The night sky is our earliest library. There, we stored our knowledge, and passed it down around the fire, before we invented the written word.
I remember going to the local university for an astronomy (天文学) night when I was a child. That night, I saw Saturn, one of the planets, and its rings with my own eyes for the first time. The rings shone bright against the blackness of space and suddenly the universe (宇宙) wasn’t something that you only read about or imagined in your head. It was right there, and you were a part of it. That moment is priceless.
While starlight is good, light pollution here on Earth can be a real problem. For the past 200 years or so, we have used too much electricity (电) to make the night brighter. However, brighter doesn’t usually mean better, especially when a lot of that light shines up into the sky where no one needs it.
Luckily, some cities have taken actions, like setting up new downward-directing lights along the streets. I hope that more cities will join in and continue the practice of controlling unnecessary lighting, so that more of us can watch the night sky in a way humans have for thousands of years.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. What is the night sky compared to?
| A．A book. | B．The earth. | C．A library. |
| A．It opened his eyes. | B．It controlled his mind. | C．It was a real problem. |
| A．A brighter night. | B．Less use of lighting. | C．More personal space. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If your family is like many in the United States, it’s easy to get a cold bottled water right out of the fridge, right?
But all those plastic bottles pollute the environment. In fact, Americans buy more bottled water than any other nation in the world, adding 29 billion water bottles a year to the problem. In order to make all these bottles, factories use 17 million barrels (桶) of oil. That’s enough oil to keep a million cars going for twelve months.
So why don’t more people drink water straight from the kitchen tap (水龙头)? Some people drink bottled water because they think it is cleaner than water out of the tap, but that’s not true. In the United States, local governments make sure water from the kitchen tap is clean and safe.
People love the convenience of bottled water. But maybe if they realize the problem it causes, they would try drinking from a glass at home or carrying water in a refillable steel bottle instead of plastic.
Plastic bottle recycling can help — instead of going out with the trash. Unluckily, for every six water bottles we use, only one makes it to the recycling bin. The rest are sent to landfills. Or, even worse, they end up as trash on the land and in rivers, lakes and the ocean. Plastic bottles take many hundreds of years to disintegrate (降解) .
Water is good for you, so keep drinking it. But think about how often you use water bottles, and see if you can make a change. Remember this: Recycling one plastic bottle can save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours.
1. According to the passage, a car uses ________ barrels of oil in a year.| A．12 | B．17 | C．29 | D．60 |
| A．Because water from the kitchen lap isn’t safe. |
| B．Because they think bottled water is cleaner than water out of the tap. |
| C．Because drinking bottled water is cheaper. |
| D．Because they are always too busy to boil water. |
| A．可再生的 | B．可回收的 | C．一次性的 | D．可再装的 |
| A．Only 10% of the water bottles we use can be recycled. |
| B．More and more people realize steel bottles are better than plastic ones. |
| C．It’s difficult for us to disintegrate plastic bottles. |
| D．We will never be allowed to drink bottled water any more. |
| A．to recycle plastic bottles and save the environment |
| B．never to drink bottled water at home or other places |
| C．to use less coil to keep a car going for twelve months |
| D．to throw plastic bottles as trash on the land and in rivers |
Yangtze River is the longest river in China and the third longest river in the world.
During the long history of ancient China, this river helped feed millions of people and developed amazing cultures. The important cities such as Shanghai and Nanjing are sitting along the river.
| A．However, the Yangtze River also faces some problems. |
| B．So far, we’ve made some achievements. |
| C．A great program teaches children about endangered animals. |
| D．It is just after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America. |
| E．The Chinese government is calling us to protect Yangtze River. |
| F．The other program is about endangered animals. |
| G．Finally it runs into the ocean in Shanghai. |
【推荐3】The sea level is rising and some animals are moving to new homes. There may be more storms. What’s worse, the rising sea level forces humans to move away from the coasts. While in some parts, it may be too dry to grow plants. ——Eric, 13, Japan
A new study shows that about 80 percent people in North America can’t see the Milky Way（银河）because of light pollution. The most seriously light-polluted country in the world is Singapore. Too much light has a direct effect on human’s eyes. It can also destroy our sleep cycle. What’s more, it also affects wild animals. ——May, 14, America
An activity in Hangzhou makes people think more about the use of plastic bags in life. A volunteer said, “If we do nothing about the white pollution, it will cause more deaths of sea animals, and human beings will become ‘plastic men’.”——Li Xiang, 15, China
The haze（雾霾）is becoming more and more serious, does great harm to our heath. It can make you cough and cause skin problems and eye problems. You shouldn’t exercise in the open air. When you go out, you must wear a mask（面罩）. ——Wang Ping, 14, China
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. In Eric’s view, what forces humans to move away from the coasts?
| A．The rising sea level. | B．Water pollution. |
| C．The greenhouse effect. | D．Tree cutting. |
| A．Singapore. | B．Japan. | C．America. | D．China. |
| A．About 70 percent. | B．About 76 percent. | C．About 80 percent. | D．Not mentioned. |
| A．People use too many plastic bags in life. | B．People waste paper in their daily life. |
| C．People are destroying the forests. | D．People kill many wild animals. |
| A．Exercise every day in the open air. | B．Open the window all day long. |
| C．Remember to wear a mask. | D．Put on your heavy clothes. |
【推荐1】Biodiversity refers to various kinds of living things on our planet. It includes not only the different species of animals and plants, but also the genetic diversity(多样性) within each species and the diversity of ecosystem in which they live. Biodiversity is necessary for all living things, including humans. However, it is dangerous because of human activities such as deforestation(毁林), pollution, and climate change.
