1 . We talk a lot about air pollution. Here in Hong Kong we always complain about light pollution as well. Then, there is noise pollution. It’s the same in many cities around the world. In Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, people have been complaining about/the noise made by drivers who continually sound their car horns (喇). That is until recently, when something was finally done about it.
‘The Chief District Officer of Kathmandu had received many. complaints about horn pollution. He said that everyone felt the use of the car horn in recent years had become excessive. Researchers in Kathmandu found that for about 80 percent of the time, it really was not necessary for drivers to use their car horns. Sounding the horn to make a noise had become more of a habit. It was no longer being used as it was supposed to be used: to warn people of danger.
At the beginning of the Nepali New Year in 2017, the local government passed a law to ban the use of car horns unless used correctly.
Within six months, 11,000 fines (罚款) had been collected by the local traffic police. The fine was about HK S360. A taxi driver in Kathmandu can make about HK S1,000 per day, so he could lose about one-third of his money it he broke the law.
As usual, there were many complaints from drivers. They said that cows and dogs were free to walk on the roads. They always caused danger. Sounding a car horn was the only way to get them to move out of the way. And although there were quite a few traffic lights in the streets of Kathmandu, very few of them worked. This meant there was often a traffic mess.
The ban on using a car horn went ahead, and within a few weeks the streets of Nepal’s capital were quieter-even though they were still just as busy. Because of the ban, drivers are a little more careful when they drive. Fewer accidents have been reported. The local government says the horn ban will now be copied in other areas of Nepal.
1. What do Hong Kong and Kathmandu have in common?A.Both have been troubled by factory pollution. |
B.Both have succeeded in fighting air pollution. |
C.Both have been faced with the problem of noise pollution. |
D.Both have received many complaints about horn pollution. |
A.Car drivers usually use car horns unnecessarily. | B.The cars are becoming more and more. |
C.Care drivers use car horns as a warning. | D.Everyone complain about the horn pollution. |
A.In 2016. | B.In 2017. | C.In 2018. | D.In 2019. |
A.No traffic lights in the streets can work. | B.The traffic on the roads is not very smooth. |
C.Animals are not allowed to walk on the streets. | D.Drivers are required to drive on one-way streets. |
A.It is useful. | B.It is worrying. | C.It is interesting. | D.It is embarrassing. |
2 . In the old days, when you had to drive to a movie theater or to a video store to get some entertainment, it was easy to see how your actions could have an impact on the environment. You were hopping into your car, driving across town, and using gas all the way.
But now that we’re used to staying at home and streaming movies, we might feel better about ourselves. After all, we’re just picking up our phones or maybe turning on the TV. You’re welcome, Mother Nature.
“Not so fast,” says a recent report from the French-based Shift Project. Watching a half-hour show would lead to 3.5 pounds of CO₂ emissions. That’s like driving 3.9 miles. According to “Climate Crisis: The Unsustainable Use of Online Video,” digital technologies are responsible for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions, and that energy use is increasing by 9% a year. Stored in data centers, videos are transferred to our terminals such as computers, smart phones, etc. via networks: all these processes require electricity whose production consumes resources and usually involves CO₂ emissions.
In the European Union, the Eureca project lead scientist, Rabih Bashroush, calculated that 5 billion downloads and streams of the song “Despacito” consumed as much electricity as the countries of Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic used in a single year.
Streaming is only expected to increase as we become more attached to our devices. Online video use is expected to account for 80% of all internet traffic in five years according to CISCO. By then, about 60% of the world’s population will be online.
You’re probubly not going to give up your streaming services, but there are things you can do to help lessen the impact of your online use.
Here are some tips:
Disable autoplay for video on social media.
Stream over Wi-Fi, not mobile networks.
Watch on the smallest screen you can.
Don’t use high-definition (高清) video on devices.
1. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that people think ______.A.they should welcome Mother Nature |
B.streaming at home avoids possible emissions |
C.it is inconvenient to drive to a movie theater |
D.watching movies at home is more fun |
A.60% of the world’s population watch videos online |
B.digital technologies account for 4% of electricity use |
C.online video use makes up 80% of all internet traffic |
D.30 minutes of streaming video may produce 3.5 pounds of CO₂ |
A.To praise their energy-efficient practice. |
B.To prove the poverty of the five countries |
C.To stress the popularity of the song “Despacito” |
D.To show the high energy use of downloads and streams |
A.Use high-definition videos. | B.Turn off video autoplay |
C.Stream over mobile networks. | D.Watch movies on bigger screens. |
3 . For most of human history, the stars shone brightly in a dark night sky. But today, cities and towns, increasingly lit by artificial light at night, dramatically reduce the visibility of stars.
Satellite data suggests that light pollution has been increasing in many parts of the world over the last decade. However, satellites miss the blue light of LEDs (发光的二极管), which are commonly used for outdoor lighting, resulting in an underestimate of light pollution.
