1 . Scientists have calculated the total amount of plastic ever made: 8.3 billion tons. Looked at another way, that’s as heavy as 25, 000 Empire State Buildings or one billion elephants. And incredibly, almost all of it has been made in the last 65 years.

______ Much plastic is in the form of packaging which is used just once and then thrown away. According to a major new study from the University of California, 9% of this is recycled, 12% is completely burnt and 79% goes to landfill. And because most plastic is not easily disposed of, once it’s in the ground, it stays there.

It’s a situation that has led the paper’s lead author, ecologist Dr. Roland Geyer, to say that we are “rapidly heading towards ‘Planet Plastic’”. The team behind this report also estimate that eight million tons of plastic waste are escaping into the sea every year. This has caused concern that plastic is entering the food chain, through fish and other sea life which swallow the smaller fragments.

Of course, the reason why there’s so much plastic around is that it’s an amazingly useful material. It’s durable and adaptable, and is used for everything from yoghurt pots to spaceships. But it’s exactly this quality that makes it a problem. The only way to destroy plastic is to heat or burn it — although this has the side effect of harmful emissions.

So what’s the alternative, other than using less plastic? Oceanographer Dr. Erik van Sebille from Utrecht University says we’re facing a “tsunami” of plastic waste, and that the global waste industry needs to “get its act together”.

Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist from Plymouth University, says it’s poor design that’s at fault. He says that if products are currently designed “with recyclability in mind”, they could be recycled around 20 times over.

1. Which of the following is the best topic sentence for paragraph two?

A．So where does the plastic go?

B．So why is much plastic thrown away?

C．So what’s the problem?

D．So how is the plastic disposed of?

2. How might plastic enter the food we eat?

A．By being eaten and absorbed by sea creatures.	B．By being used as useful materials.
C．By getting into the food market directly.	D．By getting into the deep sea.

3. Which of the following might Richard Thompson agree with?

A．Plastic waste has caused tsunami.

B．The design of products should be environmentally friendly.

C．Plastics are currently recycled over 20 times.

D．Global waste industry is to blame for the plastic waste problem.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Global Waste Industry	B．Recyclability of Plastics
C．Planet Plastic	D．Plastic Waste into the Sea

2 . A new study suggests classic paintings by well-known Impressionists Joseph Turner and Claude Monet may have been influenced by air pollution during the Industrial Revolution.

Scientists don’t know exactly how polluted the cities were during that time for lack of data. However, researchers say that examining the works of Turner and Monet can give a picture of long-term environmental change with the air pollution.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by authors from Harvard and Sorbonne universities, analyzed 60 oil paintings by Turner from 1796 to 1850 and 38 paintings by Monet from 1864 to 1901. Scientists successfully measured painters’ representation (再现) of nature, focusing on the colors as well as differences in local weather patterns which influenced coloring. They significantly found that paintings composed in Britain generally feature a greyer blue sky than works in other parts of Europe.

Researchers particularly believe changes in local sulfur dioxide (二氧化硫) emissions from burning coal may explain changes in the color contrast and intensity (亮度) of Turner’s and Monet’s works, even after taking into account the artistic trends and subject matter of the time.

Generally, artists can historically accurately represent their environment. Turner and Monet were chosen because they are famous for their landscape and cityscape paintings and also because they were active during the Industrial Revolution, when air pollution grew at a rate never seen before.

Additionally, researchers say that since the air in London was much polluted, the cities would appear grey and dull to the eyes as well as in photographs. By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet to photos from the era, they were able to determine the painting works were definitely influenced by the change in emissions.

1. What did the researchers find in the works of Turner and Monet?

A．Air pollution at that time.	B．Change in subject matter.
C．Social trends of the period.	D．Development of photography.

2. How did the researchers conduct the study?

A．By referring to relevant historical records.

B．By examining the coloring of the paintings.

C．By comparing the paintings of Turner with Monet’s.

D．By analyzing the data during the Industrial Revolution.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．European artists preferred landscape paintings.

B．Turner and Monet intended to present pollution.

C．The research focused on studying weather patterns.

D．Britain suffered most from air pollution in Europe.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To call on people to protect the environment.

B．To introduce air pollution in the Industrial Revolution.

C．To inform people of a new discovery in certain artworks.

D．To instruct people to admire classic paintings in new ways.

