1 . If carbon dioxide(CO2) were a politician, it would be worried about its bad comments. This greenhouse gas is the primary pollutant responsible for global warming. Scientists, leaders, and activists are trying to stop its production. This gas, however, also plays a key role in life on Earth.
Carbon helps form the protein and DNA found in living things. In the atmosphere, it combines with two oxygen atoms (原子) to form carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is necessary for photosynthesis (光合作用) . In the process, plants use energy from the sun to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar. In return, plants give off oxygen. As carbon dioxide concentrations increase in the atmosphere, scientists are trying to employ photosynthesis to promote plant growth. Laboratory studies show a higher concentration of the gas is making some plants grow more quickly in certain conditions, but in the wild and on outdoor farms the overall benefit is unclear. In the Netherlands, some commercial greenhouses are experimenting with ways to send carbon dioxide released from industry into greenhouses along a particular way where plants use the extra gas as fertilizer (肥料).
The first person to assume the existence of carbon dioxide was 16th-century Belgian scientist Jan Baptist van Helmont. After coal was burned, he noted, the weight of the remains was lower than the coal’s initial weight, which means some mass had been lost in the process. He was the first scientist to recognize different gases present in the air we breathe. It wasn’t until 1896 that Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius linked the carbon dioxide released from burning coal and oil to atmospheric warming.
Yet, despite its being plentiful in the atmosphere, we have been light on commercially produced carbon dioxide because of rising energy costs. As a result, carbonated drink (碳酸饮料) companies have had to raise prices or reduce production.
1. What can we infer about carbon dioxide from paragraph two?| A．It helps form protein and DNA. |
| B．It plays a necessary role in photosynthesis. |
| C．It supercharges plant growth in any condition. |
| D．It makes crops on outdoor farms more productive. |
| A．To compare him with the Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius. |
| B．To show an early discovery of carbon dioxide . |
| C．To explain the applications of CO2. |
| D．To tell an unknown story. |
| A．It’s difficult to increase their production. |
| B．Sales of their drinks are extremely poor. |
| C．Commercial CO2 is in short supply. |
| D．There’s too much CO2 in the atmosphere. |
| A．Climate Change: Affected by CO2. |
| B．Greenhouse Gas:an Enemy to Nature. |
| C．CO2: Both an Enemy and Friend. |
| D．Carbon: Misunderstood Substance. |
2 . My friend Megan texted about a puppy needing a home, attaching photos. As an animal shelter owner, I am always looking to
The puppy, Winnie, was deserted for its bad front legs, but instantly
At Pawsability, Winnie received
As Winnie’s family member, I am incredibly
| A．unite | B．comfort | C．expand | D．defend |
| A．purchase | B．rescue | C．contact | D．search |
| A．housed | B．listed | C．found | D．reached |
| A．healed | B．won | C．struck | D．attracted |
| A．convinced | B．freed | C．reminded | D．informed |
| A．heart-shaped | B．custom-made | C．hand-picked | D．mass-produced |
| A．Enriched | B．Relieved | C．Driven | D．Inspired |
| A．athletic | B．loyal | C．normal | D．disabled |
| A．pity | B．doubt | C．praise | D．support |
| A．work | B．update | C．grow | D．count |
| A．optimism | B．strength | C．bravery | D．excellence |
| A．patient | B．mindful | C．content | D．proud |
| A．changed | B．told | C．taught | D．ordered |
| A．seek | B．dream | C．tend | D．deserve |
| A．closeness | B．care | C．beauty | D．kindness |
1.海洋的重要性；
2.保护海洋的具体措施(不少于两条);
3.保护海洋的倡议。
注意：词数不少于100词；
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| dominant maximum expansion release policy resolve trend undergo decline investment |
The fast shift toward clean energy technologies means global greenhouse gas emissions may fall in 2024. Recent analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA), based on the public
A growing number of major economies have already passed their period of
A peak in global emissions is cause for optimism — but it is far from
1. What does the man suggest doing in an earthquake?
| A．Going outside. | B．Protecting the pet. | C．Hiding under something. |
| A．20. | B．25. | C．30. |
| A．They use fewer plastic bags. |
| B．They don’t drive cars. |
| C．They waste less food. |
7 . Being able to resist hurricane-force winds is the key to an extended life for many buildings on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast of the US. Determining the right level of winds to design for is difficult, but support from artificial intelligence (AI) may offer a simple solution.
