【推荐2】The Paris climate agreement finalised in December last year indicated a new era for climate action. For the first time, the world’s nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2℃.

This is vital for climate-vulnerable nations. Fewer than 4% of countries are responsible for more than half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, we reveal just how deep this injustice runs.

Developed nations such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and European countries are essentially climate “free-riders”: causing the majority of the problems through high greenhouse gas emissions, while paying few of the costs such as climate changes impact on food and water. In other words, a few countries are benefiting enormously from the consumption of fossil fuels, while at the same time contributing disproportionately to the global burden of climate change.

On the other hand, there are many “forced riders”, who are suffering from the climate change impacts despite having scarcely contributed to the problem. Many of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, the majority of which are African or small island states, produce a very small quantity of emissions. This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.

The Paris agreement has been widely considered as a positive step forward in addressing climate change for all, although the details on addressing “climate justice” can be best described as incomplete.

The goal of keeping global temperature rise “well below” 2℃ deserves to be praised but the emissions reduction promises submitted by countries leading up to the Paris talks are very unlikely to deliver on this.

More than $100 billion in funding has been put on the table for supporting developing nations to reduce emissions. However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction between developed and developing nations in their responsibility to cut emissions, effectively ignoring historical emissions. There is also very little detail on who will provide the funds or, importantly, who is responsible for their provision. Securing these funds and establishing who is responsible for raising them will also be vital for the future of climate-vulnerable countries.

The most climate-vulnerable countries in the world have contributed very little to creating the global disease from which they now suffer the most. There must urgently be a meaningful mobilization of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.

And it is clearly up to the current generation of leaders from high-emitting nations to decide whether they want to be remembered as climate change tyrants (暴君) or pioneers.

1. The author is critical of the Paris climate agreement because ________.

A．it is unfair to those climate-vulnerable nations

B．it aims to keep temperature rise below 2℃ only

C．it is beneficial to only fewer than 4% of countries

D．it burdens developed countries with the full responsibility

2. Why does the author call some developed countries climate “free-riders”?

A．They needn’t worry about the food and water they consume.

B．They are better able to cope with the global climate change.

C．They hardly pay anything for the problems they have caused.

D．They are free from the greenhouse effects affecting “forced riders”.

3. What does the author say about the $100 billion funding?

A．It will motivate all nations to reduce carbon emissions.

B．There is no final agreement on where it will come from.

C．There is no clarification of how the money will be spent.

D．It will effectively reduce greenhouse emissions worldwide.

4. What urgent action must be taken to realize the Paris climate agreement?

A．Encouraging high-emitting nations to take the initiative.

B．Calling on all the nations concerned to make joint efforts.

C．Pushing the current world leaders to come to a consensus.

D．Putting in effect the policies in the agreement at once.

【推荐3】Average age is rising around the world——a demographic (人口统计)change that may pose a significant challenge to efforts to slow down climate change.

Hossein Estiri at Harvard University and Emilio Zagheni of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Germany, have found that energy use increases as we get older, and not just because we tend to get wealthier. An ageing population could mean a greater proportion of society with higher energy use, their study suggests.

They combined two decades, worth of data from thousands of US households and used this to build a model to reveal how energy use varied across 17 age groups between 1987 and 2009. They found that, on average, children's energy consumption (消耗)climbs as they grow up, before dipping slightly when they leave home. Consumption then rises again when people hit their 30s, before briefly dropping after 55, and then beginning to climb again. The study involved factors such as income, local climate and the age, type and size of a person's home. The increase in energy use at various points in our lifespan (寿命)seems to be the result of life style and how our needs change as we age.

Why does demand grow so much in our 30s? “We need more of everything. More space, a bigger TV two fridges," says Estiri. The study found that, in warmer parts of the US, energy use increases in people over the age of 65—probably as a result of increased use of air conditioning, This suggests that there is a feedback effect between climate change and an ageing population that will only make matters worse.

Heat waves have become more common in the US in recent years and are expected to become more frequent due to global warming. More older people using more electrical energy to keep cool as temperatures rise could add to emissions (排放)，and thus drive more warming until our energy supply becomes entirely fossil fuel-free.

“This confluence (汇集)of population, ageing and climate change on energy demand is really important to start thinking about," says Estiri. Benjamin Sovacool at the University of Sussex, UK, says the work shows the importance of demographics when it comes to cutting carbon emissions. Most modelling of climate change mitigation (减缓气候变化的模型) assumes people's energy consumption either stays the same or only changes by a small amount over time.

"This study directly challenges that entire body of research by forcing it to fight with the temporality and complexity of the consumption of energy, says Sovacool.

Catherine Mitchell at the University of Exeter, UK, says the research could have an important influence on policy makers. "What the paper says is that there is a lot of work about how buildings use energy, but probably not enough about how the people in them use energy," she says.

1. By saying “not just because we tend to get wealthier" in Paragraph 2, the writer probably means that ______.

A．poor people can't bring down the high demand for energy

B．a comfortable life is not the main cause of in creased energy use

C．there are some other reasons leading to the increase in energy consumption

D．people being wealthy or not has nothing to do with the rise of energy consumption

2. Which of the following statements is Hossein Estiri most likely to support?

A．Energy will stop increasing when people get older.

