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Every day, Americans throw away 500 million plastic straws, enough to circle the Earth twice. They are almost never recycled, and simply contribute to the great problem of plastic pollution; eight million tons of plastic is dumped into the oceans every year.
Plastic straws are now the target of a growing movement to reduce their use. Possibly the first of such campaigns, Be Straw Free was started in 2011 by Milo Cress, who was only nine years old at the lime.
“I noticed that whenever I ordered a drink at a restaurant, it would usually come with a straw in it, and I don’ I usually need a straw,” he said. “This seemed like a huge waste. Straws are made of oil, a precious and finite resource. Is making single - use plastic straws, which will be used for a matter of minutes before being tossed away, really what we want to do with this resource?”
Cress started asking restaurants in Burlington, Vermont, where he lived at the time, to stop providing straws automatically to customer and make them optional instead. Many agreed and his request made ripples (涟漪) nationwide. The restaurants that make the switch report a reduction in the number of straws they use between 50 and 80%.
The anti - straw sentiment has crossed borders into the UK, where straws have been included in a government plan to ban ail plastic waste by 2042.
Last year large pub chain Wetherspoons announced that it would replace plastic straws with paper alternatives across 900 outlets. After the announcement, many smaller chains and pubs across the country followed suit. According to Wetherspoons CEO John Hutson, the move will save 70 million plastic straws a year and the reaction from patrons has been “very positive”.
Offering alternatives or making plastic straws optional, rather than banning them completely, is a common trait among these campaigns. “There are many other viable alternatives to single - use plastic drinking straws that are less harmful to the environment, wildlife and humans,” said Jackie Nunez, founder of The Last Plastic Straw.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A. Plastic straws are too costly to produce.
B. All plastic straws are dumped into the sea.
C. Plastic straws are too small to be recycled.
D. Plastic straws cause great pollution.
2.What did Milo Cress ask his local restaurants to do?
A. To make plastic straws optional.
B. To stop the use of plastic straws.
C. To charge the use of plastic straws.
D. To reject the request for plastic straws.
3.What is the Wetherspoons’ effort to reduce the use of plastic straws?
A. To ban the use of plastic straws.
B. To close some of its outlets.
C. To offer customers alternatives.
D. To seek the government’s support.
4.What is the Wetherspoons customers’ attitude towards the move?
A. Uncaring. B. Favorable.
C. Ambiguous. D. Disapproving.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Every day people throw away a lot of household garbage – paper, cans, kitchen waste, used batteries and glass 1. sorting it. There are many problems 2.(cause) by unsorted garbage. On one hand, it's 3.great waste of resources. On the other hand, the disposal of unsorted garbage can cause serious environmental pollution, 4.does harm to people's health. Now our government has realized the importance of garbage sorting. So far many activities 5. (hold) to teach people how to sort garbage 6. (proper).
People in cities, like Beijing and Shanghai, are required to sort garbage into four categories - kitchen waste, dangerous waste, 7. (recycle) waste and other waste. Also, they can get certain points for sorting their garbage. When they accumulate enough points, they can go to the community 8. (exchange) them for some gifts of daily use. However, still a lot of people in China lack the 9. (aware) of garbage sorting. Changing people's mindsets and habits will take a long time. But once one person 10. (develop) the habit of garbage sorting, more may be influenced to do the same.
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Plastic-Eating Worms
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms’ chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass — apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms’ stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017.
Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms’ ability to break down their everyday food — beeswax — also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂
Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team’s findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process — not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂
1.What can we learn about the worms in the study?
A.They take plastics as their everyday food.
B.They are newly evolved creatures.
C.They can consume plastics.
D.They wind up in landfills.
2.According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .
A.identify other means of the breakdown
B.find out the source of the enzyme
C.confirm the research findings
D.increase the breakdown speed
3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .
A.help to raise worms
B.help make plastic bags
C.be used to clean the oceans
D.be produced in factories in future
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To explain a study method on worms.
B.To introduce the diet of a special worm.
C.To present a way to break down plastics.
D.To propose new means to keep eco-balance.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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Plastic-Eating Worms
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms’ chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass — apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms’ stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017.
Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms’ ability to break down their everyday food — beeswax — also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂
Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team’s findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process — not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂
1.What can we learn about the worms in the study?
