1 . The Atacama Desert in northern Chile stretches from the Pacific to the Andes across an expanse of red-orange rock mountains and peaks. It’s a dream destination for tourists. But the Atacama Desert is also one of the world’s fast-growing dumps (垃圾场) of abandoned clothes. The scene in northern Chile has been shown in one online video-large amounts of abandoned clothes stretch as far as the eye can see.

Chile is home to one of South America’s largest duty-free ports-located in the coastal city of Iquique. The duty-free port was established in 1975 to help generate jobs and improve local economy. As fast fashion exploded, so did imports. Millions of tons of clothes arrive annually from all over the world.

“The free zone was a ’true transformation’ for the city’s residents,” says Bernardo Guerrero, a sociologist that studies Iquique’s history and culture. “They suddenly had access to things they could never have imagined.” Clothing began washing in and out of Iquique like waves as global fashions changed. Guerrero recalls a time when almost everybody in the city wore the same style of puffer jacket.

The free zone has also developed into a sorting site for abandoned clothes. Mehmet Yildiz, who operates a clothing import business, brings in clothes from the United States and Europe. Once the clothes reach Iquique, workers separate them into four categories according to quality. Yildiz then exports the best to other countries for resale. Clothing that the importers don’t want will be delivered a few miles outside Alto Hospicio, where it goes through another cycle of sorting and resale in street markets. Clothing that doesn’t sell at the market is sent to the desert, and much of it is made from materials that won’t biodegrade (生物降解).

As helpful as resale markets might have been in an earlier era, they’ve been flooded with the large amounts of the mounting discards. New efforts, large and small, are under way to deal with clothing waste, and attention to the mess in the desert may inspire additional projects.

1. What does the online video show about the Atacama Desert?

A．Its large area.	B．Its considerable fame.
C．Its natural beauty.	D．Its endless waste.

2. What does Guerrero think of the duty-free port?

A．It brought about disasters to Iquique.	B．It changed local people’s life rapidly.
C．It created lots of jobs for local people.	D．It was affected by the history of Iquique.

3. What can be inferred about the abandoned clothes from paragraph 4 ?

A．They are made in Iquique.	B．They are of excellent quality.
C．They may harm the environment.	D．They boost local economy greatly.

4. What does the underlined word "discards" in the last paragraph mean?

A．Things thrown away.	B．Clothes out of fashion.
C．Markets out of business.	D．Deserts occupied by waste.

2 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alternative       B. astonishing             C. computerized       D. contribution             E. developing F. rate             G. modified             H. perfect          I. reject          J. relevance          K. sufficient

Using animals to test drugs intended for humans is controversial, with critics arguing there are other ways to ensure new medicines are safe and effective. But the scientists who carry out the research say animal studies remain necessary. Statistics indicate that in the UK around three million mice are being used for research and tens of millions worldwide.

Despite the difference in appearances, the genetic similarities with humans are     1    . The mouse genome (基因组) shares over 95% of its genes with humans. The animal acts as a “model”, genetically     2     to develop a human disease. But the use of mice, like any animal, in research is criticized by some.

Animal Defenders International (ADI) is one of the groups that campaigns for an end to the use of animals in research. “We would argue that it is extremely outdated, and not very good science for humans,” says Fleur Dawes of ADI. Ms. Dawes believes the suffering that the animals go through does not legalize their     3     to science and medicine for humans.” There is a big problem with that because there are huge differences between the species. And even though there are similarities with humans and mice, they react very differently to each other when experimented on. So what works in one animal is not an indication that that is how things work in other animals.”

However, Dr. Wells from Mary Lyon Centre (MLC) says they are constantly trying to     4     the process to reduce the suffering of mice.” If it’s a procedure where you can anaesthetize (麻醉) the mice, then you do it to reduce their stress. And if there is a (n)     5     method that doesn’t involve mice, you are not legally and normally allowed to do the procedure.”

