2020年高考英语外刊时事命题阅读理解：

China builds new hospital in10days to combat coronavirus中国速度，火神山医院和雷神山医院建成记The Chinese philosopher(哲学家)Confucius once said,“Time flows away like the water in the river.”This is especially true as the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak has affected millions of people in China,and the whole nation has been working day and night to fight the epidemic.In late January when an increasing number of people in Wuhan were suspected to be infected,and hospitals didn’t have adequate beds for them,two special hospitals –Leishenshan Hospital and Huoshenshan Hospital–were built.These two makeshift(临时的)hospitals were built to treat pneumonia patients infected with the novel coronavirus.Huoshenshan Hospital has1,000beds and covers 33,900square meters,and Leishenshan Hospital has1,500beds and a total area of about79,000square meters.More than4,000workers worked24/7in two shifts,and nearly1,000large-scalepieces of equipment and transport vehicles helped the project on-site.The two hospitals were built in an amazingly short time.It only took10days for people to build Huoshenshan,and14days for lions of Chinese people watched livestreamed(直播)videos of the construction.This certainly wowed many people overseas.“It’s incredible that two hospitals with2,500beds can be built in a short period.It’s just hard to believe,”a foreigner named Stuart told People’s Daily.“This project shows us that China is a great nation with solidarity(团结),”a Chinese internet user commented on Sina Weibo.In the meantime,Chinese companies have also taken actions quickly in this battle.According to China Daily,some Chinese companies which have nothing to do with medical supplies have changed their factories to churn out masks,the most-needed“weapon”for the public’s defense.Local automobile maker BYD,for example,started producing masks on Feb8 and launched them on Feb17.The first batch(一批)of these masks was donated to drivers of public buses,taxis as well as volunteers fighting the viral outbreak.“The automobile industry is highly industrialized with strong capabilities in comprehensive manufacturing,purchasing materials,production lines and output of technologies,”Shi Jianhua,deputy secretary-general of China Association of Automobile Manufacturers,told CCTV News.“In this special time,when the nation needs more masks,it’s time for us to quickly respond and shoulder the social responsibilities.”Indeed,a fast response is crucial(重要的)in any crisis.In this special time, China can’t afford to waste a second in the fight against the epidemic.After all,time equals life during this crisis.（选自Newyork Times）1.The project of the two makeshift hospitals amazed the world because of ________.A.the high cost of completing themB.the efficiency in which they were builtC.The support they received from home and abroadD.the livestreamed videos used to track their construction2.What does the underlined phrase“churn out”in Paragraph7probably mean?A.collect a large amount of somethingB.save something for future useC.produce large amounts of something quicklyD.sell something at a low price3.What is the author’s intention of introducing the automobile industry in the text?A.To inform us of its advanced technologies.B.To explain what it can do to help fight the virus.C.To show that it should have contributed more to the fight.D.To prove that different industries have united to fight the virus.译文：中国哲学家孔子曾经说过：“时间像河里的水一样流逝。

Sign of the Times在“大数据”的“加持”下，户外广告牌焕发新生。

PEDESTRIANS walking down 8th Avenue in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood will be struck by the face-side(正面) of the Hearst Magazine Building. The 3,716-square-metre building is decorated with columns and statues, and topped by a 183-meter glass and steel skyscraper.{1} Another distinctive feature is a vast digital screen that transmits advertisements. Despite being one of the world’s oldest forms of marketing, the outdoor-advertising business is embracing digital technologies.Most forms of traditional advertising — print, radio and broadcast television — have been losing ground to online ads for years. Only billboards, dating back to the 1800s, and TV ads are holding their own (see chart below). Out-of-home (OOH) advertising is estimated to have grown by 3.4 percent in 2018; digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, which includes the LCD screens (液晶屏) found in airports and shopping malls, by 16 percent. Such ads draw viewers’ attentionfrom phones and cannot be skipped or blocked, unlike ads online.Billboard owners are also making hay from the location data that are pouring off people’s smartphones.