【推荐1】The sun near the equator is never-ceasing, bearing down as I lead Elaine, a dark brown horse, through thick bushes. It’s been a long day on horseback. My legs ache and our camp signals across a ridge of ancient folding hills in the Lolldaiga Range of northern Kenya, a mosaic (马赛克) of twisted landscapes and communities.

Suddenly Elaine’s ears flick into alert, and the muscles of her body tense beneath me. Our guide Nicholus stretches out a lean arm toward a bush just meters away. My eyes focus, trying my best to see what the others already have: two amber balls glowing from a shadowed form. It’s a young lion, quick and strong, in the middle of the high grass.

A wild silence hangs between us.

Without the defensive hunting vehicle, I feel completely exposed. Peering into the bush, I’m suspended between wonder and terror, the distance between myself and the Savannah’s most notorious hunter unbelievably small. Usually, I’m the one tracking the lion, camera in hand. Now, the lion shifts in my consciousness from object to subject. I shift, too, strongly aware of the soft flesh of my own body.

Nicholus nods his head in the other direction, a safer distance away. He points to shallow holes in the dust. “Look, this is a big lion, and these are young ones, some cubs,” he says. “Probably a mother.” Pawprints marked the earth, each telling the story of more lions, moving in different directions.

It was time to go.

Horseback safaris are still the most immersive way to view wildlife in Kenya. To journey on horseback is to break down the walls — meant to protect, but also to separate us from the natural world. And as we’re absorbed in the thrill of the experience, we’re vividly reminded of the importance of protecting these wild spaces.

Out here your horse is your translator, responding to the low hiss of a leopard, the soft scent of an elephant herd, the cool morning breeze descending from Mount Kenya’s glacial peaks. Your job is to learn how to listen.

1. Which words can NOT describe my horseback journey?

A．Thrilling.

B．Tiring.

C．Breathtaking.

D．Boring.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3 and 4?

A．I regretted not having driven a vehicle.

B．I felt extremely tense in case of lions’ attack.

C．There will be a big battle between lions and us.

D．It was out of my expectation to break into a lion’s world.

3. Why do people still love engaging horseback travelling in Kenya today?

A．Horses are much cheaper than vehicles.

B．Visitors will experience the wildlife anytime.

C．It is a safe and exciting way to enjoy the wildlife.

D．It offers a chance to reconsider the connection between humans and wildlife.

4. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Find more animals to feed.	B．Ask your horse for translation.
C．Feel nature with your heart.	D．Listen to the sound of every animal.

【推荐3】The herd of elephants moving north after leaving the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in Yunnan province has drawn widespread public attention, with tens of millions of people following its movement on TV programs and social media platforms.

But this is not because it’s the first time wild Asian Elephants have wandered away from their habitat and headed northward, but for only this time the herd has traveled more than 400 kilometers as far as Kunming. Photographs, videos and stories of the herd’s movement have sparked widespread discussions even overseas.

However, there is a need to go behind the “cute photos” and the seemingly “fantastic” event and identify the reasons why wild elephants are leaving their habitat, and find ways to establish harmonious human-animal relationship within habitats and the surrounding forests and human settlements. It is important to scientifically mark the limits of the habitats for elephants and other animals in Xishuangbanna and elsewhere in the country for ecological reasons as well.

Planting trees is a key and fundamental step toward restoration of nature. Yet long-term investment and a more scientific approach are needed to maintain the remaining forests as well as to extend the forest cover and strengthen conservation.

Nevertheless, tree cover alone doesn’t mean a suitable habitat for all animals, for different species need different types of vegetation to survive and breed. The elephant herd in Yunnan is a reminder that we have to scientifically conserve the existing forests and turn them into suitable habitats for different species of animals and birds, which will ultimately benefit humans.

More ambitious targets should be set to rebuild or improve the food chain, and measures taken to ensure forest resources help wildlife flourish, in order to establish a harmonious human-animal relationship.

Forests around the globe are still shrinking, particularly those in tropical and developing countries. The next decade therefore will be extremely important for the world’s forests and wildlife, and China can play a leading role in saving them by better protecting its forests and expanding its forest cover.

