1 . Today, you can buy a pair of sneakers (运动鞋) partially made from carbon dioxide pulled out of the atmosphere. But measuring the carbon-reduction benefits of making that pair of sneakers with carbon dioxide is complex. There’s the carbon dioxide that stayed in the ground, a definite carbon reduction. But what about the energy cost of cooling the carbon dioxide into liquid form and transporting it to a production facility? And what about when your kid outgrows the shoes in six months and they can’t be recycled into a new product because those systems aren’t in place yet?
Researchers are trying to help companies figure out how to account for each step in a product’s life.
As companies try to reduce their carbon footprint, many are doing life cycle assessments to measure the full carbon cost of products, from the obtaining of materials to energy use in manufacturing, from product transport to users’ behavior and end-of-life disposal (处理). It’s an impressively complex measurement, but such bean-counting is needed to hold the planet to a livable temperature, says low-carbon systems expert Andrea Ramirez Ramirez of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Carbon use can be reduced at many points along the production chain—by using renewable energy in the manufacturing process, for instance, or by adding atmospheric carbon dioxide to the product. But if other points along the chain like transporting consume more energy or give off more carbon dioxide, Andrea notes, the final record may show a decrease rather than a reduction. A product is carbon-reduction only when its production actually removes carbon from the environment, temporarily or permanently.
In the rush to create products that can fight climate change, however, some companies have been charged with “greenwashing”—making products appear more environmentally friendly than they really are. Examples include labeling (用标签表明) plastic garbage bags as recyclable when their whole purpose is to be thrown away; using labels such as “eco-friendly” or “100% Natural” without official certification; and claiming a better carbon footprint without acknowledging the existence of even better choices.
1. How does the author lead in the topic of the text?| A．By listing specific figures. | B．By putting up questions. |
| C．By referring to documents. | D．By offering some solutions. |
| A．Difficult but meaningful. | B．Expensive but promising. |
| C．Energy-saving and affordable. | D．Time-consuming and valueless. |
| A．Using renewable energy in production. |
| B．Changing carbon dioxide into material. |
| C．Reducing carbon footprint in products’ life. |
| D．Cutting down carbon dioxide in transporting. |
| A．Companies are sparing no efforts to reduce carbon use. |
| B．Plastic garbage bags must be labeled as “eco-friendly”. |
| C．Most products are less environmentally friendly than before. |
| D．There is a long way to cut some companies’ ”greenwashing“. |
2 . Charles Darwin’s notebooks were first reported missing to the public in 2020. An anonymous (匿名的) person has returned Darwin’s two notebooks to the Cambridge University library. The notebooks, which include Darwin’s 1837 Tree of Life introductions, were returned to the library last month in a bright pink gift bag. “My sense of relief at the notebooks’ safe return is great and almost impossible to express,” said librarian Dr. Jessica Gardner.
The notebooks had been missing for long, while librarians had supposed they had just been misplaced. The library plans to put the notebooks on show in July as part of a coming exhibition (展览) called “Darwin in Conversation”. The Tree of Life is said to show Darwin’s thinking before he completed On the Origin of Species. “Objects like these help with our understanding of the history of humans,” said Stephen Toope, a professor at Cambridge.
The library said the notebooks were first removed in 2000 from the Special Collections Strong Rooms, home to the rarest and most valuable things. A usual check in January 2001 found that the small box having the notebooks was not returned to its right place, After a number of searches throughout the library over the years, the notebooks were not found. Gardner arranged a more careful search in 2020, led by experts who conducted fingertip examinations. The team searched the whole Darwin Archive, which includes more than 180 boxes. After these efforts failed, they had the result that the notebooks had been stolen.
Local police are pleased that the notebooks have finally been found. “We share the university’s delight that these priceless notebooks are now back where they belong,” a Cambridge police spokesman said. “Our investigation (调查) remains open and we are following up some lines of questions.”