{2} Information about their owners’ whereabouts and online browsing gets collected and anonymized (匿名处理) by carriers (运营商) and data firms, and sold to media owners. They then use these data to work out when different groups — say, business travelers — walk by their ads. That knowledge is added to insights into traffic, weather and other data to produce highly relevant ads. For example, DOOH providers can deliver ads for coffee when it is cold.Billboards can also be programmed to show ads for allergy (过敏症) medication when the air is full of pollen(花粉).Such targeting works particularly well when it is accompanied by “programmatic” advertising methods. Supporters say outdoor ads will increasingly be bought like online ones, based on audience and views as well as location.That is possible because billboard owners claim to be able to measure how well their ads are working, even though no “click-through” rates are involved. Data firms can tell advertisers how many people walk past individual advertisements at particular times of the day. Advertisers can estimate how many individuals exposed to an ad go on to visit a nearby shop (or website) and buy the product. Such metrics (指标) make outdoor ads more data-driven, automated and measurable.Tech giants are among those to see more value in outdoor advertising. Netflix acquired a series of billboards along Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, where it advertises its films and TV shows. Tech firms, including Apple and Google, are heavy buyers of OOH ads, accounting for 25 of the top 100 OOH ad spenders in America.The outdoor-ad revolution is not problem-free, however. The collection of mobile phone data raises privacy concerns. And criticisms of the online-ad business may also turn to the OOH business as it becomes bigger and more complex. One of the benefits of following the online-ad leaders is that the OOH advertisers can learn from their mistakes.（选自Economist）1. The underlined words in Paragraph 3 probably mean “______.”A. restricting access toB. earning a profit fromC. taking advantage ofD. finding fault with2. According to the article, which of the following statements is true?A. The billboard has a history of more than 300 years.B. The billboard is the only form of conventional advertising that winsagainst online ads.C. DOOH refers to any type of digital billboards used for advertising outdoors.D. It is estimated that OOH advertising grew slower than DOOH advertising in 2018.3. What can we infer from the article?A. Billboard advertising is more likely to be targeted toward business travelers.B. “Click-through” rates are the only reliable metrics in advertising.C. Tech giants invest more money in OOH ads than in online ones.D. The outdoor-ad industry is likely to address privacy concerns.译文：沿着曼哈顿地狱厨房街区的第八大街行走的PEDESTRIANS将被赫斯特杂志大楼正面遮住。

Robots aid in coronavirus fight疫情推动机器人加速上岗。

Robots have certain advantages compared to humans: They are efficient, tireless, can be repaired when damaged and they never get sick. This last trait has made them the star during our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. While hundreds of thousands of medical workers have fallen ill dealing with this highly infectious virus and a lot more are forced to stay at home for fear of getting the disease, this isn’t a problem for robots.This is why the COVID-19 outbreak is seen as the “tipping point” – noted The Independent science reporter Anthony Cuthbertson – for robotsto start to replace humans in certain jobs.In areas like hospitals and healthcare facilities, robots are used to perform high-risk tasks. In China, for example, a hotel in Hangzhou employed a robot named “Little Peanut” to deliver food to people under quarantine. In Spain, robots are about to be used to test people for the coronavirus. Ultraviolet-light-disinfection (紫外线消毒) robots are also being widely used to clean hospital corridors and wards (病房).“Hospitals around the world are waking up to autonomous disinfection,” Per Juul Nielsen, CEO of Denmark’s UVD Robots, a leading company manufacturing (制造) disinfection robots, told Forbes. “We can’t build these robots fast enough."In non-medical companies, robots are also replacing human employees since they don’t have the problem of social distancing and will never take sick leave. Walmart and Amazon, for example, where robots are already used in sorting, packing and shipping, are planning to increase the number of robots in their facilities. Fast-food chains like McDonald’s are not only delivering food with robots in some areas, but also looking to use them as cooks and servers.According to futurist Martin Ford, using more robots than human employees can prove to be rewarding for companies – even when the pandemic is over. “People will prefer to go to a place that has fewerworkers and more machines because they feel they can lower overall risk,” Ford told the BBC.But this sudden surge (激增) in robot demand doesn’t mean that they triumph over humans in every aspect. According to Bill Smart, a roboticist at Oregon State University, the human contact between doctors and patients is still important. Doctors comfort the patients and guide them through hard decisions while robots are only doing routine tasks, like cleaning and giving tests, just to free up doctors and nurses.It might be true that robots have certain advantages over humans, but they are still secondary to human interaction.