Roads and railways have made it easy for people to travel around the UK, but have had the precisely opposite effect for insects. Alongside housing developments, transport infrastructure (基础设施) has separated insect habitats, leaving many pollinators (传粉昆虫) stuck on decreasing islands of biodiversity.
A new conservation project aims to address that by creating a network of wildflower superhighways across the UK. The B-Lines network aims to join the dots between meadow habitats, enabling pollinators and other wildlife to move freely between them. Ten years in the making, the B-Lines initiative was launched by the insect charity Buglife on Tuesday and has already generated interest from unexpected quarters. “After the launch, some house builders rang up asking how they could include the network into house building, so it could have a really positive effect,” said Buglife’s Paul Hetherington.
Buglife has spent the last decade mapping potential routes for the insect superhighway. Hetherington said the proposed highway could give the UK’s weak insects a boost and a route out of habitats that become too hot due to the climate crisis and it can make a huge difference in easing declines. “The things that have really hammered pollinators are habitat loss, loss of connectivity of habitat, climate change and pesticides—this deals with everything except pesticides,” said Hetherington.
The B-lines network is not just a concept. Pilot sections have already been completed, including the South Wales B-Lines near Cardiff. “Since that was done, there have been recordings of one of our rarest bees in Cardiff town centre, which shows this connectivity can work,” said Hetherington. And in Norwich, Buglife has been working with Network Rail to plant wildflowers along the track. Anyone living along the proposed route can get involved in the project. All they need to do is let their lawns grow, or even just create a small herb garden, which Hetherington likened to creating a “motorway service station for bees”.
1. What can we learn about the B-Lines network from paragraph 2?| A．It will separate insect habitats. | B．It can help insects to pollinate. |
| C．It is still being planned now. | D．It hasn’t caused any attention. |
| A．The last decade. | B．The superhighway. | C．The climate crisis. | D．The decline. |
| A．By recording the tracks of bees. | B．By cooperating with Network Rail. |
| C．By planting herbs in their own gardens. | D．By creating a motorway service station. |
| A．Roads and railways have caused bad effect on insects. |
| B．Transport infrastructure prevents housing developments. |
| C．Pollinators are stuck on decreasing islands of biodiversity. |
| D．Conservationists are creating “superhighways” for insects. |
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【推荐1】More than two thirds of the world’s polar bears will be wiped out by 2050, according to a shocking new study. By then, scientists say, global warming will have melted 42 percent of the Arctic sea ice. By 2100, only a very few of these important creatures will be left.
The report has been produced by the US Geological Survey. The scientists have publicized their findings in the hope of influencing US Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who has been asked to put polar bears on the US endangered species list.
Polar bears depend on floating sea ice as a platform for hunting seals, which are their main food. Without enough ice, polar bears would be forced to go onto the land, where they are poorly skilled hunters, and would be unlikely to adapt to the life on the land in time. Experts say few little bears would survive and the stress could make many females unable to get pregnant.
The team of American and Canadian scientists spent six months studying bears, on the ground, from spotter planes and in the lab, using computer models. Some team members fear the result is even worse for the bears than what their report says. They say the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere in the world and much faster than their computer had been forecasting. Satellite observations have showed that the ice has decreased to an alltime low.
However, not everyone in the scientific community believes that global warming is happening on such an alarming scale. Another investigation has found that polar bears are still being hunted by wealthy “sportsmen” who want their skins and heads. At least ten international companies offer bearhunting trips.
1. What do we know about Dirk Kempthorne according to the passage?| A．He is an animal scientist. |
| B．He is a protector of animals working for the US government. |
| C．He was asked to put polar bears on the US endangered species list. |
| D．He offered to put polar bears on the endangered species list. |
| A．Because polar bears can’t catch enough food without ice. |
| B．Because polar bears eat ice when they feel thirsty. |
| C．Because polar bears will be easily found by hunters without ice. |
| D．Because most female bears are used to giving birth under ice. |
| A．there is something wrong with their computers |
| B．polar bears will disappear even faster than they ever expected |
| C．their computer models are not as accurate as they expected |
| D．global warming will destroy everything in the Arctic |
【推荐2】As most people know, in the past few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only undermined the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people. It is expected that effective measures should be taken as soon as possible.
So what should we do with the frightening sandstorms? Some experts put forward practical suggestions as follows: For one thing, more funds ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection so as to keep more water resources within the surface of the earth. For another, governments of all countries should make laws on environmental protection. For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also find ways to cut down the degree of its destruction and to improve the whole environment.