1. When was the two notebooks’ loss first reported to the public?| A．In1837. | B．In 2000. | C．In 2001. | D．In 2020. |
| A．A librarian misplaced them. |
| B．They were lost at an exhibition. |
| C．The library did nothing to get them back. |
| D．They were important for us to understand the human history. |
| A．Dig out more valuable things. |
| B．Find more information about the notebooks. |
| C．Open a right place for the notebooks. |
| D．Celebrate the return of the notebooks further. |
| A．Darwin’s Notebooks Are Finally Returned |
| B．Darwin’s Notebooks Are Missing for Years |
| C．Two Important Notebooks Will Be Found Soon |
| D．Efforts for Darwin’s Notebooks Have Been Made |
3 . Indoor food growing operations are seeing both successes and failures in the United States. Some companies in the food industry are investing (投资) even as competitors fail.
California-based Plenty Unlimited this summer began working on $300 million indoor plants, while Kroger announced that it would be increasing its availability of vertically (垂直地) farmed produce. Meanwhile, two indoor farming companies that got strong backing—New Jersey’s AeroFarms and Kentucky’s AppHarvest—filed for financial failure and reorganization. And a five-year-old company in Detroit, Planted Detroit, shut its doors this summer.
The industry changes do not worry Jacob Portillo, a grower with Eden Green Technology, an indoor farming company. “The fact that other people are failing and other people are succeeding is going to happen in any industry you go to,” he said.
Indoor farming refers to growing crops indoors, which experts sometimes call “controlled environment agriculture”. There are different methods. One method called vertical farming involves putting produce from floor to ceiling, often under artificial lights and with the plants growing in nutrient-enriched water. Other growers are trying very large greenhouses, indoor beds of soil in big buildings and using special robots for parts of the farming process.
Supporters say growing indoors uses less water and land and permits food to be grown closer to consumers, saving on transport. Indoor growing is also a way to protect crops from increasingly extreme weather caused by climate change.
But critics question the sustainability (可持续性) of operations that can require a lot of energy for artificial lights. And they say paying for that light can make profitability impossible. Curt Covington of AgAmerica Lending, a private investment company centered on agriculture, is not convinced that indoor farming operations can work—except in special cases. Given the high cost of indoor operations, Covington said, “It’s just hard to be very profitable.”
1. What is Jacob Portillo’s attitude to the indoor food growing industry?| A．Positive. | B．Worried. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．It takes a lot of manpower to take care of plants. |
| B．It means growing plants in water instead of soil. |
| C．It protects crops from increasingly extreme weather. |
| D．It is different from controlled environment agriculture. |
| A．They produce little food. | B．They carry great cost. |
| C．They need sunlight. | D．They lack investors. |
| A．What Types of Food Can Be Grown Indoors? |
| B．How Can You Grow Food Indoors Without Soil? |
| C．Indoor Farming Companies Take Agriculture Indoors |
| D．Indoor Food Growing Operations Face an Uncertain Future |
4 . Stacy Dean, an official at the US Department of Agriculture, was inspired by a visit to Watkins Elementary, in Washington, D. C. Students grow vegetables in their school garden. They also roll up their sleeves in the school’s kitchen to participate in a FRESHFARM FoodPrints class, which integrates cooking and nutrition education.
“Who’s next?” asks instructional coach Regina Green, as kids throw vegetables into the pan and the smell of fresh ginger and onions fills the air. “We grew these in our garden,” Jessie Gibson, one of the students, says proudly. Then he measures and pours dry ingredients into a bowl.
“Our family has tried new things because of the program,” says Catie Kelley, whose two children have participated in the FRESHFARM program. “They come home with the recipes,” Kelley says. “It’s fun because it’s things that we don’t usually make at home,” so it has encouraged them to try novel combinations. She says the kids take more of an interest at the grocery store to identify foods they’ve tried in the program.
Dean wants to have the science around healthy eating integrated. A block to scaling up these types of programs is money. The program relies on grants and receives some federal funding, but it’s not enough to expand the program to all the schools that could benefit.
In fact, there are other problems. At a time when diet-related disease is a leading cause of death, and unhealthy eating habits are rooted in US culture, it’s unrealistic to think that a cooking curriculum could overcome such a sweeping, societal problem. “We know from years of evidence that we need multiple things to come together to support healthy eating,” says Angela Odoms-Young, a professor of maternal and child nutrition at Cornell University.
