1 . In a world-record effort to help save a rare sea creature, Australian scientists have released hundreds of baby seahorses into the wild. The tiny seahorses are endangered, and the scientists hope the new seahorses will help their numbers grow.
Seahorses are small, thin fish with a long mouth. They’re called “seahorses” because they look a bit like horses. Even though they’re fish, seahorses aren’t great swimmers.
There are over 40 different kinds of seahorses. They mostly live in warm, shallow waters around the world. They are often found in coral reefs, in beds of seagrass, and areas where rivers empty into the sea.
Many kinds of seahorses are threatened, often by the actions of humans.
This is the fifth time the scientists have released seahorses into the area. and this is a new record,
| A．Seahorse babies are easy to carry. |
| B．Around 380 seahorses were released. |
| C．Sometimes they’re caught and sold as pets. |
| D．People should be prohibited from catching seahorses. |
| E．Seahorses form an important part of the ocean’s food chain. |
| F．They often use their tails to hold onto something in the water. |
| G．Seahorses are unusual because it’s the males who carry the babies. |
2 . In the late 1980s, NASA conducted a study to determine how well indoor plants reduce air pollution. But NASA’s study was conducted in sealed chambers simulating(模拟)future long-term space habitats. A 2022 analysis in the Journal of Exposure Science&Environmental Epidemiology showed that it would take 680 plants to clean the air in a 1. 500-square-foot room-highly unrealistic for most plant parents. If the French biotech startup Neoplants has its way, though, you might need only one.
Neoplants’ product, announced late last year, is the Neo P1, the first houseplant genetically engineered to improve indoor air. At first sight, this high-tech pothos(绿萝)is indistinguishable from the real thing. It’s attractive, fast-growing, and hard to kill. But unlike typical plants, it also takes in indoor air pollutants missed by traditional air purifiers.
For now, the pothos itself is responsible for only about 30% of the Neo P1’s air-cleaning capacity, but researchers expect that to change soon. The Neo Pl is the company’s first product. “Air-filtering(空气过滤)plants may get people to think about GMOs(Genetically Modified Organisms)in a new way,” says Brophy, a Stanford researcher. “Having something that you can touch and feel and that is nonthreatening is a great way to get people introduced to the concept of genetically modified organisms. ”
Pothos plants have become familiar companions in the indoor landscape of remote work just as the political debate about gas stoves has raised our awareness of once-unfamiliar domestic danger. According to the Environmental Protection Agency. Americans spend around 90% of their lives inside. where concentrations of some pollutants can be anywhere from two to five times higher than they are outdoors. “Usually we feel safe indoors.” says cofounder and CEO of Neoplants Lionel Mora. “But invisible things indoors can be very harmful.”
It’s clear that Mora is ultimately looking beyond indoor air cleaning and toward climate applications. “It’s easier to have an impact in the bedroom than to start with the atmosphere,” Mora says. “But I’ll be disappointed if there’s a plant on the moon and it’s not a Neoplant.”
1. How is the effect of some plants on indoor air according to the 2022 analysis?| A．Limited. | B．Significant. | C．Permanent. | D．Immeasurable. |
| A．It can kill other plants. | B．It looks like a common plant. |
| C．It’s created by an engineer. | D．It’s often missed by people. |
| A．They have been widely accepted. |
| B．They account for a third of indoor plants. |
| C．They should be introduced in a safer way. |
| D．They may cause concern among some people. |
| A．To go to the moon to study plants. | B．To make a profit with their products. |
| C．To make indoor air improvement easily. | D．To grow their plants on the moon one day. |
3 . Magnetic fields are promising to be a useful tool in the hunt for human settlements that have been lost to the sea off the coast of the UK. An upcoming project is set to use magnetometry (磁力测定) data to seek Doggerland, the flooded land that connected Britain to mainland Europe until the end of the Ice Age, but there’s hope that this technique could be used to find long-lost civilizations all over the world.
The study comes from the University of Bradford in the UK. Their plan is to closely look at magnetometry data gathered from a portion of the North Sea and attempt to identify any strange anomalies (异常) that could suggest the presence of archaeological structures.
The team is especially keen to use these techniques to look for traces of human activities beneath the North Sea since it’s thought to have been home to some of the largest prehistoric settlements in Europe. Before it was flooded over 8,000 years ago. Doggerland was a rich and diverse habitat that likely attracted prehistoric humans and others. Despite its potential that lays beneath the North Sea, we know relatively little about the culture that once was developed here.
