1. What was going on in the town where the speaker lived?
| A．A flood. | B．A forest fire. | C．An earthquake. |
| A．It was getting darker. |
| B．It was raining cats and dogs. |
| C．The sky was covered by thick smoke. |
| A．He was abroad. | B．He was in town. | C．He was in the garden. |
| A．Trees were burning. | B．People were escaping. | C．Animals were running. |
2 . Bella, a 14-year-old cat from Huntingdon, UK, has claimed the Guinness Record for the world’s loudest purr (猫叫声) by a domestic cat, with a noisy purr
The Spink family has had Bella for almost 15 years, and they’ve always
One day, they decided to put Bella’s purring to the test―they
Measuring sound with a smartphone app and having it measured by a sound engineer can bring about totally
The standardized class-1 sound meter recorded Bella’s
It’s important to note that while Bella has
| A．produced | B．measured | C．supplied | D．analyzed |
| A．respected | B．preferred | C．recommended | D．supposed |
| A．account for | B．wonder at | C．agree with | D．work out |
| A．celebrate | B．promote | C．debate | D．complain |
| A．downloaded | B．invented | C．restored | D．contrasted |
| A．benefit | B．pressure | C．result | D．purpose |
| A．attempt | B．donation | C．performance | D．system |
| A．useless | B．available | C．different | D．possible |
| A．confirmed | B．formed | C．improved | D．destroyed |
| A．specifically | B．slightly | C．gracefully | D．impressively |
| A．normal | B．straight | C．peak | D．major |
| A．regard | B．switch | C．beg | D．claim |
| A．set | B．carved | C．sought | D．mixed |
| A．option | B．trend | C．object | D．title |
| A．professional | B．meaningful | C．astonishing | D．demanding |
3 . It was a typical summer day in my small town, with the sun shining and the sky clear. I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the peaceful view of the rolling hills and the calm lake, when suddenly a strong wind blew in from the west. The peaceful sky turned dark as a storm approached.
I went inside, grabbing my raincoat and heading to the barn to secure the animals. The cows were nervous, sensing the approaching storm. I quickly tied them up and ran back to the house, just as the rain started to pour down. The wind was howling and the rain was pounding against the windows. Lightning and thunder followed, making the atmosphere even more electric. I sat by the window, watching the raging storm and praying that everything would be okay.
After what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, the storm passed. The clouds moved away, revealing a bright and sunny sky. I walked outside, taking in the fresh air and surveying the damage. The trees were bent over and some branches had been blown off. Our vegetable garden was flooded, but other than that, everything seemed to be fine. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that no serious damage had been done.
That evening, as I sat by the fireplace with a cup of hot coffee, I reflected on the experience. It reminded me that nature can be both powerful and unpredictable, but that we must persevere and adapt to whatever it throws at us. The next morning, as I watched the sun rise over the now-calm landscape, I felt a sense of pride knowing that my family and I had weathered the storm together.
1. What does the word “weathered” mean in the last paragraph?| A．enjoyed | B．survived | C．forecasted | D．changed |
| A．Angry | B．Relieved | C．Scared | D．Sad |
| A．Problem and solution | B．Cause and effect |
| C．in order time | D．by Comparison |
| A．The author explains how to prepare for and cope with a storm. |
| B．The author describes how a storm ruined his day and his garden. |
| C．The author compares and contrasts the different weather conditions in his town. |
| D．The author recounts how he and his family withstood a sudden storm and learned a lesson from it. |
4 . Naturalist Enzo Suma, who is now 40, lives in Puglia, a region in southern Italy whose long coastline faces the Adriatic Sea. Floating waste accumulates in this relatively enclosed part of the Mediterranean, unlike the open ocean, where the waste tends to be spread over a vast area. Feeling concerned about that, Suma makes it a habit to pick up the washed-up waste along the shore, especially after big winter storms.
One day, Suma was walking along the beach near his home when he discovered a bottle of Coke. Suma noticed on the bottle that the price, clearly printed on the bottom, was in lire, a currency (货币) that hadn’t been used in Italy since it was replaced by the euro in 2002. Could a plastic container have well survived in the Mediterranean, he wondered, for about two decades?
That led him to founding the Archeoplastica museum. It has a collection of about 500 unique pieces recovered from Italian shores and the Coke bottle is the first one of them. All collection demonstrates the unsettling life force of plastic waste in the environment. “Seeing that a product people may have used 30, 40, or 50 years ago remains still unchanged, you’ll feel different. It’s a great shock,” Suma said to a reporter. So Suma often exhibits selected pieces from the Archeoplastica collection at local schools around his hometown of Ostuni.