（选自BBC）1. What is the text mainly about?A. The advantages of robots compared to humans.B. Different views toward applying robots to fight COVID-19.C. Why the COVID-19 outbreak has fueled robot demand.D. Whether robots will replace humans in certain areas one day.2. What has made robots desirable during the pandemic according to the text?A. They can be repaired when damaged.B. They test people for coronavirus more precisely.C. They never get tired and can replace doctors and nurses.D. They are not vulnerable to the coronavirus.3. What does Martin Ford think of the application of robots?A. Its benefits are appealing and lasting.B. Machines are less disturbing than humans.C. It poses a threat to human employment.D. There are some risks with the use of robots.4. What can be concluded from the last two paragraphs?A. The demand for robots is too great to meet.B. Doctors can make more accurate judgments than robots.C. Humans interactions are essential in some areas.D. Robots need updating to improve contact with humans.译文：与人类相比，机器人具有某些优势：它们高效，不倦，在受损时可以修复，并且永不生病。

The Dutch boy mop ping up a sea of plastic荷兰男子制造“海洋吸尘器”清理海洋塑料垃圾“When I was 16 years old, I was scuba diving (水肺潜水) in Greece, but I was disappointed because I saw more plastic bags than fish.” These are the words of Boyan Slat, 25, an engineer who designed the world’s first ocean plastic cleanup system.Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans, according to the UN Environment Programme. Every day, plastic items, fishing equipment, and ship parts are dump ed (倾倒) into the seas. These can take up to 500 years to decompose (分解) .If left alone, sea animals become entangled (缠绕的) in them and can even die if the plastics are ingest ed (摄入). Worse, humans can be affected when these plastics break down. “Smaller pieces enter the food chain, and that’s a food chainthat includes us humans,” Slat said.In 2018, the World Economic Forum predicted that the weight of ocean plastics will match the weight of all the fish in our oceans by 2050. To prevent this grim (令人沮丧的) reality, Slat created The Ocean Cleanup, an environmental NGO, in 2013 and put his plan for an ocean plastic cleanup device (设备) into action.After years of research and development in the Netherlands, a device called System 001/B successfully started gathering plastic on Oct 2, 2019.The device uses a 600-meter-long “C” shaped tube to gather all the floating debris (垃圾). Unlike other cleanup methods, the system floats freely according to the direction of the waves, which allows waste to flow into and stay within the device.A sea anchor (锚) is attached to either end. This slows down the system as it floats through the water and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, to flow into its mouth. System 001/B can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter-deep skirt (挡板) attached to the end. After being gathered, the trash will be dragged back to shore by boat and recycled.In a news conference, Slat said, “In a few years we will have the full-scale fleet (舰队) out there.”Currently, the system operates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area that is three times the size of France. Once operational, the Ocean Cleanup expects a full fleet to be able to clear 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in fiveyears.It remains to be seen if this dream will become a reality, but it is undeniable that humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused.“We are starting to see a young generation that gets that and is excited about a sustainable (可持续的) future, but the question still comes down to: Are we going fast enough, and how much damage will have been done before we get there?” Slat said.（节选自Telegraph）1. What do the first four paragraphs mainly talk about?A. Slat’s scuba diving experiences in Greece.B. Slat’s research on ocean environments.C. How ocean environment relates to humans.D. How Slat got the idea for an environmental NGO.2. What do we know about System 001/B?A. It’s a cleanup device put into use last October.B. It collects and recycles garbage at the same time.C. It can only collect waste that floats in water.D. It aims to clear the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in a decade.3. What does Slat intend to tell us according to the last paragraph?A. He is positive about the future of the ocean.B. It is hard to repair the damage to the environment.C. Humans should work hard to reduce plastic pollution.D. The younger generation lacks environmental awareness.译文：“当我16岁的时候，我在希腊进行水肺潜水，但我感到失望的是，因为我看到的塑料袋比鱼还要多。

