1 . Known as the birthplace of hip-hop, the South Bronx in New York City is a global center for music and art. However, it also suffers from poverty and pollution. Heavy trucks deliver unwanted construction waste to sorting stations, which then transfer waste to distant landfills.

Just graduating from college and working for an environmental group, Omar started to think about redirecting waste to those in need. He wondered, “Instead of destroying things like old doors, why not make this business a ‘cooperative’, which means people who work in the business own it and share the profits?”

Omar decided to start his business. He handed out flyers (小传单) along the truck-jammed, waste-filled streets to find individuals with similar ideas and interests to join him. Eventually, Omar found four workers and secured a warehouse. They reached out to relevant people, offering to remove items from construction sites for free. Soon, their warehouse was filled with donated materials, including 80 new toilets, unwanted doors, theater seats, and even a giant popcorn machine.

A few years ago, Omar started his first cooperative devoted to reusing construction waste. The cooperative began selling construction supplies at reasonable prices to neighborhood builders and home owners. With support from city officials, Omar began developing a new training program to equip local residents with the necessary skills for environmentally impact jobs.

Omar said, “Think about a wooden door that you’ve just bought. In order to produce that, someone had to cut down trees. In order to ship it across the country, someone had to pump oil out of the ground. You can avoid all that if you buy a good used door. And at the same time, you can reduce pollution, save money, and create jobs in communities like the South Bronx.”

Omar even had the image of a future with a whole network of green cooperative businesses in the area, which would work together to reuse different kinds of construction materials. “If you have a use for something,” Omar said, “it’s no longer waste.”

1. What do we know about the South Bronx in paragraph 1?

A．It is free from poverty.

B．It pays little attention to art.

C．It suffers from a lack of landfills.

D．It faces the problem of waste pollution.

2. Why did Omar post flyers?

A．To seek for minds alike.

B．To search for new materials.

C．To build a warehouse for waste.

D．To find repairmen for old doors.

3. Which of the following can best describe Omar?

A．Modest and cautious.	B．Wealthy and intelligent.
C．Humorous and generous.	D．Creative and hardworking.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Omar — A Successful Builder

B．Waste — A Way to Get Business

C．Old Doors — Useful Recyclable Resources

D．The South Bronx — The Best-known Construction Site

2 . When gardeners grow varieties of plants in their beautiful gardens, they are happy to see beneficial insects like bees and butterflies surrounding the flowers. But as they take a closer look, they may find some plants are covered in black dots and filled with harmful insects or pests. Some gardeners may immediately reach for chemicals.     1     Although it may stop the insect problem, it will also threaten bees and butterflies which help the plants reproduce.

If you are wise gardeners, you should first take preventive measures to control the harmful insects.     2     Only when there are too many harmful insects, should pest control be considered. The first defense should always be the safest method available.

Prevention

As a rule, prevention is the best treatment. Inspect plants closely, including their leaves, before buying them from the store.     3    

When planting, space plants out to permit them to grow to their full size. Plants too close together can breed harmful organisms, like bacteria.

    4     They invite pests if permitted to remain on the ground. When you do see pests, wash them away. Use rubbing alcohol to remove some insects, or pick them off the plants.

Pesticides

If you decide a pesticide is necessary, choose it carefully and follow the directions and warnings on the product. Avoid using pesticides in extreme heat, on windy days, or when the plants are wet.     5     At the time, beneficial insects are inactive. You can consider removing flowers from the plants to lessen the risk that beneficial insects will come in contact with the pesticides.

A．But this is not wise.

B．In most cases, chemicals don’t help.

C．Treat the plants early in the morning or at night.

D．Also do remember the plants need nutrition and care.

E．Keep your garden free of fallen leaves, fruits and other wastes.

F．Do not bring any plants home that show signs of disease or pests.

G．The process starts with the idea that having some pests is acceptable.

3 . The Sierra Nevada range is incomparable in scale and magnificence. There’s no better way to see it than to appreciate every spectacular view with your own hard _______. My husband, Will, our kids (Herbie, 5 and Artley, 11) and I planned to _______ the northern half of the John Muir trail in two weeks, which _______ along the backbone of the High Sierra, past lakes, and through dusty pine forests.

