1 . Our recommended list of environmental books covers a broad range of topics. These must-read environmental books are sure to spark the interest of the greenest books.
Silent Spring
Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring highlights the effects of pesticides (杀虫剂) on the environment, especially DDT, which was a very popular insecticide until it was finally banned in 1972. The book eventually led to a change in the United States’ pesticide policy and contributed to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference.
This book collects 11 speeches made by climate activist Greta Thunberg, highlighting the issue of climate change and its impact on future generations. Greta Thunberg was 15 when she started the School Strike for Climate, also known as Fridays for Future. She inspired protests worldwide.
The Uninhabitable Earth
This book by David Wallace Wells examines the disasters that have already occurred and looks ahead to the year 2100 and what climate change will do if we continue on our current path. Its opening line is incredibly telling: “It is worse, much worse, than you think.”
The End of Nature
Published in 1989, the book describes the relationship between nature and humans. It expresses the idea that nature was previously independent of humans but has now been affected by them in every way. According to author Bill McKibben, the idea of wilderness is lost, and nature is no longer complete.
1. Which book brought the environment to the government’s attention?| A．Silent Spring. | B．The End of Nature. |
| C．The Uninhabitable Earth. | D．No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference. |
| A．Curiosity. | B．Concern. | C．Annoyance. | D．Disappointment. |
| A．Nature will not exist any longer. | B．Wild animals are disappearing fast. |
| C．Human activities are destroying nature. | D．Climate change affects future generations. |
2 . While many cats love to go outdoors, they usually do not venture far from home. But some cats are the
Although Nala, a four-year-old cat has a home in Hertfordshire and a loving owner, she always loves
She comes in every day to greet hundreds of commuters. Ambler says that Nala goes to the station when it is the busiest because she enjoys the
The staff at the station have grown very
Nala wears a collar with
Nala is so popular that Ambler
| A．competitors | B．cases | C．negotiators | D．exceptions |
| A．circus | B．zoo | C．home | D．workplace |
| A．eating | B．wandering | C．hunting | D．sleeping |
| A．visit | B．skip | C．monitor | D．advocate |
| A．challenges | B．delights | C．guides | D．disturbs |
| A．debate | B．news | C．space | D．attention |
| A．worthy | B．free | C．fond | D．proud |
| A．presence | B．request | C．performance | D．trick |
| A．qualifications | B．diaries | C．details | D．recommendations |
| A．found | B．released | C．struck | D．adopted |
| A．business | B．adventure | C．exhibition | D．diet |
| A．looked for | B．referred to | C．learned from | D．set up |
| A．encounters | B．fights | C．quarrels | D．comparisons |
| A．experiences | B．makes | C．explores | D．examines |
| A．directly | B．relatively | C．frequently | D．definitely |
3 . David and Alicia Tschirhart adored their Yellow Lab, Marley, but they never knew just how much, until that day back in 2014 when they were hiking with him in hills near their San Diego home.
“Alicia went off the path to grab a walking stick to help through the path,” David recalled. “And Marley all of a sudden darted (猛冲) from me and he started clawing the ground where Alicia was reaching for a walking stick. And I didn’t know what was happening. Alicia kind of fell back. When I looked more closely, I saw that it was a rattlesnake,” he told journalist Tracy Smith.
Rattlesnakes are common on these trails, which are very steep and miles from any hospital. And the Tschirharts didn’t have cellphones with them. For Alicia, who was four months pregnant, a snake bite could have been a disaster. Thankfully, 12-year-old Marley scared the snake away, and a few months later, the Tschirharts’ first daughter Maddie was born.
But by then, Marley had been diagnosed with cancer, and by Thanksgiving weekend 2014, it was clear the end was near. And their love for Marley was so strong that they couldn’t really let it go. So, the Tschirharts turned to ViaGen Pets, of Austin, Texas, a company that has cloned hundreds of pets for a multitude of grateful owners.