Equipped with 100 years of hurricane data and modern AI techniques, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created a new method of digitally simulating (模拟) hurricanes. State and local laws related to building design and construction point designers to standardized maps. On these maps, engineers can find the level of wind their structure must be able to deal with based on its location and its relative importance. The wind speeds in the maps came from scores of hypothetical (假定的) hurricanes simulated by computer models. “The simulated storms, if they behave like real hurricanes, can be used to create the data in the maps almost directly,” a researcher said.
In the research, the study material came in the form of the National Hurricane Center’s Atlantic Hurricane Database 2 (HURDAT2), which contains information about hurricanes going back more than 100 years.
The researchers split data on more than 1,500 storms into sets for training and testing their model. When challenged to simulate both the path and speed of historical storms it had not seen before, the model scored highly. The researchers also used the model to generate sets of 100 years’ worth of hypothetical storms. It produced the simulations in a matter of seconds, and the researchers saw a large degree of overlap (重叠) with the general behavior of the HURDAT2 storms, suggesting that their model could rapidly produce collections of realistic storms.
Since the model’s understanding of storms is confined to historical data for now, it cannot simulate the effects that climate change will have on storms of the future. However, the researchers believe that wind maps based on their model would better reflect reality. They also suggest that simulating as many realistic hurricanes as possible with the new approach can help develop improved guidelines for designing buildings in regions often attacked by hurricanes.
1. How can the new method help extend the life of many buildings?| A．By correctly predicting future hurricane patterns. |
| B．By recommending proper building materials to designers. |
| C．By providing accurate wind speed information for designers. |
| D．By gathering data on different kinds of weather conditions. |
| A．Find out the regularity of hurricanes. |
| B．Add historical hurricane data to HURDAT2. |
| C．Examine the effect of hurricanes on climate change. |
| D．Test the possibility of using AI to produce realistic storms. |
| A．applied to | B．attached to | C．limited to | D．compared to |
| A．Confident. | B．Worried. | C．Doubtful. | D．Disappointed. |
8 . Animal and plant species are disappearing at frightening rates. The problem has led to efforts to “rewild” places where such life existed before human development, pollution and climate change forced it out. The American city of Detroit is an example of how human actions can increase rewilding, which generally means helping natural systems in damaged locations, removing dams or building tunnels to reconnect animal pathways cut by roads.
Detroit’s population reached a high of 1.8 million in the 1950s. Then the population began dropping. By 2000, there were fewer than one million people living in the city. Thousands of houses and other buildings were left empty over the years. Some structures were destroyed, leaving empty areas that plants and animals regained as habitats. Nonprofit groups have also planted trees and community gardens in these areas. Anti-pollution laws and government-supported cleanups made nearby rivers better for fish and native plants.
Now, Detroit is home to 300 bird species and is a busy visiting place for ducks and others during migration. Unlike most big cities, its population is decreasing but its streets and buildings remain in place. And there are many kinds of habitats, including large lakes, rivers and human neighborhoods. Detroit’s parklands are so quiet that people don’t even know they’re in the city.
“It used to be that you had to go to some remote location to get exposure to nature,” said JohnHartig, a professor of University of Windsor. “Now that’s not the case. Like it or not, rewilding will occur. The question is how we can prepare communities and environments to embrace the presence of more and more wildlife. After all, many city people have lost their tolerance to live with wildlife. To really make a difference in dealing with the biodiversity crisis, you’re going to have to have people on board.”
1. What does the author want to tell us by the example of Detroit?| A．It’s government-supported efforts that really matter. |
| B．Humans’ efforts can make a difference in rewilding. |
| C．Humans are to blame for the worsening environment. |
| D．It’s hard for humans and wildlife to live in harmony. |
| A．The city was overpopulated. | B．More community gardens disappeared. |
| C．Many buildings were abandoned. | D．The environment was badly damaged. |
| A．It is a big city crowded with tourists and bird species. |
| B．Tourists don’t show any interest in its quiet surroundings. |
| C．It’s become a center for those who study animals and plants. |
| D．It’s turned into a place where people can get close to nature. |
| A．Accept. | B．Delay. | C．Imagine. | D．Supervise. |
9 . Space X has launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft, the largest and most powerful rocket, ever built, which aims to carry astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. The 120-metre system, which weights about 5,000 tonnes when fully fuelled, took off from Space X’s spaceport, named Starbase, on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Chica, Texas. It entered space several minutes later and the six Raptor engines powered it to its expected orbit.
Two previous attempts ended in the explosion of both the spacecraft’s 33-engine booster, nicknamed Super Heavy, and the cruise vessel, which is designed to eventually carry up to 100 astronauts. Stacked together, they stand at 10 metres taller than the Saturn V rocket that sent humans to the moon in 1969.
