1 . When Malaika Vaz was a kid, living in Goa, India, she was constantly surrounded by nature. Among her childhood experiences, she recalls journeys to the Arctic and Antarctic, climbing mountains, diving, and windsurfing.

At some point in her late teens, Vaz realized adventure didn’t really mean anything if there wasn’t an intention to protect the natural spaces we were exploring in. Motivated by her passion for filmmaking, she began to seek a way that would both satisfy her appetite for adventure and allow her to advocate the protection of the species and ecosystems she interacted with.

Today Vaz wears many hats in the filmmaking world, as a documentary director, producer, and presenter. After falling in love with manta rays (蝠鲼), she discovered they were being hunted illegally and started to dress herself as a seafood trader to get as close as possible to the issue. She traced sellers to figure out why the threatened species were being killed. She shared the shocking details in Peng Yu Sai, her Green Oscar-nominated film on the matter.

The subjects that grab her attention, Vaz admits, run the gamut. When she was asked to define her focus, she replied that she preferred variety. She always argues that the issues she looks into are more interrelated than they may initially appear. “I think that it’s exciting to dive into the different aspects of environmental stories,” she says.

Her work doesn’t stop at recording important stories; she also ensures the message is heard. From Vaz’s viewpoint, real improvement in planetary protection lies in the hands of each of us rather than just those of several environmentalists. “If you’re an engineer and you care about the natural world, you can change the kind of construction materials you use. If you’re a teacher loving nature, you can bring that into the learning for your class.” she says.

As a filmmaker, Vaz believes it’s important to figure out ways that attract the audience who can push for the protection of the natural world.

1. What did Malaika Vaz decide to do in her late teens?

A．Motivate children to get close to nature.

B．Make a film about her childhood experiences.

C．Develop a passion for an adventurous lifestyle.

D．Combine nature exploration with nature conservation.

2. What is the film Peng Yu Sai mainly about?

A．The role of manta rays in the local economy.	B．Vaz’s personal life as a seafood trader.
C．The threatened species in India.	D．The illegal trade in manta rays.

3. What does the underlined part “run the gamut” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Are quite popular.	B．Cover a wide range.
C．Make little progress.	D．Are hard to deal with.

4. What message does the author convey in Paragraph 5?

A．Human beings are closely linked to nature.

B．Stories are effective in changing people’s behavior.

C．Everyone can make a difference to the environment.

D．Environmentalists play a big part in solving environmental issues.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Beijing — Planetary scientists in China found hints of water “reservoirs (水库)” on the moon. Over billions of years, the surface of the moon     1    (hit) by space rocks, causing the soil     2    (melt) and be ejected (喷射) into space. Then it is cooled down and falls back to the lunar surface,     3    (form) beads (珠子) of glass. The Chang’e 5 probe,     4     returned to Earth on Dec 17, 2020, brought back     5     total of 1,731 grams of rocks and soil from the lunar surface, including glass beads.

After looking into the glass beads from the sample, the international research team     6    (find) that about one ton of glass beads may contain 0.5 kilograms of water. Hui Hejiu, one of the study authors said, “This ‘water’ wasn’t a liquid     7     instead took the form of hydrogen (氢气). The hydrogen     8    (contain) in the glass beads can     9    (easy) be turned into the water we can use.” If the water in the beads is easy to get, it will be a “really big deal” for deep space     10    (explore) missions in the future.

3 . Sam, the four-legged superhero, works to keep a park in Santiago clean. The dog’s superpower? Collecting garbage as a________for visitors.

Sam, who takes regular________in Santiago’s park with his owner, has become________, wearing a green cape (披风) in a comic (连环画) to work as an educational guide.

It________when Sam and Gonzalo Chiang had to stop again and again in the city’s largest green area to________plastic bottles, cans and food packages. “On Sam’s walks, we began to find a lot of________,” Chiang said. “From there, the________to take away the garbage that we found on each visit became apparent. The walk is a good opportunity to________, rather than litter,” Chiang said.

Park officials were impressed and decided to use Sam’s________in its park care campaign. They turned Sam into a cartoon in Sam: The Parquemet Superhero,________visitors to take their waste with them or use________ points found along the path. “This became much more________than expected,” Aravena said. “It reached different schools and has spread very well on social media.”

