She can’t vole, but she has the volte of confidence of young climate activists across the globe. Meet Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old architect of “School Strike for the Climate” .
At age 12, the Swede gave up meat and flying to reduce her carbon footprint. But the real trigger came when Sweden was hit by heat waves in 2018. Thunberg started skipping classes on Fridays to strike outside the Swedish parliament. Thanks to social media, her actions have spread and influenced millions of young people all over the world to organize and protest.
And look! Thunberg became the poster child of climate action. She addressed the 2018 UN climate conference and this year’s World Economic Forum. Encouraged by Thunberg, 1. 4 million students across 125 countries took to the streets in the first Global Climate Strike for Future on March 15. Thunberg was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in March 2019, and a few months later she became the youngest individual ever to be honored as Time’s Person of the Year.
Then she entered the spotlight again. Invited to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York City, which took place in September 2019, Thunberg traveled across the Atlantic on a zero-carbon sailing boat, accompanied by her father and a supporting crew.
She said at the UN Climate Action Summit:“For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you’re doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight …You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you. ”
Nevertheless, Thunberg has her share of critics too. The objectors attack her for what she has done, calling her a “weirdo” and regard the Greta Thunberg effect as a useless fantasy.
1. What does the underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Breakthrough. | B．Cause. | C．Intention. | D．Solution. |
| A．Her popularity. | B．Her future plan. |
| C．Her speeches. | D．Her achievements. |
| A．The science is still not clear about climate. |
| B．Great progress has been made in politics and solutions. |
| C．She is not satisfied with the measures that the government took. |
| D．Future generations haven’t achieved much and failed the government. |
| A．Responsible and ambitious. | B．Selfless and generous. |
| C．Easy-going and creative. | D．Considerate and cautious. |
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【推荐1】These days more and more people tend to buy man-made trees for Christmas, because they think they are good for the environment. But is it true? Which is more environmentally friendly—real or man-made? The simple answer is: it depends.
Real trees that still have their roots have little carbon footprint (碳足迹). They can be planted, brought inside for the Christmas period and then replanted.
But things are more complex for other trees.
Britain’s Carbon Trust estimate (估计) that a two-meter tall tree that doesn’t have roots has a carbon footprint of between 3.5 kg CO2e and16 kg CO2e depending on whether it is burnt—which is less polluting——or finds its way to a landfill (垃圾填埋场). “Unfortunately, we still see a lot of trees going into landfill,” says Sophie Neuberg, a member of Friends of the Earth. “And that’s very bad for the environment because they break down very slowly and create methane which is a greenhouse gas.”
The picture for plastic trees isn’t so encouraging. The Carbon Trust estimate a carbon footprint of around 40 kg CO2e for a two-meter tree, but its beauty is that it can be reused.
“It’s a good idea to get a good quality one that you can use for many years. Someone I know has had their plastic tree for 20 years,” Neuberg says.
This tendency toward reuse of plastic treess is supported by research published by the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) who estimate that 85% of US families with a man-made tree will reuse it and that on average man-made trees are reused for 11 years.
Jami Warner, director of ACTA repeats Neuberg’s advice. “Quality man-made trees are very easy to break down and very easy to store,” Wrner says. “If you take good care of it you can use it season after season or you can donate it to a good organisation.”
However, if you want a truly green Christnnas, you can simply replace the tree with the plants already in your house and decorate them for Christmas.
1. Why do people tend to buy man-made Christmas trees now?| A．They think it costs less. |
| B．They find it more convenient. |
| C．They consider it more decorative. |
| D．They believe it is more eco-friendly. |
| A．Burning it. | B．Reusing it. |
| C．Throwing it. | D．Replanting it. |
| A．Buying a good quality plastic tree. |
| B．Planting a tree in a pot and reusing it. |
| C．Using plants to replace Christmas trees. |
| D．Ignoring the tradition and canceling the tree. |
| A．Business. | B．Education. |
| C．Health. | D．Environment. |
【推荐2】Rachel Carson’s classic best seller about ecological threats, Silent Spring, started a wave of American environmentalism. It played a direct role in the 1972 decision to ban the use of the pesticide(杀虫剂)DDT. Sixty years ago, the public was introduced to Carson’s arguments. The coming anniversary makes this a good time to consider whether the book achieved one of her major goals: protecting wildlife and, in particular, birds.
