【推荐1】The next time you find yourself in nature, away from the crowded urban environment, take a deep breath of the fresh and clean air. That refreshing breath is made possible by the trees around you.

Today, our cars and machines fill the air with carbon emissions. But scientists imagine a future, where vehicles will clean the air as efficiently as trees do. Euro News reports that the electric car, designed by Dutch students at the Eindhoven University of Technology, is capable of removing a small amount of carbon from the air.

The car’s sporty frame is nearly entirely composed of recycled plastics run through a 3D-printer and the engine is powered by an electric lithium-ion (锂离子) battery. By using 3D printing, the team could produce parts in the exact shape needed, with very little waste. Since nearly 2 billion tires end up in the trash yearly, the students also teamed up with Black Bear Carbon to source recycled black carbon for the tires. Moreover, solar panels fitted to the car’s roof allow it to act as an external solar power source for a house.

According to Reuters, electric vehicles produce near-zero CO₂ emissions as they drive. The drawback of these batteries, however, is that the process needed to create the battery cells for electric cars is still highly polluting. To offset the harmful effect of creating the lithium-ion batteries, the team fitted the car with two filters (过滤器), which can capture (捕获) two kilograms of CO₂ every 18,000 miles or so. That might not sound like a lot, but the team is confident they can make sure the two filters will capture more CO₂.

The team is now on tour in the US to promote their model, which they call ZEM for Zero-Emission Mobility, and to share their vision for the future. They picture electric car charging stations also fitted with the capacity to empty CO₂. “Our end goal is to create a more sustainable future,” said Jens Lahaijie, a member of the team that produced the car.

1. What can we know about the electric car?

A．It is a completely 3D printed product.

B．Its design is environmentally-friendly.

C．It is still dependent on traditional fuels.

D．Its task is to protect trees in urban areas.

2. What will the Dutch students do with their electric car?

A．Equip it with more filters and solar panels.

B．Increase its driving speed in a short time.

C．Reduce its dependence on lithium-ion batteries.

D．Improve its filters’ capability of capturing CO2.

3. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The electric car hasn’t come to market in the US.

B．Electric car charging stations are common.

C．The future of electric cars turns out uncertain.

D．The electric car model has won great favor.

4. Which of the following can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Carbon Capture Technology Is Used

B．Eco-friendly Cars Are in Great Need

C．An Electric Car Helps to Clean the Air

D．A Sustainable Future Is Shared Together

【推荐2】Known as Project Delta, the machine learning program takes into account thousands of variables and different calculations, and the things it would actually take a good team of organizers to manage. It ensures the food is going where it is needed most, where it’s most likely to get eaten, and many other things.

Many people describe food waste as “a good problem to have”, as it naturally suggests that there is enough to go around. The problem is that it’s not always going to where there are hungry people.

Producers and sellers alike try to make as much as they think they can find buyers for, while the final stage owner of food—restaurants, supermarkets, or hotels, often have too many things to worry about and consider how best to send food further down the line.

The excellent distribution (分发) of food is a challenging job to take on all the way down the supply chain. Perhaps this is the main reason that 30-40% of the food in the U. S. is wasted.

Adele Peters reports the Google innovation and shares that there is no simple way for food suppliers to let food banks know what they have available, or for food banks to communicate what they need.

Emily Ma explains that they set out to create a smarter food system. One that knows in what state the food is, its location, and where best to direct it to. This way, it ensures that it ends up to the people who need it most and not in a landfill.

Finally, in a more impressive display of machine learning, special cameras are equipped next to waste bins in Google-facility kitchens. They were able to collect twice as much information about food waste as the manual by-hand logs that were made by chefs, which took about 30-60 minutes to complete.

1. Why do many people think of food waste as “a good problem to have”?

A．Because it shows there’s enough food.

B．Because the problem is easy to deal with.

C．Because it is good to solve the food waste problem.

D．Because it is not always bad to waste food.

2. In which stage is food waste serious?

A．Production.

B．Cooking.

C．Distribution.

D．Eating.

