1 . Lying in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, the fishing village Huatulco is home to nine bays, 36 beaches and thousands of baby turtles that apparently needed me. I had three open days on my calendar, and a desire to save some turtles. And so, away I went to Huatulco with Wildcoast, a group of champions-for-change who were protecting coastal and marine ecosystem in the U. S. and Mexico.
I was taken to La Escobilla to experience Wildcoast in action. Just one hour north of Huatulco, this protected beach is where mass turtle nesting happens. This natural phenomenon lasts just four days during rainy season, hundreds of thousands of female sea turtles swinging their way ashore to lay their eggs.
Between threats of dogs, crabs, development and oil spills, the little creatures have the whole world against them. As recently as 2002, turtles hunting was not only a common practice, but an important part of the culture and diet in the Oaxaca communities. Luckily, Wildcoast rescues turtle eggs and recreates habitats by monitoring temperatures and humidity. Thanks to their efforts, the sea turtles have made a major comeback, with now over 72 million turtles being born on the beaches that Wildcoast protects.
I got to hold 50 of the tiny creatures in a bowl. Despite an average laying of 100 eggs, just one in 1, 000 baby turtles will make it to adulthood. Gazing into the bowl, I so badly wanted them to taste the sea and find shelter somewhere deep in the ocean. Finally, it was time to liberate those little creatures. Out spilled the creatures, some moving full steam ahead while others barely paddled in place. Literally, hundreds of them began to spread out across the beach.
With each set of waves, we witnessed the survival of the fittest, some pushing past the whitewash while others crashed back to shore. Their fight for life made my eyes wet. A flock of birds were ready to dive into the sea for their moving targets. “One in 1, 000.” Nature was cruel and compassionate at the same time. After 30 long minutes, the last creature made his way to the sea.
1. The baby turtles are threatened by various factors except ________.| A．the cruel hunters | B．the rapid development |
| C．the extreme weather | D．the oil-polluted ocean |
| A．With slow pace and fear. | B．With all energy and enthusiasm. |
| C．With full caution and curiosity. | D．With great satisfaction and responsibility. |
| A．One baby turtle in 1,000 can make his way to the sea. |
| B．Thousands of baby turtles were crashed back to shore. |
| C．The struggle of baby turtles for life touched the author. |
| D．Baby turtles can hardly survive the harsh living conditions. |
| A．Think twice before you leap. | B．God helps those who help themselves. |
| C．Cease to struggle and you cease to live. | D．When the buying stops, the killing can too. |
2 . At our residence, we made sure a small lawn (草坪) space remained green by watering regularly. I live in an area
Every morning I am awakened by the shrill
It’s easy to attract birds to your
| A．destroyed | B．threatened | C．controlled | D．surrounded |
| A．growing | B．moving | C．sticking | D．changing |
| A．called in | B．brought in | C．resulted in | D．joined in |
| A．strange | B．quiet | C．creative | D．unusual |
| A．bravely | B．silently | C．immediately | D．frequently |
| A．cages | B．plants | C．cities | D．forests |
| A．far | B．hardly | C．little | D．less |
| A．dialogues | B．claims | C．whispers | D．songs |
| A．because | B．when | C．until | D．since |
| A．shelter | B．view | C．shade | D．position |
| A．after | B．from | C．to | D．with |
| A．jump | B．smell | C．eat | D．rest |
| A．annoyance | B．fright | C．pleasure | D．surprise |
| A．go about | B．worry about | C．account for | D．answer for |
| A．business | B．garden | C．home | D．space |
| A．greet | B．name | C．buy | D．spot |
| A．admire | B．explore | C．paint | D．display |
| A．challenge | B．idea | C．treat | D．deal |
| A．examine | B．steal | C．donate | D．prepare |
| A．Happy | B．Silly | C．Sad | D．Rude |
3 . There you are in your favorite clothing store. You don’t really need to buy anything, but everything is so cheap and stylish! Before you know it, you leave the store with bags and bags of new clothes.