“The playful side of the work allows you to arrive at the less beautiful side of things,” Suma acknowledged. “Plastic is a kind of useful substance. But it’s unthinkable that a water bottle, made from a material designed to last so long, can be used for just a few days—or even minutes—before becoming garbage. Clean the beaches. Clean the oceans. Recycle. But if we are still throwing out plastics, none of those are going to be long-term solutions.”
1. What’s Suma’s concern about his living place?| A．Its long coastline is disappearing. | B．Big storms frequently hit the area. |
| C．Floating waste spreads over a vast area. | D．The waste pollution on shore is worsening. |
| A．They have a history of more than half a century. |
| B．They were quite valuable before turning into waste. |
| C．They’re more like educational exhibits than garbage. |
| D．They have stronger life force than ordinary plastic products. |
| A．Creative, devoted and socially responsible. | B．Enthusiastic, ambitious and adventurous. |
| C．Generous, cautious and humorous. | D．Curious, efficient and playful. |
| A．The birth of plastics has greatly served humans. |
| B．The key to tackling the plastic pollution is to stop littering. |
| C．The plastic problem can be solved by cleaning and recycling. |
| D．People should be more aware of the powerful functions of plastics. |
5 . My dog, Nala, loves rolling around in a patch of grass any chance she gets. And it always cracks me up to watch her have the time of her life.
She’s enjoying a smell.
She’s covering up her own scent. According to Dr. Austin, there is another theory that dogs may roll in grass to cover their own scent, as more of an inherited predatory instinct.
If you notice your dog rolling around in the grass, it’s probably just her having the best time ever. I’m not sure about you,
| A．In other words, they want to smell like the environment so they don’t scare off prey |
| B．but that grass may look extra appealing to your dog |
| C．I’ve always wondered why she actually does it |
| D．She’s scratching an itch |
| E．It’s important to remember how incredibly powerful your dog’s nose is |
| F．but now I’m even thinking about joining mine next time |
| G．She’s cooling off |
6 . According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the number of solar panels installed(安装)has grown rapidly in the past decade, and it has to grow even faster to meet climate goals. But all of that growth will take up a lot of space, and though more and more people accept the concept of solar energy, few like large solar panels to be installed near them.
Solar developers want to put up panels as quickly and cheaply as possible, so they haven’t given much thought to what they put under them. Often, they’ll end up filling the area with small stones and using chemicals to control weeds. The result is that many communities, especially in farming regions, see solar farms as destroyers of the soil.
“Solar projects need to be good neighbors,” says Jordan Macknick, the head of the Innovative Site Preparation and Impact Reductions on the Environment(InSPIRE)project. “They need to be protectors of the land and contribute to the agricultural economy.” InSPIRE is investigating practical approaches to “low-impact” solar development, which focuses on establishing and operating solar farms in a way that is kinder to the land. One of the easiest low-impact solar strategies is providing habitat for pollinators(传粉昆虫).
Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change have caused dramatic declines in pollinator populations over the past couple of decades, which has damaged the U.S. agricultural economy. Over 28 states have passed laws related to pollinator habitat protection and pesticide use. Conservation organizations put out pollinator-friendliness guidelines for home gardens, businesses, schools, cities—and now there are guidelines for solar farms.
Over the past few years, many solar farm developers have transformed the space under their solar panels into a shelter for various kinds of pollinators, resulting in soil improvement and carbon reduction. “These pollinator-friendly solar farms can have a valuable impact on everything that’s going on in the landscape,” says Macknick.
1. What do solar developers often ignore?| A．The decline in the demand for solar energy. |
| B．The negative impact of installing solar panels. |
| C．The rising labor cost of building solar farms. |
| D．The most recent advances in solar technology. |
| A．Improve the productivity of local farms. |
| B．Invent new methods for controlling weeds. |
| C．Make solar projects environmentally friendly. |
| D．Promote the use of solar energy in rural areas. |
| A．To conserve pollinators. | B．To restrict solar development. |
| C．To diversify the economy. | D．To ensure the supply of energy. |
| A．Pollinators: To Leave or to Stay | B．Solar Energy: Hope for the Future |
| C．InSPIRE: A Leader in Agriculture | D．Solar Farms: A New Development |
7 . Local authorities and firefighters in the United States are always on the lookout for new and creative methods to help control wildfires. Especially during the hot and dry summer months, thousands of wildfires cause damage to forests every year. The city of West Sacramento in North California has found a creative secret weapon to help deal with this phenomenon: goats.
