1 . Researchers from London’s Queen Mary University studied how participants were affected by pollution based on where they live. In the journal Circulation on Friday, the scientists revealed that air pollution can harm the heart to the point where it resembles (类似) the early stages of heart failure.

According to Emory Healthcare, deaths have decreased around 12 percent per decade on average over the past 50 years, but 287,000 people die frorn heart failure each year. There are more hospitalizations from heart failure each year than all cancers combined.

In this study, the scientists examined information from 4,000 participants that were in the UK Biobank study. Volunteers had blood tests, health scans and heart MRIs, which measured the function, size and weight of their hearts. They also recorded their lifestyle, health record and where they’ve lived.

The team found participants had larger right and left ventricles (心室) in the heart when they lived closer to busy roads and were exposed to nitrogen dioxide(NOz), which enters the air when fuel is burned. The right and left ventricles are crucial for pumping blood. They were healthy but resembled the ventricles in early-stage heart failure. The scientists found that the higher the exposure to the pollutants, the greater the changes in the heart.

“Air pollution should be seen as a modifiable risk factor,” Dr. Nay Aung, who led the data analysis of the study, said in a statemnent from Queen Mary University. “The public all need to be aware of their exposure when they think about their heart health, just like they think about their blood pressure and their weight.”

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation said in the statement from Queen Mary University, “We can’t expect people to move home to avoid air pollution, so government and public bodies must act right now to make all areas safe and protect the population from these harm.”

1. What is the finding of the study?

A．Air pollution causes many people to die.

B．People have big problems of heart health.

C．People’s houses have a great effect on the heart.

D．Air pollution makes our hearts at risk of heart failure.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about heart failure?

A．It can be cured easily.	B．It remains a serious threat.
C．It’s the most common illness.	D．It causes people to suffer cancers.

3. What did the team find on the participants exposed to air pollution?

A．They had many health problems.	B．Their ventricles worked better.
C．Their hearts were out of danger.	D．The size of their hearts was bigger.

4. Which of the following is Dr. Nay Aung’s suggestion?

A．Moving to safer areas.	B．Living far away from crowds.
C．Taking notice of air pollution.	D．Taking blood pressure regularly.

2 . Improved air quality to reduce ozone (臭氧) pollution may have avoided the loss of 1.5 billion birds during the past 40 years, a study found. That’s nearly 20% of bird life in the United States today.

Ozone, a gas that appears in nature, is also produced by human activities, including by power plants and cars. The ozone in the upper atmosphere protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays (紫外线) of the sun. But ground-level ozone is harmful and pollutes the air we breathe.

To examine the relationship between bird populations and air pollution, the researchers used models that connected bird observations from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird program with ground-level pollution data. They tracked monthly changes in bird populations, air quality, and regulation status (治理现状) for 3,214 US counties over a period of 15 years. The findings suggest that ozone pollution is most harmful to the small birds — such as sparrows, warblers and finches — that make up 86% of all North American land-bird species. Ozone pollution directly harms birds by damaging their breathing systems, and indirectly harms their food sources.

“Not only can ozone cause direct physical damage to birds, but it also can harm plant health and reduce numbers of the insects that birds eat,” said co-author Amanda Rodewald. “Not surprisingly, birds that cannot get high-quality habitat or food resources are less likely to survive or reproduce successfully. The good news here is that environmental policies intended to protect human health and return important benefits to birds too.”

This work contributes to our ever increasing understanding of the connection of environmental health and human health.

1. How many birds are there in the United States now?

A．0.75 billion.	B．1.5 billion.
C．3 billion.	D．7.5 billion.

2. What is the result of the findings?

A．Ozone pollution harms birds’ food sources indirectly.

B．86% of North American land-bird species are extinct.

C．3,214 counties in America have effective regulations.

D．The researchers have observed birds for many years.

3. What is Amanda Rodewald’s attitude towards birds’ future in the US?

A．Worried.	B．Positive.
C．Uncaring.	D．Doubtful.

4. What is the suitable title for the text?

A．Ground-Level Ozone Makes up Most of the Air We Breathe

B．Environmental Policies Intend to Protect Human Health

C．Reduced Ozone Pollution May Have Avoided Bird Deaths

D．Regulations Bring Important Protection Benefits to Birds

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Oysters, soft-bodied animals without skeletons, are important for the underwater community they share with plants, fish, and other life. They are food     1     crabs and other animals. As new oysters grow, they attach their shells to older ones,     2     (form) bigger reefs with many small spaces     3     other animals live. Oysters eat algae (藻类). If algae grow too fast, they can exhaust oxygen from the water—and even fish need oxygen     4     (breath)!