A.They take plastics as their everyday food.
B.They are newly evolved creatures.
C.They can consume plastics.
D.They wind up in landfills.
2.According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .
A.identify other means of the breakdown
B.find out the source of the enzyme
C.confirm the research findings
D.increase the breakdown speed
3.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .
A.help to raise worms
B.help make plastic bags
C.be used to clean the oceans
D.be produced in factories in future
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To explain a study method on worms.
B.To introduce the diet of a special worm.
C.To present a way to break down plastics.
D.To propose new means to keep eco-balance.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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阅读下面材料，在空白处填人1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Every minute, people around the world purchase 1 million plastic bottles,1.adds up to roughly 526 billion bottles every year. Much of the plastic2.(end) up in landfills (填埋场), rivers or oceans, often with destructive effects on wildlife. Many people are now trying to cut down on plastic use, while also turning the single-use plastic into something3.(use) — like auto parts.
Recycles plastic is ideal for automotive parts due to its light4.(weigh) that offers additional benefits such as5.(improve) a vehicle’s aerodynamics (空气动力) and reducing cabin noise.
The use of plastic in vehicle parts has grown a lot since the last decade, especially in underbody shields (车底护板).6.is assumed that around 1.2 billion recycled plastic bottles are used every year — that’s about 250 bottles per vehicle7.average.
How exactly does your plastic water bottle turn into an aerodynamic auto part? After you put the bottle into the recycling bin, it’s8.(eventual) combined with thousands of others and cut into tiny pieces. Then, these pieces9.(sell) to a supplier, who turns them into a fiber by melting them. This fibers mixed with other elements (元素) in a special process, and then were used 10.(create) a sheet of material that can be formed into vehicle parts.
高三英语语法填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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EVERY YEAR, millions of Americans see their personal information leak into the wrong hands. Maybe there’s spyware on their computer, or a service they use suffered a security reach --- as eBay did this year, leaving customers at risk of exposure. Or perhaps their password is easy to guess: Security company SplashData reports that the most popular passwords in 2013 were 123456 and password.
Fear not: It is a lot easier than you might think to set up proper defenses. In fact, you can easily do it all in a weekend. Here’s how.
Clean Your Computer And Smartphone
Before you put new security measures into place, make sure your devices are as spotless as possible. This means installing a good antivirus program and taking the time to clear out any spy- or malware that may have already infected your system. Go with AVG Free Antivirus (free. Avg. com) or Avast! (avast. com) ---each is free. Run a full system scan. This can take over an hour, so start it before settling into other plans. When you return to your computer, clear out anything that shouldn’t be there with a few simple steps (the program will guide you). These days, it’s also worth it to make sure your phone is safe from viruses. iPhones are less likely to be targeted by spyware, but Android users should download the Lookout app (lookout. com) to scan their devices and ensure everything is as it should be.
Security Your Wi-Fi
Now that your computer is clean, you should plug any holes in your home network. It’s fairly easy for potential criminals to gain access to your information if they’re able to share your connection --- that’s why you want to be careful when using public Wi-Fi. For your home, the Federal Communications Commission recommends a few steps. Even though you put security measures into place a couple of years ago, it’s a good idea to refresh your settings. You may have to refer to the instructions for your wireless router or call tech support for help. Different routers will have different setup pages, so the actual step-by-step will vary, but the end result will be the same.
Dig Deep with Your Passwords
Everything you just accomplished could be for nothing if a thief has your existing passwords, so you need to change them for every service you use. Try it when you find yourself on those sites anyway.
What you’ve heard is true: Passwords should use a variety of special characters, numerals, letters, and cases when possible. They should be close to random, and there should be a different one for each website you use. Doing this, and keeping track of it all, is a pain --- which is why people don’t do it and wind up with stolen identities. Try Dashlane (dashlane.com), a password manager with powerful encryption (加密) that can securely keep track of the most ridiculous codes you can come up with. Best of all, it logs you into sites automatically, so there’s no need to worry about all those obscure keystrokes. Whew!
Never Answer Unwanted Email
Take are when shopping online. Always check the security symbols when using an online site for shopping. If the lock icon encryption is not there, do not give out credit details. Also, check that the site is legal --- never go to a site from a random email and start shopping online. Go to the site through a known URL or by searching for it on a search engine first.
