C．Clean-up campaigns are regularly organized to battle it. |
| D．It has been the main cause that leads to the death of livestock. |
| A．Caused. | B．Advised. | C．Promised. | D．Supported. |
| A．Ban on Plastic Bags |
| B．Pollution Caused by Plastic Bags |
| C．Action Against Plastic Waste in Tibet |
| D．Waste Collection Participated in by Locals |
5 . A new research shows human activity is changing the sound of the Earth's oceans and seas. Scientists say the sound changes of our oceans, seas, and other waterways affect many marine (海洋的) animals - from very small shrimps to huge whales.
Sound travels very far underwater, Francis Juanes, an ecologist at the University of Victoria in Canada, told the Associated Press. For fish, he explained, sound is probably a better way to sense their environment than light. Sounds help fish and other marine animals survive and communicate with each other. Sounds also help some ocean animals find food and avoid their hunters.
However, increased noise from humans is making it harder for these animals to hear each other. The noise is coming from shipping traffic, underwater exploration, and other noisy human activities. For many marine animals, their attempts to communicate are being masked by sounds that humans have produced. Experts explain that masking happens when one or more noises in the water block sound important to a marine animal's living. The overall number of marine animals has gone down by about half since 1970. Some studies show the stress from human noise might also affect the immune system as well as reproductive health or behavior. Imagine having to raise your kids in a place that's noisy all the time," said Joe Roman, a marine ecologist at the University of Vermont.
"When people think of problems facing the ocean, we often think of climate change, plastics, and overfishing. But noise pollution is another thing we need to be monitoring. Sound pollution may be easier to deal with than other ocean problems," Scientist Juanes says. "If we make something for the ocean, think about how to make it quieter."
1. Why is sound underwater important for ocean animals?| A．It changes with light. | B．It helps them judge and contact. |
| C．It travels very fast. | D．It guides fishermen to find where they are. |
| A．Underwater exploration must be stopped. |
| B．Kids exposed to noise can’t be healthy. |
| C．Human noise brings stress to marine animals. |
| D．Marine animals have got used to sound changes. |
| A．To introduce the principle of sounds. |
| B．To draw attention to ocean noise. |
| C．To show the effects of human activities。 |
| D．To share a method of studying oceans. |
| A．How to protect marine animals. |
| B．What is the main cause of sea pollution. |
| C．How to keep the number of marine animals. |
| D．What to do to reduce sound pollution in the ocean. |
6 . There will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050. That is what a new report from the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation warns. If the current trend continues, the report said, oceans will contain one ton of plastic for every three tons of fish in 2025. By 2050, plastics will weigh more than fish. The problem is that each year at least 8 million tons of plastics end up in oceans around the world. This is the same as dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute.
Not all plastic ends up in the ocean because someone throws a plastic bottle into the water. Plastic containers and other trash thrown onto streets and sidewalks often are swept into oceans. Unlike other types of trash in the ocean, the plastic never bio-degrades. There is a way to slow the amount of plastics going into the oceans — people can recycle more. Currently only about 14 percent of plastics are recycled. Research in Europe shows as much as 53 percent of plastic could be recycled using available technology. The report says that another solution is using less plastic for packaging products. But that is not likely to happen.
“Given plastic packaging’s many benefits, both the possibility and desirability of an across-the-board dramatic reduction in the volume of plastic packaging used is clearly low, ”the report said. But the authors note reducing the use of plastics should be tried“where possible. ”For decades, scientists warned that plastics are killing fish. Research shows that fish are dying from choking after eating plastics. Another cause of death is that plastics cause“intestinal blockage and starvation, ”the environmental group said.
1. Why is the garbage truck mentioned in Paragraph 1 ?| A．To explain how plastics end up in the ocean. |
| B．To warn people against the ocean pollution. |
| C．To clarify the seriousness of the problem. |
| D．To point out some details of the report. |
| A．There is too much of it. | B．It poisons the ocean water. |
| C．It is from different sources. | D．It is hard to break down. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Curious. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Terrified. |
| A．People are not aware of the problem. | B．Recycling is limited by lack of technology. |
| C．Plastic packaging has become part of our life. | D．Fish in the ocean will be replaced by plastics. |
7 . The World Health Organization warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. Nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, heating as well as lighting.
These findings show that the use of deadly fuels in inefficient stoves, space heaters or lights is to blame for many of these deaths.
WHO officials say indoor pollution leads to early deaths from stroke, heart and lung disease, childhood pneumonia and lung cancer. Women and girls are the main victims. These diseases can often result from the burning of solid fuels. These fuels include wood, coal, animal waste, crop waste and charcoal.
