This book says our world is in danger. It describes the various threats to the environment. The situation is so serious that we must do something to save the Earth.

The writers ask us to “imagine that the Earth is inside a kind of greenhouse with the atmosphere(大气层) around it. The atmosphere acts like the glass: It lets sunlight in and keeps warmth from getting out. The atmosphere is essential for all living things. Without it, the Earth would be as cold and lifeless as the surface of the moon.”

“The trouble is that our atmosphere is changing because we are polluting it with chemicals—in the form of gases—and it is keeping in too much heat!”

These gases, mainly carbon dioxide(CO2) are produced by burning fuels such as petrol. The greenhouse effect may cause the level of the sea to rise and flood cities and even whole countries.

The burning and cutting down of the forests is making the greenhouse effect worse because trees take in CO2. It also causes soil erosion and flooding, as well as destroying the homes of people and animals that live in the forests.

Many of our habits cause pollution, especially our habit of using things once and then throwing them away. This creates massive mountains of rubbish. We do not know what to do with the rubbish and it pollutes our land and sea. For example, people throw away as many as seven billion drink cans in Britain each year. That is enough to reach from the Earth to the moon.

The book is asking us to become “green consumers”. That means we should only buy and use environmentally friendly goods so that we can save the Earth. These goods will not damage the environment.

Let’s be green consumers and enjoy living a better life on the Earth!

【小题1】What does the underline word “essential” mean in the passage?

A．of great harm	B．of no harm
C．of great importance	D．of no importance

【小题2】What is the correct order of the blanks in the passage?
① How can we save the Earth
② Bad habits
③ The greenhouse effect
④ Destroying the forest

A．①②③④

B．②④③①

C．③④①②

D．③④②①

【小题3】How does the writer develop his ideas?

A．By comparing facts and opinions.	B．By giving facts and results.
C．By listing examples and numbers.	D．By telling stories and giving advice.