1 . Parks are the beating hearts of cities, providing crucial environments for wildlife of many sizes as well as areas of rest and recreation for local citizens. Accessible via public transport, and located near a university, a stadium and the National Library, Warsaw’s Pole Mokotowskie Park provides green space for many people.
One of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s five pathways to transformative change for water management is to restore species population, ecosystems and the benefits that nature provides to people by using each city’s advantage. As more urban centres seek new ways to unite greenery into the built environment, projects of all sizes and stages add to essential corridors and stopping points for a range of wildlife.
Tasked with improving Warsaw’s Pole Mokotowskie Park’s natural sustainability, architecture company WXCA looked at ways of enhancing the elements that were already in place to better support wildlife. One of the most visible means was the removal of thousands of square metres of concrete (混凝土). Removing concrete in and around ponds and other waterways allows the city’s features to shape themselves naturally, in reaction to both the surrounding environment and the weather. Doing so can support biodiversity by removing artificial constraints and flows. More than 13,000 square metres of concrete has already been removed, with more removal planned over the next year.
For the human users of the park, the designers created education, activity, and art spaces. The Grand Salon, a grassland surrounded by trees, is for large public gatherings, and a handful of pavilions (亭) spread throughout the space provide visible means of monitoring the quality of the air and water. They also contribute to the park’s ecosystem through rainwater harvesting. As the temperature consistently rises, city planners are using the leaves and branches of the plants and mixed use designs to reduce heat islands, improve air quality and prevent urban runoff.
1. What do we know about Warsaw’s Pole Mokotowskie Park?| A．It creates a new way to the city center. |
| B．It serves different community groups. |
| C．It reminds the public to protect the environment. |
| D．It shows the locals are living happily. |
| A．Providing stages to show off creativity. | B．Taking advantage of the city’s resources. |
| C．Encouraging people to get close to nature. | D．Supplying various wildlife with more room. |
| A．Limits. | B．Factors. | C．Methods. | D．Damages. |
| A．By offering some shelters. | B．By collecting rainwater. |
| C．By monitoring the air quality. | D．By reducing high temperature. |
2 . Adopting a pet is rapidly becoming the preferred option for many people wanting to add an animal companion. It’s true that many people are happy to part with thousands of dollars for purebred(纯种的)dogs and cats.
Homeless animals can make wonderful pets. People often assume that dogs and cats end up in shelters because they’re unwanted or badly behaved. There are many reasons owners may need to re-home their pet-divorce, hospitalization, or the time and money needed to care for a dog.
Adult animals have benefits. Shelters have a wide range of potential pets and there are many benefits from adopting a more mature dog or cat. Not starting from scratch helps avoid much of the craziness and mess associated with puppies. They will already be vaccinated, so you will have fewer start-up costs.
There’s something else to keep in mind. It’s important for you to only select a pet that will suit your lifestyle, not a pet you feel sorry for.
| A．Pets not only provide but call for company. |
| B．Animal experts discuss how to adopt a pet. |
| C．Most importantly what you see is what you get. |
| D．Choose an appropriate animal from a reliable source. |
| E．Consider the pet’s suitability for your family and lifestyle. |
| F．You need to think carefully about how you will care for it. |
| G．Some dogs and cats become lost, are not identified and are never claimed. |
3 . One day last summer, my 9-year-old son Ben and I were riding the waves at a popular ocean beach on outer Cape Cod. As we were playing happily with our surfboard, I suddenly noticed an astonishing
We stared and pointed in
Ben’s words took my breath away, more than the dramatic waves and the amazing sight of the
He was absolutely
We each have a part to play in
How we
| A．show | B．change | C．sight | D．sign |
| A．stood | B．left | C．started | D．lay |
| A．fear | B．amazement | C．silence | D．confusion |
| A．seldom | B．never | C．always | D．again |
| A．beach | B．ships | C．swimmers | D．whales |
| A．confident | B．crazy | C．smart | D．right |
| A．home | B．family | C．performance | D．stage |
| A．secret | B．public | C．natural | D．native |
| A．ignore | B．remember | C．prove | D．imagine |
| A．forever | B．only | C．once | D．almost |
| A．sharing | B．creating | C．improving | D．finding |
| A．required | B．judged | C．expected | D．did |
| A．true | B．easy | C．funny | D．powerful |
| A．researches | B．dreams | C．communities | D．activities |
| A．compete with | B．connect with | C．hear from | D．separate from |
The Chinatown in San Francisco is the biggest in America, and also
5 . To create “Washed Up: Transforming a Trashed Landscape”. Alejandro Duran gathers plastic trash that is washed up on the beaches of Sian Karan, Mexico’s largest federally-protected reserve. The site is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Yet every day, plastic pollution from around the world is washed up onto its shores. These materials inspired Duran to create a series of environmental art pieces, which he re-cords with photos and videos.
