1 . For millions of years, Arctic sea ice has expanded and shrunk in a rhythmic dance with the summer sun. Humans evolved in this icy world, and civilization relied on it for climatic, ecological and political stability. But now the world comes ever closer to a future without ice. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that 2019’s minimum arctic sea ice extent was the second lowest on record. Arctic summers could become mostly ice-free in 30 years, and possibly sooner if current trends continue. As the northern sea ice declines, the world must unite to preserve what remains of the Arctic.
Although most people have never seen the sea ice, its effects are never far away. By reflecting sunlight, Arctic ice acts as Earth’s air conditioner. Once dark water replaces brilliant ice, Earth could warm substantially, equivalent to the warming caused by the additional release of a trillion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and declining sea ice threatens wildlife, from the polar bear to algae that grow beneath the sea ice, supporting the large amount of marine life.
To avoid the consequences the scientific community should advocate not just for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but also for protecting the Arctic from exploitation. The Antarctic shows the way. In the 1950s, countries raced to claim the Antarctic continent for resources and military installations. Enter the scientists. The 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year brought together scientists from competing countries to study Antarctica, and countries temporarily suspended their territorial disputes (争议). In 1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty to preserve the continent for peaceful scientific discovery rather than territorial and military gain.
Sixty years later, we must now save the Arctic. A new Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) Treaty would protect the Arctic Ocean as a scientific preserve for peaceful purposes only. Similar to Antarctica, MAPS would prohibit resource exploitation, commercial fishing and shipping, and military exercises. So far, only 2 non-Arctic countries have signed MAPS; 97 more need to sign on to enact it into law. Scientists can help—just as they did for the Antarctic—by giving statements of support, asking scientific organizations to endorse (支持) the treaty, communicating the importance of protecting the arctic to the public and policy-makers, and above all, by convincing national leaders to sign the treaty. In particular, Arctic nations must agree that recognizing the arctic as an international preserve is better than fighting over it. In 2018, these countries successfully negotiated a 16-year moratorium on commercial fishing in the Arctic high seas, demonstrating that such agreements are possible.
Humans have only ever lived in a world topped by ice. Can we now work together to protect Arctic ecosystems, keep the northern peace, and allow the sea ice to return?
1. What can be inferred from the passage?| A．wildlife relies on sea ice for food and water. |
| B．The Arctic would be ice-free in 30 years. |
| C．Sea ice slows down the global warming. |
| D．The melting of sea ice releases CO2. |
| A．remind readers of the past of the Antarctic |
| B．propose a feasible approach for the Arctic |
| C．stress the importance of preserving sea ice |
| D．recall how the Antarctic Treaty came into being |
| A．battle | B．ban |
| C．memo | D．protection |
| A．Antarctic: a Successful Comeback? | B．Sea Ice and Global Warming |
| C．Arctic: the Earth’s Future | D．Life Without Ice? |
The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It
We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.
After
We
3 . Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding (繁育) programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf (犀牛幼崽). When the tiny creature arrived on January 31, she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity (圈养).
Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: “Obviously we’re all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She’s healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It’s still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up, I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day.”
The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a “critically endangered” status.
1. Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?| A．Costly. | B．Controversial. | C．Ambitious. | D．Successful. |
| A．She loves staying with her mother. | B．She dislikes outdoor activities. |
| C．She is in good condition | D．She is sensitive to heat. |
| A．They had their first born in January. | B．They enjoyed exploring new places |
| C．They lived with their grandmothers. | D．They were brought to the reserve young |
| A．The rhino section will be open to the public. |
| B．It aims to control the number of the animals. |
| C．It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund. |
| D．Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas. |
4 . In Northwestern Italy, rice farms are employing bats. Bats are the foremost known predators of insects that are active at night, including several pests that can be found in rice fields. “The idea is that what is needed to achieve stainable food production is what we already have, but has been ignored for a decade,” says Laura Garzoli, 2017 winner of BCFN Young Earth Solutions.
“It has been predicted that, globally 50 percent of pest species have become pests because chemicals killed their natural predators. There is no sustainability in the long term if there are no conservation efforts,” says Garzoli.
Since 2017, Garzoli, along with colleagues from the National Research Council has fixed 60 artificial bat habitats in three rice fields in Northwestern Italy. Now, they are collecting bats’ waste to analyze their diets at these sites and to gain insight into the insects living in these areas.
“In Italy, there are 34 bat species, each feeding on a variety of insects 一each bat species has its preferred insect snack,” says Garzoli. Bats can eat up to one-third of their body weight each night, which means they can consume thousands of insects per night. They are also flying hunters — they can prey on new non-native pest species.
