Hurricanes are large storms that produce winds of 119 kilometers per hour or higher. That’s faster than a cheetah, the fastest animal on land. Hurricanes are not only some of the planet’s most violent storms, but also the costliest natural disasters in the United States, researchers reported in 2019 in the journal PNAS. Ranking (排名) the most damaging hurricanes, however, depends on the measures used: usually, economic cost or lives lost.
Katrina was the most expensive hurricane of all time, causing a huge economic loss when it sabotaged New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas. The cost was over $186 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Katrina’s losses swallowed 1% of the US GDP, or the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country in one year, according to the PNAS study.
John Nielsen-Gammon, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A & M University, told Live Science that the next costliest hurricane was 2017’s hurricane Harvey, which caused $149 billion of damage, mostly due to rainfall that produced widespread flooding across southeast Texas, including Houston.
“Those two storms top the list for economic damage both worldwide and in the US, which is no accidence,” Nielsen-Gammon added. “The most damaging hurricanes are most likely to occur where you have lots of expensive buildings,” he said. “That’s why two United States hurricanes top the list.”
In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused $107 billion in damage in Puerto Rico, placing it third on NOAA’s list of the costliest US storms. Hurricane Sandy, which flooded New York City’s subway tunnels and other areas in 2012, came next on the list ($82 billion), followed by 2021’s Hurricane Ida, which flooded Louisiana. Developing countries also suffered a lot from hurricanes.
1. Why is a cheetah mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To show the fast speed of hurricanes. |
| B．To compare the speed between hurricanes and a cheetah. |
| C．To state the bad effect on wild animals from hurricanes. |
| D．To explain how the fastest animal survives the hurricanes. |
| A．Followed. | B．Ignored. | C．Destroyed. | D．Defended. |
| A．The reason why Katrina in the US topped the list. |
| B．The reason why hurricanes took place in the US. |
| C．The effect of two hurricanes on American economy. |
| D．The damage to buildings caused by hurricanes in the US. |
| A．Types of different hurricanes in Britain. |
| B．Countries suffering from hurricanes in 2022. |
| C．Ways to prevent hurricanes in developing countries. |
| D．The loss hurricanes brought to developing countries. |
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【推荐1】The sound of leaves underfoot is usually associated with autumn. But this year, it was the soundtrack to summer walks across Europe, as maximum temperature records fell and the continent suffered its worst drought in 500 years.
The drought had been building for months after a dry winter and spring, but it was worse by a series of fierce heatwaves over the summer, says Sim on Parry at the UK Centre for Ecology &Hydrology. In France, nuclear power plants were forced to reduce their output as low river flows meant there wasn’t enough water to cool their reactors. Water levels on the Rhine river dropped so far that ships loaded with goods in Germany and the Netherlands, including coal and petrol, were unable to travel. Besides, farmers saw crops wither(枯萎). Harvests of soya-beans and sunflower seeds were predicted to fall by between12 and 16 percent.
This was a crisis caused in large part by climate change, says Richard Allan, who is also at the University of Reading. “Warming due to human-caused climate change made this event much more extreme,” he says. Studies suggest that the drought was made at least 20 times more likely by global warming.
However, that missing rainfall ends up somewhere, says Peter Gleick at the Pacific Institute in California. This year’s disastrous floods in countries including Australia and Pakistan are the “flip side” of the droughts, he says. “The droughts and the extreme floods that we are seeing are tied together, and are part and parcel of the broader challenge of climate change,” says Gleick.
