Most Beautiful of All
| A．They smelled wonderful and crunched (发出碎裂声) under our feet as we walked along. |
| B．Then, she approached and asked us whether we had any trash. |
| C．I decided to take my sons for a walk the other day. |
| D．As is often the case, we are too busy to find the beauty of nature. |
| E．As we turned a corner along the walking trail, I noticed a woman slowly making her way towards us. |
| F．Of all the things I saw that day, she was the most beautiful. |
| G．Then, quickly and neatly, she placed it in the trash bag. |
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【推荐1】There are many wetlands（湿地） in China and some of them have become the world’s important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng，Jiangsu Province. They are home for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world’s largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve（自然保护区) is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world, but every winter you can see some in the Red-crowned Cranes Nature Reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.
The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine，too. They are really good places for wildlife（野生生物）. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.
Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the important of wetlands and wildlife. Every year，on February 2nd，many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.
1. Usually the weather in the wetlands is ________.| A．hot | B．pleasant | C．cold | D．dry |
| A．April 22 | B．June 25 | C．February 2 | D．March 22 |
| A．they are home for wildlife | B．they can prevent flood |
| C．they can offer food to the animals and birds | D．all of the above |
| A．China’s Wetlands Have All Entered the World’s List |
| B．Wetlands—Home for Wildlife and Human Beings |
| C．Special Animals in the Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands |
| D．Wetlands—Valuable Recourses（珍贵资源）of Land on the Earth |
【推荐2】Switching food and drink purchases to very similar but more environmentally friendly alternatives could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from household groceries by more than a quarter (26%), according to a new Australian study from The George Institute published in Nature Food. Making bigger changes— like swapping a frozen meat lasagne (宽面条) for the vegetarian option— could push the reduction to as much as 71%.
Lead author Dr Allison Gaines said, “Dietary habits need to change significantly if we are to meet global emissions targets, particularly in high- income countries like Australia, the UK, and the US.” But while consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the food system, they lack reliable information to identify the more environmentally friendly options.
Researchers calculated the projected emissions of annual grocery purchases from 7,000 Australian households in The George Institute’s FoodSwitch database and global environmental impact datasets. More than 22,000 products were assigned to major, minor and sub- categories of foods(e. g. ‘bread and bakery’, ‘bread’ and ‘white bread’, respectively) to quantify emissions saved by switching both within and between groups. Making switches within the same sub- categories of foods could lead to emission reductions of 26% in Australia, equivalent to taking over 1.9 million cars off the road. Switches within minor categories of foods could lead to even bigger emission reductions of 71%.
The results of the study show the potential to significantly reduce our environmental impact by switching like- for- like products. “It showed that you can switch to lower emissions products while still enjoying nutritious foods,” Dr Gaines added.
A free app, called ecoSwitch, has been developed currently available in Australia, based on this research. Shoppers can use their device to scan a product barcode and check its ‘Planetary Health Rating’, a measure of its emissions shown as a score between half a star(high emissions) to five stars (low emissions).
“While ecoSwitch is a much- needed first step in providing environmental transparency (透明度) for grocery shoppers, the vision is for compulsive display of a single, standardised sustainability rating system on all supermarket products,” concluded prof Neal, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Imperial College London.
1. What does the author want to show by listing numbers in paragraph 1?| A．The impact of food industry. | B．The need of changing daily diet. |
| C．The status of environmental problems. | D．The influencing factors of gas emissions. |
| A．To set up a comprehensive database. |
| B．To figure out the detailed food categories. |
| C．To identify emissions reduced by switching food. |
| D．To ensure less air pollution caused by food options. |
| A．It is popular in high- income countries. | B．It checks the emissions of star products. |
| C．It is a measurement system for a supermarket. | D．It ensures wiser choices for food purchase. |
| A．EcoSwitch makes customers aware of food risk. |
| B．Food swaps contribute to environmental sustainability. |
| C．Environmental problems account for less food nutrition. |
| D．Greenhouse gas emissions have an effect on food safety. |
【推荐3】In an effort to fight the “throw-away culture” and promote reuse and repair, the city of Berlin has taken the unique step of opening its own second-hand department store.
