1 . Marcus Eriksen was studying Plastic pollution when he met camel expert Ulrich Wernery. They went deep into the desert and spotted a camel skeleton (骨架). Eriksen was not prepared for what he saw in the desert. "I was just appalled," he said, "because inside the dead body of a camel was a mass of plastic bags, which was as big as a medium-sized suitcase."
Wernery is a scientist working in a research lab in Dubai. Since 2008 Wernery's team has examined 30,000 dead camels. They found 300 of those dead camels had a mass of plastic bags in their bodies. As camels wander in the desert, they eat plastic bags and other rubbish that move into trees and pile up along roadsides. "To a camel, if it's not sand, it's food," explains Eriksen.
Tightly packed masses of indigestible (难消化的) things can be built up in the digestive system of people or animals. Scientists call them bezoars (胃石). Normally, these are made of vegetable fibers or hair. Werner and Eriksen call those found in the camels "polybezoars". It points to their origin: plastic polymers.
In a new study, Eriksen and Wernery report data suggesting that each year these polybezoars are killing off around 1 in every 100 camels. Of five camel bezoars analyzed for this study, the plastic content ranged from 3 to 64 kilograms. "If it is confirmed that 1 percent of camels died due to plastic by future and more detailed studies, then plastic pollution will certainly be important concern for camels," says Luca Nizzetto, an environmental scientist. "Such studies are important, because they raise social awareness about this pollution."
Banning plastic bags and single-use plastics is crucial for protecting camels and other wildlife, Eriksen says. "Plastic bags blow out of garbage cans, out of landfills, out of trucks and out of people's hands." What's more, he adds, "They travel for hundreds of miles."
1. What does the underlined word "appalled" in paragraph I mean?| A．Addicted. | B．Delighted. | C．Satisfied. | D．Shocked. |
| A．People have cleaned rubbish in the desert. |
| B．Camels often mistake plastics as food. |
| C．Camels are always walking along the road. |
| D．There are 30,000 camels living in the world. |
| A．It is related with plastic. | B．It helps camels digest food. |
| C．It consists of vegetable fibers. | D．It can also be found in humans' body. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Disappointed. | C．Supportive. | D．Careless. |
2 . The planting or woodlands in upland areas could play a key role in preventing the flooding which has increasingly affected communities across the world in recent years.
A new study by the University of Plymouth has shown that within just 15 years of being planted, native broadleaf trees can have a great effect on soil's response during extreme weather events. It means that the huge amount of rainwater can be more readily absorbed, rather than simply running over the surface and into rivers where it probably causes severe flooding.
Scientists say their findings show planting more native woodlands in upland areas could be an effective and natural flood management tool. There have been a number of extreme rainfall and flooding events in recent years, and they are predicted to increase in both frequency and seriousness in the future as a result of human-caused climate change.
They show that in areas where new woodlands have been planted, the ability of soil to absorb water is almost double that of areas with no trees, associated with increases in soil macro-pores-（大孔隙）and reductions in soil compaction（压实）. This means the speed at which rainwater enters rivers during rainfall events is obviously reduced, which helps lower peak flow.
However, the nature of the soil and location of the woodlands are also critical to their success, with steep hillside on the edge of upland areas providing the most effective location for tree plantations to serve as an effective flood prevention tool.
Dr Paul Lunt, Associate Professor in Environmental Science added, "There are a lot of weak upland catchment（集水）areas across the UK. However, by working with farmers and the government's farm woodland measures, this study has shown that damaged soil can recover rapidly. This is particularly obvious on hillsides which are traditionally not so good for farming. So there is an opportunity for a joined-up approach which could benefit the uplands themselves, but also those people living on and around them."
