1 . Thanks to the 1999 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 26 endangered species in Australia have seen their populations recover.

It seems like that we're always hearing about new animals that have become endangered, but there's some good news in Australia: 26 animal species no longer meet the criteria to be listed as threatened. Australia’s biodiversity has been in decline, with more than 1, 700 species and ecological communities known to be on the line. In 1999, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act was passed to introduce protections for endangered animals. The burrowing bettong is one of 26 Australian species that have returned from the edge of extinction.

Seemingly these are working, as a recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation reviewed the animals that were previously or currently listed as threatened between 2000 and December 2022, and discovered that 26 species had recovered to no longer meet the criteria. Species that have seen improvement include the charmingly named burrowing bettong, the golden bandicoot and the bulloo grey grasswren.

Factors behind this improvement include habitat management, control of introduced predators (捕食者) and translocation of endangered animals to predator-free islands. However, the species have not been officially delisted at this time. The EPBC Act only allows species to be delisted if doing so will not have a negative effect on their survival, and researchers believe that conservation gains could be lost should management efforts be stopped.

Dr Michelle Ward, a conservation scientist at WWF Australia, told The Guardian, “The key problem with delisting species is that then they no longer have monitoring and no longer need certain funding plans.”

However, it is promising that researchers have found signs of improvement. Hopefully this will continue among these and other species!

1. What do the underlined words “on the line” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Out of place.	B．At risk.
C．Under control.	D．On the increase.

2. What did a recent study find?

A．Some animals are facing extinction.

B．Burrowing bettong is a charming species.

C．The criteria to be delisted were hard to meet.

D．26 endangered species’ populations are recovering.

3. The species haven’t been delisted officially because ________.

A．their living situation is severe	B．the delisting consequences are uncertain
C．the conservation gains are short	D．the habitat management level is poor

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the researchers’ discovery?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Doubtful.

C．Positive.

D．Worried.

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。

My name is Nassra, a second-year student at Tanzania Institute of Accountancy as well as an artist of 22 years old. My journey through art has led me to become     1     environmentalist.

What we usually consider waste may be useful when we think about it in a different light. Discarded (丢弃的) or waste items provide plentiful but largely     2     (ignore) resources for us artists to give them a second life or share their story. Items such wine bottles, wood, and more can have a beautiful second chance as a piece of art. As an artist, I would     3     (frequent) look for reusable materials that offer fresh ideas of creating something new.

In my hands, glass bottles, plastic bags, and other waste items that would otherwise end up     4     (float) in the sea become a form of     5     (sustain) art. My art highlights the degradation of the world and surprises people     6     its originality.

People     7     buy this type of art find the work attractive for its artistic value. But motivating them to contribute to the planet’s welfare     8     (be) my lifelong dream. I also want to take this opportunity to encourage environment     9     (conserve) through DIY project and recycling. This really gives a chance for individuals     10     (witness) the brilliance that the world offers.

3 . Hotter, drier conditions over the past four decades have been decreasing the rainforest birds’ body size while lengthening their wings, a study published in the journal Science Advances said on Friday. “This maybe an adaptation to hotter temperatures. Even in the middle of the primitive Amazon rainforest, we are seeing the global effects of climate change caused by people,” said Vitek Jirinec, lead author on the study.

The scientists have studied measurements and weigh-ins of 77 different bird species in the Amazon rainforest since the early 1980s. Nearly all of the bird species have gotten lighter as time goes on. On average, most species became about 2% lighter every decade. These birds don’t vary that much in size,” said co-author Philip Stouffer, a professor of conservation biology at Louisiana State University. “But when everyone in the population is a couple of grams smaller, it’s significant.”

The researchers found that bird species living in higher parts of the forest—as opposed to closer to the forest floor —saw the most pronounced changes in terms of body composition. Those are the species most exposed to high temperatures. Longer wings and smaller bodies mean that birds have to useless energy to move around, helping them stay cool.

Brian Weeks of the University of Michigan in 2019 researched the average sizes of 52 species of migratory birds in North America from 1978 to 2016. He also found all of them had smaller bodies and longer wings in 2016. This is another example of climate change-human actions globally—affecting a fundamental thing such as the size and shape of the birds. The same effect is likely to be true of other species across the world living in extreme environments.

1. What does the new study find about the birds in the Amazon rainforest?

A．They are flying much higher.	B．They have been physically longer.
C．They are more flexible than adaptable	D．They have got smaller and longer-winged.