Duran was born in Mexico City and is now based in Brooklyn. He said that he had been collecting materials and creating photographs for the past five years, and the work was ongoing. “The project will tell me when to stop.”
Each piece can convey a vastly different mood, from the calm greens of soda bottles to the playful rainbows of toothbrushes. “I’m making art,” said Duran. “It comes from the context and my moods. You can’t say only something dark.” The work reflects and plays with natural forms, exploring how humans influence the environment. The colorful and playful images can be much attention-grabbing. “Beauty is a hook (钩子) to attract people’s attention,” said Duran.
In addition to promoting awareness of the plastic pollution problem, Duran is also involved in educational programs and helps to organize beach clean-ups. He has also made a study of the types of products that are washed ashore in Sian Ka’an, and has identified objects from 50 different countries. Although there’s no way to know where or how these objects were dropped into the sea, their labels show the global nature of the problem.
1. What does Alejandro Duran do with the trash?| A．He moves it away. | B．He collects and burns it. |
| C．He turns it into a form of art. | D．He puts it together for people to see. |
| A．He will stop the project soon. | B．It’s hard to carry on the project. |
| C．He will go on with the project. | D．The project is important to him. |
| A．recycle the trash | B．change his career |
| C．clean up the beach | D．raise public awareness of pollution |
| A．Plastic pollution in the ocean. |
| B．An artist creating environmental art. |
| C．The global nature of the pollution problem. |
| D．Mexico’s largest federally-protected reserve. |
6 . With an abundance of sun and wind, Spain is positioning itself as Europe’s future leader in green hydrogen production to clean up heavy industries. But some energy experts express caution because this process relies on massive availability of zero-carbon electricity.
Green hydrogen is created when renewable energy sources power an electrical current that runs through water, separating its hydrogen and oxygen molecules (分子). The process doesn’t produce planet-warming carbon dioxide, but less than 0.1% of global hydrogen production is currently created in this way.
The separated hydrogen can be used in the production of steel, ammonia (氨) and chemical products, all of which require industrial processes that are harder to stop fossil fuels. Hydrogen also can be used as a transportation fuel, which could one day transform the highly polluting shipping and aviation sectors.
Spain’s large, windswept and thinly populated territory receives more than 2,500 hours of sunshine on average per year, providing ideal conditions for wind and solar energy, and therefore green hydrogen production.
“If you look at where hydrogen is going to be produced in Europe in the next million years, it’s in two countries, Spain and Portugal,” said Thierry Lepercq, the founder and president of HyDeal Ambition, an industry platform bringing together 30 companies. “Hydrogen is the new oil.”
Lepercq is working with companies like Spanish gas pipeline corporation Enagas and global steel giant ArcelorMittal to design an end-to-end model for hydrogen production, distribution and supply at a competitive price. Criticism has centered on green hydrogen’s higher cost compared with highly-polluting “gray hydrogen” drawn from natural gas. Lepercq argues that solar energy produced in Spain is priced low enough to compete.
Globally, Lepercq said, “Electricity is 20% of energy consumption. What about the 80% that is not electrified? ... You need to replace those fossil fuels. Not in 50 years’ time. You need to replace them now.”
