1 . A tree-planting initiative in Kenya has seen over 30,000 trees being planted. The Green Generation Initiative is a Kenyan charity that has been planting trees to counter climate change and the reduction in forest in the East African nation since 2016.
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Speaking to world leaders at the recent United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow (COP26), Elizabeth issued a serious warning on the threat of climate change. Over two million of Kenyans are facing climate related starvation. In 2025, half of the world’s population will be facing water shortage. The climate crisis will displace 80 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Elizabeth said, “I have been doing what I can. Inspired by the great Wangari Maathai, I founded a tree growing initiative that enhances food security for young Kenyans.” So far, they have grown 30,000 fruit trees to maturity, providing desperately needed nutrition for thousands of children. “Every day we see that when we look after the trees, they look after us. We are the adults on this Earth right now, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the children have food and water,” she added.
Which of the following can best describe Elizabeth Wathuti?| A．Friendly and talented. | B．Caring and responsible. |
| C．Honest and determined. | D．Ambitious and humorous. |
2 . Tree-planting, intended to help draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, has become a synonym (同义词) for climate action. In our constant focus on trees, we’ve developed a fixed understanding: Trees absorb carbon dioxide, end of story. The reality is that trees don’t grow well alone. They exist within complex communities, helped along by each other as well as the animals they coexist with. The woodland isn’t nature’s only carbon sink: Grasslands and oceans also help reduce the carbon level and rely on a healthy amount of biodiversity.
That’s what the paper, published in Nature, wants to get across. Co-author Oswald J. Schmitz, a professor of ecology at Yale University, said trees might not be able to do their carbon-uptake job efficiently without the right animals in their ecosystem. That’s because animals animate the carbon cycle through their behavior and roles in the ecosystem. He added that the very presence of wild animals could cause feedback effects that change the ecosystem’s capacity to absorb, release, or transport carbon.
In Serengeti, for instance, the sharp decline in wildebeest (角马) population s during the mid-20th century allowed grass to grow wildly, eventually promoting wildfires that consumed 80 percent of the ecosystem annually and led to a net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When disease management and bans on illegal hunting helped animal populations recover, a greater share of the carbon stored in plants was consumed by wildebeest and released as waste, keeping it in the system and restoring the grassland as a carbon sink.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Actions are needed to reduce carbon dioxide. |
| B．Trees are a quick solution to the climate crisis. |
| C．People are not thinking through trees properly. |
| D．Grasslands and oceans help maintain biodiversity. |
| A．The conservation of animals is still a serious issue. |
| B．Animals can swing the ecosystem’s capacity to store carbon. |
| C．Human impacts bring about the reduction in wildlife populations. |
| D．The increase in animal species causes a decrease in carbon uptake. |
3 . A 12-year-old girl, Eleanor Woods, has created a green backpack that filters (过滤) out air pollution. Her innovative bag won the award of the “Backpack to the Future” competition.
The competition was launched to encourage students to combine an interest in fashion with a career in science, technology, engineering or maths.
Powered by green energy from solar power and a dynamo-a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy-the backpack filters polluted air before fanning out cleaner air nearby.
Air pollution was always Eleanor’s concern. Meanwhile, spending a lot of time with her asthmatic (患哮喘病的) mum, Eleanor especially focused on how pollution affects a person’s health and the spread of diseases. “We have an air filter at home because my mum has mild asthma. But what if she wants to go out? It would be inconvenient and dangerous! My Breathe Better Backpack is about keeping those like my mother safe using an air filter. It looks cool and will help get them outside and fight off colds,” Eleanor said.
The girl added, “My generation has really realized pollution, and we have lessons on it at school. This is another reason why I designed this, because we need to do something.”
1. Who will most probably benefit from the backpack?| A．Students living in poverty. | B．Those suffering from asthma. |
| C．People working in an open way. | D．Judges worried about pollution. |
| A．Humorous and modest. | B．Ambitious and selfless. |
| C．Confident and fearless. | D．Creative and considerate. |
4 . On the outside, 12-year-old Luna seems like your average kid. It’s not until you get to know her that you learn that Luna is anything but average.
Bom with a heart defect (缺陷) called dextrocardia, Luna has had three open-heart operations and continues to pursue her interests in art and fashion. But when Luna was approached by athletic shoe company Saucony to design a shoe for sale across the country, it came as quite a surprise.
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“Rather than just a donation, we wanted to create an experience and a moment that would not only raise money, but also awareness to highlight all the amazing work that’s being done at BCH,” says Chris, Saucony’s vice president. “Specifically, we wanted to give some of the BCH kids an opportunity to share their story and their talents with the world.”
1. What can we learn from Chris’ words?| A．It’s unwise to raise money. |
| B．It’s optional to seek donations. |
| C．It’s wonderful to study art. |
| D．It’s necessary to show kids’ talents. |
| A．Gifted and determined. | B．Generous and serious. |
| C．Grateful and helpful. | D．Creative and sensitive. |
5 . He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.
Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.
“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Fuzhou?| A．To review John’s research plans. |
| B．To show an application of John’s idea. |
| C．To compare John’s different jobs. |
| D．To erase doubts about John’s invention. |
| A．Nature can repair itself. |
| B．Organisms need water to survive. |
| C．Life on Earth is diverse. |
| D．Most tiny creatures live in groups. |
6 . The AIDA model is the foundation of modern marketing and advertising practice. It outlines the four basic steps used to persuade potentials to make a purchase. The first three steps lie in creating attention (A), decorating interest (I), and building desire (D) for the product, before the fourth step — the “call to action” (A) — tells them exactly how and where to buy. AIDA can channel the customer’s feelings through each stage toward reaching a sale.
