1 . The Arctic's permafrost is inciting— and fast. That's bad news, because these frozen soils store billions of tons of carbon, just waiting to be released. So is there a way to save the permafrost? One team of researchers thinks it may have found a possible solution: big animals, herbivores - animals that eat only plants.

Back in 1996 researchers started an experiment called Pleistocene Park. They fenced in about eight square miles of land in northeast Siberia. Then they introduced different types of herbivores: reindeer, horses, bison, sheep and other large creatures.

Since then, scientists have studied these animals' effects on the ecosystem. One outcome is that these large herbivores help keep the ground very cold — cooler than it would otherwise be.

“The snow in winter is important for soil temperature, because it acts as an insulating layer. So the air in winter, at the high latitudes, is much colder than the soil." Philipp Porada, a vegetation ecologist at the University of Hamburg. "So the idea of this experiment was to introduce large herbivores — and to quantify their effects on soil temperature to see if they can actually protect permafrost soils against melting. And this works because of the animals' trampling (践踏), and this leads to less insulation of the soil against cold air temperatures and results in a cooling effect.”

Freezing air reaches the soil more easily. Porada and his colleagues realized the significance of this effect, so they pulled data from Pleistocene Park and Sweden to model what effect herbivores could have on permafrost if they lived in large numbers in the Arctic.

They found that even in a worst-case situation, some four degrees Celsius of global wanning: “These herbivores in the model reduce soil temperature substantially, by 1.7 degrees on average. And this leads to a preservation of around 80 percent of the original — today's permafrost area. Without the herbivore effect in the model, only 50 percent of the permafrost area would remain by the year 2100. So we can say the effect of the herbivores in the model leads to a substantial preservation of permafrost soil."

1. Why is the Pleistocene Park Experiment mentioned?

A．To provide the past research data.

B．To share soil preservation experience.

C．To introduce a way to save permafrost.

D．To prove animals' effect on soil temperature.

2. What does the underlined word "insulating" in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Covering.	B．Blocking.
C．Storing.	D．Freezing.

3. What does herbivores' trampling contribute to?

A．Cooling the ground.	B．Heating the soil
C．Damaging the ground.	D．Softening the soil.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Permafrost Is Disappearing	B．Preservation of Permafrost
C．An Experiment on Herbivores	D．Herbivores Help Save Permafrost

3 . As a classic love movie of the twentieth century, Titanic makes one scene a long-lasting cinematic shot: Jack let go of his hand and sank in the icy seawater, leaving the chance of living to his lover Rose, who finally survived on a wooden door debris (残骸).

More than 100 years since the disastrous event and more than two decades after the earliest release of the movie Titanic, there have been many “door theories”. Audiences debate heatedly over whether or not Jack and Rose could have both fit onto the wooden debris and survived. So, was there room for Jack?

In a TV program, hosts Jamie and Adam even did an experiment using an exact replica       (复制品) of the wooden piece from the movie, and the two proved that if they had tied Rose’s life jacket to the bottom of the door to strengthen its buoyancy ( 浮 力 ), they would have managed to stay afloat.

However, their conclusion was debunked when director Cameron said that the freezing water and Jack’s high temperature would have made the life jacket solution impossible. He also said that the debate is beyond the point the movie was trying to make, which is focused on the tragic love story of Jack and Rose, not physics.

The largest debris recovered from the real Titanic is now displayed in the Maritime Museum. The museum’s website states that a replica was once built for the movie based on the museum’s Titanic collection which was known as the “door” used in the death scene. Unfortunately, the size of the debris coupled with the weight of Rose on top could work, but not if Jack’s additional weight was added to it.

In a word, science has proven that Jack didn’t die for nothing and did indeed sacrifice himself to save the love of his life.

1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?

A．To lead into the topic.

B．To introduce a movie.

C．To raise a question.

D．To highlight characters.

2. What is the conclusion of Jamie and Adam based on?

A．The development of the plot.

B．A physics experiment.

C．The theme of the movie.

D．A heated debate.

3. What does the underlined word “debunked” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Confirmed.

B．Opposed.

C．Approved.

D．Concerned.

4. We can infer that the movie’s ending is       .

A．unrealistic

B．confusing

C．reasonable

D．surprising

4 . Carbon is a chemical element which is present in organic compounds that make us organisms, plants as well as fossil. It is a vital component of the greenhouse gas CO₂, the highest percentage of the global warming gas in the atmosphere.

These Green House Gases (GIIGs) along with other factors are responsible for the most discussed issues affecting the planet, climate change. Climate change has and still releases a huge set of environmental disasters which are fueling the difficulty of survival on the planet. In order to eliminate, reduce and adapt to these risks of survival, individuals, organizations, and countries will have to adopt carbon neutrality measures. The main aim of carbon neutrality is to achieve a net-zero emission either by balancing the emission or absorbing of carbon or quit the production of carbon. However, to really understand carbon neutrality, the carbon cycle should be first understood

The carbon cycle is the transfer of carbon through different media. Carbon has the ability to move in different media in different forms at different rates and tines. These different factors (rate, time, and media) are the phenomena underlying carbon neutrality. For instance, carbon released into the atmosphere by the rapid burning of fossil fills back as rain in the form of carbonate (碳酸盐) and is absorbed by the reservoirs (oceans, surface water, and the earth surface). Even though the exchange of carbon between some of these reservoirs takes a long time, some over 100 years, carbon was absorbed until now. The main problem existing today is that the emissions of CO₂ are too high to be offset by the reservoirs, thereby leaving the offsetting task to us.