On the surface, this doesn’t seem so bad. However, there are a lot of hidden costs behind the cheap price tags put forward by fast fashion brands.
To put it plainly, the fashion industry is terrible for the planet. Not only does it use up a lot of resources, but it also heavily pollutes the environment with chemicals, microplastics and unwanted waste. Fashion is one of the least sustainable (可持续发展的) industries on the planet, commented Michael Stanley-Jones, a program management officer with the United Nations Environment Program. “We’ve all become our own waste managers, hoarding fashion waste in our closets,” he noted. It doesn’t just take up space in our closets, though. It also ends up in landfills, too. In fact, three out of every five garments end up either being incinerated (焚毁) or sent to landfills.
But, thankfully, the fashion trend tides are changing.
People are increasingly examining their own consumption and what changes they can make to become sustainable, Jane Fellner, founder and CEO of sustainable fashion retailer Loopster, told the Guardian. In particular, with its typically lower prices and rare fashion finds, shopping secondhand has become an increasingly popular and eco-friendly option.
According to online reseller ThredUp, the secondhand market is predicted to reach $80 billion (about 518 billion yuan) by 2029. And, although fast fashion will continue to grow 20 percent over the next 10 years, secondhand fashion is expected to grow an unbelievable 185 percent in that same amount of time.
Fellner continued: “Secondhand has become more socially acceptable and, for some, cool. Thrifting (节约) is now massive on TikTok.”
The only true sustainable way to shop is to not shop at all, Rachel Kibbe, a brand consultant for ensuring sustainability in fashion, told Insider. Unless you’re buying clothes that already exist.
1. What does the underlined word “hoarding” in paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Storing. | B．Avoiding. | C．Sorting. | D．Recycling. |
| A．It is gaining popularity. | B．It is huge among young people. |
| C．It makes people attractive. | D．It has defeated fast fashion. |
| A．To introduce young consumers’ habits. | B．To inform readers of what is sustainable. |
| C．To predict the new fashion trend in 2021. | D．To show changes in clothing consumption. |
4 . Marco Springmann and his colleagues, at the Oxford Martin School’s Future of Food Programme, built computer models that predicted what would happen if everyone became vegetarian by 2050. The results indicate that if the world went vegan (严格的素食主义者), the greenhouse gas emissions declines would be around 70%.
In the US, for example, an average family of four emits more greenhouse gases because of the meal they eat than from driving two cars---but it is cars, not steaks, that regularly come up in discussions about global warming.
Food, especially livestock (牲畜，家畜) also takes up a lot of room. 68% of agricultural land in the world is used for livestock. When these lands become grasslands and forests, they would capture carbon dioxide and further ease climate change.
However, if the whole world went vegan, there would be negative effects too. First, it is necessary to keep livestock for environmental purposes. “I’m sitting here in Scotland where the Highlands’ environment is very man-made and based largely on grazing by sheep,” says Peter Alexander, a researcher in socio-ecological systems modeling at the University of Edinburgh. “If we took all the sheep away, the environment would look different and there would be a potential negative impact on biodiversity.”
Plus, meat is an important part of history, tradition and cultural identity. Numerous groups around the world give livestock gifts at weddings, celebratory dinners such as Christmas with turkey or roast beef.
And nowadays, moderation in meal-eating’s frequency and portion size is key to solving these conflicts. “Certain changes would encourage us to make healthier and more environmentally friendly dietary decisions,” says Springmann, “like putting a higher price lag on meat and making fresh fruits and vegetables cheaper.”
In fact, clear solutions already exist for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock industry. What is lacking is the will to carry out those changes.