3 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内所给单词的正确形式。

The Palace Museum is becoming waste-free as the 720,000-square-meter structure has managed     1     (reduce) the number of rubbish bins to 110 sets in areas open to the public. This is a decrease from 310 sets     2     (record) in January 2020, when a zero-waste campaign     3     (launch), said the museum.

While protecting features of the six-century-old historical relic, the action also helps visitors and tourists get into     4     habit of creating less waste. Up to now, four types of rubbish bins have been equipped following Beijing’s regulations on the management of household waste. Cleaning staff also check them to make sure all rubbish is     5     (correct) sorted, which is later transported to different destinations for disposal (处理). The museum also recycled more than 32,000 plastic     6     (bottle) to make cultural and creative products between June 2021 and October 2023,     7     (mean) a reduction in carbon emission by 931 kilograms.

By launching the campaign, the Palace Museum is taking a careful, science-based way to waste management. The target is to minimize the production of waste     8     needs to be buried or burned and bring the amount of such waste as close     9     zero as possible.

So far, about 3,000 museum staff members, 40,000 tourist guides, and 21 million visitors     10     (participate) in the campaign.

4 . Plastic straws (吸管) have been a major problem in global discussions of environmental damage. Maybe because of their small size, the production cost of straws is low. In many countries, straws are offered freely after buying soft drinks. Therefore, plastic straws are one of the most used plastics and pollutants in the world.

The plastic straw is light and small. Due to their small size, plastic straws are often eaten by sea animals. Environmentalists have shown that the death of many sea animals is caused by eating plastic straws. The other damaging characteristic of plastic straws is that they are made of materials which cannot degrade. That means the materials cannot be changed into small harmless ones.

The most effective way of dealing with the environmental pollution caused by plastic straws is the reuse or banning (禁止) the use of plastic straws. Being plastics, the straws can be made into new items. Many organizations around the world change used straws into new products. In Africa, local communities collect used plastic straws and use them to make mats and bags. Another way of dealing with environmental pollution caused by plastic straws is placing a ban on their production and use. Experts advise governments to ban using plastic straws to save the environment. A few countries in the world, such as Rwanda, Macedonia, China, Kenya, have already banned the use of plastic bags and are expected to include plastic straws to save the environment. A few countries in the world, such as Rwanda, Macedonia, China, Kenya, have already banned the use of plastic bags and are expected to include plastic straws and bottles. But it will be a long way to do this effectively.

There are few environmentally friendly and biodegradable products to take the place of plastic straws. These products include paper straws and bamboo straws. However, such straws are usually expensive as their production cost is high. It’s still a question whether they can entirely take the place of plastic straws.

1. Why can people be free to use plastic straws?

A．They are very cheap.	B．They are light and small.
C．They are dangerous.	D．They are easy to use.

2. What does the underlined word “degrade” in paragraph2 mean?

A．Cut up.

B．Break down.

C．Burn up.

D．Go by.

3. What can we learn from paragraph3?

A．It’s not difficult to ban using plastic straws.

B．Many countries have stopped using plastic straws.

C．Experts advise people to stop producing plastic straws.

D．Some Africans change plastic straws into new products.

4. What does the author think of environmentally friendly straws?

A．It is a must to use them.

B．It’s not easy to reuse them.

C．There are still some problems to be solved.

D．There are some other kinds of cheaper straws.

7 . A Plastic Ocean is a documentary to make you think. Think, and then act. We need to take action on our dependence on plastic. We’ve been producing plastic in huge quantities. Some bottles, shopping bags and toys are made of plastic.     1     What happens to all the rest? This is the question the documentary A Plastic Ocean answers.

The documentary begins with a journey to film the largest animal on the planet, the blue whale. But during the journey, the producers made a shocking discovery of a huge, thick layer of plastic floating in the Indian Ocean.     2     In total, they visited 20 locations around the world during the four years to make the documentary.

In the documentary there are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life.     3     We see how marine species (海洋物种) are being killed by all the plastic we are dumping (倾倒) in the ocean. The message about our use of plastic is painfully obvious.

    4     In the second half, the producers look at what we can do to deal with the problem. They present short-term and long-term solutions. These include avoiding plastic containers and recycling plastic as much as you can. The producers also stress the need for governments to work more on recycling programmes.

We make a shocking amount of plastic. Over 300 million tons of plastic is produced every year, and at least 8 million of it is dumped into the oceans. The results are disastrous, but it isn’t too late to change.     5    

A．It has raised public concern all over the world.

