The ________ of oil under the land made the people richer．

1. A.
   founding
2. B.
   invention
3. C.
   discovery
4. D.
   existence

“Why should I care about the environment?” some people ask. There is a very simple reason: We live on the earth, and it is the only place we can live on right now, as we cannot live in space yet. If we treat the earth like a garbage dump, it will become dirty and unlivable. If we treat it well by being eco-conscious, the earth will stay clean and suitable for living, for ourselves and for our children.

What is “being eco-conscious”?

Being eco-conscious means being aware of your actions, and what you do to the environment. For example, you might think, “Using hairspray is great for fixing my hair.” However, if you are eco-conscious, you would ask, “Does this hairspray have CFCs in it? Could I be destroying the earth by using hairspray?”

How can I be eco-conscious?

You can find many simple ways to help the environment in your everyday life.

When you go shopping, bring a bag or a basket with you. Please try not to use plastic bags as much as you can.

You can go to work by bike or on foot if it is not far from your home.

You can put your rubbish into different bags, which makes it convenient for recycling.

You can eat less chewing gum.

You can use your own chopsticks instead of the disposable ones in your company or in restaurants.

You can put batteries in a special box instead of in garbage bins.

You can use the water which has been used for washing vegetables or fruits to clean the floor and the toilet or to water your garden.

You can turn off the decorative lights in your room when watching TV.

You can turn down your air conditioner by one degree, as this will cause a 10% reduction in energy use.

You can use recycled paper. Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil. You can also use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials. This will reduce the related air pollution by 20%, and the related water pollution by 50%.

Please believe that. If you do a little, it will make a big difference.

1.Human beings should care about the environment because _________ .

A．if we make the earth unlivable, we’ll have to live in space

B．it can help our children live better

C．if we don’t, the earth will become a garbage dump

D．it will help to make the world a good living place

2.If your deskmate is an eco-conscious person, he should __________.

A．be aware of the importance of protecting the environment

B．use plastic bags when he buys something

C．know nothing about CFCs

D．turn his air conditioner to a higher degree

3.If you want to help the environment, you should do all the following EXCEPT ________.

A．share a car with your colleagues

B．use paper bags instead of plastic bags

C．use hairspray containing CFCs

D．use recycled glass instead of glass made from raw materials

4.It can be inferred from the passage that _________.

A．it’s very hard for human beings to keep the earth clean and comfortable

B．protecting the environment is the duty of everybody

C．we should protect the environment together, as it’s no use doing it individually

D．it’s very easy to be eco-conscious

5.According to the author, which of the following statements is WRONG?

A．Being eco-conscious means you should know much about the environment.

B．The more we care, the better the environment will be.

C．If each of us just does a little, we can’t make any difference.

D．If we treat the earth badly, we’ll make a lot of trouble for ourselves.

On April 24^th, another natural disaster—the oil spill(泄露) in the Gulf of Mexico, happened. Millions of dollars have been used to help stop the spill and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．
But governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run.
Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．      
However, we should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power（太阳能）, electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research, in the past, was stopped by the oil, gas, and coal．
If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）,we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．
【小题1】What is the passage mainly talking about?

On April 24^th, another natural disaster—the oil spill(泄露) in the Gulf of Mexico, happened. Millions of dollars have been used to help stop the spill and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．

But governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run.

Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．      

However, we should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power（太阳能）, electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research, in the past, was stopped by the oil, gas, and coal．

If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）,we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．

1.What is the passage mainly talking about?

2.How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe?

3.What does the underlined word "risk" in Paragraph 2 refer to?

4.Which suggestion is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?

5.Where can you read this article?