1. Why has the herd of elephants caused so much public interest?

A．There exist heated discussions in the whole country even overseas.

B．TV programs and social media platforms want to benefit from them.

C．They are the first wild Asian Elephants to leave their natural habitat.

D．The elephants has traveled a long distance and lived in harmony with humans.

2. What can we infer from the third paragraph about the “fantastic” event?

A．More research on the reasons behind the event is required.

B．Scientists need to limit the habitats for elephants and other animals.

C．People should find ways to have a good relationship with elephants.

D．There’s an urgent demand for detailed information about the elephants.

3. Which method is provided in the passage to restore nature?

A．Expanding the coverage of forest.

B．Getting the government’s policy support.

C．Bringing up various ways to protect the forests.

D．Offering more kinds of vegetation to all animals.

4. What does this event of elephants leaving their habitats remind us to do?

A．To set more goals to change the food chain.

B．To be aware of the situation of the existing forests.

C．To realize harmonious coexistence of human and nature.

D．To reduce the destruction of the forests around the globe.

【推荐1】The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s longest reef, measuring 2,027 km. Running parallel (平行的) to the coast of Queensland, Australia, the reef is home to many species of fish.

The Great Barrier Reef took thousands of years to form, and has existed for thousands of years, but in just a few short decades we humans have made remarkable progress in killing it. The balance of this ecosystem is being destroyed. Poisonous coastal pollution, overfishing and unsustainable tourism all contribute to the damage done. However, the biggest threat of all is climate change, which causes coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and other problems.

Coral bleaching is a process that causes coral to turn white in color when exposed to certain stressors, such as changes in temperature or light. As water temperatures rise due to climate change, the algae (海藻) living inside coral becomes poisonous and is expelled from the coral, causing it to lose its color and a major source of food. Not only do the algae produce coral’s color, they also provide 90%of the coral’s energy. Thus, without the algae, most corals will die.

Unfortunately, coral bleaching events are now occurring at an alarming rate. Mass coral bleaching events in the Great Barrier Reef have been recorded in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2016, 2017 and 2020, and they are now expected to become an annual occurrence. The Great Barrier Reef is believed to have lost over 50% of its corals since 1995 and as global warming continues, this number will continue to increase rapidly.

In 2015, the Australian government formed a plan for the protection and preservation of the Great Barrier Reef until 2050. While the plan contains many great aims to improve water quality and restore the reef, there are no measures to deal with the root cause of the issue-climate change.

Solving the most important problem of our generation will require many solutions, such as supporting the use of renewable energy, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, protecting forests, reducing plastic production and preventing unsustainable business practices.

Repairing the damage done to the Great Barrier Reef — and other ecosystems around the world — will be no easy job, but we believe that individuals, businesses and governments will make a change and then there will be hope in the future.

1. What can we know about the Great Barrier Reef?

A．It is a lifeless coral reef structure.

B．It has the most preserved ecosystem.

C．It is a threat to the survival of human.

D．It has been affected by various factors.

2. What does the underlined word “expelled” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Taken out.

B．Given away.

C．Driven out.

D．Washed away.

3. What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A．Coral reefs are experiencing growth.

B．The loss of corals is expected to decrease.

C．Coral bleaching takes place more frequently.

D．The government has taken steps to stop coral bleaching.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the future of the Great Barrier Reef?

A．Positive.

B．Negative.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

【推荐2】Aviation is a big polluter. Cutting the sector’s impact on global warming is high on the agenda. Although many governments are regulating emissions from cars and trucks, air transportation is technologically rooted in old patterns.

Facing the reality that the sector will keep emitting a lot, ICAO has established an international carbon-trading plan—Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA. This encourages wide use of offsets (抵消) : aviation companies can buy emissions credits or invest in sectors that store carbon, such as forestry, to allow them to carry on as normal. CORSIA aims to keep CO2 emissions at 2019 levels through such purchases for emissions over that year’s baseline. ICAO predicts that increasing demand might reach 1. 7 billion tons by 2035, potentially making aviation the largest offset market in the world.

Yet offsetting faces a fundamental challenge: the size of the offset requires estimating flows of warming pollution that would have occurred if the carbon-removal project hadn’t existed, and comparing them against flows with the project in place. The former — a baseline that is unobservable — is a hotbed for shady accounting.