Garzoli is committed to developing an awareness of the importance of bats in the ecosystem. “Their usefulness has been acknowledged in several countries 一 not only do they contribute to protecting crops, but they are important pollinators (传粉者). Bats still get bad press in the news, in particular concerning the spreading of virus diseases,” says Garzoli to Food Tank. She explains, “Many bat species are nowadays facing the risk of extinction.”
Garzoli is also drafting a best practice guide for farmers outlining targeted habitat management techniques for sustainable production.
1. Why do some species become pests according to Garzoli?| A．Ineffective agricultural methods are widely used. |
| B．Their habitats are disappearing. |
| C．The evolution of these species. |
| D．Their natural enemies die off. |
| A．The variety of bats’ diets. |
| B．The threat of bats’ insect snacks. |
| C．Bats’ ability to manage insects. |
| D．The potential risk of increasing foreign pests. |
| A．People’s misunderstanding of them. |
| B．An increase in unknown diseases. |
| C．The introduction of new insects. |
| D．Their poor adaptability to artificial homes. |
| A．Health and Lifestyle. | B．Art and Design. |
| C．Nature and Ecology. | D．Sports and Entertainment. |
5 . When man and nature try to co-exist, man usually wins out. But that wasn’t the case in a small town in southern India when a native Robin recently chose to build her nest in an extremely inconvenient location.
The village of Potthakudi contains only 120 homes and has a total of 35 streetlights. Unfortunately ,the misguided mama bird had decided to set up housekeeping in the town’s main lighting switchboard (配电板).
The nest and its inhabitants were first discovered by Karuppu Raja, the man tasked with turning on the streetlights each evening. A lifelong bird lover, Raja posted his find to local social media to warn the citizens of his discovery and ask for their cooperation in taking a hands-off approach to the unexpected guests.
“Switching off the lights is the only solution because the bird will fly once it realizes there is a human touch or contact near its nest,” Raja wrote on WhatsApp. “We should save the bird and its babies at any cost.”
While some initially voiced concerns that lack of nighttime illumination (照明) would be inconvenient ,Raja was eventually able to persuade his fellow villagers that any sacrifice would be worth it in the long run. “I explained that so many birds have died out and we should not let Indian Robin go the same way,” Raja recalled.
So, rather than ousted the bird, the villagers agreed to observe a blackout (断电) until the baby birds were old enough to fly away. The town spent a total of 45 days and nights in the dark, even disconnecting the switchboard from the power source to keep the mom and her chicks safe.
After mama Robin and her babies finally took off, the blackout was lifted, but the village’s extraordinary protection efforts for the sake of one lone bird and her babies didn’t go unnoticed.
A bird in the hand may be worth two in the bush, but a bird in the switchboard has earned Potthakudi a reputation for kindness that’s likely to light up smiles for quite some time to come.
1. What can we know about Karuppu Raja?| A．He does his job carelessly. | B．He loves birds all the time. |
| C．He argues with his villagers. | D．He is the leader of the village. |
| A．Protected. | B．Set free. | C．Killed. | D．Drove away. |
| A．The reasons why many birds have died out. |
| B．The kind villagers in Potthakudi. |
| C．What villagers do to help the birds. |
| D．How to protect Indian Robins. |
| A．Man will conquer nature. |
| B．Man and animals can live in harmony. |
| C．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
| D．A bird is known by its note and a man by his talk. |
6 . Sharks may be able to smell blood from miles away, but they probably don’t know how red it is. It is likely that they only see the world in black and white according to a study that is the first to investigate sharks’ visual system.
A team at the University of Western Australia studied the visual systems of many different species of sharks and what they have found is diversity in eye design that mirrors the ecological and behavioral diversity of the shark species. The team looked at the retinal cells of 17 species of sharks caught off Queensland and Western Australia and found out that the cells are responsible for sharks’ color blindness.
According to the study, these animals are color-blind due to the light receptors they have got in their eyes. There are two main types of light-sensitive cells to allow animals to see: rod cells help measure brightness because they are highly sensitive to light and allow night vision but cannot tell colors apart, while various types of cone cells help distinguish colors. They peeked at the structure of sharks’ rod and cone cells in the retina. Human eyes come with red, green and blue cone variations, while sharks appear to have just one kind of cone cells.
