1 . Around the world, people are realizing the significant problems caused by plastic waste. In the last 65 years, we have become increasingly dependent on plastic. It’s easy to understand why: it’s cheap to produce, light — therefore easy and cheap to transport — and incredibly strong and durable.
One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single use plastics. In the British supermarkets, shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.
However, such plans may not be beneficial to eliminate (消除) the use of single-use plastic altogether.
Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example.
Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
| A．But it’s these advantages that also make it so harmful. |
| B．They are very fragile and rarely reusable, unlike plastic. |
| C．One of the fields where single-use plastic has a vital role is medicine. |
| D．However, simply banning their single use may not be the best option. |
| E．It also boosts the local economy and save costs in managing littering and waste. |
| F．Bans on single-use plastic items like drinking straws are also coming into place. |
| G．According to a research, they require four times more energy when produced than a plastic bag. |
2 . Pigs may be more intelligent than people thought, as shown in a study where pigs used a joystick (操纵杆) and played a video game. Researchers used 2-year-old Panepinto micro pigs called Ebony and Ivory, as well as Hamlet and Omelet, 3-month-old Yorkshire pigs. Researchers first taught these pigs how to play with a joystick, teaching them the word, “joystick”. Next, on the words “watch the screen”, they learned how to watch targets (目标) on the screen. Of course, praise was given to the active pigs winning a game.
During the experiment, all pigs performed well. As they became more successful, the level of difficulty increased, just like in human video games! At first, the pigs had to hit a three-walled target which was then reduced to two walls and then one wall.
All pigs did well with the three-walled targets; however, the Panepinto pigs performed better on the more difficult levels. One disadvantage for the Yorkshire pigs was that they simply grew so large that they could no longer fit in their test. After a few months, Omelet and Hamlet were taken away from the experiment.
Dr. Candace Croney, a leading animal behavior scientist in Cambridge, said, “The findings of the study are important because what we do to pigs matters to them. It would be nice for people to realize how special pigs are, and how much more intelligent they may be than we recognized. The researchers said that the pigs’ actions were deliberate (故意的). This led them to believe that pigs were able to, successfully do new tasks.
“It may encourage other researchers to use touch screens and computer technology to study pigs intelligence in the future,” Croney said. The team hopes this type of research will make people pay more attention to this farm animal and show people how they can change the lives of animals.
1. What did the researchers do to the pigs at the beginning?| A．They studied their habits. | B．They gave them enough food. |
| C．They trained them to play a game. | D．They gave them special names. |
| A．They could keep focused for a long time. |
| B．They tried hard to win the games for praise. |
| C．They did all the tasks without any difficulty. |
| D．They got harder tasks as their performance improved. |
| A．Their intelligence. | B．Their body size. |
| C．Their power. | D．Their weight. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Uncertain | D．Surprised. |
3 . Biologists are becoming more and more concerned that global climate change will probably reduce biodiversity. Some biologists estimate that 35% of animals and plants could become extinct in the wild by 2050 due to global climate change. Before the industrial revolution, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rarely climbed above 280 ppm; But during the 2014 calendar year, carbon dioxide levels ascended to 402 ppm.
In the fall of 2014, the National Audubon Society released a report entitled Birds and Climate Change. It is a comprehensive, first-of-its kind study that predicts how climate change could affect the ranges of 588 North American birds. Of the 588 North American bird species, more than half are likely to be in trouble. The National Audubon Society’s models indicate that 314 species will lose more than 50 percent of their current climatic range by 2080. Of the 314 species at risk from global warming, 126 of them are classified as climate endangered. These birds are projected to lose more than 50 percent of their current range by 2050. The other 188 species are classified as climate threatened and expected to lose more than 50 percent of their current range by 2080 if global warming continues at its current pace.