Because so many animals depend on them, oysters are called a keystone species. If a keystone species     5    (disappear), other plants and animals may die off and not grow back.

That’s     6     (exact) what happened 100 years ago in New York Harbor—a group of rivers and bays around New York City. Before then, lots of oysters lived in these waters. The oysters were famous! They     7     (ship) to restaurants around the world. The oysters were delicious—maybe too delicious. By the early 1900s, people were eating them faster than they could grow.

The oysters were in trouble for     8     reason. Pollution was pouring into the waters of the growing city. The harbor became so     9     (pollute) that few types of animals could live in it. Since the 1970s, new laws     10     (help) reduce toxic waste. Some fish started to swim through again. But oysters were still missing—until recently.

4 . People are increasingly wearing gloves and masks in public, in order to protect themselves and reduce the spread of COVID-19 (新冠病毒). Obviously, though, those gloves and masks need to come with proper disposal (处理) directions.

To bring awareness to the current problem, Algarra started a campaign , TheGloveChallenge. “If you see a glove, snap a shot,” Since launching the campaign on March 23, Alagarra said they’ve received over 700 pictures from people all over the United States and in other countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Canada and Japan.

Everywhere you look in America, it seems, there are discarded gloves and masks in streets and parking lots, left behind by people who couldn’t be bothered to find a nearby trash bin. It got so bad in New York City over the weekend, that Ryan McKenzie, who lives in Manhattan, began cleaning it up. “I couldn’t believe what I saw so I went to the store and bought a grabber to pick them up. It’s hateful and needs to be brought to people’s attention. "

After receiving so many reports of gloves and masks left behind in Parsippany, New Jersey, the local police department issued a warning: “ Clean up and properly deal with your used gloves and wipes. If you do not, you can be charged and fined up to $ 500.”

Of course, it shouldn’t take a heavy fine to encourage people to clean up after themselves. There are quite a few reasons why leaving your gloves behind is among the worst things you can do during this pandemic. If the used gloves have the virus on them, you could infect essential workers (一线工人). The concern that led you to put on gloves in the first place shouldn’t be reserved for you and your family; you should be just as concerned about others getting corona virus, too.

1. What is the purpose of the campaign?

A．To praise Algarra’s generous behavior.	B．To collect as many pictures as possible.
C．To get recognition from other countries.	D．To raise people’s awareness of the problems.

2. What does the underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Worn-out.

B．Newly-bought.

C．Thrown-away.

D．Highly-praised.

3. What can we infer from the fifth paragraph?

A．We should show concern for others’ health.

B．Facial masks should be worn in a proper way.

C．More gloves should be set aside for future use.

D．Essential workers can suffer CO VID-19 easily.

4. What is probably the best title of the text?

A．TheGloveChallenge, a Campaign Dealing with Viruses

B．Stop Throwing Used Gloves and Masks on the Ground

C．Used Gloves and Masks Do Harm to the Environment

D．Ryan McKenzie, the First Man to Pick up Masks & Gloves

5 . 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

2. According to 2016 data, what can be learned about the plastic waste generated in the US?

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.

3. It is implied by Nick Mallos that ________.

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

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

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

6 . The truest explanation of recycling involves taking a material, melting(融化) it down, and turning it back into itself over and over. This can be done with glass and metal, which can both be remelted and reformed into bottles or cans forever. This is a closed-loop(闭环) system, so it’s very desirable. On the other hand, some materials slowly degrade(降解) over time, meaning they can be reformed maybe once or twice, but after a while the chemical composition of the original substance has changed and it can no longer be turned back into what it once was. This is called downcycling(降级回收).

The downcycling of plastic is one of the serious issues surrounding this material. For example, plastic water or soda bottles are seldom turned back into bottles. The other is the fact that plastic never biodegrades(生物降解). Many materials newspaper included, will biodegrade at the end of their lives. When paper enters the environment, given exposure to the air, it breaks down, leaving the world undamaged. Plastic, on the other hand, photodegrades(光降解), and this is very concerning. As discussed earlier, in the process of photodegrading, wind, sun, and water break plastic down into smaller and smaller particles(颗粒) that will cause great damage to the ocean ecosystem.

