1 . Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, it has helped hundreds of species avoid extinction in the United States. The strong conservation policy has been used as a model in other countries. But it’s not as successful as it could be, a new study finds.
Researchers have discovered most species are not being protected until their numbers have become so low that their chance of recovery is slim.
“The ESA is an incredibly powerful, ambitious law for protecting our endangered wildlife. Yet, for decades, the agency primarily responsible for operating the ESA — the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) — has been starved of resources,” lead author Erich Eberhard says.
“As a result, we are very slow to give species the protection that they deserve. We typically wait until species are extremely rare and thus at extreme risk of extinction, and then, when a species is finally listed, the USFWS is straining its resources to try to recover it.”
In 1993, a study found that few species received protection under the ESA until their populations became very small. For the new study, researchers repeated the methods used in the earlier research to see whether protections have become better since the problem was first noted. They also looked at trends in “wait times” — the amount of time between when a species is identified as potentially needing protection and when it actually receives protection under the ESA.
“Our analysis suggests that, in the nearly 30 years since attention was first brought to this problem, we have not become more active in protecting endangered species,” says Eberhard.
The researchers found that the population sizes of species when they first became protected under the ESA are not statistically different from those in the 1993 study. They also discovered that there are long wait times between when a species is identified as likely needing protection and when they actually receive them.
“I can say that our study paints the current state of the ESA as a bit of cautionary (告诫的) tale for the strong conservation policy,” says Eberhard.
1. What problem does the USFWS have protecting endangered species?| A．It takes ineffective measures. | B．It is lacking in resources. |
| C．It can’t get timely information. | D．It is an irresponsible organization. |
| A．To try out new ways to protect endangered species. |
| B．To find out the exact number of endangered species. |
| C．To check the time needed to save endangered species. |
| D．To see if endangered species have been better protected. |
| A．It found out many more endangered species. |
| B．It pointed out the direction for the USFWS to act on. |
| C．It proved the role of the public in conservation. |
| D．It showed some effective ways to protect animals. |
| A．The USFWS Needs Stronger Laws |
| B．The ESA Has Achieved Great Success |
| C．New Conversation Laws Are on the Way |
| D．Endangered Species Act Isn’t Working Well |
2 . A powerful earthquake hit Morocco, killing thousands of people and causing huge damage over a large area.
The earthquake struck around 11 pm on Friday night. It was not only one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in Morocco, but also the country’s deadliest earthquake in over 60 years. So far, the earthquake is reported to have killed over 2,900 people. The earthquake was especially precarious as it happened at night, when most people were asleep at home.
The center of the earthquake was in the Atlas Mountains, about 72 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh, a large city popular with tourists in the center of Morocco. Fortunately, many of its modern buildings survived the earthquake. However, the old part of the city, called the Medina, whose buildings are over 1,000 years old, was hit hard, leaving many of those buildings in ruins.
Outside of Marrakesh, the earthquake caused even more damage. In the Atlas Mountains, the earthquake’s center, there were many small villages. Many people in the area lived in simple houses made of mud, a traditional way of building in Morocco. But they’ re not strong enough to survive earthquakes and many of these houses simply fell apart, turning into sand. The Moroccan government has laws requiring buildings to be built more safely, yet these rules were often overlooked.
In larger cities, rescue efforts seemed to be going well. But it took a lot longer for help to reach remote (偏远的) areas in the mountains. That meant the local people in those areas had to deal with the situation on their own. They had to dig through the ruins with their hands, searching for survivors who were trapped. Moreover, many people were sleeping outside, unsure if their houses were safe enough.
More help was on the way. Many outside countries offered teams of experts and emergency supplies. But the government said too many different rescue teams could make the situation more confusing.
1. Why did the earthquake lead to the most deaths on record in Morocco?| A．It struck a large and tourist city. | B．It was powerful and happened at night. |
| C．The rescue teams arrived too late. | D．The traditional houses were not strong enough. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Powerful. | C．Unique. | D．Impressive. |
| A．They had no shelter to stay. | B．They ran out of food supplies. |
| C．They lost contact with the outside world. | D．They couldn’t get necessary rescue in time. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A travel journal. |
| C．A news report. | D．A cultural website. |
3 . As newer, more advanced technologies come out, huge amounts of electronics (电子产品) are thrown away, instead of being reused. These goods often end up in landfills, where the chemicals inside them may be a danger to the environment. Electronics can contain harmful materials. If these materials get into the ground or water, the pollution can cause serious problems. Most electronics require metals. These metals must be mined from the Earth. Often the mining process creates serious pollution.
