1 . Right now, summers are getting hotter, winters colder and the polar ice is melting at an alarming rate. Extreme weather events and natural disasters frequently occur. The climate time-bomb is ticking. Strict measures must be taken to tackle the problem.

It reminds me of how the lives we live seem to follow roughly in the way put forward years earlier by the writers of science-fiction. I guess it’s “life imitating art”. When I was young there were stories about rockets going into space and even going to the moon, although there had never been a rocket into space at that time. Years later, Russia launched Sputnik, the first man-made object to go into earth orbit and later the US landed people and even a car on the moon.

When I was growing up there were also science-fiction stories about governments looking for solutions when the world’s natural resources were being over-extended, such as they are in the case of climate change. The solution in the stories was to assume that the cause of the problem was over-population and the solution, therefore, was to limit the number of people. Various plans were put forward for doing that, from limiting the birth rate to killing off anyone over a certain age. That age, if I remember correctly, was usually about 60 and when you reached that you were supposed to turn yourself over to a government facility where you would be put to death.

Still, a look at the old science-fiction stories provides an interesting and somewhat chilling approach to what is acknowledged to be a very serious and worsening world-wide problem. There is general agreement that urgent action is needed to stop us from literally making our world unfit to live on. The answers, at least so far, concentrate on managing those resources and the ways in which we use them However, I wonder if the day will come when life will imitate the art of the old science-fiction stories and someone will propose limiting the number of people on the planet as a way of making it more suitable for those who are left. It’s a grave thing to predict.

1. What does the author say about climate problems?

A．The problems can be tackled in a scientific way.

B．The problems are in urgent need of being resolved.

C．The explosion of extreme climates is under control.

D．The loss of natural resources leads to climate changes.

2. How does the author clarify the concept of “life imitating art”?

A．By giving examples.	B．By using quotes.
C．By giving definitions.	D．By making contrast.

3. What possible solution to climate problems concerns the author?

A．Removing overpopulated species.	B．Getting rid of seniors.
C．Over-extending natural resources.	D．Moving onto the moon.

4. What’s the author’s tone in the passage?

A．Calm.

B．Serious.

C．Frustrated.

D．Anxious.

3 . Every order of takeout comes with a side of single-use plastics and each plastic fork. knife, spoon and straw-whether or not you wanted it or used it-ends up in the trash.

New research found that 139 million metric tons of single-use plastic waste was generated in 2021-six million metric tons more single-use plastics compared to 2019. A hunger for takeout meals during the pandemic contributed to the surge.

An estimated 60% of Americans order takeout or delivery at least once a week and online ordering is growing 300% faster than in-house dining; that means millions of single-use plastic utensils (餐具) are going out with every order.

New laws aim to address the problem. Some of the recent bills are thanks to The National Reuse Network, part of the environmental nonprofit Upstream, which launched a national Skip the Stuff campaign to work out policies that require restaurants to include single-use plastic utensils, straws, and napkins only when customers request them.

The bills also require meal delivery and online apps like Uber Eats, GrubHub and Door Dash to add single-use extras to their menus; customers can choose the items and quantities to have them included in the order. Customers that don’t order the single-use plastics won’t receive them. The goal of the bills is to reduce the 40 billion plastic utensils sent to the landfill (垃圾填埋场) every year.

“Most of the time, people are taking food home or to their offices where there are reusable utensils so these utensils wind up in a drawer or get thrown out,” says Alexis Goldsmith, national organizing director for a nationwide project Beyond Plastics. “Some people do need utensils, but for the most part, they’re not needed.”

To date, Skip the Stuff bills have been passed in several cities, including Denver, Washington, D.C. and Chicago, California and Washington state passed statewide bills that make single-use plastic “accessories” available with takeout orders only upon request.

Organizations like Upstream, Beyond plastics and NRDC have created toolkits to help additional communities launch their own Skip the Stuff campaigns.

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

A．Great desire.

B．Sharp decline.

C．Rapid increase.

D．Obvious panic.

2. According to the Skip the Stuff campaign, what can be done by restaurants?

A．Choosing green products.	B．Adding single-use napkins.
C．Recycling and reusing utensils.	D．Providing utensils only on request.

3. What’s the purpose of the recent new bills?

A．To reduce plastic waste.	B．To stop bad eating habits.
C．To encourage people to eat out.	D．To better the dining environment.

4. What would Goldsmith probably think of the Skip the Stuff campaign?

A．Unimportant.

B．Damaging.

C．Much-needed.

D．Well-known.

4 . 阅读下面短文,根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。

“I’m going to miss you so much, Poppy,” said the tall, thin teenager. He bent down to hug his old friend goodbye. He stood up, hugged his parents, and smiled, trying not to let his emotions(情绪) get the better of him.

His parents were not quite able to keep theirs under control. They had driven their son several hours out of town to the university where he would soon be living and studying. It was time to say goodbye for now at least. The family hugged and smiled through misty eyes and then laughed.

The boy lifted the last bag onto his shoulder, and flashed a bright smile. “I guess this is it,” he said. “I’ll see you back home in a month, okay?” His parents nodded, and they watched as he walked out of sight into the crowds of hundreds of students and parents. The boy’s mother turned to the dog, “Okay, Poppy, time to go back home.”

The house seemed quiet as a tomb without the boy living there. All that week, Poppy didn’t seem interested in her dinner, her favourite toy, or even in her daily walk. Her owners were sad too, but they knew their son would be back to visit. Poppy didn’t.

They offered the dog some of her favorite peanut butter treats. They even let her sit on the sofa, but the old girl just wasn’t her usual cheerful self. Her owners started to get worried. “What should we do to cheer Poppy up?” asked Dad. “We’ve tried everything.”

“I have an idea, but it might be a little crazy,” smiled Mom. “Without anybody left in the house but us, this place could use a bit of fun. Let’s get a little dog for Poppy.”

It didn’t take long before they walked through the front door carrying a big box. Poppy welcomed them home as usual, but when she saw the box, she stopped. She put her nose on it. Her tail began wagging(摆动)ever so slowly, then faster as she caught the smell.

注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右;
2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好;
Paragraph 1

Dad opened the box and a sweet little dog appeared.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2

A few weeks later, the boy arrived home from the university.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . What is the weather like right now?

A．Sunny.

B．Rainy.

C．Cloudy.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about the man?

A．His hometown has nice beaches.

B．He is a tour guide.

C．He comes from Canada.

2. What is the weather usually like in Vancouver?

A．Rainy.

B．Sunny.

C．Snowy.

10 . 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

Bamboo is called “poor people’s material” and even in China it is not       1     (wide) accepted as a modern building material. But bamboo makes nearly the lightest houses, which       2     (become) better than “modern” materials at surviving earthquakes over the years.

And unlike the “Tofu” buildings that may     3     (destroy) in just several seconds in some earthquakes, bamboo makes a much     4     (safe) building. That is why it is suggested as a replacement(替代品)by International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR).

INBAR notes that     5     number of people who do not have safe and healthy shelter will increase with population growth if no proper action is taken.

Study shows that bamboo is excellent in     6     (strong) and is as strong as wood. Besides, because     7     the lightweight and good elasticity(弹性)of bamboo, bamboo buildings are very good at resisting(抵抗)earthquakes. For example, all of the 30 bamboo houses survived without any damage in the 7. 6 magnitude earthquake in Costa Rica in 2012.

Ancient Chinese people preferred living in houses     8     (make) of bamboo. In Yunnan Province, some locals still live in bamboo homes which can protect       9    (they) from rain and wind. And in Zhejiang Province,     10    bamboo is plentiful, local officials have been encouraging architects to design buildings using bamboo.