2. How did researchers conduct their study?

A．By analyzing the collected data.	B．By referring to historical records.
C．By observing birds in the forests.	D．By cooperating with other research groups.

3. What made the birds living in higher parts of the forest change most?

A．Less food available.	B．Decreased forest area.
C．Most exposure to the heat.	D．Inadequate shelter from storms.

4. What is the function of the last paragraph?

A．To introduce a new topic.

B．To further stress bad effects of humans.

C．To popularize some knowledge about birds.

D．To tell the difference between the two studies.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does Jacob ask Amy to do?

A．Enjoy the flowers.

B．Provide help.

C．Grow flowers.

2. How often does Jacob water flowers?

A．Every day.

B．Every two days.

C．Every three days.

3. What do we know about Jacob’s flowers?

A．They lack water.

B．They lack sunshine.

C．Their leaves turn yellow.

4. What will Jacob do?

A．Water flowers in time.

B．Learn about growing flowers.

C．Grow flowers with Amy.

5 . A kitchen garden produces vegetables for delicious, healthy meals. It doesn’t have to be right outside the kitchen door, but the closer it is, the better.     1    , the more likely it is that you will get tasty things out of it. Just a few steps are needed for what you want.

    2    . The most important recommendation is start with what you like to eat. This may go without saying, but I have seen first-year gardens that don’t reflect the eating habits of their growers. One of the easiest and most rewarding and popular kitchen gardens is a simple salad garden. It can produce multiple harvests in most parts of the country.

Planting a garden: where, when and how. Make a garden plan of what will be planted, where, when and how.     3    . It means you should know what they like in terms of space, water, soil fertility (肥力) and soil temperatures.

When and how much to water your garden. Vegetables are made mostly of water.     4    .You’ll want to water them lightly every day or two. If nature isn’t providing that amount of rain, you’ll need to water by yourself or with a drip irrigation system.

Garden maintenance: keep an eye on it. Sun and rain willing, fast growers such as radishes (萝卜) and salad greens will begin to produce crops as early as 20 to 30 days after planting. Check on them regularly so you get to harvest them before someone else does.     5    .

A．Choosing garden crops

B．Getting ready for garden site

C．The easier it is for you to get into the garden

D．So you need to ensure your plants have enough water

E．You show an interest in how to produce multiple harvests

F．To do this, you need to get familiar with all kinds of crops

G．Besides, protective barriers and organic products can prevent pests and diseases

6 . The impact of fast fashion on the environment is significant. Recently Zara, one of the largest fast-fashion retailers (零售商) in the world, put forth a concept that only sustainable fabrics are used in clothing production. But how can Zara ever be sustainable? They produce around 450 million garments (衣服) a year and release 500 new designs a week, about 20,000 a year. Zara’s fast-fashion model has been so successful it has inspired an entire industry to follow them.

Clothing production doubled from 2012 to 2022. The average consumer bought 60 percent more clothing in 2022 than in 2012, but kept each garment half as long. And less than one percent of all clothing produced globally is recycled.

I spend a lot of time reading the corporate social responsibility reports of large brands and interviewing micro-to-small sized enterprises to see how they approach sustainability. The largest significant difference between them is culture.

Small brands focus on creating a culture of sustainability by using strategies like producing made-to-order, so they are not making more than what is sold. Most small brands are opting to work under, an “anti-fashion calendar”. They choose not to follow the intense seasonal calendar that fashion functions under. They do this because waste is one of their biggest concerns. They also design clothing to be of the highest quality, ensuring durability and longevity, so you may keep it longer.

Fast fashion is a “grow or die” business, and the fast-fashion growth model used by all large companies is predicated on limitless growth. Large global corporate retailers are not seeking to change their fundamental business model or create cultures of sustainability. That would require re-working their entire business structure and ultimately hurt their bottom line.

I would start to believe Zara and other large fashion brands had good intentions to fight climate change if they started to look at how to move away from their continuous offerings of weekly new products. They need to introduce alternative sustainable business model practices. One small step could be to offer repair or tailoring services. Tailoring creates clothes that fit perfectly, subsequently increasing their emotional value, so that we love them and keep them longer.

1. What does the author intend to show with the numbers about Zara in paragraph 1?

A．Zara is not eco-friendly.	B．Zara is popular with consumers.
C．Zara is a large fast-fashion retailer.	D．Zara is a success in fashion industry.

