1 . Caring for plants is a fantastic skill for kids to have. There are so many benefits of gardening for kids, yet the importance of gardening in early childhood is often undervalued. Here are some reasons to teach your kids how to garden.

Gardening makes kids stronger.     1     The simple act of digging in the ground and moving things around helps build muscles and develop hand-eye coordination.

Gardening brings a strong sense of happiness. Studies suggest that children who garden generally feel happier.     2     We love to see the life-changing experiences plants and gardening brings to children.

    3     In addition to being able to touch the soil and seeds, children can also see the differences between plants, in terms of size and color, and experience different smells and sounds in nature.

Gardening is good for picky eaters.     4     Planting seeds, caring for and growing produce and then picking the fruits kindles a child’s interest. It’s exciting to introduce a new or disliked food in another way, and over time they will learn to try new food.

Gardening strengthens connection. Through gardening activities, kids grow closer to their parents and make many new friends.     5    

A．Gardening heightens a child’s senses.

B．Gardening helps build teamwork skills.

C．It is the perfect activity for growing bodies.

D．Studies have shown that children who garden are smarter.

E．For examples, staying with plants can help lower your stress.

F．Kids are more likely to eat the vegetables and fruit they’ve helped grow!

G．They also grow to feel a bond with the soil and a responsibility to protect it.

2 . What to Do Before, During, and After an Earthquake

Earthquakes are more common than we think, especially in places with high seismic(地震的)activity cities.     1    

Safety Tips for Before an Earthquake

Create an earthquake readiness plan. Earthquakes are unpredictable,    2     I Make sure each person knows what to do and where to go as soon as they feel the shake of an earthquake.

Choose earthquake-safe locations. Choose earthquake-safe locations in every room of your house, office, school, or any place that you go to regularly.     3    

Additionally, you should prepare an emergency earthquake kit, consisting of water, food, bandages for injuries, a flashlight, batteries, blankets, and other personal items.

    4    

Drop down to your knees. This way, the earthquake cannot knock you over.

Take cover. Cover your head and neck with your arms or an object to protect you from heavy items falling during the earthquake.

Do not run away or go outside, as that will only create more considerable risk for getting hit by a flying object.    5    

Safety tips for After an Earthquake

Once an earthquake has ended, it’s time to recover. After the shaking has stopped, leave the building you are in and retreat to an open space away from damaged areas. Check yourself and others for any injuries and provide first aid if needed.

A．What should we do during an earthquake?

B．Here are some earthquake safety tips to guide you on what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.

C．Safety tips for During an Earthquake

D．In general, it’s best to stay where you are until the earthquake is over.

E．They should be away from windows or any furniture that could fall on you.

F．so it is important to know how to prepare for an earthquake.

G．Anything that could fall over during an earthquake and land on someone is a danger.

3 . While many animal populations seem to dwindle, one species that is moving in the opposite direction of such loss is America’s native wildlife — wood stork.

The wood stork is the only stork that breeds in North America. In 1984, it was declared an endangered species after its population decreased sharply to just 5,000 mating pairs. At the time, scientists predicted that the bird would become completely extinct by 2000. Today, it numbers 10,000 mating pairs, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a delisting of the wood stork as an endangered species. So how did the population bounce back?

The success is in part down to the resourcefulness of the wood stork. The wood stork’s native home was in the Everglades in Florida, but it migrated north as the Everglades were being destroyed by development of mankind. Wetland preservation and restoration, protection of nesting areas, and management of water flows began with the approval of the wood stork’s first recovery plan in 1986. In the following year, former Savannah Coastal Refuges biologist John Robinette noticed stork nests in Georgia as stork populations moved to safer wetlands.

According to Stephanie Kurose, a senior policy specialist at the Centre for Biological Diversity, the Endangered Species Act is also to thank for this recovery. She said, “The act saved the wood stork and it helped preserve and rebuild vital habitats throughout the southeast, which has improved water quality and benefited countless other species who call the area home.” “The Endangered Species Act has saved 99 per cent of the species that were on the list since 1973. A hundred types of plants and animals have been delisted as their populations become stable again.

If the wood stork is delisted, it will remain protected by other laws and a monitoring plan will be put in place to ensure the population remains stable.

1. What does the underlined word dwindle probably mean?

A．Boost.

B．Change.

C．Decline.

D．Explode.

2. What can we learn about the wood stork in paragraph two?

A．Its population shows a rising trend.	B．It has become completely extinct.
C．It is widely distributed worldwide.	D．It is the most endangered species.

3. What threatened the population of the wood stock?

A．Climate change of Earth.	B．Popularity of water sports.
C．Impact of human activities.	D．Arrival of other wild animals.