For as much as $50,000, the company will culture the cells, create embryos, implant them in a surrogate (代孕母亲), and deliver a clone of your loved one.
Marley’s clone, Ziggy, an energetic yellow ball. But to David and Alicia, he’s nothing less than Marley reborn. “He is exactly the twin of Marley,” said David. “So, he’s in, I guess, the same environment. So really, he’s become the same dog.”
And while pet cloning is still debatable, it can mean, for some at least, that with the right amount of love, science and money, you never really need to say goodbye.
1. Why did Marley suddenly behave that way during the hike?| A．It wanted to have some fun. | B．It wasn’t normal sometimes. |
| C．It detected danger for its owner. | D．It found a better stick for its owner. |
| A．The couple just have one daughter now. | B．The couple were very grateful to the dog. |
| C．The couple don’t like using a cellphone. | D．The couple were very careless sometimes. |
| A．Save it no matter how hard it is. | B．Find its surrogate for them to meet. |
| C．Let it die without suffering any pain. | D．Clone a dog through new technology. |
| A．They find it very satisfying to them. | B．They consider it a totally new dog. |
| C．They are quite concerned about it. | D．They don’t think it’s as good as Marley. |
4 . Animals deserve to live a safe and healthy life as much as humans do.
Spread awareness. One way to protect endangered animals is to create awareness about them.
Drive carefully in forest areas. It is important to watch the road when you are going through roads in forest areas. Many animals die while trying to cross the road because people do not pay attention to them.
Avoid plastic items. Do you know what happens to a plastic bag thrown into a river?
| A．Change your regular routine. |
| B．So, we highly suggest careful use of water. |
| C．Spend time rescuing animals in your locality. |
| D．Sadly, this does not have universal acceptance. |
| E．So we can save their lives by being more careful. |
| F．It is probably eaten by an adult turtle, choking it to death. |
| G．You can create local community groups that work for this cause. |
5 . A Fish and Wildlife Service proposal would protect the whitebark pine as an endangered species. Whitebark pines can live for up to 1,000 years and grow at elevations (海拔) as high as 12,000 feet. Environmentalists had requested the government in 1991 and again in 2008 to protect the trees. A nonnative fungus (真菌) has been killing whitebark pines for a century. More recently, the trees have proved vulnerable (易受伤的) to tiny insects that have killed large areas of forest.
The whitebark pines have almost disappeared in some areas, including the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park, where they are a source of food for threatened grizzly bears (灰熊). This makes the government’s declaration of the Yellowstone area’s grizzly bears as a restored species a lie.
After being blamed for not taking steps to protect the trees, wildlife officials in 2011 admitted that whitebark pines needed protection, but they didn’t act rapidly, saying other species faced more immediate threats.
A lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which made the formal request for protection in 2008, expressed his disappointment that it took so long but said the proposal was still worth celebrating.
The government’s proposal described the threats to the trees as immediate and said the whitebark pines were one of many plants expected to be harmed as climate change moves faster than they can adapt. “Whitebark pines survive at high elevations already, so there is little remaining habitat in many areas for the species to move to higher elevations in response to warmer temperatures,” Fish and Wildlife Service officials wrote.
Government officials are working with researchers and private groups on plans to gather seed from trees, grow them in greenhouses and then plant them back on the landscape, according to Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Amy Nicholas. A proposal of that nationwide restoration is expected by the end of this year. “We do have options to restore this species,” Nicholas said.
1. What do we know about whitebark pines?| A．They are long-lived, high-elevation trees. |
| B．They have a strong resistance to nonnative fungi. |
| C．The government used to care about protecting them. |
| D．They and small insects depend on each other for survival. |
| A．Grizzly bears are no longer threatened. |
| B．The whitebark pines have almost disappeared. |
| C．The population of grizzly bears has increased greatly. |
| D．The government is actually doing nothing to protect bears. |
| A．Better late than never. | B．All roads lead to Rome. |
| C．Never do things by halves. | D．The first step is the hardest. |
| A．Irresponsible. | B．Doubtful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Uncertain. |
6 . The African penguin lives on St. Croix island off the east coast of South Africa. A new study has found that they are leaving their natural environment to escape noisy ship refueling (补给燃料) activities.
