2 . From the lush green hill you can see Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, in the distance. Populations of deer, rabbits and turtle live here. The air is stinky and the only signs that we are standing above a 24-metre (79 feet) deep landfill are the methane gas pipes rising from the grass.

Ljubljana is the first European capital to commit to going zero-waste. But fifteen years ago, all of its refuse went straight to landfill. “And that is expensive,” says Nina Sankovic of Voka Snaga, the city’s waste management company. “It takes up space and you’ re throwing away resources.”

So the city decided to change course.

It began in 2002 with separate collection of paper, glass and packaging in Roadside container stands. Four years later the city began collecting biodegradable waste door to door; separate collection of biowaste is set to become mandatory across Europe in 2023, but Ljubljana was nearly two decades ahead of the curve.

In 2013, every doorstep in the city received bins for packaging and paper waste. And, most controversially, scheduled collections of the residual waste were cut by half-forcing people to separate their rubbish more efficiently.

The results have been impressive. In 2008, the city recycled only 29.3% of its waste and was lagging behind the rest of Europe. Today that figure is 68%, and its landfill receives almost 80% less rubbish, putting it at the top of there cycling leader board of EU capitals. The Slovenian capital now produces only 115kg of residual waste per capital annually(the European city with the lowest figure is the much smaller Treviso, Italy, at 59kg).

1. What is the usage of the pipe rising from the grass?

A．A sign to show there is a deep landfill.	B．To emit gas rising from the grass.
C．To discharge methane from the deep landfill.	D．A water pipe to water grass.

2. What is the meaning of the underlined word “mandatory” in Paragraph 4?

A．Compulsory.

B．Typical.

C．Normal.

D．Reasonable.

3. What is the author’s attitude to the change of Ljubljana?

A．Favorable.

B．Intolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

4. In which section of a newspaper may the passage appear?

A．Society.

B．Geography education.

C．Tourism.

D．Environmental protection.

3 . It isn’t necessary to know everything before heading out into the wilderness, but studying a quality first-aid guide book and familiarizing yourself with the necessary skills can be enough to save someone’s life.

Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First Aid by William W. Forgey

This book does a great job of breaking down how to examine, judge, and stabilize your patient or situation, manage the person’s physical symptoms(症状), and know what questions to ask. It covers a wider range of possible injuries and treatment options than some other wilderness first-aid books. This book costs $12.79 and is easy to read and understand.

Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills by The Mountaineers

In its 9th edition, the book, which costs $21.99, has become a gold standard for anyone planning to spend significant time in the backcountry. Written by climbers for climbers, this book has everything you need to know to stay safer, from basic first aid to staying safe in avalanche terrain(雪崩地形), and learning how to move forward without networking.

Mountaineering: Essential Skills for Hikers and Climbers by Alun Richardson

The book, which costs $13.59, not only contains information about wilderness first aid but also attempts to teach you safety and survival skills from hiking basics to winter adventures. This book stands out because of its detailed visual diagrams that illustrate the right and wrong ways to achieve different techniques.

Medicine for Mountaineering & Other Wilderness Activities by James Wilkerson

The book, which costs $32.95, is a great addition to your collection if you’ve already read some of the other wilderness first-aid books, and maybe even taken a course already but are still wanting to learn more. Many doctors and nurses like this book because they practice basic medical diagnosis(诊断) regularly.

1. What does William W. Forgey introduce in detail in his book?

A．The ways of comforting injured climbers.

B．The steps to determine a medical problem.

C．The advice on keeping away from potential dangers.

D．Visual diagrams showing treatment options.

2. How much is the book based on the real-life climbing experiences?

A．$21.99.

B．$13.59.

C．$12.79.

D．$32.95.

3. Which book especially suits climbers with a background in medicine?

A．Wilderness Medicine: Beyond First Aid.

B．Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills.

C．Mountaineering: Essential Skills for Hikers and Climbers.

D．Medicine for Mountaineering & Other Wilderness Activities.

4 . The South African town Hamburg is situated by one of the most beautiful estuaries (河口) in the Eastern Cape. It’s known for its rich Xhosa culture. It is also home to a group of women who have produced a series of extraordinary artworks that have been exhibited around the world.

