In the last decade, scientists have been going back and forth on one question: does recycling really help the environment? The conclusion at which they have arrived seems to be: yes, it does. However, experts warn that our efforts should not stop there. While recycling is an important part of the solution, it is not necessarily the most important factor. Therefore, I disagree that recycling is the key to a sustainable (可持续的) future.
Compared to other methods to save the earth, recycling is a much smaller player. According to a recent study, the twenty top petrochemical (石化) companies in the world are responsible for 55% of the world’s single-use plastics, most of which are practically impossible to recycle. This means that asking these major polluters to take responsibility for their harm to the environment would do much more than if every one of us recycled our waste. In addition, a dependence on recycling can take attention away from reducing and reusing, which are more effective in lowering emissions (排放) and in turn helping to create a sustainable future. Therefore, it would do us a lot of good if we focus on these other high-priority solutions rather than simply recycling.
Recycling supporters may argue that recycling is indeed the key to a sustainable future because it helps save a lot of energy by taking what already exists and changing it into something new. While it is true that recycling is a valuable tool in the fight against climate change, it is not the key. Regrettably, it alone is not sufficient. So, while we should continue recycling, we need to go further by taking other actions for our planet.
To conclude, I disagree that recycling is the key to a sustainable future. Having said that, recycling is still beneficial. It is but a small part of an interconnected web of solutions, which on its own can not accomplish much, but together with other efforts, can create a sustainable future for all.
【小题1】Why does the author write this article?A.To raise a question. | B.To explain a rule. |
C.To present a solution. | D.To express an idea. |
A.Stopping using plastics. | B.Individuals recycling their waste. |
C.Using fewer high-emission cars. | D.Changing used things into something new. |
A.It can only save 45% of the energy people need. |
B.It does not help with protecting the environment. |
C.It stops major polluters from taking responsibility. |
D.It plays a small and limited part in sustaining the earth. |
A.Combined efforts of all the solutions. |
B.More and more people joining in recycling. |
C.Reducing and reusing of single-use plastics. |
D.Asking petrochemical companies to be responsible. |
There has been a very serious decline in the numbers of shallow-water fish as a result of overfishing. People still want to eat fish, so the fishing industry must look at other sources, especially the deep waters of the Atlantic.
Conservation measures will have to be put in place if these deep-sea fish are to survive. Research on five such species shows that numbers have declined by between 87 percent and 98 percent.
The problem is emphasised by the fact that the decline in numbers happened in less than twenty years. Deep-sea fish take a long time to reproduce and normally live for many years.
None of these facts has been taken into account by the fishing industry. The deep-sea species have been caught as if they were the fast-breeding fish like sardine and herring.
The damage done by overfishing goes beyond the sea environment. Millions of people make a living in the fishing industry.
A.Billions of people rely on fish for protein. |
B.Many people now choose not to eat deep-sea fish. |
C.Unfortunately, their reproduction rate is very low. |
D.This puts them in the category of “critically endangered”. |
E.Overfishing is a major cause of decline in populations of ocean wildlife. |
F.It is like killing elephants as if they reproduced at the same rate as rabbits. |
G.This has resulted in a sharp decline in the numbers of many of the species caught. |
There are two distinctive types of electric buses making their way along Nanjing Xi Lu, one of Shanghai’s busiest roads. The first is a fleet of blue trolleybuses that serve bus route number 20, a line set up by a British-run transport company in 1928. They use poles to receive electricity from wires overhead and have kept the route running in this way for nearly a century. But while the historic electric buses are a reminder of Europe’s past technological innovation, the new buses traveling alongside them are symbols of China’s contemporary net-zero ambition. These modern electric buses powered by lithium batteries (锂电池) , were introduced in Shanghai in 2014. They offer a smoother ride, especially during starts and stops. Widely used across China, these buses are key to the country’s EV transition and are influencing the global shift towards green transportation.
The most recent data available shows that China in 2018 was still the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the global transport sector, responsible for 11%, and behind only the United States, which accounted for 21%. After around two decades of government support, China now boasts the world’s largest market for e-buses, making up more than 95% of global stock. At the end of 2022, China’s Ministry of Transport announced that more than three-quarters (77% or 542, 600) of all urban buses in the country were new energy vehicles. The speed of this transition was remarkable.
So far, however, the Chinese cities with the most successful e-bus introduction — such as Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai — all have moderate weather and are relatively flat. To take its e-bus campaign to the next level, China faces challenges. For one thing, it is difficult to bring fleets to cities such as Hong Kong, which — like London — have double-deckers. These two-storeyed vehicles are “very hard” to electrify, because they are heavier, use more energy, and so need bigger batteries, reducing the number of passengers they can carry. Cold weather is a problem, too, as it can make a battery’s charging time longer and its range shorter. The reason China has not achieved 100% electrification for its buses is its northern regions, which have cold winters, says Xue Lulu, a transportation expert at the World Resources Institute China.
【小题1】How does the author describe the two types of electric buses in the first paragraph?A.By contrasting their historical significance and technological advancements. |
B.By highlighting their roles in protecting the environment and lasting use. |
C.By focusing merely on their technical details and performance. |
D.By explaining their operational challenges and requirements. |
A.The global impact of carbon dioxide emissions. |
B.The progress of China in reducing CO2 emissions. |
C.The different emission levels of China and the USA. |
D.The need for more government support in e-bus market. |
A.Poor winter weather conditions. | B.Lack of transportation experts. |
C.Short charging time of the battery. | D.Heavier and bigger bus bodies. |
A.Worklife. | B.Culture. | C.Travel. | D.Earth. |
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