Despite these challenges, programs like FRESHFARM can help kids expand their choices by introducing them to new tastes. At first, many kids are turned off by the bitter taste of greens. But through the magic of cooking, processing the onions, and blending in fresh ginger, kids can be inspired.
1. What inspired Dean during the visit to Watkins Elementary?| A．The coach’s skillful performance. |
| B．Students’ getting more access to nature. |
| C．The integrated hands-on cooking. |
| D．Students’ gardening and cooking. |
| A．They pay more attention to healthy eating. |
| B．They have a more harmonious relation. |
| C．They show more interest in shopping. |
| D．They have enriched their recipes. |
| A．Advocating healthy eating needs joint efforts. |
| B．A cooking curriculum should be promoted. |
| C．Nutrition helps put students on a healthy path. |
| D．Food is fundamental to life and good health. |
| A．Complex. | B．Widespread. | C．Effective. | D．Easily-operated. |
5 . With my degree in education and an internship (实习) in a high school under my belt, I felt ready for my first real job teaching fourth graders. I prepared clear lesson
The next day, I asked Marcia if I could
Marcia seemed to have all the time in the world — not just for singing, but for each child. When one
I couldn’t
| A．quotes | B．objectives | C．instructions | D．remarks |
| A．interesting | B．informal | C．serious | D．complicated |
| A．fell apart | B．went over | C．worked out | D．got through |
| A．exciting | B．shameful | C．discouraging | D．impressive |
| A．experience | B．selection | C．company | D．proof |
| A．classroom | B．concert | C．club | D．journal |
| A．dreams | B．lives | C．schedules | D．assignments |
| A．describe | B．disturb | C．assess | D．observe |
| A．discussion | B．game | C．song | D．quiz |
| A．cheered | B．fled | C．allowed | D．performed |
| A．even | B．instead | C．regularly | D．purposely |
| A．mean | B．refuse | C．choose | D．wait |
| A．review | B．ignore | C．prepare | D．acknowledge |
| A．students | B．strangers | C．supermen | D．individuals |
| A．reminded | B．followed | C．inspired | D．greeted |
6 . Measles(麻疹), which once killed 450 children each year and disabled even more, was nearly wiped out in the United States 14 years ago by the universal use of the MMR vaccine(疫苗). But the disease is making a comeback, caused by a growing anti-vaccine movement and misinformation that is spreading quickly. Already this year, 115 measles cases have been reported in the USA, compared with 189 for all of last year.
The numbers might sound small, but they are the leading edge of a dangerous trend. When vaccination rates are very high, as they still are in the nation as a whole, everyone is protected. This is called “herd immunity”, which protects the people who get hurt easily, including those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, babies too young to get vaccinated and people on whom the vaccine doesn’t work.
But herd immunity works only when nearly the whole herd joins in. When some refuse vaccination and seek a free ride, immunity breaks down and everyone is in even bigger danger.
That’s exactly what is happening in small neighborhoods around the country from Orange County, California, where 22 measles cases were reported this month, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where a 17-year-old caused an outbreak last year.
The resistance to vaccine has continued for decades, and it is driven by a real but very small risk. Those who refuse to take that risk selfishly make others suffer.
Making things worse are state laws that make it too easy to opt out(决定不参加) of what are supposed to be required vaccines for all children entering kindergarten. Seventeen states allow parents to get an exemption（豁免), sometimes just by signing a paper saying they personally object to a vaccine.
Now, several states are moving to tighten laws by adding new regulations for opting out. But no one does enough to limit exemptions.
Parents ought to be able to opt out only for limited medical or religious reasons. But personal opinions? Not good enough. Everyone enjoys the life-saving benefits vaccines provide, but they’ll exist only as long as everyone shares in the risks.
1. The first two paragraphs suggest that ____________.| A．a small number of measles cases can start a dangerous trend |
| B．the outbreak of measles attracts the public attention |
| C．anti-vaccine movement has its medical reasons |
| D．information about measles spreads quickly |
| A．exemptions are allowed |
| B．several vaccines are used together |
| C．the whole neighborhood is involved in |
| D．new regulations are added to the state laws |
| A．The overuse of vaccine. |
| B．The lack of medical care. |
| C．The features of measles itself. |
| D．The vaccine opt-outs of some people. |
| A．To introduce the idea of exemption. |
| B．To discuss methods to cure measles. |
| C．To stress the importance of vaccination. |
| D．To appeal for equal rights in medical treatment. |
7 . People perform graceful moves, all while standing on a bamboo strip in the river. You may think it’s a scene from an art movie, but actually it is a form of intangible cultural heritage: bamboo drifting(独竹漂).