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“Call-to-action” is where all of the initial hard work pays off and leads to the action from a potential customer. For example, they might pick up the phone to discuss the idea of a trial of the services or, alternatively, they may just buy that product or service that has been promoted to them all along.
And AIDA is used to great effect in the movie industry. Movie studios begin their marketing campaigns months in advance. The campaigns develop by offering attractive flashes of the movie without giving too much away. Desire is inspired by the release of the full preview which is fully designed to show the exciting moments of the movie, from special effects to humorous lines of dialogue on the opening weekend. Advertisements in newspapers and on television focus on the movie’s release, inviting the consumer to go and buy a ticket.
1. What is the purpose of practising AIDA?| A．To create jobs. | B．To increase sales. |
| C．To research markets. | D．To introduce products. |
| A．To design an AIDA model. | B．To display how AIDA works. |
| C．To show how to make a movie. | D．To advertise the movie industry. |
7 . As students return to school this fall, many of them- perhaps especially those from historically disadvantaged student groups- will be starting the academic year with achievement levels lower than where they were at the beginning of summer break. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as summer learning loss. We review what is known about summer loss and offer suggestions for schools looking to solve the problem.
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Traditionally, educators and policymakers have relied on conventional summer school programs to solve summer learning loss. Not surprisingly, research suggests that programs are more effective when students attend consistently and spend more time on task academically. Regardless of the design, these policies should offer engaging options for students over the summer so that summer learning programs do not feel like punishment for students who would rather be enjoying summer vacation. Doing so would set more students up for success as the school year gets underway.
1. In writing paragraph 1, the author aims to__________.| A．propose a definition | B．make a comparison |
| C．present an issue | D．make an argument |
| A．The conventional programs are ineffective. |
| B．More choices should be provided for students. |
| C．Students should do more academic tasks. |
| D．The programs are punishment for students. |
8 . For nearly a decade now, Merebeth has been a self-employed pet transport specialist. Her pet transport job was born of the financial crisis(危机) in the late 2000s. The downturn hit the real estate (房地产) firm where she had worked for ten years as an office manager. The firm went broke and left her looking for a new job. One day, while driving near her home, she saw a dog wandering on the road, clearly lost. She took it home, and her sister in Denver agreed to take it. This was a loving home for sure, but 1, 600 miles away. It didn’t take long for Merebeth to decide to drive the dog there herself. It was her first road trip to her new job.
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This wanderlust is inherited from her father, she says. She moved their family from Canada to California when she was one year old, because he wanted them to explore a new place together. As soon as she graduated from high school she left home to live on Catalina Island off the Californian coast, away from her parents, where she enjoyed a life of sailing and off-road biking.
It turns out that pet transporting pays quite well at about $30, 000 per year before tax. She doesn’t work in summer, as it would be unpleasantly hot for the animals in the car, even with air conditioning. As autumn comes, she gets restless—the same old wanderlust returning. It’s a call she must heed alone, though. Merebeth says, “When I am on the road, I’m just in my own world. I’ve always been independent-spirited and I just feel strongly that I mush help animals.”
1. Why did Merebeth changed her job?| A．She wanted to work near her home. |
| B．She was tired of working in the office. |
| C．Her sister asked her to move to Denver. |
| D．Her former employer was out of business. |
| A．She has chances to see rare animals. |
| B．She works hard throughout the year. |
| C．She relies on herself the whole time. |
| D．She earns a basic and tax-free salary. |
9 . Zero waste was a radical lifestyle movement a few years back. I remember showing my parents a video of Bea Johnson, sharing how cool I thought it would be to buy groceries with jars, and have so little trash! A few days later, I came back with my first jars of zero waste groceries, and my dad commented on how silly it was for me to carry jars everywhere. It came off as a bit discouraging.
Yet as the months of reducing waste continued, I did what I could that was within my own reach. I had my own bedroom, so I worked on removing things I didn’t need. Since I had my own toiletries (洗漱用品), I was able to start personalising my routine to be more sustainable. I also offered to cook every so often, so I portioned out a bit of the cupboard for my own zero waste groceries. Perhaps your household won’t entirely make the switch, but you may have some control over your own personal spaces to make the changes you desire.
As you make your lifestyle changes, you may find yourself wanting to speak up for yourself if others comment on what you’re doing, which can turn itself into a whole household debate. If you have individuals who are not on board, your words probably won’t do much and can often leave you feeling more discouraged.
So here is my advice: Lead by action.
1. What was the attitude of the author’s father toward buying groceries with jars?| A．He disapproved of it. | B．He was favorable to it. |
| C．He was tolerant of it. | D．He didn’t care about it. |
| A．She is quite good at cooking. | B．She respects others’ privacy. |
| C．She enjoys being a housewife. | D．She is a determined person. |
10 . Navigating growing up alongside academic demands is a difficult phase of life for anyone. “The hardest part of having dyscalculia in my K-12 experience was dealing with a disability on top of the normal aspects of growing up,” Cladek said. “Growing up with dyscalculia greatly affected myself-worth and not feeling like I am enough,” said Cladek, who is now a college student. “If I could only be able to fit in with the rest of the kids and not have this anxiety and frustration every time I look at a math problem on my worksheet, then I’ll be enough, which was a common thought I had.”
What does the author want to say by men toning Cladek’s experience?| A．Cladek has fantastic memories of schooling. |
| B．It’s better to have dyscalculia diagnosed earlier. |
| C．Growing up with dyscalculia is a big challenge. |
| D．Academic demands outweigh struggling with dyscalculia. |
