Look around you. What do you see? Lots and lots of stuff (东西) . And it’s likely that almost all of the stuff is man-made, whether it’s a tiny pen or a huge building.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science recently made a shocking discovery about our stuff. They found that the mass of all man-made materials is now greater than the mass of all living things on Earth. That is to say, all of our stuff weighs more than the combined weight of every person, plant, and animal on the planet.
“If you didn’t believe before that humans are dominating the planet, then you should believe it now,” said scientist Timon McPhearson.
So why does this matter? For one thing, it shows how much damage we’ re doing to the planet. The more stuff we make, the more natural resources we use. Taking and using these resources damages Earth in many ways. For example, burning coal pollutes the sky and makes global warming worse. Mining for gold and other metals can pollute groundwater.
In fact, this research “shows us our impact on the planet,” according to US scientist Josh Tewskbury. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give us any specific advice on what to do other than to be careful about how we use our natural resources.
30. Scientists recently found that ________.
A.Earth is facing serious pollution |
B.humans can’t live without man-made materials |
C.man-made materials will take control of Earth one day |
D.man-made materials are heavier than all living things on Earth |
31. The underlined word “
dominating” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________ .
A.controlling | B.creating | C.breaking | D.polluting |
32. Paragraph 4 mainly explains ________.
A.how people use natural resources | B.what problems Earth is facing |
C.how making things damages the planet | D.why people create so much stuff |
33. What advice should we follow according to the research?
A.We must use our resources carefully. | B.We don’t need to worry about pollution. |
C.We should recycle when we can. | D.We shouldn’t use any man made materials. |
34. In which section can we see this passage?
A.Entertainment. | B.Fairy tales. | C.Science. | D.Advertisement. |