These friendly animals have been assisting the city with wildfire prevention and fire risks by eating weeds, dry grass and dead trees. When the goats eat the things that are likely to catch fire, they prevent the problem from happening.
Wildfires occur naturally when dry plants are ignited(点燃)by the sun’s heat and catch on fire. However, most wildfires are caused by human carelessness, including unattended campfires, cigarettes and other flammable objects. The best strategy to battle the fires and minimize the damage is to attempt to remove the fuel that enables the spread of the flames, in this case the dry weeds, trees and plants. If the things that are most likely to catch fire are gone, the fire is less likely to spread.
The love able goats are able to reach difficult areas that people are not able to access. About 400 of these goats can clear two acres per day. They even fertilize(使肥沃)the area, a natural and free side effect of eating all those dry plants. Firefighters and government officials cannot be happier with the results.
“For us, the combination of turning to goats for help with the quick fire response is an effective method of keeping our neighbors safe from disastrous wildfires,“said assistant Fire Chief Khari Helae.” With climate change and the fact that our vegetation is being affected because of climate change, it’s necessary to focus on our fuel reduction program.”
1. How do goats assist the city in dealing with wildfires?| A．By identifying the fuel in forests. | B．By consuming dry plants. |
| C．By leading firefighters to fire sources. | D．By eating up green tree leaves. |
| A．It is complex but rewarding. | B．It causes damage to local land. |
| C．It is well accepted worldwide. | D．It is environmentally-friendly. |
| A．He spoke highly of the new method. | B．He was dissatisfied with fire responses. |
| C．He was optimistic about climate change. | D．He considered fuel reduction impractical. |
| A．Goats Help Keep Wildfires Under Control | B．Firefighters Are Being Gradually Replaced |
| C．Disastrous Wildfires Need to Be Controlled | D．Animals Are Fighting Against Climate Change |
8 . The results of failing to keep the world’s temperature down are beginning to show.Extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent, and the world’s peoples and their governments are being urged to do more to handle climate change.
Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, an environmental group in Beijing, said the consensus among scientists now is that “climate change has resulted in an increase in extreme weather events across the globe, including temperature extremes, heavy rains, river floods, droughts, storms, as well as compound events”.
Over the past few years heat waves have occurred in places that had previously enjoyed mild weather, higher temperatures have occurred in normally colder regions, and places that are hot are now frequently enduring wildfires, he said, citing a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) that includes a whole chapter on weather extremes.
The IPCC AR6 Synthesis Report said it is an“established fact”that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions have led to an increased frequency of some weather and climate extremes since preindustrial times.
The global surface temperature is now about 1.09C higher than in the preindustrial period(1850-1900), with stronger warming over land (1.59 C) than over oceans.
Extreme weather events have continued to hit the glebe this year and have killed many people, disrupted (扰乱) the lives of millions and disrupted production.
In Europe, after a summer of extremely high temperatures, violent thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds have hit the continent, leaving at least 13 people dead in Austria, France and Italy by Friday, authorities said.
The Netherlands is one of many European countries that have suffered drought this summer, bringing water shortages in the low-lying country as inland rivers and lakes have fallen to historically low levels.
1. What is the consensus among scientist?| A．Increased extreme weather events resulted from climate change. |
| B．There will be more extreme weather events in the near future. |
| C．The government are to blame for the increased extreme weather. |
| D．The government should reach a consensus on climate change. |
| A．People in tropical areas will have to endure more wildfires. |
| B．Places enjoying mild weather will always have heat waves. |
| C．Cold regions normally have experienced higher temperatures. |
| D．The IPCC report places great emphasis on weather extremes. |
| A．It means the fact has to be proved through experiments. |
| B．It means the fact has been agreed on commonly by scientists. |
| C．The fact is that green gas is to blame for more extreme events. |
| D．Scientists have to establish the fact by doing more experiments. |
| A．An SOS Goes out as Globe Burns and Drowns |
| B．More Disasters will Happen around the World |
| C．The Global Surface Temperature is Higher than Ever |
| D．Governments are being Urged to Do More |
9 . Mark Baker’s appreciation for nature runs deep, but he hasn’t always championed the Amazon rainforest’s rugged beauty.
For eight years, Mr. Baker’s business sold rare tropical wood from the Amazon to customers across the United States. Exporting wood provided him with an excuse to spend a lot of time in the rainforest, taking him back to his boyhood days. Mr. Baker told himself that selective harvest was just part of managing the resource.
