1 . Plastic recycling is a hot topic. But what’s the real face behind it? You diligently sort your rubbish; you dutifully wash your plastic containers; then everything gets thrown in a landfill or in the ocean anyway. According to one analysis, only 9% of all plastic ever made has likely been recycled. Here’s the kicker: the companies making all that plastic have spent millions on advertising campaigns lecturing us about recycling while knowing full well that most plastic will never be recycled.
A new investigation by National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) reports that the large oil and gas companies that manufacture plastics have known for decades that recycling plastic was unlikely to ever happen on a broad scale because of the high costs involved. “They were not interested in putting any real money or effort into recycling because they wanted to sell raw material,” Larry Thomas, former president of one of the plastic industry’s most powerful trade groups, told NPR. There is a lot more money to be made in selling new plastic than reusing the old stuff. But, in order to keep selling new plastic, the industry had to clean up its wasteful image. “If the public thinks that recycling is working, then they are not going to be so concerned about the environment,” Thomas noted.
We have been successfully convinced that people start pollution and people can stop it and that if we just recycle more, the planet will be OK. To some degree, that is right: there must be a level of personal responsibility when it comes to the climate emergency. We all have to do our part. But individual action is a tiny drop in a heavily polluted ocean. We need systematic change to make a real difference. And, more than anything, we need to change what we value.
1. According to the text, what does the underlined word “kicker” probably mean?A.A player who kicks the football. |
B.An event that is controversial. |
C.An action that is taken to start a plan quickly. |
D.A discovery that is unpleasant and unexpected. |
A.Plastic recycling is necessary and effective. |
B.Large amounts of money are spent on recycling. |
C.The companies try to promote the sales of new material. |
D.The companies prefer to sell recycled material rather than new materials. |
A.Most people have a sense of responsibility. |
B.Plenty of rubbish is dropped into the ocean. |
C.Fighting against pollution calls for joint efforts. |
D.Systematic change was made to reduce pollution. |
2 . Fifty people died, over 11,000 were injured, and 100,000 houses were heavily damaged or destroyed in an earthquake that struck North China's Hebei Province.The quake, measuring 6. 2 on the Richter scale (里氏6 .2级) , hit the area 220km northwest of Beijing at 11: 50 a. m. on January 10, 1998.
Scientists made a report of the recent quake. They said that the area of northwestern Beijing, the joint of Shanxi and Hebei Provinces and the Inner Mongolia (内蒙古) were most easily attacked by earthquakes measuring 6 to a bit over 7 on the Richter scale.
However, scientists did not see the recent earthquake earlier. Clouds covered a large area in the northern part of North China before the earthquake and experts say that this prevented satellites from correctly watching the temperature at the correct altitude (纬度).
Experts say that in the last ten years, about 305 earthquakes have taken place in China with 9 measuring over 7 on the Richter scale, 60 measuring over 6, and 236 measuring over 5.
Tens of thousands of people died or were injured. Loss valued over 10 billion yuan.
1. The report shows that about nine earthquakes in the past ten years are measured over ____ on the Richter scale.A.7 | B.5 | C.9 | D.6 |
A.all the people stayed outside | B.the earthquake happened at midnight |
C.the people had been warned earlier | D.the earthquake scale was lower than 6. 2 only |
A.We can not stop earthquakes |
B.Scientists are working hard at the researches on earthquakes |
C.We can do our best to have fewer damages than ever |
D.Nothing can be done on earthquakes |
3 . You never forget your first whale. The impact it makes upon you is huge and life is never quite the same again. My first whale was a 40-foot grey one, off the coast of California in 1979, and I've been a whale addict ever since. Now I have to go whale watching regularly just to survive normal daily life.
I may be crazy but I am certainly not alone. The world is filled with whale watchers: since its beginnings in the mid-fifties, whale watching has grown dramatically and now more than 13 million people join organized whale watching trips every year.
As a faithful whale watcher, all your holidays center on whales. The only books you read are ones about whales; you wear whale T-shirts, and every time you meet your friends you talk about whales.
So what is it about these larger-than-life animals that makes them so special? Their enormous size is one possible explanation: imagine sitting in a small boat next to a blue whale almost as long as a Boeing 737. The fact that we know so little about them is another possibility: modern technology has taken us to the moon and beyond, yet we are only just beginning to understand these extraordinary forms of intelligent life on our own planet.