The Dutch boy mop ping up a sea of plastic荷兰男子制造“海洋吸尘器”清理海洋塑料垃圾“When I was 16 years old, I was scuba diving (水肺潜水) in Greece, but I was disappointed because I saw more plastic bags than fish.” These are the words of Boyan Slat, 25, an engineer who designed the world’s first ocean plastic cleanup system.Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans, according to the UN Environment Programme. Every day, plastic items, fishing equipment, and ship parts are dump ed (倾倒) into the seas. These can take up to 500 years to decompose (分解) .If left alone, sea animals become entangled (缠绕的) in them and can even die if the plastics are ingest ed (摄入). Worse, humans can be affected when these plastics break down. “Smaller pieces enter the food chain, and that’s a food chainthat includes us humans,” Slat said.In 2018, the World Economic Forum predicted that the weight of ocean plastics will match the weight of all the fish in our oceans by 2050. To prevent this grim (令人沮丧的) reality, Slat created The Ocean Cleanup, an environmental NGO, in 2013 and put his plan for an ocean plastic cleanup device (设备) into action.After years of research and development in the Netherlands, a device called System 001/B successfully started gathering plastic on Oct 2, 2019.The device uses a 600-meter-long “C” shaped tube to gather all the floating debris (垃圾). Unlike other cleanup methods, the system floats freely according to the direction of the waves, which allows waste to flow into and stay within the device.A sea anchor (锚) is attached to either end. This slows down the system as it floats through the water and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, to flow into its mouth. System 001/B can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter-deep skirt (挡板) attached to the end. After being gathered, the trash will be dragged back to shore by boat and recycled.In a news conference, Slat said, “In a few years we will have the full-scale fleet (舰队) out there.”Currently, the system operates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area that is three times the size of France. Once operational, the Ocean Cleanup expects a full fleet to be able to clear 50 percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in fiveyears.It remains to be seen if this dream will become a reality, but it is undeniable that humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused.“We are starting to see a young generation that gets that and is excited about a sustainable (可持续的) future, but the question still comes down to: Are we going fast enough, and how much damage will have been done before we get there?” Slat said.（节选自Telegraph）1. What do the first four paragraphs mainly talk about?A. Slat’s scuba diving experiences in Greece.B. Slat’s research on ocean environments.C. How ocean environment relates to humans.D. How Slat got the idea for an environmental NGO.2. What do we know about System 001/B?A. It’s a cleanup device put into use last October.B. It collects and recycles garbage at the same time.C. It can only collect waste that floats in water.D. It aims to clear the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in a decade.3. What does Slat intend to tell us according to the last paragraph?A. He is positive about the future of the ocean.B. It is hard to repair the damage to the environment.C. Humans should work hard to reduce plastic pollution.D. The younger generation lacks environmental awareness.译文：“当我16岁的时候，我在希腊进行水肺潜水，但我感到失望的是，因为我看到的塑料袋比鱼还要多。

