【推荐1】In the U. S. state of Washington, a road called Interstate 90 cuts through a wild mountainous area to reach the city of Seattle. For the area's many kinds of animals, the busy highway greatly limits their movements. Animals need to move to find food, to find mates and to find new places to live. Crossing I-90 as the road is called is a risky but sometimes necessary act. But soon, animals will have a safer choice.

To help the animals, the state is finishing work on its largest-ever wildlife bridge. The 11-meter-tall, 20-meter-wide bridge begins in the forest. Workers are adding fencing anti-plants to help guide the animals across the bridge. The I-90 bridge is part of a growing number of wildlife crossings across the United States. Some are fences, some are overland bridges, and some are underpasses. They all aim to keep drivers and animals away from each other.

A U.S. Transportation Department study found crashes between animals and humans rose year by year. The accidents made up about 5 percent of all crashes nationally, and cost the economy about $8 billion. Such costs come from car repaid, emergency room visits and removal of the dead animals on roads. Collisions between animals and drivers are rarely deadly to people. But they are often deadly to wildlife. The study also found that 21 endangered or threatened species in the U.S. are affected by vehicle hits.

Patty Garvey Darda of the U. S. Forest Service says the $6-million bridge will one day pay for itself because the highway will not have to be fully or partly closed each time a large animal is struck. “If you shut down Interstate 90, you shut down interstate trade.” she adds.

1. Why is moving across highways necessary for animals?

A．To survive.

B．To find food.

C．To follow their habit.

D．To free their movements.

2. What are those wildlife crossings in the U.S. built for?

A．Avoiding human deaths.

B．Preventing car accidents.

C．Increasing interstate trade.

D．Protecting wild animals.

3. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 3?

A．Highlight the harm caused by car accidents.

B．Show the costs related to car-animal crashes.

C．Explain the necessity of wildlife crossings.

D．Present the urgency to protect wild species.

4. What is Darda’s attitude towards the building of I-90?

A．Opposed.

B．Concerned.

C．Favorable.

D．Indifferent.

【推荐2】Hello. I’m Jan from Mrs. Lake’s class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway.
Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.
The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.
We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean，please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake’ room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll try to pick an area to adopt and clean.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean!
1. What is the purpose of this speech?

A．To introduce the traffic system.

B．To tell a story about adopting a pet.

C．To show drivers how to drive safely.

D．To encourage students to join the program.

2. What is the Adopt-a-Highway Program about?

A．Giving names to the highways.

B．Picking up litter along the roads.

C．Drawing pictures of highways.

D．Putting up signs near the roads.

3. What should the students do first if they want to join the program?

A．Go to a meeting on Wednesday.

B．Pick a spot to care for.

C．Write a letter to their parents.

D．Call Mrs. Lake next week.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Adopt-a-Pet	B．Ways to Protect the Environment
C．Adopt-a-Highway	D．Volunteers on Roads

【推荐3】Nations in the UN have agreed that the world needs to completely stop plastic waste from entering the oceans. The UN resolution(决议) has no timetable. But ministers at an environment summit believe it will set the course for much tougher policies and send a clear signal to business.

Under the resolution, governments would establish an international task force(特遣小组) to advise on fighting what the UN's oceans chief has described as a world crisis. One controversial issue is the wish to include businesses on the global task force. Ministers say the problem will not be solved without business, but green groups point out that some firms in the plastics industry have been against restrictions for decades. Vidar Helgesen, a leading voice in the talks, told BBC News, “Business is listening to markets and seeing how marine litter(海洋垃圾) is a growing popular concern. It's possibly the fastest－growing environmental problem and it's therefore a fast－growing problem for business. We need to bring on board those companies that want to change things, and then look at taxes and regulations to make more companies act.”

Certainly, there has been resistance from plastics firms to the bans. One UN delegate, who did not want to be named, stated that journalists in some countries were being paid by the plastics industry to write stories about job losses following the plastic bag ban. But they did not mention the jobs being created in alternatives, such as labour－intensive basketwork, which provides work for the rural poor. But some governments are standing firm, and the meeting has witnessed individual nations declaring tougher action against single－use plastic bags.

The UN's spokesman Sam Barratt told BBC News, “Of course we would have liked to have gone further, but this meeting's made real progress. There's now a sense of urgency and energy behind the issue that we haven't quite seen before. What is obvious, though, is that the UN can't solve this problem on its own. We need to do it in partnership with governments, businesses and even individuals.”

1. What can we know about the UN resolution on plastic waste?

A．Plastic waste should be banned on land too.

B．Plastic waste should be recycled by business.

C．The UN made exact time to stop it entering oceans.

D．The UN may make stricter policies in the future.

2. What can we infer from what Vidar Helgesen said?

A．Business doesn't see the problem of marine litter.