“As the area we are studying used to be above sea level, there’s a small chance this analysis could even reveal evidence for hunter-gatherer activity. That would be the most important part.” Ben Urmston, PhD student at the University of Bradford, said in a statement. “We might also discover the presence of middens, which are rubbish dumps that consist of animal bones, shells and other biological material. that can tell us a lot about how people lived.”
Remarkably little of the world’s oceans have been explored, let alone for the purposes of archaeology. Nevertheless, advances in technology are continuing to show that the coastlines are hiding countless traces of ancient human activities, even evidence of long-lost civilizations.
Thanks to projects like the one at the University of Bradford, as well as many others, the future of marine archaeology is looking promising. Nevertheless, we have to be patient. Just don’t expect to stumble across the sunken city of Atlantis anytime soon.
1. Why is magnetometry data used in this project?| A．To trace the ice movement. | B．To measure Doggerland. |
| C．To find a lost ancient land. | D．To explore the history of Britain. |
| A．Its civilization is little known to us. | B．It was a place that was often flooded. |
| C．It was a deserted island with few people. | D．Its location has not yet been confirmed. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Subjective. | C．Shocked. | D．Favourable. |
| A．Display. | B．Assess. | C．Restore. | D．Discover. |
1. How many kinds of pollution have been mentioned by the speaker?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Noise pollution. | C．Water pollution. |
| A．It will make us upset easily. |
| B．It will pollute our rivers and lakes. |
| C．It will reduce their cost. |
| A．Make new rules. | B．Go to live with friends. | C．Take public transportation. |
5 . Today, you can buy a pair of sneakers (运动鞋) partially made from carbon dioxide pulled out of the atmosphere. But measuring the carbon-reduction benefits of making that pair of sneakers with carbon dioxide is complex. There’s the carbon dioxide that stayed in the ground, a definite carbon reduction. But what about the energy cost of cooling the carbon dioxide into liquid form and transporting it to a production facility? And what about when your kid outgrows the shoes in six months and they can’t be recycled into a new product because those systems aren’t in place yet?
Researchers are trying to help companies figure out how to account for each step in a product’s life.
As companies try to reduce their carbon footprint, many are doing life cycle assessments to measure the full carbon cost of products, from the obtaining of materials to energy use in manufacturing, from product transport to users’ behavior and end-of-life disposal (处理). It’s an impressively complex measurement, but such bean-counting is needed to hold the planet to a livable temperature, says low-carbon systems expert Andrea Ramirez Ramirez of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Carbon use can be reduced at many points along the production chain—by using renewable energy in the manufacturing process, for instance, or by adding atmospheric carbon dioxide to the product. But if other points along the chain like transporting consume more energy or give off more carbon dioxide, Andrea notes, the final record may show a decrease rather than a reduction. A product is carbon-reduction only when its production actually removes carbon from the environment, temporarily or permanently.
In the rush to create products that can fight climate change, however, some companies have been charged with “greenwashing”—making products appear more environmentally friendly than they really are. Examples include labeling (用标签表明) plastic garbage bags as recyclable when their whole purpose is to be thrown away; using labels such as “eco-friendly” or “100% Natural” without official certification; and claiming a better carbon footprint without acknowledging the existence of even better choices.
1. How does the author lead in the topic of the text?| A．By listing specific figures. | B．By putting up questions. |
| C．By referring to documents. | D．By offering some solutions. |
| A．Difficult but meaningful. | B．Expensive but promising. |
| C．Energy-saving and affordable. | D．Time-consuming and valueless. |
| A．Using renewable energy in production. |
| B．Changing carbon dioxide into material. |
| C．Reducing carbon footprint in products’ life. |
| D．Cutting down carbon dioxide in transporting. |
| A．Companies are sparing no efforts to reduce carbon use. |
| B．Plastic garbage bags must be labeled as “eco-friendly”. |
| C．Most products are less environmentally friendly than before. |
| D．There is a long way to cut some companies’ ”greenwashing“. |
6 . Don’t Buy Fertilizer (肥料)! It Is All Around You.
The cost of everything seems to be rising around the world. So, growing our own food is a good way to save money. However, the cost of gardening has also been rising. Now make your own!
Consider cut grass
If you leave cut grass on the grassland, you may not need fertilizer. As grass breaks down, it benefits the soil (土壤).