The European Union (EU) is taking all measures it can to offset carbon through Emission trading system which helps industries to manage their carbon footprints. Similarly, China, which is responsible for 25% of the world's CO₂ emissions due to its economic and industrial structure is currently decreasing its energy consumption/GDP and CO₂ emission/GDP, while increasing is forest cover and air quality through its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) carbon neutrality actions.

1. What does the underlined word "fueling" in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A．Experiencing.

B．Overcoming.

C．Increasing.

D．Ending.

2. How does the author explain the carbon cycle?

A．By giving an example.

B．By comparing media.

C．By analyzing data.

D．By describing a task.

3. What can be learned from the text?

A．GHGs take the whole blame for the climate change.

B．Carbon exchange takes little time.

C．The contribution of the EU is not obvious.

D．China las a clear goal in low-carbon efforts.

4. Which column is the text most likely taken from?

A．Politics.

B．Environment.

C．Commercial.

D．Lifestyle.

6 . Campeche is a city with a tumultuous history. Originally this area was settled by the Mayans. The first Spanish colonizers arrived in 1517 and established Campeche as the main port in the region. Unsurprisingly, this made Campeche an attractive target for pirates who first arrived in the late 16 century. For the next 200 years, Campeche was frequently attacked. Nevertheless, it is a delightful city and filled with interesting things to do.

Explore the old city of Campeche

There are a lot of beautiful restored old towns in Mexico, but Campeche is one of the nicest, cleanest and most elegant. The Campeche neighborhood is lovely and colorful, with neat sidewalks and smoothly laid out roads!

Wander along the Campeche Malecon

One of the nicest things about Campeche is its waterfront setting. The best way to enjoy that? Wandering along the malecon, or the walkway along the waterfront, just before sunset. This is the time when it cools down and everyone comes out to see things and to be seen. You'll see couples posing for photographers, joggers, cyclists, elderly people having conversations and groups of teenagers giggling.

Stop for a Bite at Calle 59

Calle 59 is a pedestrian-only street filled with outdoor tables from the surrounding restaurants. You can cat here at night, but a lot of people come for drinks. This is the one place in Campeche that feels touristy—its tables are filled with giant beers that get shared among multiple peoples.

1. Which of the following sentence can best describe Campeche?

A．Campeche has a large population.

B．Campeche is a city with mixed heritage.

C．Campeche has experienced years of civil war.

D．Campeche once appealed to pirates for its culture.

2. What's the best thing for visitors to do before sunset?

A．Having a nice walk along the malecon.	B．Enjoying the atmosphere of Campeche.
C．Drinking beers in the restaurants.	D．Taking some pictures of the sunset.

3. If you want to sense the touristy atmosphere the best choice is_____________.

A．Mexico.	B．Calle 59.
C．The Campeche neighborhood.	D．The Campeche Malecon.

7 . Bangladesh's floating gardens, built to grow food during flood seasons, could offer a continuous solution for parts of the world which are likely to suffer from flooding because of climate change, a new study has found.

Bangladesh's floating gardens began hundreds of years ago. The gardens are made from native plants that float in the rivers and operate almost like rafts (筏), rising and filling with the waters. Historically, they were used to continue growing food during rainy seasons when rivers were filled with water.

The farmers layer the plants about three feet deep, creating a version of raised-bed gardens that float in the water. Then, they plant vegetables inside those rafts. As the raft-plants rot away, they release nutrients, which help feed the vegetable plants.

But as climate change affected the volume of water in those rivers, the researchers wanted to understand whether Bangladesh's floating gardens could be a continuous farming practice. They interviewed farming families and found strong evidence that floating gardens provide stability, both in the amount of food available to feed rural populations and in a farming family's income.

They found that farmers typically use hybrid (杂交) seeds, which must be repurchased each year, to grow a diverse range of vegetables in the floating gardens. The gardens are also sensitive to pests, so farmers end up spending some money on both pesticides and fertilizers. But even with those expenses, they found, benefits outweighed costs. One farmer told the research team that he earns up to four times as much money from the gardens as from traditional rice fields.

However, before gaining profits, farmers often take out high-interest loans (贷款) to cover the investment costs of filling the beds and stocking them with plants. Luckily; there are also lower-interest loans from responsible government or non-governmental organizations, which could ease that burden.

1. How do vegetable plants grow according to the text?

A．By absorbing nutrition from raft-plants.	B．By taking shelter from climate change.
C．By living together with hybrid seeds.	D．By moving up and down with raised beds.