Keep a separate credit card just for online shopping. This will make it easier to cancel if something bad does happen and your other credit card for “in real life” can still be used uninfluenced.
Don’t store information on any store’s website. It may be conventional but it’s also a possible loss to you if the site is hacked.
1.The passage is mainly about _____________.
A. ways of avoiding online identity theft
B. tips of freeing computers from viruses
C. measures to ensure network security
D. steps to keep track of passwords
2.According to the passage, the risk of exposing personal information may possibly be caused by ___________.
A. the applications of antivirus programs
B. the practice of using public Wi-Fi
C. the difficult access to the passwords
D. the separate credit card for online shopping
3.To put new security measures into place, we need to ____________.
A. clear out of everything in the system
B. make a random selection of network
C. get rid of potential spyware
D. refresh the infected system
4.Which of the following is the improper way to shop online?
A. Adopting a unique password for every website.
B. Shopping online at reliable websites.
C. Keeping credit details safe by checking security symbols.
D. Monitoring credit card by storing information.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Every year, millions of Americans see their personal information leak into the wrong hands. Maybe there’s spyware on the their computer, or a service they use suffered a security reach, leaving customers at the risk of exposure. Or perhaps their password is easy to guess.
Don’t fear: You can easily set up proper defenses. Here’s how.
● Clean Your Computer and Smartphone
Before you put new security measures into place, make sure your devices are as spotless as possible. This means installing a good antivirus program and taking the time to clear out any spy — or malware that may have already infected your system. These days, it’s also worth it to make sure your phone is safe from viruses. Iphones are less likely to be targeted by spyware, but Android users should download the Lookout app to scan their devices and ensure everything is as it should be.
● Secure Your WiFi.
It’s fairly easy for potential criminals to gain access to your information if they’re able to share your connection — that’s why you want to be careful when using public WiFi. Even though you put security measures into place a couple of years ago, it’s a good idea to refresh your settings.
● Use passwords
What you’ve heard is true: Passwords should use a variety of special characters, numerals, letters, and cases when possible.
● Check the shopping security
Take care when shopping online. Always check the security symbols when using an online site for shopping. If the lock icon encryption (加密) is not there, do not give out credit details. Also, check that the site is legal — never go to a site from a random email and start shopping online.
Keep a separate credit card just for online shopping. This will make it easier to cancel if something bad does happen and your other credit card for “in real life” can still be used uninfluenced.
Don’t store information on any store’s website. It may be convenient but it’s also a possible loss to you if the site is hacked.
1.This passage is mainly about ___________.
A. ways of avoiding identity theft
B. tips of freeing computers from viruses
C. measures to ensure network security
D. steps to keep track of passwords
2.To put new security measures into place, we need to ___________.
A. clear out everything in the system
B. make a random selection of network
C. get rid of potential spyware
D. refresh the infected system
3.According to the passage, the risk of exposing personal information may possibly be caused by ___________.
A. the applications of antivirus programs
B. the practice of using public WiFi
C. the difficult access to passwords
D. the separate credit card for online shopping
4.Which of the following is an improper way to shop online?
A. Adopting a unique password for every website.
B. Shopping online at reliable websites.
C. Keeping credit details safe by checking security symbols.
D. Monitoring credit card by storing information online.
高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
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Fred Michel is one of 7.2 million Americans who moonlight. Once a week, after his day job as medical director of a mental health center, the 40-year-old psychiatrist heads to a part-time job at a treatment center for young people. Twice a month, he travels three hours to another teenage treatment center.
Last year, 5.4 percent of the American workforce held second jobs, according to the US Labor Department, and that looks set to increase this year.
Many workers like the safety that moonlighting provides, says Carl Hausman , the writer of “Moonlighting: 148 Great Ways to Make Money to the Side”.
The information from the US Labor Department shows that 40 percent of US moonlighters take a second job to meet household expenses or pay off debts. Others save money or buy some special things.
People also take second jobs with an eye to the future -- wanting to try out a new field or gain experience.
Michel started moonlighting when medical systems were unstable. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t tied to one system that ended up failing.
Just as the purposes for moonlighting vary, the moonlighters cross all ages and racial groups. And they work in a variety of industries -- no longer just service, office and sales jobs.