If we     6     animal research, are there alternatives? Dr. Wells says, “There is a massive field     7     on alternatives, and we are very supportive of that field and we always keep track of what is going on in that field, because maybe we can replace one of our models. “Those alternatives include chips on human organs to study their function, micro-dosing treatments in humans and     8     models.” Lots of people say that there is a computer now to model what is going to happen in diseases,” Dr. Wells adds, “But we still don’t know enough to program those computers with     9     knowledge to be able to model what’s happening in every disease.”

Fleur Dawes agrees one alternative is not enough. But she says, “By combining the different alternatives, you can actually get a much better picture that is of much better     10     to humans.”

3 . For uncounted generations, trillions of coral polyps (珊瑚虫) have lived and died, leaving behind a material called limestone. Throughout History, limestone was used to construct the Great Pyramid of Egypt, as well as many churches and castles.       1    . We can call them reefs (礁体). They can be even larger in scale than the most impressive buildings and structures made by humans.

    2    

Indeed, a living coral reef is remarkable, a “city beneath the sea” filled with a rich variety of life. Most coral reefs can be found in warm, shallow oceans. They occupy just a small part of the ocean floor, but host 25 percent of all ocean life. Each reef is full of colorful fish as well as coral that forms wonderful patterns. In addition to their beauty, the reefs are an important food source for fish, and for. humans.

Threats to coral reefs

    3    . For example, reefs can be damaged when the coral is taken for use in building materials or jewelry-making. Illegal fishing methods also harm reefs. These methods can help fishermen get a good catch, but their negative effects on the reefs are significant. Blast fishing involves setting off bombs in the water to kill as many fish as possible.     4     In addition, global warming has caused many reefs to become sick. A 2018 UN Report predicted that up to 99 percent of the world’s coral reefs may decline if global warming continues.   

Reasons for hope

These threats to coral reefs are very serious, but there is reason to hope that they will survive. If we take steps toward coral reef conservation, it is likely that these tiny creatures — which survived natural threats for millions of years — will be able to rebuild. As conservationist Robert Richmond says, “    5    . ”

A．A diversity of life

B．A city above the sea

C．Given a chance, they can come back

D．Yet the greatest limestone structures in the world are built underwater

E．Various human activities can cause great harm to the world’s coral reefs

F．As a result, the fish became stunned, which makes them easy to collet.

G．This kills most living things nearby and causes damage to the reef’s structure

4 . Have you ever paid attention to the color of the airplane seats? They’re almost always blue and there are very few exceptions to this rule. Some people think it reminds us of the sky. But the explanation isn’t that simple!

It is calming.

Color psychology plays an important role in selecting the fabric for airplane seats. “The idea is to help passengers feel at home, with relaxing colors and restful designs,” explained Shelly Zundell in a Boeing press release.     1     Blue is a calming color that suggests peace, calmness, and relaxation.

    2    

In a study reported by Popular Science, 48 percent of participants thought soda in a blue glass was more thirst-quenching (解渴的) than that served in glasses of other colors, probably because they connected blue with cold. Colors such as red and orange can make people feel warmer. Although it’s not unheard of, red is a less common color for airplane seats.     3    

It is a universally well-liked color.

    4     It’s a universal color that’s appealing to most. This is also the same reason why many brands have blue logos. People universally connect the color with positive things — such as clean water and blue skies — so they tend to like it. Across ages and across cultures, it’s the world’s favorite color.

The right shade hides stains (污渍) well.

Dark blue seats are also just practical. Imagine how many people sit in them per day.     5    

Darker shades are better at hiding stains and don’t show their wear as easily. Those dark blue seats will look fresher and newer for longer.

A．It physically feels cooler.

B．It reflects a cool professionalism.

C．But is there any other explanation?

D．And who knows what gets spilled on them?

E．People often connect certain colors with certain feelings.

F．Feeling hot when you board an airplane is good for no one.

