As an intense heat wave sweeps through China, residents are seeking relief in air raid shelters and swimming pools to stay cool, and dozens of cities, including Shanghai, Chongqing and Hangzhou, have issued their highest-level red alert warnings. Shanghai has issued three red alerts this year, with the temperature hitting 40.9 Celsius on July 13, matching the record set in 2017 since 1873. The fact that Shanghai has experienced only 16 days of 40°C-plus temperatures since the city began keeping records in 1873 should give us an idea about the seriousness of the situation.
Medical experts say extreme heat could cause nausea (恶心), fatigue, sunstroke and even death, with senior citizens and people with long-term illnesses particularly vulnerable to heat waves.
Extreme heat events, which began a month ago, have affected the lives of more than 900 million people in China. Between June 1 and July 12, the average number of days with temperatures above 35°Cwas 5.3, up 2.4 days over normal years, breaking the national record set in 1961, according to the National Climate Center.
Parts of Europe are also in the grip of heat waves and experiencing extreme weather events after the western part of North America faced extreme heat waves last year. In response to the exceptionally high temperatures, the United Kingdom has declared a national emergency and issued the highest-level red alert warning for Monday and Tuesday for the first time. More alarmingly, the average global temperature in June this year was 0.4°C higher than normal years and the highest since 1979, with temperatures in countries such as Spain, France and Italy exceeding 40°C.
Unfortunately, extreme heat, which is directly related to climate change, will become more frequent and intense in the next 30 years, setting new records for high temperatures. As global warming intensifies, losses and devastation will increase, forcing natural and human systems to raise their adaptation limits.
1. What can we know about the heat waves this year?| A．It may cause more harm to the old and people with long-term illnesses. |
| B．The number of days above 35°Cin June breaks the national record. |
| C．Shanghai has experienced a higher temperature than that in 2017. |
| D．The whole Europe as well as America are suffering from the heat waves. |
| A．By analyzing and concluding. | B．By explaining and contrasting. |
| C．By giving examples and quoting. | D．By giving figures and comparing. |
| A．Becoming more serious. | B．Remaining stable. |
| C．Staying unpredictable. | D．Getting controllable. |
| A．The solutions to the climate change. | B．The economic losses from heat waves. |
| C．The increase of severe heat waves. | D．The destructive effect of global warming. |
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【推荐1】The United States has more tornadoes (龙卷风) than any other country in the world. In a normal year there are 800 to 1,000 tornadoes. Most happen in the middle part of the country. Tornadoes form when warm and cool air meet. In the Midwest, the warm air from the Gulf of Mexico often meets the cold air from Canada.
The usual tornado season is March through May. Tornadoes form most often in the afternoon and early evening. There is often no warning of a tornado. People who live in the Midwest know the signs (征兆) of tornado activity. The sky becomes dark, often a greenish color. Dark clouds appear in the sky and there is often large hail (冰雹). Suddenly, there is a loud sound, like a train or a jet plane. Sometimes, two, three, five, ten or more tornadoes can form over a large area.
This type of tornado activity hit Oklahoma and Kansas in May 1999. The day was stormy, with heavy thunderstorms in the afternoon. As the storms continued, tornadoes began to form. Dozens of tornadoes hit towns and neighborhoods in Oklahoma, then in Kansas. Some stayed on the ground for several hours, destroying everything they touched. The tornadoes killed 43 people and injured 600 others. They destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. In some areas, not one home stood. In other areas, the tornadoes destroyed every home on the left side of the street, but didn't touch any homes on the right side. The tornadoes lifted people and cars into the air and then threw them back down to earth. So it is important to know where to hide and how to protect yourself in the face of a tornado.
1. What can we learn about tornadoes in America?| A．There are more tornadoes in the Eastern States. |
| B．They usually happen in the summer. |
| C．They may appear in groups. |
| D．There are more than 1,000 tornadoes every year. |
| A．took place at the same time |
| B．brought death and serious damage |
| C．came and went quickly |
| D．were the biggest in history |
| A．Tornado dangers and warning signs. |
| B．How a tornado forms. |
| C．Different kinds of tornadoes. |
| D．How to stay safe during a tornado. |
【推荐2】We should all have at least one fire extinguisher somewhere in our home, but it’s not enough to simply keep one under the kitchen sink. If there is a fire, your safety — and the safety of your home — depends on knowing how to use that fire extinguisher correctly. In case your fire extinguisher has been sitting around collecting dust, here’s everything you need to know before brushing it off and fighting a fire in your home the right way.
Steps for proper extinguisher use
Once you understand the different types of fire extinguishers and their uses, you need to be able to properly operate one.
Step 1: Identify a clear exit/escape route
Before operating the fire extinguisher, make sure you have a clear evacuation path. If you cannot put out the fire, you’ll need to make a safe exit. Also, make sure everyone else is being evacuated from the building.
Step 2: Call the fire department
Even if the fire appears manageable, you should always have the fire department on the way. Once firefighters arrive, they can double-check whether the fire has been completely extinguished.
Step 3: Stand back
Face the fire and keep your back to the clear exit. You should stay between 1.8 and 2.5 meters away from the flames as you prepare to operate the fire extinguisher.
