European Union member states gave final approval Tuesday to a plan that would require all new cars sold in the EU to be zero-emission (零排放) vehicles starting in the year 2035. It’s part of the EU’s plan to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and more ambitious than similar efforts in America. A quarter of the group’s emissions come from the transportation sector, and 70% of that is road traffic.
“The direction of travel is clear: in 2035, new cars and vans must have zero emissions,” European Commission Executive Vice President Timmermans said in a statement. “The new rules on CO2-emissions from cars and vans are a key part of the European Green Deal and will be a big contribution to our target of being climate neutral by 2050,” Timmermans added.
The plan also requires that, by the year 2030, the average emissions of new cars drop by 55% and the average emissions of new vans drop by 50%, compared with vehicle emissions in 2021.
There’s one major warning to the plan. The European Commission said it would carve out a favorable policy for the continued sale of cars that run on e-fuels past 2035 at Germany’s request, according to Reuters. E-fuels are made using captured CO2 emissions. Poland opposed (反对) the new law, the BBC reported, and Italy, Bulgaria and Romania didn’t vote.
But there is no deny that the plan has an extremely good future. President Biden has said he supports the rise of electric vehicles, and in 2021 he signed an official order setting a goal that half of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including plug-in hybrids. Several states have announced future bans on gas-powered cars, though.
However, the shift from petrol engines to electric vehicles won’t be as easy as turning a key. Some of the challenges of switching to zero-emission vehicles include the relatively high cost of electric cars and a lack of charging infrastructure (基础设施).
1. What is the purpose of the new vehicle plan?| A．To promote car sales in the EU. |
| B．To decrease the greenhouse gas emission. |
| C．To show the advantages of gas-powered cars. |
| D．To introduce new electric vehicles to be sold in the EU. |
| A．It wins the support from all the EU citizens. |
| B．It can be carried out effortlessly and smoothly. |
| C．It calls for improvement of electric vehicles’ charging access. |
| D．It may receive strong opposition from electric vehicles makers. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Unclear. | C．Positive. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．New cars in the EU will be zero-emission from 2035. |
| B．The EU reaches an agreement to improve vehicle quality. |
| C．The law on zero-emission vehicle causes heated discussion. |
| D．The new zero-emission U. S vehicles will win the EU market. |
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【推荐1】The new railway line linking China and Laos (老挝) opened to traffic on December 3, 2021. All the passengers on the train were very excited.
The line is 1, 035 kilometers long and it runs between Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, and Vientiane (万象), the capital of Laos. It takes about 10 hours to get to Vientiane from Kunming. This line, with a top speed of 200 kilometers per hour, has 50 stations.
Engineer Ouyang Qiang took part in construction (建设) of the new line. “Each station along the line has a special and beautiful view.” he said, adding that Yunnan has pleasant weather in all seasons and the views are fantastic all year round.
Hang Dianhua, 76, was on the first train on Friday from Kunming to Xishuangbanna. “One of my students took part in this project. It’s a proud event for China. I hope to take the train with my daughter and two granddaughters who live in Beijing in the future.” Hang said.
Jaruwan comes from Thailand. Now she works in Yunnan. She was also a passenger on the train. She believes fruit from Thailand can be sent faster and cheaper to China. And at the same time, the new tourism routes (路线) might be developed thanks to the line. More Chinese people will take the railway to Laos, and then visit Thailand.
The China Laos Railway is part of a bigger plan to connect Kunming all the way with Singapore.
1. The new railway line runs between ________ and ________ now.| A．Beijing; Xishuangbanna | B．China; Singapore |
| C．Kunming; Vientiane | D．China; Thailand |
| A．Hang Dianhua. | B．Ouyang Qiang. |
| C．Jaruwan. | D．Hang Dianhua’s daughter. |
| A．One of his students took part in the China Laos railway project. |
| B．He went to Xishuangbanna on the first train. |
| C．He took the train together with his daughter and two granddaughters. |
| D．He thought the opening of the new line was a proud event for China. |
| A．The China Laos Railway line is 1,035 kilometers long and has 200 stations. |
| B．Ouyang Qiang was an engineer and he was Hang Dianhua’s student. |
| C．The fruit trade between China and Thailand can be more convenient. |
| D．The Chinese tourists can take the railway to Singapore from Kunming now. |
【推荐2】Off-Peak fares are cheaper tickets for traveling on trains that are less busy, offering good value for money. The tickets may require you to travel at specific times of day, days of the week or on a specific route. Where there is more than one Off-Peak fare for a journey, the cheaper fare is called Super Off-Peak.