1. What advantage does planting native woodlands in upland areas have?| A．Preventing rainwater into the sky. | B．Taking in plenty of rainwater. |
| C．Stopping the extreme weather. | D．Helping rainwater run over the surface. |
| A．Trees can help reduce soil macro-pores. |
| B．New woodlands are related to extreme weather. |
| C．Planting new woodlands may prevent serious flooding. |
| D．Scientists affect the ability of soil to absorb water. |
| A．The way of reducing flooding risks. |
| B．The measures of helping native farmers. |
| C．The cooperation between farmers and the government. |
| D．The benefits of planting native woodlands. |
| A．New Woodlands Can Help Reduce Flooding Risks |
| B．Rainwater Will Ruin Mountainous Areas |
| C．Scientists Has Found Ways to Control Extreme Weather |
| D．Farmers Have Planted Many Trees to Collect Rainwater |
3 . Visiting museums is an important means of knowing a country's development and culture. Here are some greatest museums in the world which are worth a visit.
Tate Modern, London, The UK
Together with three other Tate museums, Tate Modern is national museum of international modern art. It is one of the largest museums of modern art in the world. Most of the exhibit areas are open to the public for free, only charging for major temporary exhibitions.
Musee du Louvre, Paris, France
It is the world's largest and most visited art museum. It's a historical land mark of Paris. Housed in the Louvre Palace, the museum has been added to many times since its opening in 1793. Its glass pyramid in the main courtyard was designed by Chinese-American architect leoh Ming Pei, which later became a landmark of Paris.
National Museum of China, Beijing, China
It is near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It's one of the largest museums and the second-most visited art museum in the world. Covering time span (范围)from the Yuanmou Man of 1.7 million years ago to the Qing Dynasty, the museum houses around 1.05 million items, many of which cannot be found in museums elsewhere.
State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia
The State Hermitage Museum is the second-largest art museum in the world. The public can visit five of the main building: the Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and Hermitage Theatre. It often appears as setting for films, TV series, novels and even video games.
1. In which museum can visitors find the glass pyramid?| A．Tate Modern. | B．Musee du Louvre. |
| C．National Museum of China. | D．State Hermitage Museum. |
| A．In the UK. | B．In France. | C．In China. | D．In Russia. |
| A．To introduce some largest museums in the world. |
| B．To tell people they can visit museums for free. |
| C．To ask people to protect cultural heritage. |
| D．To show the development of art. |
4 . Flu season generally dies down in March and April, but will the coronavirus( 冠状病毒) go with it? Whether the coronavirus that's quickly spreading around the world will follow the flu season and fade away with spring's arrival is unsatisfyingly uncertain. And many scientists say it's too soon to know how the dangerous virus will behave in warmer weather.
Dozens of viruses exist in the coronavirus family, but only seven afflict (折磨) humans. Four are known to cause mild colds in people, which are common, while others are more novel, deadly, and thought to be transmitted from animals like bats and camels. Health officials have labeled this new virus SARS-CoV-2 and its disease COVID-19. The prospect that summer could delay a pandemic is tempting. Earlier this year, Donald Trump tweeted about China’s efforts to contain the virus, saying they would be successful, “especially as the weather starts to warm.”
Viruses that cause influenza or milder coronavirus colds do tend to subside in warmer months because these types of viruses have what scientists refer to as “seasonality,” so the president's comments have some scientific backing. But it's highly uncertain that SARS-CoV-2 will behave the same way. Those currently studying the disease say their research is too early to predict how the virus will respond to changing weather.
“I hope it will show seasonality, but it's hard to know,” says Stuart Weston, a researcher at the University of Maryland, where the virus is being actively studied. As of Tuesday morning, more than 800,000 coronavirus cases had been confirmed in 74 different countries, with experts saying the disease is likely to keep spreading.
And relatively recent research suggests that dry, cold air may also help viruses stay unbroken in the air or travel farther as they become airborne.
Scientists assume that low humidity, which often occurs in winter, might weaken the function of the mucus(粘液)in your nose, which your body uses to trap and drive foreign bodies like viruses or bacteria away. Cold, dry air can make that normally thick mucus drier and less efficient at trapping a virus.