Keiskamma Art Project was created to teach local women embroidery (刺绣) skills to help them at a tough time economically and socially, but unexpectedly it has grown into something much bigger. Having been shown at international art galleries, many of their tapestries (挂毯) are now being displayed under one roof for the first time, at an exhibition in Johannesburg.

Their story began in 2000, when Dr. Carol Hofmeyr moved from Johannesburg to Hamburg. She found that the town was struggling with high unemployment and that local women were desperate to find ways to feed their families. Having studied embroidery herself, she hoped that passing on that knowledge to local women would help empower them.

From humble beginnings, more and more women heard about the project through word of mouth. Now, over 150 women are part of the project. Selling their works provides a source of income, but the project has also created a support system for the women.

Initially, the women started out simply creating cushions (坐垫) and small handbags to sell to tourists. Eventually, they started receiving tasks for larger pieces. They were given panels about a meter in size to work on at home. By joining the completed panels together, they created the first of their large works and one of their most celebrated, “The Keiskamma Tapestry”, which tells the history of the Xhosa people who were subjugated (征服) through colonization and the Xhosa British Frontier Wars from 1776 to 1876.

Another celebrated piece is “The Keiskamma Altarpiece”, which was produced by 130 women. The four-meter-high, four-meter-wide piece reveals the struggles that elderly Xhosa women endured when the youth in their community were hit by HIV two decades ago, and they stepped in to care for children.

Recent artworks engage with contemporary issues. “COVID Resilience Tapestry” deals with the pandemic; “A New Earth and Our Sacred Ocean” is a call for environmental consciousness.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To inform readers of the situation.	B．To bring in the topic of the text.
C．To introduce an ancient culture.	D．To promote the local artworks.

2. What is beyond people’s expectation for Keiskamma Art Project?

A．It helps a lot of women.	B．It gains international fame.
C．It helps develop local economy.	D．It sponsors an exhibition in Johannesburg.

3. Which of the following can best describe the process of making “The Keiskamma Tapestry”?

A．Historical.

B．Game-changing.

C．Cooperative.

D．Time-consuming.

4. What do we know about “The Keiskamma Altarpiece”?

A．It shows the Xhosa people’s sufferings.	B．It reflects on some contemporary issues.
C．It covers some pandemic-related content.	D．It aims to arouse the environmental awareness.

5 . What do the following animals have in common? Pandas, rhinoceros, Mexican burrowing snakes, pink pigeons and small tooth sawfish.

They are all endangered animals! Animals become endangered for a variety of reasons. Sadly, humans are behind every one of them!

For centuries, humans have hunted elephants for their tusks, and killed tigers for their beautiful fur, caught fish for food. While we still have elephants, tigers, and fish in the wild, we cannot say the same about many others that have simply died out!

Year 1505 was a dreadful turning point in the natural history of the island of Mauritius — European sailors discovered this beautiful island in the Indian Ocean and brought dogs, pigs, monkeys with them. The arrival of humans and those introduced animal species were bad news for dodo birds. About 50 pounds and flightless, dodo birds did not have any natural enemies until then. They picked fruit fallen from trees and built their nests on the ground. Shortly after humans set foot on Mauritius, however, dodo birds realized that they were in big trouble — men killed them for their meat, and those introduced animal species destroyed their nests and ate their eggs. The effects of excessive hunting and foreign species drove dodo birds to first become much fewer and then die out. The last dodo bird was killed in 1681.

Humans and animals have always competed for land and other natural resources. We clear an area of a forest for farming. We cut down trees and use wood to build beautiful houses. We build reservoirs to make sure that we have enough water to use. At the same time that we are trying to make our life comfortable, we destroy the habitats of wild animals.

More than once we have seen on television that rescue workers are trying their best to save seabirds in spilled oil. More than once we have heard about how emissions of carbon dioxide (二氧化碳的排放) and other gases have raised the earth's temperature and caused global warming. Pollution has a serious and long lasting effect. If we choose to do nothing and continue to pollute our planet Earth, our next generations will have to face an Earth without birds singing and beasts roaring.

1. Which of the following are NOT endangered animals?

A．Pandas.

B．Rhinoceros.

C．Pink pigeons.

D．Dodo birds.

