The area around Taal Lake on Luzon Island in the Philippines is known for its natural beauty. Tourism is popular there as travelers go there to see the scenery that surrounds Taal Volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in the country. It was quiet for years until January 12,2020 when the volcano erupted. Since then, the cities surrounding the volcano have been covered with ash and many people are forced to leave home.
But the ash didn’t stop the residents of Binan, a city that is 35 km south of Manilla, from finding a way to help their neighbors in the towns that suffered the most from Taal. Binan Mayor Walfredo Dimaguila ordered the city residents to collect the ash and to put it in sacks (麻袋) to be sent to the state-owned factory that can produce 5,000 bricks (砖) a day to turn it into bricks to use for rebuilding damaged communities.
“What we plan is to turn them into hollow blocks and bricks and sell them to interested companies,” Dimaguila said. But he noted, the money would be donated to the people directly affected by the volcano. “When Batangas (the region where Taal is located) is in recovery, the bricks can not only be used to build schools, community halls and livelihood centers but also help deal with ash pollution for the earth,” Dimaguila said. “The misfortune of our neighbors in Batangas is there. Let’s transform this into opportunity.”
The Philippines, located in the Pacific “Ring of Fire: zone of fire” and part of the typhoon belt, is a country that is known for natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and major storms. But the Filipino people show their strong will and community spirit.
1. What can be learned about Taal Volcano?| A．It attracts more and more settlers. | B．It becomes inactive. |
| C．It is covered with ash completely. | D．It causes damage to the locals. |
| A．To collect volcanic ash for recycling. | B．To save sacks for factories to use. |
| C．To set up a factory for making bricks. | D．To build communities for people from disasters. |
| A．Creative but expensive. | B．Environmentally and economically. |
| C．Helpful but challenging. | D．Interesting and practical. |
| A．Taal Lake is in danger. | B．Taal Volcano is popular. |
| C．Disasters hits Philippines. | D．People turn ash into treasure. |
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【推荐1】Each spring, millions of people take photos among the famous cherry trees around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC-some even get married there. That’s what Jody Axinn did 10 years ago.
“Now, the romantic spot is unrecognizable. The whole section is under water,” says Axinn who is revisiting the cherry trees with her family. “When I got here 10 years ago, the place was flooded regularly, but certainly not twice a day, every day.”
There are two forces working together to affect the Tidal Basin, the trees and monuments around it. The seawall around the basin, built with mud dug up from the Potomac River bottom, has sunk about five feet over the past century.
“At the same time, the water level in the basin has gone up by more than a foot because of climate change,” explains Leslie Frattaroli, manager of the National Park Service (NPS). “The Tidal Basin looks like a small lake, but it’s actually part of the Potomac River, because there are gates at the upstream and downstream ends of the basin that allow river water to rush through. Therefore, it is gradually rising along with the level of the world’s oceans.”
Combining these two factors, the water is six feet above where the seawall was originally designed to keep it out. Later this spring, the park service will start to raise parts of the walkway around the basin and along the Potomac River.
“It would be impossible to complete the $113 million project without removing the cherry trees along the water,” Leslie says. “The good news is that when the project is completed in 2027, 274 new cherry trees will be planted.”
Among the trees to be removed is a very famous little tree known as “Stumpy”. At high tide (潮汐), the base of the tree is flooded. Although it is in extremely bad conditions, its remaining three or four small branches burst into flower each spring, with the Washington Monument standing tall in the background.
1. What can be learned from Jody Axinn’s words?| A．The famous cherry trees should be protected. |
| B．The flooding around the basin is more serious. |
| C．Getting married at the Tidal Basin is unpopular. |
| D．Washington DC has changed beyond recognition. |
| A．The sinking seawalls. | B．The rising sea level. |
| C．The beautiful scenery. | D．The warming climate. |
| A．too small to hold the water | B．a small inland lake |
| C．at the downstream end of a river | D．connected with the oceans |
| A．It is not in harmony with the scenery. | B．It is in very bad conditions. |
| C．It happens to be in the reconstruction area. | D．It is attracting too much attention. |
【推荐2】Scientists can’t predict earthquakes. But toads(蟾蜍)might be able to.
