1 . In order to live in the wild, tigers need water to drink, animals to hunt, and plants in which to hide. As the mountains, jungles, forests, and long grasses that have long been home to tigers disappear, so do tigers. Agricultural expansion, new roads, and industrial expansion push tigers into smaller and smaller areas of land. Without wilderness, the wild tiger will not survive.
Asia’s explosive population growth demands that more and more land be changed to agriculture. Indonesia, for example, has the same population as the United States, but only ten per cent of the land area. Almost all of Indonesia’s lowland forest has been cleared for rice planting.
In India, where there are about 60 per cent of the world’s wild tigers, the human population has grown by 50 per cent in the past 20 years. Over the past 40 years, China’s population, the largest in the world, has more than doubled and 99 per cent of China’s original forest habitat has been destroyed.
Tigers compete with humans and industry for land. Local people hunt the same prey (猎物) as tigers do, making tigers to turn to domestic animals and, even humans. Threatened villagers often poison, or shoot the encroaching (侵犯) tigers. In addition to food, local communities also need to use the surrounding areas of forest for livestock grazing (放牧) and wood for fuel.
To protect tigers from hunting and the rapidly increasing loss of land, wildlife conservationists (自然资源保护者) have worked with governments to establish wildlife reserves. Reserves are protected areas ranging in size from China’s Xioaling at 21 km2 to Indonesia’s Kerinci Seblat at 14,846 km2.
1. Why does the author mention Indonesia?| A．To tell us Indonesia has a large population. |
| B．To show its rapid development of agriculture. |
| C．To show Indonesia’s serious forest destruction. |
| D．To tell us its rice planting is of great importance. |
| A．In the USA. | B．In Indonesia. |
| C．In China. | D．In India. |
| A．Finding less to eat. | B．Cutting down wood. |
| C．Industry’s development. | D．Human’s illegal hunting. |
| A．Tiger Habitat Loss | B．Humans and Tigers |
| C．Importance of Reserves | D．Importance of Tiger Protection |
2 . A 25-mile strip of plants, farms and villages is hit by one of the largest wildfires in decades, ruining the Italian tourist destination. About 1, 000 residents and tourists have been evacuated from areas of western Sardinia that were destroyed by wildfires over the weekend, with forests, grasslands and villages on the Italian island covered in flames.
“It is a disaster without examples,” said the region’s governor, Christian Solinas, appealing a state of emergency on Sunday. No deaths or injuries have been reported, the Italian authorities said. But the fires were still powerful on Monday, when four firefighting planes from France and Greece joined the Italian firefighters’ air fleet to help control the big fire.
Since early Saturday, when the wildfires started near a forest by the village of Bonacardo, at least 50, 000 acres of land have gone up in flames. On Sunday night, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy expressed his “full unity” with the people affected by the fires and offered support for firefighters working around the clock. Images recorded by Italian firefighters showed a thick layer of smoke swallowing residential buildings, warehouses and barns, and flames burning high just behind beach-side villas in the town of Porto Alabe, a popular tourist site, over 25 miles north of where the fires originated.
Flames ran through hectares (公顷) of oak forests that are native to the region. A thousand-year-old olive tree that was the symbol of the hilltop village of Cuglieri was destroyed by the fire. “This morning, the trunk was still burning,” Maria Giovanna Campus, a retired local archaeologist wrote on Facebook last Sunday. “We had proudly signaled its presence to tourists, but we ended up neglecting it and leaving it to the flames” she said, adding “cleaning up the area around it would have been enough to protect it and preserve it.”
The cause of the fires was not yet clear. But experts said that to prevent wildfires, forests and grasslands needed to be kept clean and barrier zones created. In the affected areas of Sardinia and elsewhere in Italy, abandoned lands are often not properly maintained, which can help the fire spread, they said.
1. What do we know about the wildfires in Italy?| A．They were put out within a short time. | B．They caused severe damages and injuries. |
| C．They originated near a famous scenic spot. | D．They were the most disastrous ones in Italy. |
| A．The old tree could have been saved. | B．The old tree was burnt to the ground. |
| C．People took good care of the old tree. | D．Tourists caused the destruction of the tree. |
| A．Establishing barrier zones. | B．Keeping related areas clean. |
| C．Leaving the lands unattended. | D．Preserving forests and grasslands. |
| A．By telling a story. | B．By using diagrams. |
| C．By making contrasts. | D．By quoting different people. |
As snow tapers off in northern New England and upstate New York today, snow showers will extend to the southwest and into the Ohio Valley as colder air settles in. Most of the snow showers will be light but a few spots can be hit with a quick coating to an inch. The Southeast can expect dry and cool conditions as sunshine returns.
Showers will exit South Florida and the Keys early on. Much of the Plains will be dry. However, an Alberta clipper storm will spread light snow from Montana to the Dokotas. A stronger clipper storm with heavier snow will travel farther south over the Central states this weekend.
Most areas west of the Rockies will be dry as Santa Ana winds kick up in Southern California. Idaho is likely to share in the next clipper storm’s snow on Friday.
