When wildfire smoke from huge fires in Canada blanketed the US in the summer of 2023, emergency rooms saw an increase in admissions for lung problems, heart attacks and other health issues.
Burning fossil fuels has driven climate change, and now climate change is costing people their health and increasingly their lives, says a new report from the medical journal The Lancet. The eighth annual Lancet Countdown, an international analysis that tracks nearly 50 different health-focused issues affected by climate change, calls for an immediate wind-down of fossil fuel use.
Those with the least historical responsibility for causing climate change are feeling the worst effects. Pakistan—a country responsible for roughly 0.3% of all climate-change-causing carbon emissions, suffered huge floods in 2022 that displaced more than 30 million people and killed at least 1,700. However, wealthier countries cannot be spared. In the US, wildfire smoke this summer sent people to the emergency room from New York to Georgia. In Europe, a 2022 summer heat wave resulted in over 60,000 deaths.
About one fifth of all US residents work outdoors; the percentages are even higher in many other countries. When it gets too hot, it gets harder and harder to work. Last year, the report says, outdoor workers lost more than 140 hours each — or several weeks of pay — because of the intense heat.
The human and economic costs are forecast to grow with every tenth of a degree hotter the planet gets. Heat-related deaths, for example, could increase by nearly five times by the middle of the century, if without immediate reductions to carbon emissions.
“I have a young patient who presents with uncontrollable asthma. She lives right next to a highway and is breathing in harmful air from cars burning gas,” Renee Salas, a doctor at Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health says. “So the treatment she needs is electric vehicles, home weatherization and air purification. These are prescriptions I can’t write.”
1. What can be learned from paragraph 3?| A．The wildfire has burned large areas of forest. | B．Pakistan is largely responsible for climate change. |
| C．Climate change has caused a lot of human deaths. | D．People in wealthier countries have good health care. |
| A．American residents worked very hard last year. |
| B．There is nothing people can do about climate change. |
| C．The economy has also been affected by climate change. |
| D．Heat-related deaths will double by the middle of the century. |
| A．She advocates green lifestyle. | B．She prefers to drive an electric car to work. |
| C．Young people are more likely to get asthma. | D．Hospitals are short of medicines to treat asthma. |
| A．The advantage of living in the US. | B．The cause of climate change. |
| C．The stress of working outdoors. | D．The harm of climate change. |
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【推荐1】Off the coast of northeastern Queensland, Australia, near Magnetic Island in Florence Bay, the Great Barrier Reef corals (大堡礁珊瑚) are having a baby boom (激增).
“Every year there are more anrd more coral babies,” says Hillary Smith, an ecologist at ames Cook University in Australia.
That’s thanks to a simple but effective strategy for cleaning the region’s coral reefs: “seaweeding”. Like weeding (给……除杂草) a garden, seaweeding involves pulling big handfuls of large algae (水藻) off reefs and taking them away.
Experts say getting climate change under control is key to keeping the world’s reefs healthy. But meanwhile, local efforts such as seaweeding can help corals grow and reduce the effects of climate change.
The health of coral reefs around the world is dire: By 2050, 95 percent of the world’s coral could experience heat stress, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Algae is a big problem: Already, algae cover has increased on two-thirds of reefs around the world, and one study published in 2021 showed that half the world’s coral reefs have died since the 1950s. Removing seaweed from reefs requires a great deal of work but is not complex, making it a good project for citizen scientists eager to help restore (恢复) reefs.
When the project first began in 2018, Smith says researchers weren’t sure if removing seaweed would benefit the reef or if removal might have the opposite effect in some way. But now, “It’s all looking really positive for the reef,” she says.
Volunteers are ready and waiting to help near Townsville and at other affected Australian reefs, says the Earthwatch Institute’s Fiona Wilson.“We need lots of willing hands to remove seaweed. It takes weeks of time,”she says. “But obviously recovery of the Great Barrier Reef is a passion for many people, so we draw volunteers.”
1. What contributed to the growth of the Great Barrier Reef corals in Florence Bay?| A．Local efforts to remove seaweed. | B．Reduced effects of climate change. |
| C．Fewer human activities in the region. | D．The use of new restoration technologies. |
| A．Strange. | B．Acceptable. | C．Excellent. | D．Terrible. |
| A．They were hopeful of it. | B．They were excited about it. |
| C．They were uncertain about it. | D．They were uninterested in it. |
| A．It is still a long way off. | B．It is less difficult than thought. |
| C．It will take hard work and skill. | D．It attracts and needs volunteers. |
【推荐2】Cornwall Council apologised to the public after a citizen complained that one of its buildings was lit up “like a Christmas tree” at midnight during an energy crisis.
On Saturday, a dog walker, Stuart, discovered a brightly-lighted Chy Trevail building in Bodmin, which accommodates more than 600 staff. The witness said, “How can the council explain for leaving all the lights and TVs on? We’re constantly told there is an energy crisis. They put our council tax up. For what reason? Because they employed staff that forget how to use a light switch?”
