3 . 4 Most walkable cities in Europe

Seville, Spain

Seville in Spain takes the top spot as Europe’s most walkable city, offering the shortest walking route between the top four tourist attractions.Visitors can explore the impressive Plaza de Espana public square, before wandering over to the UNESCO-listed palace of Real Alcazar and Seville Cathedral. After that, it’s only a short trip on foot to visit the beautiful Barrio Santa Cruz neighbourhood.

Venice, Italy

Venice is well-known as a heaven for pedestrians (行人), so it’s no surprise it ranks as the second best location for walkable city breaks. There are endless alleyways to explore, as well as plenty of beautiful bridges over the crisscrossing canals that the city is famous for. Just under half an hour of walking here will take you on a tour of the impressive Grand Canal, Doge’s Palace, St Mark’s Square, Basilica and bell tower, all in only 1.3 miles.

Porto, Portugal

Nestled along Portugal’s picturesque coast, Porto comes in third with its top attractions all covered by a 30-minute walking route. Meander along the Dom Luís I Bridge over the Douro River, head to the Clérigos Church Bell Tower and enjoy a riverfront walking place along the Cais da Ribeira. The Stock Exchange Palace is also just a short walk away.

Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy, secures its place as the fourth most walkable city in Europe thanks to its stunning attractions that can be seamlessly explored on foot. A 1.6 mile route covers the awe-inspiring Piazzale Michelangelo; the famous Uffizi Gallery; the Piazza del Duomo where you will be amazed at the magnificent Florence Cathedral; and the Galleria dell’Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the statue of David.

1. How long is probably the walking route in Seville?

A．1.1 miles.

B．1.3 meters.

C．1.6 meters.

D．1.8 meters.

2. Which city is probably located near the sea?

A．Seville.

B．Venice.

C．Porto.

D．Florence.

3. What is the writing purpose of the text?

A．To compare the four cities.

B．To show the benefits of walking.

C．To stress the importance of traveling.

D．To attract visitors to walk in these cities.

4 . Sustainability for kids can start with a seed. We put together some ways to involve the whole family in protecting the environment.

Go on a hike. Parental involvement in early childhood education looks different in various settings from preschool to home and to the grocery store.     1     Going on a hike together can be an ideal thing to investigate a local ecosystem, look for signs of the changing season, and gain an overall appreciation of the world outdoors. Plus, by bringing an extra garbage bag and gloves to pick up trash along the way, parents can show kids some educational activities.

Go green for holidays. Make holidays fun while also supporting a green environment for kids. Use LED lights for decorative lighting.     2     Decrease your carbon footprint and purchase holiday gifts from local shops.

    3     Parents don’t need an acre of land to teach their children that food doesn't grow at the grocery store. All they need is sunlight, water and dirt. A windowsill is the perfect spot to grow herbs. A back deck can grow beautiful tomatoes. Plant peach seeds in a small container.     4    

Recycle together. Recycling activities for kids can be fun and support family involvement in education at the same time.     5     Then work with them to make something new out of the recycled items, such as making boxes out of recycled cardboard and storage tins out of recycled cans.

A．Plant a “garden”.

B．Don’t buy food from the grocery.

C．Protecting the environment for kids is important.

D．Parents should tell children what they can recycle.

E．And the children can watch a little peach tree grow.

F．Recycle Christmas trees instead of throwing them away.

G．To a child, every setting and every moment can be a teachable one.

5 . Green Is Good

Planting and growing things offers a lot more than fresh vegetables and flowers. Working in a nice outdoor space can help you stay refreshed, promote your creativity and enrich your leisure activities.     1    . There are more advantages.

Providing a fun workout

It’s wonderful to get out in the garden on a beautiful day to give it a tidy. Planting seeds, pulling up weeds, moving pots, pushing a lawnmower, and other gardening tasks actually provide a whole-body, moderate-intensity workout for people, especially for adults.     2    , which might keep you in motion longer than traditional exercise.

    3    

Having dirt under your fingernails may be a sign of poor hygiene. but scientists say it could also be a mark of good health. Thanks to beneficial bacteria found in soil, gardening may boost your immune system, helping you get sick less and fight off infections easier.

