Climate change is a global challenge. One way to fight it is by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. New research shows that trees planted in China have helped in this fight.
A recent study in the journal Nature shows that the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed (吸收) by new forests in two parts of China is more than we thought. These areas are in the northeastern Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces and the southwestern Yunnan and Guizhou provinces and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. They make up about 35 percent of China’s land-based (基于陆地的) carbon sinks (碳汇). A carbon sink is a natural area like a forest or ocean that absorbs more-carbon dioxide than it emits (排放). Carbon sinks help to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
China’s goal is to peak (达到峰值) its CO2 emissions (排放) before 2030 and reach carbon neutrality (中和) by 2060, Xinhua reported. Carbon neutrality refers to removing as much CO2 as one puts into the air.
According to study co-author Yi Liu at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, “the afforestation activities described in our Nature paper will play a role in reaching that goal.”
1. A recent study in Nature shows that ________.| A．China has serious air pollution | B．China has planted the most trees in the world |
| C．China has fewer CO2 emissions now | D．China has planted fewer trees |
| A．is the world’s largest emitter of CO2 | B．will bring CO2 emissions down after 2030 |
| C．will not release CO2 in the future | D．will reach carbon neutrality by 2030 |
| A．One way to fight climate is by reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. |
| B．Trees planted in China have helped fight against climate change. |
| C．New forests in two parts of China absorbed more carbon dioxide than we thought. |
| D．35 percent of China’s land has been affected by CO2 emission. |
| A．It takes a long time for carbon sinks to form. | B．Climate change is no longer a serious problem. |
| C．More trees will be planted in China in the future. | D．China has beaten climate change. |
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【推荐1】LONDON (Reuters)——Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
“Organic produce is always better,” Gold said, “The food is free of pesticides (农药), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not, it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty. ” Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences—but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet growing demand. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market." said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.
1. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because ________.| A．they consider the food free of pollution |
| B．they can get the food anywhere |
| C．they are getting richer |
| D．they like home-grown fruit |
| A．It grows indoors all year round. | B．It is grown on family farms. |
| C．It is produced outside Britain. | D．It is produced on large farms. |
| A．Higher prices of organic food. | B．Better quality of organic food. |
| C．Rising market of organic food. | D．Growing interest in organic food. |
【推荐2】The South Bronx is one of the poorest and most polluted places in America, with smog-choked freeways and smelly wastewater treatment plants.
“We’re a dumping ground,” Omar explains. “All the garbage from the rest of New York City ends up here.”
But Omar started looking at garbage in a different way. “A lot of what people throw away is perfectly good,” he says. “Just look at that stuff from construction sites—doors, sinks, toilets, People will buy those things. It’s only called garbage because somebody threw it away.” Omar was just out of college and working for an environmental group called Sustainable South Bronx when he started considering how to get this “good garbage” to people who could use it. Instead of destroying old things, why not clean them up and resell them? Why not hire people in the community to do the work? Better yet, why not make this business a “cooperative,” which means the people working in the business own it and share the profits?
Out of this, Omar started the first cooperative in the country devoted to reusing construction waste. To start his business, Omar put up advertisements along the trash-filled neighborhood streets, looking for people to work with him. He soon found four other devoted workers. They rented a warehouse and started looking for donations of used materials.
In April 2008, Omar’s cooperative, Re Builders Source, opened its business and began selling construction supplies to neighborhood builders and home owners. With the help of city officials, he also began planning a new training program to help local residents learn the skills to get good jobs that help the environment and even start their own cooperatives. Workers were trained to carefully take buildings apart so that things like doors and windows can be reused instead of being sent off to a landfill. Deconstructing buildings this way could be a huge industry with many good jobs for people who need them.
“If you have a use for something, “Omar says, “it’s no longer waste.”
1. Why is the South Bronx mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To lead in the topic of the article. |
| B．To serve as the background information. |
| C．To contrast with the other districts. |
| D．To introduce a famous place. |
| A．To provide jobs for local people. |
| B．To deal with dumped rubbish. |
| C．To promote harmony among neighbors. |
| D．To make money from garbage. |
| A．Selfish and realistic. | B．Creative and business-minded. |
| C．Practical and self-focused. | D．Devoted and iron-hearted. |
| A．Knowledge starts with practice. | B．One good turn deserves another. |
| C．Four eyes see more than two. | D．Kill two birds with one stone. |
【推荐3】A.Chinese college student cycles over 1,000 kilometers in 19 days to encourage environmental protection.