Metropolitan Forecast (New York)
TODAY. . . . Windy and milder
High 47. A storm will depart to the east with clouds breaking for some sunshine at tires during the day. It will be windy with periodic blows up to 40 miles per hour throughout the afternoon.
TONIGHT. . . . Partly cloudy
High 48. There will be less wind as high pressure moves in from the west. Clouds will break late at night and it will remain dry. Temperatures will remain above normal for late January.
TOMORROW . . Periodic sunshine, cooler
High 41. With high pressure nearby, the day will be dry. There will be clouds and sunshine through the afternoon. Temperatures will end up within a couple degrees of normal for this time of the year.
SATURDAY . . Mostly cloudy
It will be cloudy as high pressure shifts to the east. Wind will gust at 6 to 12mph. Temperatures will be above normal. High 48.
SUNDAY
MONDAY . . . Mostly cloudy
Some sunshine early Sunday will give way to clouds. Late showers cannot be ruled out. High 50. Monday will be cooler with clouds and some sunshine. High 46.
1. Where is the text probably taken from?| A．A magazine | B．A travel brochure | C．A newspaper | D．A research paper |
| A．Many areas will be greeted by snow. |
| B．The sunshine will return to the southwest. |
| C．There will be periodic shower these days in New York |
| D．The highest temperature will appear tonight in New York. |
| A．Wednesday | B．Thursday | C．Friday | D．Saturday |
4 . Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing rapidly over the last several years, mainly because it is an essential material of lithium-ion batteries, which play an important part in several key sustainable technologies, e. g. electric cars.
As ocean waves, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has also become key to building a future free of petrol. But getting lithium comes at a huge cost. As with most metals, its mining is damaging. It often works like this: Briny water, containing lithium and other metals, is pumped to the surface from underground. Then it sits in pools to allow the water to evaporate, leaving the rest behind as poisonous matter. Workers use chemical reactions to remove the lithium from that, making it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to the buyers around the world. Any accident that releases mine matter into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have damaging long-term impacts.
Indigenous (原住民) communities often bear the result of the damage, and political leaders have paid little attention to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s historical sites. And for politicians who have promised to work with native peoples to deal with it, mining lithium and other precious metals is putting them into a dilemma: How do you ensure the availability of materials which are essential to the future while protecting indigenous people’ rights?
Mining of the metal is expected to increase greatly in coming years. Over time, that will make electric cars inexpensive and, therefore, more popular.
As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.
1. What do we know about Lithium in paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?| A．It’s a kind of battery. | B．It will be widely used in the future. |
| C．Only Lithium can replace fossil fuels. | D．It is the same with wind and solar power. |
| A．It’s easily done. | B．It does harm to the environment. |
| C．It costs much money. | D．The workers benefit a lot from it. |
| A．The shortage of Lithium. |
| B．The prices of electric cars. |
| C．Their people will no longer support them. |
| D．The balance between it and environment protection. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Indifferent. | C．Worried. | D．Optimistic. |
5 . All cats have something that makes them endearing and special, but one particular kitty from the UK has been around to stay special the longest. Meet Flossie, a black and brown kitty, was named the oldest living cat by the Guinness World Records. She was 26 years and 316 days old — for a cat, that’s equal to 120 human years — when she was awarded the title on November 10. 2022.
Flossie’s story began all the way back in 1995 when she was born as a stray in a feral colony (野外聚居地) in Liverpool. Moved by the tough conditions the kitties had to face, a group of workers decided to adopt a cat each, which is how Flossie met with her first owner. Sadly, he passed away 10 years later, but Flossie was then taken in by his sister.
The pair enjoyed 14 years together until the second owner died. After that, her son decided to take care of Flossie. Three years later, however, the third owner realized that the senior kitty had increasingly complex needs due to her age that he couldn’t fulfill, and entrusted her to a Cats Protection’s shelter, part of the UK’s largest cat welfare charity.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Naomi Rosling at Cats Protection told the Guinness World Records. “He sought our help when it was in Flossie’s best interests. Responsible cat ownership is when someone thinks about an animal’s needs above their feelings.”
However, that was when the organization realized what they were dealing with. “We were astonished when we saw that Flossie’s vet records showed her to be 27 years old,” Rosling said. Although at first they feared Flossie would spend her final days looking for a forever home, it didn’t take long for the loving cat to be paired with her new mom, Vicki Green, who had plenty of experience caring for older cats.
Green happily shares that despite being poorly sighted and deaf, Flossie is in good health. The sweet cat also loves taking naps on her cherished yellow blanket and “never turns her nose up at the chance of a good meal,” according to Green, who hopes this story will inspire more people to adopt senior cats.
