1 . Sea levels along coastlines in the United States will rise about one foot by 2050, with larger increases on the East and Gulf coasts, according to a comprehensive new report by climate scientists.

Oceans have already risen about one foot in the last century, as climate change melts glaciers (冰川) and ice caps around the world. But the pace is ______ scientists warn, and the next 30 years will see the same amount of sea level rise as the previous 100.

The report gives the most concrete and certain sea level ______ ever published for the U.S. And advances in computer models and real-world information about rising seas make it possible to see the future more ______ than ever.

Sea level rise ______ dramatically for different parts of the U.S. coast. The ocean is not like a bucket of water that rises at the same time as more liquid is ______. Ocean ______ push more water into some areas than others. Ice in different regions melts at different rates. In many parts of the world, sea level rise is ______ because coastal land is sinking.

The new report adds up all those factors to give ______ estimates for different parts of the U.S. The authors predict about a foot and a half of sea level rise for the Gulf Coast by 2050, with particular hot spots from Texas to Mississippi, where exploitation of underground oil, gas and drinking water is causing the land to rapidly _____ into the rising ocean water. There are ______ hot spots in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Annapolis, Md. and Norfolk, Va. Overall, the East Coast is ______ to experience a little more than a foot of sea level rise in the next 30 years.

Sea level rise is happening more ______ on the West Coast, including much of southern and western Alaska, the report finds. The authors predict about six inches of sea level rise by 2050.

William Sweet, a sea level rise expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and one of the authors of the new report, says cities that are not yet flooded should ______ now. Quickening sea level rise may require that humans ______ where and how we build homes, offices, roads and anything else that is better dry than wet. Right now, development in flood-prone (易发洪水的) areas is increasing, despite climate change.

Beyond 2050, the report makes clear that humans have a ______: reduce greenhouse gas emissions and control sea level rise, or keep burning fossil fuels and face oceans that are two, three or even 10 feet higher than today.

1.

A．dying down

B．paying back

C．holding on

D．speeding up

2.

A．records

B．extremes

C．predictions

D．solutions

3.

A．flexibly

B．clearly

C．randomly

D．incredibly

4.

A．continues

B．impacts

C．multiplies

D．varies

5.

A．added

B．drained

C．spilt

D．needed

6.

A．creatures

B．currents

C．ecosystems

D．voyages

7.

A．stable

B．crucial

C．unlikely

D．worse

8.

A．national

B．regional

C．apparent

D．approximate

9.

A．dig

B．turn

C．collapse

D．dive

10.

A．similar

B．scenery

C．distant

D．diverse

11.

A．projected

B．obliged

C．permitted

D．noticed

12.

A．sharply

B．mysteriously

C．unexpectedly

D．slowly

13.

A．make sense

B．take notice

C．keep pace

D．stay proud

14.

A．scheme

B．cancel

C．change

D．delay

15.

A．promise

B．quarrel

C．choice

D．protest

2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．The physical benefits of gardening.	B．The effects of gardening on success.
C．The emotional benefits of gardening.	D．The effects of gardening on personality.

2.

A．It combines different fields of science and promotes our feelings.

B．It provides food and other resources for us to get enough nutrition.

C．It creates an incredible space for us to tend and entertain ourselves.

D．It connects us to nature and involves both physical and social activities.

3.

A．It can make us more patient.	B．It can contribute to our success in work.
C．It can heal us of physical problems.	D．It can improve our social responsibility.

3 . U.N. Report Warns Nature Crisis

A new U.N. report focuses on the negative effects of human activity on nature. It says one million plant and animal species on land, in the seas and in the sky are now in danger of extinction.

    1     It draws on the work of 450 scientists from dozens of countries. The Earth has always suffered from human activity, it says. However, these scratches (划伤) have become deep scars (伤疤) over the past 50 years. Species are going extinct several hundred times faster than the average rate during the past ten million years. It’s something that has never happened before in human history.

    2     Since 1970, the human population has doubled. The global economy has grown by four times. To feed, clothe and give energy to this fast-changing world, lots of forests have been cut down. Between 1980 and 2000, one million square kilometers of tropical (热带的) forest were lost. Furthermore, hunting, overfishing and pollution have also been killing species in great numbers.

The problem can be fixed, the report says.     3     The amount of land and sea that is under protection needs to increase rapidly. The report suggests governments move away from using GDP as a key measure of development. Long-term effects must be considered, too.

Professor Eduardo Brondizio of Indiana University is an author of the report. He says, “We all know what needs to be done. The knowledge is there.     4    ”

A．However, this requires considerable changes.

B．Over 120 wildlife species are facing extinction.

C．The 1,800-page report took three years to finish.

D．The report listed several causes for the situation.

E．There just needs to be a greater will to take action.

F．The report also finds that global goals for protecting nature cannot be met.

4 . A recent study published in the journal Science Advances has revealed that the United States ranks as high as third among countries contributing to coastal plastic pollution. The new research challenges the once-held assumption that the US is adequately “managing” its plastic waste. A previous study using 2010 data that did not account for plastic waste exports had ranked the US 20th, globally, in its contribution to ocean plastic pollution.

Using plastic waste generation (产生) data from 2016 — the latest available global numbers — scientists calculated that more than half of all plastics collected for recycling (1.99 million tons of 3.91 million tons collected) in the US were shipped abroad. Of this, 88% of exports went to countries struggling to effectively manage plastics; and between 15-25% was low-value or contaminated (受污染的). It means it was unrecyclable. Taking these factors into account, the researchers estimated that up to 1 million tons of US-generated plastic waste ended up polluting the environment beyond its own borders.

Using 2016 data, the paper also estimated that between 0.91 and 1.25 million tons of plastic waste generated in the US was either littered or illegally dumped into the environment domestically. Combined with waste exports, this means the US contributed up to 2.25 million tons of plastics into the environment. Of this, up to 1.5 million tons of plastics ended up in coastal environments. This ranks the US as high as third globally in contributing to coastal plastic pollution.

“The US generates the most plastic waste of any other country in the world, but rather than looking the problem in the eye, we have outsourced it to developing countries,” said Nick Mallos, senior director of Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas program and a co-author of the study. “The solution has to start at home. We need to create less, by cutting out unnecessary single-use plastics; we need to create better, by developing innovative new ways to package and deliver goods; and where plastics are inevitable, we need to greatly improve our recycling rates.”

“Previous research has provided global values for plastic input into the environment and coastal areas, but detailed analyses like this one are important for individual countries to further assess their contributions,” said Dr. Jenna Jambeck, Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia’s College of Engineering and a co-author of the study. “In the case of the United States, it is critically important that we examine our own backyard and take responsibility for our global plastic footprint.”

1. Compared with the previous study, the new one ________.

A．covers data more comprehensively

B．excludes plastic waste shipped abroad

C．is contrary to the latest global numbers

D．challenges the recycling way of plastics

2. According to 2016 data, what can be learned about the plastic waste generated in the US?

A．Over half of it ended up polluting the environment outside the US.

B．Most of its exported plastic waste wasn’t worth recycling.

C．Less than half of it was actually recycled domestically.

D．More of it is littered or illegally dumped than exported.

3. It is implied by Nick Mallos that ________.

A．plastic pollution in developing countries is more serious

B．US has been irresponsible in dealing with its plastic waste

C．US should cooperate with others to handle its plastic waste

D．innovative means are needed to eliminate single-use plastics

4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Plastic Pollution Great Risk to Marine Life

B．US Top Contributor to Coastal Plastic Pollution

C．Plastic Waste Major Source of Coastal Pollution

D．Recycling Effective Way to Address Plastic Waste