How people look forward to sunny days with little wind touching their faces now and forever! Nevertheless, I am fully confident that the golden days can come back so long as everyone tries his best to protect natural environment from today on.
1. The underlined word “undermined” in Paragraph 1 means ________.| A．weakened | B．encouraged | C．kept | D．made |
| A．China has taken no measures to prevent sandstorms. |
| B．more sandstorms will happen in the near future in North China. |
| C．the sandstorm is the most dangerous natural disaster to human beings. |
| D．sandstorms can cause much damage to human beings and their daily lives. |
| A．5. | B．4. | C．3. | D．2. |
| A．Unconfident. | B．Hopeful. | C．Curious. | D．Unclear. |
【推荐3】By becoming the first city in the nation to ban natural gas in new low-rise buildings and homes, Berkeley did something great in mid-July. It signaled the beginning of the end of the natural gas era.
California has set a climate mandate of 100% clean, renewable energy by 2045. It won’t reach that goal unless it gets rid of natural gas. Burning natural gas emits carbon dioxide and other pollutants. In many cities, including Berkeley, buildings are the second leading greenhouse gas-emitting sector, after transportation. Now that regulations aimed at the 2045 mandate are in place for cars, trucks and coal-fired power, natural gas has to be next.
The popular image of gas cooking and heating—clean, cheap and reliable, a “bridge fuel” from coal to renewables—needs to be changed. Natural gas has produced more greenhouse gas emissions overall in the US than coal since 2015. Now natural gas emissions from the state’s 12 million buildings account for 12% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
What’s more, natural gas is combustible, a common reason for fires and explosions. An underground gas pipe explosion in the Bay Area city in 2010 killed eight people and destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes. Gas leaks can cause not only indoor pollution but also deaths.
The case for making new buildings all-electric is overwhelming. It costs less to set up just one kind of energy—electricity—in new constructions, instead of laying gas pipes too. And the latest technologies work well: Electric heat pumps both cool and heat homes.
At least 50 other California cities will encourage all-electric new constructions in the coming months. They may not ban gas altogether in new constructions, but the aim is the same. The Berkeley measure is the beginning of an equally essential but more difficult task: re-equipping all existing buildings so that they, too, become all-electric.
1. What are emitting the largest amount of greenhouse gas now in Berkeley?| A．Heat pumps. | B．Power plants. |
| C．Motor vehicles. | D．New buildings. |
| A．It is clean, cheap and reliable. | B．It should be used in a small range. |
| C．It should be used as a “bridge fuel”. | D．It is more harmful than commonly thought. |
| A．Widely used. | B．Spoken highly of. |
| C．Able to burn easily. | D．Affordable for most families. |
| A．is practical | B．is a difficult choice |
| C．has a long way to go | D．deserves further research |
【推荐1】Did you buy too much bread before heading out for a holiday? Did you give up the vegetables that are going bad?
In an effort to help eco-conscious consumers, a Geneva nonprofit is speeding up its plan of street-side, free-access public refrigerators that restaurateurs, at-home cooks and others can use to give away food that’s about to go bad. It’s part of a bigger effort by communities in Switzerland and other European countries to do their part for the environment while helping to cut down on food waste.
The nonprofit Free-Go has placed refrigerators and shelves in Geneva where passersby can get fruit, vegetables, bread and other perishables(易变质食品) to take home for free.The program costs about $40,000 to run each year and enjoys the support from the city government. It began a year ago with a single fridge outside a community center in western Geneva and it now has four fridges, strategically placed around town. A fifth one is planned before year’s end.
Free-Go is experimenting with scheduled pickups at apartment buildings to make it easier for residents(居民) to participate in the program. It has also set up a“hotline”that restaurateurs can use to call for the collection of unused food. Free-Go says giver s of food from the private sector, such as restaurants, must make a promise to ensure the given food is safe to eat.
Free-Go says about 1 billion tons of food go to waste every year around the world—using up energy and other resources in the farming and transportation process. Similar food-sharing activities are in place in the capital, Bern, after the idea was imported from Germany.
According to Foodsharing.de, a community group in Germany that started more than a decade ago, more than a half-million people in Germany, Switzerland and Austria have made “the food-sharing initiative an international movement”and have helped save 83 million tons of food from going to waste.