In the wake of a drought, it is critical that nature gets time to recover. But for Europe, this was the second severe drought in four years. “My grass has already recovered from this summer... but if I had a tree that survived it, that would take 10 years or more to get back to a normal state,” says Niko Wanders at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning the sound?| A．To show the seasonal cycle. | B．To describe the beauty of autumn. |
| C．To emphasize the dry weather. | D．To clarify trees’ survival mode. |
| A．The reduction of river water. | B．The duration(持续)of the drought. |
| C．The causes of various losses. | D．The consequences of the disaster. |
| A．Expanding climate monitoring. | B．Improving human behavior. |
| C．Promoting natural restoration. | D．Balancing water distribution. |
| A．Conservative. | B．Unclear. | C．Concerned. | D．Hopeful. |
【推荐2】A woman in a cap wanders calmly along. Except for the lava (熔岩) erupting behind her, she could be walking in the park. The woman turns to watch the molten rock flow for a moment then walks calmly toward the camera. The footage(镜头) is from Werner Herzog’s book to volcanoes and volcano hunters, Into the Inferno, and the woman pictured is perhaps one of the most important volcanologists of all time, Katia Krafft.
Born in France, in 1942, Katia developed an interest in volcanoes at an early age. Later, she met Maurice Krafft. The pair bonded over their shared love of volcanoes before marrying in 1970. The Kraffts wrote about 20 books on volcanoes across the globe.
Katia and her husband made great progress in educating the general public in volcanology. Their footage had more than scientific value. For instance, when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines began to show signs of an eruption in 1991, the Kraffts were able to present Philippine President Cory Aquino with video footage of the effects of the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, asking him to call for an evacuation of those in the danger zone.
In 1969, Katia was awarded the prize of the Vocation Foundation for her work on active volcanic sites.
The couple lost their lives, along with more than 40 others during the eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan on June 3.1991. when they were caught in a flow of rock, gas and ash moving at speeds of over 100 miles per hour, with temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Katia was 49; Maurice, 45.
Katia’s impact on volcanology has reached far beyond her death and has encouraged many young women to study our restless planet. “Katia Krafft is definitely the reason why I’m doing this job,” says Carla Tiraboschi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minster, Germany. Carla first saw Katia in a documentary when she was just six or seven years old and has been crazy about volcanoes ever since.
1. What can we infer from the book Into the Inferno?| A．Its author is Katia Krafft. | B．It’s a biography of Katia Krafft. |
| C．It calls on protecting the environment. | D．It focuses on volcanoes and their explorers. |
| A．They prevented a natural disaster. |
| B．They served as a warning in Japan. |
| C．They helped spread volcano science. |
| D．They covered Mount Pinatubo’s eruption. |
| A．Substance. | B．Departure. | C．Occupation. | D．Intervention. |
| A．Katia’s death made her restless. | B．Katia helped her with her research. |
| C．Katia taught her to make a documentary. | D．Katia’s deeds inspired her career choice. |
【推荐3】The hemlock(铁杉) trees along the Wappinger Creek, New York, look healthy. However, scientist Gary Lovett says the white balls which provide protection for the bugs are created by a tiny insect. It’s hard to believe the tiny bug could kill a tree. However, trees can end up with millions and millions of the pests. When there are that many, it ends up killing the tree.
The bug from East Asia is slowly killing trees across the USA. The trouble－making bug is just one of many invasive(入侵的) pests that have slipped into the United States. They can hurt other living things in their new home.
Many invasive pests arrive on wooden pallets piled inside shipping containers. They support and separate goods, and keep them from sliding around. Invasive pests often tunnel into the pallets. How can we stop pests from riding on pallets? Lovett says new rules are needed. The companies that make pallets don’t want more rules. Congress has added an amendment(修正案) in the 2018 Farm Bill to try and prevent this problem. However, Lovett is not hopeful it will make much of a difference. Pallets are checked by inspectors. Many are sprayed with bug－killing pesticide. “I believe in the system，” said Brent McClendon, president of The National Wooden Pallet and Container Association. He also said shipping containers are checked very carefully.
Still, each year 13 million containers are shipped to the U.S. Each is full of wooden pallets. Lovett says: “Inspectors can’t possibly check everything. All it takes are a few bad pallets; we should get rid of wooden pallets.” He believes pallets should be made of plastic or eco－composite wood. Eco－composite wood is a mix of wood fiber and plastic. Insects cannot hide into it. One problem is that these choices cost more. They may be worth the extra money, though. Invasive pests cost the U.S. $5 billion a year. Trees don’t just die in forests. They also die in cities and our yards. Then, they need to be replaced. That costs money, too.