A group known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum is trying to make people more aware of the problems of e-waste. Recently, the WEEE Forum asked researchers from the United Nations (UN) to study a kind of e-waste that’s often not noticed because people don’t consider the goods to be electronics. The WEEE Forum calls this kind “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste.
The UN study shows that about 1/6 of all e-waste is “unable-to-be-seen”. Though it’s “unable-to-be-seen”, it’s certainly not a small amount. The “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste weighs about 9 billion kilograms. The WEEE Forum says that if this e-waste were put into 40-ton trucks and the trucks were then lined up, the line of trucks would be about 5,630 kilometers long.
The surprising kind leading the “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste group was toys. Worldwide, roughly 7.3 billion electronic toys are thrown away each year. These include goods like car racing sets, electric trains, and musical toys. They also include toys with electronic parts, like dolls that speak or games with electronic timers. In all, toys make up about 35% of “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste. But the problem is far larger than just toys. The report also shows that other everyday goods like home alarms, smoke alarms, power tools, and computer cables (电缆) are also big sources of “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste.
The WEEE Forum is hoping that as more people and governments become aware of e-waste, they will make a much greater effort to make sure electronics get reused.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The amount of electronics. | B．The development of electronics. |
| C．The ways of reusing electronics. | D．The pollution of electronics. |
| A．People’s interest in electronics’ character. |
| B．People’s impression on electronics’ package. |
| C．People’s misunderstanding of electronics. |
| D．People’s struggle to adapt to electronics. |
| A．By showing numbers. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By making a summary. | D．By making a comparison, |
| A．Designing advanced electronics. | B．Making electronics get reused. |
| C．Stopping giving away electronics. | D．Reducing electronics’ production. |
1. Why is the man going to Montreal next summer?
| A．To do some business. | B．To attend a wedding. | C．To take a course. |
| A．It is the biggest city in Quebec Province. |
| B．It is far from the St. Lawrence River. |
| C．It is the capital of Quebec Province. |
| A．The ancient buildings. | B．The cold winter. | C．The beautiful river. |
5 . It’s sometimes a challenge for scientists to explain clearly just how widely certain ecosystems in some certain areas around the world are being threatened. There’s nothing fuzzy about the term “extinction vortex (旋涡)”, however. That’s what one of the world’s most important forests Brazil’s Atlantic Forest — is now being called. Since colonization (殖民地化) in the 16th century, the forest has been reduced from over 1.1 million square kilometers to 0.143 million square kilometers. Now a new judgement of the variety of creatures in this place has reached some equally shocking results. More than half of the subtropical forest’s local mammal (哺乳动物) species have been wiped out.
“These habitats are now often severely incomplete, limited to not enough large forest remains, and trapped in an open-ended extinction vortex. This has never been recorded in both history and pre-history and can be directly the result of human activity,” said Carlos Peres, a biologist.
The study found that top meat-eating animals, like jaguars and pumas, were the most destructed. But when you’re talking about this great ecological destruction, everything takes a hit.
Researchers compared large and medium-sized mammals in the forest from the past 30 years. Basic records came from those taken when the area was first colonized by Europeans in the 16th century. This was a place that left European naturalists in surprise when it was first discovered, with its greenness and with the amount of creature diversity.
The health of the forest’s mammals is seen as an important sign because mammals are most helpful in helping plants spread their seeds, and also in controlling animal populations.
“The mammal diversity of the once grand Atlantic Forest has been largely reduced to a pale shadow of its former self,” said Peres.
