Prince William, second in line to the British throne, gave his first TED Talk on Saturday to launch his Earthshot Prize, a competition that will award five £ 1 million prize money every year for the next decade to those who can come up with solutions to environmental problems.
Any person, group or organization around the world is qualified, and any suggestion is welcome, so long as it is applicable globally. It could be a new technology, a new approach, a new governmental policy or any other ideas toward five environmental goals -fixing the climate, purifying the air, protecting nature, cleaning oceans and handling waste.
"Earthshot" was inspired by John F. Kennedy's "Moonshot," an ambitious 1961 mission to get a man on the moon within a decade. The purpose of the prize is partly to arouse excitement and offer what Prince William called “a bit of catalyst, a bit of hope, a bit of positivity" at a time when the world needs. The money will come from donors around the world. The prize committee includes many celebrities.
Prince William has environmental activism in his blue blood. Both his grandfather, and his father Prince Charles were active environmentalists. Prince William acknowledged his heritage by saying he had always listened, learned and believed what they were saying about the environment. Besides speaking wise words, he also puts forward a good prize. Over a million pounds is significantly more than a Nobel Prize and should inspire some serious and creative thinking about the difficulties of Planet Earth. Unlike the Nobel Prize money, the Earthshot money is supposed to be spent on the winning project. “If we achieve these goals, by 2030 our lives won't be worse, and we won't have to sacrifice everything we enjoy. Instead, the way we live will be healthier, cleaner, smarter, and better for all of us," he said.
1. What can be learned about The Earth shot Prize?| A．It will be awarded to Britons. |
| B．It aims to solve social problems. |
| C．It is named after a moon mission. |
| D．It offers £ 50 million in total. |
| A．a method to monitor sea levels |
| B．a new technology to forecast the weather |
| C．a new approach to recycling the waste |
| D．a local government policy to ban fishing |
| A．Encouragement. | B．Alarm. | C．Challenge. | D．Surprise. |
| A．Earthshot Prize equals Nobel Prize. |
| B．Planet Earth will be cleaned by 2030. |
| C．Prince William only talks the talk. |
| D．Prince William is influenced by his family. |
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【推荐1】Monkfish are low in calories and they are easy to cook. They can be cut into pieces, mixed with egg whites, cornflour and salt, and then put into boiling water for a few minutes. There is only one problem with monkfish: they are ugly. With their eyes sticking out and wide mouths full of sharp teeth, they are frightening.
In the Netherlands, fishermen who caught them used to throw them back. They are still usually sold without their heads, but the days of throwing them away are long gone. Japanese diners love the fatty liver; while Italians may still call them toad tails, that doesn’t stop them from eating the fish. People have been encouraged to eat more monkfish, as well as other unattractive creatures — in order to ensure the biodiversity of the ocean environment.
There are more examples for sea animals going from “purposely avoided” to “willingly consumed”. In America, lobsters used to be fed to prisoners — a result of their abundance but also, no doubt, because they are difficult to eat and look frightening. Not until the late 19th century did they become fantastic dish. Today they are so desirable that Maine, where most American lobsters are caught, has the images of these creatures printed on many of its vehicles.
Sometimes fashion goes the other way. Turtles were plentiful in early America, but in the 19th century they became fashionable: few foods were more recommended than turtle soup. Americans ate some species of turtle nearly to extinction. Yet today turtle-eating is more closely associated with remote and uncultured areas.
Among cooking choices, people prefer the rare and the beautiful one than the unattractive one. But such narrow-minded food choices can have bad results: some species may not survive human preference for them. Better to stare into monkfish’s eyes than to contribute to the permanent loss of a species.
1. How were monkfish treated in the Netherlands?| A．They were abandoned by local fishermen. | B．They were popular due to their fatty livers. |
| C．They were called toad tails from time to time. | D．They were considered a danger to the ecosystem. |
| A．To stress its abundance in America. | B．To make a comparison with monkfish. |
| C．To prove prisoners used to be fed on seafood. | D．To show people’s food habits keep changing. |
| A．Turtle-eating has been out of date now. |
| B．Turtles have completely disappeared in America. |
| C．Turtles were purposely avoided among food choices. |
| D．Turtle-eating was against fashion in the 19th century. |
| A．To introduce rare undersea wildlife. | B．To encourage people to eat seafood. |
| C．To explain why people dislike monkfish. | D．To call for the protection of biodiversity. |
【推荐2】Most of Earth's freshwater sits underground. Worldwide, about 70 percent of the groundwater drawn to the surface goes for farming. But surface waters-rivers and streams come from groundwater, too. Drawing too much groundwater over a short time can be harmful. Natural waterways can begin to empty. And that car hurt freshwater ecosystems. Scientists consider this a tipping point when small actions can begin making unusually big differences.