In the spring of 2010, Rachel Grant, a researcher in life sciences, was studying a population of toads in a large dry lake in central Italy. Common toads reproduce once a year, sometimes traveling great distances to gather at their breeding(繁殖)grounds, and Grant was looking at whether her subjects were using the cycles of the moon to coordinate their romantic encounters.
In the previous three years, she had watched the toads increase in number when the moon grew from new to full. But that year was different. The moon became almost full, and suddenly the toads were gone. “It went from there being 90 to 100 toads down to six, and then to one, and then zero,” says Grant.
“I was at a loss. Did somebody come and disturb them? Did somebody run through with a tractor? But that didn’t seem right. Toads get run over by cars all the time, and that doesn’t make them run away,” she says.
Five days after the toads disappeared, she had a possible answer: an earthquake struck in the middle of the night. The 6. 3-magnitude quake was the deadliest to hit Italy in nearly 30 years, killing roughly 300 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
Grant stayed to count her toads in spite of the aftershocks. When a full moon rose three days after the quake, a few toads risked a return. But then their numbers dropped again, remaining low until two days after the last aftershock-a full 10 days after the first quake. “It’s never been reported to have happened before,” says Grant. “Once they’re breeding, then they’re breeding. That’s it. “
The question now, says Grant, is whether seismologists(地震学家)can do anything with her research to try to predict the next big one. “A lot of people are asking, “Can we use them as a kind of monitoring tool, keep one at home and watch to see if they run away? “ says Grant. “That’s obviously not going to work. “ But she’s hoping something might.
1. What was Grant’s main purpose in going to the large dry lake in Italy?| A．To use toads to predict earthquakes. | B．To study toads during an earthquake. |
| C．To check the number of toads there. | D．To study toads’ breeding activities. |
| A．Their number increased when a new moon rose. |
| B．Their number increased when the moon became full. |
| C．They disappeared just before the moon became full. |
| D．They disappeared when a new moon rose. |
| A．She felt sorry for the toads. | B．She felt puzzled at what she saw. |
| C．She felt fearful about the earthquake. | D．She felt sad about what somebody had done. |
| A．When the moon began to rise. | B．After the aftershocks stopped. |
| C．Two days after the earthquake. | D．Three days after the moon became full. |
【推荐3】I shall never forget the day when the earthquake took place. The time was about 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I was driving along the road to take my daughter from school. Our plan was to go swimming together. I had finished my work at 4 o’clock and then gone to the Post Office. Then I’d stopped off at a shop in order to get some fresh fruit. We like to have some fruit to eat after our swim.
I was driving along a high road on my way to my daughter’s school. Over my road was another road which was built like a bridge for cars coming to the other way. I was hungry so I put the bag of apples in the seat beside me and started to eat one.
Suddenly I saw the cars in front of me start to move from side to side. Then my car started to shake! I didn’t know what was happening. Perhaps something had gone wrong with my car. I drove a little more slowly and then I stopped the car and at the same moment the road fell onto the cars in front of me.
I found myself in the dark. I couldn’t move. The bottom parts of both of my legs and my feet were hurting badly and I couldn’t move them. All around me was quiet. But above me I could hear shouts and a lot of noise. Then I memorized (记起) what had happened. I had been in an earthquake.
For about two hours nobody came. Luckily I could reach the bag of apples, so at least I had plenty to eat. Then I heard people climbing towards me. A team of people had come to see if anyone was under the broken road. I called out. “I’m here!” I heard a shout. Soon a stranger climbed to the side of the road near my car. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“Not too bad,” I said, “but my feet and leg feel as if they’re broken.” “We’ll have you out of there just as soon as we can.” They didn’t get me out until the next morning. I had been in my car for fourteen hours.