Bamboo drifting dated back to over 2,000 years ago in the Chishui River area of Guizhou. During the Qin Dynasty,the Bozhou district of Zunyi city was known for its high-quality nanmu. It was in great demand by the royal court more than 2,000 kilometers to the north. With no transportation along the Chishui River， people had to stand on one log(原木)to drift down the river. Later, local people began to compete along the way and the game of wood drifting was born. In the Qing Dynasty, wood drifting became bamboo drifting because of bamboo’s lower price.
Now, communities in Guizhou hold bamboo drifting competitions every year during Dragon Boat Festival. Due to the great strength and balance it takes for one to get the hang of this act, bamboo drifting was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Yang Liu,24,is an inheritor(继承人) of bamboo drifting.Yang said the most challenging part of bamboo drifting was keeping one’s balance. “I fell in the water several times when I was practising,” she said.
But the love for the ancient skill keeps Yang going. In the past 17 years, she has drifted all year round, in winter cold and summer heat.
Yang also produces new ideas when spreading the culture of bamboo drifting. For example, she connects dance with bamboo drifting to make it more graceful and wears hanfu when performing, creating a beautiful feel. In 2020, Yang registered on social media platforms and posted her videos. “I want to spread it to other countries so that more people around the world will like Chinese culture,” she told China Daily.
1. Why did bamboo drifting replace wood drifting?| A．The bamboo was cheaper. | B．The bamboo was more beautiful. |
| C．The bamboo was more convenient. | D．The bamboo was much easier to control. |
| A．Prepare. | B．Change. | C．Master. | D．Improve. |
| A．Designing moves. | B．Transporting goods. |
| C．Choosing bamboos. | D．Keeping balance. |
| A．She inherits bamboo drifting creatively. |
| B．She learned bamboo drifting very easily. |
| C．She has become the leader of bamboo drifting. |
| D．She began learning bamboo drifting at 17. |
8 . The word “art” usually evokes (唤起) images of white-walled galleries, abstract paintings costing millions of dollars and wealthy people, far removed from our everyday experience. Yet, art in 21st century is a different story.
The Internet has weakened the idea that art appreciation is only for the rich. It has enabled more people than ever to have access to art. Netizens are not only consumers of art but creators and participants, too. The social media has made it much easier to share unprofessional work with the whole world. An unprofessional artist can now sell work or get advertising money from online videos.
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is the motto of data visualisation (可视化) fans. The amount of information available today can be huge, so some people are working on presenting data using visually appealing diagrams that are easy for the public to understand. Of course, diagrams can also be used by dishonest people to mislead the audience, so we need to take care to interpret them the right way.
Another way that art advances education is by enabling us to understand concepts that are invisible to the naked eye. For most biology students, the names and functions of dozens of proteins go in one ear and out the other, but unforgettable videos like “The Inner Life of the Cell” turn proteins into tiny people with different jobs in a city of large machinery. The same goes for concepts in physics such as black holes — we can understand them better with the help of artists who have backgrounds in both art and science.
Even though most people may not be consciously aware of it, art is all around us. As most of our surrounding environment is man-made, everything in it contains some element of art and can influence our behaviour — telling us where to go or how to interact with objects, feeding us true or false information and controlling our emotions. Art indeed has a greater impact than many would believe it does.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．How the Internet provides service for the rich. |
| B．How the Internet brings art closer to everyone. |
| C．How netizens can contribute to art. |
| D．How people appreciate and use art. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Disapproving. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Videos turn proteins into tiny people. |
| B．Videos explain concepts better than pictures. |
| C．Art helps students understand some concepts. |
| D．Art helps artists have more backgrounds. |
| A．Accessible and powerful. | B．Abstract and graceful. |
| C．Expensive and digital. | D．Traditional and controversial. |
9 . Lacey, 13, found a large bumblebee(大黄蜂)lying in the road while walking her dog. She picked up the bee and noticed it had a broken wing. She tried to put it on some flowers in a nearby park, but it refused to stay there and climbed back to her hand. After an hour, she gave up and headed home with the little creature.