A new study has found that 15 to 21 percent of tapped water(自来水)areas have reached this sort of tipping point. Most of those tapped rivers and streams are in dry areas. Farmers in rates these areas use groundwater to water their crops. At present drawing rates, the study predicts that 42 to 79 percent of water areas around the world where groundwater is drawn up for use at the surface will reach tipping points by 2050.
A healthy groundwater aquifer(含水层)protects ecosystems against seasonal ups and downs in the use of water. That provides stability for area plants and animals. But if too much groundwater is drawn up from below, surface waters will begin to flow into the aquifer, which can harm what are living in rivers and streams.
De Graaf and the study team set up a computer model. It linked groundwater drawing and water flows within rivers. The model covered fifty years, from 1950 to 2010. Then the researchers used climate forecasts to help the model predict what might happen in future years. Throughout, they kept groundwater drawing rates sustainable. More than half of drawn water areas are likely to cross this ecological tipping point before 2050, the model finds.
"We need to be thinking about this now, not in 10 years," De Graaf says. "Our study shows us where to target more sustainable efforts."
1. What does the "tipping point" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．End point. | B．Breaking point. |
| C．Freezing point. | D．Boiling point. |
| A．Water pollution. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Increasing population. | D．Overusing groundwater. |
| A．Clearing surface waters to be drinkable. |
| B．Protecting ecosystems from pollution. |
| C．Keeping the stability of natural water. |
| D．Providing stability for the local economy. |
| A．They predicted the result based on old data. |
| B．They happened to work out the result. |
| C．They measured all the groundwater and surface water. |
| D．They did questionnaire surveys on the water information. |
【推荐3】Sir David Attenborough has devoted his life to the natural world and environmental causes. His work has raised awareness of the threats that habitats face, and it reminds us how we are all connected. It’s this devotion to science that has earned him multiple honors and awards. It’s really awe-inspiring to see how many he has, using a unique way to shine a light on just how many he holds.
David Attenborough’s name comprises 17 letters, or 20 if you want to throw the “Sir” distinction he earned when he was knighted (封为爵士) by Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ in 1985. After those, there are 39 more letters concerning the multiple orders he has been awarded and societies he’s a member of. These letters are: OM, GSMG, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FSA, FRSA, FLS, FZS, FRSGS and FRSB.
But what do these letters mean? It’s easier to first divide them among orders and societies. The former are OM, GSMG, CH, CVO, CBE, and so on. These are handed out by the Royal Family for “exceptional service” and “major contributions” towards the advancement of the Arts, Learning, Literature, and Science.
The latter are fellowships that illustrate Attenborough’s wide interests and topics he’s an expert in. Beyond his titles, the 96-year-old naturalist has reached far and wide. His love for nature can be traced back to childhood when he spent his days collecting fossils, stones, and natural samples. Attenborough went on to study Natural Sciences at Cambridge before joining the BBC as a producer in 1952.
Throughout the English-speaking world, he is known for his contributions to the natural history documentary, particularly the powerful Life collection, which covers the subjects of animal and plant life on Earth. While the honors he has gotten pay tribute (致敬) to his achievements and dedication, his true pride likely lives in every person who decides to take a stand to protect our planet.
1. What’s the significance of Attenborough’s contribution to the environment?| A．It has brought him a lot of honors. |
| B．It causes the Royal Family to give help. |
| C．It provides people with many good programs. |
| D．It awakens people’s environmental awareness. |
| A．The great honors David Attenborough has got. |
| B．The different kinds of honors for different areas. |
| C．The hardness to get honors from the Royal Family. |
| D．The reason why David Attenborough was awarded. |
| A．He spent most time playing outside when young. |
| B．His job was connected with his major at college. |
| C．His interest in nature began when he was young. |
| D．His interest changed after he attended the college. |
| A．Fortunate. | B．Critical. | C．Strong-minded. | D．Devoted. |
Do you feel guilty when you have done something you shouldn’t? Dogs can feel guilty, too. At times when I come home, my dog gives me a guilty look. Then I know he’s done something wrong.
Dogs need love and attention. Some dogs are very unhappy when they are left alone for a long time. Some dogs even snap(撕咬) if they don’t get enough attention.
You may have a dog or you may know a dog. Treat it well if you want to have fun with it. Play with it. Take it for a walk. Don’t order it round too much. Try not to punish it one time and not the next for doing the same thing. Always remember, a dog has needs and feelings just as you do. Talk to a dog, it’ll talk to you, too.