1. When does flu season usually die down?| A．Early autumn. | B．Late Summer. | C．Late Spring. | D．Mid Summer. |
| A．Frightening | B．Decent | C．Critical | D．Unfamiliar |
| A．The reason why people easily get viruses in winter. |
| B．If you stay at a warm room, you can't get any viruses. |
| C．Viruses do agree with the dry and cold atmosphere in winter. |
| D．The low temperature in winter is the main reason for viruses to spread. |
| A．A health magazine. | B．A biology research. |
| C．An educational paper. | D．A medical report. |
5 . Eleven years ago, Michael J. Baines moved from his home in Sweden to Chonburi in northern Thailand. Michael is a chef, but he quickly learned that the stray dogs(流浪犬) and cats in his new town needed to be fed even more than the human residents. He simply couldn't stand by and watch dozens of abandoned animals starve on the streets. “I feel sad for homeless dogs and want to help them all,” he said. “Especially when I see a lonely dog that does not belong to any pack, probably dumped, which is very common here. I always have food and fresh water in my car, so whenever I see a dog, I stop and give it food and water.”
Over the course of five years，Michael began feeding about 80 stray dogs each and every day. He quickly became known as “the man that feeds dogs,” as he provided sick, malnourished(营养不良的) animals with food, water, and medical care. He paid for all of this out of his own pocket, spending upwards of $ 1,500 a month and finding homes for 30- 40 dogs !
Eventually, The Man That Rescues Dogs became a nonprofit(非盈利) organization, and was run entirely through donations and volunteers. Over a decade later, Michael has rescued more than 2, 000 dogs! Many of these animals were badly injured and left for dead, so his team nursed them back to health. The shelter currently has 30 people on staff as well as an army of volunteers, and they’re all dedicated to saving as many abandoned animals as they can. They currently care for about 600 dogs every day, specializing in paralyzed or disabled dogs who require wheelchairs or walkers to get around.
The pictures that the shelter shares on social media are breathtaking. So many of these animals were found broken, yet Michael and his team managed to turn them into healthy, happy little ones ready to start their new life in a forever home !
1. What did Michael do when seeing homeless dogs?| A．He turned to residents for help. | B．He stood by and watched them. |
| C．He fed them with food and water. | D．He drove them home to get food and water. |
| A．Michael became famous because of his kindness. |
| B．Michael took some sick and weak dogs home. |
| C．Michael spent all his savings to rescue the dogs. |
| D．Michael had to give up his work to feed stray dogs. |
| A．By creating a partnership system. |
| B．By appealing to the government. |
| C．By setting up a public organization. |
| D．By inviting local residents to participate in it. |
| A．There was a shortage of funds for running Michael's shelter. |
| B．The reports on social media attracted the public attention. |
| C．Michael gave stray animals a second chance to enjoy life. |
| D．Volunteers often dealt with something unexpected in the shelter. |
6 . Standing on the ruins（废墟）after the fire where his house had been, Peter Ruprecht admitted that he was not sure how or when to rebuild. He was still shocked by what Australia's increasingly changeable climate had already delivered: first a drought, then a destructive bush fire, then a foot of rain from a storm.
"It's unstoppable," said Mr. Ruprecht, a former dairy farmer. "We speak about the warmth of Mother Nature, but nature can also be vicious and wild and unforgiving."
Australia's' hellish（地狱的）fire season has eased（缓和）, but its people are facing more than a single disaster. With floods destroying homes not far from where fires recently spread, they are facing a cycle of what scientists call "compound extremes": one climate disaster strengthening the next.
Warmer temperatures do more than just dry out the land. They also heat up the atmosphere, which means clouds hold more moisture（水汽）for longer periods of time. So droughts get worse, giving way to fires, then to heavy rains that the land is too dry to absorb.
Many Australians in disaster zones complain that their government, after ignoring climate change for years, has not yet to draw up recovery plans that are clear and that take future threats into account.
At the same time, the economic costs of a changing climate are rising quickly. Philip Lowe, the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, warned recently that Australia was already paying a price, and that it would only go up.