You can buy Off-Peak tickets any time before you travel, either online or at a local station. The travel restrictions for your Off-Peak ticket will depend on the journey you are making. The tickets must be used on the date shown on the ticket. For Off-Peak return tickets, related journeys must be made on the date shown on your ticket as well.
Children aged five to fifteen get a 50% discount for all Off-Peak fares. Up to 2 children under 5 years can travel free with each fare paying adult. Railcard holders get l/3 off all Standard Class Off-Peak fares. Senior, and disabled Railcard holders also get l/3 off all First Class Off Peak fares. Please note that minimum fares and time restrictions may apply to tickets bought with a Railcard.
If you plan on a train trip with friends or your family, you may get group travel discounts. Three or four can travel for the price of just two adults-leaving everyone more money to spend on the day out! If you are traveling in a group of ten or more at Off-Peak times, you may be able to obtain a further discount through the train company you are traveling with. Contact the train company directly and be aware that you may need to book tickets in advance.
For more information, please visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.
1. An Off-Peak ticket differs from other tickets in .| A．its good value for money | B．its convenience |
| C．the specific trains | D．travel schedules |
| A．￡6. | B．￡18. |
| C．￡7. | D．￡12. |
| A．becoming a VIP | B．traveling at rush time |
| C．buying tickets online | D．getting group travel discounts |
| A．An announcement. | B．A ticket booking guide. |
| C．A business report. | D．A travel review. |
【推荐3】The world’s first hydrogen-powered trains have been unveiled in Germany. They began carrying passengers Monday in Germany’s northern Lower Saxony state. The new train will run 100-kilometer trips and can travel up to 140 kilometers an hour.
A French railroad company called Alstom rolled out the two trains. Teams in Germany and France worked in collaboration on the project which was approved by the German government. The new train model, called the Coradia ilint, signifies the beginning of efforts in Germany and other nations to seek an alternative to pollution-producing diesel (柴油) trains, the number of which in circulation is still high.
The Coradia iLint is designed to run on non-electrified train lines with low levels of noise. It uses a process that combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electrical power. If the system produces more energy than the train needs at that time, it can store the extra energy in batteries. The train is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, its only emission being steam and condensed water.
A single tank of hydrogen can run a Coradia iLint train for about 1,000 kilometers. This is very similar to the distance a diesel-powered train can run on with a single tank.
Hydrogen-fueled trains cost more than diesel trains to build. But Alstom officials say the operating costs are much lower. The company confirms another 14 Coradia iLint trains will make their first appearance in Lower Saxony by 2023.
The head of railroad operations in the area, Carmen Schwabl, paid replacing diesel trains with hydrogen a compliment. She said the move was a significant milestone in the field of clean transportation.
Hydrogen it uses as fuel is the by-product of an industrial process. In future, Alstom intends to produce hydrogen from wind energy. The area’s many wind turbines (涡轮机) will also produce part of the energy to create the hydrogen.
Alstom says several other European countries have also expressed interest in embracing a new journey of clean-burning technologies. France has already said it wants its first hydrogen train to be operating by 2024.
1. Why did Germany build the new trains?| A．To substitute for diesel trains. | B．To transport more passengers. |
| C．To make traveling much easier. | D．To strengthen friendship with France. |
| A．It runs without making any noise. | B．It doesn’t use electrical power. |
| C．It is less costly to run. | D．It is cheaper to manufacture. |
| A．are in wide circulation | B．can contribute to green mobility |
| C．can wipe out air pollution | D．can discharge water and oxygen |
| A．A Pioneer in Natural Resource Conservation | B．Efforts to Reduce Emissions |
| C．The First-ever Hydrogen Trains | D．A New Way to Make Electricity |
【推荐1】With over 4. 1 billion people, or around 55 percent of the world’s population, living in urban areas, cities and towns worldwide are getting increasingly congested. In addition to spending many hours stuck in traffic, residents are also exposed to high air pollution levels caused by transportation emissions. Now, Saudi Arabia hopes to revolutionize urban living with “The Line”— a city designed around nature, without cars and roads!
