“In the past, there’d be ringing of the church bells during a national emergency. They should be ringing now.” says Hamish McKenzie－a bell-ringer, boat-builder, extreme recycler and climate change activist. “Climate change is the greatest danger we face. In 100 years’ time, maybe less, it will be unlikely for people to live there because of rising water levels and the likelihood of hurricanes.” he tells Amanda Jones, the reporter from New York Times, gesturing over to the bank just feet from his boat.
Hamish McKenzie lives with his wife on his floating houseboat in Shorehame-on-Sea. Now 63, he’s turned recycling into an art and has created lots of houseboats out of old vehicles and things from junkyards and farms. He and his wife live on Verda－a mixture of and old coach and a 1928 Portsmouth-Gosport ship, which Hamish rescued from the muddy seabed. He lists another houseboat, named Dodge, on Airbnb to fund his lifestyle. His idea of walking lightly on the planet extends into every area of life. Apart from his laptop and piano, almost everything seems to have been recycled－from the microwave letterbox to tractor tire windows. “I buy my clothes from charity shops and regard meat as a treat. We’re living off vast amounts of seasonal local vegetables from small shops.”
“Sadly, there are no groceries left in Shoreham. They have been ruined by cars and out-of-town supermarkets. I hate the scenery of 30,000 cars at the end of my road. An average car weighs around 1.2 tons, but how much does a passenger weigh? Petrol engines are only 30% efficient.”
Hamish gets around by bicycle and often says, “Many people feel powerless about what is happening all over the world and even stop watching the news. But we have to think about what we can do for the community. Everyone can take action and do their bit.”
1. Why is Hamish called a bell-ringer?| A．He recalls the ringing of church bells during an emergency. |
| B．He draws attention to the danger of climate emergency. |
| C．He extends recycling into every area of his life. |
| D．He knows people feel powerless about what’s happening. |
| A．Hamish has become an artist in designing boats. |
| B．Hamish recycles all the things on his houseboat. |
| C．Hamish intends his simple lifestyle to do less harm to the earth. |
| D．Hamish has some meat as a treat regularly. |
| A．They drive groceries out of town. |
| B．They have become a local scenery. |
| C．They shouldn’t be designed that heavy. |
| D．They are a such waste of energy. |
| A．Concerned and responsible. | B．Fearful and powerless. |
| C．Sensitive and optimistic. | D．Satisfied and hopeful. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Microplastics are small plastic pieces that have accumulated in the marine (海洋的) environment following decades of pollution. These pieces can cause significant issues for marine creatures that ingest them, including inflammation (炎症), reduced feeding and weight-loss. Microplastic pollution may also spread from organism to organism when one creature is eaten by others. Since the pieces can bind to chemical pollutants, these associated poisons could accumulate in predator species.
Mesopelagic (中层的) fish serve as a food source for a large variety of marine animals, including swordfish, dolphins, seals and sea birds. Typically living at depths of 200—1,000 meters, these fish swim to the surface at night to feed and then return to deeper waters during the day. Through these upright movements, mesopelagic fish play a key role in the cycling of carbon and nutrients from the surface to the deep sea—a process known as biogeochemical cycling. This means they could spread microplastic pollution throughout the marine ecosystem, by carrying microplastics from the surface down to deeper waters, affecting deep-sea organisms.
To investigate this further, researchers set out to catch fish in a remote area of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The researchers caught mesopelagic fish at varying depths, and then examined their stomachs for microplastics back in the lab. They used a particular air filter so as not to introduce plastic fibers in the air from the lab environment.
The team found a lot of microplastics in the fish stomachs. As the researchers were extremely careful to clear pollution with fibers from the air, they were confident that the fish had eaten the fibers in the sea all over the world.
The researchers plan further studies to learn more about how these fish are ingesting and spreading microplastics. It will be particularly interesting to see whether the fish eat these microplastics directly as mistaken foods, or whether they eat them through eating other species, which have previously eaten the microplastics.
