【推荐1】The United States is one of the world’s wealthiest countries. Despite this, many Americans are not even getting enough to eat. In fact, around 37 million Americans struggle just to put healthy food, or any food at all, on the table every day.

One might think that a food shortage is happening in America, but this is not the case. There is more than sufficient food for everyone. Unfortunately, 40% of food is wasted every day. There are many different ways food is wasted: farmers only pick the best-looking crops, deliveries aren’t made on time, supermarkets throw out extra products, customers buy more than they need, and so on. The highest level of wastage tends to happen in the richest communities.

Meanwhile, people who live in poor or rural areas often have little or no access to food. These areas are called “food deserts”. They have fewer supermarkets, and the only food options that they can afford are often unhealthy ones. Healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables may be impossible to find. Sadly, 12. 8% of the American population live in food deserts.

What can we do to help those who don’t have enough food? Shirley and Annie Zhu came up with a solution. In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey destroyed over 100,000 homes in their city, Houston, the sisters got involved. While helping to clear water from a flooded supermarket, they saw a huge amount of food being wasted. At the same time, thousands of people in the city didn’t have enough to eat.

The girls were only 15 when they set up Fresh Hub with 10 of their classmates. They created an app which could be used by residents to find out whether fresh food was available. Then they contacted local farmers and supermarkets to ask for their extra food.

At first, they found that people didn't take them seriously because they were so young. They decided to work with Second Servings, a local organization that had been providing food to food deserts around the city. The owner of Second Servings, Barbara Bronstein, was impressed with the twins and introduced them to several food providers. To date, Fresh Hub has delivered more than 15,000 pounds of food to people in need.

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．What causes food shortage.

B．How much food is wasted every day.

C．How food is wasted in America.

D．Where the highest level of wastage happens.

2. When did the sisters realize the problem of food waste?

A．When they were assisting in flood relief.

B．After they had made a survey about it.

C．When they were visiting a food desert.

D．After they had read reports about it.

3. What can we say about “food deserts”?

A．Crops can’t grow in food deserts.

B．People in food deserts have no access to fresh water.

C．Only fruits and vegetables are available in food deserts.

D．About one in ten Americans live in food deserts.

4. What can be inferred about Fresh Hub from the last two paragraphs?

A．Its founders are mostly college students.

B．It has gained support from Second Servings.

C．It has created a most popular food app.

D．It is welcomed by local farmers and supermarkets.

【推荐2】My grandparents were always busy with food. My grandmother could pull out the feathers of a chicken in less than half an hour. They picked vegetables from their garden. Animal fat was saved.     1     Nearly a decade after my grandmother died, I found myself in a kitchen, pulling out the feathers of a chicken.

It took hours and made my fingers hurt. After an adult life spent buying rather than growing food, as a so-called new farmer, I finally began to understand my grandparents.     2    

My grandparents’ generation spent a third of their income on food.     3     Food is no longer seen as public goods, but as public given resources. The ecological cost of this progress is now clear. The health costs are starting to be noticed.

But until I began talking to the farmers around me, I had not understood the human costs faced by those asked to produce milk sold for less than bottled water.     4     Called “ regenerative farming”, it was being driven by a new generation of farmers trying to find a new kind of power in the face of loss of climate change and rising fuel and transport costs.

    5     Those plants and animals worked together to help the soil become rich again. They kept living roots in the ground all year round, building up the soil’s biology and taking in carbon.

Research has found that regenerative farming not only benefits the land, but profits can be 78% higher than conventional farms.

A．We spend less than a tenth.

B．And any leftover meat was cut up for pies.

C．Regenerative farming is welcomed by thousands of farmers now.

D．I began to understand the work that we took for granted.

E．I realized that keeping a big family was really a big burden for them.

F．New technology helped these farmers raise a diversity of crops and farm animals.

G．Then I came across a farming reform that sought to change this traditional system.

【推荐1】Lying in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, the fishing village Huatulco is home to nine bays, 36 beaches and thousands of baby turtles that apparently needed me. I had three open days on my calendar, and a desire to save some turtles. And so, away I went to Huatulco with Wildcoast, a group of champions-for-change who were protecting coastal and marine ecosystem in the U. S. and Mexico.

I was taken to La Escobilla to experience Wildcoast in action. Just one hour north of Huatulco, this protected beach is where mass turtle nesting happens. This natural phenomenon lasts just four days during rainy season, hundreds of thousands of female sea turtles swinging their way ashore to lay their eggs.

Between threats of dogs, crabs, development and oil spills, the little creatures have the whole world against them. As recently as 2002, turtles hunting was not only a common practice, but an important part of the culture and diet in the Oaxaca communities. Luckily, Wildcoast rescues turtle eggs and recreates habitats by monitoring temperatures and humidity. Thanks to their efforts, the sea turtles have made a major comeback, with now over 72 million turtles being born on the beaches that Wildcoast protects.

I got to hold 50 of the tiny creatures in a bowl. Despite an average laying of 100 eggs, just one in 1, 000 baby turtles will make it to adulthood. Gazing into the bowl, I so badly wanted them to taste the sea and find shelter somewhere deep in the ocean. Finally, it was time to liberate those little creatures. Out spilled the creatures, some moving full steam ahead while others barely paddled in place. Literally, hundreds of them began to spread out across the beach.