“The Line” is designed by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). Located in NEOM — a 10,000-square-mile high-tech planned development on the Red Sea coast in the northwestern Saudi province of Tabu — The Line will be the cornerstone of MBS s Saudi Vision 2030. The plan aims to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy into other sectors, like tourism, and create exciting job opportunities for its citizens.
The 105-mile-long city, expected to cost between $100 billion and $200 billion, will be built along a straight line and is made up of several self-sustaining communities. To ensure all services are within a short, five-minute walk, each community will feature a three-layer infrastructure (基础设施).
The top “pedestrian layer” will be void of cars and roads, allowing residents to freely walk and bike in the surrounding green spaces. The second “service layer”, will include all essential daily services, such as schools, leisure facilities and grocery stores. The third “spine layer” will house high-speed subway and autonomous vehicles capable of transporting residents across communities in less than 20 minutes. The entire city will be powered with renewable clean energy sources such as solar and wind, and possibly even hydrogen.
If all goes according to plan t construction of this complex project will start before the 1st quarter of 2021. In addition to providing up to a million residents with a clean and stress-free living environment, The Line is expected to create 380,000 new jobs, start economic diversification, and contribute an astounding $ 48 billion to Saudi Arabia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2030. More importantly, MBS believes it will provide governments worldwide a “blueprint for how people and planet can co-exist in harmony.”
1. We can infer that “The Line” will be_________.| A．temporary | B．primitive | C．eco-friendly | D．conventional |
| A．Low crime rates. | B．High unemployment. |
| C．Super communities. | D．Diverse economic sectors. |
| A．Medical clinics. | B．Bus stops. |
| C．Underground trains. | D．Cycling lanes. |
| A．Saudi Arabia Has Created A Green City With No Cars Or Streets |
| B．“The Line” Will Be The Cornerstone Of MBS's Saudi Vision 2030 |
| C．“The Line”— Blueprint Of People And Animals Co-existing In Harmony |
| D．Saudi Arabia Announces “The Line”— A Low Carbon City Without Cars |
【推荐2】A man in Indonesia is walking backwards for 435 miles. He's making the trip to encourage the government and others to value and protect Indonesia's rainforests.
Medi Bastoni is 43 years old. He is an Indonesian. Indonesia is a large country in the world formed by a group of islands. There are over 16, 000 islands there， and most of them are covered with rainforests. But on Java, where Mr. Bastoni lives, far more forests have been cleared.
Mr. Bastoni believes it's important to protect forests from being cut down, and to restore (恢复) them when they have been destroyed. Near his home, Mount Wilis is now being restored, but Mr. Bastoni wants to make the protection continue. That's how he came up with the idea of the 435-mile walk.
And walking backwards? Mr. Bastoni wants Indonesians to look back at their past. Walking backwards is a good way to get attention. Right now, Mr. Bastoni's backward walk is pretty big news in Indonesia.
Mr. Bastoni is wearing a frame(框架)that supports a large mirror in front of him, above his head. This allows Mr. Bastoni to look behind him while walking backwards. Besides, Mr. Bastoni is carrying a backpack with some clothes and a little food. He is planning on buying more meals from restaurants along the way. He has been sleeping at police stations, security posts, and even strangers homes during the trip. His plan is to cover about 19 miles a day. In early August he was in Sragen -- about 100 miles from his home. It's not clear whether Mr. Bastoni is still on track to arrive in Jakarta by August 17.
1. What do we know about rainforests in Indonesia?| A．Indonesia has the largest area of rainforests in the world. |
| B．The loss of rainforests is getting serious on Java. |
| C．The islands there are all covered by rainforests. |
| D．Local people pay great attention to rainforests. |
| A．With the purpose of fighting climate change. |
| B．With the aim of becoming a healthy person. |
| C．With the hope of rebuilding rainforests. |
| D．With deep love for traditional sports. |
| A．To make sure of Mr. Bastoni's safety. |
| B．To show Mr. Bastoni's position correctly. |
| C．To allow Mr. Bastoni to look forwards easily. |
| D．To help Mr. Bastoni enjoy views on the road. |
| A．The difficulty of protecting rainforests in Indonesia. |
| B．The importance of rainforests to Indonesia. |
| C．A trip to recall history and attract attention. |
| D．A walking backwards trip to save rainforests. |
【推荐3】EcoTreasures, a young tour company based in Sydney, have involved a new plan in their Manly Coastal Walks to remove marine debris from Penguin habitats.