Carsen took a complex technical subject — the damaging effects of persistent pesticide and expressed it in one simple, poetic image: a spring in which no birds sang. She asked us to imagine what it would be like to awaken in the morning in a world without these songs. She wrote with grace, and she made us feel the loss. But how well have we acted on Carson’s warnings?
With some exceptions, we haven’t been very successful, and neither have birds. Twenty-nine percent of North American birds have died out since 1970, Grass lands were the hardest hit, with a documented loss of more than 700 million breeding individuals. The number of dead birds totaled nearly three billion, a figure that sparked(引起) a campaign with tips on what people can do to save them. Given these data, it is easy to conclude that despite the brilliance of her writing, Carson did not succeed in protecting birds.
Still, the 2019 bird study, despite its worrying results, also suggests that protecting biodiversity is not lost cause. One important exception is wet lands, where bird abundance increased by 13 percent. The other animative exception is bald eagles, which acre on the edge of extinction at the time Carson wrote, but they recovered in large part as a result of the ban on DDT. A news story published by the Au dub on Society notes that “the numbers show that taking steps like wildlife management, habitat restoration and political action can be effective to save species.”
1. How did Rachel Carson fulfill her writing purpose in her book?| A．By warning gracefully. | B．By arguing simply. |
| C．By thinking critically. | D．By drawing vividly, |
| A．Alarming. | B．Encouraging |
| C．Reliable | D．Imaginable. |
| A．Negative. | B．Objective. |
| C．Positive. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．An American writer didn’t fulfill her promise. |
| B．Our efforts to protect the environment were in vain. |
| C．Books have limitations in raising environmental awareness. |
| D．Birds are still in trouble 60 years after Silent Spring warned us. |
【推荐3】General Motors (GM) is one of the world’s major automakers (汽车制造商). In January, the company set a goal: It will stop selling gas-powered cars by 2035. It means the company will make more battery-powered vehicles.
This is a big moment for the auto industry. Scientists say it’s important to move away from gas powered vehicles. Doing so will fight climate change. Transportation causes about 25% of global carbon emissions (排放物). Three-quarters of that is from road travel. Countries are taking action. In China, most new vehicles sold must be electric by 2035. The United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands will not allow sales of new gas-powered cars in 2030.
Venkat Viswanathan is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He told TIME for Kids, “It is now very clear that going electric is the future.”
Electric cars run on lithium-ion (锂离子) batteries, which power our mobile devices. Making these batteries has an environmental cost. Lithium is taken from the earth, like the oil used to make gas. But the long-term cost is much smaller. “When you use up a battery, you can recycle the material,” says Jessika Trancik, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Electric cars have another environmental effect. They need energy to recharge. They get the energy from power plants. These places burn oils. But countries can turn to cleaner energy sources, such as wind and solar power. If they do, electric vehicles will get cleaner too. Even now, they’re cleaner than cars that run on gas.
1. What will GM do in 2035?| A．Stop producing all vehicles. | B．Produce just electric cars. |
| C．Sell more gas-powered cars. | D．Find more energy sources. |
| A．To bring convenience to road travel. | B．To deal with climate change. |
| C．To promote sales of electric cars. | D．To set up more power plants. |
| A．They are cleaner than solar power. | B．They have no environmental cost. |
| C．Their materials are recyclable. | D．They are cheaper than oil. |
| A．The Sales of Gas-powered Cars | B．How to Sell More Electric Cars |
| C．Carmakers’ Plan of Going Electric | D．Electric Cars Are the Future |
【推荐1】Mrs. Smith trembled with excitement when she was told her fortunes. “Somebody is coming home to you,” Mrs. Gray said slowly. “He’s carrying a rifle on his back and he’s almost there.”
Mrs. Smith felt as if she could hardly breathe “And there he is!” Mrs. Gray cried, pointing to the road. They all rushed to the door to look.