4. What is a direct result of the Endangered Species Act?

A．People have safer water to drink.	B．A list of species have been saved.
C．The local economy has boomed.	D．The wood stock has flown away.

4 . 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。

The example of a foreign teacher     1     volunteered to help fight the wildfires in Chongqing’s Beibei district with other local residents has touched many.

The local government issued     2     urgent call for volunteers with certain skills and experience, such as chain saw (链锯) operation,     3    (join) in the firefighting. Chain saws     4     (use) to create fire barriers.

“I was     5    (extreme) happy to help,” said Francis Stonier, 42, associate professor in the Education Department of Southwest University. He said he     6    (volunteer) many times in the US in the past years—for example, building houses for homeless people after big stom

“It was great to see such an outpouring of help in the extreme heat,” he said,     7    (note) that he was impressed     8     the number of locals who came to help. Motorcyclists gave up their jobs to carry materials and people up and down the mountains. Others gave their time to carry heavy     9    (supply), prepare and serve meals or help organize.

Looking back, Frank was glad enough to have made a significant     10    (contribute) and expressed his willingness to help anytime. “This was the first time in my life I got to race through town and up a mountain on the back of a motorcycle carrying a chainsaw, I wish I could have done more, but I did my best.”

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How many parcels are expected to be delivered this year?

A．30.8 billion.

B．83 billion.

C．95.5 billion.

2. What will be done to encourage greener packaging?

A．2,000 boxes recycle stations will be built.

B．All packages will be wrapped only once.

C．New energy vehicles will be used to deliver packages.

3. What is on the list?

A．The locations of recycle stations.

B．The wrapping products.

C．The types of new energy vehicles.

6 . The publishing industry in Zhuozhou city, Hebei province has suffered a heavy loss due to floodwaters after clays of heavy rain brought by Typhoon Doksuri, Nan fang Metropolis Daily reported on Wednesday.

Countless books were soaked as floodwaters poured relentlessly into the warehouses (仓库) of many publishing houses and book-selling companies.

“The warehouse of our company located in a logistics (物流) park in Zhuozhou has flooded,” a staff member of the book brand “Unread” told Nan fang Metropolis Daily on Tuesday. “We can’t figure out how much our loss is currently.”

The logistics park included nearly 100 book companies.

According to Book China, one of the earliest domestic online book sales platforms, some staff members used sandbags and wooden boards to protect their warehouses in Zhuozhou, but around 4 million books have been damaged by the flood.

Apart from these booksellers, there is also a large number of printing factories, some of which also suffered huge losses in the flood.

Hebei Wensheng Printing Co Ltd, with a registered capital of 20 million yuan, has a number of utility model patents (专利) for book printing equipment. On Tuesday, the company sent online messages for help as the water had flooded to the second floor of the company’s office building in Zhuozhou, trapping over 30 staff members.

“The water level continued to rise since Monday evening and water gradually flooded the second floor of our office building,” said a female staff member surnamed Sun. “The whole factory has flooded and all machines, equipment, books and paper have been soaked.”

According to data from local government, from 8 am Saturday to 11 am Tuesday, the average rainfall of the city reached 355.1 millimeters.

As of 10 am Tuesday, about 134, 000 residents of Zhuozhou had been affected by flooding, data showed.

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

A．Without getting less beneficial.	B．Without getting more steady.
C．Without getting heavier.	D．Without getting less strong.

2. What did the staff member of the book brand “Unread” mainly told a reporter about?

A．Their company’s loss in the floodwaters.

B．How they tried to protect their possessions.

C．How the floodwaters entered their warehouse.

D．Their company’s fight against the floodwaters.

3. Why did Hebei Wensheng Printing Co Ltd ask for help online?

A．The whole factory wasn’t fit for them to work in.

B．Some of its staff members couldn’t get out of the water.

C．Some of its staff members were washed away by the water.

D．The whole factory has flooded and books and paper have been soaked.

4. Which can be an appropriate title for the news report?

A．Flooding damages book warehouse park in Zhuozhou

B．Heavy rain brought to Zhuozhou by Typhoon Doksuri

C．About 134, 000 residents of Zhuozhou affected by flooding

D．Staff members try to protect their warehouses in Zhuozhou

7 . During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, there was a lot of talk about the environmental efforts taken. Athletes slept on beds made from recycled cardboard. The medals were produced out of old appliances such as smartphones and laptops. Over 90% of Japanese cities, towns and villages participated in the two-year effort to collect recycled materials to produce 5000 medals. Eighty tons of small electrical devices were collected to make this project successful.