We set _______ before we started: this would be tough, but worth it. To get our kids more _______, we let them have the map and decide when to stop and rest. In this way, they felt empowered. This _______ also resulted in Herbie nearly standing on a 4-foot snake on our first day, though. _______, it was early morning and the snake was half asleep.

For two weeks, the boys enjoyed the _______. They built dams and bridges across streams, climbed and swam. Sometimes, they refused to carry their packs and _______ about feet hurting. But these moments were far outweighed by extraordinary bursts of ________ and enthusiasm — particularly when we’d been slogging (艰难前行) uphill for hours and a mountain top finally came into view, our kids even decided we needed to ________.

By the time we finished, we had ________ countless mosquitoes, suffered foot pain and had terrible sleep. But we were right to be ________ about our kids’ abilities. Through the ________, they will, I hope, understand what they are truly capable of, how perseverance leads to bigger ________ later on, and what it feels like to be encouraged and supported so that they can achieve something great.

1.

A．driving

B．riding

C．running

D．walking

2.

A．assess

B．cover

C．survey

D．measure

3.

A．flies

B．returns

C．snakes

D．disappears

4.

A．choices

B．chances

C．situations

D．expectations

5.

A．involved

B．encouraged

C．relieved

D．convinced

6.

A．conclusion

B．strategy

C．attitude

D．belief

7.

A．Luckily

B．Strangely

C．Casually

D．Cheerfully

8.

A．competition

B．task

C．journey

D．cooperation

9.

A．bothered

B．inquired

C．complained

D．forgot

10.

A．energy

B．laughter

C．trust

D．interest

11.

A．draw off

B．take over

C．help out

D．push on

12.

A．caught

B．borne

C．observed

D．smoked

13.

A．confident

B．anxious

C．serious

D．disappointed

14.

A．training

B．accident

C．adventure

D．experiment

15.

A．challenges

B．rewards

C．honors

D．responsibilities

4 . Plastic is low-cost and long-lasting. It is not easily degraded(降解) because natural degradation processes can’t deal with its chemical components(成分). It takes in other ocean-present harmful substances. These chemical and dangerous components are gradually got into the atmosphere with additives such as color, which turns out to be really harmful when the plastic breaks down.

The design and development of new plastic products was sped up after World War II. Life without plastic seemed impossible in the modern age. But even though plastic was quite convenient, the dark side of it was seen as people began to enjoy the throw-away community. Many plastic products, such as plastic bags, have a lifetime of a few minutes to hours. However, they’ll stay in the environment for hundreds of years. We are destroying the very world that nurtured us.

Just 9% of plastic has been recycled and 12% burnt after production rose in the 1950s, which leave s about 79% of the 8.3 billion tons produced sitting in landfills(垃圾填埋场) or damaging our fields, oceans, and waterways. And each year the plastic ends up as contaminants. So to beat plastic pollution, we need to work together.

While plastic burning reduces the amount of waste dumped into oceans and lands, harmful gases are still produced, which also leads to greenhouse gases. However, if we make a firm decision and use modern waste management methods, we will be able to create a safe and healthy world. It is high time that we as responsible global citizens, took on the duty of protecting our environment and made great effort in saving our mother earth, instead of just leaving everything to our government. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s make a promise to successfully deal with plastic waste and protect our world from all possible risks.

1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?

A．The harm of plastic.	B．The convenience of plastic.
C．The protection of plastic.	D．The use of plastic.

2. Which word can best describe the writer’s feeling in Paragraph 2?

A．Happy.

B．Worried.

C．Excited.

D．Relaxed.

3. What does the underlined word “contaminants” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Things that cause pollution.	B．Things that produce plastic.
C．Things that cost money.	D．Things that help people.

4. From which is the text most probably taken?

A．A short story.

B．A speech.

C．A newspaper.

D．A notice.