Why Did Darker and Lighter Human Skin Colors Evolve?为什么我们会有黑色或金色头发呢？The human species started in Africa. To protect ourselves from the harsh and direct sunlight, we evolved with higher levels of melanin in our bodies. This causes darker skin. Dark hair is also a favorable evolution --- less light can pass through dark hair than light, protecting the skin.Over time as the human race migrated, mutation(变异)continued. In the branch that became “white”, mutations that produced paler skin and lighter hair occurred. This was an advantageous mutation because these humans were living in areas with less direct sunlight, so needed to take advantage of the small amounts they were exposed to (we need sunlight to produce vitamin D). Through natural and self-selection, the genes for paler skin and blonde hair survived. Othermutations for lighter hair colors (lighter brown, red) remained for similar reasons.The reason why other races did not evolve blonde hair is as follows: First, they were not given an environmental advantage, so did not increase chances of survival and reproduction. Second, the genes for darker hair colors are dominant over genes for lighter hair color. Without selective pressures (the environment advantage) to encourage this mutation, any spontaneous hair color mutations would be lost in future generations without other recessive genes to allow it to be expressed.Look at it this way --- a few hot blondes randomly showed up in early northern human populations. They used to be healthy, dark-haired humans with a hidden blonde gene. Eventually those dark-haired babies married each other, hidden blonde genes met up, and blonde babies appeared. Blonde babies were just as healthy as dark-haired babies, so the genes became more common.Let’s say the same few blondes showed up in southern human populations. They would burn in the sun and not be able to survive in those conditions. Some dark-haired humans might bang them because they were just lying there ... but they were not ideal mates as they were unhealthy in that environment and could not survive as well. A few babies may have been born with hidden blonde genes, but if a second generation blonde baby was born, they would also struggle to survive in that environment. As a result, blonde genes did not explode.（选自BBC）1. What is the major function of “melanin” in our bodies?A. It prevents us from skin cancer caused by the direct sunlight.B. It helps people to evolve throughout the human history.C. It helps people with the mutation process during migration.D. It makes our body darker to protect us from sunlight.2. What can we infer from the passage?A. People with pale skin can survive better in places with direct sunlight,B. People’s genes mutate with the change of the environment.C. All vitamins are produced with the help of sunlight exposure.D. Without the environmental advantage, the gene of blonde hairs can never be expressed.3. Why is there less blonde-haired population in southern places?A. Southern people do not have the genes of blonde hair.B. People with blonde hair can hardly survive in southern places.C. Immigration has quickened the mutation process.D. Blonde hair can hardly attract ideal mates in southern places.4. What is this passage mainly about?A. Why difference races have different colors in skin and hair.B. Why most Africans have been dark in color since ancient.C. How evolution matters in the history of human civilization.D. The differences between the northern and southern people in hair color.译文：人类起源于非洲。

Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration.Here’s why we often hate new stuff.为什么我们总是抗拒新鲜事物？Humans have a habit of deliberately delaying their own progress.From coffee to mechanical refrigeration to genetically altered food,history is littered with innovations that caused resistance before they become fixtures in everyday life.But the past600years of human history help to explain why humans often oppose new technologies and why that pattern of opposition continues to this day. Calestous Juma,a professor of Harvard University,explores this phenomenon in his latest book, Innovation and Its Enemies:Why People Resist New Technologies.Among Juma’s claims is that people do not fear innovation simply because the technology is new,but because innovation often means losing a piece of their identity or lifestyle,and separating people from nature or their sense of purpose—two things that are fundamental to the human experience.Juma identified in his research three key sources of opposition to innovation:those with commercial interests in existing products,those who identify with existing products,and those who might lose power as a result of change.The first group is perhaps the most obvious.Many industries have been disrupted by innovation.Just take a look at the pointless efforts of music publishers to stop the shift to digital music.Some consumers might oppose an innovation because the existing product is deeply rooted in their identity,culture or customs.Britons preferred tea time at home to sitting in acoffee shop,for example.Finally,the emergence of new technologies can also result in a shift in economic and political power,redistributing wealth and influence away from some groups,and toward others.The expansion of tractors(拖拉机)and other mechanical equipment reduced the need for farm labor,and the shift in population away from rural areas had significant political implications.Humans make decisions about new innovations with their instinct rather than evidence. Opponents and enthusiasts of a new technology will often make shocking claims to support their arguments.Sometimes these claims are rooted in fact;other times they are not.People once claimed coffee could make you sterile(不育的).Juma said beneath those arguments was typically an instinctive fear of new technologies,rather than a reasoned response.