3. What causes food waste?

A．No appreciation of food.

B．Lack of communication.

C．Too much worry about money.

D．Slow development of technology.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Google Is Trying to Solve Food Problem

B．Joint Efforts Are Needed to Decrease Food Waste

C．Food Distribution Is to Be Greatly Improved

D．Google Is Creating Tools to Reduce Food Waste

【推荐1】It has been more than 40 years since anyone has spotted a Japanese river otter. And the once common Yangtze River dolphins have either disappeared or are very rarely seen. These are just a few of the species that have been listed as extinct or locally extinct in recent years. But the advancement of technology could mean that the expunction of other species is not a given.

A huge challenge scientists and conservationists encounter is tracking species facing extinction in order to help them. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a revolution in the way data on these species is collected and analyzed. One example is the Maui dolphin, one of the rarest and most threatened dolphins in the ocean. Familiar with their summer. Behavior, researchers knew that there were just 54 of these elusive mammals living off the coast of New Zealand. However, because of weather conditions, researchers knew next to nothing about their winter behavior. After four years of developing, testing and fundraising, these scientists received permission to use a drone (无人机) with AI that tracked the dolphins no matter the season. The result was the extension of a marine sanctuary to protect their habitat.

In parts of Australia, the koala was declared endangered in 2022 due to bushfires, habitat destruction and road accidents. Saving them was challenging because their whereabouts and numbers were relatively unknown. So Grant Hamilton, an associate professor of eco logy at Queensland University of Technology, began using drones with infrared imaging to locate them. An AI algorithm analyzes images to determine if a sighting is a koala. That information is then used to monitor and protect the species by restoring their habitats and providing health protection.

In Zambia’s Kafue National Park, home to 15 more than 6,000 elephants, AI is being used to enhance traditional methods of preventing poaching. Cameras record any boats that try to enter the park on Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, an illegal entry point. Al immediately detects this activity and alerts park rangers, who deal with the illegal hunters.

The use of Al has helped to expedite action and increase conservationists’ ability to protect the natural world for generations to come.

1. What does the underlined worlds “a given” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．A serious problem.

B．A rare phenomenon.

C．A certain event.

D．A false inference.

2. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Maui dolphin?

A．To observe Maui dolphins’ winter behavior.

B．To get the exact number of Maui dolphins in the wild.

C．To demonstrate the current situation of Maui dolphins.

D．To show AI’s application in tracking the wild animals.

3. What is the advantage of Al in saving koalas?

A．Identifying koalas.

B．Tracking koalas.

C．Collecting data.

D．Preventing hunting.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Saving Nature with Technology’s Help	B．Restoring the Habitats of Endangered Species
C．Providing Healthy Protection for Animals	D．Protecting Wild Species from Extinction

【推荐2】Green schools not only are environmentally friendly but also reduce cost in the form of reduced water and energy use. The design and management for green schools should meet the requirements of sustainability (可持续). To make their schools greener and to reduce their carbon footprint by 30 percent over 5 years, many schools are taking part in the Green Schools Alliance (GSA).     1     The GSA program covers 5 million students at more than 8,000 schools and organizations from 48 U.S. states and 91 countries.

Anyone can join the GSA, but you don’t need to be a part of a formal program to make environment-friendly practices in your school. Students and parents can contribute to making schools greener in their daily life.     2    

1. Encourage parents and kids to use public transportation or to walk or bike to school.

2. Encourage parents and kids to avoid using plastics.

3. Encourage parents to turn off engines while waiting outside the school.

In addition, students can work with their schools to decide and reduce energy use. Firstly, students can help examine and record their school’s light and energy use.     3     The GSA provides students with a step-by -step plan to help finish tasks of reducing carbon emissions (排放) over a five-year timetable.     4     For example, school can encourage students to use daylight instead of overhead lighting as much as possible.

Creating a greener school requires educating the community about the importance of reducing carbon emissions and living more environment-friendly lives.     5     Students may be more encouraged to make their school greener when they know what similar schools are doing.

A．Many schools have been green schools.