G．It’s hard to find someone who has strong feelings against the color blue.

5 . The sun near the equator is never-ceasing, bearing down as I lead Elaine, a dark brown horse, through thick bushes. It’s been a long day on horseback. My legs ache and our camp signals across a ridge of ancient folding hills in the Lolldaiga Range of northern Kenya, a mosaic (马赛克) of twisted landscapes and communities.

Suddenly Elaine’s ears flick into alert, and the muscles of her body tense beneath me. Our guide Nicholus stretches out a lean arm toward a bush just meters away. My eyes focus, trying my best to see what the others already have: two amber balls glowing from a shadowed form. It’s a young lion, quick and strong, in the middle of the high grass.

A wild silence hangs between us.

Without the defensive hunting vehicle, I feel completely exposed. Peering into the bush, I’m suspended between wonder and terror, the distance between myself and the Savannah’s most notorious hunter unbelievably small. Usually, I’m the one tracking the lion, camera in hand. Now, the lion shifts in my consciousness from object to subject. I shift, too, strongly aware of the soft flesh of my own body.

Nicholus nods his head in the other direction, a safer distance away. He points to shallow holes in the dust. “Look, this is a big lion, and these are young ones, some cubs,” he says. “Probably a mother.” Pawprints marked the earth, each telling the story of more lions, moving in different directions.

It was time to go.

Horseback safaris are still the most immersive way to view wildlife in Kenya. To journey on horseback is to break down the walls — meant to protect, but also to separate us from the natural world. And as we’re absorbed in the thrill of the experience, we’re vividly reminded of the importance of protecting these wild spaces.

Out here your horse is your translator, responding to the low hiss of a leopard, the soft scent of an elephant herd, the cool morning breeze descending from Mount Kenya’s glacial peaks. Your job is to learn how to listen.

1. Which words can NOT describe my horseback journey?

A．Thrilling.

B．Tiring.

C．Breathtaking.

D．Boring.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3 and 4?

A．I regretted not having driven a vehicle.

B．I felt extremely tense in case of lions’ attack.

C．There will be a big battle between lions and us.

D．It was out of my expectation to break into a lion’s world.

3. Why do people still love engaging horseback travelling in Kenya today?

A．Horses are much cheaper than vehicles.

B．Visitors will experience the wildlife anytime.

C．It is a safe and exciting way to enjoy the wildlife.

D．It offers a chance to reconsider the connection between humans and wildlife.

4. What does the author suggest in the last paragraph?

A．Find more animals to feed.	B．Ask your horse for translation.
C．Feel nature with your heart.	D．Listen to the sound of every animal.

6 . Beneath the blue waters of Trinidad and Tobago, plastic pollution is causing serious damage to marine ecosystems. Every year, over 88,600 tonnes of plastic waste is deposited(沉积)into the ocean around the Caribbean nation, harming marine life and impacting human health.

A new app is aiming to help young people in Trinidad and Tobago, along with other small island developing states, battle against the damage done by plastic pollution. Called Tide Turners, the app was developed by the United Nations Environment Programme with the help of young people. It challenges users to record their plastics consumption and develop an action plan to reduce their use of plastics. It also encourages young people to switch to reusable products and go plastic-free where possible: lifestyle changes that experts say can help stop the flow of plastic into the world’s oceans.

Reducing plastic pollution will take a joint effort from governments, businesses and, especially, youth. Children account for around 30 percent of the population in small island developing states in the Caribbean.

To tackle the plastic pollution challenge, the new app builds on UNEP’s Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge, which has so far engaged more than 500,000 young people in youth groups. Along with calling on youth to use less plastic, it encourages them to start campaigns and raise awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Sarah Sobrian, who tested an early version of the app and advised on its development, is keen to get started. “The Tide Turners app is an incredible tool that educates and empowers us to change the situation we face,” she says. “I am incredibly eager to be a part of this and share this experience with those in my life. With this app, we can and will work together to create the impact that we have long wanted to see.”