Make your own compost (堆肥)
Compost is the best thing you can add to soil. Compost helps to control how much water stays in the soil. It keeps dry soil wet. Compost also adds nutrients (营养) to the soil.
To make your own compost, simply collect fruit and vegetable leftovers. Do not add meat, milk, or fats. You can keep the food leftovers in a bowl in your kitchen.
Just be sure to bury (埋) them at least 25 to 30 centimeters deep. This will keep hungry wildlife from digging them up.
Use leftovers from around your house
Are you a fish owner? Plants can also get help from used fish-tank water. This water is rich in nutrients. Do you cook vegetables in water? If so, save it!
And water from cooked eggs is full of calcium. This is especially useful for tomatoes. Just make sure to let the water cool to room temperature before using it on your plants.
You can even use eggshells (壳). Dry out the eggshells.
| A．They are good for plants. |
| B．Then break them up into tiny pieces. |
| C．This will help grass to continue to grow. |
| D．The same can be done with banana wastes. |
| E．Whenever it fills up, bury it directly in the garden earth. |
| F．And bury the leftovers several centimeters from the plants. |
| G．The water is filled with useful things that could help your garden. |
7 . A new analysis of photographs from the International Space Station has identified a shift in the kind of lighting technologies that European countries are using at night to brighten streets and buildings. Researchers have found that the old warm high-pressure street lights are rapidly being replaced by cooler LED lights. The University of Exeter study, published in Science Advances, claimed that “this phenomenon is widely increasing the risk of harmful effects to ecosystems”.
LED lighting was promoted as being intended to reduce emissions, but its usage has raised energy consumption. One explanation of this is that the increase in power efficiency and the associated decrease in economic cost have driven increased demand for lighting, therefore, any efficiency gains have been counteracted by increased consumption of light.
The study also claimed that previous research into the effects of light pollution have underestimated the impacts of blue light radiation. Chief among the health consequences of blue light is its ability to reduce the production of melatonin(褪黑素)that regulates sleep patterns in humans and other organisms. Scientific studies have warned that increased exposure to artificial blue light can worsen people’s sleeping habits.
The increase in blue light radiation in Europe has also reduced the visibility of stars in the night sky, which may have impacts on people’s sense of nature. Blue light can also alter the behavioral patterns of animals including bats and moths, as it can change their movements towards or away from light sources.
David Smith, of the conservation charity Buglife, said, “Light pollution can dramatically impact animals. We should consider light from a wider biological perspective than that of just humans and focus on better quality lighting that is harmonious with our natural world. Better quality and lower levels of lighting would help save energy, and lower financial costs, while also making our environment safer for living beings. Authorities can dim the lights during night hours, and change the bandwidths(带宽值)of their LED bulbs to produce less harmful blue light.”
1. What is the phenomenon described in paragraph 1?| A．The rising demand for public lighting. |
| B．The increasing use of LED lights. |
| C．Old street lights producing lots of emissions. |
| D．Artificial lights at night wasting much energy. |
| A．Judged. | B．Maintained. |
| C．Balanced. | D．Strengthened. |
| A．Sleep patterns. | B．Eyesight. |
| C．Learning ability. | D．Social behaviors. |
| A．To stress the importance of saving energy. |
| B．To persuade authorities to avoid using LED lights. |
| C．To show ways of improving the quality of LED bulbs. |
| D．To provide suggestions on reducing light pollution. |
8 . Since the rise in car ownership in the 1950s, the US has started building roads in cities and across the country to provide enough room for automobiles. Houston, like many cities, is turning back the clock to make room for passers-by, cyclists and parks.
Memorial Park in Houston, Texas was halved by the Memorial Drive Highway in the1950s. It has now been reunited. The highway is still there, but the road goes underneath the 1,500-acre park.
The restoration (修复) of Memorial Park is part of a larger plan that was made after the city suffered from a serious drought. It was thought that 80 percent of the forested canopy (树冠) was dead. One of the ways to fight that was to reintroduce native plants and animals.
The city hired the landscape architectural company, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, to work with the Houston parks and the Memorial Parks Conservancy. The architects, led by Woltz, were inspired by wildlife crossings in the Northwest US and explored the possibility of using this idea in Memorial Park. Over the years, the park was cut into 20 pieces that were divided by highways, roads and parking lots. The only crossing was a 12-foot bridge.