The tour company specializes in Ecotourism experiences on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and within Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales. Ecotreasures have been lucky to host a range of international study tour students visiting Sydney this winter, who have been participating in the plan. The students arrive in Australia for short stays of generally 7—14 days, which consist of English lessons and Australia tour experiences. EcoTreasures owner, Damien McClellan, has been happy to host the students on his tours and to involve a new element in the half-day adventure, with a purpose to clean up marine debris that accumulates in the natural environment known to be the habitat for little penguins.
McClellan has been very proud to run these tours, which highlight a range of environmental awareness messages, and mentions, “when we visit the little penguin habitat at Collins Beach in Sydney Harbour National Park we conduct a beach clean-up. The students always put in 110% and we remove as much as marine debris from the catchment(积水处) as possible. We are all giving back to the location we are appreciating because of its natural beauty, and I’m proud of all these international guests caring for Australia’s environment.”
The tours offer a great display of Sydney’s natural setting right on the city’s door step. Mr. McClellan also adds, “The students and teachers really enjoy their experience on the walk around Manly. We visit the beach, Sydney Harbour National Park, Cabbage tree Aquatic reserve and Manly suburbs all in a half day adventure. We always keep the walk fun and interesting by identifying native plants & searching for Whales from land with binoculars and other wildlife along the way.”
EcoTreasures was founded in 2010 by Damien McClellan, and the business is looking forward to working with more partners in the future, developing new ecotourism plans for a range of target markets, and keeping it fun is part of the plan. EcoTreasures is Advanced Ecotourism and ROC certified.
1. What does EcoTreasures mainly specialize in?| A．protecting Little Penguins. |
| B．teaching students about environmental protection. |
| C．cleaning up penguin habitats. |
| D．holding ecotours in certain areas. |
| A．water | B．animal | C．trash | D．rock. |
| A．His appreciation for natural beauty. |
| B．His purpose to run the tours. |
| C．His pride to run the tours. |
| D．The importance of raising environmental awareness. |
| A．the tours are pleasant and valuable. |
| B．the tours make the students tired. |
| C．the tours are held far from Sydney. |
| D．the tours are held mainly for students |
【推荐1】Politicians and the public tend to worry about carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (排放) but neglect the effects of cutting methane (甲烷). Actually, dealing with the gas would have a large effect rapidly and at relatively low cost.
Human activity emits far less methane than carbon dioxide, but methane has a heavier impact. Over the course of 20 years, a ton of the gas will warm the atmosphere about 86 times more than a ton of CO2. As a result, methane is responsible for 23% of the rise in temperatures since preindustrial times. Carbon dioxide gets most of the attention, but unless methane emissions are limited, there is little hope of controlling the climate.
By how much do methane emissions need to fall? Carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for centuries, making it hard to reduce its atmospheric concentrations (浓度). By contrast, methane has a half-life of roughly ten years, which means that it degrades quickly. If new emissions can be cut to below the rate at which old emissions reduce, the concentration of methane in the atmosphere will soon fall, slowing global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that, to keep temperatures between 1.5℃ and 2℃ above preindustrial levels, human methane emissions must drop to 35% below where they stood in 2010 by midcentury.
That is entirely possible. A big step would be to stop millions of tons of methane from leaking out of fossil-fuel infrastructure each year, through pipes with holes, leaky valves and carelessness. The International Energy Agency, a global forecaster, estimates that 40% of methane emissions from fossil fuels, equal to 9% of all human methane emissions, can be got rid of at no net cost for firms. The harder task is to reduce emissions from agriculture, but even here farmers can make use of new ideas, including developing new forms of food for farm animals, and changing how rice is watered.