Finally, there is concern about heating food in plastic containers. Avoid reheating food in plastic containers in the microwave, and stop covering food with plastic wrap. Storing cool food in plastic containers isn’t as big a concern, but avoid heating food and plastic together to eliminate the possibility of plastic into your food.

So the disadvantages to plastic are that it can’t really be recycled in the true meaning of the term, it will never disappear from our environment because it can’t biodegrade, and it is a vehicle to deliver dangerous chemicals into our food chains.

1. What is a satisfying recycling system?

A．It’s easy to find alternative metals.	B．Its process is an open-loop system.
C．Materials can be reused over and again.	D．Composition of materials can be changed.

2. What is probably the major concern of photodegradation of plastics?

A．The threat to oceans.	B．The impact on foods.
C．The process of breaking down.	D．The pollution of the atmosphere.

3. What does the underlined word “eliminate” mean in the third paragraph?

A．Assess.

B．Remove.

C．Weight.

D．Reduce.

4. What is the author’s attitude to using plastic in our life?

A．Positive.

B．Indifferent.

C．Negative.

D．Unclear.

7 . The measurable threat to the environment has been worsened by the spread of COVID-19 that increases the need for plastic protective equipment. Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Millions of tons of greenhouse gas are released from the development of these resources and plastic production and burning.

The end life of plastic is just worrisome. Less than 10% of the plastic produced has been recycled. Even more of it has been burned. But the vast majority of plastic has been buried inland, and it is increasingly polluting the environment. We hear mostly about ocean plastic and the harm done to sea creatures that mistake plastic bags and bits for food. But microplastic is even more worrisome. Plastic doesn't break down biologically but instead breaks down into tiny particles（a very small piece of something）, which have been found in every corner of the planet, on land and in the air, in drinking water and food sources.

Yet the public has not given this global environmental disaster the attention it requires. Instead, they have viewed single-use plastic—which makes up about 40% of plastic used each year—as a litter issue that can be solved through better recycling and waste management. That attitude must change because the recent global breakdown of the market for recycling has made it clear that it has never been, nor ever will be, able to keep up with plastic trash use.

California has been the forerunner of plastic waste reduction—it was the first state to ban single-use plastic bags and may be the first state to transform the way goods are packaged. The state also came close to passing an act which would have required that products sold in plastic packaging in the state have a proven recycling rate of 75% by 2032. California, though influential, can't solve this crisis alone. The US has long been producing a great amount of plastic trash and it should engage in reducing the use of plastic as well.

1. Why does the author mention the release of greenhouse gas in paragraph 1?

A．To show the harm of plastic

B．To warn of the climate change.

C．To call for the development of fossil fuels.

D．To highlight the importance of plastic equipment.

2. What's the author's attitude towards the public opinion on single-use plastic?

A．Favorable.	B．Tolerant.
C．Curious.	D．Opposed.

3. What's California's role in reducing plastic waste?

A．A pioneer.	B．A failure.
C．An objector.	D．A predictor.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Microplastic Products Are Harmful

B．Waste Recycling Is an Urgent Matter

C．Plastic Waste Pollution Is a Wake-up Call

D．Global Environmental Disasters Are Increasing

8 . Nobody wants to snack on plastic bags or soda rings, but according to a recent study from the University of Neweastle, we could be consuming roughly a credit card's worth of plastic every week.

Microplastic, which are less than a quarter-inch size and come in various shapes, have polluted the natural world and infiltrated(渗入)our bodies. The first clue to microplastic exposure in humans came around 2013, when scientists discovered plastic particles in seafood prepared for consumption. But in 2019, when the University of Newcastle study was published, the scientific community understood that the problem was considerably broader. Microplastics shed off clothes and tires and have been found in beer, honey, table salt and other food items. We breathe in plastic staying in the air and drink plastic floating in our drinks. It's no stretch to conclude that our exposure is significant. What we don't know is what this means for us.

The amount of evidence collected on this subject is growing rapidly, according to Scott Coffin, a toxicologist(毒理学家). Studies done on mice and rats have found that plastic in their bodies can severely damage cells and cause stress.

Because microplastics are too small to clean up, the only solution is to stop plastic waste at the source. And doing so would take a thorough adjustment, given that plastics are deeply embedded in our economy and lifestyle. Stopping using them would fundamentally affect countless industries, including textiles(纺织业), transportation and manufacturing.