A man in a blue coat, with a gun on his back, was walking down the road toward the Smith farm. His face was hidden by a large pack on his back.
Laughing and crying, Mrs. Smith grabbed her hat and her children and ran out of Mrs. Gray’s house. She hurried down the road after him, calling his name and pulling her children along with her. But the soldier was too far away for her voice to reach him.
When she got back to their farm, she saw the man standing by the fence. He was looking at the little house and the field of yellow wheat. The sun was almost touching the hills in the west. The cowbells rang softly as the animals moved toward the bar(畜棚).
“How peaceful in all is,” Private Smith thought. “How far away from the battles, the hospitals, the wounded and the dead. My little farm in Wisconsin. How could I have left it for those years of killing and suffering?”
Trembling and weak with emotion, Mrs. Smith hurried up to her husband. Her feet made no sound on the grass, but he turned suddenly to face her. For the rest of his life, he would never forget her face at that moment.
“Emma!” he cried.
The children stood back watching their mother kissing this strange man. He saw them, and kneeling down, he pulled from his pack three huge red apples. In a moment, all three children were in their father’s arms. Together, the family entered the little unpainted farmhouse.
Later that evening, after supper, Smith and his wife went outside. The moon was bright, above the eastern hills. Sweet, peaceful stars fled the sky as the night birds sang softly and tiny insect buzzed in the soft air.
His farm needed work. His children needed clothing. He was no longer young and strong. But he began to plan for next year. With the same courage he had faced the war, Private Smith faced his difficult future.
1. Why could Mrs. Smith hardly breathe when told her fortunes?| A．She had a sudden heart attack and almost lost consciousness. |
| B．She was shocked by the scene of a man with a rifle on his back. |
| C．She was overjoyed on hearing the return of her husband. |
| D．She ran out of the house too fast to catch her breath. |
| A．The moment expected for years would be a life-long memory. |
| B．He had almost forgotten her face after those years’ suffering. |
| C．He was shocked by the excitement written on her face. |
| D．He was afraid to be apart from her again. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Confused. |
| C．Hopeful. | D．Concerned. |
| A．A strange Visitor | B．Husband and Wife |
| C．The Return of a Private | D．The Smiths |
【推荐2】Lima, the capital of Peru, is the world’s second largest desert city. The region is water-stressed. The annual rainfall is less than 4 cm. Access to water is an ongoing problem for the residents in and around the South American capital.
When industrial engineer Abel Cruz was a boy, his weekly work was to climb down a valley in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes to fetch the family’s water from a spring. “It was downhill from the house, far away and steep,” he says. Cruz began dreaming up better ways to collect water. Then he noticed that subtropical plants capture rain and mist with their wide leaves. Actually Lima doesn’t lack in humidity (湿度), averaging 83% year-round. Located in the foothills of the Andean mountains, it is close to the Pacific Ocean, which ensures that blankets of thick fog roll in for three-quarters of a year. Eventually, Abel Cruz struck upon the idea of a fog net.
Each upraised net is 20 square meters, where micro drops of water floating in the foggy atmosphere condense (凝结) and drop into collection tanks. Approximately 200 to 400 litres of water is collected daily from each net. Locals can fetch it in buckets for small-scale farming. Working in Lima with support from the Creating Water Foundation, Cruz has installed over 3,600 nets on hillsides around the city to capture fog floating in from the Pacific Ocean. Cruz raised funds for hundreds of nets in Peru with his revolutionary initiative Peruvians Without Water. He aims to set up even more fog harvesters, and to treat the water to make it drinkable.
“The planet has less and less fresh water,” Cruz points out, “because the glaciers that are natural reservoirs are disappearing. So we must find a way to accumulate and save water for times of drought.” The technology is life-changing for the poor households who normally have to rely on water tanks being delivered to them. His approach ends extreme poverty and brings rural development. Moreover, he is trying to bring healthy and clean water also to urban areas lacking water.