But gradually he began to notice on his birding outings that the forest had grown quieter. On the Manaus docks, he saw wood for export labeled with the name of a type of wood legal to export, but knew that it was another illegal type. “It took me eight years to come to the realization that the construct that you can selectively harvest and manage the forest was a bunch of nonsense,” he says. “I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Because of his own personal transformation, Mr. Baker founded an ecotourism company that takes tourists along Brazil’s Rio Negro. With the trips, he aims to foster appreciation and a sense of stewardship(管理)for the rainforest among global citizens.
The Amazon rainforest covers more than 2.3 million square miles and is the biggest carbon store in the world, according to Giordane Martins, a biologist. Forty percent of Brazil’s land lies in the Amazon, but roughly 20% of it is already deforested. Ecotourism, what Mark is doing, has a positive impact.
“Our role is to educate,” Mark says. “Many people arrive with that nature sensibility. Some acquire it on our tours. One of the goals of ecotourism is to share the economic benefits of travel. The other is to help promote conservation, to generate income and help protect the forest. We’ve seen that happen. I wish we could say we saved the rainforest. We haven’t. But we have had an impact.”
1. Why did Mark Baker quit exporting wood business?| A．Because he didn’t earn enough money. |
| B．Because he couldn’t stay in the rainforest and recall his boyhood days any more. |
| C．Because he realized it was nonsense to harvest selectively and manage the forest. |
| D．Because he was angry to see all wood for export in his company was another type. |
| A．The Amazon forest is a most important carbon resource for our globe. |
| B．All tourists come to visit the Amazon rainforest with nature sensibility. |
| C．The Amazon rainforest has lost a lot of trees due to human activities. |
| D．The ecotourism company founded by Mark Baker hasn’t made a grand success. |
| A．Environmentally conscious and selfish. |
| B．Profit-oriented and competent. |
| C．Socially responsible and determined. |
| D．Smart and pessimistic. |
| A．It has a positive impact. |
| B．It has saved the rainforest. |
| C．It is profitable but meaningless. |
| D．It provides academic education. |
10 . For the past 60 years, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has protected animals, restored lost habitats and advocated for policy changes that benefit wildlife. Now, the conservation organization is trying a new approach.
This year, AWF launched the inaugural Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards. The contest aims to reach a different audience. While photography competitions are nothing new, the AWF hopes that the exhibition of winning entries will encourage African people to take a more active role in conservation. Its CEO Kaddu Sebunya said, “Africans need to take the responsibility for the conservation of their heritage.”
Photographers of all ages and backgrounds, professional and amateur, were invited to submit to the competition. A judging panel (评选委员会), comprised of photographers, conservationists, activists and safari guides, selected photos from 12 categories including “Art in Nature” “Coexistence and Conflict” and “Conservation Heroes”.
The “Conservation Heroes” category had special appeal for Kenyan conservation photographer Anthony Ochieng Onyango. “I realized there was a communication gap because most of what was being communicated was data in scientific publications,” said Onyango, adding that images are a simple way for people to connect to complex issues.
While there were many entries in the AWF competition, there’s only one 19-year-old Cathan Moore from South Africa among the category winners. There’s a lack of opportunity for young aspiring photographers on the continent. AWF is seeking grants and partnerships to enable more African people to participate next year, and to make nature photography competitions more accessible to those unable to pay or buy expensive camara equipment, allowing people to use whatever camera they have and photograph wildlife in urban environments.
Sebunya hopes that the competition can open up a dialogue about conservation — and why it’s so important for Africa’s future. Many people in Africa look at conservation as a thing done by and for foreigners, said Sebunya. While he praised the work of international NGOs, he emphasized that it’s vital that African voices are heard and for local people to lead conservation efforts.
1. What is the main idea of the passage?| A．African people take photographs in order to protect wildlife. |
| B．AWF calls for people’s active involvement in wildlife conservation. |
| C．A communication gap exists between ordinary people and wildlife conservation. |
| D．AWF holds photography competition for the conservation of wildlife. |
| A．The winners’ works will be on display to promote wildlife conservation. |
| B．This year’s winners include quite a number of teenage photographers. |
| C．The judging panel includes both professional and amateur photographers. |
| D．People who are not skilled in photography can’t take part in the competition. |
| A．People’s lack of desire to connect to the issue. |
| B．The lack of scientific publications on the issue. |
| C．The lack of simple and direct ways to present the issue. |
| D．People’s lack of professional camera equipment. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Appreciative. | C．Skeptical. | D．Neutral. |