1. All the statements are TRUE except that ________.| A．pesticide has been applied to bug－killing |
| B．the companies making pallets don’t want more rules |
| C．invasive pests hide in pallets used in shipping |
| D．invasive pests are native to Wappinger Creek |
| A．Bugs won’t bother the tree if just in few numbers. |
| B．Bugs ruin the shipping goods slowly. |
| C．Bugs can be easily spotted by eyes. |
| D．Bugs cover trees with white soft balls for protection. |
| A．Because insects mostly die in them. |
| B．Because they are the major pest carriers. |
| C．Because they are not worth extra money. |
| D．Because plastic pallets are eco－friendly. |
| A．Congress contributes a lot to dealing with invasive pests. |
| B．Effective measures have stopped the pest invasion. |
| C．Invasive pests are harming plants in the USA. |
| D．Ecosystem in the USA is poorly damaged by invasive woods. |
【推荐1】You listen to music every day. Some music hits your hearts. Some music makes you full of joy.
Music makes you express your emotion
Music is an extremely unique way to develop the capability of memorising. The best example to prove this sentence is that you can easily learn something in the form of songs. The reason behind learning a song quickly is that your mind enjoys music. Whatever your minds enjoy, it keeps it.
Music makes you creative
Music is key to creativity, it helps you in improving you mind by making it more artistic. No matter what the great invention is, it requires art. Creativity and imagination that is fulfilled by music.
Music improves your fine reasoning skills
During a study of children, it was shown that if children are exposed to three or more years of musical training, these same kids performed better.
| A．This was the result |
| B．Because music is an art of beauty |
| C．Music makes you live a better life |
| D．Music makes learning more pleasant |
| E．Some music makes you burst into tears |
| F．You should choose some kind of music with powerful beats |
| G．You usually play the music that reflects your thoughts or your emotions |
【推荐2】Consumerism is a phenomenon which lies in the tendency of production and buying ever-greater amounts of different goods and services. It not only has an impact on the lifestyle of individuals, but also determines technological and financial progress of the whole states.
Firstly, consumerism enables people to improve the quality of their lives. As Llewellyn Harrison Rockwell states in his article “In Defense of Consumerism”, in 1900 the average life length of women was about 48 years, and of men — 46, but today these indexes are 80 and 77 respectively. This has happened due to the influence of many factors, among which are possibilities to get twenty-four-hour hospital-and home-based medical care, buy high-quality goods, medicines, and to use more safe devises in the working processes. Without the consumerism all this would be impossible as economically unprofitable.
Secondly, consumerism is an effective way of motivation. The temptation to buy a new device, better clothes and tastier food encourages people to earn more money. But for this they should work harder, develop their professional skills and widen their outlook. Moreover, a new purchase itself can become a reason for a person to get some new experience.
Thirdly, the economies of almost all developed countries are based on production of new goods and services. You may not realize it, but the more people buy, the more income the state gets, and the more money can be donated to the social spheres, such as health care, education and culture. So the countries possessing more financial resources provide their citizens with better life conditions.
On the other hand, there is an opinion that consumerism is a kind of a harmful circle, which will not make people’s lives better, but will only contribute to an endless competition between all of them. Juliet Bschor, for example, thinks that the rising number of different goods and services available nowadays makes people neither happier nor wealthier. It only makes them work harder in order to earn money for just another nice thing, spending less time with their families and friends, and trying to compensate it with buying new goods. The satisfaction usually does not last long, only till the moment one sees someone else possessing a better or more fashionable thing. But in fact, the issue of social happiness does not depend on services of products that can be bought. It is just a matter of a person’s character.
So consumerism can influence society both positively and negatively depending on many factors. But, in general, it has more advantages, because it serves as a basis for development on individual, social and state levels.