One of the main reasons why biodiversity is important is that it provides us with many necessary ecosystem services. For example, forests help to control the Earth’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air. Wetlands help to separate out pollutants from water and offer living space for many kinds of birds and animals. Coral reefs protect coastlines from storms and provide home for thousands of living things in the ocean.
Biodiversity also plays a key role in providing us with food ,medicine, and other resources(资源). For example, many of the fruits and vegetables that we eat are from wild plants. Many of the medicines that we use to treat diseases come from plant and animal resources. And many of the materials that we use to build our homes and make our clothes come from natural resources.
However, besides its importance, biodiversity is under threat. According to the World Wildlife Fund, we are now in the process of the sixth mass extinction(灭绝) event in Earth’s history. This extinction event is largely caused by human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution, and overfishing.
Protecting biodiversity is therefore completely necessary if we want to make sure that all living things can survive continually, including ourselves. This can be achieved through a combination of measures, including protection of natural environment, continuous use of natural resources, and reducing our carbon footprint(碳排放量).
In conclusion, biodiversity is important for the survival and well-being of all living things, including humans. It is important that we must take actions to protect it for ourselves and for our future generations.
1. We can know from the passage that________.| A．humans provide necessary ecosystem services for biodiversity |
| B．biodiversity includes all kinds of living things except humans |
| C．humans make great influence on the biodiversity on the earth |
| D．the development of biodiversity relates to the climate change |
| A．in danger | B．out of date | C．under control | D．on balance |
| A．It suggests us how we can take the advantage of biodiversity. |
| B．It encourages us to try to control biodiversity’s development. |
| C．It tells us why we should take actions to protect biodiversity. |
| D．It talks about the importance of improving our environment. |
An e-readers has the memory space to hold hundreds of books . So people want to throw away heavy schoolbags and read with small,light e-readers. For example, Cushing Academy , a high school in Massachusetts, USA, replaced most of the 200,000 books in its library last summer. Teachers students will use e-readers instead .
Most e-readers are thin and weigh less than 500 g. They can download an e-book in 60 seconds . “It’s so easy.You can have a lot of books right at your fingers!” said Meghan Chensusky, 16.
Chinese school children are also trying e-readers. At the Shanghai world Expo, an e-schoolbag was on show. It is a special e-reader. Students can use it to download textbooks from the school servers. It can also send and receive homework.Some schools in Beijing and Shanghai have tried this e-schoolbag for a few years. “It’s excellent. I don’t have to carry a heavy schoolbag anymore,” said Xiao QI, 15,Beijing.
1. How many books can an e-reader hold?
| A．100. |
| B．More than 100 |
| C．200,000 |
| A．Small. | B．Light. | C．Thick |
| A．They have the memory space. |
| B．They are just for reading. |
| C．They can send and receive homework. |
| A．In the USA and the UK. |
| B．In Beijing and Shanghai. |
| C．In China and Japan |
| A．read books |
| B．watch TV |
| C．take photos |
【推荐3】Do you know Earth Day? Every year on 22 April, people all over the world celebrate Earth Day. It is a time to work to keep our Earth clean. People plan projects (项目) to clean up the land, air and water.
Gaylord Nelson from the US first thought of the idea for Earth Day in 1962 when he saw dirty rivers and cities with smoke. He needed to get support (支持) from Americans to clean up the Earth. Finally, on 22 April 1970, 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day together. Now many countries around the world celebrate it, and you can too.
How can you celebrate Earth Day? Here are a few ideas:
◇Join (加入) a clean-up project—Clean up your street or a favourite park.
◇Save energy—Turn off the lights when you leave a room and use public transportation (公共交通).
◇Use less water.
◇Reduce/Reuse/Recycle—Practise the three Rs: First, reduce how much you use. Then reuse or recycle what you can.
You can make a difference on Earth Day and every day!
根据语篇内容，选择最佳选项。
1. When was the first Earth Day?
| A．On 22 April 1962. | B．On 22 April 1970. | C．On 22 April 1972. |
| A．have great fun | B．keep our Earth clean | C．get to know each other |
| A．By using more cars. | B．By taking fewer buses. |
| C．By helping clean up the land, air and water. | |
| A．Americans celebrated the first Earth Day. |
| B．Now about 20 million people celebrate Earth Day every year. |
| C．Three Rs mean reduce, reuse and recycle. |
| A．Earth Day | B．Save Energy | C．A Clean-up Project |
