【推荐2】Lake Victoria is best known to the general public following the introduction of the 2004 documentary Darwin’s Nightmare, which focuses on the environmental and social effects of the Nile perch (河鲈) fishing industry. The Nile perch is the largest freshwater fish, which can grow up to two metres long and weigh 200kg. Its introduction into Lake Victoria in the 1950s and its rapid population growth in the 1960s gradually wiped out the native fish species living in the lake, causing a major ecological disaster. Today, the Nile perch population can be found everywhere but has reduced slightly due to overfishing, allowing some species to partially recover.

What is less well known, and perhaps interacting with the presence of the Nile perch, but equally damaging to the ecosystem, is the general water quality of the lake. “This declined sharply between the 1960s and the 1990s due to eutrophication (富营养化), which is caused by increased inputs of nutrients (营养物) into the water bodies as a result of increased human activities in the catchment area.” explains Alberto Borges, FNRS Research Director at the Laboratory of Chemical Oceanography from the University of Liege.

From 2018 to 2019, a research team led by Alberto Borges, studied the biomass (生物量) and composition of phytoplankton (浮游植物) as well as the nutrient status of the lake during three scientific missions. This study shows that the phytoplankton camass has decreased by about seven times compared to the 1990s.” says the researchers. “and that the species composition has also changed in a subtle way.” What seems to be good news for the environment of Lake Victoria may only be on the surface.

“This means that the current improvement in water quality in Lake Victoria may only be temporary and that conditions could become worse again in the future due to continued climate warming.” says Alberto Borges.

1. Why was the documentary Darwin’s Nightmare made in 2004?

A．To honor Darwin’s great contributions.

B．To make Lake Victoria known to the world.

C．To record the serious pollution in Lake Victoria.

D．To show how the Nile perch fishing industry affected Lake Victoria.

2. What do we know about the introduction of Nile perch into Lake Victoria?

A．It was disastrous to Lake Victoria.

B．It helped control other species in Lake Victoria.

C．It benefited the fishermen a lot in Lake Victoria area.

D．It greatly improved the water quality in Lake Victoria.

3. What mainly makes eutrophication in Lake Victoria happen?

A．The fishing industry.	B．The decreased number of fish.
C．The decrease of phytoplankton.	D．More and more inputs of nutrients.

4. What’s Alberto Borges’ attitude to the future of Lake Victoria?

A．Hopeful.	B．Deeply concerned.
C．Indifferent	D．Cautiously optimistic

【推荐3】“Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” Captain Ahab’s dying declaration of defiance (抗争) is among the most famous passages in Herman Melville’s novel.

In reality, such victories of the hunted over the hunter were a fantasy in the cruel world of industrial whaling. The biggest cetacean of them all, the blue whale, had all but disappeared from the Southern Ocean by the time a ban on hunting it was introduced in 1967.

Sightings of the largest mammal ever to live on the earth had been rare in the region since then. Not any more. A survey of coastal waters around the island of South Georgia in the sub-Antarctic has had remarkable results.

In just over three weeks, in the krill-rich waters of what was once their main feeding ground, the movements of 55 Antarctic blues were recorded by the British Antarctic Survey. The finding was described as “truly, truly amazing” by one cetacean specialist. It suggests that when a comprehensive audit (审计), due in 2021, is carried out, there is a good chance that the species will prove to be in full recovery mode, as are humpbacks and other whales in the southern hemisphere.

Three years ago, the Natural History Museum established a 25m skeleton (骨架) of a blue whale and named it Hope, intending to inspire new generations to build a sustainable future.

The return of the world’s most splendid ocean travellers to southern waters should serve as an example for wider possibilities of conservation. Ecological wrongs can be righted, or at least mitigated, with sufficient will and organisations.

The more general comeback of the whale - for which environmental campaigners should take a great deal of credit — can be an inspiration for victories yet to be won. It could also act as an added motivation to action on the climate emergency.

1. What’s the author’s purpose of mentioning the famous passage in Herman Melville’s novel?

A．To describe a hunter’s bravery.	B．To introduce the topic of the text.
C．To stress the popularity of the novel.	D．To offer information about whale hunting.

2. Why was a 25m skeleton of a blue whale named Hope?

A．To attract tourists to visit the museum.

B．To show the unkindness of whale hunters.

C．To motivate humans to live harmoniously with nature.

D．To call on people to pay attention to the blue whales’ habitat.

3. What does the underlined word “mitigated” in paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Developed.

B．Promoted.

C．Reduced.

D．Solved.

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．The blue whales’ comeback	B．The cruelty of industrial whaling
C．The importance of protecting whales	D．The sustainable development of the Antarctic area

【推荐3】India has the world's worst air pollution. Home to 21 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, its poisonous air kills more than one million people each year.

Being the world's second largest brick producer, India's brick kilns (砖窋) account for of black carbon emissions globally. Architect Tejas Sidnal was astonished to discover the construction industry's role in the pollution crisis. "That was a crazy eye opener," he says. "As architects, we are responsible for so much air pollution."

Determined to make construction more sustainable and tackle India's air pollution, Sidnal launched Carbon Craft Design in 2019. The startup takes black carbon extracted from polluted air and upcycles it to make stylish, handcrafted building tiles (瓷砖).

To create the carbon tiles, Carbon Craft Design, together with Graviky Labs, uses a filter device to capture carbon soot (碳黑) from tail gas and fossil fuel generators, removes pollutants such as heavy metals and dust from the soot, and gives the purified carbon to Carbon Craft Design in powder form. The company then mixes the captured carbon with cement and marble waste from quarries to produce monochromatic tiles. The company aims to ensure each tile contains at least waste material. It sells the tiles to architects and retailers (零售商) for per square meter-a high price compared to regular tiles.

As the company expands production, Sidnal hopes to lower prices and produce a cheaper range of carbon tiles. "We want to hit the affordable sector," he says. "Sustainability is not only for the elite (精英)."

Since launching its first tiles a year ago, Carbon Craft Design's customers have included global fashion brands and architecture firms in India. In November 2020, an Adidas store in Mumbai covered the walls and the floor with its carbon tiles. Inquiries from in and out of India came flooding in.

Architect Manan Gala describes the carbon tile as a "winner", which, apart from being sustainable, has better strength than conventional cement tiles due to the carbon content, and the raw and rustic feel adds to the overall charm.

1. What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Something shocking.	B．Something impossible.
C．Something ridiculous.	D．Something unavoidable.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 4 ?

A．The price of each tile.

B．The way to produce the carbon tiles.

C．The purpose of purifying the air.

D．The reason for producing the carbon tiles.

3. Carbon tiles have advantages in the following aspects except in ________.

A．strength

B．sustainability

C．appearance

D．price