1. When the earthquake took place, the writer was ______.| A．on his way to the Post Office | B．stopping off a shop |
| C．doing some shopping | D．under a road built like a bridge |
| A．there was something wrong with his car | B．he ate apples as he drove |
| C．an earthquake began to happen | D．he drove too fast |
| A．He had gone to the Post Office. | B．He had been to a shop. |
| C．He had completed his work. | D．He had fetched his daughter. |
| A．When the earthquake happened, the writer was with his daughter together. |
| B．The writer’s leg and feet were badly wounded in the earthquake. |
| C．The writer was saved as soon as the stranger climbed up the road. |
| D．The writer was frightened that he forgot everything that happened around. |
【推荐1】Some yogurt containers in your grocery store might be looking a little different soon. Pure Dairy yogurt will be sold in cups made mostly of paper. Pure Dairy is a food company which specializes in making yogurt which is often sold in plastic containers. But plastic, unlike paper, can take hundreds of years to break down, leading to long-lasting waste. Now, Pure Dairy’s first-ever paper cups will replace the plastic cups previously used to hold its yogurt products.
“People have been asking for a paper cup, and we welcome this challenge to start reducing our plastic use, and to spark a conversation about how we can drive change together. I think we all have a role to play in protecting our planet.” said Hamdi Ulukaya, Pure Dairy’s founder and chief executive officer.
Pure Dairy currently produces yogurt, creamers, coffee and plant-based drinks. Many of these products already come in paper-based, recyclable packaging. But its yogurt products had always been sold in plastic. That’s why the company has spent the past two years working to create a paper cup. They wanted it to hold yogurt just as well as the plastic cups do. The paper cup is expected to hit grocery shelves at the end of this year, which is 80 percent paperboard made from renewable materials.
The new paper cup still has a thin plastic lining to maintain the quality of the product and prevent the yogurt from seeping into the packaging. Although packaging with mixed materials is often not recyclable, Pure Dairy will continue working with partners to make it happen. This group works with businesses to make their products and packaging more sustainable, meaning they want to use resources so that they will continue to be available in the future. The yogurt company says it hopes to put more sustainable packaging on shelves all over the country which will use less plastic and more paper.
1. Why will the company sell yogurt in paper containers?| A．To reduce waste. | B．To create a new packaging. |
| C．To recycle the plastic containers. | D．To specialize in making paper cups. |
| A．Share. | B．Continue. | C．Dominate. | D．Activate. |
| A．It can be recyclable. | B．It is made of plastic and paper. |
| C．It doesn’t satisfy the public’s demands. | D．It is not the joint effort of the companies. |
| A．Paper cups may replace the plastic cups. | B．A lot of paper products will be available. |
| C．A renewable material will replace yogurt. | D．The company hopes to produce more packaging. |
【推荐2】When 62-year-old fisherman Kpana Charlie finished the day’s catch, he liked to settle into a wooden chair, thinking about his childhood. Back then, his life on Sierra Leone’s Nyangai Island seemed excellent. He spent endless hours playing with his friends on the island’s white beaches. Whenever he wanted to avoid having to do his housework, he could simply disappear into the forest that covered much of the island. He remembers as recently as ten years ago, it still measured some 2, 300 feet from end to end.
Today, Nyangai is disappearing before his very eyes, covered by the endless sea. The forests are gone. And the land on which Charlie’s family home once stood, has long since disappeared beneath the waves.
In fact, the local government has responded to the sharp increase of sea level by building a concrete (混凝土制的) seawall along the length of the town. But in the many smaller coastal towns and villages in the area, there simply aren’t the resources. Then, the government made a project to protect some of the settlements by planting trees, but this has had limited success. With the population relying on woods for building and smoking-fish, few trees lived longer than the project, which ended in 2021.
Sierra Leone has been identified as one of the world’s most weak countries to the effects of climate change, despite having little influence on global CO2 emissions (排放). “Weak countries should be getting some support from wealthy nations to strengthen their climate defenses (防御),” says Gabriel Kpaka, the head of the country’s Meteorological Agency. “But we’re not really seeing that.”
With global sea level expected to rise by anywhere between 1 and 3 feet by the end of the century, along with an increase in extreme weather events, the experience of this West African island offers an understanding of the possible future of countless other low-lying areas around the world.
