1 . Along the coast of Cornwall, the UK, by the white beaches near St. Austell, a superhero stands tall. What is this superhero’s weapon of choice? She has two, actually: in one hand, a large recycling bag, and in the other, a heavy-duty litter picker.
Meet Pat Smith, the 71-year-old eco-warrior also known as “Action Granny”. Pat set herself a task to clear the plastic from 52 beaches in Cornwall and Devon. The former teacher jumped into action after watching a film called A Plastic Ocean, which described the range of plastic pollution damaging the world’s oceans and killing sea life.
“It was really life-changing for me,” says Pat. “Until that point, I hadn’t realized there was a problem with plastic in the ocean. I went home from the theater and was really bothered. We have been consuming so much plastic that we are causing an ocean crisis. I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to do something about it.’”
From January 1 until December 31, 2018, Pat cleaned one beach every week. Yet even with the year over and her task completed, she hasn’t stopped. Pat is also picking up litter – and so are her children in the playground. “My daughter-in-law said last week that she had organized a litter-picking activity in the playground with other children. That just shows you that when people are exposed to what you do, they are very likely to follow in your footsteps.”
Joining Pat today is Marta, a research fellow at the Basque Center for Climate Change, who has travelled from Spain to Cornwall to show support for Pat’s action. She also explained her intention of cooperation to Pat. As an environmentalist herself, Marta knows how important it is to work hand in hand, and she would like to show her sincerity.
1. What made Pat decide to clean beach plastic?| A．Her title as a superhero. | B．Her using too much plastic. |
| C．Her previous job as a teacher. | D．Her watching A Plastic Ocean. |
| A．It needs urgent support. | B．It has its own limitations. |
| C．It’s a time-consuming thing. | D．It is influential among her kids. |
| A．To ask for support from Pat. |
| B．To advocate Pat and work together with her. |
| C．To raise people’s awareness of climate change. |
| D．To show the importance of protecting the environment. |
| A．A retired teacher’s war on plastic waste | B．The cooperation between Pat and Marta |
| C．A considerate granny and national superhero | D．A granny’s study on climate change |
| A．Warm. | B．Cool. | C．Cold. |
3 . Atoms and molecules in the air move constantly.
Air flows around a high-or low-pressure system in much the same way as water swirls (旋涡) around a hole. In the Northern Hemisphere, air that moves into a high-pressure system flows outward in a clockwise pattern. Air flowing upward in a region of low pressure moves counterclockwise.
Air is more dense (密集的) in a region of high pressure, so the air pushes out toward less dense regions. The air mass begins to warm as it goes down, which prevents the formation of clouds. The presence of clouds indicates that rain may be present in the air.
Rain associated with low-pressure systems holds true in much of the Northern Hemisphere.
| A．This movement creates air pressure. |
| B．So we can predict rain from the clouds. |
| C．But the air pressure changes little in tropical climates. |
| D．The higher the air pressure is, the faster the winds blow in and outwards. |
| E．Humidity in the rising air of a low-pressure system becomes water droplets. |
| F．This swirling air results in winds around or near the high-and low-pressure boundaries. |
| G．High-pressure systems have light or no clouds, indicating fair weather without rain. |
Pandas are
Bamboo turns out to be the key to at least half
The markings on the panda's face—black ears and the black fur around the eyes—have nothing to do with bamboo and camouflage (伪装).The researchers suggest that the dark ears
5 . Pigeons in London have a bad reputation. Some people call them flying rats. And many blame them for causing pollution with their droppings. But now the birds are being used to fight another kind of pollution in this city of 8. 5 million.
“The problem for air pollution is that it’s been largely ignored as an issue for a long time,” says Andrea Lee, who works for the London-based environmental organization Client Earth. “People don’t realize how bad it is,and how it actually affects their health. ‘‘ London’s poor air quality is linked to nearly 10,000 early deaths a year. Lee says, citing report released by the city manager last year, “If people were better informed about the pollution they’re breathing,” she says,”they could pressure the government to do something about it. ‘‘
Nearby, on a windy hill in London’s Regent’s Park, an experiment is underway that could help-the first week of flights by the Pigeon Air Patrol. It all began when Pierre Duquesnoy, the director for DigitasLBi, a marketing firm, won a London Design Festival contest last year to show how a world problem could be solved using Twitter. Duquesnoy, from France, chose the problem of air pollution.