5 . During the 20th century, an estimated 3 million great whales were hunted to provide humans with oil, meat and rose fertiliser. Roger Payne, a biologist and environmentalist, spurred (推动) a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing.

This discovery was made in 1967 during his research trip to Bermuda (百慕大) when a navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented. Payne identified the tones as songs whales sing to one another and he was conscious from the start that whale song was to get the public interested in protecting an animal previously considered little more than a resource, curiosity or nuisance.

Payne saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. In 1970, Payne released the album Songs of the Humpback Whale. The record, a surprise hit, fueled a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting and save the whales from extinction. It remains the bestselling environmental album in history.

The impact of the whale song discovery on the early environmental movement was immense. Many antiwar protesters of the day took on saving animals and the environment as a new cause. The humpback whale became the icon of a new environmental awareness. And the whales entered pop culture, no longer the fearsome beasts. In 1977, the whale calls were loaded on to the Voyager probes and sent into outer space.

Payne, graduating from Harvard University and Cornell University with a doctor’s degree, authored or co authored dozens of scientific papers, gave hundreds of lectures, made countless television programmes and films, and led 100 oceanic expeditions. Payne had started an ambitious new project: CETI, a combination of scientists using new technology to interpret what whales might be “saying”.

1. What caused the decline of the whale population in the 20^th century?

A．Habitat loss.	B．The climate change.
C．Uncontrolled hunting.	D．The ocean pollution.

2. What was the purpose of releasing the album of whale songs?

A．To boost interest in protecting whales.	B．To satisfy people’s curiosity about sea.
C．To achieve great commercial success.	D．To earn a reputation as a researcher.

3. Which of the following can best describe Roger Payne?

A．Considerate.	B．Accomplished.
C．Courageous.	D．Patient.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The conservation of ocean environment.

B．Efforts to awake public ocean awareness.

C．A high-tech way to document whale tones.

D．A whale protection campaign by a biologist.

6 . Climbers targeting peaks above 5,000 meters in the Tibet autonomous region, including the north side of Qomolangma, now have to apply for a permit, according to a rule issued by Chinese sports authorities.

To make climbing safer, or at least less deadly, the General Administration of Sport and the sports bureau of Tibet released a notification (通知) requiring climbers to send an application to the bureau at least a month in advance of their planned climb. It said climbing without permits will be strictly forbidden.

“In recent years, cases of injuries, missing people and deaths have been witnessed as a result of illegal climbing,” the notification said. “Climbing is a highly professional sport with high risk. Most illegal climbers lack professional skills, facilities and tour guides. Such activities will interfere with orderly climbing and bring risks, not only to the climbers themselves but also rescuers. They will also lead to a loss of personal or national property.”

Applications will need to detail each individual climber’s personal information, proposed climbing routes and related plans. Climbers are also being asked to obey related rules to protect mountain environments. The notification also urged regional government departments to strengthen safety checks and the prohibition of illegal climbing, encourage residents to join regular patrols near major climbing routes and promote public education on climbing safety.

In a previous interview with China Daily, Kul Bahadur Gurung, general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said difficult weather conditions, lack of experience and support personnel, and the commercialization (商业化) of expeditions were the main reasons for the high death toll on the world’s highest peak. “Since the number of people reaching the summit of Everest is increasing, everyone thinks it is easier to climb and everyone can climb, which is a totally false idea,” he said.

1. Why is a permit needed for Qomolangma climbers?

A．To stop illegal climbing.	B．To provide training ahead.
C．To limit the number of climbers.	D．To collect climbers’ information.

2. Which word can best replace the underlined “interfere with” in Paragraph 3?

A．Test.

B．Change.

C．Replace.

D．Disturb.

3. What does Paragraph 4 focus on about the notification?

A．Its content.

B．Its purpose.

C．Its background.

D．Its impact.

4. What does Kul Bahadur Gurung think of the Everest climbing?

A．It’s a totally false idea.	B．It should be eco-friendly.
C．It’s highly professional.	D．It should be non-profitable.