The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatermala and Peru,are also at risk.
Nigel Brace is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good cook-stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way.There are already multiple technologies available for use in clean fuels.There is really quite an effective and reasonably low-cost alcohol stove made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company) that is now being tested out. LPG (Liquefield Petroleum Gas) cook is obviously widely available and efforts are under way to make those efficient. Another interesting development is electric induction stoves. WHO experts note that some new, safe and low-cost technologies that could help are already available. In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8.00. And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1.00.
But this,the agency says, is just a start. It is urging developing countries to use cleaner fuels and increase access to cleaner and more modern cooking and heating appliances/devices.
1. What does the indoor pollution mainly result from?| A．Poisonous fuels. | B．High technology. | C．Space heaters. | D．Solar energy. |
| A．By showing differences. | B．By describing a process. |
| C．By making a list. | D．By analyzing data. |
| A．Indoor pollution results in some deaths. |
| B．Most of the deaths are in developing countries. |
| C．The solid fuels are used in more effective ways. |
| D．There is no indoor pollution in developed countries. |
| A．LPG cooks are being tested out. | B．Alcohol stoves are widely used now. |
| C．Electric induction stoves are expensive. | D．Solar lamps are very cheap in Africa. |
Air pollution is no doubt a major concern in many big cities across the world. More than 80% of people living in urban areas
“Urban air pollution continues to rise at
In the past two years, the number of cities monitoring air pollution
The report also showed that low-and middle income countries
9 . You’ve heard that plastic is polluting the oceans — between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter ocean ecosystems every year. But does one plastic straw or cup really make a difference? Artist Benjamin Von Wong wants you to know that it does. He builds massive sculptures out of plastic garbage, forcing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.
At the beginning of the year, the artist built a piece called “Strawpocalypse,” a pair of 10-foot-tall plastic waves, frozen mid-crash. Made of 168,000 plastic straws collected from several volunteer beach cleanups, the sculpture made its first appearance at the Estella Place shopping center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled. Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source (来源) of plastic pollution, but they’ve recently come under fire because most people don’t need them to drink with and, because of their small size and weight, they cannot be recycled. Every straw that’s part of Von Wong’s artwork likely came from a drink that someone used for only a few minutes. Once the drink is gone, the straw will take centuries to disappear.
In a piece from 2018, Von Wong wanted to illustrate (说明) a specific statistic: Every 60 seconds, a truckload’s worth of plastic enters the ocean. For this work, titled “Truckload of Plastic,” Von Wong and a group of volunteers collected more than 10,000 pieces of plastic, which were then tied together to look like they’d been dumped (倾倒) from a truck all at once.
Von Wong hopes that his work will also help pressure big companies to reduce their plastic footprint.
1. What are Von Wong’s artworks intended for?| A．Beautifying the city he lives in. | B．Introducing eco-friendly products. |
| C．Drawing public attention to plastic waste. | D．Reducing garbage on the beach. |
| A．To show the difficulty of their recycling. |
| B．To explain why they are useful. |
| C．To voice his views on modern art. |
| D．To find a substitute for them. |
| A．Calming. | B．Disturbing. |
| C．Refreshing. | D．Challenging. |
| A．Artists’ Opinions on Plastic Safety |
| B．Media Interest in Contemporary Art |
| C．Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies |
| D．Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures |
10 . Angela never liked seeing plastic waste washed up on the shore near her home. She had been
Here's how it
The Washed Ashore team is now working on sculpture of a dolphin, with
| A．offering | B．longing | C．admitting | D．hesitating |
| A．landscape | B．world | C．surface | D．situation |
| A．attempt | B．choice | C．program | D．instruction |
| A．walks | B．applies | C．functions | D．prepares |
| A．stopping | B．presenting | C．delivering | D．employing |
| A．waste | B．floor | C．waves | D．creatures |
| A．rethink | B．remark | C．confirm | D．announce |
| A．Generally | B．Hopefully | C．Fortunately | D．Surprisingly |
| A．achieved | B．observed | C．purchased | D．recommended |
| A．devoted | B．surprised | C．grateful | D．adventurous |
| A．guides | B．managers | C．advertisements | D．exhibitions |
| A．folk | B．simple | C．special | D．strange |
| A．plans | B．calls | C．elements | D．exchanges |
| A．get down to | B．keep away from | C．get rid of | D．end up with |
| A．answer | B．appeal | C．warning | D．response |