B．Fastest－growing marine litter is a new problem.

C．Governments should force companies to act by policy.

D．Most companies want to stop marine life from disappearing.

3. Why did some companies pay journalists to write articles about job losses?

A．To express their satisfaction with governments.

B．To struggle against the strict plastic bag ban.

C．To show difficulties in labour－intensive basketwork.

D．To make governments stand firm against plastic bags.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The UN is committed to handling ocean plastic waste

B．The UN tries to protect the marine life

C．We should solve the plastic waste problem

D．We should ban plastic waste completely

【推荐1】Winning entries for the British Ecological Society’s photography competition

Red Night

Photographed by Roberto Roa. It was declared this year’s overall winner. The image captures (拍摄) both the beauty of the impressive snake and its fear of human threats like fires. The ecologist says, “During my visit to Madagascar, I had the pleasure of finding this snake and photographing it. To offer a dramatic scene reflecting the conditions that these snakes are suffering, I used some skills to capture the environment.”

The Rhino’s Annual Haircut

Photographed by ecologist Molly Penny. The demand for rhino horn s (犀牛角) has reduced the population of rhinos to just 30, 000 globally. To try to save the endangered species, ecologists in South Africa have decided to saw off a part of the animals’ horns, which grow every year. It was captured beautifully in the black-and-white photo by Molly Penny from the University of the West of England. Cruel as it seems, it reduces the risk of the animals being cruelly murdered.

For the Love of Flamingos

Photographed by Peter Hudson. It captures a heart-shaped cloud of pink flamingos (火烈鸟) in Kenya, which is truly a sight like none other. The ecologist says, “Flamingos are all legs and necks but meanwhile beautiful and fascinating and I admit I have a deep passion for them, so I was thrilled when I watched this group in the shape of a heart.”

Flames in Flumes

Photographed by Nilanjan Chatterjee. It captures a water redstart (红尾鸟) waiting to catch an insect near a small waterfall. It was the best overall student submission (提交). The photographer wanted to show the struggle the river birds are likely to face from the slowdown in water flow due to planned dams in rivers across India.

1. How is Red Night different from the others?

A．It was taken by a biologist.	B．It is a black-and-white photo.
C．It shows wild animals’ suffering.	D．It was photographed after a fire.

2. What can be seen in The Rhino’s Annual Haircut?

A．The tips of saving an endangered rhino.

B．The cruelty of killing an endangered rhino.

C．The method of helping a rhino’s horn grow.

D．The scene of cutting a part of a rhino’s horn.

3. Which photo was taken by a student?

A．Red Night.	B．The Rhino’s Annual Haircut.
C．For the Love of Flamingos.	D．Flames in Flumes.

【推荐2】Each year, the women of Olney and Liberal compete in an unusual footrace. Dressed in aprons (围裙) and headscarves, they wait at both towns' starting lines. Each woman holds a frying pan with one pancake inside. At the signal, the women flip (抛) their pancakes and they're off!

This “pancake racing” tradition is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday, 1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the Christian season of Lent (大斋戒) begins. During Lent, many people decide to give up sugary or fatty foods.

Legend says that in 1445, an Olney woman was making pancakes to use up some of her sugar and cooking fats before Lent. She lost track of time and suddenly heard the church bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out, still wearing her apron and headscarf and holding her frying pan with a pancake in it.

In the following years, the woman’s neighbors imitated her dash to church and pancake racing was born. Olney women continue this Shrove Tuesday tradition more than 500 years later.

In 1950, inspired by a picture of the Olney Pancake Race in a magazine, a resident of Liberal wanted his town to join in the fun. He called Olney to set up a friendly competition, and the people of Olney accepted.

The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf and apron. They must flip their pancakes twice —once before starting and once after crossing the finish line. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race times and declare a winner.

In both towns, the races have grown into larger festivals. Olney's festival is an all-day event starting with a big pancake breakfast. Liberal’s festival lasts four days, including a parade, a talent show, and contests that feature eating and flipping pancakes.

1. What can we know about Olney Pancake Race?

A．It was founded by a Olney woman.

B．It begins during Lent.

C．Its origin can date back to 15th century.

D．It has been held annually since 1445.

2. What are the competitors required to do according to the rules?

A．Wear their traditional clothes.

B．Throw and catch the pancake twice.

C．Have the pancake cooked while running.

D．Hold the pancake all the way.

3. What’s the difference between Olney’s festival and Liberal’s festival?

A．Olney’s festival is held for four days.

B．Olney’s festival has more various competitions.

C．Liberal’s festival starts with a delicious breakfast.

D．Liberal’s festival has varieties of activities.

4. What’s the author’s attitude towards pancake racing?

A．Positive.

B．Negative.

C．Objective.

D．Subjective.