The vast majority of offsets today and in the expected future come from forest-protection and regrowth projects. The track record of reliable accounting in these industries is poor, because they lack convincing baselines. Even with oversight, forest projects are often troubled by wild assumptions, for example that trees would disappear completely from these areas in the absence of those projects, even when there are other forest protections in place. Such assumptions drive up baselines and flood the market with huge volumes of offsets. They make it easier for accountants to claim a net reduction in emissions even though the atmosphere sees little or no benefit. These problems are essentially unfixable. Evidence is mounting that offsetting as a strategy for reaching net zero is a dead end.

In our view, this approach could prove dangerously narrow. Removing aviation’s impact on global warming means upending the industry. The longer that reality is overlooked, the harder it will be to find effective solutions.

1. What does aviation refer to in the passage?

A．A project which needs revising.	B．A resource which needs trading.
C．A market which needs expanding.	D．An industry which needs reforming.

2. Why should aviation companies buy emissions credits?

A．To support the development of forestry.	B．To earn the largest profit in offset market.
C．To keep the levels of emission unchanged.	D．To make up for emissions over the baseline.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 4?

A．Too many offsets are filling the market now.

B．Some projects may cheat to create more offsets.

C．Offsetting contributes a lot to reducing emissions.

D．Trees would totally disappear without the projects.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the CORSIA?

A．Disapproving.

B．Confused.

C．Favorable.

D．Unconcerned.

【推荐3】Rainwater in cities causes more troubles than wet feet. It carries away waste from rooftops and streets as it washes through cities. European scientists are now trying to work out how to deal with flooding rainwater.

In the city of Wetteren, Belgium, researchers are experimenting with seashells. Millions of shells from the nearby North Sea are used to collect and treat rainwater from a shopping-mall roof and a parking lot. The shells are laid below a surface drain (下水道) through which dirty water is carried away. With a 70% empty space that allows them to store rainwater, they’re also a natural cleaning station, which is then used to water community gardens.

The experiment is part of a project called StopUP whose goal is to prevent rainwater from carrying pollutants into lakes and rivers. The project’s focus is to make sure that such wastewater, which can include everything from plastics to heavy metals, gets treated.

Thomas Jeffery, head of the College of Environmental Engineering in Germany, said a big knowledge gap can exist between the popular perception of rainwater and its true content. “Rainwater seems to be very clean, but when it washes the streets and roofs, it becomes full of dust and other harmful pollutants,” said Thomas.

In Europe, 38% of surface waterbodies have different forms of pollutants, which run deep in the ground and damage soils, plants and animals, according to Julie Rosalie, director of the European Environment Agency. Human health depends on clean water for drinking, bathing and cooking, and now we arc at risk because plants and animals are affected by chemicals in rivers, lakes and coastal waters.

“StopUP technologies and methods could provide tools to reduce rainwater pollution.” Rosalie said. “It has a positive effect on the quality of our common environment.”

1. What are the seashells in the experiment used for?

A．Clearing the polluted rainwater.	B．Repairing a shopping mall.
C．Making gardens more attractive.	D．Carrying away waste in cities.

2. What is the goal of the project of StopUP?

A．Promoting the use of seashells.	B．Reusing plastics and heavy metals.
C．Experimenting ways to treat rainwater.	D．Encouraging people to stop water pollution.

3. Which of the following best explains “perception” underlined in paragraph 4?

A．Understanding.

B．Custom

C．Style.

D．Tendency.

4. What can we know according to Julie Rosalie?

A．More tools are needed to reduce water pollution.

B．StopUP helps to improve the environmental quality.

C．38% of surface water in Europe is free from pollutants.

D．Human beings are in danger because of a lack of water.

【推荐1】Some of the tall conifers (针叶树) that have grown up in California’s Sierra Nevada are no longer suitable for the climate they live in, new research has shown. Although there are conifers in those areas now, Hill and other researchers suggested that as the trees die out, they’ll be replaced with other types of plants better suited to the environmental conditions.