1. What does the underlined word “ingest” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Attack. | B．Swallow. |
| C．Ignore. | D．Avoid. |
| A．How deep-sea fish feed themselves. |
| B．Why Mesopelagic fish are important. |
| C．How microplastics spread to deep sea. |
| D．How dangerous microplastics are to the sea. |
| A．Fish in the remote area are safe to eat. |
| B．Plastic fibers in the air may enter fish. |
| C．They are all polluted by microplastics. |
| D．Mesopelagic fish live at varying depths. |
| A．In what way microplastics enter Mesopelagic fish. |
| B．How seriously microplastics affect sea creatures. |
| C．Whether fish with microplastics harm humans. |
| D．How microplastics spread in the deep ocean. |
【推荐2】Glacier National Park in Montana shares boundaries with Canada, an American Indian reservation, and a national forest. Along the North Fork of the Flathead River the park also borders about 17 000 acres of private lands that are currently used for ranching timber(木材)and agriculture. This land is a crucial part of the habitat and migratory routes for several endangered species that frequent the park. These private lands are essentially the only ones available for development in the region.
With encouragement from the park, local landowners launched a land use planning effort to guide the future of the North Fork. The park is a partner in an interlocal agreement that appeals to resource managing agencies to work together with more than 400 private owners in the area. A draft plan has been prepared with the objective of maintaining traditional economic uses but limiting new development that would damage park resources. Voluntary action by landowners, teaming up with the park and the county, is helping to restrict small lot subdivisions, maintain wildlife corridors, and minimize any harmful impact on the environment.
The willingness of local landowners to participate in this protection effort may have been stimulated by concerns that congress would impose(强制实行)a legislative solution. Nevertheless，many local residents want to retain the existing character of the area. Meetings between park officials and landowners have led to a dramatically improved understanding of all concerns.
1. Why are the private lands surrounding Glacier National Park so important?| A．They are heavily populated. |
| B．They function as a hunting preserve. |
| C．They are restricted to government use. |
| D．They contain natural habitats of several threatened species. |
| A．indifferent | B．favourable | C．cooperative | D．disappointing |
| A．limit land development around the park |
| B．establish a new park in Montana |
| C．influence national legislation |
| D．settle border disputes with Canada |
| A．The endangered species in Glacier National Park. |
| B．The protection of lands surrounding Glacier National Park. |
| C．Conservation laws imposed by the state of Montana. |
| D．Conservation laws imposed by Congress. |
【推荐3】Solar energy systems & power plants do not produce air pollution, water pollution, or greenhouse gases. Using solar energy can have a positive, indirect effect on the environment, when solar energy replaces or reduces the use of other energy sources that have larger effects on the environment.
However, some poisonous materials and chemicals are used to make the photovoltaic ( 光电池的) cells that convert sunlight into electricity. Some solar thermal (保热的) systems use potentially hazardous liquids to transfer heat. Leaks of these materials could be harmful to the environment. U. S. environmental laws regulate the use and settlement of these types of materials.
As with any type of power plant, large solar power plants can affect the environment near their locations. The placement of the power plant may have long-term effects on the habitats of native plants and animals. Some solar power plants may require water for cleaning solar collectors and concentrators or for cooling turbine generators. Using large volumes of ground water or surface water in some dry locations may affect the ecosystems that depend on these water resources. In addition, the beam of concentrated sunlight a solar power tower creates can kill birds and insects that fly into the beam.
The amount of solar energy that the earth receives each day is many times greater than the total amount of all energy that people consume each day. However, on the surface of the earth, solar energy is a variable and irregular energy source. The amount of sunlight and the intensity of sunlight varies by time of day and location. Weather and climate conditions affect the availability of sunlight daily and on a seasonal basis. The type and size of a solar energy collection and conversion system determines how much of the available solar energy we can convert into useful energy.
1. Which of the following best explains "hazardous" underlined in paragraph 2?| A．inexpensive | B．dangerous |
| C．ineffective | D．abnormal |
| A．Polluting the ground water. |
| B．Protecting the habitats of plants and animals. |
| C．Damaging the local natural balance. |
| D．Attracting birds and insects to the area. |
| A．Different areas receive different amount of solar energy. |
| B．How to convert solar energy into useful energy. |
| C．The relationship between solar energy collection and the sunlight. |
| D．Some factors that influence the amount of solar energy collection. |
【推荐1】The US airline industry is facing a new threat to its profits-heavier passengers, a report has found. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average US adult put on ten pounds(4.5kg) of weight during the 1990s. Transporting the extra weight cost airlines an extra $275 million in fuel costs in 2000, the report says.