1. What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?| A．Driving cars is more dangerous than eating steaks in the US. |
| B．Our dietary choices affecting climate change is often underestimated. |
| C．People compare the greenhouse gas emissions of the cars and steaks. |
| D．Cars affect the global warming more seriously than the steaks. |
| A．It is hard to please all. |
| B．Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. |
| C．One cannot see the wood for the trees. |
| D．Everything is a double-edged sword. |
| A．A biology textbook. | B．A health magazine. |
| C．A scientific journal. | D．An educational review. |
5 . Are you diligently exercising but seeing no result around your midsection（上腹部）? It's not just you. Two new studies may explain why many people who begin exercise programs often lose little to no weight in the long run.
In the first study, published in the online science journal PLoS One, researchers compared the daily energy consumption of Westerners and the Hadza, a population of hunter-gatherers living in northern Tanzania. Many believe modern Westerners burn fewer calories than in the past because their lives have become more sedentary（久坐的）. The Hadza, who are generally very thin, hunt and look for food without modern tools such as vehicles or guns. Men walk about seven miles each day, while women walk about half that.
What was surprising was that although the Hadza seem to be more active, the researchers found little difference in calories burned between the Hadza and the Westerners.
The second study, published in Obesity Reviews, analyzed the effect of exercise interventions on body composition. The researchers found that—contrary to popular belief—when people exercise but keep their energy intake constant, their resting metabolic（新陈代谢的）rate actually goes down. Exercises who ate more calories than they usually do did burn more fat than predicted, but some overate and negated the effects of their hard work.
These studies suggest two things: exercise programs may not lead to as much calories burn as you would think, and many people start eating more when they exercise, and they may eat too much.
Bottom line, if you start exercising to lose weight, you won't succeed with the mentality of “I can eat anything because I'll burn it off later.” You will have better results if you choose a healthy diet of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats while exercising. Although these two studies show that diet may be more important than exercise for weight loss, don't discount the other benefits of exercise, including decreased stress and anxiety, improved mood and reduced risk of cardiovascular（心血管的）disease, diabetes and some cancers.
1. What dose the two studies show in common?| A．Exercises are of great benefit. |
| B．Exercises make people eat too much. |
| C．Dieting may be not so helpful for weight loss. |
| D．Exercises do not necessarily lead to weight loss. |
| A．Improved. | B．Doubled. |
| C．Denied. | D．Aroused. |
| A．a science magazine | B．a book review |
| C．a health guideline | D．a news report |
6 . The insistent knock on the door brought me quickly from my kitchen. With my children down for a nap, I
“Can I help you?” I asked, hoping he had the wrong
“Would you like to buy some fresh garden vegetables?” His voice was trembling but his eyes were
As days went on, Mr. Locket became a
Three years later, we had to move to Ontario. He arrived as usual that morning. “Mr. Locket,” I tried to
“I
About a year later, a small
| A．hesitated | B．hurried | C．hated | D．happened |
| A．imagine | B．recognize | C．believe | D．acknowledge |
| A．number | B．road | C．direction | D．address |
| A．shining | B．understanding | C．hopeful | D．desperate |
| A．produce | B．food | C．clothes | D．fruits |
| A．went away | B．broke away | C．passed away | D．ran away |
| A．complained | B．added | C．screamed | D．roared |
| A．in place of | B．by means of | C．in need of | D．by order of |
| A．yearly | B．monthly | C．weekly | D．daily |
| A．rest | B．put | C．plant | D．lower |
| A．Gradually | B．Suddenly | C．Generally | D．Quickly |
| A．announce | B．make | C．break | D．report |
| A．natural | B．inner | C．necessary | D．treasured |
| A．wish | B．try | C．promise | D．struggle |
| A．but | B．and | C．yet | D．so |
| A．included | B．refused | C．tolerated | D．received |
| A．willingly | B．tightly | C．eagerly | D．faithfully |
| A．book | B．bill | C．picture | D．envelope |
| A．owed | B．sent | C．meant | D．showed |
| A．unexpected | B．deep | C．permanent | D．selfless |
7 . Fire ants dig tunnels efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work. Free-loaders just sit around while their hard-working colleagues get things done. But might freeloaders actually be necessary for society to function efficiently? The answer could be yes.