1. What is the purpose of the Tide Turners app?

A．To help youths to fight against plastic pollution.

B．To track marine life populations in the Caribbean.

C．To help the young to develop the small island states.

D．To encourage businesses to switch to plastic-free packaging.

2. Why is the participation of young people particularly important?

A．They have more free time than adults.

B．They have access to funding the new app.

C．They are the main contributors to plastic waste.

D．They make up about one-third of the population.

3. What is Sarah Sobrian’s attitude towards the app?

A．Suspicious.

B．Favorable.

C．Indifferent.

D．Objective.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．A new app can turn the situation around.

B．Plastic pollution is a serious threat to marine ecosystems.

C．Governments make great efforts to reduce plastic pollution.

D．Trinidad and Tobago are suffering from serious plastic pollution.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Who made the speaker interested in insects?

A．His father.

B．His schoolmates.

C．His teacher.

2. What did the speaker use to name butterflies?

A．Diaries.

B．Posters.

C．Paper.

3. What gave the speaker a surprise?

A．A blue butterfly.

B．White butterflies.

C．Many other insects.

8 . Wind turbines (风力发电机) work especially well out in coastal waters, where ocean winds can be very strong. Offshore wind farms cost more to build than onshore ones. Offshore equipment must be heavier than onshore equipment. It has to stand up to very heavy winds, big waves and strong currents. Sending people to install, operate and repair equipment at sea is costly. But once set up, offshore wind could pick up bonus tasks.

According to Haris Ishaq, an engineer at the University of Victoria in Canada, one of the best add-ons to wind farms is making hydrogen gas, which means making a clean power source in a clean way. A device called an electrolyzer (电解器) can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The electrolyzer needs fresh water, not salt water. To remove the sea salt, Ishaq’s team proposes removing the salt through a special technique, which is supposed to run on the electricity produced by the offshore wind farms.

Ishap’s group also proposes adding a second bonus task to wind farms—to capture (捕获) CO₂ from the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO₂ levels are higher than ever, resulting in a worsening greenhouse effect. A process called direct air capture, or DAC, can remove CO₂ from the air. The DAC devices need electricity to run. Fans move air across a solid material that captures CO₂ and releases everything else. When the solid material is heated to 100° Celsius, it releases the stored CO₂. The same solids can then be reused to grab more CO₂. The electricity made by wind turbines would power the devices’ fans and the electric boiler, to heat the carbon-collecting solid. To store the CO₂ released, Ishaq’s team proposes injecting it into a type of deep-sea rock. That rock reacts with the gas, turning it into more rock in 10 to 25 years.

Ishaq’s team modeled wind turbines, electrolyzers and DAC units on computers to confirm their proposed system is a good idea. The next step is to test a small version of this set up on a floating platform in the ocean.

1. Why are offshore wind farms built despite many difficulties?

A．They can serve better purposes.	B．They are money-saving.
C．They can be used longer.	D．They need little maintenance.

2. What is the second bonus task intended for?

A．Reducing greenhouse effect.	B．Testing an air-capturing process.
C．Exploring a kind of deep-sea rock.	D．Starting a hydrogen-collecting project.

3. What is the author’s attitude toward Ishaq’s team’s proposal?

A．Neutral.

B．Cautious.

C．Uncertain.

D．Approving.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．Clean Energy Is Put into Better Use

B．Hydrogen Promises to Be The Energy of Tomorrow

C．Engineers Propose Add-ons to Offshore Wind Farms

D．Wind Turbines Work Especially Well Out in Coastal Waters

9 . Ten years ago, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb was on a reporting trip about wildlife conservation. When he was shown around some new animal crossing structures near, Missoula, these new bridges and tunnels intrigued him. He was attracted by these beautiful human-built structures and inspired to write a book. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet has now been published.

