As a young girl growing up in France, Sarah Toumi dreamed of becoming a leader who could make the world a better place. Her passion to help others was awakened when, from the age of nine, she accompanied her Tunisian father to his birthplace in the east of the country during holidays. There she organized homework clubs and activities for children.
Toumi witnessed first-hand the destructive effect of desertification (沙漠化). “Within 10 years rich farmers became worse off, and in 10 years from now they will be poor. I wanted to stop the Sahara Desert in its tracks.” A decrease in average rainfall and an increase in the severity of droughts have led to an estimated 75 percent of Tunisia’s agricultural lands being threatened by desertification.
Toumi recognized that farming practices needed to change. She is confident that small land areas can bring large returns if farmers are able to adapt by planting sustainable crops, using new technologies for water treatment and focusing on natural products and fertilizers rather than chemicals.
In 2012, Toumi consolidated (巩固) her dream of fighting the desert. She moved to Tunisia, and set up a programme named Acacias for All to put her sustainable farming philosophy (理念) into action. “I want to show young people in rural areas that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living with no access to water.”
By September 2016, more than 130, 000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with farmers recording a 60 percent survival rate. Toumi estimates that some 3 million acacia trees are needed to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She expects to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the next couple of years, Toumi hopes to extend the programme to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?| A．They made her decide to leave the country. |
| B．They helped her better understand her father. |
| C．They aroused her enthusiasm for helping others. |
| D．They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. |
| A．Low rainfall. | B．Soil pollution. | C．Cold weather. | D．Forest damage. |
| A．To create job opportunities for young people. |
| B．To help the children obtain a basic education. |
| C．To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
| D．To promote the protection of their farmland. |
| A．Saving Water in Tunisia | B．Holding back the Sahara |
| C．Planting Trees of Native Species | D．Fighting Poverty in North Africa |
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【推荐1】Known for their huge size, whales are important sea animals. The organizations of the world are calling all nations not to kill or eat whales any more.
After the Japanese government made its decision clear on Nov. 8, 2016 to catch 100 more whales in 2017, many animal experts in the world voiced their angry answers. Japan’s new whaling (捕鲸) plan is a great danger to the living of these large animals. It will also do harm to the sea interests (利益) of other surrounding countries including China, experts said.
According to a Japan News report, Japan caught 174 minke whales and 140 sei whales totally in the northwest Pacific Ocean in 2017. “After years of overfishing (过度捕捞), the population of minke whales in the northwest Pacific Ocean has been reduced to a dangerous level. Therefore, Japan should stop whaling in the area,” said Wang Yaming, a leader of the International Whaling Organization.
According to Wang, most whales living in the northwest Pacific Ocean are migratory (迁徙的) animals, and their traveling way is very close to the land of Russia, South Korea, North Korea, Japan and China. Japan’s whaling will also have a terrible influence on those countries.
Although the world has stopped to catch and kill whales, Japan lies to others that its killing of whales is just for scientific purposes. However, many experts don’t agree with it completely. “Japan should not kill more whales, as doing so would harm the international whale resources (资源). Japan’s whaling in the northwest Pacific Ocean hasn’t drawn much more attention because it hardly influences the interests of western countries.” Wang explained.
It is really high time for Japan to stop its whaling from now on.
1. What is animal experts’ attitude towards the Japan’s whaling plan?| A．Surprised. | B．Interested. | C．Angry. | D．Happy. |
| A．About 314. | B．About 274. | C．About 240. | D．About 414. |
| A．Whales travel far from the land of Japan when they are migrating. |
| B．Western countries strongly oppose to Japan’s whaling in the northwest Pacific Ocean. |
| C．Japan’s whaling has nothing to do with the neighboring countries. |
| D．Overfishing has made certain whales in the northwest Pacific Ocean fewer. |
| A．Food supply. | B．Scientific study. | C．Zoo interests. | D．Sea balance. |
【推荐2】Nature is all about relationships: the interconnected links between the living and lifeless, and how they harmonize beautifully into a whole that might not be immediately apparent to us humans, as the complexities of the world sometimes escape the grasp of our relatively short-sighted understanding. Perhaps that's why the urgency of the climate crisis and other environ-mental issues don't truly hit home for some; because that important data is presented in a dry, factual way that doesn't touch the deeper parts of our collective soul, in a way that would move us to realize what is being lost.