1. Why does the author mention Cruz’s childhood experience in paragraph 2?| A．To illustrate the urgency of reducing poverty. | B．To trace the origin of Cruz’s great invention. |
| C．To highlight his responsibility for the family. | D．To stress Lima’s terrible geographical conditions. |
| A．It was inspired from subtropical plants. |
| B．It promoted the scale of farming. |
| C．It used collection tanks where water drops condensed. |
| D．It resolved the drinking water issue with fog harvesters. |
| A．Optimism. | B．Generosity. | C．Frankness. | D．Creativity. |
| A．The Worsening Water Crisis in Lima | B．The Functions of an Innovative Fog-catcher |
| C．Abel Cruz’s Invention and Its Great Significance | D．Abel Cruz’s Fundraising for Water Collection |
【推荐3】A young family who has never camped in their life have sold everything they own to start a tour of Europe in a motorhome. Cheryl, 33 and Jason, 28, sold their house, quit their jobs and ditched a normal life for a year on the road.
With their eldest daughter Flora, five, just a year away from starting school, the couple decided it was time to go on a family adventure across the continent. Cheryl teaches Flora while they travel to prepare her for school next year. The family, which also include their four-year-old daughter Elsie, son Archie and dogs Poppy and Angus, have been on the road for a period.
Cheryl said, “nobody would describe us as typical travelers. We’d never even been camping before. We talked for a long time about wanting to see different parts of the world, but we never actually thought we were actually going to. Our eldest child is due to start school this August, so we put it off by one year. We thought, ‘if we don’t do it this year, we may never will.’ My mom and dad died this year and after that I started to feel life is too short. We thought there must be more to life than working, eating and sleeping every day.”
The mom-of-three still can’t quite believe they’re actually doing it. After all, it happened so fast. She said, “We decided it at the end of June, sold our house in July, and then when August came around we bought the motor house and set off.”
Despite being anxious at first, with the family sometimes quarreling, Cheryl thinks the trip has helped strengthen family bonds. She said, “If we have an argument there is nowhere to hide. You can’t go into your room and be angry. It means it has to be dealt with there and then, and its taught us to be more open with each other as a family. Every day is quality family time. We couldn’t get that if we were back home with work, school and nursery.”
1. What does the underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．gave up. | B．enjoyed. | C．experienced. | D．got tired of. |
| A．It is too short. | B．It is too expensive. |
| C．It is filled with quarrels. | D．It is worthwhile. |
| A．To honor Cheryl’s parents. | B．To experience more about life. |
| C．To prepare the kids for school. | D．To give Jason a break from work. |
| A．They’re actually typical traveler. |
| B．They have spent years preparing for the travel. |
| C．They become closer as family members. |
| D．They will hide away from each other when an argument happens. |
【推荐1】You’ve probably visited the Tian’anmen Gatetower—the landmark building of Beijing，but you may not have heard of Kuai Xiang．Along with him，the following remarkable architects all took the center stage at their times．
Kuai Xiang(1399—1481)
Tian’anmen Gatetower is universally considered the brainchild of Kuai Xiang．By following in the footsteps of ancient homebuilders，he successfully presented the Emperor Judy with a grand wooden structure which has stood the test of time for almost 600 years．Visitors are also hooked on its delicate paintings.
Ieob Ming Pei (1917-present)
His motto is：Traditions should be sealed in glass boxes at museums．He is always struggling with innovation．Although under grilling from French conservative critics，he still planted a glass pyramid into the courtyard of the Louvre．His other works include John F．Kennedy Library，Beijing Fragrant Hill Hotel and Suzhou Museum．
Zaha Hadid(1950-2016)
In 2004，she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize，the Nobel Prize for architecture．She used tricks to maximize available space．Her fluid-style works pioneer the concept of micro-living. The curves(曲线)of Guangzhou Opera House perfectly match the rise and fall of its surrounding buildings，forming a unique view．
Meng Fanchao (1959-present)
Many people dismissed the building of a mega bridge as a pipe dream，but Meng Fanchao turned this into reality by building Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge．This longest cross-sea bridge，when viewed afar，looks like a dynamic dragon braving the rolling waves of Lingding Sea．
1. What can we infer about Kuai Xiang?| A．He never follows traditions． | B．He lacks financial support． |
| C．He is a successful architect． | D．He likes delicate hooks． |
| A．Positive． | B．Uncaring． |
| C．Subjective． | D．Disapproving． |
| A．They emphasize the use of space． | B．They set a remarkable record． |
| C．They like following others’opinions． | D．their works meet with a boycott． |
【推荐2】45-year-old performer Yang Jinlong drives to schools in Xi'an at 9 am and teaches students about Shaanxi kuaiban until 6 pm. Then, he returns home to prepare classes for the next day. On the weekends, he teaches for six hours each day at art education institutions（机构）. He thinks the art deserves（值得）whatever effort he pays.
