Tour Guide: OK, everyone. We have arrived at the Tian’anmen Square,
Tourist A: Forgive me for asking, but what’s that?
Tour Guide: That is
Tourist B: Yes. It is really a grand building, and I know that
Tour Guide: That’s right. It, as a part of Forbidden City, has been
Tourist A: That’s really amazing!
2 . Nowadays many people realize kitchen gardening helps reduce their carbon emissions (排放) and save them hard-earned cash and choose to grow their own food.
Select your garden location. You don’t need a plot of land to grow your own food. You can grow inside or outside.
Select your plants. After that, you’re ready to choose which plants will work best for your garden. If you’ve got a yard, you have your choice of beans, root vegetables, fruit trees, berries, and herbs.
Choose good soil. If your yard garden has quality soil, you can plant food in it. Otherwise, you may choose purchased soil in raised beds. You’ll see a difference when using high-end organic soil.
Enjoy your harvest. Nothing tastes better than the food you grew yourself, and after all your hard work gardening, you deserve a celebration.
| A．Feed your plants nutrients. |
| B．Water deeply and infrequently. |
| C．Invite some friends over for dinner. |
| D．Of course, whether to celebrate is up to you. |
| E．So we designed this guide to help you grow your own food. |
| F．Even a well-lit window can grow vegetables in small containers. |
| G．Container gardeners often favor tomatoes, onions, and small fruit trees. |
China will establish a new batch of national parks, including Huanghekou, Qianjiangyuan-Baishanzu and Kalamayli, in a steady and
Speaking at the second National Park Forum held in Xining, capital of Qinghai province, Guan said China has adopted the strictest measures
China’s national parks are specific land or sea areas
In 2021, China established the first batch of national parks, with
“The Sanjiangyuan park realized the full protection of the source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang
“Efforts
4 . The survival of about one fifth of the world’s vertebrates — animals with a backbone — is considered threatened, according to new research published in the journal Science. That’s a large fraction of Earth’s animals, but this new study held some good news too. Conservation efforts by humans have slowed the loss of many species of amphibians (两栖动物), birds, and mammals. Losses in these groups would have been about 20 percent greater had it not been for recent action of protection.
Among the animalconservation success stories is one about birds called Mauritius kestrels (红隼)．In the 1970s, just four of these birds were left in the world. Through a special breeding program, scientists were able to increase their number to about 1, 000 and release them into the wild.
Humpback whales (座头鲸) have benefited greatly from recent conservation efforts as well. They were once on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list of species threatened with extinction. But the species is now in less danger, thanks to laws that ban whale hunting. The IUCN even moved the humpback into “species of the least concern”．
Over the past 100 years, the white rhino (犀牛) of South Africa has also made an amazing recovery because of habitat protection. The breed multiplied from just 50 animals to about 17, 000. Their home has been turned into a protected area, safe from poachers (people who hunt animals illegally) and other threats.
Stuart Butchart, one of the authors of the new study in Science, is encouraged by the positive effects of conservation. But he says, “Biodiversity (生物多样化) of species is in a frightening state. Its situation is getting worse. But our results show we can turn the situation around.”
New conservation policies hopefully are on the way. One hundred ninetythree countries recently met in Japan at the Convention on Biological Diversity to set goals for preserving threatened wildlife and their habitats. Only 1 percent of ocean and 12 percent of land areas were protected under earlier agreements. Two new goals set by the group are to designate (指定) 10 percent of the world’s ocean and 17 percent of land environments as protected areas to help increase endangeredanimal population.
1. Which of the following is not mentioned in people’s conservation efforts?| A．Habitat protection. |
| B．Breeding programs. |
| C．Laws of banning whale hunting. |
| D．Creation of studying organizations. |
| A．conservation works |
| B．man conquers nature |
| C．animals are more important |
| D．law is fair |
| A．protect ocean habitats |
| B．build land environments |
| C．increase the population of endangered animals |
| D．control animal population |
| A．Though there was a special breeding program, the number of Mauritius kestrels didn’t increase. |
| B．Conservation efforts should not only be made by human beings. |
| C．Humpback whales are not on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list now. |
| D．Because many groups are working to protect wildlife, natural habitats are in good condition. |
Years ago, the authors conducted human-wildlife conflict surveys in the Tibet Autonomous Region’s counties,
This effort greatly expanded knowledge of the snow leopard’s distribution in this region,
Importantly, in the past few years, a number of major transportation infrastructure (基础设施) projects
6 . The amount of sea ice surrounding Antarctica has reached its lowest level since modern records began, for the second year in a row. Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats on the ocean’s surface around the planet’s polar regions. It forms at much lower sustained temperatures than freshwater ice does, at around-1.8 degrees Celsius. Sea ice builds up during the winter until it reaches its maximum extent, and then melts (融化) away in the spring and summer until it reaches its minimum extent.