With the 2024 Olympics Games underway in Paris, new environmental efforts are coming into play. Observers will sit on chairs made of plastic recycled from local bins. This decision was made due to a lack of unused raw materials to make new seats, so the eco-construction firm Le Pave turned to make the seats out of waste. Around 11,000 seats will be made from recycled materials.

The plastic collection for Paris 2024 has been carried out in the region’s schools, and over five million coloured bottle caps have been recovered. Moreover, 80% of the 100 tons of recycled plastic needed to make the seats come from the yellow bins collections. This is all part of the Paris 2024 “zero waste” strategy to limit single-use plastic usage and encourage a circular economy.

The Olympic Games organizers are planning to make the Paris 2024 Games the greenest Olympic Games yet. They intend to employ a carbon-neutral approach that will lessen the climate impact of the Games by predicting, avoiding, reducing and balancing emissions and encouraging others to get involved. The Summer Games have emitted 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions in previous years. The Paris 2024 Games has set a carbon budget of 1.5 million tons which includes the emissions from construction, transportation and operations of the Games.

These plans are ambitious but are achievable. If Paris 2024 successfully reduces emissions and promotes a circular economy, it might set the standard for future Olympic and Paralympic Games, regardless of where they are held.

1. What were the 2020 Olympics medals made from?

A．Raw metal.	B．Recycled cardboard.
C．Reused plastic.	D．Used electronic devices.

2. What is the purpose of the Paris 2024 “zero waste” strategy?

A．To stop carbon emissions.	B．To make seats for athletes.
C．To collect coloured bottle caps.	D．To restrict single-use plastic usage.

3. What do the underlined words “carbon neutral approach” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Limitation to single-use plastics.	B．Reduction of carbon emissions.
C．Promotion of recycling in school.	D．Encouragement of a circular economy.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the plans for the Paris 2024 Games?

A．Favorable.

B．Intolerant.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

8 . Gotham Greens started as a single rooftop (外屋顶) greenhouse in Brooklyn. New York City. Now, it is one of the largest greenhouse lettuce (生菜) producers in North America, with soon-to-be 13 sites across nine states.

“Ninety-nine percent of the food that we eat in New York City has to be brought in from other places and has to travel very far. For example, lettuce like this usually comes from places like California that are 3,000 miles away.” explains Chief Executive Officer Viraj Puri.

The company plans to grow 100 million heads of lettuce this year. Puri founded Gotham Greens because he wanted to bring farms close to the communities they serve. For example, the lettuce grown on the roof on Third Street in Gowanus only needs to be transported down using a lift to reach the supermarket Whole Foods.        

Many people might not think of New York City as a place to grow produce, but rooftop farms can be easily found in the city. “Here, it’s about 70 degrees and the plants are growing well because we are creating the perfect growing conditions for them,“ Puri explains.

Grown completely in water in renewably-powered greenhouses, the farms use less water and land. “The plants are grown in water to which nutrients (营养物) are added, making them grow very quickly. We can avoid the use of chemicals (化学品),” says Puri.

The company also donates (捐赠) tens of thousands of young plants a year to organizations that work to feed people and provide educational programming around city farming. In the Claremont Village area of the Bronx, local students like 16-year-old Jill Bonilla care for towers of herbs and vegetables in a unique classroom.

”Plants don’t take that long to grow; you just got to take care of them properly,“ she says. ”It helps me stay healthy and stay away from junk food.“

Bonilla and hundreds of other kids are part of the educational organization Green Bronx Machine, which partners with Gotham Greens to educate students. Green Bronx Machine’s programs are in 675 schools across the country. Last year, it grew more than 8,000 pounds of food in the Bronx, and donated 150,000 pounds of healthy produce.

1. What can we learn from paragraphs 2 and 3?

A．Most of New York City’s lettuce comes from Brooklyn.

B．Rooftop farms are becoming popular in New York City.

C．Planting lettuce in New York City makes a big difference.

D．Gotham Greens was founded to make New York City greener.

2. What does paragraph 5 mainly tell us about rooftop farms?

A．Their numbers are growing rapidly.

B．They are environmentally friendly.

C．Their market has already opened up.

D．They are less costly than traditional farms.

3. What does Bonilla say about studying in the special classroom?

A．It is worth the time.

B．It is a bit challenging.

C．It has built up her confidence,

D．It has changed her ideas about farmers.

4. What do Gotham Greens and Green Bronx Machine have in common?

A．They support poor students.

B．They have their own schools.

C．They run educational programs.

D．They have farms in the countryside.

9 . The idea that humans are facing a global extinction of experience of nature is popular, but is it true? To give more light on this issue, the scientists measured how the average distance from an individual’s home to the nearest area with low human impact changed in the last decade.

