China has seen significant achievements in improving the environment and green development over the past 70 years, especially in fighting against desertification (沙漠化).
Desertification was a serious problem in the 1990s. It caused deadly sandstorms, which arrived like big black walls reaching up into the sky. As President Xi Jinping has said, clear waters and lush (繁茂的) mountains are invaluable assets (资产). Efforts to create “green” areas have played a crucial role in the country’s fight against desertification.
A series of campaigns have been conducted by the central government to improve the environment. For example, in 1998, China launched the Natural Forest Protection Program. Thanks to the program, forest coverage in China increased greatly from 12 percent in the 1980s to nearly 23 percent last year.
Another example of the campaign is the Elion Resources Group, which has been recognized by the UN for the development of a desert eco-industry that has slowed desertification.
In Kubuqi, a desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Elion has greened 600,000 hectares of land and helped lift more than 102,000 people out of poverty through the development of solar energy and tourism, as well as planting herbs for traditional Chinese medicine.
In addition, the group’s techniques have also been used in many important ecological programs, including Yangtze River Ecological Park and Qilian Mountain National Park.
“We will develop new ways to improve our ability to control the sand with the help of modern technologies, such as drones (无人机), AI, big data and the internet of things,” said Ao Baoping, chief executive officer of Elion Green Land Technology.
【小题1】What is the key measure to fight against desertification?A.Building walls to block sands. | B.Increasing green plants. |
C.Turning to the UN for help. | D.Keeping mountains natural. |
A.The environment in China has become satisfactory. |
B.Similar new campaigns will be carried out by China. |
C.No more trees need to be planted in our country. |
D.More areas in China are covered with forest. |
A.Its main aim was to lift local people out of poverty. |
B.It made Kubuqi become a center for planting herbs. |
C.It got inspiration from many ecological programs. |
D.It will apply modern technologies to fight desertification. |
A.Desert Clothed With Green Through China’s Efforts |
B.Environmental Problems Solved by Planting More Trees |
C.Great Contributions Made by Elion to The Environment |
D.Advanced Science And Technology Applied in China |
Supermarkets, conservationists and farming groups have shown their concerns about pollution of the Wye, one of the UK’s longest rivers. “The pollution pressures upon the Wye are unacceptable and there was strong enthusiasm for cooperative action to resolve the problem.” said Craig Bennett, head of the Wildlife Trusts.
The pollution referred largely to runoff of the nutrient-rich waste matter produced by the 20 million-plus chickens near the river.
Bennett said: “We discussed how, if the Wye were a school or a hospital, we would be calling for it to be placed into ‘special measures’. We agreed the same level of urgency must be applied.”
Increasing concern led the local government to hold a discussion in May, when they promised to publish a plan for the Wye by the autumn. However, the local government’s push on the river was marred in June when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a Wye video showing sea otters (海獺) rather than the river’s local European otters. The pollution of the Wye was not mentioned at all.
In July Bennett hosted a Wye round table in Powys, Wales, bringing together local groups, the Environment Agency, the chicken produce Avara Foodsr, regional branches of the National Farmers Union and local authorities. They agreed on a plan that included cutting the nutrient pollution “through a reduction in animal numbers” and other measures.
Bennett also wrote to Julie James, the Welsh Climate Change Minister, who said, “I share your concern for the health of the River Wye and other Welsh rivers.”
A supermarket chain said they are committed to protecting the river and engaging with their chicken suppliers to tackle water pollution. They have detailed management plans to make sure their suppliers are farming with care for the environment. A government spokesman said: “We are offering a wide range of support to farmers to speed up their transition to more sustainable practices and help protect this important site.”
【小题1】Why does Bennett compare the Wye with a school or a hospital?A.To call for urgent measures. | B.To stress the impacts of the river. |
C.To show the importance of the river. | D.To urge people to protect the environment. |
A.Destroyed. | B.Boosted | C.Perfected. | D.Emphasized. |
A.Making a careful plan. | B.Reducing animal numbers. |
C.Arousing people’s awareness. | D.Asking the government for money. |
A.Sea Otters Are under Attack for Possible Pollution |
B.Cooperated Efforts Are Made to Protect the Wye |
C.People Are Having More Environmental Awareness |
D.More Measures Should Be Taken to Prevent Air Pollution |
In recent years some extreme weather events have arisen from global warming because of human activities, with studies indicating an increasing threat from extreme weather in the future. Scientists were certain that global warming is being caused mostly by increasing concentrations ofgreenhouse gasesand otherhumanactivities.
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2016/2/19/1566944270499840/1566944272850944/STEM/266fe840bce748f7a64d92fef952f595.png?resizew=149)
Its effects include warming global temperature, rising sea levels and expansion of deserts in the subtropics(亚热带). Warming is expected to be greater over land than over the oceans and greatest in the Arctic, with the continuing loss of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely changes include more frequent extreme weather events including heat waves, droughts, heavy rainfall with floods, heavy snowfall and species extinction due to great change of temperature. Bad effects on humans include the threat to food security from decreasing crop yields and the loss of populated(住人的) areas because of rising sea levels.
Possible responses to global warming are reduction of emissions(排放), adaptation to its effects, building systems resilient to its effects, and possible future climate engineering. Most countries are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC), whose objective is to prevent dangerous climate change. It has adopted a range of policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to assist in adaptation to global warming. It is agreed that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F) relative to the pre-industrial level.
On 12 November 2015, NASA scientists reported that human-made carbon dioxide continues to increase above levels that have not been seen in hundreds of thousands of years: currently, about half of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels remains in the atmosphere and is not absorbed by vegetation and the oceans.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “resilient” mean?A.be easily damaged | B.be able to recover easily |
C.can be bent easily | D.be difficult to change |
A.rising sea levels and expansion of deserts |
B.more frequent extreme weather events |
C.species extinction |
D.increasing crop yields |
A.It is likely for us to deal with global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to its effects and climate engineering. |
B.There is no solution to too much carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. |
C.It is common that human-made carbon dioxide keeps on increasing greatly in the previous several centuries. |
D.Future global warming should be limited to below 3.6 °C. |
Once considered an optional lifestyle choice, recycling has become a commonplace activity in most areas. One type of recycling, called downcycling, involves re-purposing a material into a new product of lesser quality.
Downcycling is also known as downstream recycling. It is most common in terms of industrial materials. These products lose their value as they are recycled, which limits their capacity for new use.
Giving products a new life is considered a good way to reuse materials and avoid waste. Once downcycled to their full capacity, however, these materials are eventually so degraded that they cannot be reused further. Since downcycled products are considered of lower quality than their original form, they cannot be used in remaking their original product.
Items available for downcycling often require additional chemicals, energy, and other treatments in order to transform them into something usable. Durable plastic products in particular require much additional treatment. Trash bins, tables, and chairs are also considered materials with a high energy cost to recycle.
When a product reaches a code seven, it is considered no longer recyclable.
A.These recycled materials may often be put into new use. |
B.It can include varying grades of plastic, paper products, and other materials. |
C.Their recycled form is typically both weaker and cheaper than their original one. |
D.They may not be used to contain food-grade items again upon being downcycled. |
E.Products are provided with codes to determine their grades and whether or not they may be recycled. |
F.A code will determine the type of the recycled materials and give an idea of how many times they can be recycled. |
G.This usually occurs when a substance is blended with other substances, such as different types of plastic with various recycling codes. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台,不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰,如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益,请联系组卷网