2. What does the underlined word “dreadful” (in Paragraph 4) mean?

A．Surprising.

B．Exciting.

C．Awful.

D．Quick.

3. Paragraph 5 mainly talks about _______.

A．how excessive hunting led to endangerment of animals

B．when foreign species entered the island of Mauritius

C．the human activities caused the loss of habitats of animals

D．pollution played a main role in the worsening of the environment

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．What makes the animals in danger	B．How to save the endangered animals
C．Pollution and animals	D．Don't hunt for animals

6 . Once there was a little girl who had many misfortunes in life and was struggling with problems. One day she felt so upset that she couldn’t help ________ to her father why her life was so ________.

Sensing her ________, her father, a chef, took her to their ________. He asked her to just ________ till he finished everything. He filled three small pots with water and placed each on a burner. Once the water began to ________, he placed a potato, an egg, and some ground coffee beans in each pot. Curious, though, she kept ________ as her father instructed her to do so.

About twenty minutes later, he turned off the ________. The chef turned towards his daughter and said, “See, the potato went in strong and hard but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was ________, but now the egg became hard. ________, the ground coffee beans were unique. After being ________ the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.”

Seeing the little girl was still confused, he then ________, “The potato, the egg and coffee beans had each faced the same ________-the boiling water. However, each reacted ________. When hardships come your way, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean?” Hearing these words, the girl made her choice inside-she would be the ________, which could not only change the whole situation but also change in its own way. After all, life is 10% what happens to you and 90%how you react to it.

1.

A．explaining

B．complaining

C．requesting

D．obtaining

2.

A．fortunate

B．permanent

C．memorial

D．miserable

3.

A．depression

B．desire

C．enthusiasm

D．curiosity

4.

A．study

B．kitchen

C．bedroom

D．cupboard

5.

A．absorb

B．listen

C．observe

D．seize

6.

A．cool

B．freeze

C．melt

D．boil

7.

A．cruel

B．silent

C．noble

D．modest

8.

A．lights

B．microwaves

C．burners

D．taps

9.

A．rough

B．plain

C．precious

D．fragile

10.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．However

D．Otherwise

11.

A．exposed to

B．connected with

C．committed to

D．motivated by

12.

A．revolved

B．proceeded

C．teased

D．responded

13.

A．emergency

B．dilemma

C．choice

D．adversity

14.

A．sufficiently

B．generously

C．differently

D．primitively

15.

A．coffee beans

B．potato

C．egg

D．chef

8 . When my children were younger, we used to walk a graveled trail (用碎石铺成的小路) around the lake near our home. One spring day my daughter and I ______ just how much rubbish was ______ along the trail. The next day then we brought a big rubbish bag with us and started to slowly, step by step, ______ the rubbish along our way. There were plastic water bottles, wrappers for candy bars, empty chip bags, and even an old discarded shoe. We stopped and picked up each one. By the time we had circled the ______, the bag was nearly ______.

Tired but ______, we put the bag in an empty rubbish can. We stopped before we ______ home and took one last look at the lake as the sun set. It looked more ______ than ever.

I know that at times this world’s problems can seem ______ to deal with and you wonder what you can do to make a difference. But the ______ is everything you do makes a difference! Every time you bent ______ to pick up a single piece of rubbish you make a difference. Every ______ you share makes a difference. Every kind word you say makes a difference. Every hug you share, every flower you plant, every animal you ______, everything you do, no matter how ______, makes a difference in this world.

Therefore, make your difference ______ from picking up a piece of rubbish.

1.

A．thought

B．threw

C．valued

D．noticed

2.

A．missing

B．lying

C．hanging

D．waiting

3.

A．raise up

B．turn up

C．pick up

D．make up

4.

A．forest

B．mountain

C．pool

D．lake

5.

A．full

B．empty

C．broken

D．new

6.

A．happy

B．sad

C．depressed

D．exhausted

7.

A．headed

B．left

C．called

D．flew

8.

A．normal

B．boring

C．disappointing

D．beautiful

9.

A．easy

B．hard

C．unnecessary

D．simple

10.

A．hope

B．aim

C．tradition

D．truth

11.

A．forward

B．upward

C．backward

D．onward

12.