This isn’t your grandma’s thrift shop(旧货商店). It resells perfectly good items that would otherwise be thrown away. A pun(双关语) on the German words for “department store” and “conserving house”, B-Wa(h) renhaus sells a wide variety of products. Far from simply selling old items, the electronic goods have been fixed by expert technicians and come with a year’s guarantee. And, to reach more second-hand shoppers, the store was set up right in the middle of the famous Karstadt department store.
With the success of its initial six-month trial run, the city plans to open four more similar operations in other parts of Berlin. By 2030, it hopes to have at least one location in each of Berlin’s 12 districts. Since 2008, city policies and educational campaigns have reduced average annual household waste by about 25 pounds per resident. It also recycles about 49% of its mineral construction waste. Currently, the city estimates that 8% of abandoned electronic goods and 6% of huge items thrown away can actually be reused. The goal is to expand the market for these items beyond the usual bargain hunters and eco-conscious consumers.
“Three years ago, we started collecting all kinds of used goods,” city spokesperson Dorothee Winden said, “There are lots of things that are well-preserved and functioning but aren’t being used anymore. The goal is to give these things a new life with somebody who can use them.” The store also includes an education center to encourage more sustainable lifestyles-and also gave an award to a project that recycles school uniforms, so that parents don’t have to buy new ones every year.
1. The following are reasons for Berlin’s opening its second-hand store, EXCEPT .| A．to fight the “throw-away culture” | B．to make more profits |
| C．to reduce varieties of waste | D．to promote recycling |
| A．The category of the goods. |
| B．The location of the store. |
| C．The quality of the products. |
| D．The way of selling the goods. |
| A．Berlin currently has 4 second-hand stores in construction. |
| B．It is estimated that Berlin will be a zero-waste city by 2030. |
| C．The market will be expanded to meet the needs of the bargain hunters. |
| D．Berlin’s environment has benefited from city policies and educational campaigns. |
| A．a news report | B．a blog entry |
| C．a travel guide | D．a social research paper |
【推荐1】My husband Robert and I had volunteered to help build an irrigation (灌溉) system for bananas in Zambia. The Heart of Africa Mission is run by local Zambians, with a focus on community development. We were there to share our agricultural (农业的) experience and knowledge with the African farmers.
We left snow-covered Alberta, Canada in January. We spent the next four weeks working side by side with the local Zambians in a banana plantation (种植园). The banana plantation would help make the Heart of Africa Mission self-supporting. It would also teach banana farming to the students there. Students would go on to teach others. It has done that and more. Through the jobs created, several families now have food, education for their children, and enough housing. The plantation is producing well and is a source of great pride for all who work there.
My husband worked hard at building the irrigation system. But the story he tells most often is of the young man who stopped us on one of our walks somewhere. He pointed to his bike, and laughing widely, told Robert, “Look, look, it still works.” Robert had repaired it for him. A bike in Zambia is like a truck in North America—necessary transportation for people and produce. Robert’s small effort made a big difference in this man’s life.
“We sure appreciate (感激) your sacrifice (牺牲),” our organizer often says. For us it was never a sacrifice, only an honor to have the chance to work in a place so far from our own, to be able to exchange ideas and thoughts. All this happened while living in a beautiful sunny country in the green of the rainy season, while at home in Alberta, the snow would cover the landscape (风景) for months. No, the volunteer work was never a sacrifice. It was only an honor.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first paragraph?| A．She likes to take adventures. | B．She is probably an expert in agriculture. |
| C．She started the Heart of Africa Mission. | D．She used to live in Africa for a long time. |
| A．Costly. | B．Tiring. | C．Challenging. | D．Fruitful. |
| A．To ask for help. | B．To express his thanks. |
| C．To show his cycling skills. | D．To tell them about his work. |
| A．It enabled her to work harder. | B．It brought her public recognition. |
| C．It made her appreciate her life more. | D．It allowed her to experience different things. |
【推荐2】Teachers in poor areas are always being asked to do more with less. They’re given smaller budgets (财政预算) and larger tasks in schools that employ fewer teachers and take in more students. But none of these struggles can quite compare to the challenges faced by Akoto in Ghana, who is an information and communication technology teacher who has been assigned to teach his students without using an actual computer. So like any good teacher, Akoto teaches them by drawing pictures of a computer on the blackboard.