1. How did the Free-Go program start in the beginning?| A．With two fridges in a local supermarket. |
| B．With a single fridge outside in western Geneva. |
| C．With three fridges distributed in various parks. |
| D．With a large storage facility in central Geneva. |
| A．To promote local restaurants. |
| B．To provide refrigeration services. |
| C．To establish a hotline for food collection. |
| D．To reduce food waste and help the environment. |
| A．To report refrigerators in bad condition. |
| B．For residents to schedule food pickups. |
| C．To provide information about safe food handling. |
| D．For restaurateurs to call for the collection of unused food. |
| A．Critical. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐2】Coffee is an important part of Italian culture and since arriving here over six months ago, I have drunk a lot of it!
Of course, coffee is also very popular in the UK but coffee culture in Italy is a completely different story. In Italy, when you order a coffee in a café or bar, you are served with a tiny, bitter espresso. This is “normal coffee” for Italians and they are not so interested in the huge coffees that we drink in the UK. If you want more than one sip(小口)of coffee in Italy, lungo is a good choice. It is espresso with a little more water added, but still served in a small cup. In addition, while takeaway coffee is quite popular among Brits, it is not very common at all in Italy. Generally, Italians prefer to drink their tiny coffees while standing at the bar and, for many, this short break is an important part of their day.
Usually, breakfast in a bar in Italy includes a coffee and a pastry(酥皮糕点). I have been spoiled for choice with lovely cafés in the Italian town I’m living in. These cafés sell different kinds of mouth-watering pastries — either plain(无馅料的)or filled with cream, chocolate, etc. — as well as delicious coffee. Cappuccinos are very popular at breakfast time and, for me, a creamy cappuccino and a pastry with chocolate is the perfect way to start the day.
Finally, I have found that coffee in Italy is so much cheaper than coffee in the UK. Normally, an espresso or a macchiato (an espresso with a drop of milk) costs around a euro and a cappuccino about
1.50!They are small, of course, but this means that in Italy it is possible to go out for coffee every day without breaking the bank.
| A．By time. | B．By space. |
| C．By example. | D．By comparison. |
| A．Lungo. | B．Cappuccino. | C．Espresso. | D．Macchiato. |
| A．Takeaway coffee is very popular among Italians. |
| B．Coffees are often served along with pastries during breakfasts. |
| C．Italians like to take short breaks from work for coffee. |
| D．Italians are very often seen drinking huge coffees. |
| A．She loves its bitter taste. | B．It is too expensive for her. |
| C．The cup is too small. | D．It is a good choice for breakfast. |
【推荐3】In the Hollywood movie The Martian, actor Matt Damon plays an astronaut who grows food on Mars(火星)to survive alone on the red planet.
After seeing the movie, Washington State University physicist Michael Allen and University of Idaho food scientist Helen Joyner decided to carry out a case study helping students figure out how to farm on Mars. In the case study, students have to imagine they are mining(采矿) on Mars and decide how to feed themselves there before starting on the journey. They get advice from Allen and Joyner on how to select crops and take the challenges of growing crops over long periods on Mars. Students use a scoring system to select three foods to plant on Mars.
Allen found the results impressive: among 30 students, “no two people have ever gotten the same answer”, he said.
Human travelers to Mars will likely have to make use of resources on the planet rather than take everything they need with them on a spaceship. This means farming their own food on another planet, one that has a very different ecosystem (生态系统) from Earth’s.
One challenge for those who would like to live on Mars is the fact that there can be no farming tools. Like real astronauts, students taking part in the study cannot take a lot of farming tools with them. As Joyner put it to his student astronauts, “You are starting with nothing.”
Besides, students also have to deal with a very limited choice of diet. “If I had to eat a single food for the rest of my life, could I do it?” Joyner asked.
But Allen believes the case study is about more than farming and eating on the Red Planet.
“I’m not teaching about growing food on Mars,” Allen said. “I’m teaching about living with choices. I’m teaching about problem solving.”
1. In the case study, students have to __________.| A．watch the movie to know the conditions on Mars |
| B．decide which crop to grow on Mars with the help of the teachers |
| C．design different types of diets on Mars for them to choose |
| D．understand how to farm on Mars with their favorite farming tools |
| A．increases students’ knowledge about farming |
| B．helps student know more about Mars |
| C．develops students’ skills of solving problems |
| D．teaches students how to make proper choices |
| A．to describe a research on how to farm on Mars |
| B．to prepare us to deal with problems on Mars |
| C．to teach us how to survive on Mars alone |
| D．to introduce a Hollywood movie, The Martian |