A．scream

B．laugh

C．smile

D．weep

13.

A．lose

B．beat

C．save

D．trick

14.

A．many

B．much

C．big

D．small

15.

A．yesterday

B．today

C．tomorrow

D．tonight

9 . The attraction, at the city’s beachfront Codona’s Amusement Park, is one of her earliest memories.

“I definitely have _______ of begging my parents to go, and then I remember feeling super _______ doing the Looping Star roller coaster,” she said.

Now aged 23, Iona is living her dream as a theme park _______ in Florida.

Iona and her family also went to Disneyland in California when she was young.

“I _______ this was somethings that I loved,” she said.

“I always liked _______ things and drawing, and art was my favourite subject.It was probably when I was about 10 years old that I thought: ‘This is what I _______ to do for life.’”

She _______ to develop her creative skills at Edinburgh Napier University, which she _______ was “really fun”.

While in her third year, for a placement opportunity, she _______ experience design company Falcon’s Creative Group in Orlando.

“They said ‘we would love to take you on’, ”Iona said.

She was soon over in Florida, where she ________ them with her ideas—and that finally led to her ________ a full­time job offer.

“I had done three years at university and decided to ________ and not do my honours year, ” she explained.

“So far it has ________. It’s a great team to work with.”

She has recently been ________ a theme park project in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

“What I have designed will come to life, ________ these things take years and years.I feel very lucky to have this job.”

1.

A．problems

B．memories

C．ways

D．exceptions

2.

A．brave

B．shy

C．sorry

D．kind

3.

A．manager

B．visitor

C．designer

D．owner

4.

A．accepted

B．realized

C．remembered

D．doubted

5.

A．checking

B．seeing

C．changing

D．making

6.

A．want

B．require

C．fail

D．try

7.

A．regretted

B．struggled

C．decided

D．agreed

8.

A．argued

B．guessed

C．questioned

D．thought

9.

A．founded

B．saved

C．helped

D．contacted

10.

A．compared

B．replaced

C．impressed

D．mixed

11.

A．refusing

B．getting

C．missing

D．providing

12.

A．leave

B．rest

C．cancel

D．learn

13.

A．run out

B．turned up

C．come back

D．paid off

14.

A．giving up

B．working on

C．looking for

D．judging on

15.

A．before

B．so

C．but

D．or

10 . A survey by the American Psychological Association shows that one in ten adults reads online news at least once an hour. A lot has been written about the mental health influence from news addiction, and in particular from reading negative reports. Just like junk food, “junk” news can be bad for our health.

In recent years, things have been getting increasingly more negative. A study of the content of New Zealand’s largest newspaper showed that while in 1973 the average number of stories about death on the front page was 0.75, by 2013 it was 4.1(and no, there weren’t five times more people dying).

What’s more, online news, and the stories we read on mobile phones in particular, tend to be even more negative than print. A 2019 study of 50 U.S. newspapers showed that mobile versions of newspapers report three times more stories about disasters and accidents than paper ones.

Such negative reports lead people to believe that things are worse than they really are. They can lead to stress, worry and lower spirits.

Experiments also suggest that loneliness and poor relationships have been connected with reading negative reports. After reading negative reports, people are less likely to help others. Even worse, when we check news on smart phones, we may “phub” our loved ones, which leads to lower relationship satisfaction.

Negative reports attract our attention far more than positive ones. That’s a global happening. I hope, however, that if we realize that negative news is spoiling our moods, we might all be more willing to change.

1. Why is “junk food” mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To entertain readers.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To make an advertisement.	D．To keep readers away from it.

2. What can we learn about the study in Paragraph 2?

A．The death rate in New Zealand is very high.	B．Print newspapers have become less popular.
C．Stories about death have become less popular.	D．Negative reporting has been increasing over years.

3. What may negative reports lead people to do?

A．Live a hopeful life.	B．Become more careful.
C．Become less likely to help others.	D．Pay more attention to their physical health.

4. What does the underlined word “phub” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Ignore

B．Hate

C．Laugh at

D．Care about

5. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A Survey on News Reading Habits	B．Negative Effects of Mobile Phones
C．Is Online News Better Than Print?	D．Is Junk News a Danger to Health?