On the way home, the bumblebee was resting on Lacey’s glasses as she went into a local shop to buy milk-shocking other shoppers. Despite many attempts to leave the insect outside, the lovely bee refused to leave Lacey’s side.
Now recovered and named Betty, it follows her everywhere. And once it even stayed with Lacey during the games with her friends at the bowling room.
During the day, Betty rests on the back of Lacey’s neck, or hides inside her clothes or flies around the living room. At night, Lacey puts Betty in a little bottle beside her bed. While there is no lid(盖子), it stays inside quietly until morning.
“I’m so happy and I love spending my time with her,” said the girl. “She’s so lovely and I love our friendship.”
The bee likes Lacey’s food, but also gets sugar water, honey and strawberry jam. Lacey also takes her bee-pal into the garden to enjoy flower honey, but as soon as the girl goes back inside, Betty is right beside her.
“It’s really lovely and so beautiful,” said her mother, Laura. “I’m also glad that Lacey has a new close friend.” Betty enjoys a touch between the wings, but stays away from the rest of the family—mom, dad and two younger brothers. “We have all the doors open a lot and she’s just never gone—I don’t know why,” said Laura.
1. What did Lacey find in the road?| A．A lost dog. | B．An injured bumblebee. | C．A girl called Betty. | D．Some beautiful flowers. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Angry. | C．Delighted. | D．Excited. |
| A．In the living room. | B．On Lacey’s glasses. | C．In a nearby park. | D．In a little bottle. |
| A．Betty loves every one of Lace’s family. |
| B．Betty dislikes touches from humans. |
| C．Laura also likes the presence of Betty. |
| D．Laura is worried about Lacey’s safety. |
10 . The history of Azerbaijani cinema dates back to the end of the 19th century, during which, many excellent movies have been filmed, which are still watched and admired by everyone.
These movies were filmed in many beautiful places: from the comfortable and winding streets of the Icharishahar(Old City)—UNESCO World Heritage Site in Baku—to the beautiful fruit gardens and forests of beautiful areas of Azerbaijan.
Here, on these streets, one of the most famous Azerbaijani films, Arshin Mal Alan, directed by Rza Tahmasib, was filmed.
Filmed in 1945 and characterized by its amazing plot, beautiful music, great singing and acting, Arshin Mal Alan quickly became a box office sensation (轰动).
It remains an important cultural touchstone across Eurasia and has been translated into 86languages and shown in 136 countries.
The film is about pure love, women’s rights, and a young couple’s dreams for a modern way of life.
The plot tells us about a rich young man named Asker. One day, he decides to get married. However, according to the Eastern rule, a bride (新娘) needs to cover her face before the wedding. But soon he finds a solution to this problem. On the advice of his friend Suleyman, Asker dresses up as a street seller of cloth. By selling goods, these sellers can enter houses where the women and girls choosing their cloth don’t cover their faces. Now Asker can go into any yard and choose a bride.
The film has a lot of entertaining moments, songs and humour. The black-and-white version of this film has also been restored and can now be viewed in colour.
However, this is not the only movie that was filmed in the Old City. For example, in the films Amphibian Man and The Diamond Arm, you can see the streets well known to every Azerbaijaní.
1. What can we know about Arshin Mal Alan?| A．It was filmed before 1945. | B．It is popular around the world. |
| C．It is an action film with amazing plot. | D．It can be viewed in black and white only. |
| A．A man must be rich in order to marry his bride. |
| B．A man must dress up as a seller at the wedding. |
| C．A man mustn’t see his bride’s face before the wedding. |
| D．A man must buy a house for his bride before the wedding. |
| A．To choose a bride. | B．To make a film. |
| C．To work in the street. | D．To earn more money. |
| A．The street culture in Azerbaijan. |
| B．The history of black-and-white TV. |
| C．A love story between Asker and his bride. |
| D．A famous movie filmed in Old City—Icharishahar. |