An international citizen science project called Globe at Night (环球夜景) aims to measure how everyday people’s view of the sky is changing. The data shows that the night sky got, on average, 9.6% brighter every year. For many people, the night sky today is twice as bright as it was eight years ago. The brighter the sky, the fewer stars you can see. If this trend continues, a child born today in a place where 250 stars are visible now would only be able to see 100 stars on his/her 18th birthday.
The main factors leading to increasing brightness of the night sky are industrialization and the growing use of LEDs for outdoor lighting. The loss of dark skies threatens our ability as astronomers to do good science. But everyday people feel this loss too. Starry night skies have inspired artists, writers, musicians and philosophers for thousands of years. Light pollution also has a bad effect on the daily cycle of light and dark that plants and animals use to adjust their lifestyle. Two-thirds of the world’s key biodiversity (生物多样性) areas are affected by light pollution.
Individuals and their communities can make simple changes to reduce light pollution. The secret is using the right amount of light, in the right place and at the right time. Making outdoor lights shine downward, using lights that give out more yellow-colored light instead of white light and putting on light timers can all help reduce light pollution. A view of about 2,500 stars in a truly dark sky might convince you that dark skies are a resource worth saving.
1. How is the first paragraph mainly developed?A.By giving an example. | B.By making a comparison. |
C.By reaching a conclusion. | D.By raising a question. |
A.The light pollution is getting more serious. |
B.The night sky today gets darker than before. |
C.It’s difficult to imagine a child’s fast growth. |
D.LEDs are commonly used for outdoor lighting. |
A.The bad effects of light pollution. | B.The factors causing light pollution. |
C.The functions of starry night skies. | D.Key biodiversity areas in the world. |
A.To explain a phenomenon. | B.To suggest a solution. |
C.To remember a scientist. | D.To increase public awareness. |
4 . The first time ever I realized that plastic was a serious matter for our planet was during a road trip in Western Australia, almost 12 years ago.
We
This was just one of the many experiences I’ve lived that made me more
Our trip to Borneo was another life-changing
Besides, we were also
Facing this global issue
A.stayed | B.visited | C.worked | D.stopped |
A.land | B.ocean | C.district | D.supermarket |
A.threw | B.picked | C.dropped | D.carried |
A.sure | B.proud | C.concerned | D.comfortable |
A.travel | B.deliver | C.remove | D.play |
A.story | B.growth | C.experience | D.suffering |
A.free | B.cheap | C.valuable | D.safe |
A.failed | B.managed | C.hesitated | D.happened |
A.firmly | B.violently | C.deeply | D.dramatically |
A.action | B.project | C.schedule | D.protection |
A.dry up | B.tie up | C.clean up | D.take up |
A.washed | B.proved | C.rushed | D.injured |
A.on purpose | B.for sure | C.by mistake | D.in person |
A.confusion | B.determination | C.frustration | D.satisfaction |
A.make | B.do | C.achieve | D.find |
5 . As newer, more advanced technologies come out, huge amounts of electronics (电子产品) are thrown away, instead of being reused. These goods often end up in landfills, where the chemicals inside them may be a danger to the environment. Electronics can contain harmful materials. If these materials get into the ground or water, the pollution can cause serious problems. Most electronics require metals. These metals must be mined from the Earth. Often the mining process creates serious pollution.
A group known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum is trying to make people more aware of the problems of e-waste. Recently, the WEEE Forum asked researchers from the United Nations (UN) to study a kind of e-waste that’s often not noticed because people don’t consider the goods to be electronics. The WEEE Forum calls this kind “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste.
The UN study shows that about 1/6 of all e-waste is “unable-to-be-seen”. Though it’s “unable-to-be-seen”, it’s certainly not a small amount. The “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste weighs about 9 billion kilograms. The WEEE Forum says that if this e-waste were put into 40-ton trucks and the trucks were then lined up, the line of trucks would be about 5,630 kilometers long.
The surprising kind leading the “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste group was toys. Worldwide, roughly 7.3 billion electronic toys are thrown away each year. These include goods like car racing sets, electric trains, and musical toys. They also include toys with electronic parts, like dolls that speak or games with electronic timers. In all, toys make up about 35% of “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste. But the problem is far larger than just toys. The report also shows that other everyday goods like home alarms, smoke alarms, power tools, and computer cables (电缆) are also big sources of “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste.
The WEEE Forum is hoping that as more people and governments become aware of e-waste, they will make a much greater effort to make sure electronics get reused.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?A.The amount of electronics. | B.The development of electronics. |
C.The ways of reusing electronics. | D.The pollution of electronics. |
A.People’s interest in electronics’ character. |
B.People’s impression on electronics’ package. |
C.People’s misunderstanding of electronics. |
D.People’s struggle to adapt to electronics. |
A.By showing numbers. | B.By providing examples. |
C.By making a summary. | D.By making a comparison, |
A.Designing advanced electronics. | B.Making electronics get reused. |
C.Stopping giving away electronics. | D.Reducing electronics’ production. |
6 . In the first test of its kind in Europe, and only the second in the world, Belgian researchers tested 39 brands of straws (吸管) for the group of synthetic (合成的) chemicals known as poly-and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The straws are made from five materials — paper, bamboo, glass, stainless steel and plastic. PFAS were found in the majority of the straws tested and were most common in those made from paper and bamboo. They were not found only in steel straws tested.