There were complaints about a similar issue last summer when Lys Kernow, formerly the New County Hall in Truro was pictured with all the lights on past midnight both inside and outside.
A council spokesman admitted it was an error. “Following an investigation, we can confirm some lights at Chy Trevail were left switched on accidentally,” he said, “Training will be given to the workers who made the mistake to ensure this is not to happen again. Cornwall Council is committed to reducing its energy use and has taken many steps to do so, including the installation (安装) of solar panels at both County Hall in Truro and at Chy Trevail. A new lighting control system has also been installed in Truro to ensure the amount of time lights are left switched on is minimised.“
Chy Trevail includes a central hall for the main reception and public facilities, as well as open- plan flexible workspaces over three floors. The building has “a special design driven by a challenging display energy certificate rating and includes 200kw photovoltaics (太阳能光伏) to generate on-site renewable energy, low energy LED lighting, improved insulation, air-tightness and measures to reduce water consumption.
Cornwall Council previously declared a climate emergency and hopes to be carbon neutral by 2030.The local authority has invested in LED lighting at Lys Kernow and uses renewably-sourced energy to power the building, including solar energy from panels installed on the roof.
1. What did Stuart see on Saturday night?| A．Over 600 staff working overtime. |
| B．A Christmas tree being decorated. |
| C．Bright lights burning in a council building. |
| D．Council workers turning on office lights. |
| A．They will be educated. | B．They will be fired. |
| C．They will be blamed. | D．They will be fined. |
| A．Peaceful. | B．Convenient. | C．Low-cost. | D．Energy-efficient. |
| A．Council staff learn a lesson from leaving lights on. |
| B．Cornwall Council is accused of wasting tax money. |
| C．A council building is equipped with high technology. |
| D．A dog-walker made a complaint about an energy crisis. |
【推荐3】Researchers are trying to explore creative ways to reduce e-waste. Now one team has invented a water-activated battery (水激活电池) made of paper and other sustainable (可持续的) materials.
Some e-waste is relatively large: old phones and air conditioners, for instance. Other e-waste is more unnoticeable, such as batteries. It’s these small batteries that are big problems. Nobody really pays attention to where they end up. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology are working to address this problem. They invented a water-activated paper battery using environmentally friendly materials that could eventually replace the more harmful batteries common in low-power devices.
A traditional battery is made of plastic, metal or other harmful materials. The paper battery works the same as a traditional battery. It has a positively charged (带电的) side, a negatively charged side, and a conductive material (传导材料) between the two. In the new battery, the positively and negatively charged sides are inks printed onto the front and back of a piece of paper. That paper is filled with salt, which dissolves (溶解) when the paper is wet. When the paper is dry, the battery is off. Once the paper is wet, the battery activates within 20 seconds. The new battery’s operating performance worsens as the paper dries. When the scientists rewet the paper during testing, the battery begins to work again and lasts an hour before beginning to dry out again.
Although the researchers showed that their battery could power an alarm clock, it is unlikely to replace standard batteries now. It is hard to predict a time line for producing such batteries in a large number, but that future may not be so far off.
“This really starts with the development of sustainable materials,” Nyström, the lead author, explains, “From there, I think we are able to create something that is quite useful.”
1. Why did the researchers invent the new batteries?| A．To replace harmful batteries. | B．To develop sustainable materials. |
| C．To power common devices. | D．To make e-waste more noticeable. |
| A．Sizes. | B．Usages. | C．Materials. | D．Purposes. |
| A．It dries within 20 seconds. | B．It can be used many times. |
| C．It has ink on the front side. | D．It breaks easily in salt water. |
| A．It stores huge power. | B．It takes ages to make it. |
| C．It has been put into market. | D．It has a promising future. |
【推荐1】What is Hanukkah?
Hanukkah (光明节) is the Jewish Festival of Lights. It lasts for eight days and is usually celebrated in November or December. Hanukkah traditions include lighting candles, giving presents, playing games and eating food fried in oil, like doughnuts or potato pancakes.
Fried food is traditional at Hanukkah. latkes are fried pancakes made with potatoes, onions, eggs, flour and oil. Jam filled doughnuts are another popular Hanukkah treat. Dairy food such as cheese and cheesecake are also traditionally eaten at this festival.
The traditional Hanukkah candle holder is called a Hanukkah menorah (烛台) or hanukkiah and it has been used as a Jewish symbol since ancient times. A Hanukkah menorah has nine candles which are lit at night-time during Hanukkah.
In London you can see a giant menorah lit up with candles for the Hanukkah London event, in celebration of the Jewish Festival of Lights. This huge menorah in Trafalgar Square is put close to the Christmas tree for a truly multicultural winter celebration.
Playing with the dreidel (陀螺) is a traditional Hanukkah game played in Jewish homes in Britain and all over the world, and rules may vary from family to family. There are various games you can play with the dreidel.
It's traditional to give presents or money to family and friends at Hanukkah. Hanukkah Gelt refers to money given as a gift at the festival. ''Gelt'' is the Yiddish word for money. Children are often given chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil (金箔).