The college student from central China's Hubei province cycled over 1,000 kilometers to Shanghai in 19 days to highlight the importance of environmental protection, receiving high praise from related departments.
Huang Xi's journey started on Aug 3 from Xiaochang county, Hubei, spreading the message of environmental protection to over 5, 000 people along his route.Huang said it was not very easy to start a conversation about environmental protection with strangers."First you have to narrow the distance between you and your audience, " he noted.For instance, he would greet people at the roadside and introduce himself and his plan.He told Shanghai Observer that the environmental issue was not a good conversation opener because not everyone was interested.
Straw burning(秸秆焚烧) was a major focus for Huang since his journey began in summer."Many people don't burn straw because there s a fine, but not many of them know that burning straw actually pollutes the environment,” he said.
Explaining the ban on straw burning, the benefits of sorting of waste as well as the importance of creatures in water and plants protection were the major part of his job on the road.
16 local authorities of environmental protection along Huang's route praised his efforts."Environmental protection calls for not only governmental efforts but also social efforts, " said Chen Bin, an official from Wuhan's environmental department.
Huang shared his experience on social media, which gave him a level of support on his journey.
However, his cycle also drew the bad side of comments.Some said that his journey was only a publicity stunt (作秀), and some even said that in fact, it was a trip that Huang had to make since he ran out of his money at Internet cafes.Huang replied and tried to prove that what they said was not true.
Huang, who studies environmental engineering in college, set off again on Sept 27 to take part in a training camp held by a center of environmental protection in Hubei province."I will will share my experience of the journey, and hope people will pay more attention to the environment.” he said.
1. What is the purpose of Huang's cycling?| A．To have a good sightseeing. |
| B．To receive high praise from related departments. |
| C．To let people know the importance of protecting environment. |
| D．To solve the problem of straw burning. |
| A．Huang's cycle didn't draw any attention. |
| B．What Huang studies in college is related to environment. |
| C．Environmental protection needs only social efforts. |
| D．It's a good idea to start a conversation by environmental issues. |
| A．On July.3. | B．On Sep. 27. |
| C．On Aug. 22.5 | D．On Oct. 3. |
| A．They think highly of it. | B．They disagree with it. |
| C．They show no interest in it. | D．They doubt it. |
【推荐1】“Pale Moon rains. Red Moon blows. White Moon neither rains nor snows.” For generations, people have watched the Moon for signs of changes in the weather. The Moon does, in fact, affect the Earth’s climate and weather patterns in different ways.
The most obvious effect the Moon has on the Earth can be seen in the ocean tides. A world without tides would have very different weather systems. Tides are one factor that influences the movement of ocean currents, which move warm or cool water around the Earth. Thus, the water temperature changes. Warm ocean currents bring warmer and wetter weather, while cold ocean currents bring colder and drier weather.
The Moon is also thought to affect polar temperatures and contribute to fluctuations in the amount of Arctic ice. Tidal forces (潮汐力) act to break up ice sheets and change ocean heat flows, changing the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean. Satellite measurements have shown that the poles are 0.55℃ warmer during a full Moon.
The Moon’s influence, sometimes slight and sometimes strong, has had an important impact on life on Earth. Some scientists argue that it is the Moon that made life possible in the first place. The Moon makes the Earth move steadily as it is spinning (自转), helping to give us a steady climate. Without it, the Earth would lose balance. The Moon is our closest friend, without which the Earth would be a very lonely place.
1. Why do people watch the Moon according to Paragraph 1?| A．To appreciate the moon. | B．To record weather patterns. |
| C．To prepare for extreme weather. | D．To observe signs of weather changes |
| A．It influences water temperature | B．It makes weather hard to predict |
| C．It turns the earth colder and drier. | D．It changes the size of ocean currents. |
| A．Change. | B．Increase. | C．Flow. | D．Measurement. |
| A．Changes of Ocean Heat Flows. | B．Patterns of the Earth’s Climate. |
| C．Causes of Changes in Polar Weather. | D．Effects of the Moon on Global Weather |
【推荐2】Your guardian angel might have four legs and a rocking tail.