After 10 years of planning and constructing, the Kinder Land Bridge officially opened in early February, 2023. The bridge consists of 100 acres of greenery, and while designed for people, has reconnected wildlife corridors (廊道). The reconstruction added 45 acres of native Gulf Coast prairie (草原) that’ll increase biodiversity in the park. “This project is not just about creating a passage or a bridge. This project is about ecology, it’s about biodiversity and water management. This project is a bridge into Houston’s future.” said Shellye Arnold, president of the Memorial Park Conservancy.
1. What led to the restoration of the Memorial Park?| A．A company’s suggestion. | B．A terrible natural disaster. |
| C．The demand from the public. | D．The recovery of native plants. |
| A．They knew how to restore the Memorial Park. |
| B．They got the inspiration for rescuing animals. |
| C．They gained a sense of achievement for working. |
| D．They developed a new way to protect the landscape. |
| A．It is about 12 feet in length. | B．Its aim is to save water. |
| C．It benefits the wild animals. | D．Its birth is a short process. |
| A．A Highway Connects a Park in Houston |
| B．The Importance of Building Land Bridges |
| C．Efforts to Restore Parks in American Cities |
| D．Houston Creates a Creative Way to Restore Nature |
9 . T. O. Fuller State Park in Memphis, Tennessee, has been loved for generations and has always been a ground where community has come first. Back in 1938, it was the first park east of the Mississippi river to open for African American visitors. Over 80 years later, the park is continuing its forward-thinking tradition, this time, through a pioneering sustainability project.
A new walking and biking trail has been built through this historic park. Illegally dumped (被丢弃的) tires are not only unpleasant to see, but they’re a dangerous addition to the environment. Rubber, like plastic, is a material that won’t naturally decompose. In a place as hot as Tennessee, these dumped tires often begin to melt and release these harmful gasses into the air. Fortunately, the old tires were sent to Patriot Tire Recycling in Bristol, TN, the only facility in the area that can break down tires in an environmentally sound way. There, the collected tires were safely broken down into the crumble (碎屑) rubber that was eventually used to pave the new trail.
TN State Parks explained how the trail’s construction, which has been in development since 2019, was a joint effort. Officials from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the City of Memphis, Shelby County, and Memphis City Beautiful were all involved in funding this recycling project.
These officials named their initiative the “Tires to Trails” project. Workers from these departments, alongside some 450 volunteers, came together to collect over 24, 000 tires that had been illegally dumped in the area around the park to be recycled.
“This is a perfect example of recycling in full circle, collecting dumped material, then converting it into positive use,” David, a leader of the project, said in a statement.
1. What kind of park is T.O. Fuller State Park?| A．It is a popular park with a good tradition. | B．It is the first park welcoming all visitors. |
| C．It is a park west of the Mississippi river. | D．It is a modern park without biking trails. |
| A．They are ugly to see. | B．They release harmful gasses. |
| C．They are made up of plastic. | D．They could only be used to pave the new trail. |
| A．It is the park’s responsibility to recycle. |
| B．The park is built on dumped materials. |
| C．The park successfully recycled dumped tires. |
| D．It is possible to turn everything into useful things. |
| A．Areas of Reusing Tires |
| B．Methods of Rebuilding a Trail |
| C．Tires Transformed into a New Hiking Trail |
| D．Officials and People Working Together to Recycle Tires |
I had an independent and clever dog named Stickeen. He enjoyed the delicious food that my family prepared for him every day. He often ran out of my sight when walking with me.
Early one morning, I went to explore a nearby glacier (冰川). Stickeen followed me, and together we went upon the glacier. Later, I discovered that we were trapped between two very deep cracks (裂缝) in the glacier. The only way across it was a very thin ice that connected the cracks. I made a path across the “bridge” and got to the other side. But my dog was afraid to have a try and began to cry. After taking another careful look at the large cracks, he ran away hopelessly to find some other crossings. By the time he got back, he was confused of course.
When I reached the other side, he screamed louder than ever, and after running back and forth without searching for a good way to escape, he would return to the edge (边缘) of the crack, crying as if in the sadness of death. I called again and again in a sure voice to come on and fear nothing, but he would think for a moment, look down again at the “bridge”, and shout his unshakable thought that he could never, never come that way, and then lie back hopelessly, as if screaming, “O-o-oh! What a place! No-o-o, I can never go-o-o down there!” At last, I seriously shouted to him that now I must certainly leave him and I could wait no longer if he could not come.
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。
He knew very well what I meant.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________When we went back home, Stickeen was a changed dog.
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