The________launched anti-litter campaigns last year urging drink vendors (摊主) to switch from plastic cups to glass ones and started________garbage into separate bins.

“Sam and Gonzalo have________us to accelerate (加快) this education process and structure this garbage classification,” said Eduardo Villalobos, the park’s acting director.

1.

A．cultural icon

B．role model

C．helper

D．worker

2.

A．breaks

B．hikes

C．walks

D．vacations

3.

A．brave

B．famous

C．busy

D．kind

4.

A．failed

B．started

C．appeared

D．continued

5.

A．set aside

B．pay for

C．put away

D．pick up

6.

A．grass

B．people

C．garbage

D．equipment

7.

A．challenge

B．need

C．chance

D．doubt

8.

A．think

B．relax

C．clean

D．explore

9.

A．image

B．ability

C．identity

D．popularity

10.

A．helping

B．telling

C．permitting

D．inviting

11.

A．washing

B．parking

C．recycling

D．observing

12.

A．interesting

B．important

C．beneficial

D．widespread

13.

A．park

B．school

C．government

D．market

14.

A．turning

B．breaking

C．delivering

D．sorting

15.

A．inspired

B．required

C．reminded

D．persuaded

4 . In the dead of last winter during the pandemic, the Berman family chose to foster a pack of puppies (小狗) and their mother, all _________ for shelter. Five dogs in all moved into their new home at the Canine Humane Network, a nonprofit rescue organization in Highland, Maryland, US.

The 4-week-old pups needed shelter until they could be _________ ; their mom had Lyme disease and too little mother’s milk. So, for a month, Teresa and Michael Berman and their two sons _________ the pups until _________ homes could be found.

“After dinner, we’d sit around and _________ the puppies play,” said Teresa Berman, 48. “It was better than watching TV. I joked that this was my plan to fight seasonal depression; the pups really did improve everyone’s _________ .”

The puppies tripled (增至三倍) in weight during their _________ and left in their wake more than 1,000 photos and videos of their antics (滑稽动作), all of which took the Bermans’ _________ off COVID-19. Nationwide, the story is much _________. In 2020, the coronavirus resulted in 15 percent __________ in pet fostering from the previous year, according to Shelter Animals Count, a nonprofit data group.

“I __________their sibling rivalry (同胞之争). They would jump on each other, pull tails and play tug-of-war (拔河),” said Michael Berman. Like a __________ dad, he said, “I sent pictures of the puppies to my friends, and now get text messages from their __________ on how they’re doing.”

To date, the Bermans have __________ 12 dogs from the Highland organization in the past year. The virus has __________ Michael’s skill sets. “During the pandemic, I’ve learned to do two things: make bagels and foster dogs.” he said.

1.

A．longing

B．concerned

C．grateful

D．ready

2.

A．admitted

B．sold

C．adopted

D．guided

3.

A．cleaned

B．nursed

C．handled

D．monitored

4.

A．independent

B．decorated

C．effective

D．permanent

5.

A．watch

B．make

C．help

D．hear

6.

A．dream

B．opinion

C．mood

D．change

7.

A．arrival

B．walk

C．sleep

D．stay

8.

A．attitudes

B．minds

C．goals

D．diets

9.

A．similar

B．complex

C．obvious

D．possible

10.

A．assistance

B．rise

C．response

D．purchase

11.

A．ignored

B．enjoyed

C．forgave

D．aided

12.

A．proud

B．frank

C．careful

D．strange

13.

A．partners

B．parents

C．owners

D．employers

14.

A．adjusted to

B．contributed to

C．tended to

D．handed out

15.

A．explained

B．removed

C．replaced

D．expanded

5 . Textile(纺织品)waste is a growing problem for our environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported the US throws away more than 11 million tons of clothing every year. That is why some small businesses spotting the problem are beginning to recycle in ways they haven’t before.