1. Why does the author tell Charlie’s story in paragraph 1?| A．To describe his wonderful life at present. | B．To offer-readers-background information |
| C．To call on local people to protect the seen | D．To attract more visitors to Nyangai Island. |
| A．The reasons for the changes on the island. | B．The rich natural species in coastal areas. |
| C．The measures taken to deal with rising sea level. | D．The way to build a concrete seawall on the island. |
| A．Local government should build a stronger seawall. |
| B．Local people on the island limit their CO2 emissions. |
| C．Countries in low-lying areas work together for their rights. |
| D．Rich countries should offer support about climate defenses. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncertain. | D．Positive. |
【推荐3】As university doors opened in September for a new year, an estimated six million people across the world took to the streets in a historic week of climate action. The power of this youth-led campaign reflected the urgency for action on the environment. So what now?
What you put on your plate matters: nearly a quarter of all greenhouse gases come from agriculture, and most of those are from meat and dairy. Meat and dairy consumption results in excessive (过度的) land use, industrial emissions, methane, water use and deforestation.
Forget fast fashion: keeping your clothes for as long as possible has much more than just monetary value. In the UK, clothing has the fourth-largest environmental effect after housing, transport and food.
For some freshers, this will be your first time living alone, which means doing your own washing, cooking and cleaning.
| A．So recycle your clothes or mend them. |
| B．Meat consumption delays industrial development. |
| C．And clothing has a bigger impact on environment than food. |
| D．Cutting out meat is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint. |
| E．There are simple ways you can change your habits to live more sustainably. |
| F．Individual actions matter, as they provide an alternative to how we can live. |
| G．For freshers starting a new chapter at university, deciding how to live your life is vital. |
【推荐1】Most Chinese filmgoers will be familiar with the name of Zhang Yimou, one of the country's most successful and internationally praised film directors. Films such as Raise the Red Lantern and Hero brought his films to the attention of the West, and succeeded in creating a new audience for Chinese cinema.
Born in 1951 , Zhang Yimou spent his youth working on farms and in factories, during which time he developed a love of photography. When the Beijing Film Academy reopened, Zhang Yimou became one of the first students. After graduation, his career as director of photography began.
In 1987 Zhang directed his first film, Red Sorghum, which was a great success. In 1992, Zhang's Raise the Red Lantern was nominated （提名）for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Filmgoers were fascinated by the extraordinary visual （视觉的） beauty of Zhang's films, and by the importance in his stories of his heroines.
In 2002, Zhang made Hero, a martial （武打）arts film set in ancient times but told in a completely different, modern style. Hero achieved great success in the West.
In 2004, Zhang made Houses of the Flying Dragons, another martial arts film, which Zhang described as being “ much more like a modern romantic story." in which the characters devote every other thing for love.
Perhaps one of the keys to Zhang's success as a filmmaker is the fact that his preparations for a film are so detailed. He has said before he starts a project he discusses everything in detail with every single person involved in the film. The result is that when filming starts, everyone understands what is wanted. One thing is certain - Zhang has many more years of successful filmmaking before him.
1. Which was Zhang Yimou's second martial films?| A．Red Sorghum. | B．Hero. |
| C．Houses of the Flying Dragons. | D．Raise the Red Lantern. |
| A．In his forties. | B．While at college. |
| C．After 1987. | D．In his thirties. |
| A．His strictness with the actors. | B．His carefulness in filmmaking. |
| C．The good personal friendship. | D．The details he adds to his film. |
| A．He'll direct Beijing Winter Olympic Games. |
| B．Many film directors do as well as him. |
| C．He'll continue to make good films. |
| D．His future films will be more impressive. |
【推荐2】When our professor Dr. Dressel outlined the requirements of the term paper, he sounded especially terrible, so I recalled another classroom nightmare, Mrs. Grace from Forsyth High. I could still picture her neat script in the margins of my papers, carefully listing each of my grammatical shortcoming in bright blue ink.
“One of these days,” she was fond of saying, “you’ll find that what you’re learning here will be useful.” Few of us believed her, but that didn’t discourage her from relentless training in composition repeatedly. At the slightest protest, her dark eyes would flash, “You’ll find that the real world is far more demanding than my term papers, but meanwhile they can help prepare you for it!”