Clare Celeste is an environmentally-minded artist creating artworks that aim to highlight the precious biodiversity of the planet. Using paper that is complexly cut and then hand-assembled piece by piece, Celeste forms imaginary landscapes of plants and animals that are folded or pressed between glass.
Growing up in Brazil, Celeste says that her earliest childhood memories were of green, tropical ecosystems slowly being eaten up by the rapid expansion of nearby cities.
Celeste said, “When I made a series of combinations, I realized that many of the species in the illustrations had already gone extinct. Humans have wiped out 68 percent of all our planet's biodiversity since 1970, so working with old illustrations can be very heartbreaking as much of the diversity in these beautiful old illustrations has been wiped out by human activities.”
Celeste explains some of the motivations behind this series of paper works: “I wanted to convey the beauty of our planet's plants and animals, while also introducing a more architectural or human-made element with the geometric (几何图形的) patterns. Having grown up in Brazil, I was surrounded by dense urban spaces that often had rich jungle growth just wanting to break through the concrete architecture. I suggest we go back to our love: our love of nature, of our children, of future generations. Because when we love something deeply, we are required to act—to save it when it is threatened.”
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．People are connected with each other. |
| B．People find data on nature boring to study. |
| C．People can't solve the climate crisis on their own. |
| D．People don't fully understand environmental issues. |
| A．Cities were rich in green plants. |
| B．Buildings were decorated with plants. |
| C．Urbanization destroyed the local biodiversity. |
| D．Nature was a mixture of natural artworks. |
| A．Most species die without adapting to environment. |
| B．Humans feel painful at the loss of species. |
| C．Her paper cuts represent the extinction of species. |
| D．Human activities have severely damaged biodiversity. |
| A．The desire to protect the biodiversity. |
| B．The desire for a good childhood memory. |
| C．The idea of imagining landscapes. |
| D．The hope of preserving natural beauty. |
【推荐3】Can everything be recycled? No, not all things can be recycled. But you might be surprised to learn how many things can be recycled. You may already know about plastic bottles. Did you know you can also recycle glass?
Glass can be recycled to make all sorts of things. Recycling glass really helps the planet. Making new products from recycled glass causes less air and water pollution. It also uses less energy than making new glass.
When glass arrives at a recycling plant, people and machines sort it by color. Similar colors of glass must be recycled together. That way, recycled products are as pure as possible. This makes them stronger and less likely to break. Once the glass is sorted, it's washed. That's when the breaking begins. That's right! To be recycled, glass has to be broken to make a material called cullet(碎玻璃).
Glass manufacturers love cullet. It's cheaper than the raw materials they'd need to make new glass. It also melts at a lower temperature. That means they save energy during the production process. Glass manufacturers mix cullet with other materials like sand and soda ash. Then they heat it to over 2,600℉. This makes liquid glass, which can then be poured into a mold (模具). There, it cools and forms a finished glass product.
Most recycled glass is used to make new glass containers, such as jars and bottles. However, recycled glass can also find its way into all sorts of other products including a variety of construction products.
Do you recycle at home or school? What glass products should you be sure to recycle when you’ re done with them? With everyone doing their part, recycling glass can make a huge difference to the planet!
1. What is the first step in recycling glass?| A．Sorting it according to color. | B．Cleaning it with water. |
| C．Removing the color in it. | D．Breaking it into cullet. |
| A．It is easy to get. | B．It helps cut costs. |
| C．It can be easily broken. | D．It can be mixed with other materials. |
| A．To call attention to home or school environment. |
| B．To help readers classify glass products at home. |
| C．To encourage glass recycling among readers. |
| D．To encourage readers to use fewer glass products. |
| A．Recyclable things that you might have ignored. |
| B．The difficulty in glass recycling. |
| C．How to recycle at home or school. |
| D．How glass is recycled. |
【推荐1】Wandering in a thick forest amid fresh air, colorful flowers and the sweet melodies of wild birds, tourists might feel they are in a fairy tale world. In fact, they are picking wild mushrooms in Yunnan Province. Known for its breathing-taking landscapes and diverse ecosystems, Yunnan provides a lot of mushroom picking destinations.