Create Good Company is a clothing company that tries to produce sustainable clothing and repurpose older clothing into updated fashionable items. Maggie Hendricks, the owner of Create Good Company, said, “If you can improve what you find, why wouldn’t you do that instead of buying new things? It’s a big issue not to create new waste. I would say we are 90% recycled materials.”

According to the EPA, the average consumer(消费者)throws away 81.5 pounds of clothes every year. “Anywhere between 10%-17% of the waste that’s going into landfills(废弃物填埋场)is made up of things like textiles and clothing,” said Danny Katz with the CoPIRG Foundation. “A lot of the clothing that we’re producing doesn’t even get worn, so it’s going right to the landfill or even being burned and contributing to pollution that way. It’s really worrying.”

This is why businesses like Create Good Company exist — to use outdated clothing and turn it into dresses or jackets. “There’s just so much waste and so many big companies that might not think about it,” Hendricks said. “Just standing with other like-minded people who are interested in sustainability is important.”

Another important element Hendricks has focused on is creating these items and selling them at an affordable price. “Sustainability sometimes is green washed in companies and they make things more expensive,” Hendricks said. “That’s not how we become a sustainable world. I think making products affordable is important to me. I want to buy things that are better for the environment without throwing my pocketbook in the fire.”

1. What makes Danny Katz worried?

A．The use of old clothing.	B．The cost of textile pollution.
C．The effect of clothing waste.	D．The future of the textile industry.

2. What does Hendricks care more about when it comes to a sustainable product?

A．Its price.	B．Its sales.
C．Its producer.	D．Its quality.

3. What is the best title for the text?

A．The EPA’s measures to reduce textile waste.

B．Consumers being aware of the seriousness of textile waste.

C．Textile businesses’ social responsibility and their waste.

D．Small businesses working to prevent textile waste.

6 . [1] What do North Carolina’s red wolves, the Eurasian beaver and Przewalski’s horse have in common?

[2] All of them went extinct in the wild — and all of them came back, thanks to reintroduction programs.

[3] Conservation scientists use translocation and captive breeding (圈养繁殖) to re-establish animal populations that have died out in the wild — either entirely or in certain areas. Reintroducing extinct-in-the-wild animals to their native territories can be a double win: helping to restore damaged ecosystems, as well as increasing population numbers.

[4] But setting a species loose in the wild is a risky balancing act. Reintroductions often take years and involve multiple stages. Before bringing back a species, conservationists have to evaluate the threat level — both to and from the animal — and the role it played in the ecosystem. In places where wild populations have died out more recently, there’s a better chance of success. The less time that has passed, the more likely that environment is the same as when the species went extinct. But scientists still need to address the reason why it went extinct in that environment to begin with.

[5] Reintroduced animals can have a positive impact on the landscape, but how fast this happens depends on the type of animal and how damaged the environment is. Herbivores (食草动物) can make a significant change relatively quickly, while predators tend to be reintroduced slowly and carefully. Although they can be useful for managing pest species, conservationists have to ensure they don’t overhunt or threaten other vulnerable animals.

[6] A 2020 study highlighted species reintroduction as one of the most effective ways to save endangered animals. The study estimates that conservation action between 1993 and 2020 saved up to 48 species of birds and mammals from extinction, and that the rate of extinction would have been three to four times higher, during that period, without those efforts.

1. What are the reintroduction programs aimed at?

A．Bringing back a species.	B．Enlarging a species’ native habitats.
C．Increasing a species’ number.	D．Developing new breeding methods.

2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．The collapse of ecosystem.	B．Evaluating the threat level.
C．The extinction of a wild population.	D．Setting a species loose in the wild.

3. Which of the following may affect the rate of environmental restoration?

A．The size of animals.	B．The bio-diversity of animals.
C．The feature of landscapes.	D．The extent of environmental damage.

4. What’s the purpose of the text?

A．To call on active measures to save species.	B．To highlight the necessity of bio-diversity.
C．To introduce an effective conservation action.	D．To stress the importance of a balanced ecosystem.

7 . Seagrass meadows(海草床) are wonder plants growing beneath the sea. They feed and shelter sea life and are masterful at storing carbon. Thanks to the assistance of tiger sharks, a huge seagrass meadow in the Bahamas Banks was recently discovered, offering the world a tool to fight climate change.