1. What does the underlined word “neglect” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Ignore. | B．Blame. | C．Value. | D．Delay. |
| A．A less serious threat to global warming. |
| B．The little hope of controlling the climate. |
| C．People’s more attention on carbon dioxide. |
| D．The urgent need to reduce methane emissions. |
| A．They are the only hope of controlling the climate. |
| B．Their atmospheric concentrations are hard to reduce. |
| C．Their impact on the climate is huge but manageable. |
| D．They stay in the atmosphere longer than carbon dioxide. |
| A．Coal mining. | B．Rice farming. | C．Fuel burning. | D．Oil leaking. |
Number one is a sign with the number thirty on it. When drivers see this sign they must not go at more than thirty miles an hour. We see this sign when we get to parts of the country where there are many houses and other buildings, for example, when we are getting near a town. Thirty miles an hour is the speed limit. Number two is sign for the end of the speed limit. We are out of the town now and may go at more than thirty miles an hour. Number three is a sign that we are near a crossroads, that is, a place where two roads cross. We must drive carefully. Number four is a sign that there is a bend in the road. Again, we must drive slowly and carefully. Number five is a sign that there is a hill and number six is a sign that the roads get narrow. Drivers must go slowly and carefully. Number seven has the word “school” on it. This is a sign that there is a school at the side of a street or road. Perhaps there are children going to school or leaving school. So drivers must look carefully and go slowly until they are past the school building.
Number eight is a sign with the letter P on it. The letter P is for “parking.” A parking place is a place where drivers may leave their cars. If the driver of a car wants to leave his car and go to the shops, he looks for this sign. Then he knows that he may leave his or her car there.
1. Who will most probably read the passage?
| A．People who drive badly. | B．People who are learning to drive. |
| C．People who drive well. | D．People who drive carelessly. |
| A．always go at 30 miles an hour |
| B．go at more that 30 miles an hour |
| C．not go at more than 30 miles an hour |
| D．stop |
| A．a bend | B．a crossroads |
| C．a narrow road | D．all of them |
| A．he can leave his car anywhere |
| B．he can leave his car at the gate of any shop |
| C．he must look for the sign with the letter P on it |
| D．he can leave his car at the side of the street. |
| A．drive along one after one because the road is not wide enough |
| B．drive more slowly because of the speed limit |
| C．drive more carefully because school children maycrossthe road |
| D．drive slowly because you have got to drive uphill |
【推荐3】It’s commonly acknowledged that our lives are ruled by algorithms (算法), but have we really collectively understood how they have transformed our culture and personality?
In Filterworld: How algorithms flattened culture, Kyle Chayka argues convincingly that the rise of algorithm-driven feeds, used everywhere online from Instagram to Spotify, has led to a more uniform culture. Our tastes and desires increasingly don’t belong to us, but to algorithms that are designed to keep people engaged at all costs. If the collection of our tastes truly shapes our entire personality, then this loss is more psychologically damaging than it first appears. Aimlessly scrolling (滚屏) through Netflix or TikTok may seem harmless, but over days, months or years, we lose touch with what we like and enjoy.
Taste-making algorithms are inescapable. Chayka shows this by working through all corners of life: what we wear(TikTok), where we eat(Google Maps), music we listen to(Spotify), even who we date or marry(Tinder). This universe of algorithm-driven decisions has society-wide implications: “It extends to influence our physical spaces, our cities, and the routes we move through…flattening them in turn.” No one gets out of the Filterworld untouched.
If you’re lucky enough not to need any sort of algorithm-based system for your work, then you have the option to step back from algorithms for a while. But if your friend suggests a film recommended on X/Twitter or you feel the need to buy those shoes suddenly everyone has started wearing after social media advertisements, what are you to do? It all feels fruitless.
This Filterworld may be inescapable, but there is hope. You can start by engaging more with the media you do choose to consume. This could mean reading up about a film you watched or paying artists you like directly. Even the thoughtful act of recommending an album (专辑) to a friend is more rewarding than a random TikTok feed. As Chayka says, resistance to algorithms “requires an act of willpower, a choice to move through the world in a different way.”
1. What is Kyle Chayka’s opinion on algorithms?| A．They improve our tastes. | B．They make our culture more alike. |
| C．They help to identify our personality. | D．They contribute to psychological problems. |
| A．The society with advanced technology. | B．The world without social media platforms. |
| C．The network of algorithm-driven decisions. | D．The community free from algorithmic influence. |
| A．Limiting the use of social media platforms. | B．Making choices based on friends’ suggestions. |
| C．Getting more involved with the selected media. | D．Disconnecting from social media advertisements. |
| A．Algorithms: Cultural Takeover | B．The Secret of Algorithms |
| C．Social Media: Cultural Messenger | D．The Rise of Digital Platforms |