B．His research could inspire policymakers to change current polices.

C．Various factors influencing energy consumption should be considered.

D．Old people should use fossil fuel-free rather than electrical energy to keep cool.

3. What is the shortcoming of most modeling of climate change mitigation?

A．It is expensive and difficult to promote.

B．It overestimates the household energy consumption.

C．It did not take climate change adaptation into account.

D．It regards energy consumption as stable or as only slightly changing.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．More emphasis should be put on people's energy use.

B．The government can't do much without the support of the study.

C．It is the buildings, not the people in side, that consume the majority of the energy.

D．Policymakers have been working on how to cut down people's energy use.

【推荐1】Dog eyesight declines with age. Injuries and ailments can cloud their vision. Zero was a highly trained, driven alert dog. So, at competitions, when he started running into obstacles and falling off the ends of teeter-totters(跷跷板), his owner, San Francisco-area dog trainer Dianne Morey, was concerned.

As time passed, she noticed a pattern. The problems only occurred at competitions held in horse arenas, where yellow obstacles blended into the color of the sand covering the floor. Concerned about his eyesight, Morey took Zero to a vet, who diagnosed him with a genetic condition. Morey found the diagnosis “heartbreaking”. After one last competition—which he won—Zero retired. In the time since, he’s led a life full of activities like dock diving and hiking, where poor vision is less dangerous. While there’s no cure for his disease, protective eyewear has helped keep him safe while being active.

On average, dogs develop nearsightedness or farsightedness less often than humans, says Alexandra vander Woerdt at Animal Medical Center in New York City. However, their eyesight also declines with age. Injuries and some diseases such as glaucoma(青光眼) can cloud their vision. Thinking back, Morey realizes some behaviors—for instance, the way Zero poked his nose before entering a gate—were signs his vision was impaired.

Identifying vision issues in dogs isn’t as easy as with humans. Dogs don’t bark wrong letters on the eye chart, and they’re very good at adapting. Treatments for eye problems may include eyedrops, medications or surgery. Eyewear can also play a role in treating or preventing many issues. Many dogs don’t like eyewear at first. Zero was an exception, thanks to his training in agility and tricks, Morey says.

1. What made Dianne Morey concerned？

A．Her trained dog Zero fell off in competitions.

B．She was badly hurt by a dog in a competition.

C．She found her eyesight was declining with age.

D．Her trained dog Zero wasn’t as clever as before.

2. What can we know from the second paragraph？

A．Zero is retiring soon.

B．Zero’s disease can’t be cured.

C．Zero got the disease from his birth.

D．Zero has recovered from his poor eyesight.

3. Which of the following can replace the word “blended” in the second paragraph？

A．added.

B．missed.

C．needed.

D．mixed.

4. What makes it difficult to identify dogs’ vision problems？

A．They are too fierce to control.

B．They don’t like to wear eyewear.

C．They adapt to the poor sight easily.

D．They bark wrong letters on the eye chart.

【推荐3】More people have strong desire to travel and the market is seeing more opportunities for healing tourism, which means less tight schedules and more health related projects, bringing joy to the spirit, a new survey shows.

As China improved their COVID-19 response measures, the pent-up travel demand has been released (解除). About 91.24 percent of respondents to the survey conducted by Chinese financial media outlet Yicai said they have a plan to travel this year. About 60 percent of respondents said they have a plan to travel domestically, while 32.37 percent choose both domestic and outbound tourism this year.

Though the tourism industry was hit hard by COVID-19, after the pandemic people began to pay more attention to their health and have strengthened their will to travel, Cheng Chaogong, a senior researcher with the research institute of Tongcheng Travel, told Yicai.

A growing number of consumers are paying more attention to health-related consumption, among which healing tourism has become a bright spot. About 87 percent of respondents to the survey said they are willing to spend toward healthy products, and more than half, or 55.24 percent, said they plan to participate in healing tourism this year. In terms of tour cost, 57.39 percent of respondents said they would prefer 10,000-20,000 yuan per person per single trip, while 32.6 percent choose 5,000-10,000 yuan, according to a survey based on more than 1,200 questionnaires.

Data from travelling platforms showed cities located around the tropic of cancer (北回归线) such as Sanya, Zhuhai, Xishuangbanna, Dali, Xiamen, Haikou, Tengchong and Beihai are becoming popular.

1. What does the underlined word “pent-up” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Passive.

B．Top.

C．Decreased.

D．Controlled.

2. Which of the following does Cheng Chaogong agree with?

A．Tourism industry was affected seriously by the pandemic.

B．More and more people prefer to be with their families.

C．People are willing to spend toward fashion products.

D．People pay attention to their health as usual.

3. How is Paragraph 4 developed?

A．By making comparison.	B．By offering figures.
C．By providing examples.	D．By giving definition.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Health-related Consumption Is on the Rise	B．The Tourism Industry Suffered a Hard Hit
C．Healing Tourism Gains Popularity in China	D．A New Survey Shows Economic Revival