Xu Yaowei is in charge of a mushroom picking project on the app “Youyunnan”. He explained to China Daily that it was launched in early July. There are two types of tour routes. The first mainly aims at tourists from outside the province. Their main demand is for a mushroom hunting experience, focusing on easily finding mushrooms. The second route is for local and high-end customers, and includes a mushroom hunting experience, picking wild tea, enjoying a mushroom feast on a farm, and visiting a local wild mushroom market.
The project is already a success. By the end of August, it conducted nearly 40 one-day wild mushroom collection tours, serving nearly 800 tourists. More than 95 percent of them are from outside the province. Most of them are college graduates and parents with children, ranging from 25 to 35 years old.
One tourist surnamed Li said, “The most unforgettable was undoubtedly our encounter (遇到) with the professional and passionate tour guides.” “Their attractive stories and interactive sessions deepened our understanding and appreciation of the wild mushrooms we encountered,” Li added.
1. What can we learn about the mushroom picking project on the app?| A．It is very expensive. |
| B．It is successful but risky. |
| C．It was started in early August. |
| D．It is very popular with college graduates. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By providing numbers. |
| C．By explaining the cause. | D．By showing the effect. |
| A．The tour routes. |
| B．The local market. |
| C．The mushroom hunting experience. |
| D．The professional and passionate tour guides. |
| A．A storybook. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A news report. | D．A scientific article. |
【推荐2】Cotton farmers in some Indian villages are busily buying Coca-Cola and Pepsi, believing that the sugar in the fizzy (有泡沫的) drinks kills pests.
Farmers say scientists advised them to mix pesticides with a sugary juice to control pests, and they found the mixture cheaper and more effective than pure chemicals — although soft drink makers and scientists dismissed the remarks. N. Hamunayya, who has become a famous person in his village in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, said his crop survived an attack of pests which had resisted other pesticides. “We found that all the colas had uniform effect on pests. The pests became dead and fell to the ground,” he said. He said the drinks had all the elements they needed: they were cheaper, sticky, fizzy, and attracted ants, which ate the young of the pests. But Thinupathi Reddy, assistant director of the Regional Agri-Research Station, Guntur, says tests had proved such results wrong. “We conducted some field trials on cotton crop at our research station. There was no obvious productivity or destruction of pests, ”he says.
Statements from Pepsi and Coca-Cola said there was “no scientific basis” for this practice. But their dealers are enjoying increasing sales. Mantan Wall, who sells soft drinks in 17 villages in the region, said sales rose up, thanks to the farmers. “For the 10 days between August and September I had successful business. Instead of just 30 cases (each containing a dozen one-litre bottles) of cola, I started selling almost 200 cases,” he said. “We expected the sales to drop after the news over pesticide residues (残 留) in the cola drinks. Now I have to keep extra supply for the cotton farmers,” he said.
In February, an Indian environment group made a report saying drinks made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained pesticides and called for tougher safety standards. The U. S firms strongly rejected the findings of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment and said their products were safe.
1. The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is to .| A．tell an interesting incident |
| B．warn people that some drinks might be dangerous to health |
| C．suggest using Coca-Cola to kill pests. |
| D．announce a new discovery of Coca-Cola |
| A．they thought it went against science |
| B．they believed that the farmers didn’t tell the truth |
| C．they might fear that it could bring harm to their business |
| D．they insisted that no poison was left in their products |
| A．testing the mixture |
| B．selling more drinks in India |
| C．mixing the drinks with the pesticide |
| D．attracting ants to eat the young pests |
| A．there is some pesticide left in them |
| B．they are sticky and fizzy |
| C．they have elements that kill pests |
| D．they made the pesticide more effective |
【推荐3】LONDON—A smart toilet could offer a mini health check every time you take a seat, scientists said recently, but privacy campaigners and potential users said the idea sat uncomfortably with them.