Space X is much more tolerant of risk than Nasa and has a flight-testing strategy that aims to frequently push its spacecraft prototypes to the limit, and, beyond. Its first Starship launch attempt lasted four minutes and, the second lasted eight, with the latter reaching space. The company says frequent flight testing will provide valuable data that will help it design and, develop a more robust rocket.
“Each of these flight tests continue to be just that: a test,” Space X said in a statement before the third launch attempt, in an apparent attempt to manage expectations in case the system exploded. “They aren’t occurring in a lab or on a test stand, but are putting flight hardware in a flight environment to maximize learning.”
The third flight aimed to conduct the first ever re-light of Space X’s signature Raptor engine while in space, open a payload door, and make a controlled re-entry of Starship in the Indian Ocean. Both the upper and lower segments of Starship are designed to eventually power themselves safely back to Earth for a soft landing so that they can be reused, which will be significantly cheaper than building entirely new parts for each mission.
Elon Musk, Space X’s billionaire founder, hopes Starship will be the first step on a human journey further into space that ever before. To do this, Musk intends to begin the colonization of Mars so that humanity can survive a planet-destroying event on Earth. Several other Starship systems are already in production for future tests. The company has announced longer term plans to use the spacecraft as a shuttle for commercial travel on Earth, promising trips from London to Tokyo in less than an hour.
1. What set the third test flight apart from the other two?| A．Being the first to make a controlled re-entry of Starship. |
| B．Being significantly cheaper than the other launches. |
| C．Being the first ever to enter the expected orbit. |
| D．Being the first starship spacecraft to enter the space. |
| A．Space X’s first Starship launch attempt lasts eight minutes. |
| B．Both Space X and Nasa have a flight-testing strategy. |
| C．Space X’s first Starship travels farther than the second. |
| D．Space X will make the best of the frequent flight-testing data. |
| A．To manage expectations in case the system exploded. |
| B．To maximize learning in a flight environment. |
| C．To push its spacecraft prototypes to the limit, and beyond. |
| D．To protect the earth from being destroyed by disasters. |
| A．Space X will make Starship power itself back to Earth safely. |
| B．Space X will adjust the starship system and commercial travel. |
| C．Space X has launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft. |
| D．Elon Musk aims to carry astronauts to the moon and then to Mars. |
10 . The Forest Eye project aims to create the largest living forest feature in England by growing 5,000 alder, beech and maple trees into the shape of a child’s eye. The trees are being planted in Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, with the help of local young people. The trees will form an eye 300 meters wide that will be visible from the sky in about six years, when they have grown.
The project hopes to focus on the importance of young people’s ideas for creating a health y natural environment. It was designed by a company called Sand in Your Eye and has been created by Forestry England, an organization that protects forests and woodlands.
Josephine Lavelle, director at Forestry England, says, “Having the gaze of a child growing in the heart of this beautiful and ever-changing forest is a powerful symbol of how we need to listen and respond to the needs and vision of future generations.”
The project also aims to highlight the important role that forests play in fighting climate change. As well as providing a home for wildlife, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create oxygen that humans need to breathe. When the trees have grown, they will provide a place for lots of wild animals, like bats, birds and small mammals to live. The Forest Eye will also create a space for people to explore and connect with nature.
Jamie Wardley, artistic director at Sand in Your Eye, has plenty of experience creating pieces of “land art”. These are huge drawings and sculptures made from grass, ice and sand, including a 60-meter portrait of Swedish climate-change campaigner Greta Thunberg on a school field in Yorkshire. He says, “The trees are my paint.” “Our work is about prompting people to think deeply and respond emotionally to some of the biggest issues facing us, including the climate crisis.” Wardley also plans to develop the Forest Eye into an even bigger project. “It is our ambition to create the whole face of a young girl at the same scale, measuring 2,000 meters across. Those trees that are planted in the Forest Eye are the very beginning of this,” he says.
1. What can we know about the project?| A．It is planting trees to form an eye. | B．It is aimed at creating artworks. |
| C．It is proposed by the local youth. | D．It is carried out in the largest forest. |
| A．The argument for the project. | B．The benefits of tree. |
| C．The value of children’s ideas. | D．The fight against climate change. |
| A．Ignorant. | B．Adventurous. | C．Emotional. | D．Creative. |
| A．Land arts take off | B．Tree planting catches on |
| C．Giant eye planting kicks off | D．Environmental groups spring up |