B．The helpful plan provides actions schools can take.

C．Find a plan to tell your school what you re doing.

D．Then students can check the school’s energy use on a monthly basis.

E．The goal is to achieve carbon neutrality (碳中和).

F．The good news is that some schools have offered classes on living green lives.

G．There are steps that they can take as follows.

【推荐3】Amid rolling farms and green pasture 150 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil, two tropical forests bloom as one. The first consists of a single species, row after row of non-native eucalyptus (桉树), planted in perfect lines like carrots. The other is haphazard, an assortment of dozens of varieties of native saplings.

There’s no denying it: This forest looks ridiculous. The gangly (修长的) eucalyptuses shoot like witch fingers high above patches of stubby fig (矮壮的无花果树) and evergreen trees. Yet these jumbled 2.5-acre stands of native trees, ringed by fast-growing exotics, are among many promising efforts to resurrect the planet’s forests.

The eucalyptuses, says Pedro Brancalion, the University of Sao Paulo agronomist who designed this experiment, get big so quickly they can be cut after five years and sold to make paper or fence posts. That covers nearly half or more of the cost of planting the slow-growing native trees, which then naturally reseed ground that has been laid bare by the harvest. And this process doesn’t hamper natural regeneration.

You needn’t look far these days to find organizations trying to save the world by growing trees. Too often, tree-planting groups are so focused on getting credit for each seedling planted that they ignore what matters most: What kind of woodland is created? At what cost? And most importantly: How long will it last? Using the numbers of trees planted as a magic “proxy for everything,” Brancalion says, you “spend more money and get lower levels of benefits.” You can literally miss the forest for the trees.

Tree planting seems like a simple, natural way to counter the overwhelming crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Trees provide wildlife habitats and slurp carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. No wonder trees are hailed as the ideal weapon. Yet for every high-profile planting operation, devastating failures have occurred. In Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Mexico, mass plantings have resulted in millions of dead seedlings or have driven farmers to clear more intact forest elsewhere. Trees that have been planted in the wrong places have reduced water yields for farmers, destroyed highly diverse carbon-sucking grassland soils, and allowed for invasive vegetation to spread. Simply reforesting the planet isn’t going to do much if we don’t also start cutting down on our emissions from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Tree planting also can’t replace old-growth forests. Saving them is even more important than growing new forests.

So, what should we do?

To Brancalion, the answer is obvious: Restore native forests, mostly in the tropics, where trees grow fast and land is cheap. While that may require planting, it may also call for the clearing out of invasive grasses, the rejuvenation (使有活力) of soils, and crop yield improvements so that farmers will need less land for agriculture and more can be allowed to revert back to forests.

The combining of eucalyptus harvests with native plantings is just one more reminder that successful restoration must provide value to local communities. In many cases, if we let nature do the heavy lifting, Brancalion says, “the forest can regrow quite effectively.”

1. What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?

A．The non-native eucalyptuses bring profits that can pay for planting native saplings.

B．The non-native eucalyptuses compete with native saplings for water, nutrients, and light.

C．The variety of trees being planted determines whether or not the restoration will succeed.

D．Planting fast-growing exotics together with local trees does harm to the natural environment.

2. The example of mass plantings in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Mexico is used to _______.

A．emphasize the significance of protecting existing forests

B．explain why tree planting is regarded as the ideal solution

C．illustrate the serious problems planting campaigns can cause

D．indicate the most important point tree-planting groups ignore

3. According to the author, we should do all the following EXCEPT _______.

A．clear more forest to improve crop yields for farmers

B．combine harvests of fast-growing exotics with native plantings

C．restore native forests in the tropics and clear out invasive grasses

D．take into consideration the benefits of reforestation to local communities

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

A．Plant trees—and time will tell.	B．Plant trees—but don’t overdo it.
C．Plant trees—and save the world.	D．Plant trees—but mind the variety.

【推荐2】Chancelor Bennett has surprises in store for educators during Teacher Appreciation Week. The Grammy Awards-winning artist is hosting his virtual award show “The Twilight Awards” to surprise 10 teachers and recognize them for their work. He’ll also donate $300,000 to these teachers.