When Dr. Dressel handed back my papers, an A+ stood out on the page. I disbelieved. I even bent over for a closer look. Professor Dessel, standing next to my table, said, “your term paper is among the finest by a junior student. It tells me that somewhere along the line you had a remarkable English teacher. You should go to that teacher and express your gratitude.”
On the evening, I forced myself up to the Mrs. Grace’s house. The woman who answered the door was far different from the Mrs. Grace I remembered. She was pale and frowning. I gave my term paper into her hands. She glanced at it, then looked back at me wondering.
“My professor knew someone like you was responsible for my paper and”, I stammered, “I just wanted to thank you. I really appreciate all you did for me.”
Mrs. Grace began to cry. “You’re the first person ever to thank me,” she sobbed. “This has been such a hard year. I’ve been sick all fall, but your visit has done me more good than all the medicine I’ve taken. God bless you!” She threw her arms around me and hugged me hard. Then we both shed some tears.
“I’m so glad you stopped by,” she said.
“So am I!” I replied.
Never again have I been reluctant to express gratitude.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about the term paper the author had?| A．The author’s professor had strict requirements of it. |
| B．The author’s term paper was not well written. |
| C．The author was not to blame for his academic performance. |
| D．The author didn’t get any help from the professor. |
| A．重复的 | B．严苛的 | C．大量的 | D．无效的 |
| A．He regretted not listening to her class carefully. |
| B．He was unwilling to do so at first. |
| C．He was proud that he had finished the term paper. |
| D．He hardly appreciated what Mrs. Grace had done. |
| A．Always prepare for the demanding real world. |
| B．We should express gratitude to those who help us. |
| C．It is important to be willing to communicate. |
| D．People should insist on doing what they think is right. |
【推荐3】Ed Jackson："I want to be the first quadriplegic（四肢瘫痪者）to climb Everest，"
Former Wasps player was told he would never walk again after an accident in 2017.
"It was a lovely day like this and we had a barbecue." Ed Jackson says as he remembers the accident which broke his neck，ended his rugby career and left him paralyzed（瘫痪）with a medical prediction that he would never walk again. "I walked to the edge of a feature pool with a waterfall at one end. I couldn't tell which was the deep end so I dived in，fell straight to the bottom，and hit the top of my head. When I tried to stand up I couldn't. Luckily my dad was in the pool. He's a retired doctor and he knew it was a spinal cord（脊柱）issue."
Jackson survived surgery but was told that his paralysis was almost certainly permanent. "After five days of trying to move my toes with nothing happening，I thought there's a good chance they're right."
"Every night on my own，I imagined what it would be like for my wife to look after me for the rest of my life. If this was going to continue all my life，I would never have forgiven myself." In the dark，his mind was at war with itself. "That fear of the unknown is terrifying. Every day I would stare at my toe and try to move it."
On day six his toe twitched（抽动）！The next few months became a series of his exciting moments. Jackson kept chasing those wins.
Once Jackson could walk he decided to climb Snowdon to coincide with the first anniversary of the accident. On 1 April 2018，with a heavy brace on his leg，Jackson reached the summit of Snowdon.
Climbing is exhausting and dangerous for a quadriplegic but，with his face lit by sunshine，Jackson uncovers a previously secret dream. "I want to be the first quadriplegic to climb Everest. I would love that to be where the story of my recovery ends. And then I just want to go on laughing and living.
1. What was Jackson doing when the accident happened？| A．Barbecuing. | B．Swimming. |
| C．Playing rugby. | D．Diving. |
| A．He was able to walk six days later. |
| B．Doctors' prediction had no effect on him. |
| C．The accident left him deadly injured. |
| D．He climbed Snowdon to repay his family's concern. |
| A．His father's first aid. | B．The successful surgery. |
| C．His affection for his wife. | D．His desire to climb. |
| A．An Accident to Change a Man | B．A Quadriplegic to Climb Everest |
| C．A Secret Dream to Success | D．A Man Crazy About Climbing |