In January 2020, two widely reported studies were carried out to show the dramatic impact of climate disruption on our wildlife and fisheries along the California coast. The first study showed that from 2014 to 2016, over a million common murres from Alaska through California died as a result of a marine heat wave. The second study shows that acid rainfall caused by carbon emissions is harming shell-building animals in the ocean. The study found that larval Dungeness crabs’ shells suffer damage in west coast seawater, putting at risk the most profitable fishery in California and a beloved local seafood.
These newly documented impacts provide more evidence that we are running out of time to take action by drastically reducing our use of fossil fuels in order to slow the rate of climate disruption and to give birds and other animals more time to adapt.
Visit our How You Can Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions page to learn what you can do to help protect these species at risk from climate disruption.
1. What does “ascended” underlined in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Reduced. | B．Rose. |
| C．Fell. | D．Appeared. |
| A．The report on the human society. |
| B．The reason of global warming. |
| C．The disappearance of the birds. |
| D．The influence of climate change. |
| A．They both had a big effect on humans. |
| B．Many murres were killed by heat wave. |
| C．Crabs’ shells are local people’s favorite. |
| D．Acid rain caused most carbon emission. |
| A．A science website. | B．An art magazine. |
| C．A history book. | D．A diet newspaper. |
4 . A nickname is a shortened form of a person’s name. A nickname can also be a descriptive name for a person, place or thing. Many American cities have nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity. Nicknames can also be funny.
Los Angeles, California is the second largest city in population, after New York City. Los Angeles has several nicknames. One is simply the city’s initials, L.A. It is also called the City of Angels because Los Angeles means “the angels” in Spanish.
Los Angeles often has warm, sunny weather. So another nickname is City of Flowers and Sunshine. New York is called The Big Apple. So Los Angeles is sometimes called The Big Orange because of the fruit that grows in that city’s warm climate.
The American motion picture and television industries are based in Los Angeles. So it is not surprising that it is called The Entertainment Capital of the World. Many films are made in the area of Los Angeles called Hollywood. Millions of people visit the area. No trip to Los Angeles is complete without seeing the word “Hollywood” spelled out in huge letters on a hillside.
Many movie stars live in Los Angeles. The city is sometimes called Tinseltown. This nickname comes from the shiny, bright and often unreal nature of Hollywood and the movie industry.
Another nickname for Los Angeles is La-La Land, using the first letters of Los and Angeles. This means a place that is fun and not serious, and maybe even out of touch with reality.
The city of Los Angeles is part of Los Angeles County. There are many smaller cities in the county. Beverly Hills, with its rich people, is one of them. So is Pasadena, with its Rose Parade each New Year’s Day. So are the coastal cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, where people like to ride surfboards on the Pacific Ocean waves.
A good place for watching unusual-looking people is Venice, an area on the west side of Los Angeles. A system of waterways designed after the Italian city of Venice has been built there.
Many people love Los Angeles for its warm sunny weather, beautiful mountains and beaches, and movie stars. That includes Randy Newman, who sings about his hometown.
1. Which of the following is not the nickname of L.A.?| A．The City of Angels | B．City of Flowers and Sunshine |
| C．The Big Orange | D．The Entertainment Capital of American |
| A．Weather | B．Politics | C．People | D．Industry |
| A．To introduce the characteristics of an area near L.A. |
| B．To compare the Italian city of Venice with L.A. |
| C．To introduce its system of waterways. |
| D．To give a place for watching unusual-looking people. |
| A．Director | B．Musician | C．Writer | D．Sportsman |
5 . At a large forest park in eastern Beijing, 11 birds on the state -level protection list were recently released, which owed to Beijing’s big step in wildlife protection.
These birds had recovered after the Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center rescued and took care of them. “We will speed up our efforts to push the establishment of district-level wildlife rescue centers to guard the health of wildlife,” said Mr. Du, director of the center. The center was set up in 2001 and built a wildlife rescue base in the capital’s Shunyi District in 2005. Staff at the base have rescued and rehabilitated over 30,000 wild animals in total.