Planning and patience are just two essential requirements for successful whale watching. Planning is needed because there are certain whale hot spots-where you have the best chance of seeing them-and because the larger species tend to be on their way from feeding areas to breeding grounds, so rarely do they stay in one place for more than a few months at a time.
Patience is necessary because, even under the best conditions, whales can be tricky to find. However, most commercial whale watching trips have a surprisingly high success rate because they tend to concentrate on well-known whale populations at peak (最高的) seasons.
1. What is the impact of the author's first whale in his life?A.He has fallen in love with whale watching. |
B.He has organized watching trips every year. |
C.He has written a good many articles on whale watching. |
D.He has made a lot of speeches about protecting whales. |
A.what faithful whale watchers usually read |
B.what faithful whale watchers are usually like |
C.faithful whale watchers often wear whale T-shirts |
D.faithful whale watchers often take part in whale forums |
A.To say that man has landed on the moon. |
B.To prove that whales are really attractive. |
C.To show us the power of modern technology. |
D.To tell us that whales are intelligent animals. |
A.It is very difficult to find these clever whales. |
B.Whales only appear at seas that arc deep and far. |
C.Whales often stay under water for quite a long time. |
D.Whales are on their way to breeding grounds at a time. |
Climate change is a familiar topic to us for decades. There is little doubt
The increase in temperature has
“Greenhouse effect” is a key factor in clime change. Continued greenhouse gas emissions will result
5 . Navy officer Allen Parton suffered a serious head injury while on duty in the Gulf War. It left him in a wheelchair, unable to talk, and he lost half of his life’s memories. He couldn’t remember his children’s first steps, their first days at school, and their being born. Allen didn’t even recognize his children. And he lost the ability to feel any emotion. He had two attempts at killing himself in the process of recovery.
But all changed when coming across a dog named Endal, who failed his training to be an assistance dog and needed a home. Endal saw something on the floor by Allen's wheelchair, ran across the training centre, picked it up and put it in Allen's lap. He wanted a treat, a reward, praise, anything, but he got no reaction. Then he ran over to the mock-up supermarket, took a tin off the shelf, put it in Allen’s lap. Surprisingly, that made Allen’s brain switch on and he smiled for the first time in a long time. And it was the start of their relationship.
Endal became his 24-hour companion, helping with every practical aspect of his life.
Then one night, which showed the dog’s devotion, Allen and Endal were both hit by a car. Although Allen had been knocked unconscious out of the wheelchair and Endal had been hurt by the vehicle as well, he got up, pulled Allen into the recovery position, and he pulled out the blanket from under Allen's wheelchair and covered him with it.
Legs bleeding, he ran to a nearby hotel and sounded the alarm. Before that, he found Allen’s mobile phone in the dark, and he brought it to his face.
And for what he did to his owner he won the Victoria Cross Award.
The dog saved Allen’s life, his marriage, and brought him back to his children.
1. Which of the following statements is true?A.Allen graduated from a famous navy school. |
B.The serious injury left Allen in a wheelchair. |
C.Allen once wanted to kill himself during the war. |
D.Endal used to be an assistance dog. |
A.The dog. | B.The supermarket. |
C.The tin. | D.The dog’s behaviour. |
a. covered Allen with the blanket
b. pulled Allen into the recovery position
c. brought Allen’s mobile phone to his face
d. sounded the alarm
e. came to a nearby hotel
A.b→a→e→d→c | B.b→a→c→e→d |
C.a→b→c→e→d | D.a→b→e→d→c |
A.ability | B.cuteness | C.knowledge | D.devotion |
6 . Now is the time to act on climate change. We need to cut carbon emissions (排放), and knowing this, it is easy to be pessimistic. Strangely, I’m feeling the opposite. And that’s mostly because of one factor: Batteries. It isn’t obvious but over the last decade or so, just as we’ve watched our computers get faster and screens get thinner, batteries have greatly improved too.
According to the European Patent Office, the number of battery patents filed grew by an average of 14 percent every year between 2005 and 2018. Energy storage is getting better and better, as more companies are discovering new chemistry and processes to make them work more efficiently.