The device would identify users through an anal(肛门) scan using a camera fitted under the seat before checking their waste for disease markers, including early signs of cancer, says the US-led team who developed the prototype(原型).
“We know it seems strange, but as it turns out, your anal print is unique,” said Sanjiv Gambhir, a radiology professor at Stanford University, who led work on the project. “The smart toilet is the perfect way to make use of a source of data that’s typically ignored,” Gambhir said. “Everyone uses the bathroom—there’s really no avoiding it—and that enhances its value as a disease-detecting device.”
A set of devices fitted inside the toilet bowl identifies the users and monitors their waste for signs of ill health which could be shared with their doctors, researchers said in the scientific journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. Such devices could become common place in homes, said Gambhir, as consumers accept health monitoring tools like smartwatches and internet-connected home devices. But many were concerned about releasing their privacy, the researchers found following a 300-person survey to assess acceptance. Three in ten respondents said they would not want to use a smart toilet, with only about half reporting they would be “somewhat” or “very” comfortable with it. The most commonly reported concerns were over privacy and data security, found researchers, who said information gathered would be stored in a secure, cloud-based system.
Despite those assurances, privacy campaigners expressed fears about security problems. “Health data contains the most sensitive and revealing information about anyone,” said Edin Omanovic, advocacy director at London-based charity Privacy International. “Linking it to someone’s biometric ID risks exposing private details to third parties, either through data sharing or security drawbacks which leave back doors exposed.”
1. What does this smart toilet use to detect disease?| A．A smartwatch. | B．A seat. |
| C．A cloud-based system. | D．A camera. |
| A．They are widely accepted. |
| B．Gamhhir has confidence in their future. |
| C．Their function has been improved recently. |
| D．Signs of illness can he removed through them. |
| A．It needn’t be taken seriously. | B．It will be treated properly. |
| C．It may not be shared publicly. | D．It can be exposed illegally. |
| A．The use of a smart toilet | B．The value of a smart toilet |
| C．A smart toilet without privacy | D．A smart toilet with good intention |
【推荐1】As the saying goes, “One good turn deserves another.” Liz’s life was changed forever over the course of that year. It all started with a single act of kindness towards two strangers who walked into the diner where she works early one morning.
After they fought a horrible fire for 12 hours, Tim and Paul stepped into the 130Diner for breakfast. When the time came to pay the bill though, they were in for a surprise. The young waitress who had served them had overheard their conversations and paid their bill, leaving a sweet message on their check instead, “Your meal is on me today. Thank you for serving others and running into the places everyone runs away from.”
Touched, the two firefighters shared her kind deed on social media where it quickly went viral. And that was when they found out the true story of the beautiful waitress who had paid for them. Liz Woodward had been struggling to make ends meet for the last few years after her father suffered a brain disease that left him paraplegic (瘫痪的). Determined to help the woman who had shown such kindness even if she was suffering, they set up a campaign to raise $10,000 for a wheelchair-accessible car for her father. The donations, however, did not stop pouring in when the campaign ended. Having heard of her kind deed, Mobility Ventures, which made the wheelchair-accessible car, refused to take the money and gave the family one for free as a Christmas gift.
Liz couldn’t be too grateful to the two firefighters and many strangers who have reached out to help her, saying, “The kindness and generosity the campaign supporters and Mobility Ventures have shown is really incredible, and I hope this brings hope to others in similar situations, and inspires people to help those in need in any way possible.”
1. Why would the two firefighters be surprised when they paid the bill?| A．Someone paid for their meal. | B．They saw a note with their bill. |
| C．The dishes were too expensive. | D．People were grateful for their devotion. |
| A．By launching a charitable donation to her. |
| B．By presenting money to cure her father’s disease. |
| C．By buying a wheelchair-accessible car for her father. |
| D．By turning to the company that made the specialized cars. |
| A．Honest and broad-minded. | B．Brave and good-tempered. |
| C．Helpful and kind-hearted. | D．Optimistic and easy-going. |
| A．The Pleasure of Giving | B．A Tale of Kindness Returned |
| C．A Good Deed Spreading on Social Media | D．A Charitable Donation to Two Firefighters |
【推荐2】Peter Kline has run over 100 marathons — a huge feat in itself. But what makes him so remarkable is that he has finished 45 of those marathons while pushing young people with disabilities in front of him. Kline wants them to know the joy of running too.