Wildlife protection has been strengthened in Beijing in recent years. On June 1, the city’s newly adopted regulation (法规) on wildlife protection took effect, introducing stricter and more concrete measures to protect the environment and wildlife. For example, the regulation states clearly that Beijing bans hunting throughout the year, compared with the previous regulation which bans hunting during the periods of March to May and September to November each year. The new regulation also gives more serious punishment for illegal hunters.
After years of monitoring, the species and quantity of wild animals in Beijing are continuously increasing, with the number of terrestrial spinal wild animals (陆地脊椎野生动物) growing from 461 species in 1994 to more than 500. The habitat of the endangered bird has expanded from Fangshan District to the whole city.
“The enforcement of the new regulation marked a new stage in Beijing’s wildlife protection work,” said Mr. Du.“We will step up the publicity of the regulation and raise citizens’ awareness of wildlife protection,” Du said. “In our protection of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands. we take into full consideration the requirements of ecological corridor construction (生态走廊建设), food- chain construction and wildlife and their habitat protection.”
1. What has the wildlife rescue base done?| A．It has sped up its efforts to recover the birds. |
| B．It has built a large forest park in eastern Beijing. |
| C．It has saved lots of wild animals in need of help. |
| D．It has established district-level wildlife rescue centers. |
| A．It bans hunting in Beijing all the year round. |
| B．It sets up nationwide wildlife rescue centers. |
| C．It raises people’s awareness of wildlife protection. |
| D．It monitors the wildlife protection for a long time. |
| A．Beijing will enter a new stage after taking the regulation. |
| B．Beijing citizens need to know more of the new regulation. |
| C．Food-chain construction needs the whole society’s attention. |
| D．The natural environmental conditions are not considered yet. |
| A．Wildlife and Their Habitat Protection in Beijing |
| B．Beijing’s Newly Adopted Regulation on Wildlife Protection |
| C．Beijing’s Big Progress in Wildlife Protection with New Regulation |
| D．The Establishment of Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center |
6 . Wildlife conservation is the practice of protecting plant and animal species and their habitats. As part of the world’s ecosystems, wildlife provides balance and stability to nature’s processes. Wildlife conservation is aimed to ensure the survival of these species and educate people on living sustainably with other species.
The number of people has grown to more than eight billion today, and it continues to rapidly grow. The economic growth endangers the habitats and existence of various types of wildlife around the world, particularly animals and plants that may be displaced for land development, or used for food or other human purposes. This threat is at top of the list and means natural resources are being consumed faster than ever by the billions of people on the planet. The introduction of invasive species from other parts of the world is another threat to wildlife. Other threats include climate change, pollution, fishing and hunting.
International organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society and the United Nations work to support global animal and habitat conservation on many different fronts. They work with the government to establish and protect public lands, like national parks and wildlife protection areas. They help write legislation(法规), such as the Endangered Species Act(ESA)of 1973 in the United States, to protect various species. They work with law enforcement to charge those with wildlife crimes. They also promote biodiversity to support the growing human population while preserving existing species and habitats.
National Geographic Explorers, like conservation biologists Camille Coudrat and Titus Adhola, are working to slow the extinction of global species and protect global biodiversity and habitats. Environmental filmmakers and photographers, like Thomas P. Peschak, are essential to conservation efforts as well, documenting and bringing attention to endangered wildlife all over the world.
1. Which is a goal of wildlife conservation according to the text?| A．To stop introducing invasive species. | B．To encourage harmonious coexistence. |
| C．To control the number of world people. | D．To increase the use of natural resources. |
| A．Hunting. | B．Human activity. | C．Pollution. | D．Climate change. |
| A．The activities of protection areas. |
| B．The importance of biodiversity promotion. |
| C．The relevant efforts of international organizations. |
| D．The great impact of wildlife crimes on ecosystems. |
| A．The necessity of legislation. |
| B．The wildlife conservation’s achievements. |
| C．The individuals’ contributions to the environment. |
| D．The statistics about the wildlife conservation efforts. |
7 . When you go on vacation next time, make sure to take lots of pictures of the wildlife you see. These photos can help save different types of wildlife because of a new field called “imageomies”. Imageomies uses computers to study pictures of wildlife and learn information from them.