2. Which of the following shows a cultural feature of small brands?

A．Designing clothing as needed.	B．Designing clothing seasonably.
C．Producing clothing as needed.	D．Producing clothing seasonably.

3. What does the underlined part “bottom line” in paragraph 5 relate to?

A．The fast-fashion retailers.	B．The profits from fast fashion.
C．The culture of sustainability.	D．The relationship with consumers.

4. What does the last paragraph focus on?

A．How to make consumers love their clothes.

B．How to make consumers buy less clothing.

C．How large fashion brands offer weekly new products.

D．How large fashion brands improve their services.

7 . A key part of protecting endangered species is figuring out where they’re living. Using environmental DNA, or eDNA, to track species isn’t new. For a few years now, researchers have been using DNA in water.

Two teams of scientists — one in Denmark led by Dr Kristine Bohmann and one in the UK led by Dr Elizabeth Clare — came up with the same question at about the same time: Could they identify the animals in an area from DNA that was simply floating in the air? DNA in the air is usually so small that it would take a microscope to see it. “I thought the chances of collecting animal DNA from air would be slim though much time had been spent on it, but we moved on,” said Bohmann who was trying to think of a crazy research idea for a Danish foundation that funds far-out science.

One team collected samples from different locations at Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo, and the other at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK. Clearly, they both chose the zoos. “We realized we have the Copenhagen Zoo,” Bohmann recalls. In fact, both the zoos in the UK and Denmark were almost like the zoos that were custom-built for the experiments: The animals in the zoos were non-native, so they really stuck out in DNA analyses. “If we detect a flamingo (火烈鸟), we’re sure it’s not coming from anywhere else but the zoo,” Bohmann says.

In the laboratory, by comparing their samples with examples of DNA from different animals, the scientists succeeded in identifying many different animals at the zoos.

Neither team knew that the other team was working on a similar experiment. The two were nearing submission to a scientific journal when they discovered about the other experiment. Rather than compete to rush out a publication first, they got in touch and decided to publish their findings as a pair. “We both thought the papers are stronger together,” says Clare.

“The next step is to figure out how to take this method into nature to track animals that are hard to spot, including endangered animals,” says Bohmann.

1. What did Bohmann initially think of the experiment?

A．It could be a failure.

B．It wouldn’t take long.

C．It wasn’t original.

D．It would cost much.

2. Why did the scientists look for animal DNA in the zoos?

A．They raised many rare animals there.	B．The zoos were specially built for them.
C．They could collect enough animal DNA.	D．They could recognize animals confidently.

3. How was the two teams’ relationship when they learned of each other’s work?

A．Competitive.

B．Inseparable.

C．Cooperative.

D．Casual.

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

A．Research Teams Test DNA in Nature	B．DNA in the Air Helps identify Animals
C．Different Zoos Conduct DNA Studies	D．eDNA Protects Endangered Animals

8 . In the northernmost edge of Colombia sits the coastal town of Acandí. Access to the town is only by water or air; there is no road that leads there. The residents there are faced with the struggles of balancing livelihoods while protecting biodiversity.

In the past, traditional community fishing methods, passed down by the elders, focused on the reasonable fishing and management of resources. However, the introduction of large-scale trawling vessels(拖网渔船) decades ago gradually depleted the area’s fishing resources, leading to damage to marine(海洋的) life seriously.

Jesús Antonio Julio Cuestas, who serves in the region’s conservation and management of marine resources, stresses the bad impact of these developments and calls for new fishing techniques. “Fishing and conservation co-exist as long as we have good management practices and reasonable use of our fishing resources,” says Cuestas. He and other officials actively monitor fishing activities in Acandí. Each morning, they visit the fish markets to gather data on fishery resources—including prices and sizes—to monitor the state of the local fishing industry.

Along with Cuestas, the fishers work to reduce their impact on the marine ecosystem. By changing fishing methods and adopting new practices, they aim for a more balanced approach to fishing. “This year the local fishermen have not used the trawl net s that were causing the death of the leatherback sea turtles,” explains Cuestas proudly. Changes include the efforts of boats to protect the seagrass that serves as feeding grounds for marine life and an end to fishers throwing net s where turtles lay their eggs.

This marine reserve in Acandí, Cuestas believes, is their greatest treasure. He attaches great importance to working together with local residents to improve the quality of life while preserving the marine ecosystem. By doing so, he imagines a picture where individuals from the fishing community can pursue various careers, such as engineers or lawyers, proudly stating that they are the products of the fishing tradition in Acandí.