With each set of waves, we witnessed the survival of the fittest, some pushing past the whitewash while others crashed back to shore. Their fight for life made my eyes wet. A flock of birds were ready to dive into the sea for their moving targets. “One in 1, 000.” Nature was cruel and compassionate at the same time. After 30 long minutes, the last creature made his way to the sea.

1. The baby turtles are threatened by various factors except ________.

A．the cruel hunters	B．the rapid development
C．the extreme weather	D．the oil-polluted ocean

2. What do the underlined words “full steam ahead” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．With slow pace and fear.	B．With all energy and enthusiasm.
C．With full caution and curiosity.	D．With great satisfaction and responsibility.

3. What does the author indicate by mentioning “One in 1,000” in the last paragraph?

A．One baby turtle in 1,000 can make his way to the sea.

B．Thousands of baby turtles were crashed back to shore.

C．The struggle of baby turtles for life touched the author.

D．Baby turtles can hardly survive the harsh living conditions.

4. What can we learn from the author’s experience in saving baby turtles?

A．Think twice before you leap.	B．God helps those who help themselves.
C．Cease to struggle and you cease to live.	D．When the buying stops, the killing can too.

【推荐2】Teen Dating（青少年约会）can be fun if you are aware of its pros and cons(优缺点) and are also aware of the ways to protect yourself. There are a couple of suggestions you would like to know before you are out for dating.

Do not go out for dating with somebody whom you have seen only a few times and does not know much about him or her.

Before leaving on a date, know the exact plans for the evening and make sure a parent or friend knows these plans and what time to expect you home. Let your date know that you are expected to call or tell that person when you get in.

Similarly, if you leave a party with someone you do not know well, make sure you tell another person you are leaving and with whom. Ask a friend to call and make sure you arrive home safely.

No matter how good the person appears to you, trust your inner instincts (直感). If a situation makes you uncomfortable, try to stay calm and think of a way to remove yourself from the situation without letting your date realize what is going on in your mind.

Be aware of your decreased ability to react under the influence of alcohol or drugs and keep yourself in control when out for a date.

Always stay firm, straightforward and clear in your relationships, thoughts, decisions and judgments. Never let a doubt come to your mind or face when out for dating. If you are firm and clear in your communication, your date will always be careful in dealing with you.

You should think ahead about ways to be safe if you are in a dangerous or potentially dangerous relationship. Adults, like parents, teachers, counselors, can be trusted in such cases.

1. Which of the following is forbidden（禁止）when dating according to the passage?

A．Going out for dating with a stranger.

B．Knowing the plan for the evening.

C．Telling your parents about the date.

D．Telling the person you date that your parents know about the date.

2. The underlined word “date ” in the third paragraph might mean ________.

A．a time	B．a plan
C．a person	D．a place

3. If you feel uncomfortable, you should NOT _______.

A．leave as soon as possible	B．tell your date what you are thinking
C．stay calm	D．trust yourself

4. The best title for this passage might be ________ .

A．Be careful with your friends	B．Never go out dating
C．Safety measures for teen dating	D．Dating out is always dangerous

【推荐3】The fashion industry produces approximately 10% of the world’s carbon emissions (排放). This number will increase as “fast fashion” does as well. With climate change becoming more of a threat with each day, people are looking into ways to push back against fast fashion.

Fast fashion is a term that refers to the increase in the production of clothing. The industry is at a peak of production that it hasn’t seen before. People buy more clothes, get rid of them faster and look for the cheapest options. Meanwhile, companies are putting out more clothing options and collections than ever. Zara, for example, is one of the biggest fashion producers in the world. In 2021, they produced 840 million articles of clothing.

With production that high, the environmental effects increase greatly. Clothing production has approximately doubled since 2000, and it doesn’t show signs of slowing down. With the increase come more impacts on the environment than ever before. On top of the industry’s CO₂ emissions, it also affects water consumption and air and ocean pollution. It’s the second-largest consumer of water. And many of the clothes end up in landfills and oceans.

With fast fashion increasing, so will these effects. But the environment isn’t the only area of vulnerability (易受伤害). The treatment and wages of workers is an area for concern and attention. Many clothing factories all over the globe do not provide heathy working conditions or fair salaries for their employees. And the higher and faster the demand for clothes, the more they will have to work.

You may want to get active to help change your role or involvement with clothing purchases. Luckily, there are small ways that can make a big difference when shopping. Changes on a small scale that come together have the ability to create changes at the industry level.

1. Which of the following belongs to fast fashion according to the text?

A．Choosing the most expensive clothes.

B．Sending old clothes to a recycling center.

C．Giving away clothes to those in need.

D．Buying more clothes than necessary.

2. What is one of the results of fast fashion?

A．Employees work longer hours.

B．Customers pay more for clothes.

C．Employees have more choices of clothes.

D．Environmental pollution has gone down.

3. What is likely to be talked about following the last paragraph?

A．How fast fashion affects the environment.

B．What changes fast fashion has brought about.

C．What people can do to resist fast fashion.

D．Why the fast fashion industry has been growing so rapidly.

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．The growing popularity of fast fashion

B．Negative effects of fast fashion

C．Common practices of fast fashion

D．The future of the fast fashion industry