A new study from two researchers at Arizona State University found, like the hero dogs of film and TV, your real-life one likely wants to rescue you when you’re in trouble, reports AFP.
“It’s a popular legend,” explained researcher Joshua van Bourg. “Simply observing dogs rescuing someone doesn’t tell you much. The difficult challenge is figuring out why they do it.”
To test if and why dogs want to save their humans, Joshua van Bourg and his co-researcher, Clive Wynne, took 60 dogs and their owners and set up artificial rescue scene. For the study, the owner was put in a large box that had a lightweight door that the owner’s dog could move to one side to “save” them. Once in the box, the human would pretend to be in trouble, calling out for help without using their dog’s name. The second part of the test involved researchers placing dog food in a box and watching to see how many of the same 60 dogs moved to open the box to get the reward.
Looking at the two tests, the researchers found that about one-third of the dogs successfully rescued their owners and that around the same number also opened the box with the food. The study suggests that these responses could signal that dogs find rescuing their loved ones to be a rewarding task, much like nosing out and finding food. According to Joshua van Bourg, a dog’s natural heroism becomes even more impressive when you take “a closer look” at the study’s results.
“The key here is that without controlling for each dog’s understanding of how to open the box, the percentage of dogs who rescued their owners is much more lower than the percentage of dogs who wanted to rescue their owners,” Joshua van Bourg said.
“The fact that two-thirds of the dogs didn’t even open the box for food is a pretty strong indication that rescuing requires more than just motivation, there’s something else involved, and that’s the ability,” he added.
1. What do the researchers focus on in the study?| A．The number of dogs smelling dog food. |
| B．The way of dogs opening the light door. |
| C．The reason for dogs rescuing their owners. |
| D．The willingness of dogs to enter the rescue scene. |
| A．Most dogs were brave enough to rescue humans. |
| B．Owners were saved with their dogs’ name called. |
| C．Dogs consider rescuing owners as a rewarding task. |
| D．Forty dogs helped humans and opened the boxes for food. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. |
| C．Approving. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．Teaching dogs how to rescue humans. |
| B．Reminding people of being kind to dogs. |
| C．Advocating people to raise more dogs as pets. |
| D．Testing dogs what to do while rescuing owners. |
【推荐3】Art museums are places where people can learn about various cultures. The increasingly popular “design museums” that are opening today, however, perform quite a different role. Unlike most art museums, the design museum shows objects that are easily found by the general public. These museums sometimes even place things like fridges and washing machines in the center of the hall.
People have argued that design museums are often made use of as advertisements for new industrial technology. But their role is not simply a matter of sales--it is the honoring of excellently invented products. The difference between the window of a department store and the showcase in a design museum is that the first tries to sell you something, while the second tells you the success of a sale.
One advantage of design museums is that they are places where people feel familiar with the exhibits. Unlike the average art museum visitors, design museum visitors seldom feel frightened or puzzled. This is partly because design museums clearly show how arid why mass-produced products work and look as they do, and how design has improved the quality of our lives. Art museum exhibits, on the other hand, would most probably fill visitors with a feeling that there is something beyond their understanding.
In recent years, several new design museums have opened their doors. Each of these museums has tried to satisfy the public’s growing interest in the field with new ideas. London’s Design Museum, for example, shows a collection of mass-produced objects from Zippo lighters to electric typewriters to a group of Italian fish-tins. The choices open to design museums seem far less strict than those to art museums, and visitors may also sense the humorous part of our society while walking around such exhibits as interesting and unusually attractive toys collected in our everyday life.
1. Showcases in design museums are different from store windows because they .| A．show more technologically advanced products |
| B．help increase the sales of products |
| C．show why the products have sold well |
| D．attract more people than store windows do |
| A．do not admire mass-produced products |
| B．are puzzled with technological exhibits |
| C．dislike exhibits in art museums |
| D．know the exhibits very well |
| A．are not as strict as those to art museums |
| B．are not aimed to interest the public |
| C．may fail to bring some pleasure to visitors |
| D．often contain precious exhibits |
| A．The Forms of Design Museums |
| B．The Exhibits of Design Museums |
| C．The Nature of Design Museums |
| D．The Choice Open to Design Museums |