1. What does the underlined word “depleted” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Reused.	B．Restored.
C．Explored.	D．Reduced.

2. Why does Julio Cuestas call for new fishing techniques?

A．To cut down on the costs of fishing.

B．To improve the income of local residents.

C．To promote the well-being of marine wildlife.

D．To spread traditional community fishing methods.

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The aim of the changes to fishing methods.

B．The efforts to preserve marine ecosystem.

C．The results the trawl net s have brought about.

D．The impact of fishers on the local environment.

4. What is Julio Cuestas’s attitude towards Acandí’s future?

A．Confident.	B．Uncaring.
C．Concerned.	D．Doubtful.

9 . At ancient sites across the Amazon River basin, mysterious plots of unusually rich soil dot (点缀) the landscape. Scientists have long debated the origin of this “dark earth”, which is darker in color than surrounding soils and richer in carbon. Some people think this dark earth formed naturally, but the latest research has shown that modern Kuikuro people in Brazil create similar soil around their villages on purpose, which adds evidence to the idea that long-ago Amazons deliberately made such soil too. Perron, an earth scientist at MIT, reviewed interviews of Kuikuro people conducted by a Kuikuro filmmaker in 2018 and found that Kuikuro villagers actively make dark earth by using ash, food bits and controlled burns. “When you plant in hilly land, the soil is weak,” explained elder Kanu Kuikuro in one of the interviews. That is why we throw the ash, manioc peelings and manioc pulp. When comparing soil samples from ancient and modern sites, researchers found “striking similarities” — both were far less acidic than surrounding soils and contained higher levels of plant-friendly nutrients.

Analyses also revealed that dark earth holds twice the amount of carbon as surrounding soils on average. Scans (扫描) of the Xingu region suggest that the area is dotted with dark earth, and that hold as much as about 9 million tons of carbon — the annual carbon emissions of a small, industrialized country. “This number could roughly equal the annual carbon emissions of the United States when all dark earth across the Amazon is taken into consideration,” Perron says.

Figuring out the true value of carbon stored in the Amazon’s dark earth will require more data. Still, the research has significant influences on the Amazon’s future. The technique highlights how ancient people were able to live in the Amazon by developing sustainable farming that doubled as a carbon-storing technique. With more and more greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, it could also provide a blueprint for developing methods of sustainably locking atmospheric carbon in the soil, helping fight climate change.

1. What can we infer from the dark earth across the Amazon River basin?

A．They are more acidic than surrounding soils.

B．They contain more organic nutrients.

C．They formed naturally.

D．They contain less carbon.

2. Why does the author mention the annual carbon emissions of the US?

A．To explain the difficulty of protecting dark earth.

B．To show the wide distribution of dark earth in Amazon.

C．To stress the huge carbon-storing capability of dark earth.

D．To reveal the large carbon emissions of the United States.

3. What does the author stress in the last paragraph?

A．The importance of developing sustainable farming.

B．The advanced farming technology in ancient tomes.

C．A possible solution to climate change.

D．A way of green agriculture.

4. Which is the best title of the text?

A．Urgency of Sustainable Development	B．Facts About the Dark Earth
C．Advantages of the Dark Earth	D．Wisdom of Ancient Amazons

10 . 语法填空

For many years, human beings have been trying to conquer nature, but never succeeded. What’s worse, nature has got angry. It often shows     1     (it) power and teaches human beings different lessons in various     2     (way), such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, sandstorms, typhoons, droughts, landslides, tornadoes, and volcanoes. Any of them can cause terrible disasters. For example, on March 11, 2011,     3     huge earthquake struck Japan,     4     (cause) a terrible tsunami. Many cars, ships and buildings     5     (ruin) by a ten-metre-high wall of water. Thousands of people were confirmed dead. The total energy released by the quake was equivalent to the explosion of 6.7 trillion tons of TNT,     6     is about a thousand times the total power of all the world’s nuclear weapons. Another event was the “huge volcanic eruption in Iceland” in 2010. It caused enormous damage to air travel across western and northern Europe because     7     the large quantities of volcanic ash. All of these show how     8     (power) nature is.

Compared with the great power of nature, human beings are so weak and even so helpless in face of the destruction caused by natural disasters. It would be unwise of us     9     (fight) against or even try to conquer nature. On the contrary, we should try to learn how to live with nature     10     (peaceful).