"I think we need to have more studies coming out that are directly related to human health before we see a lot more concern from the general public," Scott said. "It takes a lot to convince people that something that is really convenient for them to use is something they should sacrifice."

The question of microplastics and human health needs more attention—from the scientific community ,the general public, the government and funding groups. The issue isn't being ignored, but it's not being prioritized either.

1. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us about microplastics?

A．Their wide usage in daily life.

B．Their harm to human health.

C．Their significant exposure in humans.

D．The new study conducted on them.

2. What does the underlined part "this subject" refer to?

A．The way that microplastics exist.

B．The pollution caused by microplastics.

C．The relationship between microplastics and human health.

D．The reason for the existence of microplastics.

3. How to solve the problem according to Scott?

A．To cut down plastic production.

B．To carry out more studies on mice and rats.

C．To invent something more convenient than plastics.

D．To promote people's awareness on the harm brought by microplastics.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the passage?

A．Is Microplastic pollution harmful to our health?

B．Why is Microplastic pollution everywhere?

C．Why is plastic harmful?

D．What do you know about Microplastics?

9 . Directions:Complete the following sentences by using the proper form of the words or expressions   given in the frame.Each one can only be used once.

A. capable        B. effectiveness       C. employing        D.exposure          E.famously           F. joining          G. limitation        H. minimal       I.precisely        J.recognizing       K.worthwhile

Clean Air Act

The air in modern homes and offices is pretty clean,but not as clean as it might be.Often it contains small amounts of volatile(挥发性的）,poisonous,organic compounds.Long-term    1     to these is a bad thing,so clearing them out of the air people breathe is widely accepted as     2    

Finding an effective way to do so has proved difficult.But Stuart Strand, Long Zhang and Ryan Routsong, of the University of Washington,in Seattle,think they have succeeded,As they report in Environmental Science and Technology, their method involves     3     a gene from a rabbit into a popular indoor plant nicknamed Devil's vine—a type of ivy hat is so called because it is    4     difficult to kill.

The idea of     5     plants to de- pollute   the atmosphere inside buildings has been around for decades-but has met with only qualified success. One experiment involving unmodified spider plants,for example,showed that they are indeed     6     of removing formaldhyde (甲醛) from the air.The     7     is that to make much of a difference in a space as large as a house would require turning most of the rooms into spider-plant forests.

Dr Strand, Dr Zhang and Mr Routsong thus sought something suitably transgenic ( 转 基 因 的),but that does not flower indoors. The plant they settled on was Devil's vine,     8     because of its toughness.With the help of a bacterium,they were able to ferry the rabbit version of the gene into the plant's chromosomes(染色 体),and thus to,engineer a type of Devil's vine able to produce an air-cleaning substance. To test the     9     of their idea, the researchers put their modified ivy to work inside greenhouses filled with air containing high levels of harmful substances.The plants performed well,reducing the harmful substances in air to     10    .

10 . Masks that helped save lives during the Covid-19 pandemic （疫情）are proving a deadly risk for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in many facial coverings in animal habitats.

Single-use masks have been found on the ground, waterways and beaches worldwide since countries required （heir use in public places to slow the pandemic's spread. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to break down. "Face masks aren't going away any time soon-but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals who share our planet," Ashley from anima! rights group PETA said.

Monkeys have been found playing with used masks in the hills outside Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. And in an incident in Britain, a seagull was saved in Chelmsford after its legs got caught in an abandoned mask for a week.

However, the biggest influence is in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6200 extra tons of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group OceansAsia. “Masks and gloves are particularly problematic for sea creatures," says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO. "When those plastics break down in the environment, they form smaller and smaller particles （颗粒）.Those particles then enter the food chain and influence the entire ecosystem,“ he added.

Campaigners have urged people to deal with masks properly after using them. OceansAsia has also called on governments to increase punishment for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.

1. What bring（s） a great danger to wildlife now?

A．Waste masks.	B．Covid-19.
C．Polluted water.	D．Damaged habitats.

2. What does the underlined word “problematic” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Important.	B．Attractive.
C．Common.	D．Troubling.

3. What can we infer from the text?

A．Monkeys learned to wear masks from humans.

B．Plastics are less harmful after becoming particles.

C．Used masks have a worse effect on sea creatures.

D．Waste masks are the main ocean plastic pollution.

4. How should we solve the problem from the last paragraph?

A．Keep masks after they' re used.

B．Call on governments to stop littering.

C．Punish those who wear single-use masks.

D．Put used masks in the recycling box.