And the results of all of this work are astonishing. Energy density—the amount of power that can be stored in the same sized battery—has doubled in the last decade. And the costs of batteries have fallen a lot too.
Brilliantly, because electric batteries are improving so noticeably, we can already see the results. Last September, 15 percent of all new vehicle registrations were pure electric vehicles. So the change is starting to happen.
It’s conceivable that in the not-too-distant future, alongside other essentials in our homes like a boiler and a fusebox, we might also have an enormous battery in the garage. This would take power from the grid (电网) or maybe even solar panels on the roof, and power appliances and lights in our homes at the times when demand for electricity is high.
So, given how much technology has improved batteries over the last decade, I can’t help but be strangely optimistic about the future. Batteries may not be as flashy (显眼的) as phones, rockets or other new technologies, but when it comes to technology to fight climate change, they’re definitely leading the charge.
1. What is the author’s attitude towards cutting carbon emissions?A.Doubtful. | B.Favorable. | C.Unclear. | D.Anxious. |
A.It’ll make them more environment-friendly. |
B.It’ll make people use electricity at will. |
C.It will slow the development of pure electric vehicles. |
D.It’ll cause the prices of batteries to rise. |
A.Unacceptable. | B.Astonishing. | C.Possible. | D.Unreliable. |
A.Carbon Emissions Result in Climate Change |
B.Now Is the Time to Act on Climate Change |
C.How Battery Technology Can Save the Planet |
D.How Much Technology Has Improved Batteries |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2. 只允许修改10处,多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Last month, our school launched a campaign which intention was to promote environmental protection. The campaign last for one week. Firstly, there was a photo display to show the seriously pollution caused by human activities. Secondly, there was a lecture on many small step that we could take in our daily life protect the environment. For example, taking the bus and using the bike-sharing system would be a good way. Last but not the least, we students were encouraging to decorate our classrooms with recycled materials. Through the campaign, they have benefited a lot. We realize that it is our responsible to leave a better, cleaner and healthier planet for future generations.
1. 植树的好处;
2. 动员大家多植树。
注意:1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Plant Trees to Save the Earth
Dear fellow students,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Student Union
China’s First National Park
China’s first national park in Northwest of China’s Sanjiangyuan area,
Under the national park management, herders and
10 . There are 156 known species of glass frogs living throughout the neotropics. Recent advancements in genetics are giving researchers a revealing look into the lives of these one-inch-long tree dwellers, some of which are the size of a paper clip.
Scientists have discovered, for example, that male glass frogs in some species are stellar parents — a rare trait among vertebrates (脊椎动物). Males of at least 24 species not only protect their eggs from predators but also actively care for them. While the embryos (胚胎) develop, males of some species, such as the sun glass frog sit atop their egg clutch "like a chicken," keeping the eggs hydrated until they hatch into tadpoles (蝌蚪).
New research is also discovering how the glass frog's transparent belly forms. It's suspected that young glass frogs physically rearrange the insides of their cells and tissues to become transparent adults. Fluid between the tissue cells may also contain a substance that allows light to travel through.
Another mechanism that may allow glass frogs to blend into the green leaves on which they doze during the day is called "a biological mirror", a kind of shield or covering of crystals in many of their tissues, which reflects up to 30 percent of the light that normally reaches them. Those crystals amplify the light signal, and the frog's green looks brighter.
Many scientists studying glass frogs arc motivated by the fact that some of their subjects are disappearing—and fast. Agriculture, cattle grazing, and mining projects in the Andes are taking over the frogs' already fractured forest homes.
"As soon as they are discovered, many species are declared endangered," Guayasamin, a biologist in Ecuador, says "yet there could be an advantage in conserving such isolated ponulanons." All could be inspired to work together to set aside frog-rich patches of land as reserves, ensuring that these delicate creatures have a solid chance at survival.
1. What can we know about glass frogs?A.They are regarded dangerous. | B.They are small animals. |
C.They are of different colors. | D.They live in the water. |
A.Strange. | B.Ambitious. |
C.Excellent. | D.Different. |
A.They physically change their cells. | B.They contain transparent fluid. |
C.Crystals in their tissues reflect light. | D.Light signal makes them greener. |
A.Stopping cattle grazing. | B.Building frog reserves. |
C.Improving frog popularity. | D.Planting more forest trees. |