“Basically, I realized how important the problem was,v he says. “But also I realized that most of the people around me didn’t know anything about it. ‘‘ Duquesnoy says he wants to better measure pollution, while at the same time making the results accessible to the public through Twitter.
“So, “ he wondered, “how could we go across the city quickly collecting as much data as possible?” Drones ( 无人驾驶飞机)were his first thought. But it’s illegal to fly them over London. “But pigeons can fly above London,right?” he says. “They live -actually? they are Londoners as well. So, yeah, I thought about using pigeons equipped with mobile apps. And we can use not just street pigeons, but racing pigeons, because they fly pretty quickly and pretty low. “
So it might be time for Londoners to have more respect for their pigeons. The birds may just be helping to improve the quality of the city's air.
1. What can we infer about London’s air quality from paragraph 2?| A．Londoners are very satisfied with it. |
| B．The government is trying to improve it. |
| C．The government has done a lot to improve it. |
| D．Londoners should pay more attention to it. |
| A．entertain Londoners | B．solve a world problem |
| C．design a product for sale | D．protect animals like pigeons |
| A．Because they are too expensive | B．Because they fly too quickly. |
| C．Because they are forbidden. | D．Because they fly too high. |
| A．London’s New Pollution Fighter |
| B．London’s Dirty Secret |
| C．Clean Air in London |
| D．Causes of Air Pollution in London |
When Mom said we had to give away Sam, I didn’t say a word. I just picked up Sam and walked out to the shed (棚) that used to be Dads workshop.
What Mom said to me wasn’t a surprise. I saw it coming.
My name is Nathan. Sam is my cat. Not long before Dad died, he found Sam behind his store. No one wanted a little cat, so Dad brought him home. Sam is black, with wise eyes and big ears. But all most people notice is his big white feet.
“Meow?”
Sam knows I’m upset. I wonder if I could explain to Sam about Anna. She’s my younger stepsister (继妹), and if it weren’t for her, I could keep Sam. But I don’t explain, and Sam couldn’t understand his situation. He likes to run up and down in the shed’s dusty sunlight.
No one uses the shed now except our elder neighbors, Mr. Sims and Mr. Irvin. They make wind chimes (风铃) to sell at the market. Dad used to help them. I grew up loving the sounds that filled our shed. Mom says people love those chimes because their music is mixed with laughter.
I wonder how things are going to change now that I have a stepsister. Last week we had to take Anna to the hospital quickly. She couldn’t breathe. Mom thinks it was because Sam slept in her room. Anna is allergic (过敏的) to cats. Mom told me that Sam had to be sent away. She asked me who was more important, Sam or Anna. I couldn’t answer.
“Isn’t there anything else we can do?” I ask. I look at Sam. Sam is playing with things left over from the wind chimes. When he hits metal against metal, it rings loudly. Sam is happy. But I’m not.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Then, I remember Anna on the way to the hospital, her face frightened and pale.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
In the end, our neighbors Mr. Sims and Mr. Irvin take in Sam, so Sam gets two homes.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . Garbage sorting has become a hot issue around China, especially after Shanghai began carrying out a regulation on July 1.
Beijing, as a forerunner in environmental protection, has thus been expected to follow suit. The capital of the country has long been campaigning for sorting and recycling household waste, as part of its environmental drive for sustainable growth, local media reported.
The current regulation gives garbage sorting responsibilities to government departments, property management groups and other organizations. It also gives rules for companies, outlining how they’re responsible for waste collection, transportation and treatment. Only individuals are not subject to responsibilities.
The long-awaited revision will soon change the situation, “Taking out the trash without sorting it properly will be illegal,” said Sun Xinjun, director of the Beijing Commission of Urban Management. In Shanghai, violators are now fined up to 200 yuan ($30)for trash-sorting violations. The maximum fine in Beijing will not be less than that, he said.
The Beijing city government first set out to promote garbage sorting in 2009. Authorities have since called on citizens to sort their household waste into four types-recyclable waste, kitchen trash, dangerous waste and others-and leave it in a corresponding dustbin or trash can. Blue-colored dustbins signify items within are recyclable, green represents kitchen trash, red corresponds to dangerous materials and grey to other waste.
