备战2024年中考英语阅读话题训练二 人与社会 主题08 家乡变迁与环境保护

Gaocheng, a village about 20 kilometers north of Hangzhou City, has 204 families and a population of 895. In June, 2020, the village started an activity to help its villagers develop the habit of sorting waste. In December, the village won a monthly competition among over 20 villages. It sets a good example to the other villages now.

In front of each of those families now stand two dustbins, the green one for waste that goes smelly(难闻的) easily and the gray one for anything else. Every day after dinner, volunteers check whether the rubbish has been put into right bins. This makes the job easier for those who collect the rubbish the next early morning.

According to every family's performance, volunteers give them a score every day. Once a month families can change the total scores into things such as eggs and cooking oil.

One of the villagers, Li Rongchun, said that it was difficult to ask villagers to sort waste right because most villagers have had bad habits for a long time. At first, villagers considered sorting rubbish was a waste of time, but over the time they have realized its importance and have become better at it. And most families perform well enough to be able to get the highest score.

One of the greatest problems we face today are the destruction(破坏) of our environment. 

Brown clouds，polluted water，endangered(濒危的) wild animals…These problems seem so huge. 

So my family do what we can. We take cloth(布制的) bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don't have to drive…

But does it do any good？When I am the only one at the market with cloth bags，am I doing any good？Does my walking to stores make any difference to the world?

I recently learned something about flamingos(火烈鸟). They like to get together in groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when it is time for migration, a few of them first take off from the lake. But the others don't notice it, so the small group returns. However, the next day they try again. This time a few more fly along with them，but most of them still pay no attention，so they return again. They try for several times. 

Then one day something changes. The same small group of birds once again starts flying and a small number more join in just as before，then more. Finally，they all take offand the migration really begins. What a wonderful view it must be—thousands of flamingos taking off into the sky at the same time!

A few can make a difference. Even if you're the one to take the first step continue trying, and others will notice. If we work together, we will solve even our greatest problems. 

What does it mean to be green？Green is more than just a color. It also means taking special steps to protect the environment. Buying a green product is a small step everyone can take. Deciding whether a product is green，however，isn't always easy. We need to consider the whole life cycle of the product，even after it's of no use. Here is what we may keep in mind. 

The materials of a product are usually our first focus. What is it made of？Are there any harmful chemicals in it？Green products are made of more natural materials which are free from harmful chemicals. so they can be good for our physical health. 

Packaging is important. How is a product packaged？Is it over packaged？We'd better choose glass，metal and paper packaging，as these can be reused or more easily recycled. We can also look for less packaging or even choose bagged products whenever possible. 

Location matters. Where was a product produced？Where are we buying it？Think about how much energy was used to get it to us. Try to choose local products. When it comes to food，it is a good idea to order directly from local farmers，shop at markets and buy fruits in season. Buying from stores near our houses is also a good choice，because we can go there without driving a car. 

Look into what the company tells us about their products. It's easy to say that a product is"green"or"all natural"，but the words may be too good to be true. So we should pay attention to the information about a product carefully. After all，companies try to make us believe that their products are environmentally responsible. 

The greenest thing is certainly the one we don't buy. Things like food and clothing are necessary for life. But many others are not. Better than buying is choosing to leave an unnecessary product in the store. It sends a message to the producer，keeps money in our pockets，reduces waste and keeps the planet healthy. 

In Pontevedra, Spain, people don't shout. Since cars are not allowed in the city, there are no horns（喇叭）or noises from car engines. People don't have to try hard to make themselves heard. What you hear in the street, instead, is the singing of birds.

"Listen," says Miguel Lores, the mayor（市长）, opening the windows of his office. From the street below rises the sound of human voices. "More than 14,000 cars used to pass along this street every day. There were more cars passing through the city in a day than people living here.

Lores became mayor in 1999. He spent months walking around the city. "The historical city is dead," he said one day. "It is full of cars. It is heavily polluted. There are a lot of traffic accidents. The elderly and children aren't able to use the streets because of cars. People who had a chance to leave have done so. "

At first, Lores thought of improving traffic conditions. However, he couldn't come up with a good plan. After lots of discussions, the government finally decided to get rid of（清除）cars.

The change has brought Pontevedra many benefits. Traffic accidents are now rare（罕见的）. CO₂ emissions（排放物）are down by 70%. Many people are moving to the city, making it lively again. 

Most local people like the change. Ramiro Armesto, a mother of two young children, said, "In the past, the first thing to see in the morning was traffic jams. Now, the city is cleaner, quieter and safer. " Raquel Garcia, another parent, said she had stayed in many cities around the world. However, she had never lived in a city as "easy to live in" as Pontevedra. "Even if it's raining, I walk everywhere. The feeling is wonderful," she added.

Our living environment is being polluted faster than before and it seems nobody can prevent it. Time brings us more people, and more people bring us more industry, more cars, larger cities and growing use of man-made materials. 

     How can we understand and solve this problem? The fact is that pollution is caused by man —by his desire (欲望）for a modern way of life. So we are often ready to offer everything: clean water, good food, our health and the future of our children. There are more people from the countryside moving into the cities and enjoying the modern society. But as the technological momentum (势头) has grown in the last twenty years, pollution has become a serious problem. 