7 . When the European Commission’s LIFE program first brought together more than 20 organizations in 2002 to rescue the lynx ( 山 猫), the species had all but disappeared. Widespread hunting and a virus had wiped out ( 彻底消灭) most of the Iberian Peninsula’s European rabbits, the lynx’s main prey (猎物).

Lynx breed in captivity ( 圈 养) easily, however. Near one main release location, Iberian lynx have even learned to live in neighborhoods, in olive groves (橄榄树丛), and around highways.

“Thanks to the work carried out over the last 20 years, the number of lynx has increased greatly,” says Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, regional coordinator of the Iberian lynx recovery plan.

But the cat’s not out of danger just yet. Its thousand-square-mile territory is a collection of five — soon to be seven — isolated ( 孤   立   的) groups. For Iberian lynx to fully recover, they must be able to travel from one group to another, ensuring the species’s long-term health by diversifying gene pools. That’s why the next stage of the LIFE project will focus on creating at least 10 6-square-mile areas of rabbit-rich habitat, which act as passageways among the existing lynx groups. Scientists selected these habitats based on predictions of where lynx are most likely to travel. For instance, lynx prefer to take the shortest paths through undeveloped habitats, and avoid broken-up areas of farmland.

The cat is popular, even among farmers and landowners, but a few view lynx as pests and occasionally will poison them for supposedly harming domestic animals. Illegal killings make up nearly 25 percent of annual lynx deaths on the peninsula, the second highest cause of non-natural death, after vehicle strikes. That’s why education is the “best tool to improve the lynx population,” says Maribel García Tardío, lead technician for Andalusia’s Iberian lynx recovery plan. She and her colleagues regularly meet with landowners and hunters, explaining how lynx rarely kill larger domestic animals.

The Iberian lynx is one of 33 small-cat species, many of which are endangered or threatened. These animals have long been eclipsed by their bigger cousins such as lions and tigers, but lately people have begun to recognize the world’s little-known cats.

1. Which of the following words can best describe the Iberian lynx according to paragraph 2?

A．Active.	B．Adaptable.
C．Funny.	D．Dangerous.

2. What is the aim of the next stage of the LIFE project?

A．To free existing lynx from hunger.

B．To set up a gene pool of existing lynx.

C．To turn some farmland into lynx habitat.

D．To help existing lynx connect with each other.

3. What does Maribel García Tardío do to increase the lynx population?

A．She educates landowners and hunters regularly.

B．She works to reduce vehicle strikes in lynx habitats.

C．She suggests separating lynx from large domestic animals.

D．She clears up the misunderstanding between landowners and hunters.

4. What does the underlined part “eclipsed by” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Confused with.	B．Protected from.
C．Keeping step with.	D．Living in the shadow of.

8 . Gardens are some of the most beautiful places on earth. The sad reality of gardening is that weeds compete with the plants you want and take away from their beauty.     1     Most people try to find a quick and easy solution to the problem of weeds by using chemical weed killers, known as herbicides. Sometimes, though, a solution can cause even bigger problems.

Actually using chemical herbicides can have quite a few unintended consequences.     2     They effectively kill weeds, but they can also kill other desirable plants and species. Not only that, but herbicides pose significant health risks to humans. And did you know that repeated use of herbicides can make weeds resistant to their effects?     3    

After weeds have already invaded your flower bed or garden, you obviously have to find a way to handle them. There are two basic methods of removing weeds: physical removal and mechanical removal. Physical removal — when using this method you are literally destroying the weeds by putting them out of the ground.     4     This method is generally very effective, but it takes effort. Mechanical removal — this method, which uses a weed eater or a lawnmower, mows weeds down to the ground. It doesn’t take out the roots, though, so the weeds will grow back.     5     With this method, it not only beatifies the garden but also saves you much effort.

By using some of these natural methods, you can keep your garden looking superb without using dangerous herbicides that could damage your health and the environment.

A．But herbicides use isn’t the only way to get rid of weeds.

B．Then, place garden plants close together to crowd out the weeds.

C．You can pull out the weeds by hand or take them out with a shovel.

D．As you might imagine, these chemicals poison the environment.

