The Great Wall
The Great Wall, a
The Great Wall resembles a Chinese dragon circling the mountains,
The Great Wall is a symbol of Chinese civilization, It has been put down on the World Heritage List. It is
2 . California’s Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary(保护区) didn’t have a single monarch butterfly(帝王蝶) sighting last year, so no one knew what to expect for this year’s migration(迁徙). The pleasant surprise, according to SFGate :“The butterflies are back in town”, more than 13,700 of them , per the sanctuary’s count as of November 20,2021.What’s more , the high point of the overwintering season —which runs from October through February—is not even set to hit for several more weeks.
The butterflies typically head west from the Rocky Mountains each year to spend the winter along the Pacific coast; on the other side of the country , butterflies from the East Coast and Canada head to Mexico before the cold weather hits. The population decline(下降)over the years has been noticeable : For example , between 4 million and 10 million butterflies spent the winter in the Golden State in the 1980s, though by the late 1990s that number fell to just over 1 million. By 20I8, the butterflies numbered about 30,000, and last year , there were only about 2,000 seen across the California coast.
Researchers believe different factors have led to the butterflies’ population decline over the years, including climate change, use of pesticides, and loss of living space. And recent Wildfires in California have exacerbated the situation. Scientists say the public can help by planting milkweed ( the butterflies lay their eggs on the plant and their young feed on it; cutting down on pesticide use; and helping observe them.
Still , even though last year’s numbers were worrying, some experts say it may not be as terrible as it seems. David James, an entomologist at Washington State University, tells SFGate that the butterflies seem to be adaptable(能适应的), based on a recent study he led, and that he’s “ confident ” they’ll avoid extinction. Xerces Society conservation biologist Emma Pelton agrees, saying that “ We can make a difference. There is still time to act. ”
1. What did SFGate find surprising about the butterflies ?| A．Their growing number. | B．The time when they migrate. |
| C．The places they head to. | D．Their shorter overwintering period. |
| A．The butterflies prefer heading to Mexico. |
| B．The population of the butterflies has fallen for years. |
| C．The living space of the butterflies has been badly damaged. |
| D．The butterflies have difficulty adapting to new environments. |
| A．Worsened. | B．Covered. | C．Changed. | D．Saved. |
| A．They are too weak to migrate far. |
| B．They will be widely protected soon. |
| C．They can avoid the danger of extinction. |
| D．They make him worry about our Earth’s future. |
1. 缺水的现状；
2. 缺水的原因；
3.解决的办法。
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4 . Gordon Brown today announced that he will use the law to stop supermarkets giving away free plastic bags within the next 12 months.
Supermarkets that do not voluntarily start charging customers for plastic bags are expected to be punished to pay an extra tax of at least 5p a bag.
Brown made his pledge (保证) as the Guardian revealed that government departments handed out nearly one million special-made plastic bags themselves, mostly in connection with publicity campaigns.
Writing in the Daily Mail, which this week launched a war to cut the use of plastic bags, the prime minister said that "over time we should aim to get rid of the single-use plastic bag altogether".
In a speech last November, Brown urged shopkeepers to cut the use of plastic bags. In his article he praised Ikea, which has cut its bag use by 95% recently, and Marks & Spencer, which this week announced that it would ask for a 5p charge on bags from May.
The prime minister said that he was now willing to use laws to ensure that other stores followed the Marks & Spencer's lead.
"I am convinced we need to act — and the time to act is now. And I want to make it clear that if government law is needed to make the change, we will take the necessary steps. We do not take such steps lightly — but the damage single-use plastic bags inflict (强加于) on the environment is such that strong action must be taken. The important thing is to come up with a scheme that will be of most benefit, most quickly — and ideally at the same time provide funds for organizations that help protect our environment."
Brown said he was reminded of the scale of the problem every week when he saw the number of bags supplied with his family shopping.
"Like many working families with children, Sarah and I often use supermarket deliveries for the weekly shopping. And as millions of others in Britain who do the same, we are left with a bin full of plastic bags in the end, with each bag sometimes just containing a handful of items. This cannot be right."
Brown revealed that the government had been looking at the way other countries were dealing with the problem.
"We are looking at all this international evidence to see what steps we in Britain should take," he said.
1. Where can readers most probably find this passage?| A．Shopping information magazines. | B．Business magazines. |
| C．Professional plastic industry papers. | D．Common daily newspapers. |
| A．Government officials in charge of the plastic industry. |
| B．Common people voluntarily avoiding using plastic bags. |
| C．Department stores supporting the action in this country. |
| D．Producers making plastic bags. |
| A．Marks & Spencer will charge for the plastic bag from this May. |
| B．Some stores have been punished for not charging for plastic bags. |
| C．Supermarkets will only charge 5p for each plastic bag. |
| D．Other countries have been carrying out the action successfully. |
| A．few bags | B．too many bags |
| C．a bin | D．a wrong bag |
5 . In recent years, Ethiopia has become a regional leader in solid waste management. Last year, the country transformed the landfill (垃圾填埋场) in Addis Ababa into a new waste-to-energy plant, the first such project on the continent. The plant incinerates up to 1, 400 tonnes of waste every day, about 80 percent of the city's rubbish, supplying the capital with 25 percent of its household electricity needs.
However, despite these important steps, challenges remain in Ethiopia. Although the country has permitted the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions, laws and policies for environmentally sound management of hazardous (有害的) wastes are still not effective in pre- venting littering waste illegally.
To help Ethiopia meet these challenges, the Chemicals and Waste Management Program is supporting the country with a three-year project to enhance its capacity for sound management of hazardous wastes.
In the initial stages, a project management unit will be formed, made up of many representatives from government departments and private organizations. This unit will be responsible for reviewing and assessing Ethiopia's current legal system, which, despite numerous advances in recent years, does not specifically target the recycling of hazardous waste. Once legal gaps are identified, the project will seek to update existing policies and strategies.
Many people in Ethiopia are not aware of the possible effect of environmental damage and the need to report such crimes to the police. To resolve this pressing issue, Ethiopia will be conducting a series of capacity-building activities, including creating awareness-raising programs, training trainers and providing equipment.
Ethiopia will also work to establish a national mechanism for chemicals and waste management by engaging government departments and civil society groups. Authorities will also make budgetary provisions (预算拨款) in national, regional and institutional planning to ensure funding for these activities is sustainable even after the project's completion.
1. Which can replace the underlined word “incinerates” in paragraph 1?| A．Produces. | B．Burns. | C．Gathers. | D．Absorbs. |
| A．The relevant laws are not sound. | B．The shortage of workers is severe. |
| C．The pollution level is too high. | D．The funds are not sufficient. |
| A．Restrict their environmental movement. | B．Call on them to start some programs. |
| C．Reward them with budgetary provisions. | D．Raise their environmental awareness. |
| A．Ethiopia is facing serious environmental problems. |
| B．Ethiopia has achieved success in waste management. |
| C．Ethiopia is putting efforts into waste management. |
| D．Ethiopia has reduced environmental pollution levels. |