Step 4: Operate the extinguisher
It can be difficult to think clearly during an emergency. Thankfully, there is a long-standing acronym (首字母缩略词) — PASS — to help you recall the steps involved in operating your fire extinguisher.
P: Pull the pin (保险销) on the fire extinguisher.
A: Aim low. Point the nozzle at the base of the fire instead of the flames.
S: Squeeze the handle or lever to discharge the extinguisher.
S: Sweep the nozzle back and forth until the flames are extinguished.
Step 5: Keep an eye on things
After the flames appear to be out, continue to watch the fire area to make sure it doesn’t reignite. If the fire does start up again, repeat the “PASS” process.
Step 6: Get to a safe place
Once the fire is out, or if you are unable to put it out, leave the scene. Find a place out of reach of the fire.
1. According to the passage, what is the top priority in a fire emergency?| A．Find out how to escape. |
| B．Operate a fire extinguisher. |
| C．Call the fire department. |
| D．Escape and leave everything behind. |
| A．③②④① | B．④②③① |
| C．③④①② | D．④③①② |
| A．leave the fire area at once |
| B．repeat the “PASS” process |
| C．inspect the fire area carefully |
| D．have the fire department on the way |
【推荐3】In November 2020, Hurricane Eta made landfall in Central America. The storm caused huge damage from Panama to Florida. Two weeks later, Hurricane lota arrived. It was even more powerful. Heavy rain fell on places that were already flooded. President Juan Orlando Hernandez, of Honduras, said lota would leave the area in tatters.
Scientists say climate change is to blame. They don't know if it' s causing more storms, but data seems to show it's causing storms to be stronger and more harmful. James P. Kossin is a climate scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA).He says the increase in greenhouse gas emissions (排放) is changing how storms behave. “These storms have a human fingerprint on them," he told TIME for Kids.
As the planet warms, so do its oceans. That' s where hurricanes begin. A storm draws its energy from ocean air. Warmer water provides more energy, which means higher winds. It also means heavier rain. Increased energy is also causing hurricanes to get stronger and faster. In August, Laura changed from a tropical storm to a strong hurricane in about a day. It hit Texas and Louisiana with winds of up to 150 miles per hour. Laura's storm surge ---- a wall of ocean water mainly caused by a strong wind --- reached 17 feet in places. It was among the highest ever recorded in Louisiana.
Hurricanes are also sticking around longer to do more damage. Rising temperatures are slowing down westerly winds, which blow around the planet. That makes storms move more slowly. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey hung around for days, flooding parts of Texas. “That storm was damaging because it didn't move.” Kossin says. “It just sat there. And it rained and rained."
Reducing greenhouse gases is the first step. Kossin says. "we can stop making it worse. Then we can try our best to adapt to the new climate we' re in."
1. What do the underlined words “in tatters” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Quiet. | B．Ruined. | C．Crowded. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．It's led to storms destroying more. |
| B．It' s made storms difficult to read. |
| C．It' s increased the number of storms. |
| D．It's made storms happen in more places. |
| A．To prove that increased energy is causing storms to get stronger. |
| B．To show that storms are causing more and more damage. |
| C．To introduce different types of storms. |
| D．To explain how storms form. |
| A．A wall of ocean water broke the record in history. |
| B．A girl named Laura was lost in a storm. |
| C．Greenhouse gases increased rapidly. |
| D．Floods hit some places there. |
【推荐1】Some libraries use unique architecture to encourage visitors to settle down with a new book, or use mobile libraries to bring books to hard-to-reach populations. No matter how they achieve it, these novel libraries are keeping the magic of reading alive.
Beach Library (Albena, Bulgaria)
Reading a book on the beach is a classic, and in Bulgaria, one library encourages tourists to do just that. The white, weather-resistant shelves, lined up not far from the surf, hold 6,000 books in 15 languages so every visitor can find the perfect beach read to enjoy while soaking up the sun’s rays.
The Camel Library Service (North Eastern Province, Kenya)
To combat (防止，减轻) low literacy rates in the desert of Kenya, the government created a mobile library composed of nine camels bringing books to villages. The library travels four days a week serving the region’s people. Currently the service focuses on children, but with more funding they plan to increase their reach both in distance and the titles they carry.
Bishan Library (Singapore)
Built in 2006, this library is meant to invoke (在脑海中唤起) a modern glass treehouse. Glass pods (吊舱) of varying colors stick out of the building randomly to create comfortable yet airy corners for reading throughout the building. At the same time, a more open-plan children’s room on the basement level invites interaction while preventing noise from going up and disturbing those concentrating in the high places above.
Seikei University Library (Tokyo, Japan)
Libraries are usually known for their quiet atmosphere, but this one encourages conversation. Pritzker Prize-winner Shigeru Ban designed the library with space-age, free standing soundproofed pods to respect those who need uninterrupted study, while also being conducive (有助于) to other methods of learning.
Macquarie University Library (Sydney, Australia)
A surprising combination of the cutting edge and sustainability, this building was made from recycled materials, features a green roof, and was designed to imitate the look of a eucalyptus tree (桉树). It is also state of the art, using robot cranes to bring requested books to the front desk.