1. Why Peter Ruprecht is mentioned in the beginning?| A．To arouse readers' pity. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To stress the problem. | D．To call on readers to help. |
| A．grateful | B．advanced | C．responsible | D．forcible |
| A．Government inaction. | B．Warmer temperature. |
| C．The lack of money. | D．No recovery plans. |
| A．guidebook. | B．A travel journal. | C．A news report. | D．A book review. |
7 . The student arrived early, sat front and center, and stood out in my classroom in more ways than one. I'd say that he had about 40 years on his classmates in my class. He eagerly jumped into class discussions, with his humor and wisdom of experience. And he was always respectful of the other students' opinions, as if each of them were a teacher. Jerry Valencia walked in with a smile-and he left with one too.
One day, Valencia said he would have to stop taking classes that semester and reapply for next year. By then, he hoped to have earned enough money from construction jobs and have his student-loan papers in order. But he said he was still coming to campus to attend events or see friends. He asked seriously whether he could still sit in on my communications class.
Sure, I said. But he wouldn't get any credit. No problem, he said.
Soon there he was again, back at his old desk, front and center, jumping into our discussions on how to find and tell stories in Los Angeles-a 63-year-old junior with as much energy and curiosity as any of the youngsters in class.
“Here he is, willingly taking a class for the joy of it and benefit of learning, ” says Jessica Espinosa, a 25-year old junior. “You may not see that in our generation.”
Valencia showed up and took the final exam too. Afterward, I overheard Valencia say he wanted to stay in school until he earned a master's degree, but it had taken him 12 years to finish community college, so he had a long way to go.
“Twelve years. He was in and out of school,” he said, subject to his work schedule and whether he had money for classes. He had earned his associate of arts degree over the summer, then transferred to Cal State LA to start on his bachelor's.
1. What's Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．Valencia's puzzle at school. | B．Valencia's interest in learning. |
| C．Valencia's argument in class. | D．Valencia's daily life. |
| A．Valencia gave up taking classes. | B．Loans supported Valencia's life. |
| C．Valencia met with money problems. | D．Valencia was prepared to reapply for classes. |
| A．Jessica dislikes the way Valencia learns. | B．Young people benefit a lot from learning. |
| C．Young students are pleased with learning. | D．She appreciates Valencia's attitude to study. |
| A．Curiosity is source of success | B．A person is never too old to learn |
| C．Kindness deserves being respected | D．Kill two birds with one stone |
8 . Laura Stone is the founder of Sydney by Kayak（皮划艇）, a company that offers guided kayak tours of Sydney Harbor in Australia. Not only did their business increase during the COVID-19, but one of their tours is actually more popular than ever.
A few years ago, Laura was paddling in the harbor when she noticed trash floating in the water. For reference, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) estimates that about 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year, causing big problems for wildlife and local plants. Laura was so shocked by the garbage in the water that she decided to dedicate a few paddles each week to trash cleanup. Incredibly, her clients were immediately on board with the idea, so Sydney by Kayak now leads four to five garbage-collecting tours every week!
At the start of the COVID-19, Laura thought her business would drop off as many others had. Instead, desperate for purpose and a way to get outdoors, people flocked to her “Clean Up Kayak” tours. They now routinely take about 441 pounds of garbage out of the harbor each week! “We've been quite surprised, even through the COVID-19, we've been very busy,” Laura said. “Because they can't travel, people are looking for something to do. That is not just good for them, but also good for the environment. ”
Each tour begins with participants preparing with some working tools. Some people come back many times for the satisfaction of collecting trash from the harbor. Julie Greening, for example, has done about 10 tours so far and says “every little bit is worth it”. “We're 7 billion people on this planet, so everyone does a little, but of course it's going to help, ” she said. “It's got to. ”
1. What can Laura's company mainly do?| A．Sell Kayak and paddles. | B．Provide the kayak guide. |
| C．Seve tourism information. | D．Organize outdoor activities. |
| A．Reading a report about pollution. | B．Hearing of the appeal of the UNEP |
| C．Talking with her clients on a tour. | D．Seeing the floating trash in water. |
| A．Business continued dropping off. |
| B．Helping cleaning up the garbage. |
| C．Business increased because of garbage-cleaning. |
| D．About 441 pounds of grabage were cleaned per week. |
| A．Garbage cleaning tools are popular in Syney. |
| B．People actively participate in the garbage-sorting. |
| C．The public had a sense of enviornmental protection. |
| D．The idea of using tools wins support from government. |
9 . Lake Baikal in southern Siberia is the largest, deepest freshwater lake in the world. Every winter when the lake freezes over for half the year, 80-year-old Lyubov Morekhodova straps on the same ancient skates as she's worn since the 1940s and glides across the ice wherever she needs to go.
