单选题 Humans have been damaging the environment ever since we realized our powers to harness nature. Global warming and air pollution are now frequent headlines on TV and in the newspapers all over the world which keep reminding us of our obligation to protect the environment. However, few actions are actually being taken at the individual level and I think there are two major reasons why people are being so indifferent.
The first reason is that many people consider the environmental problem as a future concern. Environmental reports often warn us of the dire consequences of climate change or energy crisis 100 or 200 years later. As a result, many people feel that money and time is better spent on solving more immediate problems such as housing shortage and traffic congestion than on preventing a disaster that is only predicted to happen in the future. Also, people feel that the environmental problems are too complex for individual people to cope with. Indeed, a combination of factors causes environmental problems, many of which are impossible to be controlled through individual actions.
The above attitudes are understandable but are obviously mistaken, so the government needs to take proactive measures to make people more environmentally responsible. They can make more public service advertisements to encourage people to consume more green products instead of disposable goods that are harmful to the environment. They can also offer more incentives to people who have been active in cleaning up the neighborhood or severely punish those who have been unfriendly to the environment.
There is always a dilemma between environment and development, but as an individual we can do something to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment. Certainly we do not want to see the Earth turn into an uninhabitable planet.

单选题 The passage is mainly about ______.
A. the damaged environment
B. the causes of environmental problems
C. global warming and air pollution
D. encouraging people to protect the environment

单选题 Why do many people consider the environmental problem as a future concern?
A. Because people just care about housing shortage and traffic congestion.
B. Because people are not afraid of disasters.
C. Because people feel that the environmental problems are too complex.
D. Because people think environmental problems are not serious.

单选题 What should the government do to encourage people to protect the environment?
A. The government can make more public service advertisements to encourage people to consume more green products.
B. The government should force people to do so.
C. The government should spend more money making public service advertisements.
D. The government should do nothing but wait.

单选题 What does "incentives" mean in Paragraph 3?
A. Award. B. Payment. C. Punishment. D. Encouragement.

单选题 What should we learn from the passage?
A. We should be active in cleaning up the neighborhood.
B. The dire consequences of climate change or energy crisis 150 or 200 years later.
C. We should try to do something to reduce the negative impact of human activities on the environment.
D. Development is more important than environment.