In Antarctica, where summer and winter are relative to the Northern Hemisphere, sea ice normally reaches its maximum extent in September when sea ice covers around 7 million square miles. At its minimum extent at the end of February, historically only around I million square miles remains. Last year the minimum sea ice extent was less than 772, 000 square miles, the lowest total since scientists began recording sea ice extent with satellites in 1979. On 21 February this year, that number had reduced to just 691, 000 square miles, which is roughly 40 per cent less than the average between 1981 and 2010.
The record-breaking minimum was expected after an extraordinarily hot January which was the seventh-warmest since records began 174 years ago. “By the end of January, we could tell it was only a matter of time until the record was broken,” said Will Hobbs, an Antarctic sea ice expert at the University of Tasmania and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership. Antarctica’s minimum sea ice extent will likely continue to decrease in the coming decades as global temperatures rise as a result of human-caused climate change and more multiyear ice, which acts as a seed for new ice growth, melts away.
Sea ice is crucial for polar predators(捕食性动物) such as penguins in Antarctica and polar bears in the Arctic, which use the ice as a platform for hunting. But the sea ice also helps stabilise ice on Antarctica. “Lower sea ice extent means that ocean waves will pound the coast of the giant ice sheet，further reducing ice shelves around Antarctic,” said Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.
1. What can we know about sea ice?| A．It can be seen on any ocean’s surface. | B．It forms at about -1.8 ℃. |
| C．It melts all the year round. | D．There is more sea ice than freshwater ice. |
| A．There are two seasons in Antarctica. |
| B．Scientists have been recording the change of sea ice. |
| C．Sea ice in Antarctica has been on decline in the past decades. |
| D．The ecology in Antarctica needs to be improved. |
| A．The earth becomes warmer. | B．Multiyear ice disappears completely. |
| C．Ocean waves destroy the giant ice sheet. | D．Human beings occupy Antarctica. |
| A．Human activities have caused global warming |
| B．Measures should be taken to stop sea ice decreasing |
| C．Sea ice is significant for polar animals |
| D．Antarctica’s sea ice reaches its lowest level since records began |
7 . With needle-like teeth and sharp pointed nose, a gray nurse shark isn’t a creature that most people would want to meet. But Shalise Leesfield isn’t one of them.
The Australian teenager couldn’t think of a better creature to meet when scuba diving off the coast of South West Rocks, near her home in Port Macquarie, a coastal town north of Sydney.
“Many people say gray nurse sharks look frightening, but I think they are the sweetest animals ever,” she says.
The slow-moving sharks, which like to stay near the sea floor in warm, shallow waters, are — for the most part — harmless to humans. But the gray nurse shark is under threat. Populations have fallen and habitats have been lost due to ocean warming and human development, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which lists the species as seriously endangered.
One area where they can still be seen is Fish Rock, an underwater cavern (洞穴) with a unique ecosystem, 40 miles up the coast from Leesfield’s home. But fishers are allowed access within 200 meters of Fish Rock. This is leading to a drop in the number of gray nurse sharks and increased pollution, says Leesfield. She wants to enlarge the no-fishing area, establishing a protected zone.
With Leesfield’s efforts, the area has been nominated as a Hope Spot, which is part of the mission Blue program launched by famous oceanographer Sylvia Earle that identifies places as critically important to the ocean’s health and supports protection.
“When people think about Hope Spots, they think about Sydney Harbour or the Great Barrier Reef. So to get Fish Rock up on that list is just such incredible news,” she says.
Now, Leesfield is working with politician Cate Faehrmann, marine spokesperson for the Australian Greens party in New South Wales, to legalize protection of the sharks and make the no-fishing zone protected by the law.