1. What does the underlined word “fuzzy” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Valuable. | B．Unclear. | C．Doubtful. | D．Impossible. |
| A．Because it is ever colonized by Europeans. |
| B．Because it is home to large forest mammals. |
| C．Because it is continually being destroyed. |
| D．Because it is reduced to a small forest in area. |
| A．By measuring the area of the forest. | B．By surveying the plant diversity. |
| C．By counting the creatures in the forest. | D．By judging the recordings of mammals. |
| A．The decrease in Brazilian rainforests. | B．The future of the forest’s mammals. |
| C．The variety of creatures in forests. | D．The ecosystems around the world. |
6 . It was late July and except for a few thin, white clouds the sky was a bright blue. The sun was
Our black cat, Alice was sleeping under the shade (阴凉) of our Maple tree, without noticing the little rabbit that was
Just then a lovely, yellow butterfly flew down and
| A．appearing | B．moving | C．shining | D．burning |
| A．easy | B．busy | C．happy | D．difficult |
| A．entirely | B．actually | C．definitely | D．rapidly |
| A．flowers | B．vegetables | C．plants | D．trees |
| A．touching | B．eating | C．searching | D．smelling |
| A．jumping | B．warning | C．fighting | D．looking |
| A．house | B．village | C．farm | D．road |
| A．worked | B．stepped | C．relaxed | D．played |
| A．weak | B．sad | C．full | D．calm |
| A．shoes | B．words | C．question | D．doubt |
| A．take in | B．sweep away | C．hand out | D．give up |
| A．hunted | B．walked | C．rushed | D．landed |
| A．legs | B．wings | C．back | D．head |
| A．water | B．power | C．wind | D．sound |
| A．improved | B．protected | C．praised | D．thanked |
7 . Along the streets of Malabon in the Philippines, Marilene Capentes pushes a cart every morning except Sundays. The city of Malabon is just north of the capital, Manila.
Capentes is a waste picker. She collects bags of separated garbage, placing food waste in one container. This material will be turned into compost (堆肥) at the local recycling center. The rest of the waste goes into separate containers. The recyclable materials are later sold.
Capentes said the heavy rubbish used to be all mixed together. Then a few years ago, a local environmental nonprofit (非盈利机构) started asking people to separate their rubbish.
The Mother Earth Foundation in the Philippines is a member of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, called GAIA. The organization wants to avert food waste from going to landfills. Food waste gives off biogas (沼气) as it breaks down. Biogas is a powerful greenhouse gas.
At a material recycling center in Malabon, organic (有机的) waste collected from households is turned into compost. This material then goes into a community garden to grow vegetables. Some of the food waste is broken down into biogas. This biogas is then used to cook vegetables for waste workers to eat.
There are challenges in establishing these systems in new places. It costs money to set up a facility for composting. People, including local officials, have to be educated on the importance of separating waste. Containers have to be provided to families that cannot buy more than one.
And sometimes separating organic waste is not thought to be important. Also, unlike recyclables and metals, there is not a large market for organic materials. Therefore, waste workers must be paid for the system to work. But these problems can be solved. More people are making the connection between reducing biogas and fighting climate change.
1. Why is food waste separated from other waste?| A．To sell it for money. | B．To cook vegetables. |
| C．To feed it to animals. | D．To turn it into plant food. |
| A．Remove. | B．Prevent. | C．Select. | D．Protect. |
| A．Difficulties to build the new systems. | B．Importance of building the new systems. |
| C．Conditions required for the new systems. | D．Arguments over building the new systems. |
| A．Critical. | B．Grateful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Doubtful. |
8 . This past summer I set out on a journey to Canada’s Arctic. When I left I was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty and
But when I first met the group members, I knew I didn’t have anything to
Approaching the Arctic, I was repeatedly
However, I also learned the pollutants carried by ocean from far away have a negative
During the journey, I talked with some
The Arctic is a land of incredible beauty which
| A．relief | B．anxiety | C．pride | D．argument |
| A．put up | B．prepare for | C．give up | D．worry about |
| A．easy-going | B．well-behaved | C．sensitive | D．flexible |
| A．failure | B．performance | C．adventure | D．conflict |
| A．embarrassed | B．ashamed | C．amused | D．shocked |
| A．watching | B．organizing | C．noticing | D．guessing |
| A．painfully | B．patiently | C．unconsciously | D．doubtfully |
| A．source | B．reaction | C．effect | D．development |
| A．rest | B．ease | C．peace | D．risk |
| A．hunt | B．explore | C．help | D．meet |
| A．demanding | B．learned | C．modest | D．rigid |
| A．classified | B．decorated | C．confused | D．occupied |
| A．promises | B．benefits | C．deserves | D．intends |
| A．take care of | B．make use of | C．run out of | D．became tired of |
| A．deny | B．ensure | C．argue | D．overlook |
9 . Tall, long-necked giraffes are famous for their spots which are believed to help the animals hide from their enemies. Just like no two humans have the same fingerprints, each giraffe has its own special pattern of spots. However, a Tennessee zoo made headlines recently after it welcomed one of the world’s most uncommon giraffes.