The study suggests that contrast against the background, rather than color itself, might be more important for object detection by sharks. Costumes that camouflage swimmers’ bodies in sea water are less likely to draw a shark’s attention than ones with bright, solid colors that emphasize their outline. “It’s the high contrast against the water rather than the color itself which is probably attractive to sharks,” said Professor Nathan Hart who led the study.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The importance of the research. |
| B．The features of sharks’ retinal cells. |
| C．The process and the result of the study. |
| D．The functions of sharks’ visual systems. |
| A．Their fragile rod cells. | B．Their lack of various cone cells. |
| C．Their dark living environment. | D．Their weak sensitivity to light. |
| A．hide | B．fit | C．beautify | D．protect |
| A．To clear up a wrong belief. | B．To raise funds for a program. |
| C．To show a unique phenomenon. | D．To present a scientific discovery. |
7 . With about 100,000 marine animals being choked or injured by plastic every year, the danger posed by the pieces of plastic floating in our oceans is well- known. However, given that most of the small plastics measure less than 0.5 mm, collecting them is a
The 1,500-square-foot Recycled Floating Park is now floating in the Rotterdam Harbor in the Netherlands. Scientists
The movable device, which took a year and a half to be perfected, was then placed at the edge of the harbor to collect the city that trash
The waste collected by the "plastic fisher" and hundreds of volunteers, who
| A．challenging | B．surprising | C．reasonable | D．responsible |
| A．after | B．as | C．before | D．when |
| A．prepared | B．dealt | C．succeeded | D．began |
| A．calculation | B．collection | C．donation | D．selection |
| A．catch | B．provide | C．offer | D．produce |
| A．gathered | B．circulated | C．distributed | D．expanded |
| A．flowing | B．spreading | C．blowing | D．extending |
| A．central | B．safe | C．ideal | D．remote |
| A．masses | B．pieces | C．piles | D．bands |
| A．wiped | B．removed | C．submitted | D．combed |
| A．separated | B．divided | C．connected | D．assorted |
| A．empty | B．blank | C．bare | D．open |
| A．capacity | B．location | C．exit | D．environment |
| A．ranges | B．blocks | C．spaces | D．squares |
| A．Hopefully | B．Obviously | C．Naturally | D．Fortunately |
8 . Most would agree that the pandemic has few upsides, with the exception of one notable group: dogs. After all, their people are home all day. There’s more petting, playing, walking and treats than ever. What a howl! It’s these up-close-and-personal-with-your-dog months that may have led to an increasing trend. Pet owners are dressing like their dogs, or conversely, dogs are starting to dress like their people.
"If you told me five years ago I’d be dressing up like my dog, I’d have thought you were crazy," says Laura Burkart, 40, who with her partner, Donal Sheridan, 44, regularly dresses up in matching outfits with Hendrik, her dog. "I haven’t been spending any money on my own clothes this year. I’m not buying anything and I don’t have kids, so I’m spending my disposable income on things you would normally buy for a kid. He’s an extension of me and it’s a way to show we’re a family," says Burkart, who believes that Hendrik loves to get dressed up.
"Everybody is obsessing over their dogs these days," says Cassie Cole, 51, the owner of dog clothing and accessory brand Fab Dog. In April, when people were flipping out because of COVID, they were ordering loads of toys and clothes for their dogs, because it made them happy."
Amusement may be at the heart of the trend when there hasn’t been that much to amuse, says Gina Davis, 32, who owns a human/dog clothing company where business has "snowballed" during the pandemic. Burkart, too, says that during dark times, a little dog and family matching can bring on happy moments. "People laugh as soon as they notice us. I don’t know if they’re laughing with us or at us, but either way, they get a kick out of it."
It may all sound like a lot of fun, but pay attention: “If an owner wants to dress their dog that’s generally fine,” says Rachael Rudman, kennel manager of the North Shore Animal League America. But, it’s important, “to read your dog’s body language … If it looks like they’re stressing out, don’t do it.”
For smaller dogs, an extra layer may be a necessity, says Rudman. Rudman adds: “Make sure the garment is not too tight or loose; watch for the danger if a garment is too long.”
1. Why do Burkart and Sheridan regularly dress up in matching outfits with their dog?| A．They have no child. | B．They want to spend more money on it. |
| C．Their dog likes getting dressed up. | D．They want to show they are a family. |
| A．People want to spend money in dressing up their dogs. |
| B．The human/dog clothing companies are increasing. |
| C．There are more petting and treats during pandemic. |
| D．Dogs are starting to dress like their owners. |
| A．Be embarrassed. | B．Be happy. |
| C．Be surprised. | D．Be depressed. |
| A．Dressing up is a lot of fun. | B．Don’t dress your dogs to be stressed. |
| C．Put cloths for smaller dogs. | D．How to choose suitable garments for dogs. |
9 . Fast fashion has changed the way we dress. We buy more clothes, more often, but wear them less. The average lifespan of a piece of clothing is just two years, and 87 percent of unwanted clothing ends up in landfill or incinerators (焚化炉).