“People react intuitively,and they collect the evidence to support what they’re doing,”Juma said.“They see a new product and there is an emotional reaction to that product because it challenges their outlook on the world.This has been the story with almost every new product.”Historically,technologists have been more concerned with the functionality of the products they create,paying less attention to the implications it may have on society at large,Juma contends. Fortunately,that may be starting to change.（选自Washingtonpost）43.We can infer from the first two paragraphs that Juma’s book____.A.explores why history often repeats itselfB.focuses on the impact of technology on natureC.analyzes the role of technology in social progressD.researches the recurrence(重现)of a certain phenomenon44.Which of the following statements is correct according to Paragraph3?A.Opposition to innovation is mainly caused by loss of cultural identity.B.British people have a strong sense of independence.C.A successful technological innovation can affect population flow.D.Young people prefer digital music to traditional recordings.45.In Juma’s opinion,people’s resistance to new technologies____.A.is not based on factB.is a natural responseC.arises from fear of challengesD.reflects their prejudiced view of the world46.It is implied in the last paragraph that technologists should give more consideration to____.A.the functionality of new productsB.the social usefulness of new productsC.the social influence of new productsD.the potential danger of new products译文：人类习惯于故意拖延自己的进步。

Inside the Fight for Cleaner Air空气污染亟待解决，英国牛津有话说At first glance,London’s Oxford Street looks like any other clean urban corridor.Trees bloom.Taxis honk.Shoppers flock to stores like Starbucks, Uniqlo and the Gap.Of all the words you could use to describe this destination, dangerous would be low on the list.But the air that flows through Oxford Street is far from pleasing.Over time, it has become filled with nitrogen dioxide,a pollutant that is invisible to the naked eye and contributes to a number of health issues—asthma,lung disease, even death—if breathed in on a regular basis.In August,London’s mayor,Sadiq Khan,rated Oxford as“the most polluted street in the world”in terms of nitrogen dioxide.This is not the narrative we’re used to hearing about air pollution,which for years has been associated with obvious markers,like fumes and smog,in developing countries.Now,however,it affects everyone.A recent report from the World Health Organization(WHO)estimates that roughly9out of10people live in areas with excessive air pollution.How did things get so bad?The answers depend on where you live.In the developing world,the main culprit is rapid industrial growth,which has led to the creation of dirty factories and coal-fired power plants.In Europe,it’s mostly the rise of diesel-powered cars,which emit nitrogen dioxide.Globally,though, lawmakers have lately ignored the problem until it arrives at their doorstep.Slowly,that’s starting to change.In London,Oxford Street and other polluted roads will soon be permanently car-free.In Los Angeles,transit officials have cited air pollution as a key driver behind a move to electric buses. Many policymakers hope measures to address climate change,like last year’s Paris Agreement,will also help reduce pollution.These moves represent an important start,but a real push to clean the air will take years if not decades.The biggest barrier to such efforts may be the cost, real or imagined.Developing countries rely on factories to fuel growth,and officials have long feared that breaking that habit may hurt their economies.In the meantime,a group of scientists,environmentalists and entrepreneursare trying to tackle the problem on their own.Among them:Vogmask and Cambridge Mask Co.,which offer stylish versions of the N95air-filtration mask, and TZOA,whose Fitbit-like device allows users to track the air quality around them in real time.Of course,these efforts are treating the symptoms,not the problem.But for many,that’s better than nothing.