“What kind of rubbish are you?” This question might normally cause anger, but in Shanghai it has brought about complaints over the past week. On July 1st, the city introduced strict trash-sorting regulations that are expected to be used as a model for our country. Residents must divide their waste into four separate kinds and put it into specific public bins. They must do so at scheduled times, when monitors are present to ensure compliance(服从)and to inquire into the nature of one’s rubbish.
Violators face the possibility of fines and worse. They could be hit with fines of up to 200 yuan ($29). For repeat violators, the city can add black marks to their credit records, making it harder for them to obtain bank loans or even buy train tickets.
Shanghai authorities are responding to an obvious environmental problem. It generates 9 million tonnes of garbage a year, more than London’s annual output and rising quickly. But like other cities in China, it lacks a recycling system. Instead, it has relied on trash pickers to sort out the waste, picking out whatever can be reused. This has limits. As people get wealthier, fewer of them want to do such dirty work. The waste, meanwhile, just keeps piling up. China produces 80 billion pairs of disposable(一次性的)chopsticks a year.
Many residents appear to support the idea of recycling in general but are frustrated by the details. Rubbish must be divided according to whether it is food, recyclable, dry or hazardous(有害的), the differences among which can be confusing, though there are apps to help work it out. Some have complained about the rules surrounding food waste. They must put it straight in the required public bin, forcing them to tear open plastic bags and toss it by hand. Most upset are the short windows for throwing trash, typically a couple of hours, morning and evening. Along with the monitors at the bins, this means that people go at around the same time and can keep an eye on what is being thrown out; no one wants to look bad.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “Violators” in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.People who don’t sort the waste. |
B.People who argue with the monitors. |
C.People who don’t throw the trash on time. |
D.People who are against the regulations. |
A.The massive traffic. | B.The increasing garbage. |
C.Lack of a recycling system. | D.Lack of trash pickers. |
A.Complex distinction among the four categories of trash. |
B.Short scheduled time for throwing the trash. |
C.Being observed by monitors when throwing the garbage. |
D.Being fined when blamed due to improper behavior. |
A.A Restart of Trash-sorting | B.A Great Change in Tackling Litter |
C.New Times of Garbage Classification | D.A Craze for Learning Waste Sorting |
The Tokyo Summer Olympics is going green. The 5,000 medals Japan has made are more special than most.
One novel focus of the Tokyo Olympics is to be “sustainable”— to avoid using too many natural resources, so that the games are easy on the environment. As part of this goal, the organizers decided to make all of the Olympic medals out of metal recycled from old electronics.
Almost all electronics are made with small amounts of “precious metals”, like gold and silver. But collecting enough of these metals to make 5,000 medals was a huge challenge. That’s because the amount of metal in each device is tiny. It would take about 20,000 cell phones to get just 1 kilogram of gold.
Beginning in April 2017, the organizers placed collection boxes around the country, and asked people to turn in their old electronic devices. Soon people began to respond to the initiative, turning in smartphones, digital cameras, hand-held games, and laptops. At first, collection went slowly, but soon more and more areas began to take part. By the end, 1,621 local governments had helped out with the collection process.
Then came the job of breaking those devices down into smaller pieces. After being taken apart and sorted, the small electronics were smelted (熔炼) to get all the gold, silver, and bronze elements. This is a tricky job, which calls for careful attention and good skill. It’s also dangerous, because some of the metals and other things aren’t safe for people to touch or breathe.
By the end of March, 2019, the organizers had hit their targets of getting enough metal for the medals. They had collected around 32 kilograms of gold, 4,100 kilograms of silver and 2,200 kilograms of bronze. And now all the 5,000 medals are available for the would-be winners.
【小题1】What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?A.The difficulty of making the medals. |
B.The process of collecting old electronics. |
C.The initiative to recycle used smartphones. |
D.The classification of the collected devices. |
A.They are hugely valuable. | B.They are of high quality. |
C.They are designed uniquely. | D.They are made from e-waste. |
A.creative | B.demanding |
C.well-paid | D.unique |
A.To introduce a new technique to make medals. |
B.To promote the spirit of Olympic Games. |
C.To advocate sustainable use of resources. |
D.To call people’s attention to environmental damage. |
New Zealand will create one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, spanning an area of 620,000 sq km.
The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary (保护区) will be one of the world’s most significant fully protected ecosystems, the prime minister of New Zealand, John Key, told the UN General Assembly in New York.
The sanctuary is in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 km north-east of New Zealand, and expands a marine reserve that surrounds some small islands. The area is considered important in terms of biodiversity, featuring nearly 35 species of whales and dolphins, 150 types of fish and three of the world’s seven sea turtle species. It is also geologically significant, including the world’s longest chain of underwater volcanoes and the second deepest ocean trench, into 10 km underwater — deeper than Mount Everest’s height. The scale of the sanctuary will dwarf (矮化) any previous New Zealand’s protected area, spanning twice the size of the country’s mainland. It will cover 15% of New Zealand’s economic zone.