Nourishing your spirit

    4    . According to an experiment conducted by NASA, scientists found that planting and nurturing seeds, even in small pots, lifted astronauts’ moods and eased their stress in the severe environment of outer space. And if gardening can do that for astronauts, it should be more than good enough for those of us who watch them on TV.

Increasing coordination and strength

Hand and finger strength, flexibility and coordination are essential for everyday tasks like opening jars, carrying packages and picking up children.     5    . Therefore, make good use of gardening as an ideal approach to enhancing your coordination and strength.

A．Sharpening your mind

B．And that’s just for starters

C．Improving your immune system

D．Even better, whatever your age, it is a beneficial activity

E．Working with plants provides stress relief and positive sensory stimulation

F．The benefits come from a combination of physical exercise and the stress reduction

G．Gardening is a great way to improve and maintain those fine motor skills and muscles

6 . Bacteria and fungi (真菌) might call to mind the images of diseases and spoiled food, but they also do a lot of good. The billions of microbes (微生物) in a handful of dead leaves, for example, act as nature’s recyclers and regenerate nutrients needed for the next generation of plants to grow.

“If it weren’t for bacteria and fungi, we’d be surrounded by masses of dead trees and plant matter. So they actually do a really important job.” said Sydney Glassman, an assistant professor of the University of California, Riverside.

While microbial communities are the engines driving the breakdown of dead plants and animals, little is known about whether they are equipped to handle big changes in climate. In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Glassman and his colleagues examined what happens after microbial communities move into new climate conditions. The study is a first step toward understanding the vulnerability of these ecosystems to climate change.

To mimic (模仿) a warming planet, the researchers chose five study sites that differ in climate along the San Jacinto Mountains, three of which are in natural reserves operated by the University of California. “While we know that climate influences how fast microbes can recycle plant material, we don’t know how important the particular types of microbes are to recycling,” said Jennifer Martiny, co-author of the study.

To move the microbial communities around, the researchers contained the microbes in nylon containers with tiny holes. These “microbial cages” were filled with dead grass and live microbes sourced from each study site.The containers allowed water and nutrients—but not microbes—to move in and out. The amount of grass decayed by the caged microbes was measured at 6, 12, and 18 months.

The study confirmed previous results that sites with moderate climates saw the most rot and therefore were the most effective places for nutrient recycling. Quite surprisingly, however, the source of the microbes also affected the amount of rot. For example, when moved into the drier bushes, grassland-sourced microbes outperformed the bush residents by as much as 40 percent.

“We expected to see a ‘home-field advantage’ situation where every microbial community decomposed (分解) best at its own site, but that wasn’t the case,” Glassman said. “While we know that microbes decompose plants more slowly in hotter and drier environments, we are just now learning that specific microbial communities play an independent role in decomposition, and it is yet to be seen how these communities will be affected by climate change and desertification.”

1. The author regards bacteria and fungi as________.

A．a double-edged sword	B．a natural chemical weapon
C．a requirement for evolution	D．a threat to biological diversity

2. Which can explain the underlined word “decayed” in paragraph 5?

A．Totally absorbed.	B．Regularly recycled.
C．Greedily swallowed.	D．Gradually destroyed.

3. What can we infer from the study?

A．Climate affects the speed of microbes’ recycling plant material.

B．Microbes from other sites can perform better than the local ones.

C．Researchers have found out how desertification impacts microbes.

D．Microbes in drier bushes outperformed grassland-sourced microbes.

4. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．A way to avoid dead trees and plant matter

B．Nutrient-recycling microbes may feel the heat

C．“Home-field advantage” doesn’t apply to microbes

D．How climate change improves nature’s ability to recycle

7 . The UK typically produces an additional 30% of rubbish throughout the festive period compared to the rest of the year, as Britons collectively send over 100 million bags of rubbish to landfills every Christmas.     1    .

Remember that less is more. Research from Business Waste found that UK citizens spend £700 million on unwanted gifts every year. In addition, of all the purchases made for Christmas, only 1% will remain in use six months down the line.     2    . Furthermore, try to choose products with minimal packaging and recycled materials wherever possible. Simple switches can make a big difference!

