1 . Johan Ernst Nilson is an explorer. His 32 expeditions in 100 countries include biking from northern Europe to Africa, hiking across Alaska and climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. This summer, Nilson completed his most challenging journey the Pole to Pole Expedition. He travelled about 21,750 miles through 17 countries, from the North Pole to the South Pole. “I go to remote areas where no person has ever set foot,” Nilson told TFK.
Nilson walked, sailed, skied, biked, and took a dogsled. Known as the “environmental explorer”, Nilson used forms of transportation that are not harmful to the environment. Nilson hopes the expedition, which will be featured in a movie and a book, both due out this winter, will inspire others to protect the planet.
It took Nilson about 18 months to complete the expedition. He faced dangerous situations, just as the early polar explorers did. He travelled through hurricanes. He endured extreme heat and cold. He fell through ice. He suffered cracked ribs and frostbite(冻伤). He was even chased by bears.
Eating properly was a constant challenge. The explorer, who covered about 60 miles a day, ate a variety of foods, such as fruit, meat, fish and vegetables. At one point, Nilson ran out of food. He wrote on his blog: “The North Pole is a different story. On an expedition on the ice, you have to eat anything you can find.”
In spite of the many challenges, Nilson insists that the expedition was well worth it. He was able to visit with groups such as UNICEF and the American Red Cross, to take part in the work that they do to help people all over the world. He is hopeful that his adventure will inspire others to take action to protect the planet.
Nilson says his big expedition days are now over, but he will continue to explore in other ways. “Exploration is reaching for the unknown, learning how to play the piano, learning a new language,” he says. Are you an explorer, too?
1. What does Nilson do besides expeditions?| A．He likes playing the piano. | B．He helps those who need help. |
| C．He likes learning foreign languages. | D．He likes visiting people. |
| A．become famous | B．attract people’s attention |
| C．inspire people to explore | D．protect the environment |
| A．Nilson suffered a lot and was in great danger. | B．Nilson liked travelling through hurricanes. |
| C．Nilson stood extreme heat and cold. | D．Nilson suffered freezing. |
2 . Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness
As part of the environmental group on campus, my friends and I recently invited a recent college graduate, Colin Davis, to lecture about his deeds in climate change.
Davis graduated from Trinity College last spring. Despite a tempting (诱人的) internship (实习期) from Goldman Sachs that thousands of people dream about. Davis chose to ride a bike across the US to interview environmental experts.
Davis wasn’t a born environmentalist. To prove his bike ride, he had to find a “trendy (新潮的), sexy and good cause”. The cause was climate change. But Davis became more concerned than ever about this issue after the cross-country bike ride. He read hundreds of books on climate change and environmental consulting. Now, he works for non-profitable organizations and serves as a consultant for energy efficiency.
One of his messages during his talk, “shopping with a moral in mind” occurred in my mind again and again throughout the day.
Facing two similar products in a market, do we stop and read the back before throwing the product into our cart (推车)? We all live in a fast-paced society, but it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take a minute to choose a product that’s safer for our bodies and better for the environment. Davis made me know how important it is to be a smart consumer, by supporting organic (有机的) food and green products instead of only looking at the brands.
With little age gap and his unique way of presenting serious messages in a light tone, Davis captured the attention of most non “hardcore (中坚的) environmentalists” students. Davis said. “Working for a good cause makes me feel better than being an investment (投资) banker.”
1. The bike ride across the US ________.| A．realized Davis’s long-time dream of finding out more about climate change |
| B．had Davis regretting refusing the internship from Goldman Sachs |
| C．made Davis all the more fascinated by the issue of climate change |
| D．satisfied Davis because he had made it trendy and profitable |
| A．one should be a smart consumer by calculating the product’s value against price |
| B．we should stop and read the instructions about calories or health ingredients |
| C．we should choose more environment-friendly products |
| D．it’s a good point to buy brand products |
| A．nowadays American young people prefer working for a good cause to a high-paid company |
| B．Davis did a great job in raising environmental awareness |
| C．you have to be rich enough to support organic food |
| D．brand products are not always quality products |