Commercial and recreational fishing will be completely banned, as will oil, gas and mineral prospecting (勘探), exploration and mining. Key’s government aims to pass legislation establishing the sanctuary next year.
"The sanctuary is a world-class, unspoiled marine environment and New Zealand is proud to protect it for future generations,"Key said."New Zealanders value our coasts and oceans, which are an important part of our culture, economy and environment and we are committed to managing them sustainably. Creating protected areas will support not only our own fisheries, but those of our Pacific neighbors, adding to New Zealand’s efforts to help grow Pacific economies through the responsible management of their ocean resources."
Nick Smith, New Zealand’s environment minister, said the sanctuary might impose a cost upon the mining industry but that it is important to protect the ocean before exploration takes place."New Zealand needs to use its vast ocean resources for jobs and exports in industries like fishing, aquaculture, minerals and energy, but we also need to set aside special areas where nature comes first and marine life is fully protected,"Smith said.
New Zealand will monitor the area via its navy and satellite technology. The Kermadec region will join three other key areas in the Pacific protected by the US, the UK and Australia.
Matt Rand, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Global Ocean Legacy (遗产) campaign, welcomed Key’s announcement."New Zealand will create the gold standard of conservation areas in the sanctuary, preserving one of the few ly unspoiled areas of ocean on Earth,"he said."This commitment is an exciting step toward meeting global goals to safeguard at least 30% of the ocean through fully protected marine reserves."
【小题1】Why is the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary important in biodiversity?A.It has a superior geographical location. |
B.It has many different kinds of sea animals. |
C.Its environment is suitable for the growth of marine life. |
D.It is the only unspoiled area of ocean remained on Earth. |
A.People are allowed to fish for fun in the sanctuary. |
B.All Pacific countries should be responsible for ocean resources. |
C.New Zealanders attach great importance to protecting the sanctuary. |
D.New Zealand has made great achievement in creating protected areas. |
A.New Zealand should develop its marine industry in special areas. |
B.The Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary may affect New Zealand’s mining industry. |
C.New Zealand hasn’t figured out how to make full use of its ocean resources. |
D.Measures should be taken immediately to protect the ocean after explorations. |
The idea that bottled water is safer for humans may not be true. The Natural Resources Defense Council of America said, “There is no promise that because water comes out of a bottle, it is cleaner or safer than water from the tap.” Another New York City-based action group added that some bottled water is “really just tap water in a bottle—sometimes more clean, sometimes not.”
![](https://img.xkw.com/dksih/QBM/2014/2/25/1566909962289152/1566909964845056/STEM/e9d8c30942f94e95a544d3851c51b956.png?resizew=86)
It is not proven that bottled water is better than tap water. Nick Reeves from the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management said, “The high mineral content (含量) of some bottled water makes them not good for feeding babies and young children.” Also, most bottled water doesn’t have fluoride (氟化物), which can make teeth stronger. Kids are drinking more bottled water and less fluoridated tap water, and some say that’s behind the recent rise in bad teeth.
Storing is another problem. Placed near heat, the plastic bottles can produce bad chemicals (化学物质) into the water.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, some 2.7 million tons of plastic are used worldwide to bottle water each year. The plastic can take between 400 and 1,000 years to break down.
In terms of energy use, plastic bottles are also not cheap. One report said that if water and soft drink bottlers had used 10 percent recycled materials in their plastic bottles, they would have saved about 72 million gallons of gas.
So, if you are worried about the effect of bottled water on the Earth, you can take the following steps.
● Drink from your tap. Unless your government warns against this, it should be fine.
● Get a container (容器). Carry your tap water in a steel or a lined drinking container, and clean it between uses.
● Keep it cool. Don’t drink from a bottle that has been sitting in the sun, don’t store it near chemicals, and don’t reuse plastic bottles.
● Choose glass containers over plastic if possible. When finished, recycle!
【小题1】What is the main idea of the article?
A.Drinking tap water is the only choice for people. |
B.Glass containers are better than plastic bottles. |
C.Plastic bottles are harmful to the environment. |
D.Bottled water may not be as good as we think. |
A.They break down in less than 300 years. | B.They can be used for many other things. |
C.They are a risk to the environment. | D.They are cheap to make. |
A.no problem for the environment | B.more expensive than tap water |
C.always safer than tap water | D.better for babies |
A.There are a lot of problems storing tap water. |
B.Bottled water can be just tap water in a bottle. |
C.It may be better for your teeth. |
D.It may contain fluoride. |
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