Earnings at airlines have already been under pressure due to the decreasing demand and a record increase in the price of crude oil(原油). In the US, a number of airlines have gone bust while others are struggling to survive in an ever more competitive market place. While it is relatively easy to check the weight of a traveler’s luggage and charge those that burst limits, it is much harder to regulate a person’s waistline. Some firms have toyed with the idea of (jokingly suggested) charging overweight travelers for two seats, but it is not a practice that has taken off industry-wide.
Last year, the American Federal Aviation Administration increased the average passenger weight they use to calculate aircraft loads by ten pounds. Since then, crude oil prices have hit record levels, with many firms responding by raising the fuel charge they add to ticket prices.
The rising level of obesity(过度肥胖) in the US and in Europe has promoted government health campaigns and harsh(严厉的) criticism of a number of food firms. Restaurant chain McDonald’s has taken the main force of the attack, and has in recent months reworked its menu to include healthier options, which has helped lift profits.
As with fast food restaurants, timely adjustment may be the best solution presently for American airlines. The prediction by experts, however, is that humans are set to become bigger.
1. This passage is most probably taken from ________.| A．a government report | B．a yearly economy review |
| C．an airline guidebook | D．a newspaper |
| A．become stronger | B．got banned(禁止) |
| C．failed financially | D．expanded further |
| A．overweight travelers | B．overloaded cases |
| C．travelers’ waistlines | D．extra-large seats |
| A．They increased the average passenger weight when calculating aircraft loads. |
| B．They brought up their ticket prices. |
| C．They charged obese travelers for two seats. |
| D．They overcharged travelers’ luggage. |
| A．Airline profits in America will be under even greater pressure. |
| B．The population of obese people will increase rapidly. |
| C．American airlines will charge more for fuels |
| D．Fast food restaurants will be forced to change their menus. |
【推荐2】In the fall of 1915, polar explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance (耐力号) sank off the coast of Antarctica. While all of the expedition’s 28 crew eventually were rescued, the ship’s final resting place has remained a much-discussed maritime mystery. That is, until today. A team of researchers has announced they’ve located the wreck at the bottom of the Weddell Sea, almost the northernmost part of Antarctica.
Endurance was backed by the British government and private donors and supported by Winston Churchill to deliver a group of explorers to the coast of Antarctica and then travel overland across the continent via the South Pole.
It set out from South Georgia on December 5, 1914, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. But the enemy that Shackleton and his men faced was of a different sort. The Weddell Sea, covering an area of more than a million square miles, is one of the most remote and unforgiving environments in the world, littered with icebergs and roiled by strong surface winds. Shackleton called it “the worst sea in the world.”
The expedition made good progress at first, but as the Antarctic winter of 1915 closed in, the men found themselves trapped in the sea ice on Tuesday, October 26. The next day, the men removed tools, instruments, and provisions and set up camp on the ice floe. Endurance finally sank on November 27. Shackleton famously said, “What the ice gets, the ice keeps.” . But Endurance’s story did not end with the ship’s sinking.
In 2019, the Falklands Heritage Maritime Trust began its first expedition to find the ship but had been unable to locate the wreck. This winter, they tried again, organizing and funding Endurance22.
One of the toughest problems, besides the sea ice, was establishing the ship’s location. After Endurance was initially trapped in the ice, it continued to drift as the floes moved with the current. Due to poor visibility on the day the men abandoned the ship, however, the captain had been unable to take proper measurements that would help calculate the direction and speed of the floes.