Alina Bassi, founder, of Kleiderly, wants to give our clothing waste another chance of a useful life. The 30-year-old chemical engineer has always cared about the threat of climate change — in her teens she made a film highlighting the environmental impact of Heathrow Airport — but she actually started her career in the oil industry. “I learned so much there, but knew it wasn’t quite right for me,” Bassi says. As a junior engineer, it was difficult to affect change in large corporations and she wanted to make an impact. “I really wanted to work in sustainability. (可持续性).”
After a few more years in the energy industry, she landed a job with bio-bean, a company that turned waste coffee grounds from major UK cafe chains into products that could be burned for heat and fuel. After a year in Berlin as chief operating officer of Kaffeeform, another coffee recycling company, Bassi was eager to step into a different field — used coffee grounds are not the biggest threat faced by the planet. Instead, Bassi poured her efforts into tackling a much bigger polluter.
Kleiderly hopes to change the landscape of clothing waste. Using the principles of a circular (循环的) economy, Bassi has developed a low-energy, multi-stage process to turn clothing fibers into an alternative to oil-based plastic. She is reluctant to reveal any further details as the process is still being patented. This plastic can then be fed to manufacturers that can use it in their existing machines, so that your old T-shirts and jeans are reused as brand new products. “I wanted to take the fibers and turn them into something that would be used for many years to come.” Bassi says.
1. What do we learn about Bassi’s work in the oil industry?| A．It gave her much joy. |
| B．It inspired her to make a film. |
| C．It went against her personal goals. |
| D．It made her worry about the oil industry. |
| A．She should enter the energy industry. |
| B．She should do more to help prevent pollution. |
| C．She should take advantage of coffee grounds |
| D．She should accept the principles of a circular economy. |
| A．Determined. | B．Unwilling. |
| C．Unlucky. | D．Proud. |
| A．Engineers find a new way to produce oil-based plastic |
| B．A lady makes great efforts to promote the fashion industry |
| C．Engineers appeal to various industries to fight climate change |
| D．A lady devotes herself to giving clothing waste a second life |
10 . About a billion birds die from flying into buildings each year in North America. Suspicions have been that birds may regard the open areas behind glass as safe passageways. Or they may mistake the reflected trees for the real thing.
Researchers would like to reduce collisions, which requires a solid understanding about what makes a bird more or less likely to die by crashing into a building in the first place.
“There was relatively little known at a broad scale. Previous studies were at one small study site.'' Jared Elmore, a graduate student in natural resource ecology and management at Oklahoma State University. So he and his colleagues used a previously created data set of building collisions for birds at 40 sites throughout Mexico, Canada and the U.S.
The first finding was obvious: bigger buildings with more glass kill more birds. But the details were more remarkable. "We found that life history predicted collisions. Migrants(候鸟), insect-eaters and woodland-inhabiting species collided more than their counterparts(同类).”
Most migratory species travel at night, when lights near buildings can distract or disorient(使迷失方向)them. And Elmore thinks that insect-eating birds might be attracted to buildings because their insect prey(猎物)is attracted to the lights. He suspects that woodland species get tooled by the reflections of trees and bushes in the windows. The results are in the journal Conservation Biology.
By understanding which birds are more likely to collide with buildings, researchers can perhaps determine the best way to adapt buildings, or their lighting, to help prevent such accidents. And by knowing risks, along with migration timing and behavior, building managers can better predict when birds are at their greatest danger - and improve lighting strategics accordingly.
Elmore's next project will use radar to help predict bird migrations. " I think that would maybe go a long way in terms of providing information to people, to the public, to building managers, on when they can get the most benefit in terms of lights-out policies."
1. What is the possible reason for birds' crashing into buildings?| A．They didn't see the buildings. |
| B．They took reflections for reality. |
| C．They assumed the windows to be open. |
| D．They considered buildings as safe routes. |
| A．It created a new data set. |
| B．It went beyond national borders. |
| C．It covered a wider range of sites. |
| D．I’ll studied some specific bird species. |
| A．Migratory species travel at night. |
| B．Birds tend to be misled by glasses. |
| C．Bigger buildings cause more collisions. |
| D．Birds living habits give rise to collisions. |
| A．Adjust the lightening system. |
| B．Attach radars to each building. |
| C．Adopt strict lights-out policies. |
| D．Ban using glasses on buildings. |