1. What does “them” refer to in the first paragraph?| A．Gray nurse sharks. | B．Common people. |
| C．People fearing gray nurse sharks. | D．Fishers. |
| A．The development of tourism in the ocean. |
| B．The sharks’ preference to stay in shallow waters. |
| C．The feature of gray nurse sharks’ slow-moving. |
| D．Fishers’ being permitted within 200 meters of Fish Rock. |
| A．Recommend the Fish Rock as a Hope Spot being protected. |
| B．Identify the Hope Spot area as being critically important. |
| C．Make Fish Rock more popular among fishers nearby. |
| D．Make laws to protect the no-fishing zone near Fish Rock. |
| A．The Australian teenager is on a mission to protect sharks |
| B．Increased pollution leads to gray sharks endangered |
| C．Gray nurse sharks are in danger! |
| D．Let’s establish a protected zone! |
8 . As skies are filled with millions of migrating birds, European scientists say the seasonal wonder appears to be strange: The fatter the bird, the better it flies.
The results of their study led to a theory opposite to a central one of aerodynamics (空气动力学), which say that the power needed to fly increased with weight.
For birds, obviously, the cost of flying with heavy fat is much smaller than we used to think. Researchers found that red knot wading birds double their normal body weight of 100 grams before making their twice-a-year nonstop flight between the British Isles and the Russian Arctic Distance: 5,000 kilometers.
Another study in the magazine Nature measured the advantage of flying in an aerodynamic group which allows birds to save energy by flying smoothly and quietly in the lead bird’s air stream.
Flying in groups, their heart rates were 14.5 percent lower than flying alone, according to Henri, a French scientist. The findings help explain how birds complete difficult migrations. Researchers had thought that thinner, stronger birds would have the best chance to survive.
The first study suggests that building up fat to be burnt as fuel during the migration is worth more than the energy it takes to carry the additional weight.
In the study, researchers said their team studied the birds flown at different body weights during 28 simulated (模拟的) flights. They forced a small amount of special water into the birds’ bodies so that they could measure the amount of energy burnt during the flight.
1. A red knot wading bird of 100 grams will probably weigh before making its nonstop migrating fight.| A．100 grams | B．120 grams | C．200 grams | D．250 grams |
| A．alone | B．separately | C．in pairs | D．in groups |
| A．stronger | B．weaker | C．thinner | D．fatter |
| A．Birds Fatten Up For Journey | B．Birds Thin Down For Journey |
| C．How Birds Build Up Fat For Journey | D．How Birds Burn Energy For Journey |
9 . This summer has brought extreme heat and droughts to places around the world. The droughts are leading to serious problems, including shortages of food and energy, problems with transportation, and food price increases. The effects of the droughts are likely to be felt for years.
From Africa to Europe to the US to China, record temperatures and low rainfall have been causing problems. Droughts aren’t new, but Earth’s rising temperatures because of global warming are making them much harder to avoid.
The drought in the Horn of Africa may be the most serious situation. For several years, the area has had very little rain during the rainy seasons. Now the area, which includes Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, is suffering from its worst drought in 40 years.
Almost two-thirds of Europe is threatened (威胁) by what may be the worst drought there in 500 years. With temperatures reaching 40℃ and hotter, many crops have been damaged. In France, Spain, Portugal, and even Britain, firefighters have struggled to control wildfires.
In the US, many states that use water from the Colorado River are struggling with low water levels. Farmers in California and Arizona have been hit particularly hard. In California water use is being limited now and farmers aren’t able to grow as many crops. That can drive up food prices, and that affects everyone.
China is facing similar problems. It has been attacked by a terrible drought this summer, with temperatures as high as 45℃. The drought has dried up much of the water in the Yangtze, China’s longest river. That has cut the amount of energy produced by the world’s largest dam by 40%.
There are no easy solutions for any of these droughts. It took years to create the climate crisis, and it will take a long time to get it under control. For now, governments and people will need to carefully manage water supplies and other resources to limit the damage as much as possible.
1. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Problems. | B．Droughts. |
| C．The effects of the droughts. | D．Earth’s rising temperatures. |
| A．Wildfires. | B．Food prices. |
| C．Water limits. | D．High water levels. |
| A．By giving some examples. | B．By offering some reasons. |
| C．By answering some questions. | D．By explaining some puzzles. |
| A．The Reasons Behind Worldwide Droughts |
| B．The Effects of Extreme Heat and Droughts |
| C．Droughts Cause Problems Around the World |
| D．Solutions Are Needed for Worldwide Droughts |
Blue whales are not fish! They are marine mammals. This means they are warmblooded and the females produce milk
In the past, blue whales were hunted