Until recently, scientists didn’t have the technology to analyze (分析) the data in wildlife photos. But now, machine learning and computer vision are helping researchers unlock valuable information hidden in these images.
There are platforms where people can share their wildlife photos, like cBird, iNaturalist and Wildbook. These platforms help scientists keep track of different species and create databases. If you have rare (稀有的) photos of wildlife, it’s a good idea to share them on these platforms.
Scientists have limited time and resources to study all endangered wildlife in the world. By using artificial intelligence (人工智能) to analyze public photos, we can learn more about different species and their behaviors. This technology can even help us find things in photos that humans might miss.
It’s important to use the collected information responsibly and protect it from poachers (偷猎者). If we do that, imageomies can not only help save wildlife but also contribute to other fields like medicine and agriculture.
1. How can imageomies help scientists study wildlife?| A．By offering information from wildlife. | B．By analyzing the data in wildlife photos. |
| C．By analyzing the trend of human population. | D．By knowing the origin of biological processes. |
| A．eBird, iNaturalist and Wildbook. | B．Imageomics, eBird and Wildbook. |
| C．Imageomics, eBird and iNaturalist. | D．Photos of wildlife, iNaturalist and Wildbook. |
| A．To appreciate the beauty of wildlife. | B．To contribute to the public safety. |
| C．To inspire others to protect nature. | D．To help scientists study wildlife. |
| A．Computers help identify the biological features | B．Poachers stop killing threatened animals |
| C．Photos can save wild species | D．Photos can protect our environment |
8 . During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, there was a lot of talk about the environmental efforts taken. Athletes slept on beds made from recycled cardboard. The medals were produced out of old appliances such as smartphones and laptops. Over 90% of Japanese cities, towns and villages participated in the two-year effort to collect recycled materials to produce 5000 medals. Eighty tons of small electrical devices were collected to make this project successful.
With the 2024 Olympics Games underway in Paris, new environmental efforts are coming into play. Observers will sit on chairs made of plastic recycled from local bins. This decision was made due to a lack of unused raw materials to make new seats, so the eco-construction firm Le Pave turned to make the seats out of waste. Around 11,000 seats will be made from recycled materials.
The plastic collection for Paris 2024 has been carried out in the region’s schools, and over five million coloured bottle caps have been recovered. Moreover, 80% of the 100 tons of recycled plastic needed to make the seats come from the yellow bins collections. This is all part of the Paris 2024 “zero waste” strategy to limit single-use plastic usage and encourage a circular economy.
The Olympic Games organizers are planning to make the Paris 2024 Games the greenest Olympic Games yet. They intend to employ a carbon-neutral approach that will lessen the climate impact of the Games by predicting, avoiding, reducing and balancing emissions and encouraging others to get involved. The Summer Games have emitted 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions in previous years. The Paris 2024 Games has set a carbon budget of 1.5 million tons which includes the emissions from construction, transportation and operations of the Games.
These plans are ambitious but are achievable. If Paris 2024 successfully reduces emissions and promotes a circular economy, it might set the standard for future Olympic and Paralympic Games, regardless of where they are held.
1. What were the 2020 Olympics medals made from?| A．Raw metal. | B．Recycled cardboard. |
| C．Reused plastic. | D．Used electronic devices. |
| A．To stop carbon emissions. | B．To make seats for athletes. |
| C．To collect coloured bottle caps. | D．To restrict single-use plastic usage. |
| A．Limitation to single-use plastics. | B．Reduction of carbon emissions. |
| C．Promotion of recycling in school. | D．Encouragement of a circular economy. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
9 . The dodo, a Mauritian bird last seen in the 17th century, will be brought back to a semblance (外观) of life if attempts by a gene-editing company are successful. Gene-editing techniques now exist that allow scientists to extract the dodo genome (基因组) that they believe they can then effectively recreate within the body of a living relative.