To promote the awareness of garbage sorting and expand the base of participants, authorities have employed workers to help residents on the spot. With intelligent devices, those who throw in recyclable waste at given sites will be rewarded with bonus points, which can be used to buy daily goods. At some communities, there are no color-coded dustbins. Instead, a scheduled garbage collection service is offered to help improve the environment. In other communities, workers offer a door-to-door service to collect recyclables or kitchen waste.
Beijing Environmental Sanitation Engineering Group has been promoting new garbage sorting facilities such as recycling cabinets and smart kitchen waste trash cans since 2016, Xinhua News Agency reported. Nearly 26,000 metric tons of household waste is generated across Beijing on a daily basis and 29 terminal garbage disposal facilities are working at full capacity. Nearly 9.3 million tons of household waste was processed in the city last year.
1. According to the passage, which dustbins should some used coke cans be thrown into?| A．Grey-colored dustbins. | B．Red-colored dustbins. |
| C．Green-colored dustbins. | D．Blue-colored dustbins. |
| A．new technology has been applied to help deal with garbage |
| B．Beijing carried out a more severe rule on garbage sorting than Shanghai |
| C．the change of the current regulation has aroused objection among citizens |
| D．the amount of household waste in Beijing is far from something disturbing |
| A．How to Sort Garbage in China | B．The Current Regulation in Beijing |
| C．Garbage Collection in Beijing | D．Waste Recycling Project Counts |
| A．a book review | B．a travel brochure |
| C．an environment report | D．a geography essay |
8 . There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving birds.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to fly into the clear, blue sky.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird’s enjoyment.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight, while the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
| A．Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. |
| B．She gave them some delicious food and left. |
| C．One day she left with the two birds at home alone. |
| D．She took them home and put them in a small cage. |
| E．She lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air. |
| F．One day the girl left the door of the cage open. |
| G．Suddenly she felt the bird go softly. |
9 . There was a time when a trip to the supermarket in the United States often ended with a seemingly simple question from the cashier, "Paper or plastic？"Well, which type of bag would you choose？
While both types of bags have some influence on the environment, it has long been supposed that paper bags are kinder. They are made from a renewable source, are broken down easily, burn without giving off thick smoke and can be recycled. However, the producing process behind paper bags uses more energy than that of plastic ones. How can this be true？
Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production.
And the amount of water used to make them is twenty times higher. Besides, the influence on forests is very serious. It takes about fourteen million trees to produce ten billion paper bags, which happen to be the number of bags used in the United States yearly. In terms of recycling, the idea that paper bags are more environment friendly than plastic ones can be quickly discarded. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does to recycle paper.
Even though paper bags might be more harmful than plastic ones, plastic still seems to be considered as the more harmful of the two by governments. In Ireland, for example, a tax has been introduced to discourage the use of plastic bags. People have to pay 22 cents for every plastic bag, and as a result, their use has dropped quickly.
There’s no doubt that it makes more sense to reuse these bags. However, we don’t seem to be doing that at present. That may be because they fall apart quickly. If so, cloth bags are a better choice, but still, their production also has a bad influence on the environment. So what to do? How should we answer the question of “Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question: “What can I do to help the environment?”
1. The question at the end of Paragraph 1 is used to ________.| A．introduce points for discussion |
| B．tell readers how to save money |
| C．express the author's doubts |
| D．show the kindness of the cashier |
| A．take more time to break down |
| B．require less energy to recycle |
| C．need more water to produce |
| D．have less influence on forests |
| A．share | B．put forward |
| C．discuss | D．give up |
| A．Paper or cloth? |
| B．A new bag or your own one? |
| C．A small bag or big one? |
| D．Paper or plastic？ |
10 . If you are looking for the place that has everything, there is only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theater: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!
The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you will find it in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found everywhere, there is world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue (雕塑) of Liberty? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York!
1. From the text we know that “Rembrandt” is most likely to be the name of a famous .| A．actor | B．painter |
| C．cook | D．musician |
| A．To enjoy a Beethoven concert. | B．To taste the finest French coq au vin. |
| C．To see the Statue of Liberty. | D．To eat Roast Beijing Duck. |
| A．a handbook for English learners | B．a pocketbook for businessmen |
| C．a guidebook for foreign travellers | D．a storybook for local readers |