    3    . If you’re searching for a gift that does as good as it looks, step inside the Ocean Bottle Christmas Gift Shop. There’s something for everyone, including the planet. When you buy an Ocean Bottle, you fund the collection of one thousand ocean-bound plastic bottles before they enter the ocean. Besides, 67% of these award-winning bottles are recycled.     4    . So, you can rest assured that they won’t end up in the landfill before next Christmas!

You need to know the materials.     5    , it can be easy to forget about other things like wrapping paper or our clothing. For example, some cards and wrapping paper are finished with materials that can’t be recycled. So, from Christmas cards to your Christmas sweater, take the time to look at materials and understand if and how you can deal with them in the most planet-friendly way. Reusing old wrapping paper or purchasing recyclable paper is highly recommended.

A．One gift can mean 1,000

B．Consider cutting out gifts and cards

C．As there are so many materials to choose from

D．They’re made to last, complete with a 10-year guarantee

E．While many of us know single-use plastic can’t be recycled

F．So you’d better try to focus on quality, not quantity, when shopping for gifts

G．Thankfully, we’re on hand to share some tips to lower your impact this Christmas

8 . In our human-centric view, the ability to shoot ink or change colors may seem odd, but you know what’s really odd? Menopause (更年期). You can count species other than humans known to experience and outlive menopause on one hand. Only Oracs (虎鲸) and some whale populations have females that live long past their reproductive years to become grandmothers. But a new, landmark study confirms that at least one population of chimpanzees can now be added to the list.

The discovery comes as the result of 21 years’ worth of observing the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Studying urine from 66 Ngogo females, aged 14 to 67, showed that their hormone levels changed after approaching 50, confirming they were in menopause. Interestingly, 50 is also the age when many people begin to experience menopause. “It’s really cool to finally have that piece of the puzzle come into place,” says Catherine Hobaiter, a primatologist who was not part of the new study.

But Catherine points out that the Ngogo community lives in a chimp paradise: the resource-rich, well-protected Kibale National Park that also lacks leopards, their main predator. And because the Noggo community is found in the heart of the park, its only neighbors are other chimps — not humans who can expose chimpanzees to viruses that have devastated other communities. “The Ngogo population may be an outlier (局外人) when it comes to the rest of the species,” she cautions.

And there is a question concerning “the grandmother effect”, according to which a grandmother has a decidedly beneficial effect on her children and grandchildren. Chimpanzees do not form long-term pair-bonds and females leave in search of new communities when they reach maturity, which means grandmother chimpanzees likely don’t know who their grandchildren are in the same way humans or even orcas do. What they do after the menopause remains a question of interest. “And that’s all future work to be done.” said Catherine.

1. What can be learned about menopause?

A．It is rare among animals.	B．It is unique to human beings.
C．It just occurs at the age of 50.	D．It is experienced only by females.

2. What does the underlined part in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Scientist have found the solution to menopause.

B．What happens to the 66 Ngogo females remains a puzzle.

C．There is a puzzle whether chimpanzee females experience menopause.

D．The latest discovery casts new light on the puzzle of animal menopause.

3. Why does Catherine mention the living situation of the Ngogo community?

A．To stress the importance of protecting chimpanzees from viruses.

B．To remind researchers of the potential limitation of the new study.

C．To prove that Ngogo chimpanzees are perfect subjects of the study.

D．To argue that the discovery of the new study is completely groundless.

4. How is the last paragraph developed?

A．By offering a definition.	B．By drawing a conclusion.
C．By presenting relevant facts.	D．By giving examples and opinions.

9 . The latest data shows the population of wild Asian elephants in southwest China’s Yunnan Province has increased from around 150 to more than 300 from the 1980s to the end of 2021, according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

With the growth in the elephant population, conflicts between humans and elephants have become frequent. In order to fundamentally and peacefully solve the issue and protect the elephant’s habitat at the same time, construction of the Asian elephant National Park is picking up speed. Experts suggest that national parks are not meant to be entirely free of people. Instead, they should offer a method for coexistence.

Asian elephants play an important role as engineers of the rainforest, said the expert. Their migration(迁徙) can speed up the replacement of forest ecosystems along the way. Elephant waste remains not only a delicacy for insects, but also attracts insectivorous birds, allowing plant seeds to spread. Therefore, protecting the elephants and their habitats guarantees the shelter to other wildlife in forest ecosystems.