（选自TIME）1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A.Traditional air pollution markers include fumes,smog and nitrogen dioxide.B.London’s Oxford Street was rated as the most polluted place in the world.C.Many health issues in London are attributed to the traffic in Oxford Street.D.Now air pollution affects only those in developing countries.2.The underlined word“culprit”can be replaced with“A.reasonB.resultC.targetD.interest3.All the following are contributing factors to the seriousness of airpollution exceptA.dirty factories and coal-fired power plants in developing countriesB.some tourist destinations filled with visitorswmakers’failure to address the problem before it’s too lateD.the rise of diesel-powered cars in European countries4.From the last paragraph,we can infer thatA.developing countries lag behind in their efforts to deal with air pollutionB.some companies have already come up with effective measures to deal with air pollutionC.scientists,environmentalists and entrepreneurs have made vain effortsD.although current efforts cannot resolve air pollution directly,they are worth making译文：乍一看，伦敦的牛津街看起来就像其他任何干净的城市走廊一样。

The Dutch boy mop ping up a sea of plastic荷兰男子制造“海洋吸尘器”清理海洋塑料垃圾“When I was 16 years old, I was scuba diving (水肺潜水) in Greece, but I was disappointed because I saw more plastic bags than fish.” These are the words of Boyan Slat, 25, an engineer who desi gned the world’s first ocean plastic cleanup system.Every year, more than 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans, according to the UN Environment Programme. Every day, plastic items, fishing equipment, and ship parts are dump ed (倾倒) into the seas. These can take up to 500 years to decompose (分解) .If left alone, sea animals become entangled (缠绕的) in them and can even die if the plastics are ingest ed (摄入). Worse, humans can be affected when these plastics break down.“Smaller pieces enter the food chain, and that’s a foodchain that includes us humans,” Slat said.In 2018, the World Economic Forum predicted that the weight of ocean plastics will match the weight of all the fish in our oceans by 2050. To prevent this grim (令人沮丧的) reality, Slat created The Ocean Cleanup, an environmental NGO, in 2013 and put his plan for an ocean plastic cleanup device (设备) into action.After years of research and development in the Netherlands, a device called System 001/B successfully started gathering plastic on Oct 2, 2019.The device uses a 600-meter-long “C” shaped tube to gather all the floating debris (垃圾). Unlike other cleanup methods, the system floats freely according to the direction of the waves, which allows waste to flow into and stay within the device.A sea anchor (锚) is attached to either end. This slows down the system as it floats through the water and allows the faster-moving rubbish, carried by the waves, to flow into its mouth. System 001/B can also collect waste below the surface using a 3-meter-deep skirt (挡板) attached to the end. After being gathered, the trash will be dragged back to shore by boat and recycled.In a news conference,Slat said, “In a few years we will have the full-scale fleet (舰队) out there.”Currently, the system operates in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area that is three times the size of France. Once operational, the Ocean Cleanup expects a full fleet to be able to clear 50 percent of the Great Pacific GarbagePatch in five years.It remains to be seen if this dream will become a reality, but it is undeniable that humanity must work together to reduce our plastic use and repair the damage our waste has caused.“We are starting to see a young generation that gets that and is excited about a sustainable (可持续的) future, but the question still comes down to: Are we going fast enough, and how much damage will have been done before we get there?” Slat said.（节选自Telegraph）1. What do the first four paragraphs mainly talk about?A. Slat’s scuba diving experiences in Greece.B. S lat’s research on ocean environments.C. How ocean environment relates to humans.D. How Slat got the idea for an environmental NGO.2. What do we know about System 001/B?A. It’s a cleanup device put into use last October.B. It collects and recycles garbage at the same time.C. It can only collect waste that floats in water.D. It aims to clear the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in a decade.3. What does Slat intend to tell us according to the last paragraph?A. He is positive about the future of the ocean.B. It is hard to repair the damage to the environment.C. Humans should work hard to reduce plastic pollution.D. The younger generation lacks environmental awareness.译文：“当我16岁的时候，我在希腊进行水肺潜水，但我感到失望的是，因为我看到的塑料袋比鱼还要多。