1. Which can show the positions of Weddell Sea and Antarctica?A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Endurance hasn’t been found since the fall of 1915. |
| B．Endurance was only supported by Winston Churchill. |
| C．Ernest Shackleton died and sank off the coast of Antarctica in the fall of 1915. |
| D．Ernest Shackleton’s goal was to travel across the Antarctica via the South Pole. |
| A．The sea ice. |
| B．The Antarctic winter. |
| C．The things they carried. |
| D．The captain’s unreasonable command. |
| A．The way how to establish the ship’s location. |
| B．The reason why locating the ship is difficult. |
| C．The measurements that the captain took to locate the ship. |
| D．The time when Endurance22 was organized and funded. |
【推荐3】When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow, the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady. The reporter released the secret—Ma Ke.
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke's designs for more than a decade, a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit, accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping. The elegant and attractive Peng, formerly a popular singer, has been compared with the US’ first lady Michelle Obama and France’s Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22. Suddenly, everyone was curious to know more about the first lady’s wardrobe.
Even so, Ma prefers a low-key approach. “If you eat a tasty egg why would you want to see the hen?” she says of all the media attention.
Ma’s relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind. Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma’s designs and had been wearing them for years.
The two naturally became friends. Ma says: “The painting reflects the painter, and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer. Someone desires fame and wealth, or love and sympathy; what you have in your heart is reflected in the design. Those who don’t share my philosophy won’t buy my clothes. Peng is a caring person, devoted to charity and environmental protection, which is exactly what I’m doing now.”
However, regardless of the brand, Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands.
“Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion, desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage,” says a western designer.
The first lady’s double-breasted coat and her black leather handbag aren’t available at any of Exception’s shops, though Exception’s physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors.
1. The passage mainly discusses _________.| A．the designer of the first lady Peng Liyuan’s dress, Ma Ke |
| B．the friendship between Peng Liyuan and her designer |
| C．Peng Liyuan’s clothes on her first state visit |
| D．the reactions to Peng Liyuan’s first visit to Moscow |
| A．it is hard to explain “Which came first, the egg or the hen?” |
| B．paying such great attention to her was unnecessary |
| C．the outcome was more important than the process |
| D．her dissatisfaction with the media attention on her dress |
| A．First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together. |
| B．Peng’s suits can be bought in Ma Ke’s clothes stores. |
| C．Ma Ke offered to design the first lady’s clothes through her friends. |
| D．Peng had liked Ma’s designs long before she got to know her in the flesh. |
| A．Peng wears the dress designed by a Chinese designer probably to support Chinese brands. |
| B．Many citizens found Peng Liyuan’s choice quite unexpected. |
| C．Black leather handbags like Peng’s are widely sold in bag stores in big cities. |
| D．After Peng Liyuan’s visit to Moscow Ma Ke’s clothes became more popular. |
【推荐1】A seaside Long Island village on Saturday honored the memory of a girl whose message in a bottle was found after Superstorm Sandy, discovered by cleanup workers a dozen years after she threw it into the ocean.
A plate was placed on a rock near the bridge, where the bottle was discovered in December. It reads: “Be excellent to yourself dude(朋友),” the same message inside the bottle. The note, a line from the 1989 Keanu Reeves movie “Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure,” was written by Sidonie Fery and threw into the ocean inside a bottle. She died in 2010 at the age of 18 in a fall from a cliff(悬崖) in Switzerland.
The bottle only traveled a mile or two westward from where it was likely deposited to the location where cleanup workers found it. It was intermingled with broken clothes, boating equipment and a range of sea trash.
But because the note included the girl's New York City phone number, what otherwise would have been a worthless piece of trash became a priceless souvenir. Workers in Patchogue, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Manhattan, called the number and returned the bottle to her mother, Mimi Fery.
Fery said she sobbed when she heard workers had found the bottle and was grateful to them. “It's unbelievable,” she said Saturday of the ceremony. “The town is amazing, my daughter was a lovely and lively person and very fun, she would do fun things. She always brought joy to everybody no matter how she felt.”
The plate also reads: “I learned that even though someone is very small they may have a big heart” and bears a photo of a smiling, young Sidonie along with the date the bottle was found: Dec. 6, 2012.