To cope with human-elephant conflicts, Yunnan took the lead in introducing a commercial insurance model into its compensation(补偿) system: local residents will be paid with the amount of money for the crops destroyed by the elephants by the insurance company. In the past 10 years, Yunnan has paid a total of 173 million yuan for losses caused by Asian elephants.

“The standard of compensation is constantly being adjusted, and the amount of insurance coverage for compensation is also increasing,” said Yang Hua from the Forestry and Grass Bureau of Yunnan Province. “At present, the insured amount in Pu’er City and Xishuangbanna Prefecture alone has already gone beyond 50 million.”

1. Why does the author mention the growing population of wild Asian elephants?

A．To promote a better environment.

B．To introduce a possible crisis.

C．To applaud the efforts of the government.

D．To stress the importance of the elephants.

2. What does the underlined word “insectivorous” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Feeding on insects.	B．Driving away insects.
C．Letting go of insects.	D．Keeping track of insects.

3. What has been done to tackle conflicts between elephants and humans?

A．Construction of undisturbed national parks.

B．Support of Asian elephants’ migration.

C．Constant adjustment of insurance policies.

D．Guarantee of the shelter to other wildlife.

4. What might be the best title?

A．Asian elephants, engineers of the rainforest

B．Insurance adjusted, compensation increased

C．Population of wild Asian elephants shoots up in China

D．China explores solutions to achieve human-elephant harmony

10 . Recycling is a great way of doing your bit for the environment and helping to protect the earth’s precious resources. However, a new study has revealed that our desire to be sustainable maybe doing more harm than good. According to waste company Biffa, this is because of “wish-cycling” — assuming that items such as disposable coffee cup sand pizza boxes will be recycled if put in the recycling bin. In fact, pollution from those items or other non-recyclables can result in recyclable items that have been put in the correct bin going to landfill. David Heaton, a business director at Biffa, said: “Pollution happens when items are disposed of in the wrong bins or haven’t been cleaned before being recycled.”

Experts at Biffa analyzed the amounts of non-target and non-recyclable materials that entered UK material recycling facilities between 2016 and 2020. It was found that, in 2016, the average pollution rate of recycling waste was 13.4 percent, rising over four years to 17 percent by the end of 2020. This shows that, even as people are becoming more eco-conscious, wish-cycling is increasing both in households and businesses.

The Biffa experts say that one of the best ways to prevent pollution of recycling is to clean recyclable waste before putting it in the bin. They suggest cutting off the top of old pizza boxes and only recycling that part to avoid pollution from the grease (油脂). Check the on-packaging recycling label to check it can actually be recycled When it comes to plastics, Biffa recommends checking the resin code, the number in the plastic triangle, to know whether it should go in the recycling bin. In general, resin codes 1, 2, 4 and 5 are recyclable, while 3, 6 and 7 are not. Larger items, like electronics, furniture and batteries, can also be recycled but often can not go in household recycling bins as they need specialist separating. These will need to be taken to recycling centers or sustainable waste management companies.

“It’s vital as a nation that we get better at effective ‘pre-cycling’— sorting waste correctly before collection to reduce pollution rates,” added Mr. Heaton.

1. What’s the truth of “wish-cycling” according to the first paragraph?

A．The desire to lead a sustainable life.

B．The good intention to help recycling.

C．The habit of throwing items that end up in landfills.

D．The practice of recycling items that can not be recycled.

2. What has experts at Biffa concluded after their analysis?

A．People are becoming more eco-conscious.

B．Wish-cycling is on the rise in recent years.

C．Pollution happens less frequently in recycling facilities.

D．People are used to cleaning recyclable waste before putting it in the bin.

3. Which of the following is a proper way of recycling?

A．Dispose of electronics together with household waste.

B．Skip the step of checking the on-packaging recycling label.

C．Check the resin code of plastics to see whether it is recyclable or not.

D．Cutoff the top of old pizza box and throw the rest to the recycling bin.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Recycling: a Big Project	B．Wish-cycling: a New Trend
C．Wish-cycling: a Growing Concern	D．Pre-cycling: an Effective Method