    Now we have to stop to ask ourselves where we are going and why. It makes one think of the story about the airline pilot who told his passengers over the loudspeaker, "I've got some good news and bad news. The good news is that we're going at 530 miles per hour. The bad news is that we're lost and don't know where we are going. " The sad fact is that this problem becomes a true story when speaking of our modern society.

Green is more than just a color. It also means taking special steps to protect the environment. Buying a green product is a small step everyone can take. Deciding whether a product is green, however, isn't always easy. We need to consider the whole life cycle of the product even after it's of no use. Here is what we may keep in mind.

The materials of a product are usually our first focus. What is it made of? Are there any harmful chemicals in it? Green products are made of more natural materials which are free from harmful chemicals, so they can be good for our physical health.

Packaging is important. How is a product packaged? Is it over packaged? We'd better choose glass, metal and paper packaging, as these can be reused or more easily recycled. We can also look for less packaging or even choose unbagged products whenever possible.

Location matters. Where was a product produced? Where are we buying it? Think about how much energy was used to get it. To us, try to choose local products. When it comes to food, it is a good idea to order directly from local farmer, shop at markets and buy fruits in season. Buying from stores near our houses is also a good choice, because we can go there without driving a car.

Look into what the company tells us about their product. It's easy to say that a product is "green" or "all natural" but the words may be too good to be true. So, much of the information about a product should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, companies try to make us believe that their products are environmentally responsible.

The greenest thing is certainly the one we don't buy. Things like food and clothing are necessary for life. But many others are not. Better than buying is choosing to leave an unnecessary product in the store and doing without. It sends a message to the producer, keeps money in our pockets, reduces waste and keeps the planet healthy.

There are some easy things you can do to protect the environment and the earth. Choose ideas from the list or come up with a few of your own.

●Plant flowers, grass or trees.

●Whenever you visit a park or beach，take away what you bring there—keep rubbish in a bag until you can put it in a dustbin (垃圾箱).

●Turn off the lights, TV sets when you leave the room. This saves a lot of electricity.

●Turn off the tap (水龙头) when you brush your teeth. You can save some water by not letting it run. Also, use a glass cup instead of a paper cup because this saves paper.

●Keep the doors and windows closed in winter to keep cold air in.

●Give your old books and magazines to a library instead of throwing them away.

●Give your old clothes to poor children you know instead of throwing them away.

●Use both sides of paper.

●Stop pouring dirty water into the rivers or the lakes nearby.

●Encourage all your friends to do the same things you do to help protect the earth.

You don't have to wait until Earth Day to do these things. Make each day Earth Day.

If everyone makes a contribution (贡献) to protecting the environment, the world will become much more beautiful.

What does it mean to be green? Green is more than just a color. It also means taking special steps to protect the environment. Buying a green product is a small step everyone can take. Deciding whether a product is green, however, isn't always easy. We need to consider the whole life cycle of the product even after it's of no use. Here is what we may keep in mind.

The materials of a product are usually our first focus (关注). What is it made of? Are there any harmful chemicals in it? Green products are made of more natural materials which are free from harmful chemicals, so they can be good for our physical health.

Packaging is important. How is a product packaged? Is it over packaged? We'd better choose glass, metal and paper packaging, as these can be reused or more easily recycled (回收利用). We can also look for less packaging or even choose unbagged products whenever possible.

Location (地点) matters. Where was a product produced? Where are we buying it? Think about how much energy was used to get it to us try to choose local products. When it comes to food, it is a good idea to order directly from local farmer, shop at markets and buy fruits in season. Buying from stores near our houses is also a good choice, because we can go there without driving a car.

Look into what the company tells us about their product. It's easy to say that a product is "green" or "all natural" but the words may be too good to be true. So, much of the information about a product should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, companies try to make us believe that their products are environmentally responsible.

The greenest thing is certainly the one we don't buy. Things like food and clothing are necessary for life. But many others are not. Better than buying is choosing to leave an unnecessary product in the store and doing without. It sends a message to the producer, keeps money in our pockets, reduces (减少) waste and keeps the planet healthy.

With the development of China, many traditional ink paintings(水墨画)show the changes in southern Chinese villages. Shang Xinzhou, a painter from the Guangxi Arts University, has been creating traditional ink paintings for many years. His paintings show the life in poor areas.

"Thanks to my experience in Duomai Village, I can make the paintings much lovelier," said the 36-year- old painter, who has spent two and a half years working there.

Shang's paintings show the progress in the fight againstpoverty. His works show changes from difficult local conditions and people's hard times to better conditions and happy lives.

"I like drawing people's real lives, and paintings can be a bridge for communication between the local people and me." said Shang.

During his stay, he put his paintings about the local life on the Internet to help villagers sell their products. To make the night life there richer, he sold paintings to buy street lights, so people could enjoy square dancing in the evening.

Shang's excellent works were popular in the village. "I love his paintings and they show great changes in our village," said a farmer.

In recent years, more artists have traveled to mountain villages to record the development of China's poor areas, telling stories of the country's fight against poverty. "I've seen the local poverty alleviation. I want to record the changes of the poor areas and create more works about people," said Shang.