Kline started hitting the pavement when he was in his early 50s after running a 10K with his nephew. Eventually, he began running marathons — with the goal of qualifying for Boston’s famous race. And, years later, he did.
His friend Scott Patrick was diagnosed (诊断) with glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer, and asked Kline to run the race to raise money for cancer research. Kline helped Patrick and other volunteers raise about $60,000. Patrick passed away the same year, but not before Kline gifted him the finisher’s medal.
Being able to help others through his beloved sport made an impression. Kline, now 66, told CBS News he knew of a father-son duo (二人组) who would run races together — the father pushing his son with disabilities as he completed the course. But, he wondered, “What about kids who don’t have a dad to do that?”
After being connected to a woman with two daughters who have cerebral palsy (脑瘫), he decided to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon in 2012 with one of the girls. The little girl loved it, and Kline said his mission to share his love of the sport “just started rolling”. He has named the mission, “Marathons with Meaning”.
The young people he pushes have ranged in ages from 8 to 32 and have many types of disabilities, from cerebral palsy to traumatic brain injuries. “They love it. It’s like their Super Bowl,” Kline gushed. “They absolutely love the sounds, the noises, the feelings. As for the other runners, they’re always very generous. They give them high-fives.”
1. Whom did Kline start to run long-distance race with?| A．His nephew. | B．His friend. | C．His son. | D．A little girl. |
| A．To win a medal. |
| B．To raise money for cancer research. |
| C．To draw attention to people with cerebral palsy. |
| D．To let young people with disabilities experience the fun of running. |
| A．Social and strict. | B．Humorous and brave. |
| C．Determined and caring. | D．Ambitious and reasonable. |
| A．They supported it. | B．They thought little of it. |
| C．They expressed their objection. | D．They didn’t understand such behaviour. |
【推荐3】I wandered into an exhibition about Janusz Korczak in Rome, and was overcome by the heroism of this ordinary man. I say ordinary—he was actually quite well-known as children’s author and an educator, but nothing can have prepared him for the decisions he had to take.
Trained as a medical doctor, Korczak became a children’s author and teacher. He ran two orphanages (孤儿院) in Warsaw—one for Jewish children, the other for Catholics. As a liberal and progressive thinker, he set up a children’s “republic” in the Jewish orphanage, with its own parliament, court and newspaper. He suffered deprivation (损失) and danger for the sake of the children in his care, and ultimately chose to die with them, despite being given the opportunity to save himself. After the Germans created the Warsaw Ghetto in 1940, Korczak’s Jewish orphanage was forced to move into it. He went with the children, though he’d been offered shelter elsewhere. He stayed with them until August 1942, when he was sent to Treblinka with some 200 children and staff. They were never heard of again; it’s assumed that they all died in the gas chambers (毒气室).
The moment he led the children to the train to Treblinka, described movingly by eyewitnesses, his face lit up. The composer Wladyslaw Szpilman recalled that Korczak told the orphans to be glad, because they were going to the countryside and would be free of the city where they had suffered a lot. He wanted to spare them the terror of death.
Korczak should be remembered alongside people such as Sir Nicholas Winton, Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler. They managed to save lives, but Korczak sacrificed his, refusing to abandon his children on their final journey. I could never imagine being put to the same test. But I love children, as he must have done.
1. What did Korczak do for children?| A．Give lectures. | B．Write liberal articles. |
| C．Set up a “republic” for children. | D．Offer medical care. |
| A．Korczak was once in heavy debt. |
| B．The Germans created shelters for children. |
| C．The Warsaw Ghetto was unknown until 1942. |
| D．Korczak adopted Jewish and Catholic children. |
| A．By accompanying them to Treblinka. |
| B．By freeing them from Germany. |
| C．By being honored as a hero. |
| D．By sacrificing his life. |
| A．Wise and determined. | B．Devoted and selfless. |
| C．Caring and ambitious. | D．Productive and passionate. |