The scientists found that humans currently live 9.7 kilometers away from a natural area on average, which is 7% further away than in the year 2000. Europe and East Asia have the highest average distance to natural areas, such as 22 kilometers in Germany and 16 kilometers in France. The scientists also showed that tree cover within cities has declined worldwide since 2000, suggesting that the possibility for the urban population to access green spaces is reducing as well.

The scientists also systematically searched for scientific publications assessing a trend in experiences of nature, finding that the number of studies assessing these trends was very low (the number is 18), most of which are about the US, Europe and Japan. This shows that more studies should investigate the claim about the extinction of nature experience, especially in Africa and Latin America. The 18 studies found by the scientists show a decline in visits to nature parks in the US and Japan, a decrease in camping activities in the US, and a decrease in the number of flower species observed by Japanese children. They also find signs of decline in the use of natural elements in novels, songs and cartoons.

Despite these examples of decline, other interactions are increasing. Watching wildlife documentaries or interacting with wild animals in videogames is, for example, more common than a few years ago. “New ways of digitally interacting with nature have certainly emerged or increased in recent years,” says Dr Gladys Barragan-Jason. “But several former studies show that these vicarious interactions have a lesser effect on our sense of connection with nature than exposure to nature, such as visiting nature parks.”

1. How does the author mainly develop the text?

A．By giving examples and making contrast.

B．By listing data and classifying them.

C．By giving examples and definitions.

D．By analyzing data and making comparison.

2. The scientists showed several signs of decline in        .

A．the distance between humans and nature

B．the connection between humans and wild animals

C．reading novels, singing songs and watching cartoons

D．tree cover, visits to nature parks and nature presence in the arts

3. What does the underlined word “vicarious” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Positive.

B．Novel.

C．Indirect.

D．Complex.

4. What can be a suitable title of the text?

A．Global Extinction of Green Spaces.	B．Decline in Experiences of Nature.
C．The Lost Joy in the Natural World.	D．A New Way of Connecting With Nature.

10 . Snow crab legs, the commonly-seen seafood, are no longer in the restaurant.

Considering a huge fall in numbers, Alaska cancelled (取消) its Bering Sea snow crab harvest for the first time in recorded history this year. The $132 million-a-year industry saw the state’s snow crab population drop 87%, from 8 billion in 2018 to 1 billion last year. Officials suggested that climate change might be to blame; But that’s only part of the story, says Wes Jones, an Alaska-based fisheries expert. Unexpectedly, the most immediate cause of snow crab death is something even experienced fishermen didn’t see coming: they eat each other. Back in 2017, Jones says, there’s a sharp increase of young snow crabs’ population, which continued into 2019, creating the largest population on record. At the time, the young crabs were too small for a legal harvest- they take four to five years to be fully developed. Meanwhile, Bering Sea temperatures were on the rise, causing the them to speed up their metabolisms (新陈代谢)，which meant they had to eat more.” It was a double blow (打击), he says, and the results were unavoidable for the crabs lacking its usual food source: “They basically ate each other.”

Snow crabs are only the latest victims of climate change in the Bering Sea. Rising temperatures have often led to unexpected results along the food chain. A sudden increase of sockeye salmon is one possible reason for the recent sharp drop of Alaska’s red king crab harvest. Meanwhile, the warming waters of the Bering Sea have opened the door for Pacific cod, a predator (捕食者) of young crabs.

It will be years before the Alaskan snow crab population recovers to harvest-worthy levels, says Jones. And that’s only if temperatures in the Bering Sea stay cool enough for the cold-loving young crabs—and climate change is making everything harder to expect. “You don’t know what will happen until it’s happened,” says Jones, like rising water temperatures and the mutual (相互的) killings.

1. Why did Alaska cancel its harvest for the Bering Sea snow crabs?

A．They were poisonous to eat at the dinner table.

B．They suffered a sharp decrease in their numbers.

C．They needed at least five years to be fully grown.

D．The fishermen wanted to sold them at higher price.

2. What is the most unexpected reasons for the death of snow crabs?

A．Taking each other as food.

B．Uncontrolled heavy fishing.

C．The sharp fall in their numbers.

D．Rising temperatures of sea water.

3. What does “a double blow“ refer to?

A．A lack of usual food sources and the mutual Killings.

B．A long period of growing up and a slow metabolic rate.

C．Their increase in numbers and the increased eating desire.

D．Rising temperatures in the sea and the increased predators.

4. Why does the author mention ”“sockeye salmon” and “ Pacific cod”in paragraph 4?

A．To indicate the unexpected increase of these two species.

B．To direct the readers’ attention to the huge market of them.

C．To show the influence of climate change on the food chain.

D．To announce a good news brought about by climate change.