People also give Hanukkah greetings cards. The cards often show a picture of a menorah or dreidel. One UK online greetings cards company even combines Christmas and Hanukkah to make a card with the greeting ''Very Merry Chrismukkah wishes''!
Happy Hanukkah!
1. What are the traditional foods of Hanukah?| A．Fried pancakes and cheesecake. |
| B．Potato cakes and doughnuts. |
| C．Eggs and fried pancakes. |
| D．Cheese and onion doughnuts. |
| A．A candle. |
| B．The dreidel. |
| C．Hanukkah Gelt. |
| D．A Hanukkah menorah. |
| A．Hanukkah is only celebrated in December. |
| B．Playing with the dreidel is a traditional Hanukkah game. |
| C．Children are often given money wrapped in gold foil. |
| D．People will make Hanukkah greetings phone calls. |
【推荐2】We have long been attracted by quick solutions that could increase our intelligence. Today, people’s hopes lie in brain training apps, some of which claim to result in smarter minds”. But is this quick solutions all that it is said to be?
There are plenty of brain training apps, but they all share the same characteristics: they turn mental exercises like simple arithmetic, memory tests and logic and pattern-matching problems into quick games. The more you play these mini-games, the smarter you will get — or so some apps tell us. It is really a big promise.
Many of the apps say they are backed by “science”, a claim I found surprising as a former neuroscientist. The concept that increasing intelligence would be as simple as practicing a few mini-games every day goes against what we have discovered about how humans think and learn.
After surveying a diverse spread of thousands of users across wide variety of apps, researchers at Western University in Canada discovered that “brain training has no appreciable effect on cognitive functioning in the ‘real world’, even after extensive training periods”. The positive effects that have been found are limited to the very specific mini-games and tasks that users are trained on, such as the ability to memorize lists of words or numbers, or perform mental arithmetic, with little benefit to other skills.
If you are expecting them to improve your ability to write novel or construct a complex spreadsheet, I am afraid you will want to look elsewhere.
Puzzle video games such as “Baba Is You” and “Returno the Obra Dinn” see players apply their skill at logic, memory and concentration in a far more complex way than any brain training mini-game.
1. What does the author say about brain training apps?| A．They have scientific support. | B．They work in the form of games. |
| C．They require problem-solving skills. | D．They are based on complex arithmetic. |
| A．Supporting evidence for some brain training apps. |
| B．A detailed description of some brain training apps. |
| C．A further explanation of the use of some brain training apps. |
| D．Questioning the exaggerated effects of some brain training apps. |
| A．Limited. | B．Tremendous. | C．Damaging. | D．Far-reaching. |
| A．A storybook. | B．A diary. | C．A magazine. | D．A biography. |
【推荐3】Driving and flying are huge contributors to carbon emissions (排放) and climate change. So Google is helping users make more wise decisions about how they travel. In addition to showing drivers the fastest way to get to their destination, Google Maps will now show the route that’s the most fuel-efficient.
To provide the new feature, Google used data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which estimates that eco-friendly routing has the potential to prevent more than one million tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere per year. That’s equal to removing 200,000 cars from the road, Google claims.
On the Google Maps app, the most fuel-efficient route will be displayed with a small green leaf next to it. The route option will include information about how long the trip will take and how much fuel the driver could save.
It’s no secret that biking is a more eco-friendly travel option than driving, and the use of biking directions on Maps has increased by as much as 98% over the past year, according to Google. The tech company is focusing on attracting bike riders with a new feature called “lite navigation (导航)”. This feature is being introduced after Google heard from cyclists who were sick of following turn-by-turn directions on their phones. Cyclists don’t look at their phones for most of the ride, after all. With lite navigation, bike riders will be able to see details about their route without needing to keep their screen on or follow turn-by-turn navigation. Cyclists will also be able to track their trip progress and see their ETA (estimated time of arrival) updated in real time.
Moreover, Google Flights users will be able to see carbon emission estimates for nearly every flight in the search results. The estimates are “flight-specific” and “seat-specific”, Google said. “Newer aircraft are generally less polluting than older aircraft. Compared with economy-class seats, emissions increase for first-class seats because they take up more space and account for a larger share of total emissions,” Google added.
1. What do the data in paragraph 2 show?| A．The seriousness of climate change. | B．The potential of using renewable energy. |
| C．The significance of Google’s new feature. | D．The necessity of removing cars from the road. |
| A．The most eco-friendly route. | B．The most beautiful route. |
| C．The most chosen route. | D．The shortest route. |
| A．It informs bikers of their speed in real time. |
| B．It can work with the phone’s screen off. |
| C．It receives favorable reviews from 98% of bikers. |
| D．It encourages bikers to follow turn-by-turn directions. |
| A．Economy-class passengers on new planes. | B．Economy-class passengers on old planes. |
| C．First-class passengers on new planes. | D．First-class passengers on old planes. |