Fire ants are highly social organisms. So, Goldman, a physicist at Georgia Tech, and his colleagues wanted to know how individual ants knew what to do without a central leader issuing orders. To find out, Goldman's team labeled individual fire ants with paint and then watched them dig their narrow tunnels —barely wide enough for two workers. Turns out, just 30 percent of the ants did 70 percent of the labor. “I was surprised that we ended up with so few workers actually doing the work at any one time. ” A quarter of the ants never even entered the tunnel. Others crawled inside, but left without digging single grain of dirt. These idling behaviors ensured the tunnels did not get clogged with insect traffic, which would make the construction process stop.
And when the scientists removed the five hardest working ants from the colony, others immediately jumped in to compensate (补偿) — with no reduction in the group's productivity. It seems that it doesn’t matter which ants are working or freeloading at a given time, as long as there is some division of labor to keep the tunnels flowing smoothly. The findings are in the journal Science.
The study could have implications for robotics. Imagine groups of robots sent to search rubble (碎石) for disaster survivors. Or nanobots (纳米机器人) coursing through our bodies to diagnose illness and deliver targeted medical treatment. Such robot groups will need to avoid getting jammed up in tight spaces. It might be necessary to program them so some just sit back and watch their comrades work.
1. How do fire ants get the work done when digging tunnels?| A．Only the leaders do most of the work. |
| B．They all work under the order of one leader. |
| C．They all cooperate together to do the work efficiently. |
| D．Individual fire ants know their tasks and work efficiently. |
| A．crowded | B．transported |
| C．organized | D．covered |
| A．The ants will have no idea what to do. |
| B．Other ants will take their place and do the work. |
| C．The tunnels will get blocked and the work will stop. |
| D．The leader will compensate them and give them food as the reward. |
| A．fire ants are the most diligent insects. |
| B．scientists may diagnose illness more easily. |
| C．people may feel happy when they watch their colleagues do nothing. |
| D．scientists can deal with robotics better when coming to specific programs. |
8 . Sea urchins (海胆) are small creatures, but what’s really remarkable about them is that they eat anything that happens to float by. They have really sharp teeth they use to rid rocks of algae (海澡), which makes them pretty valuable especially in places like Hawaii where algae are threatening the coral reefs. In the summer of 2019, 500,000 of them were used to deal with the algae.
The problem started when non-native algae were introduced to the ecosystem of Kane’ohe Bay in the 1970s. Because they had no enemies, they ended up taking over the bay, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The algae blocked sunlight from reaching the coral, which in turn affected the local fish because they changed the chemistry of the water.
That's when the NMFS turned to sea urchins that loved to devour the algae. But they had to grow to the size of a cherry tomato before they could be used. Since 2011, sea urchins have been grown and used to handle the algae problem. Some of the funds are available due to an unfortunate incident.
In 2005, a ship was grounded on a shallow reef near Kane’ohe Bay. When the ship was removed, 20 acres of reefs have been damaged. When there is environmental damage, the NMFS and other agencies receive funds from the wrongdoers and the funds are used to restore the damage. Some funds were spent on other projects like the sea urchins.When they are large enough, divers carefully place them on the reef.
Algae isn’t the only thing that threatens the coral reefs. Climate change and the effects of fishing and tourism in the area also endanger the coral reefs. But turning to sea urchins instead of man-made solutions seems like the best way to go.
1. Why are sea urchins regarded as outstanding creatures?| A．They are tiny but have teeth. | B．They can keep the ocean clean. |
| C．They are useful in removing algae. | D．They grow on coral reefs with algae. |
| A．They helped the coral reefs to survive. | B．They spread to every corner of the bay. |
| C．They didn’t fit in with the new surroundings. | D．They fought against other species to get food. |
| A．Eat. | B．Block. | C．Tease. | D．Attract. |
| A．Relying on humans’ solutions. | B．Banning fishing and tourism. |
| C．Employing divers to handle algae. | D．Letting nature take care of nature. |