1. If a dog snaps at things, it is because it may ______.
| A．feel lonely | B．feel shy |
| C．be fearful | D．be disappointed |
| A．its hair stands up |
| B．it runs away from you |
| C．it has a guilty expression |
| D．its lips are pressed together |
| A．Never punish the dog |
| B．Never leave the dog alone |
| C．Train the dog to take orders from you |
| D．Train it the way you want to be treated. |
| A．happy | B．sorry |
| C．frightened | D．excited |
【推荐2】Britain is the sixth fattest country within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). For more than a decade, several Conservative prime ministers have declared obesity a national emergency and promised to take thorough action, only to produce disappointing plans that fall far shy of what is required.
It should not have taken a disease like Covid-19 to ram home the awful consequences of the UK's obesity. Obesity, as well as its associated conditions of diabetes and high blood pressure, is strongly associated with a higher risk of death from Covid-19 and will have undoubtedly been a factor in the UK having the highest Covid death rate in Europe.
As the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson's experience of catching the virus and being admitted to ICU has reportedly resulted in a complete change in him, who has previously prided himself on his dislike to an over-controlling state. The government is expected to set out a new strategy this week, aimed at reducing obesity levels both in the next few months—ahead of a possible second wave of infections—and the longer term.
This apparent change is welcome, but only if it results in a complete change in the government's approach, which doesn't rely on personal responsibility but on much tougher regulation, as with tobacco and alcohol.
There is abundant evidence about what is needed to cut obesity and in recent years report after report, including from Public Health England and the former chief medical officer, have called for urgent action. Yet these calls were ignored by Conservative ministers who have seemingly put the food and drink industry's financial interests over the health of the nation.
1. What have Conservative prime ministers done with obesity in the past ten years?| A．They have denied it is a national emergency. | B．They have called for immediate action on it. |
| C．They have taken thorough steps to control it. | D．They have made unsatisfying plans to reduce it. |
| A．Make people rather tired of. | B．Make people fully aware of. |
| C．Make people highly skeptical of. | D．Make people deeply ashamed of. |
| A．It will probably issue a new strategy to cut obesity. |
| B．It will probably lay less stress on financial interests. |
| C．It will probably set stricter limits on tobacco and alcohol. |
| D．It will probably take action to reduce Covid-19 death rate. |
| A．Obesity, an Urgent Issue in the UK | B．UK, a Country Suffering from Covid-19 |
| C．UK, a Country Ready for a Complete Change | D．Obesity, a Cause of Highest Covid Death Rate |
【推荐3】If an emperor penguin wants to survive in the worst of an Antarctic winter, there is no such thing as personal space. The large birds are known to stay very close to each other, feather to feather, in groups of thousands to keep out the cold.
For the first time, German researchers show that these gatherings are carefully organized structures, in which single penguins can cause mass movements within the group that is similar to the movements of cars in a traffic jam.
“If one penguin starts a wave, perhaps walking too close to its neighbor, it travels like a Mexican wave in a football stadium,” said physicist Daniel Zitterbart. The Mexican wave happens when all the people watching a sport stand up, move their arms up and down, and sit down again one after the other in a continuous movement looking like a wave on the sea.
Emperor penguins gather in formation when the temperatures drop below -18℃, using each other’s bodies to keep warm. They arrived at an arrangement that physicists recognize as a “triangular lattice structure”, with a penguin at each point of the triangle. “They gather just by their natural ability,” said Zitterbart who filmed and then analyzed the movements of the penguins.
The researchers explain that the movements of a single bird within the huddle (挤作一团的动物) can set off a chain reaction that travels through the rest of the group.
That movement is similar to what happens when a single car in a traffic jam moves forward, setting off a chain reaction of tiny movements by all of the cars behind it. But there’s a difference: only the first car in the jam can start off the group movement. On the ice, any penguin among the crowd can cause a wave of small movements.
“This is one case where a traffic jam is very useful,” said Zitterbart.
1. What do we know about the Mexican wave?| A．It is the major cause of penguins movements. |
| B．It is a dangerous incident that happens in stadium. |
| C．It is a complex structure organized by penguins. |
| D．It works like the movements of cars in a traffic jam. |
| A．often cause trouble | B．are well arranged |
| C．are taught by physicists | D．usually move in a square shape |
| A．Other penguins will move one after another. |
| B．The penguins will spread out on the ice. |
| C．The whole group will move to another place. |
| D．Other penguins will just stay where they are. |
| A．hatch their eggs | B．communicate |
| C．keep warm | D．protect their feathers |