1. According to the passage, the temptation to buy things can ________.| A．force people to work harder | B．lead people to earn more money |
| C．provide people with more holidays | D．forbid people to be more professional |
| A．Favorable. | B．Objective. | C．Negative. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To present one opinion. | B．To show changes of people’s lives. |
| C．To tell what social happiness depends on. | D．To convey a study result about life satisfaction. |
| A．The qualities of people’s lives. | B．The evaluation of life satisfaction. |
| C．The influences of consumerism. | D．The tendency of economic development. |
【推荐3】It had always been assumed that the rarity of lightning in ocean storms was due to cleaner air over the vast seas, but keen observations have shown that even highly polluted air is associated with reduced lightning at sea when sea spray aerosols (气溶胶) are abundant. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, an international team of researchers describes their multi-year study of atmospheric conditions over the oceans bordering Africa and what it showed about salt in sea spray aerosols and its impact on lightning.
The researchers obtained atmospheric data on Africa and the oceans around it for the period 2013 to 2017. The data included numbers of lightning flashes, rainfall, temperatures and cloud representations. They looked for differences in atmospheric conditions in storms that occurred over land versus those that occurred over the sea and found one main difference: the amount of salt in the air.
Lightning is produced when upwardly moving air in clouds forms ice crystals (冰晶) — aerosol particles then begin to bump into one another, creating an electrical charge. Lightning happens when the electrical field in one part of the cloud becomes positively charged (usually at the top of the cloud) and another negatively charged (usually at the bottom of the cloud). And clouds form, of course, when vapor evaporates (蒸发) from the surface of the Earth and the water drops bond with aerosols.
The researchers found that things are slightly different over the ocean. When water evaporates from the sea, it bears a load of salt. When the salt water bonds with aerosols to form water droplets, they tend to be bigger and heavier than those that form over land due to the salt — and that results in more of the water in the clouds falling as rain before it can rise up and form ice crystals. The result is far fewer lightning discharges.
The researchers suggest their findings could be useful in improving the accuracy of both climate models and meteorological reports. It could also possibly lead some to attempt to seed storm clouds with salt to reduce their severity.
1. What is the common belief of lightning over oceans?| A．Lightning pollutes the remote sea. | B．Polluted air leads to less lightning at sea. |
| C．Cleaner air results in less lightning at sea. | D．Cleaner air contributes to more lightning at sea. |
| A．By presenting facts. | B．By listing similarities. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．They drop much faster. | B．They contain more water. |
| C．They are bigger and heavier. | D．They are smaller and lighter. |
| A．Salt in Sea Spray Worsens Storms over the Sea |
| B．Salt in Sea Spray Keeps Lightning Strikes Away |
| C．Lightning Strikes Are More Common over Oceans |
| D．Sea Spray Is Found Evaporating Faster over Oceans |
【推荐1】Places to Visit and Protect
When places are well-known and popular—historical and modern alike—we might think that they’ll be around forever. But many of them are in danger of disappearing.
The Great Barrier Reef
This huge coral reef has suffered from coral bleaching (白化)—caused by climate change. The studies have waned that the damage to it could become irreversible (不可逆的) in the next 10 year.
Old City of Jerusalem
One of the world’s most religious (宗教的) places, the Old City of Jerusalem, is in danger of despairing. Widespread urbanization (城市化) has been found the main reason to the city.
Machu Picchu
Located in southern Peru, Machu Picchu in the remains of a huge stone citadel (城堡) built during the 15th century. Unfortunately, over tourism, the fast urbanization, as well as fires, in recent years, lead UNESCO to working for its protection.
Mount Kilimanjaro’s Peak
Located in Tanzania, its symbolic snow cap might disappear soon. Research found that the snow cap had lost 85 percent of the total area of its ice fields between 1912 and 2007, and the remaining ice could be history as early as 2030.
1. What is the main cause of the Great Barrier Reef’s damage?| A．Over tourism. | B．Fires. | C．Urbanization. | D．Climate change. |
| A．The Great Barrier Reef. | B．Old City of Jerusalem. |
| C．Machu Picchu. | D．Mount Kilimanjaro’s Peak. |
| A．They all have a short history. | B．They are all in the same place. |
| C．They’re all in danger of disappearing. | D．They are all famous for natural scenery. |
【推荐2】When starting college, most students enjoy a week’s stay on campus before classes actually begin. What should you do with that time? Below are several tips to ease (使熟悉) yourself into college life.