2. What might be a reply from farming families interviewed?

A．“Our life becomes tough when rivers flood.”	B．“Fewer vegetables are planted when water rises.”
C．“We harvest much more food during rainy seasons.”	D．“Climate change has little influence on our income.”

3. What does the underlined word “outweighed” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Affected.

B．Brought.

C．Beat.

D．Equaled.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．A solution to climate problem has been found.	B．The gardens are built with rotted native plants.
C．Farmers earn more from traditional rice fields.	D．Low-interest loans lighten the stress of farmers.

8 . Last weekend was terrible for awards ceremonies. The BAFTAS,defined by a painful monologue（独角戏）from Joanna Lumley, was watched by 500,000 fewer people than last year. Meanwhile,the number of 18﹣to 49-year-olds watching the Grammys has reached an all-time low.

Don't expect the Oscars to fare any better；they have lost millions of viewers since 2014. Add to the fact that comparatively few people have watched most of the nominated films and you have got a ratings time bomb.

Viewers are deserting awards shows in groups and something needs to be done. But what？Reorganize them to celebrate really popular work？That's what the Oscars put forward last year when it suggested a best popular film category﹣and it was swiftly booed（喝倒彩）out of town.

Another option would be to shorten the length of the ceremonies, but this won't work either. The Oscars recently announced plans to hide several categories in ad breaks,and the anger in some quarters（the cinematographers, makeup artists and editors who this year won't get their moment on the small screen）has been obvious.

What else can they do？ Fewer songs？ Shorter speeches？ An In Memoriam section that consists of the words： "People die： get over it"？

Fortunately, I have the perfect solution： don't televise awards shows. Just don't do it. Awards shows are the opposite of good television. They're too long and too boring because of regular and repeated patterns and too self﹣important. And by God, we should have learned by now not to give celebrities any more attention than they already have. It just makes them think that we want to hear them giving out half﹣baked opinions about Donald Trump and Brexit.

I'm not suggesting that the awards shows shouldn't happen. I'm just saying that the awards should be announced in the form of a press release at the end of the ceremony, followed by a handful of You Tube clips showing some nice outfits and a couple of speeches. That's how most of us consume them now anyway.

1. Why does the writer mention the BAFTAS and the Grammys？

A．To introduce the topic of the article.

B．To support the topic of the paragraph.

C．To attract the readers' attention.

D．To make comparison with the Oscars.

2. What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 3 refer to？

A．The best popular film category.

B．The best actress.

C．The reorganized Oscars.

D．The deserted awards show.

3. What's the writer's opinion on awards shows？

A．Awards shows are better if shortened.

B．Awards shows are excellent television.

C．Awards shows are important to us.

D．Awards shows should be shown in another form.

4. What is the passage mainly about？

A．The bright future of awards shows.

B．What terrible awards shows.

C．Stopping the television of awards shows.

D．Boycott attention to celebrities.

9 . It is possible that interstellar（星际的）space explorers could face problems communicating with all the arrivals, their spoken language having changed in isolation（与世隔绝）along the way.

Therefore, a new paper by two American scholars Andrew McKenzie and Jeffrey Punske recommends that such crews include members with knowledge of what is likely to occur and how to adapt. They co-authored the article “Language Development During Interstellar Travel”, in which they discuss the concept of language change over time.

In a recent interview, McKenzie gamed it out.

“If you’ re on a spaceship for 10 generations; new concepts will emerge, new social issues will come up, and people will create ways of talking about them,” McKenzie said, and these will become the vocabulary particular to the ship. People on Earth might never know about these words. And the further away you get, the less you’re going lo talk to people back home.

So if we have Earth English and spaceship English, you will have to learn a little Earth English to send messages back, or to read the information that came with the spaceship.

“Also, keep in mind that the language back on Earth is going to change, too. So they may well be communicating like we’d be using Latin-communicating with this version of the language nobody uses.”

The authors also point out that an adaptation in the form of sign language will be needed for use with and among crew members who, genetics tell us，are sure to be born deaf.

“Every new spaceship will essentially offload linguistic（语言学）immigrants to a foreign land. Given the certainly that issues such as whether they will be discriminated will arise, and the uncertainty of exactly how they will progress, we strongly suggest that any crew exhibit strong levels of linguistic training in addition to simply knowing the required languages. There will be need for an informed linguistic policy on board that can be maintained without referring back to Earth-based regulations.”

If a study of the linguistic changes aboard ship could be performed, it would “add to its scientific value,” McKenzie and Punske conclude.

1. What does the underlined phrase “game it out” mean?

A．Offer a new concept.	B．Make a further study.
C．Give a detailed explanation.	D．Lose the game completely.

2. What will happen to space travellers?

A．They will forget Earth English.	B．They will be using sign language.
C．They may have their own language system.	D．They may make adaptations to Earth English.

3. How can we solve the problem of interstellar immigrants?

A．Through Earth-based linguistic policy.	B．Through adequate language training.
C．By knowing the required language.	D．By referring to informed rules.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Why space travelers change their language.

B．How language is changed in the future time.

C．The language challenge during interstellar travel.

D．New concepts of language created in a spaceship.