“Technology just affects your ability to make money,” Hausman says. “That makes a frequent change in moonlighting.”
As its name means, moonlighting still occurs mostly at night. And that results in some pressures. Chief among them is time.
Full-time employers could misunderstand, too. Some companies do not allow after-hour work because they fear it will affect their employees’ 9-to-5 performance.
“The primary employer is saying, ‘Wait, I’m paying you for the sharp, fresh, energetic you,’” says Tom Gimbel, president and founder of LaSalle Staffing in Chicago. “If you’re burning yourself at both ends, it’s going to show.”
Still, the good done to the moonlighters can be great. Besides extra income, moonlighters enjoy variety, freedom and chance to do something new. They may also find their part-time jobs strengthen what they do full time.
Besides, “it’s fun,” Michel says. Not only do his part-time jobs offer a chance to network, stretch his professional skills and make more money, but they also give him the variety he wouldn’t find just in a full-time job.
“It’s a way of pulling from the spice cabinet,” he says, “and offering a little variety throughout the day.”
1.The reason why Fred Michel began to moonlight is that ________.
A. he found it exciting to do a part-time job
B. he needed to make ends meet with more money
C. he feared he would lose his present job one day
D. he felt more and more pressure from his employer
2.Some companies don’t allow their workers to moonlight because they are afraid ________.
A. their workers cannot do extra-hour work for them
B. their workers will be too tired to try their best at work
C. their workers will one day turn to some other different jobs
D. their workers will not get to work and be off work on time
3.The underlined sentence “It’s a way of pulling from the spice cabinet.” in the last paragraph means ________.
A. moonlighting gets you away from the job you don’t enjoy
B. moonlighting offers you freedom to make extra money
C. moonlighting strengthens your professional skills
D. moonlighting brings you chances to do something different
4.What is the article mainly about?
A. The ways of moonlighting. B. The reasons for moonlighting.
C. The problems with moonlighting. D. The kinds of people who moonlight.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans, killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-year old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute,
has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(分解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair, a $10 000 prize, a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted(调制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap: maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” said Daniel Burd.
1.Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair because________.
A. he found a new kind of microorganism
B. he contributed much to environmental protection
C. he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time
D. he could encourage microbes growth in an easier way
2.Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to ________.
A. make the live bacteria work better
B. test how effective his method was
C. know which bacteria worked faster
D. control the temperature in the process
3.Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because ________.
A. plastics can get hot easily
B. microbes can produce heat themselves
C. much carbon dioxide is produced
D. the temperature can be controlled
4.Daniel Burd got his idea from ________.
A. his school textbook B. the failure of researchers
C. his everyday work D. the practice of other people
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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Every minute，every single day，about a truckload of plastic enters our oceans．1. And to date，only 9％of that has been recycled．
We buy a bottle of water，drink it for a few minutes，and toss its permanent packaging“away”．We eat potato chips，finish them，then throw their permanent packaging“away”．We buy produce，take it out of the unnecessary plastic wrap，then throw its permanent packaging“away”．
The cycle is endless，and it happens countless times every single day．2. As far as we try to toss a piece of plastic—whether it’s into a recycling bin or not——it does not disappear．Chances are，it ends up polluting our communities，oceans or waterways in some form．
For years，we’ve been told the problem of plastic packaging can be solved through batter individual action．3. But the truth is that we cannot recycle our way out of this mess．
Recycling alone will never stop the flow of plastics into our oceans；we have to get to the source of the problem and slow down the production of all this plastic waste．Think about it：if your home was flooding because you had left the tap on，your first step wouldn’t be to start mopping．You’d first cut the flooding off at its source—the tap．4.
We need corporations—those like Coca-Cola，Unilever，Starbucks and Neatlé that continue to produce throwaway plastic bottles—to step up and take their responsibility for the mess they’ve created．5. ．We will continue to do our part，but it’s time for the world’s largest corporations to do theirs．
A．This is their problem to deal with．
B．Plastic pollution is becoming very serious．
C．But here is the problem—there is no“away”．
D．In many ways，our plastic problem is no different．
E．We think that if we simply recycle we’re doing our part．
F．It’s impossible for us to get rid of plastic pollution completely．
G．Since the 1950s，some 8．3bn tons of plastic have been produced worldwide．
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析