1. Why are some experts cautious about green hydrogen production in Spain?| A．It needs large amounts of sun and wind. | B．It has an effect on heavy industries. |
| C．It causes conflicts among countries. | D．It uses lots of zero-carbon electricity. |
| A．Ideal geographical conditions. | B．The support from government. |
| C．Hydrogen production technology. | D．Well-developed public transports. |
| A．It is highly priced. | B．It is easy to store. |
| C．It is competitive. | D．It is highly-polluting. |
| A．Spain manages to use zero-carbon electricity. | B．Spain struggles to lead EU in heavy industry. |
| C．Spain takes the lead in preventing air pollution. | D．Spain replaces fossil fuel with green hydrogen. |
7 . You may have noticed sudden, brief twitching (抽动) at some point while your dog was sleeping and wondered if they were dreaming or even expressing some type of discomfort. These involuntary movements only occur during dream states and usually don’t last long. So is twitching just a normal part of dreaming, or are there times when you should worry?
Dogs sleep an average of 12-14 hours each day. While they sleep, a dog’s brain processes information and experiences from the day through dreams. Twitching is often related to active dream cycles in the brain.
According to research by psychologist Stanley Coren, an average-size dog will dream about every 20 minutes, and these dreams will last about a minute. Larger breeds (品种) have fewer dreams that last longer- about every 45 minutes for 4 minutes. The opposite is true for smaller breed dogs; they will dream about every 10 minutes for up to 30 seconds.
Dogs experience the same dream stages as humans, including non-rapid eye movement (NREM), short-wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM). During the REM state, a dog’s eyes move around behind their closed eyelids, and the large body muscles are turned off so the dream is not physically acted out. The amount of twitching depends on how much these off switches cramp muscle movement.
If your dog sleeps next to you, they may unintentionally disturb your sleep with their sudden body movements. However, it is often advised not to awaken a dog that is twitching in their sleep unless they are clearly in distress.
A bad dream or night terror could be the cause of these involuntary movements, and they may wake up frightened. Try to avoid touching them so they don’t bite you as a result of being shocked and panicked. Instead, gently call your dog’s name until they respond. Speak calmly and tell them that they are safe and secure after they wake up. While they appear to be pretty active in their sleep, dreaming dogs may be slow to awaken.
1. Which of the following influences how often dogs dream?| A．Their sleeping time. | B．Their body size. |
| C．Their daily experiences. | D．Their health conditions. |
| A．Stimulate. | B．Transform. | C．Limit. | D．Monitor. |
| A．To avoid being bitten by the dog. | B．To ensure the dog adequate sleep. |
| C．To prevent the dog getting shocked. | D．To escape disturbance from the dog. |
| A．How does dogs’ brain work? |
| B．Why do dogs dream at night? |
| C．Why do dogs twitch in their sleep? |
| D．How does dogs’ twitch affect their sleep? |
Undoubtedly, Mother Nature is always attractive to kids. In our childhood, how often did we turn a deaf ear to our parents’ advice? Very often! Thus, we landed ourselves in a situation where we greatly regretted our act of not having listened to the advice of the wise.
Such an unforgettable experience I had at the age of 7 gave me an invaluable lesson, after which I deeply understood why my gentle mother was repeating the boring suggestions and I would try to take her suggestions seriously.
In my childhood, I was so crazy about nature that even playing among the colorful flowers in our garden could make my day. Our house was next to the woods which had always stirred up(激起) great curiosity in me in wanting to find out what was within. Every time I saw fascinating butterflies dancing from the woods, my curiosity grew.
But my mother didn’t like me wandering off on my own and always ensured that I was within her sight. Even if she allowed me to explore the surrounding area on my own, it was only to be somewhere near the house. Being as curious as the cat, I always desired to explore the woods. It seemed as if my mother had understood my desire, so she had warmed me on lots of occasions never to enter the woods alone.
“Mom, can I go out and play in the garden?” I asked.
“Sure,” she would reply each time. “Kate, you can play in the garden but you must promise me one thing—only when I’m with you can you go into the woods. There are no cases of animal attacks on humans, but it’s still dangerous for a little kid like you. It’s too easy to get lost in the woods.”
“Sure, you’ve said that many times!” I answered without patience at her repeated reminders.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
However, curiosity got the better of me one morning.
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“Kate?” Behind the trees covered by the rays of the setting sun came my mother’s voice.
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9 . We all have an idea about the common types of environmental problems. However, light pollution may be a new term to many of us. But, the fact is that it does affect mankind, other living forms and the environment as a whole.