Seagrass has usually been detected by Earth-orbiting satellites that identify darker patches in the blue water. In this study, tiger sharks were selected as research tools due to their highly consistent associations with seagrass ecosystems. They spend 70% of their time in seagrass meadows. The team equipped eight tiger sharks with satellite tags (电子跟踪器), seven sharks with camera tags, and used a 360-degree camera on a shark for the first time ever.

The data researchers collected was astonishing. The world’s largest seagrass ecosystem, measuring at least 66,900 square kilometers, has been discovered. This reflects a 41% increase from previous estimates of global seagrass. Seagrass can capture (捕获) huge quantities of carbon by photosynthesis (光合作用) and stores it on the seafloor. In terms of climate change, this is excellent news; seagrass is 35 times faster a removing carbon than tropical rainforests. When referred to global seagrass carbon stock estimates, the study indicates that seagrass in the Bahamas may contain 19.2% to 26.3% of all the carbon stored in seagrass meadows on Earth.

Yet seagrass meadows are rapidly disappearing, with over 92% of meadows in the UK gone, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Scientists are collecting seeds and trying to grow new seagrass meadows through restoration projects. This new discovery offers optimism and proves the importance of the ocean for healing.

The sharks led us to the seagrass ecosystem in the Bahamas, which we now know is likely the most significant blue carbon sink(蓝色碳汇) on the planet. What this discovery shows us is that ocean exploration and research are essential for a healthy future. The untapped potential of the ocean is limitless. These meadows can be protected and can be replicated (复制,仿制), offering hope for climate change around the globe.

1. Why were tiger sharks chosen as research tools?

A．They are more flexible than other sea animals.

B．They can quickly adjust themselves to the deep sea.

C．They have a strong connection with seagrass ecosystems.

D．They can be easily equipped with experimental devices.

2. What are the numbers in paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The decline of global seagrass meadows.

B．The impact of climate change on sea life.

C．The rapid increase in the amount of carbon on Earth.

D．The potential value of the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem.

3. What are scientists doing to protect seagrass?

A．Planting more seagrass meadows.

B．Developing new technology to collect seeds.

C．Mapping the distribution of seagrass meadows.

D．Encouraging people to join in restoration projects.

4. Which could be the best title for the text?

A．The New Way of Removing Carbon

B．The Significance of Ocean Exploration

C．A New Discovery: World’s Largest Seagrass Meadow

D．Tiger Sharks: Scientists’ Essential Helper to Study Climate

8 . My wife and I usually don’t keep houseplants. But after I was told I had cancer I wanted to be around some life. When my friend Mitch gave me a lucky bamboo plant in a bowl, we decided to place the plant next to the living room window across from the couch.

I told Hannah I wanted to care for the plant myself. When it didn’t immediately turn yellow or brown or lose all of its leaves, I was pleasantly surprised. Tending to the plant gave me a sense of achievement at a time when I sometimes felt useless. As a physician, I was used to being the one who provided care, not the one who received it. Watering the plant taught me I could still be a caregiver. 

Over the next few months, I recovered from surgery and completed the first round of chemotherapy (化疗). Even after I returned to work, I continued to care for the plant. Soon, it had nearly doubled in height and its leaves were shiny and lush. Both the tree and I were thriving.

Then, mysteriously, it began to show signs of stress. No matter what I did, the leaves kept browning and dropping to the floor. I grew more and more frustrated and uneasy.

“I can’t even care for a simple plant!” I yelled. “I’m failing!” I couldn’t shake the feeling that the plant had become a symbol of my own health. I realized I had wrongly connected my careful nurturing of the plant — something over which I had at least some control — with my own survival — something over which I had no control.

When my tumor (肿瘤) returned, it would not be because of any failure on my part. As my anxiety decreased, I began to research how to heal the plant. After moving it under a sunny window, we both began to thrive again.

Whenever I look at the tree in its new pot, I think of Mitch and all the people who supported me. If the plant outlives me, I hope it will comfort Hannah and remind her that our large community will continue to nurture her after I am gone.

1. How did the author feel about caring for the plant at first?

A．Bored.