The team estimated that about 20% of all Sierra Nevada conifer trees in California are no longer suitable for the climate around them and are in danger of disappearing. They called these trees “zombie forests”. That change is largely due to higher temperatures and less rainfall in these lower-elevation areas. In addition, human activities, such as logging and an increase in wildfires, have an effect on the reduction of conifers.

The Sierra Nevada conifers aren’t standing still. The average elevation (海拔) of the trees has increased over the past 90 years, moving 112 feet upslope (上坡). According to Hill, that is because lower-elevation conifers have died while conifers at higher elevations where the air is cooler have been able to grow. But the conifers’ uphill trek hasn’t been able to keep pace with the dramatic increase in temperatures. The researchers said the number of Sierra Nevada conifers incompatible (不能共处的) with their environments could double in the next 77 years.

To help shape people’s understanding of the effects of climate change, Hill and his colleagues developed some maps which show the state’s “zombie forests”. “These maps are unique, in that you can put your finger on a point and it will say, ‘This area right here is expected to move upslope due to climate change in the near future’, and this brings some really difficult questions about what we want this land managed for. Do we try to resist these upcoming changes?’’ Hill added. “Conservationists know, scientists know, so many people know that ecosystems are changing and expect them to change better, and people are dealing with this.” he said.

1. What mainly causes some conifer trees in Sierra Nevada in danger?

A．Zombie forests.

B．Human activities.

C．Other types of plants.

D．Environmental conditions.

2. What do the Sierra Nevada conifers do to survive?

A．They double in number.

B．They give in to the environment.

C．They move to higher-elevation areas.

D．They keep pace with the rising temperatures.

3. What’s special about Hill’s maps?

A．They explain the problem in audio.

B．They show the state’s “zombie forests”.

C．They present the effects of climate change.

D．They persuade people to change their minds.

4. What do Hill’s words imply?

A．People should try to resist changes to the ecosystem.

B．People should make more efforts to improve the ecosystem.

C．People should manage land for humankind instead of plants.

D．People should work together to deal with the current problem.

【推荐2】Most people have already heard we are facing an era of massive species extinction, that we run out of insect pollinators (传粉者) for our plantations and that springs are silent now. It is also agreed that a diverse nature is essential for our economic and emotional well-being and for human health. But how to achieve this?

Buildings produce dangerous emissions (排放物) polluting the air. The nation’s buildings are responsible for 40% of all US carbon emissions. Designing buildings that put the environment first is essential. Daniel Jaconetti, the National Sustainable Design Leader for the architecture firm HED tells Gb&d Magazine, “Our first responsibility is to educate and then to design for clients the best possible building that meets their needs.”

The best buildings are designed to be resilient (能复原的) , energy efficient, comfortable, and without poisonous chemicals. They are probably the ones-that make the most sense to people—being as efficient as possible. “You’re putting out fewer emissions.” Daniel Jaconetti tells Gb&d.

Eco-conscious design can be found-in a number of ways. The application of solar power is just one common design trend. Choosing eco-friendly building materials can also help. This can include a wide variety of materials, from bamboo to those recycled.

When looking for ways to cater to eco-friendly design, biophilia (热爱生物) has been used in architectural design to unite nature into the environment. With common elements of biophilic design in buildings including indoor trees and plants and living walls creatures, we can enjoy the various benefits associated with the presence of nature indoors. For already constructed homes, biophilic design element can help create an environmentally friendly atmosphere. Bringing in plants is just one major way to make an eco-friendly statement. Properly styling the greenery can be the difference between showcasing the tree itself and allowing it to complement the surrounding design.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.	B．To raise people’s awareness of pollution.
C．To call on people to protect wildlife.	D．To draw people’s attention to emotional well-being.

2. Why is designing environmentally-friendly buildings important?

A．We need new buildings to be comfortable.	B．Buildings are to blame for serious emissions.
C．Buildings are where we spend most of our time.	D．We need different buildings to cheer ourselves up.

3. Which of the following can describe best buildings?

A．Luxury.

B．Splendid.

C．Eco-friendly.

D．Life-changing.

4. What can you do with a constructed home?

A．Redecorate it.	B．Give it a thorough clean.
C．Change its design style.	D．Add some green plants to it.