“Most artists want to do the Grammys, but everybody wants to do ‘Sesame Street’,” he said. “It’s because when you’re a kid, you create long-lasting memories of it. Sesame Street’ teaches kids how to count or spell a certain word and influences them forever.” He said the same goes for the work teachers do for children. “The true superstars are these people.”

Chancelor first developed the idea in 2017, after working with educators in Chicago Public Schools. That year he donated $1 million to the school system, and started a fund in Chicago classrooms through one initiative of SocialWorks, a nonprofit he established. The award show was named in honor of American educator Alexander Twilight, the first African American known to graduate from an American college.

Chancelor didn’t have the best educational experience. He was kind of written off by some of his teachers due to the Fs on his report card, but it caused him to have a deeper gratitude to the ones that didn’t abandon him. “When I could have gotten kept back or kicked out of school or any number of things, there were quite a few teachers that helped keep me on track,” he explained.

Aliamer from Sayre Language Academy is among the first educators to be honored. “I asked them a couple of times on the phone if an error was committed,” said Aliamer. The 25-year-old has only been teaching for two years. “I don’t think any credit goes to me. It brings me optimism that people are learning to be more empathetic and understanding.”

1. How does Chancelor show the importance of teachers in paragraph 2?

A．By telling a story.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By giving examples.	D．By explaining reasons.

2. What inspired Chancelor to hold “The Twilight Awards”?

A．His own experience at school.	B．Teacher Appreciation Week.
C．The request of Alexander Twilight.	D．The activity of his nonprofit.

3. What do we know about Chancelor as a schoolboy?

A．He often skipped class.	B．He was treated unfairly.
C．He did poorly in school.	D．He was popular with teachers.

4. How did Aliamer feel on hearing her winning the award?

A．Amazed.

B．Proud.

C．Touched.

D．Mixed.

【推荐3】A selection of wildlife sculpture made out of recycled rubbish is being displayed a tan exhibition at the barley gallery in Not ting ham shire, England, until 24 July. The sculptures have been created by Nottinghamshire-based artist Michelle Jones who has been working with recycled materials to over 20 years.

Fly-tipping--illegally dumping rubbish or littering in a public place — was on the increase during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Jones told the BBC, “Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust showed me some of the materials that were found on their nature reserves-a washing machine, rusty bike, car tyres.” She decided to create wildlife sculpture out of these materials to encourage people to think about the damage fly-tipping can do to the environment

and wildlife. Her three-dimensional art works included recycled items such as skis, a gas mask, and washing machine parts.

Jones often draws inspiration from the “beauty of the natural world” and said that the large model of the white-tailed bumblebee(大黄蜂) was inspired by the many hours she spent on her garden during the pandemic. Another sculpture, a bearded vulture(秃鹫 ), was inspired by the sighting of one such bird in the Peak District in July 2020. This was only the second time it had been spotted in the UK.

Using rubbish found in rivers, such as plastic bottles, tennis balls, footwear and toys, Jones created a large wave sculpture to highlight the problem of littering.

Jones says that through her sculptured she draws attention to environmental issue in an attractive and humorous way. Her work has a humour and warmth that makes people smile, making people think twice about what waste is and the value of materials, as well as the impact of over-consumption on the environment and its wildlife.

1. What is the purpose of this exhibition?

A．To raise money for the wildlife trust.	B．To blame rubbish dumping.
C．To promote environmental protection.	D．To show ways of recycling.

2. What is the inspiration behind the sculpture displayed at this exhibition?

A．The problem of illegal littering.	B．The familiarity with used materials.
C．The beauty of the natural world.	D．The suggestion from a wildlife trust.

3. Which of the following best described Jones’s works?

A．Useless but beautiful.	B．Attractive and natural.
C．Dirty but enlightening.	D．Humorous and meaningful.

4. Which column is this passage probably taken from?

A．News.

B．Health.

C．Entertainment.

D．Advertisements,