1. The passage is mainly written to _____.| A．tell us how to write a note | B．inform us of some useful tips |
| C．share with us a moving story | D．introduce the bottle message |
| A．crowded | B．mixed up |
| C．filled up | D．secured |
a.Sidonie fell from a cliff and died.
b.Sidonie wrote a line and threw it into the ocean in a bottle.
c.Keanu’s movie “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” came out.
d.A plate was placed to honor the memory of Sidonie.
e.Cleanup workers found the bottle and called Fery.
| A．c-b-a-e-d | B．c-b-e-a-d |
| C．c-a-b-d-e | D．c-a-b-e-d |
| A．Helpful and optimistic. | B．Small but promising. |
| C．Lovely but pitiful. | D．Smart and beautiful. |
【推荐2】While many local teens spent their summers playing by the pool, Shea Frenyea-Provost brought her talents to life, leaving a lasting memory for years to come.
After five weeks, the 15-year-old’s artwork is now on show in People’s Park for all to see as the Village of Dannemora’s first outdoor mural(壁画)-symbolic of the ongoing efforts to give new energy to the village and all it has to offer.
For the young artist，the project took her out of the comfort zone(舒适区)-going from colored pencils and sketchbooks(素描本)to her first life-size mural- the first in what will now become a series of projects between the local teen and village.
With her mom active in the village’s growing Beautification Committee, Shea also got involved with volunteering. After seeing Shea’s sketches during the early stages of the mural planning, Tina Leduc, director of Beautification Committee, was awed by her talent and knew she was a perfect fit for the project.
With the help of her family, Shea was soon set up with her very own studio, where she spent weeks researching the Luna moth(蛾)，observing its outline and perfecting each final detail. “I used a projector(投影仪)to observe the moth for weeks and researched native plants in our area and the rest I really ended up doing freehand,“ Shea said, pointing to the fine lines of the climbing grape plants and moth antennas(触角).
For the Beautification Committee and villagers alike, her work has brought a welcomed new addition to the park while clearly showing her bright artistic future ahead. “She’s just such a natural,” said Leduc, who offered beginning guidance, otherwise leaving the creativity and design to the promising young artist. “I feel this is just the beginning for her. I know it is. We’re going to see so much from her.”
1. What can we learn about Shea’s mural?| A．It is the first indoor mural in her village. |
| B．It shows the history of her village. |
| C．It took her a month to complete. |
| D．It was a real challenge for her. |
| A．Amazed | B．Encouraged |
| C．Changed | D．Affected |
| A．Creative and humorous. |
| B．Polite and generous. |
| C．Talented and patient. |
| D．Experienced and professional. |
| A．It will inspire more kids to do art. |
| B．It promises a bright future for her. |
| C．It will attract more foreign visitors to the village. |
| D．It raises the villagers’ awareness of environmental protection. |
We talked about how kind she is to us. She writes notes to wish us happy holidays, or to thank us for jobs well done. She checks on us when she knows we’re facing difficulties outside of school with our health or with our families.
All too often, When we talk NICE behind someone’s back, they never know about it！I sent her a quick email to report the conversation. She replied saying how much she appreciated hearing about it!
I like to do the same for my students. Of course I give them my own compliments(恭维),but I love to let them know when others adults have noticed their good behavior and attitudes. Then it’s absolutely necessary to let THEM know it too! It matters when what they notice is good.
I’ve known from the other side how much this can mean. I often lack confidence in my own abilities as a teacher, so it gave me quite a lift when a friend who works with families in the community mentioned that he has heard several times from parents how glad they are to have their kids in my class. It just feels more important somehow to have the words said by people who don’t know I’ll ever hear them.
Sure, it’s pleasant when we can say nice things about other people. Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure to tell them about the nice things being said behind their backs!
1. Why did these colleagues talk behind their boss’s back?
| A．They were afraid of her. |
| B．She treated them badly. |
| C．She was kind to them. |
| D．It was their daily practice. |
| A．They were good friends. |
| B．The principals hated them. |
| C．She guessed her principals might be glad to hear it. |
| D．She wanted to be praised. |
| A．Others’ nice talk behind her back. |
| B．Her good knowledge in teaching. |
| C．Her rich experience in teaching. |
| D．Her principal’s help. |