What is light pollution? It presents all forms of misused man-made light. The obvious cause of light pollution is the use of outdoor lighting products improperly. It can be office lighting, car headlights, station lights, streetlights and many more.
Light pollution is harmful to both animals and plants. Upon studies, it is found that obvious effects are observed in the behaviour of animals that are active at night. Needless to mention, bright light at night makes it difficult for these animals to hunt, wander and perform their regular activities. Light pollution is directly or indirectly responsible for causing several diseases. Its effects are related to disturbance in the physical rhythm (节奏). It contributes to risks of developing cancerous cells. So, it’s nothing less than a threat to human health.
You have already seen the negative effects of light pollution on animals and human health. Apart from this, the actual cost of misused light is about millions of dollars every year. It also leads to the release of greenhouse gases and global warming. After all, coal or gas is used for producing electricity.
While outdoor lighting and using man-made lighting products are part of our modern lifestyle, some simple ways will surely help in reducing light pollution. For example, while installing (安装) outdoor lighting, make sure that they are pointed downwards. Also, use only the required lighting equipment for both home and offices. Believe it or not, many people living in the urban areas cannot view clear sky and stars at night. Let’s contribute our part in reducing the pollution.
1. What can we learn about light pollution?| A．It has little effect on plants. |
| B．It contributes to most cancers. |
| C．It is a negative fruit of light technology. |
| D．It affects animals’ behavior during the day. |
| A．It increases the temperature at night. |
| B．It creates clouds in parts of the Earth. |
| C．It stops the release of greenhouse gases. |
| D．It is related to the burning of coal and gas. |
| A．Forbid the use of outdoor lighting. |
| B．Use clean energy to produce electricity. |
| C．Avoid unnecessary lights at home and offices. |
| D．Reduce money spent on light in urban areas. |
| A．Citizens should be banned to install outdoor lighting. |
| B．Only simple ways can help reduce light pollution. |
| C．There is no clear sky or stars over the urban areas. |
| D．Light pollution needs to be dealt with urgently. |
10 . Check your junk drawer at home, and you’re likely to find a mess of electronic device chargers—many of them probably old-fashioned. Late last week the European Union proposed a new regulation that would solve this problem by requiring all small electronics (including phones, tablets, portable speakers and cameras) to have the same type of charging port. All such electronics sold in the EU would need to switch to the USB-C standard within two years.
European officials declare this universal standard not only increases convenience for consumers but also cuts down on electronic waste. Critics of such measures, including Apple which uses a special charging port on its phones, claim the move will slow down innovation. And when USB-C certainly gives way to the next improved charging method, people will still need to invest in new chargers. The true impact of this law, however, may not be as simple as either side suggests.
“Based on what we know about what’s in the electronic waste stream, the relative reduction in the amount of e-waste is probably going to be relatively small due to chargers alone,” says Callie Babbitt, a professor of sustainability at Researcher Institute of Technology, where she studies electronic waste. “But I think the bigger potential is that this is a good test case for requiring manufacturers to think about standardization and design that is user-friendly for the consumer-and then actually see whether there is an increase in discarding (丢弃) as technology changes or if we actually see a reduction because consumers aren’t replacing products and chargers as frequently,” Babbitt spoke with Scientific American about the scale of the e-waste problem, how researchers want to solve it and whether this new rule is a step in the right direction.
Households across the US discard about just under two million metric tons of electronics a year. And that’s just households. If you start to include businesses, companies and industry, then the number is estimated to perhaps double.
1. Why does the author mention the junk drawer in paragraph 1?| A．To clarify a rule. | B．To introduce a topic. |
| C．To draw a conclusion. | D．To explain a concept. |
| A．It is in favor of the standard. | B．It pays little attention to the standard. |
| C．It claims the negative effects of the standard. | D．It thinks there’s a long way to meet the standard. |
| A．It will reduce a large amount of e-waste. |
| B．It will contribute to other technology changes. |
| C．It is a step in the wrong direction of reducing e waste. |
| D．It is a good try for standardization and user-friendly design. |
| A．A universal standard for charging port | B．Traditional chargers: old-fashioned |
| C．A new regulation about e waste | D．E-waste: a global concern |