Through expert interviews, in-depth research and convincing analysis, Goldfarh brings to life the deadly consequences our 40 million miles of roadways have had and are having on the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. A million animals are killed by cars each day in the US alone. Road salt pollutes lakes and rivers. And there's the barrier effect-the steady stream of traffic that prevents animals from migrating (迁徙) all together and finding habitats. Goldfarb writes that noise pollution is the most worrisome among all the road's ecological disasters. Both the engine noise and the tire noise greatly impact ecological environment.

Figures on deaths and disruptions (扰乱) are disheartening, but Goldfarb vividly describes how scientists are actively working on meaningful improvements to help animals and roads better coexist, such as wildlife crossings, from passages in Canada's Banff National Park to the famous Liberty Canyon Overpass in Los, Angeles. Another example is that in India, they built a new highway through a tiger reserve so that animals can come and go underneath the lifted freeway. Of course, that made the project more expensive, but it's ecologically the right thing to do.

Crossings is a truly important and landmark book on a subject whose full impacts continue to be disregarded or underestimated in considering conservation efforts. The book is a sympathetic, heart-warming guide to exploring the issues of wildlife survival and our own.

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

A．Confused.

B．Blocked.

C．Satisfied.

D．Interested.

2. Which of the following is Goldfarb's biggest concern?

A．Road salt.	B．Roadkill.
C．Vehicle noises.	D．Endless traffic stream.

3. Why are the examples given in paragraph 3?

A．To bring shame on individual drivers.

B．To stress the effect of roads on wildlife.

C．To show humans' effort in animal protection.

D．To explain the necessity of creating wild reserves.

4. What does the author think of Goldfarb's book?

A．Vivid and touching.

B．Pessimistic and sharp.

C．Objective and critical.

D．Abstract and humorous.

10 . A British company has proposed releasing a GM(genetically modified) strain of the diamondback moth (菱形斑纹蛾), which has been developed to help reduce the population of these vegetable-eating insects.

Male diamondback moths carrying a deadly gene would be released which would cause their off springs (后代) to die almost immediately. Then the fall in their numbers could help to increase crop yields for farmers.

Oxitec, the company which came up with the idea, hopes to begin trials next year but faces opposition from groups who say the untested technology could threaten wildlife and human health.

“Mass releases of GM insects into the British countryside would be impossible to recall if anything went wrong. Changing one part of an ecosystem can have knock-on effects on others in ways that are poorly understood. This could include an increase in different types of pests. Wildlife that feeds on insects could be harmed if there are changes to their food supply” said Dr Helen Wallace, the director of Gene-Watch UK, who has sat on government advisory bodies.

Hadyn Parry, Oxitec’s chief executive, said there was demand from farmers for the technology and that using GM insects to kill the pests that feed on food crops is better for the environment than chemical sprays. The firm, which is supported by grants from the taxpayer, is developing a number of GM insects that would be used in Britain and around the world to protect crops and combat disease in humans.

Oxitec has contacted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to ask what controls, if any, should be put in place around GM moth trials. A spokesman said that while its officials and advisers have discussed Oxitec’s plans, there is yet to be a formal application for a trial. Consequently the department has not reached a view on whether it should go ahead.

1. People strongly object to the idea mainly because they think _______.

A．the technology won’t be as effective as chemical sprays

B．the technology may bring about knock-on effects on insects

C．the technology won’t be well controlled

D．the technology may not be good for wildlife and human health

2. What is Dr Helen Wallace’s attitude towards the idea?

A．Disapproving.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Not mentioned.

3. The underlined word “combat” in the fifth paragraph can be replaced by“_______”.

A．struggle

B．avoid

C．fight

D．contract

4. Which of the following can be learned from the text?

A．Oxitec still hasn’t formed any plans to control the trials.

B．Oxitec has decided to begin the trial this year.

C．Taxpayers will not continue to support Oxitec’s research.

D．Farmers prefer GM insects to chemical sprays.