1. In the Beach Library, visitors can________.| A．enjoy surfing and buy souvenirs |
| B．find a wide variety of beach reads |
| C．lie in the treehouse and read comfortably |
| D．read in a free-standing soundproofed pod |
| A．It sells books to people in the desert. |
| B．It increases literacy rates in the desert of Kenya. |
| C．It provides transportation for people in the desert. |
| D．It focuses on increasing access to books for adults. |
| A．It is a library without any noise. |
| B．Its children’s reading area is at the top. |
| C．It has a separate reading area for children. |
| D．It gives visitors a feeling of being in nature. |
| A．Beach Library. |
| B．Bishan Library. |
| C．Seikei University Library. |
| D．Macquarie University Library. |
| A．They are both made of glass. |
| B．Their designs are both related to trees. |
| C．They are both environmentally friendly. |
| D．They both use high technology to serve readers. |
【推荐2】Many animals depend upon sound to find food and communicate with one another. These species understandably suffer when loud motorways cut through their habitats. Some cope by singing more loudly, some change the timing of their calls to occur when fewer people are driving, others just move to quieter locales.
All of these actions come with significant costs attached and scientists have long documented the ecological damage caused by noise pollution. It has always been assumed, however, that noise is a problem unique to animals. But a new study by Ali Akbar Ghotbi-Ravandi, a botanist at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, has revealed that plants suffer too.
Working with a team of colleagues, Dr Ghotbi-Ravandi grew two species in his lab that are commonly found in urban environments — French marigolds and scarlet sage. The plants were grown from seed and allowed to mature for two months in the same space before they were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to 73 decibels (分贝) of traffic noise recorded from a busy motorway in Tehran for 16 hours a day. The other group was left to grow in silence. After 15 days had passed, samples were taken from the youngest fully expanded leaves on every plant in the experiment and studied.
None of the plants exposed to the traffic noise did well. Analysis of their leaves revealed that all of them were suffering. The chemical compounds hydrogen peroxide (过氧化氢) and malondialdehyde (丙二醛) are indicators of stress in plants and both were found at much higher levels in the specimens exposed to the traffic noise. Most notably, malondialdehyde levels in the sage plants exposed to noise were double what they were in those grown in silence and hydrogen-peroxide levels were three times higher in French marigolds grown with the noise than those grown in silence.
Dr Ghotbi-Ravandi’s results were published in the journal Basic and Applied Ecology. His findings make it clear that, though plants lack ears, the noise of traffic still bothers them enough to trigger strong stress responses.
1. Which is known to most of the people?| A．Only animals suffer from noise pollution. |
| B．Plants can be damaged by loud sounds. |
| C．Loud noises damage animals’ hearing. |
| D．Animals are smarter than scientists assumed. |
| A．By reducing noises. | B．By doing a survey. |
| C．By analyzing existing data. | D．By doing experiments. |
| A．Rid of. | B．Set off. | C．Develop. | D．Receive. |
| A．Culture. | B．Business. | C．Science. | D．Entertainment. |
【推荐3】Films to see during the summer holiday
Chang’an
The film Chang’ an takes its title from the ancient name of Xi’an in Shaanxi province, which served as capital of the Tang Dynasty for over 280 years.
The film, which provides an invaluable opportunity to research deeper into the ancient Tang Dynasty. It also breathes life into some famous figures of that era and feature s a selection of modern-day well-known poetry verses.
Never Say Never
Never Say Never, which was shot in the hilly city Chongqing, is adapted from real-life events of a movie star Wang Baoqiang. As a fight coach, he determined to assist a group of poor rural children to seek a better life. Wang said the movie mirrors his own personal life journey. It has not only helped him get out of a dilemma but also holds significant meaning for his own life.
Oh My School
Since its release on July 14, Oh My School has earned a remarkable 175 million yuan and gained a rating of 8 points out of 10 on Douban, a popular review platform, second only to Chang’ an.
Set in a junior high school in Changchun, the film tells the amusing story of Wang Qiang, a struggling student who unexpectedly exchanges bodies with Shi Miao’na, a strict teacher, leading to a series of comedic misfortunes.
The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell
For fans of Hong Kong or action film, this one is a must-see. The film describes a strike on drug trade in Southeast Asia’s well-known Golden Triangle region.
What makes this film truly exceptional is the details in its production. A grand 50,000-square-meter set was constructed to reflect a true Golden Triangle’s environment at full scale. Some scenes involved the use of real guns and explosions, heightening the movie’s action and intensity.
1. As a poem lover, which film will you prefer?| A．Chang’ an | B．Never Say Never |
| C．Oh My School | D．The White Storm 3: Heaven or Hell |
| A．It told about Wang’s achievements in film-making. |
| B．It’s about the hard life of Wang being a coach. |
| C．It filmed a real rural scene of Chongqing. |
| D．It’s about Wang’s earlier life experiences. |
| A．The story was set in ancient China. |
| B．The hero of the film is a rural poor child. |
| C．It got the highest point on Douban platform. |
| D．It focused on the production of the real scene effect. |