On July 31, a baby giraffe was born at Brights Zoo with light brown fur which is a reticulated (网状的) giraffe, one of the four different kinds of giraffes. Unlike most giraffes, she was born without spots, a unique feature of the reticulated giraffe. At six feet tall, this baby giraffe is growing well under her mother’s care. She shows typical baby giraffe behavior, such as eating rocks.
Experts said the young giraffe was the only single-colored reticulated giraffe living anywhere on the planet. The last time this happened was 1972 in Japan. A giraffe’s pattern of spots is created when the animal is still growing inside its mother. That means that this giraffe will never have spots.
“The new giraffe might not have survived if she had been born in the wild. Being single-colored, she may not be able to hide quite as well,” said Mr. David Bright, who runs the zoo, “It will easily be a key target for poachers (偷猎者) because she’s so unusual.”
Brights Zoo stressed that reticulated giraffes had already become imperiled. In 2018, they were officially listed as “threatened”. Thirty-five years ago, there were 36,000 reticulated giraffes. Now, the number has been cut by more than 50%. Only about 16,000 reticulated giraffes remain.
This brown giraffe’s birth is not only a rare and fascinating event, but also an opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges faced by giraffes in the wild. By supporting efforts like this, we can contribute to the conservation of these large creatures and ensure their survival for generations to come.
1. What do we know about the spots of giraffes?| A．They help protect giraffes. | B．They are the same pattern. |
| C．They look like giraffes’ footprints. | D．They appear on giraffes occasionally. |
| A．Its extremely large size. | B．Its light brown fur. |
| C．Its unusual eating habit. | D．Its absence of spots. |
| A．Recognized. | B．Endangered. | C．Doubled. | D．Balanced. |
| A．Awkward. | B．Worrying. | C．Meaningful. | D．Foreseeable. |
10 . Animals being extinct from the Earth is a serious issue. When this happens in order to use their fur or skin for fashion, it is even worse, since it’s not even for a matter of human survival. That’s why a London zoo decided to make a powerful statement at the Siamese crocodile enclosure (鳄鱼围栏).
When visitors come in expecting to see a crocodile, they’re greeted with the handbag instead, making a very effective and powerful point about illegal wildlife trade and the harm it takes on the species involved.
A sign by the enclosure reads, “This bag used to be found swimming in slow-moving rivers and streams across Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Over the last 75 years, more than 80% of Siamese crocodiles have disappeared. Many, like this one, were hunted for their skins as part of the illegal wildlife trade.”.
Native to parts of Southeast Asia, Siamese crocodiles are critically endangered and have become virtually extinct in the wild. Due to hunting as well as habitat loss, they are now absent from nearly 99% of their original range. A huge part of the decline of population is due to humans using their wetland habitat for rice farming, and things only took a turn for the worse when large-scale hunting for their skin for commercial purposes began in the 1950s.
The particular handbag that is on display at the zoo was confiscated at a UK airport, according to Benjamin Tapley, leader of reptiles and amphibians at ZSL London Zoo.
Tapley told The Huffington Post, “We made this exhibit, within ZSL London Zoo’s Reptile House, to draw visitors’ attention to the destructive impact the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) is having on species around the world. At ZSL, we are working globally with governments and local communities to protect wildlife, support law enforcement (执法) that targets illegal trade networks, empower local communities affected by IWT and reduce demand for threatened wildlife.”
1. Why does the sign say this handbag used to swim?| A．It is made of a crocodile’s skin. |
| B．It is made into a crocodile shape. |
| C．It is light enough to float on water. |
| D．It was kept in flowing river at first. |
| A．Wildly hunting of Siamese crocodiles. |
| B．Destruction of Siamese crocodiles’ habitats. |
| C．Commercial value of Siamese crocodiles. |
| D．Causes to make Siamese crocodiles endangered. |
| A．Seized. | B．Sold. | C．Found. | D．Stolen. |
| A．The importance of wildlife protection. |
| B．The crisis endangered animals are facing. |
| C．The purpose to show the handbag. |
| D．The harm IWT caused. |