Akoto recently shared images of one of his computer lessons, in which he can be seen using multi-colored chalk to draw the features of Microsoft Word software on the blackboard. In one of the photos, you can see his students drawing the same images in their notebooks. And his photos have gotten quite a response.
One might ask, “Why do they bother to take such a challenging course?” But here’s the reason: Even though the students at Akoto’s school don’t have computers, they are still required to pass a national exam that includes a section on computing skills before moving on to high school.
So Akoto does what he needs to do to ensure that his students understand the material. He has drawn pictures many times for his students over his six years and just happened to share the pictures this time on Facebook. He says he has his own personal laptop, but it is different from the one Akoto is required to teach. He doesn’t bring it to class for fear of confusing the kids with a computer that they have never seen.
The good news is that those Facebook pictures made their way to the right place. Microsoft Africa promised to give him some proper resources. Others also stepped up to the plate and helped out Akoto. NIIT Ghana, an information technology training institution, donated five computers to Akoto’s school and one for Akoto himself. A PhD student at the University of Leeds in the UK inspired by Akoto also donated a computer.
1. Which of the following best describes Akoto’s school?| A．Loosely managed. | B．Ill-equipped. | C．Well-staffed. | D．Large-sized. |
| A．They copy his images. |
| B．They take turns to use an actual computer. |
| C．They learn to identify multi-colored chalk. |
| D．They usually take photos of the computers. |
| A．Its functions are limited. |
| B．He is unwilling to share it. |
| C．It may puzzle his students. |
| D．He is confused by its system. |
| A．To stand still is to move back. |
| B．Great things can be achieved by joint efforts. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
【推荐3】In October, Jennifer Garner was recognized by Toun & Country magazine for her charity work. Since 2009, the award-winning actress has served as an artist ambassador(大使)for Save the Children, a global organization.
Garner was honored at a Philanthropy Meeting in New York City hosted by Town & Country. After the meeting, NBC News Reporter Cynthia McFadden interviewed Garner, who grew up in a countryside community in West Virginia, where she experienced the poor life first-hand.
“When I got older, ”Garner said, “I saw famous organizations helping people all over the world. ”This led her to wonder: “Why don’t they support poor people here in our own country?”
The actress now spends countless hours on healthy food and early schooling programs in the countryside areas. She does what she can to support Save the Children’s efforts to bring healthy meals to children, educate and provide resources(资源)to parents .
When asked what kids could do to follow her example, Garner said: “You could help raise money. You could do a book drive. You could wash cars. You could find a way to volunteer. ” Shriver, who encouraged Garner to join Save the Children, agreed. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make a difference, ”he said.
Last August, Garner visited Eastern Kentucky after flooding destroyed the area. She looked into the damage at a school in the town of Ary, where even the library was flooded.
“My little primary school library totally shaped my life, ” Garner told Cynthia. “I wanted to be a school librarian. I wanted to work in a library space just like this. ”The library was one of 16 that Save the Children had helped to build in Kentucky.
Now, Gamer is doing her best to make sure more books get into the hands of children. “We have a lot of work to do, ”Gamer told Toun & Country. “But we will dig in. ”
1. Which word best describes Garner’s childhood?| A．Hard. | B．Happy | C．Lonely | D．Interesting. |
| A．They carried out unfair measures. |
| B．They spent too much money on unnecessary matters. |
| C．They should help their own people in need. |
| D．They paid little attention to education. |
| A．Teaching children to volunteer. | B．Making her hometown known to others. |
| C．Those suffering from natural disasters. | D．Kids’ health and education in poor areas. |
| A．Serving others. | B．Working at a library. |
| C．Being a movie actress. | D．Selling books to children. |