PFAS are used to make everyday products, from outdoor clothing to non-stick pans, resistant (抵抗to water, heat and stains. They are, however, potentially harmful to people, wildlife and the environment. They have been related to a number of health problems, including lower response to vaccines (疫苗), lower birth weight, thyroid disease, liver damage, kidney cancer and testicular cancer. They break down very slowly over time and can last thousands of years in the environment, a property that has led to them being known as “forever chemicals”.
A growing number of countries, including the UK and Belgium, have sopped the sale of single-use plastic products, including drinking straws, and plant-based versions have become popular. The PFAS concentrations (浓缩物) were low in them and, bear in mind that most people tend to only use straws occasionally, bringing a limited risk to human health. However, PFAS can remain in the body for many years and concentrations can build up over time.
It isn’t known whether the PFAS were added to the straws by the producer for waterproofing or the PFAS were the result of contamination. Potential sources of contamination include the soil the plant-based materials were grown in and the water used in the production process. However, the presence of the chemicals in almost every brand of paper straws means it is likely that it was, in some cases, being used as a water-resistant coating, say the researchers.
1. Why are PFAS called “forever chemicals”?A.They are commonly seen in daily life. |
B.They bring humans health problems. |
C.They remain in the environment for long. |
D.They can resist water, heat and stains. |
A.By bringing people air pollution. |
B.By polluting humans’ food. |
C.By building up little by little in humans’ body. |
D.By making people addicted to drinking easily. |
A.Pollution. | B.Discovery. | C.Experiment. | D.Development. |
A.More and more countries give up single-use plastic products. |
B.PFAS are widely used in the production of daily necessities. |
C.Certain kinds of new synthetic chemicals were discovered. |
D.Environment-friendly drinking straws are actually harmful. |
7 . As we all know, waste is extremely bad for the environment. Let’s talk about why litter is harmful to our streets and towns, our drinking water, and sea animals.
Waste can have a bad influence on our cities. Cleaning up litter costs US taxpayers (纳税人) and businesses $11.5 billion each year.
As you can see, waste is harmful in many ways.
A.Everybody wants to breathe fresh air. |
B.That money could have been spent on parks. |
C.How do you feel when you see people littering around? |
D.In the future there might be more waste than fish in the ocean. |
E.Litter can go into the soil and water and pollute our drinking water. |
F.We need to stop littering for us, for the environment, and for the planet. |
G.Did you know every day almost 8 million pieces of litter go into the ocean? |
Japan said on Tuesday that it had decided to
The
“The Japanese government ignores concerns and strong opposition both at home and abroad. Such an
Greenpeace(绿色和平组织)criticized Japan’s plan and said there are other solutions that should
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a shocking finding about the air we breathe. It has found that almost everyone on Earth breathes unhealthy air. The WHO made
The WHO said its report highlighted the need to move away from fossil fuels. It asked governments to do more
10 . My husband and I always wanted to go to the Caribbean but didn’t know much about the islands or how we were going to afford it. By chance, a friend of ours in Australia mentioned “pet sitting” and that it is something you can do all over the world.
We quickly created an account on a pet sitting website and began searching for options. There were only a couple of sits available in that part of the world, but we tried our luck, sent a request, and to our surprise, landed a three-month job in Grenada, so our year was going to be taken up with Caribbean pet sits.
Inspired by a Canadian couple, we decided to start our own travel blog. We began by writing about The British Virgin Islands, highlighting the beautiful beaches. However, for every photo album of a beautiful beach, there were 10 photos of trash (垃圾). It was hard to ignore the plastic pollution issue, especially on such primitive and remote beaches. So, we began to share photos of the trash we saw and how much we could pick upon our daily dog walks.
The more we looked into plastic pollution, the more we realized the severity of the global plastic pollution. From that point, we used our platform to create awareness and highlight ways to say no to plastic and travel plastic-free. We changed our daily routines, our way of living, and even our diets to accommodate more organic foods and little to no plastic packaging.
It’s been over three years now and we continue to do what we can. This journey has led us to some amazing places, working with great brands and even organizing a country-wide beach clean-up campaign in Grenada.
Our aim now is to keep on going. We love connecting with like-minded people. It’s been amazing few years that was sparked by a conversation about pet sitting. Who would have guessed?
1. Why did the author do pet sitting?A.To cover travel expenses. | B.To raise fund. |
C.To conserve the environment. | D.To shoot beautiful beaches. |
A.Pet sitting is a new sort of occupation. |
B.The Caribbean is a perfect travel destination. |
C.Travel blog is a superb way to gain popularity. |
D.Actions should be taken to fight plastic pollution. |
A.Challenging. | B.Significant. | C.Adventurous. | D.Unbearable. |
A.Shifting Lifestyles by Pet Sitting | B.Address Global Environment Pollution |
C.Unexpected Gains from Pet Sitting Travel | D.The availability of Pet Sitting in the Caribbean |