E．Here are some solutions to keeping weeds from invading your garden in the first place.

F．As for preventing weeds, covering the ground with landscapes fabrics may be a good way.

G．As a result, weed control seems to be a never-ending part of sustaining the beauty of a garden.

9 . Rising sea levels and the potential impacts to huge coastal populations worldwide rank near the top of concerns when it comes to outcome from an intensifying climate emergency. But a lesser-known danger poses an equal or arguably more upcoming threat to millions around the world living at much higher altitudes: flooding from glacial lakes.

With average temperatures rising around the world in recent decades, a number of these lakes high above population centers in South America and Asia have become swollen and unstable as the reserves of snow and ice that feed them melt ever quicker.

For the first time, an international team of researchers has quantified this threat. It reports in a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications that 1.5 million people are in the path of potential floods from these bloated bodies of water.

“Understanding which areas face the greatest danger from glacial flooding will allow for more targeted and effective risk management actions, which in turn will help minimize loss of life and damage to infrastructure downstream,” co-author Rachel Carr, head of physical geography at Newcastle University, said in a statement.

A 1941 GLOF from Lake Palcacocha there killed thousands in the town of Huaraz below and largely inspired the beginning of research into the phenomenon. Dams and other infrastructure were put in place to ease off the threat from the lake in the 1970s, but its volume is now over 30 times greater, requiring new modifications to safely release water pressure. Other dangerous lakes nearby threaten smaller towns, where almost no mitigations (缓解方法) are in place to reduce the threat.

Lead researcher Caroline Taylor from Newcastle says the researchers also found that understanding the danger requires more than just counting lakes and measuring their volume. “Instead, it is the number of people, their closeness to a glacial lake and importantly, their ability to cope with a flood that determines the potential danger from a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) event.”

1. What purpose does paragraph 2 serve?

A．To introduce a method.	B．To present the finding.
C．To explain the reason.	D．To demonstrate the result.

2. What does the underlined word “modifications” mean in paragraph 5?

A．Strict regulations.	B．Little investigations.
C．Public statement.	D．Proper Adjustments.

3. What plays a leading role in resolving the flood danger?

A．Counting lakes.	B．Coping with a flood.
C．Constructing more dams.	D．Measuring the volumes.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Cope with a GLOF Event

B．Moderate Potential Floods

C．Threat from Climate Change Puts Millions at Risk

D．Global Warming Poses a Threat to the People along Coastlines

10 . The Bosna River is the third longest river in Bosnia-Herzegovina, measuring 168 miles long. The name Bosnia is even from the Bosna River. Unlike other big rivers in the world, there are no dams here. This is due to many protests from environmental groups who believe the construction will endanger local animals.

Source and Course

The river begins in Sarajevo Canton, flowing through the Doboj Region, then to Posavina Canton. Its source is the Bosna Spring located in the foothills of Mount Igman, just outside Sarajevo. The waters of the spring are extremely pure and serve as the water supply. The area is a national park, popular with both locals and tourists as a spot for a walk, pienie and super photo opportunities.

Wildlife

Fishing is very popular in the Bosna River, largely due to its rich species of trout(鲟鱼). At the head of the river, ducks make a home where the water is still. With plenty of fish, there are even brown bears wandering the shores. A threatened species also makes its home in parts of the river, making environmentally active groups more against industrializing the river.

History

The Bosna River is an important waterway in the region. During World War II, the Bosna River became an efficient access point to cities with a large industry. Zenica and Doboj are two major cities, with populations of 115,000 and 77,000 respectively, that rest along the Bosna River valley.

1. What might have prevented the dam construction on the Bosna River?

A．High cost.	B．Public objection.
C．River rapids.	D．People’s lifestyles.

2. What can we learn about the Bosna Spring from Paragraph 2?

A．It is the largest in Bosnia.	B．It provides drinkable water.
C．It covers the whole nation.	D．It is located in Doboj Region.

3. Why is fishing popular in the Bosna River?

A．It is home to a rare species.	B．People can see more wildlife.
C．There are many kinds of trout.	D．The surroundings are attractive.