Participating in Campus Welcome Activities
Most universities host welcome events before the academic year officially begins, including freshmen orientations (迎新会), campus picnics, and entertainments like concerts.
Participating in such events is a great way to learn about school facilities and understand campus culture: What do students do for fiin? What are their favorite classes? What is the history of your university? It can help you observe campus life outside the classroom.
Exploring Campus
Getting to know where essential campus resources are — such as the student advising center, psychological services, and the tutoring center — will make your first few weeks on campus a lot easier, because you won’t have to look for them while still getting used to your classes.
Take some time to check out the buildings where your classes will be held. This will prevent you from getting lost in the first few days of classes, and familiarize you with how long it takes to get from place to place. If you’re worried about taking classes one after another in different buildings, a quick test run won’t hurt. That way, you will avoid potential time delays in getting to your classes.
Starting a Routine
Before getting too excited about all of the fun things you will be able to do during the week, remember that you do have a pretty big schedule change coming up. Starting classes means being in different places at different times, so it’s a great idea to start getting used to that routine right this week.
What helps you most is to schedule your sleep. Following the planned time will ensure you have enough sleep to get to those early classes and stay wide awake.
If you have other daily routines, such as exercising or talking on the phone with family, work those into your day-to-day life before classes start so that you get a better idea of how they fit in with your schedule.
1. By participating in campus welcome activities, freshmen can________ .| A．learn about campus culture |
| B．get their course schedule |
| C．have a physical examination |
| D．take an entrance test |
| A．To see how many facilities they can use. |
| B．To avoid being late for future classes. |
| C．To help those getting lost on campus. |
| D．To practice running on their way to class. |
| A．On the first day of their classes. |
| B．Before the orientation week. |
| C．After their first-day classes. |
| D．During the orientation week. |
【推荐3】The following charities advocate protecting our precious environment. It’s a starting place, but don’t stop here.
Rocky Mountain Institute
Rocky Mountain Institute has made notable achievements in its comparatively short history. In2017, it worked with India’s leadership and government to plan for 100% vehicle electrification(电气化) by 2030. They also provided research that resulted in new U. S. fuel-efficiency standards for trucks, which were expected to cut over one billion tons of CO₂ emissions. Its five-year plan to quicken low-carbon energy transition (转变) was published in early 2018.
Greenpeace Fund
Although Greenpeace solves many environmental problems such as deforestation (滥伐森林) and sustainable food, it has worked to address issues with oceans for decades: plastic pollution, offshore drilling, saving the Arctic, and more. Greenpeace has grown from a small group of activists protesting nuclear testing in 1971 to an international organization with offices in over fifty countries.
Center for Biological Diversity
Founded in 1989, the Center for Biological Diversity uses biological data and legal knowledge to obtain new protections for plants, animals, and their habitats. Its story began with some young students, an ancient tree in Mexico, and a spotted owl’s nest. Its first campaign saved both the tree and the owl. And they continue to grow by expanding territory, staff, and outreach (外展服务).
Sierra Club Foundation
The Sierra Club has been working to protect the environment and its people since 1892. It helped pass the Clean Air and Endangered Species Acts, enabled the creation of many national parks, and worked to move hundreds of coal plants towards clean energy. It also offers environmentally friendly wilderness outings to encourage people to get outdoors. People can take an international trip to study wildlife in Cuba.
1. Which organization has focused on the oceans for many years?| A．Rocky Mountain Institute | B．Greenpeace Fund |
| C．Center for Biological Diversity | D．Sierra Club Foundation |
| A．It aims to expand territory for Mexico. | B．It is targeted at collecting biological data. |
| C．Its foundation was inspired by some students. | D．Its symbol contains an ancient tree and an owl. |
| A．They both push for the use of green energy. |
| B．They both apply the new standard for vehicles. |
| C．They both have founded numerous national parks. |
| D．They both encourage humans to go outing in the wild. |