1. Why was Flossie awarded a Guinness World Record?| A．She lives the longest time. | B．She grows the longest tail. |
| C．She owns the longest name. | D．She stays the longest in UK. |
| A．He bought her from a pet shop. | B．He kept her company for ten years. |
| C．His son took her over after he passed away. | D．He found her in good condition at first sight. |
| A．sent. | B．believed. | C．demanded. | D．appointed. |
| A．A Woman Caring for Senior Cats. | B．A Charity Concerning Cat Welfare. |
| C．A Kitty Looking for Her Proper Owner. | D．A Cat Winning the Title of Living The Longest. |
The Grand Canal is the longest and
The Grand Canal bears witness to a remarkable and early development of hydraulic engineering(水利工程). It is an essential technological achievement
TOKYO — Female giant panda Xiang Xiang left Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo to fly back to China, her home country
“China-Japan cooperation in wildlife conservation,
As this year marks
Around 7:10 am local time, a white truck
Upon her return, Xiang Xiang will be sent to Bifengxia Giant Panda Base in the city of Ya’an, Sichuan,
Xiang Xiang
She was originally scheduled
8 . As New Zealand begins the long, costly task of clearing up after Cyclone (飓风) Gabrielle cut a disastrous path across much of the North Island on Feb 12 and 13, finger pointing has started.
The cleanup and rebuilding may take years, and even longer in remote parts, with costs running into the billions of dollars.
What made the cyclone worse for New Zealand was that it followed nearly a week of heavy rain in late January that caused the worst flooding in the nation’s history.
Green Party leader James Shaw delivered a speech on Feb 14, saying: “I struggle to find words to express what I am thinking and feeling about this particular crisis. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as sad or as angry about the lost decades that we spent arguing about whether climate change was real or not, whether it was caused by humans or not, whether it was bad or not, whether we should do something about it or not, because it is clearly here now, and if we do not act, it will get worse.”
Shaw’s speech highlighted the growing concern in New Zealand and across the world on the increasing effect of climate change on global weather patterns.
A lecturer in the University of Auckland said it was high time the country moved away from passive responses to natural disasters and adopt an active approach.
“In the next decades down to the end of this century, we expect that ocean temperatures will steadily climb and extreme events will become more common, serious, and long-lasting,” a marine expert said. “The actual trajectory (轨迹), however, depends on how society will deal with the climate change challenge.”
1. The underlined phrase “finger pointing” in the first paragraph probably means .| A．blame | B．praise | C．approval | D．celebration |
| A．It will take a long time and cost a lot of money to clean up and rebuild. |
| B．Heavy rain had lasted for nearly a week before the cyclone hit New Zealand. |
| C．Some people made a lot of complaints about the cyclone. |
| D．The cyclone caused the worst flooding in the history of New Zealand. |
| A．It was easy for Shaw to express himself about the cyclone. |
| B．Shaw felt very sad and angry about the cyclone. |
| C．It is necessary to argue about climate change. |
| D．Humans should take action to deal with climate change right away. |
| A．Cleanup and rebuilding after Cyclone |
| B．Attaching importance to climate change |
| C．Cyclone seen as wake-up call on climate change |
| D．Increasing ocean temperatures responsible for extreme events |
9 . While it throws out about 90 pounds of food per person every year, Japan doesn’t rank at the top of the world’s list of wasteful nations. Still, what’s thrown away represents a serious problem for an island nation with limited landfill space and a goal of greater sustainability. Reinvention can offer an alternative. A Japanese company is taking vegetable peels, cooking oil and other used foodstuffs and making entirely different products.
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world, and its key element, cement, is a major polluter of greenhouse emissions. So what if a more sustainable alterative were possible by making cement with food waste, which also would help reduce greenhouse emissions from landfills where that waste would otherwise be thrown away? That’s the idea behind Fabula, a Tokyo-based start-up.
Researchers at Fabula created a recipe to make food concrete by drying leftovers and pressing them into a mold (模具) at a high temperature. The company, founded by researchers at the University of Tokyo, began with items commonly thrown away like cabbage and orange peels but found that almost any food item can be used. It now takes mostly coffee grounds and tea leaves to make its cement. The product’s durability depends on the components.
Fabula is currently producing made-to-order household items, such as coasters and dishes, while awaiting its patent. The goal is to make furniture and larger structures once the technology is able to make the cement more durable. Food production companies that can’t avoid generating waste during their processes have reached out to work with the company. “We hope to become a matching service between companies that have food waste and companies who want to build things out of such materials,” said Takuma Oishi, Fabula’s chief commercial officer.
Since the cement is 100 percent eatable, it could create opportunities during disaster response when temporary structures need to be built quickly. The people inside might even turn to them for food. If the technology advances enough, Oishi suggested, someday we may be able “to eat the homes or furniture when necessary”.
1. Which problem Japan faces is mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．Food waste. |
| B．Garbage littering. |
| C．Energy crisis. |
| D．Environmental pollution. |
| A．Using food remains in recipes. |
| B．Finding a cheaper alternative to landfills. |
| C．Making a novel building material from leftovers. |
| D．Cutting greenhouse gases by recycling home devices. |
| A．The diversity of food sources. |
| B．The prospects of the company. |
| C．The innovation of a traditional cuisine. |
| D．The process of developing food concrete. |
| A．It can fill stomachs. |
| B．It’s solid and lasting. |
| C．It can prevent disasters. |
| D．It’s delicate but cost-free. |
Terry Townshend is an ecologist from the UK. In late October, he climbed to the roof of a building to check out a hand-sized recording device
As a birdwatcher
Though observing the migratory birds in Beijing
“China