Lyubov, or Baba Lyuba as she's called, has been using the ice to travel around her remote homestead for her entire life. As a child, she recalls skating about 2. 5 miles each way to school and back. She once fell through the ice in January and narrowly escaped with help from her classmates.
After raising her two children and working in a factory for almost 50 years, Baba Lyuba retired and now lives alone in a tiny cabin on the shores of Lake Baikal. Her children and five grandchildren rarely visit because they live five hours away by car, so her only company is a group of dogs, cows and chickens. Luckily, she has the ice to help her feel free! “For me, ice means being able to go anywhere and everywhere,” the grandmother said.
Every day, she skates a half hour each way to the local village to do her shopping. With temperatures often reaching lows of -40℃, it's hard to imagine an old woman making this trek at all, much less every day! But Baba Lyubov insists that her daily skates are the secret to her long life span. “People keep telling me I should slow down, but I just can't!” she said with a laugh. “I don't have time to be bored, there's too much work to do. ”
1. What made Lyubov choose ice-skating as a way of travel?| A．Her unhealthy legs. | B．Her personal hobby. |
| C．The lack of transportation. | D．The extremely cold climate. |
| A．Sometimes skating may be full of danger. | B．Lyubov's daily travel depends on boat. |
| C．Lyubov learned skating at school as a child. | D．Lyubov once saved her classmates on the way. |
| A．She has the practical attitude toward life. | B．She is aware of the importance of struggle. |
| C．She feels sorry for herself and inspires others. | D．She thinks of her daily exercise as a sort of faith. |
10 . Honeybees can’t swim, and when their wings are wet, they can’t fly, either. But Chris Roh and other researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that when bees drop into bodies of water, they can use their wings to produce little waves and slide toward land—like surfers who create and then ride their own waves.
As with many scientific advances－Isaac Newton’s apple or Benjamin Franklin’s lightning bolt—Dr. Roh’s experiment began with a walk. Passing Caltech’s Millikan Pond in 2016, he observed a bee on the water’s surface producing waves. He wondered how an insect known for flight could push itself through water.
Dr. Roh and his co-worker, Morteza Gharib, used butterfly nets to collect local Pasadena honeybees and observed their surf-like movements. The researchers used a wire to restrict each bee’s bodily movement, allowing close examination of their wings. They found that the bee bends its wings at a 30-degree angle, pulling up water and producing a forward force. Bees get trapped on the surface because water is roughly three times heavier than air. But that weight helps to push the bee forward when its wings move quickly up and down. It’s a tough exercise for the bees, which the researchers guess could handle about 10 minutes of the activity.
The researchers said the surf-like movement hasn’t been documented in other insects and most semiaquatic insects use their legs for pushing power, which is known as water-walking. It may have developed in bees, they predicted.
Dr. Roh and Dr. Gharib have imagined many practical applications for bees’ surfing. One plan is to use their observations to design robots able to travel across sky and sea. “This could be useful for search and rescues, or for getting samples of the surface of the ocean, if you can’t send a boat or helicopter,” Dr. Gharib said.
1. What does the author intend to show by mentioning Newton and Franklin?| A．Roh’s admiration for them. | B．Roh’s chance discovery about bees. |
| C．Their outstanding talent for science. | D．Their similar achievements in discovery. |
| A．The air weight. | B．Its leg extension. |
| C．The water movement. | D．Its continuous wing beat. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Supportive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Worried. |
| A．Honeybees can surf to safety. | B．Bees help scientists make inventions. |
| C．Insects can adapt to the environment. | D．Nature is a helpful guide for discovery. |