The scientists in question said their work, beyond providing an insight into the extinct dodo’s existence, could help inform the conservation of rare species that are not yet extinct. However, there is a fierce debate among biologists over whether this sort of research should be pursued.
Beth Shapiro, the lead paleo-geneticist (古遗传学家) at Colossal, told the Guardian she tried to persuade a museum to let her extract DNA from a preserved dodo exhibited there. She said there were hundreds of dodos in collections around the world, so it had been possible to sequence the dead bird’s genome. But she warned that the revived dodo could never replace what has been made extinct. “It would be crazy to think the solution to the world’s biodiversity crisis was to bring back a proxy.” she said.
Ben Lamm, the chief executive of the company, said they were raising a further 150 million dollars to pursue the research on the dodo. He pointed out that it could assist conservation efforts for many other threatened species around the world, as it would develop techniques that could allow scientists to detect and preserve key features in those existing species that could help them adapt in a changing climate.
Prof. Ewan Birney from European Molecular Biology Laboratory, who was not involved with Colossal’s work, said it would be “very, very challenging” to recreate the dodo genome. He added, “I’ve no idea whether the project will work as they claim, but the question is not just ‘can you do this’, but ‘should you do it?’ … I’m not sure what purpose it serves, and whether this is really the best distribution of resources. We should be saving the species that we have before they go extinct.”
1. What can we learn about dodo from the text?| A．It is a bird that is only unique to Mauritius. |
| B．The research on it has raised conflicting opinions. |
| C．It has been successfully brought back to life. |
| D．It could be recreated within the remains of a relative. |
| A．fake | B．creature | C．model | D．replacement |
| A．Critical | B．Indifferent | C．Supportive | D．Conservative |
| A．Pros and Cons of Reviving Dodo |
| B．Gene-editing Techniques in Effect |
| C．Scientists Trying Hard to Recreate Dodo |
| D．A Vain Attempt to Bring Dodo Back to Life |
10 . This summer has brought extreme heat and droughts to places around the world. The droughts are leading to serious problems, including shortages of food and energy, problems with transportation, and food price increases. The effects of the droughts are likely to be felt for years.
From Africa to Europe to the US to China, record temperatures and low rainfall have been causing problems. Droughts aren’t new, but Earth’s rising temperatures because of global warming are making them much harder to avoid.
The drought in the Horn of Africa may be the most serious situation. For several years, the area has had very little rain during the rainy seasons. Now the area, which includes Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, is suffering from its worst drought in 40 years.
Almost two-thirds of Europe is threatened (威胁) by what may be the worst drought there in 500 years. With temperatures reaching 40℃ and hotter, many crops have been damaged. In France, Spain, Portugal, and even Britain, firefighters have struggled to control wildfires.
In the US, many states that use water from the Colorado River are struggling with low water levels. Farmers in California and Arizona have been hit particularly hard. In California water use is being limited now and farmers aren’t able to grow as many crops. That can drive up food prices, and that affects everyone.
China is facing similar problems. It has been attacked by a terrible drought this summer, with temperatures as high as 45℃. The drought has dried up much of the water in the Yangtze, China’s longest river. That has cut the amount of energy produced by the world’s largest dam by 40%.
There are no easy solutions for any of these droughts. It took years to create the climate crisis, and it will take a long time to get it under control. For now, governments and people will need to carefully manage water supplies and other resources to limit the damage as much as possible.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Problems. | B．Droughts. |
| C．The effects of the droughts. | D．Earth’s rising temperatures. |
| A．Wildfires. | B．Food prices. |
| C．Water limits. | D．High water levels. |
| A．By giving some examples. | B．By offering some reasons. |
| C．By answering some questions. | D．By explaining some puzzles. |
| A．The Reasons Behind Worldwide Droughts |
| B．The Effects of Extreme Heat and Droughts |
| C．Droughts Cause Problems Around the World |
| D．Solutions Are Needed for Worldwide Droughts |