The African penguins once mainly raised babies on this island. But the population has dropped sharply since South Africa started permitting ships in the area to refuel at sea six years ago, the study found.
Lorien Pichegru is acting director of the Coastal and Marine Research Institute at Nelson Mandela University, which led the study. She said the organization had found that noise levels in the area had doubled since the refueling activities began. Scientists say high noise levels affect the ability of penguins to find and catch other animals for food. Noise also makes it more difficult for them to communicate with each other and map travel paths. “This year we are at 1,200 breeding pairs at St Croix from 8,500 pairs in 2016,” Pichegru said.
The study recently appeared in the publication Science of the Total Environment. The researchers said the study is the first to explore the effects of ocean traffic noise pollution on a seabird.
Nelson Mandela University’s study collected some data to estimate underwater noise from passing ships. Oil-covered penguins were found in 2019 in Algoa Bay after an oil spill from ship-to-ship refueling. Environmental groups have called for the activities to be banned in the bay.
Pichegru said penguins in the area were already struggling to survive because of a series of issues, including industrial fishing activities. She added that the refueling activities did not kill all the penguins. However, “It was just the thing that made the whole ecology tip over and then the penguins couldn’t cope with that,” she said.
1. What has the new study found about penguins?| A．They have difficulty in raising babies. | B．They can get used to noisy ships easily. |
| C．Their population is on the increase. | D．They are forced to leave the natural environment. |
| A．The value of Lorien Pichegru’s job. | B．The importance of ship refueling activities. |
| C．The ability of Penguins to find food. | D．Bad effects of noises on Penguins. |
| A．The penguins should be put in control. |
| B．Fishing activities should be greatly encouraged. |
| C．Refueling activities should be strictly managed. |
| D．The penguins should develop their survival abilities. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. | C．A textbook. | D．A magazine. |
The most famous, most traveled to, and most popular city in all of Australia is the city of Sydney. Sydney sits on the shores of Sydney Harbour and is an
Sydney is also blessed with being very near to a number of natural areas in the surrounding region
Sydney also offers attractions like Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney Tower, and Taronga Zoo. There are also a wide variety of fun things to do in and around the Sydney area. Swimming and spending time at the beach
Sydney is also very bicycle friendly and it is possible
A man on a rafting (竹筏漂流) trip in Saskatchewan saved a coyote pup(郊狼幼仔) from drowning(淹死) and nursed it back to health during his 10-day outdoor trip.
Justin was in a multi-day rafting trip down the Red Deer and South Saskatchewan rivers“when he heard some noise," the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Saskatchewan wrote in an Instagram post."He said it sounded like a dog fight so he parked his raft to find out what was going on. However, he wasn't able to see anything so he went back to his raft to go fishing.
While he was fishing, he heard something in the water crying out-and that was when he saw some kind of animal swimming in the river! Its nose was hardly above the water and the water was so dark that Justin couldn't tell what kind of animal it was at first. Justin tried to reach for the animal but ended up falling in the freezing cold water as well.Luckily, Justin was somehow able to locate the animal-a coyote pup!-in the water and catch his raft before it was taken away by water for good!
When Justin brought the animal back to his raft, the little coyote pup didn't seem to be breathing, with its eyes closed. The pup was lucky yet again as Justin had first-aid knowledge and was able to do a Heimlich treatment by pushing on its stomach. After a few pushes, water came out of the coyote's nose and he was breathing again! Justin and his new' friend were both wet through so they made an effort to reach land again where Justin made a fire and tried to warm the little guy up.”
Para1:
Justin shortened the trip over the next 10 or so days in order to take care of the pup well.
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Para2:
Finally, Justin was able to find a place where he could get service and call experts for advice.
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