Shaanxi kuaiban is a form of Chinese traditional storytelling in the Shaanxi dialect to the rhythm（节奏）of bamboo strips（竹板）. The art form can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty. Now, more people, amateurs（业余的）and professionals alike, perform Shaanxi kuaiban on different occasions—for example, at parties and art shows.
Yang first learned this particular art of storytelling at the age of 9. Before that, he often went with his father, an amateur performer, to watch kuaiban performances. “As a young boy, I loved the art form because many of the stories are about heroes. The performer tells stories while playing kuaiban, and it's easy for the audience to remember the stories since all the lines rhyme（押韵）,” Yang said.
To promote the art, especially among young people, Yang made some innovations（创新）. He wore a suit while telling modern stories. Yang also integrated（融入）many pop elements like tap dance and the rhythm of popular music. He took on more modern topics, such as the stories of the Chinese Olympic team. He believes that art education is important for students in China.
1. What do we know about Shaanxi kuaiban?| A．It dates back to the Ming Dynasty. | B．People perform it in Shaanxi dialect. |
| C．It was originally used by teachers for teaching | D．It focuses on Chinese ancient literature. |
| A．Because he liked stories about heroes. | B．Because all the lines rhyme. |
| C．Because it was a way to earn money. | D．Because he wanted to be like his father. |
| A．He wore local clothes of Shaanxi. | B．He told stories about superheroes. |
| C．He added pop elements to kuaiban performances. | D．He performed Shaanxi kuaiban in Western countries. |
| A．Talented and modest（谦虚的）. | B．Patient and capable（有能力的）. |
| C．Humorous and responsible. | D．Determined and creative. |
【推荐3】You saw the video, right? The 45-second recording of a kid dancing in the rain? There was something inspiring about it. In a moment when our social media channels have been flooded with unsettling news, here was a kid whose love for dance couldn’t be stopped by the rain. Or by the concrete (混凝土) ground he was dancing on. Or the fact that he was barefoot (赤脚的).
Since it was uploaded to Instagram in June, the video of Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu gathered thousands of views, likes, and comments. People seem to be absolutely stunned by the boy’s dedication (献身), elegance (优雅), and talent.
Madu is one of a dozen students between the ages of 5 and 12 at Leap Academy of Dance in Badagry. Daniel Ajala Owoseni, Anthony’s teacher, founded this school in Lagos in 2017. Unfortunately, even after 5 years, the school still doesn’t have a dedicated space for its students. Because of that, most of the time, they practice in Owoseni’s tiny home as well as public spaces in the community.
“We are trying to change the traditional thought around ballet dance. Boys can actually do ballet,” the teacher told the BBC. “Male ballet dancing is here to stay and it is not only supposed to be for females.”
“Where I live, there are no male ballet dancers like me,” young Anthony told a BBC reporter. When he is dancing, he said, “the feeling that comes over me is as if I am dreaming.”
The video eventually caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, the current artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, one of America’s most famous ballet schools. Fortunately, she succeeded in tracking Anthony down. Moreover, she had arranged for full scholarships (奖学金) so Anthony could attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program.
“A child who shows this much dedication, you just have to help,” she said. “You are not only changing your world there in Africa but you’re changing the hearts and minds of so many people.”
1. Why did Anthony’s video become so popular? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean? (no more than 2 words)
3. What’s Paragraph 3 mainly about? (no more than 5 words)
4. What made Anthony qualify for the unusual scholarship? Give two of the facts. (no more than 10 words)
5. Do you consider Anthony as your role model? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