B．Satisfied.

C．Confused.

D．Impatient.

2. Why did the author grow anxious about the plant’s falling leaves?

A．He feared letting Mitch down.	B．He worried about losing it.
C．He didn’t want to feel useless.	D．He took it as a sign of his death.

3. What does the underlined word “lush” in Para.3 mean?

A．Weak.

B．Clean.

C．Unique.

D．Thick.

4. What’s the author’s purpose in writing the article?

A．To describe his love for lucky bamboos.

B．To share his experience of growing a plant.

C．To encourage people to keep houseplants.

D．To express appreciation for his friends.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Two villages have been named the Best Tourism Villages 2022 by the World Tourism Organization, thanks to their achievements in balancing tourism with economic development while    1    (stick) to environmental protection.

According to the organization, 32 villages in 18 countries and regions including Austria, Chile and China    2    (award) the recognition late on Tuesday. China’s Dazhai village in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region    3    Jingzhu village in Chongqing won the recognition.

Figures cited from the county’s culture and tourism bureau show that tourism development in Dazhai    4    (bring) great economic benefits to villagers and created more jobs for them since the village started to develop tourism around 2003.

    5    the bureau has pointed out, though the village only received 32,000 visits in 2004, the number rose    6    (sharp) to nearly 798,000 in 2019 before COVID-19 emerged. The villagers’ average income among its 1,212 people of 271 households, also saw    7    rise from 700 yuan per year ($100) to over 34, 500 yuan in 2019, the bureau said.

Jingzhu village, the other village    8    (recognize) by the World Tourism Organization this year is located in Wulong district of southwest Chongqing and over half of the villagers work in the tourism industry.

The World Tourism Organization began to award Best Tourism Villages across the world in 2021    9    (promote) the cultural heritage protection and sustainable development of villages. China so far has four villages winning the title,    10    the other two being Yucun village in Zhejiang and Xidi village in Anhui.

10 . The Dead Sea is an amazing wonder of the world:the lowest exposed spot on Earth,where the water is so full of salt that bathers float right to the top.

But today the Dead Sea is drying up, and its banks are collapsing. The water level is dropping close to 4 feet every year. The main part of the lake is now around 950 feet deep—about 15%shallower, and a third of the surface area, compared to its shape half a century ago.

“You’ve seen a living disaster in front of your eyes,“ says Jake Ben Zaken, an Israeli who says he operates the only passenger boats on the Dead Sea.

As the lake recedes, it changes the landscape around it in both beautiful and harmful ways. Beautiful salt formations are revealed where the water dries up. But there are also terrible scenes of beaches and parking lots swallowed up by sinkholes along the shore.

Solutions have been proposed to replenish(填满)the Dead Sea, but no significant action has been taken to prevent its further destruction. Climate change makes recovery of the lake seem even further out of reach.

The Dead Sea is a landlocked lake that’s partly in Jordan, Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The lake—named the Dead Sea because it contains too much salt and is not suitable for aquatic(水生的)life—has been drying up for decades.

”It’s a human-made problem," say environmental researchers and officials. In a region where water is rare, Israel, Jordan and Syria in the last several decades have diverted(改道)the freshwater sources that feed the Dead Sea, for drinking water and irrigation. Plus, Israeli and Jordanian companies evaporate(蒸发)Dead Sea water to harvest its rich minerals for export. The part of the lake with Israeli hotels, a popular spot for tourists to float in Dead Sea water, is actually an artificial evaporation pool in the lake’s southern basin.

1. How deep was the main part of the Dead Sea 50 years ago probably?

A．About 800 feet.	B．About 1,000 feet.
C．About 1,100 feet.	D．About 1,300 feet.

2. What does the underlined word“recedes”in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Goes up.

B．Gets popular.

C．Flows over.

D．Becomes smaller.

3. What’s the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The solutions to the problem.	B．The future of the Dead Sea.
C．The reasons for the problem.	D．The situation of the Dead Sea.

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

A．The Dead Sea Is Dying	B．The Dead Sea Is Recovering
C．The Dead Sea—a Salty Lake with Minerals	D．The Dead Sea—a Place for Tourists to Float