B．In conclusion, we only have one earth to live on.

C．But the documentary doesn’t only present the negative side.

D．These are contrasted with plastic rubbish.

E．Once you’ve seen the documentary, you’ll realize it is time to do our part.

F．We live in a world full of plastic, and only a small amount is recycled.

G．This caused them to travel around the world to look at other affected areas.

8 . The amount of plastic pollution in the oceans is rapidly increasing. This is problematic, as at least 700 species of sea animals may mistake it for a tasty snack. While we know that some species seem to eat plastic because it looks like jellyfish or some other food sources, less research has been carried out into what plastic smells like to marine animals.

But now, a study from the University of North Carolina has found that the coating of algae that naturally builds up on ocean plastics causes the rubbish to give off the scent of food.

The researchers took 15 loggerhead turtles, each around five months old, and placed them in a laboratory tank. They then piped in clean water, clean plastic, turtle food, and plastic that had been immersed in the marine environment for five weeks.

The turtles showed no reaction to the smell of clean water or clean plastic. But when they were exposed to the smell of ocean-soaked plastic or turtle food, they exhibited food-seeking behaviours like reaching their noses out of the water or showing increasing activities.

“This finding is the first demonstration that the smell of ocean plastics causes animals to eat them, ” said Dr Kenneth J. Lohmann, who took part in the study. “It’s common to find loggerhead turtles with their digestive systems fully or partially blocked because they’ve eaten plastic materials. There are also increasing reports of sea turtles that have become ill and stranded on the beach due to their ingestion (摄食) of plastic.”

According to the researchers, areas of the ocean with dense concentrations of plastic may trick turtles and other marine animals into thinking that there is an abundant food source. “Once these plastics are in the ocean, we don’t have a good way to remove them or prevent them from smelling like food,” said Lohmann.

1. Why is plastic pollution posing a threat to marine animals?

A．It may eat up all jellyfish.

B．It may mislead them as food.

C．It may kill them with its smell.

D．It may trap 700 species of sea animals.

2. What may attract the loggerhead turtles in the laboratory tank to search for food?

A．Sea water.	B．Clear water.
C．Brand-new plastic.	D．Sea-soaked plastic.

3. What can be inferred from Lohmann’s words in the last paragraph?

A．Turtles should be trained to be more intelligent.

B．Plastics should be kept from getting into the ocean.

C．An abundant food source should be offered to sea animals.

D．Researchers should come up with a solution to the current problem.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Ways Found to Remove Plastic

B．Loggerhead Turtles Faced with Food Shortage

C．Ocean Plastics Smell like Food to Turtles

D．Plastic Pollution — Compromise or Control?

9 . 听力填空

Background	·    1    pollution is caused by industry, but ordinary people can help protect the environment.
At the individual level	· Walk & Cycle They are the best ways to travel locally, but if they are not possible, then taking a bus or a train is preferable to using     2    . ·Eat Less Meat It can help the environment as well as your health, and it is always best to eat food that has been produced close to the place where you live. This reduces the need to transport the food over       3    . · Never Drop Litter Dropping litter can cause serious problems for animals. Many items that we     4     can be repaired or turned into some-thing completely new.
At the community level	· Write to our local officials to ensure they know their responsibilities to       5    that protect the environment at the community level.

10 . 语法填空

The Li River is one of the     1     (destination) tourists won’t miss. However, with the number of tourists increasing, the river’s water was polluted. Some tourists     2     (frequent) threw garbage into the river. Kitchens on the tour boats were using lots of oil,     3     was often thrown into the water. Besides, more chemicals were used to increase crop production,     4     (cause) water quality issues and a decrease in the number of fish species. These problems made the local officials worried about the natural environment. They felt urgent steps should be taken     5     (restore) the river to its original beauty.

The waste water treatment facilities were constructed, which helped improve the water quality and water     6     (conserve). Dozens of polluting enterprises     7     (close) or moved. What’s more, the local government set up strict regulations regarding further industrial development. New rules were also introduced regarding tour boat routes and garbage disposal methods. With these measures,     8     is believed that the beauty of the Li River will come back soon.

What is     9     most amazing is that the “Water Ten Plan” is now tackling water pollution across the country. With such campaigns     10     effect, China’s waterways are heading towards a clean and sustainable future.