Question

The world's nights are getting surprisingly brighter. This is bad news for all kinds of creatures, including humans － as light pollution is becoming worse, taking away the darkness of night almost everywhere.

Satellite* observations* made by researchers show Earth's artificially-lit* outdoor area grew by 2% a year from 2012 to 2016. So did night time brightness. Light pollution was even worse than that, according to the German-led team, because satellites cannot observe some of the LED lighting, especially blue light.

"Honestly, I had hoped that with LEDs we were improving the situation, for this new lighting technology has been developed to use less energy. But it turns out quite disappointing. ", said Kyba, the lead author of the study.

"Asia, Africa and South America, for the most part, have seen an increase in artificial night lighting. The cities in developing nations are brightening quite rapidly. Other bright places include greenhouses in the Netherlands and areas of agriculture. More and more places are fixing outdoor lighting because of its low cost and the growth in communities' wealth," the scientists said.

One of the co-authors, Franz Holker of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin, said things were already in a terrible situation.

"Many people are using light at night without really thinking about the cost," Holker said. "Not just the economic cost, but also the cost that you have to pay for environmental damage."

The effect from the increasing artificial light is obvious, according to the researchers. People's sleep can be marred, which in turn can hurt their health. The life of birds, fish, insects and bats can be harmed. Plants can have longer growing periods. And people may forget about seeing stars or the Milky Way if the light pollution continues.

Kyba and his team suggest avoiding bright lights whenever possible and using more useful ways to shine light on places such as parking lots or city streets. For example, dim, closely spaced lights can provide better visibility than bright lights that are more spread out.

1.Why is light pollution becoming worse according to the passage?

A.Because LED lighting gives off blue light.

B.Because there is increasing artificial lighting.

C.Because people can pay for the electricity bill for home.

D.Because scientists didn't suggest avoiding artificial lighting.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A.We can use bright lights in city streets.

B.LED lighting can help reduce light pollution.

C.Maybe we can't see the stars because of light pollution.

D.The cities in developing nations don't fix outdoor lighting.

3.What does the underlined word "marred" probably mean?

A.recorded B.controlled C.improved D.influenced

4.What's the best title of the passage?

A.The Disadvantages of LEDs B.Brighter Nights Are Dangerous

C.What Causes Light Pollution D.Ways to Reduce Light Pollution

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.D

4.B

【解析】

本文主要介绍了光污染的问题。世界的夜晚越来越亮，这对包括人类在内的各种生物来说都是个坏消息。光污染影响人们的睡眠，损害人们的健康。影响动植物的正常的生活等。文章最后建议尽可能避免明亮的灯光，减少光污染对环境造成的危害。

1.

细节题。根据第2段第1句“Satellite* observations* made by researchers show Earth's artificially-lit* outdoor area grew by 2% a year from 2012 to 2016.”可知“光污染越来越严重的原因是因为人工照明越来越多。”故选B。

2.

细节题。根据倒数第2段最后一句“And people may forget about seeing stars or the Milky Way if the light pollution continues.”可知也许因为光污染我们看不见星星。故选C。

3.

词意猜测题。recorded记录，记载；controlled控制；improved改进，改善，提高；influenced影响。根据上文“The effect from the increasing artificial light is obvious, according to the researchers.（研究人员称，增加人工光的影响是显而易见的。）”可知此句“People's sleep can be marred, which in turn can hurt their health.”句意是：人们的睡眠会受到影响，这反过来又会损害他们的健康。故下画线单词“marred”可能的意思是“影响”；故选D。

4.

主旨题。本文主要介绍了世界的夜晚越来越亮，这对包括人类在内的各种生物来说都是个坏消息。光污染影响人们的睡眠，损害人们的健康。影响动植物的正常的生活等。文章最后建议尽可能避免明亮的灯光，减少光污染对环境造成的危害。故这篇文章最好的标题是《明亮的夜晚是危险的》；故选B。