1 . 你校英语报社打算举办一次主题为“保护藏羚羊(antelope)”的海报设计大赛，请你为其写一篇征稿启事。内容包括：
1. 活动的目的；
2. 海报的设计及投稿要求；
3. 动员大家参加。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Contributions Wanted
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2 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What makes Jessica Damiano kill houseplants?| A．Carelessness. | B．Forgetfulness. | C．Laziness. |
| A．It needs enough sunlight. |
| B．It is unsuitable for beginners. |
| C．It likes being far from a window. |
| A．Characters of houseplants. |
| B．Ways to save water at home. |
| C．Advice on growing houseplants. |
3 . When you hear the word “shapeshifting (变身)”, you may think of magic in some movies and not the climate. But that’s what animals are doing to go on living in the world.
A new study shows that some animals are slowly growing larger beaks, legs and ears. In this way they can cool themselves down more easily as the Earth gets warmer. When we talk about the climate change, we often ask “What can humans do with this?” “How can we live in the future?” “But we should know that animals also have to face these changes,” said Sara Ryding, from Deakin University, Australia. If animals do nothing to keep their normal body temperature, they will die.
In one example, the beaks of some kinds of Australian parrots have grown 4 to 10 percent larger. The study says it has a lot to do with the hotter summer over the years. There are other similar examples. Wood mice have longer tails and bats in warm climates have bigger wings.
Although the changes are still small, they could be common as the weather becomes hotter. “Body parts like ears may become bigger, so we might be able to see a real Dumbo (big-eared elephant from a Disney cartoon) in the near future,” Ryding told the reporters.
1. Why do animals grow bigger body parts?| A．To become stronger. | B．To enjoy a better life. |
| C．To find food easily. | D．To keep normal body temperature. |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
| A．Changes. | B．Tails. | C．Wings. | D．Examples. |
| A．Why climate changes so much. | B．When the climate starts to change. |
| C．How animals deal with hotter weather. | D．What the weather will be like in the future. |
| A．From not enough water. |
| B．From not enough sun. |
| C．From not enough plant food. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
My dog Banner has a heart of gold. Last Sunday, she finds a sealed box in the woods with seven newborn cats inside only a day old or almost frozen to death. Banner led myself to the woods, which I took out the tiny cats one by one carefully after opening the box. I guessed someone must just abandoned them. Since that moment, Banner hasn’t left the cats and has adopted to them as if they were her own baby. She took care of them sincere. I am so happy now because of Banner. These cats will go on live their lives with loving families. I am deeply moving by my kind Banner.
6 . Barcelona’ s opera house has celebrated its reopening to the public since the corona-virus pandemic (新冠疫情) put the world into a huge horror, but their opening night had an unusual audience. For its first concert, the theater refused the usual crowd of people and instead packed the house with plants. Yes, that’s correct. All 2, 292 seats at the Gran Teatre Liceu were occupied by leafy green plants.
The idea was conceived by conceptual artist Eugenio Ampudia and was broadcast live on the theater’s website. These lucky ficus trees, palms, and Swiss cheese plants, which were brought in by local nurseries (苗圃), got the pleasure of hearing Puccini’s Crisantermi performed by the UceLi Quartet string musical group.
Ampudia hopes that his idea and the work will inspire people to think more deeply about their relationship with nature and the concept of sustainability (持续性). “We are at the end of an era and that means that we have to change certain patterns,” he shares. “We don’t live in the same world as 90 days ago, and this means we have to reflect on everything that we do.”
As plants can respond to different vibrations (震颤) caused by music, they certainly weren’t a passive audience, even if they weren’t able to give applause. Now that the concert is over, each plant will be given to a different frontline healthcare worker who helped guide the country through its battle with the corona-virus.
The moving concert is a continuation of the Liceu’s mission to create a dialogue between music and the visual arts. Pictures and a video of the performance taken by Ampudia will now become part of La Caixa contemporary art collection.
1. What was the special part of the concert?| A．It had only 2, 292 seats. |
| B．It made the world fall in horror. |
| C．It welcomed audience with plants to come . |
| D．It gave plants opportunities to enjoy music. |
| A．Put forward. | B．Enjoyed. | C．Hated. | D．Turned down. |
| A．We didn’t do very well in dealing with nature. |
| B．The healthcare workers were more important. |
| C．The plants should have the equal rights. |
| D．We did everything in a wrong way. |
| A．Daily Hero. | B．Teens’ Life. |
| C．Animals and Plants. | D．Art Around the World. |
7 . A newly published study on frogs and malaria (疟疾) shows how closely human health may be influenced by these lovable creatures. In the 1980s, scientists in Costa Rica and Panama began to notice a quiet and dramatic decline in frog numbers. Frogs in this part of the world were falling prey to a deadly fungal pathogen (真菌病原体), and they were doing so at such a rapid rate that researchers at the time feared a wave of local extinctions.
Some scientists now argue the fungal pathogen has caused the greatest recorded loss of biodiversity to a disease ever. And it is responsible for significant declines in at least 501 amphibian (两栖类的) species, including 90 extinctions, from Asia to South America.
Frogs directly influence mosquito population sizes because mosquitoes are a key source of food, which means the numbers of amphibians could ultimately influence the vectors that spread deadly human diseases.
Comparing an amphibian decline map and malaria occurrence map between 1976 and 2016, researchers found a clear pattern that could be predicted with high accuracy and confidence by their model.
In the eight years after great amphibian losses from fungal pathogen, there was an increase in malaria cases equal to about 1 extra case per 1,000 people. This extra case would probably not have come about without the recent amphibian die-off. In a usual outbreak of malaria, occurrence rates usually peak from about 1.1-1.5 cases per 1,000 people. This means a loss of amphibians in Central America could have possibly driven a 70-90 percent increase in how many people were getting sick.
As you read this, the fungal pathogen is taking a ride around the world with global trade, and it threatens not just the future of amphibians but the health of our own species. As the current study reveals, frogs and human health often go hand-in-hand. We’re stuck together whether we like it or not.
1. What happened in the 1980s?| A．Malaria broke out in Costa Rica and Panama. |
| B．A wave of local extinctions occurred in Costa Rica. |
| C．The frogs decreased greatly in Costa Rica and Panama. |
| D．Scientists made a new invention in Costa Rica and Panama. |
| A．Declines. | B．Mosquitoes. | C．Amphibians. | D．Patterns. |
| A．Concerned. | B．Objective. | C．Optimistic. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．We should protect some lovable animals from dying off. |
| B．The number of frogs may have an effect on human health. |
| C．Human diseases are closely related to heavy losses of amphibians. |
| D．Scientists find the close connection between frogs and mosquitoes. |
8 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.
Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.
Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”
Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.
Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”
Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”
1. What can we say about the new research?| A．It started in 2013. | B．It is the first of its kind. |
| C．It was carried out by AIS. | D．It covers the whole Atlantic. |
| A．Rapid population growth. |
| B．Rising global temperatures. |
| C．The huge increase in shipping. |
| D．The disappearance of marine life. |
| A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy. |
| B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment. |
| C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity. |
| D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully. |
| A．New waterways across the Atlantic |
| B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic |
| C．New research opens windows into life under the water |
| D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping |
9 . For most of human history, the stars shone brightly in a dark night sky. But today, cities and towns, increasingly lit by artificial light at night, dramatically reduce the visibility of stars.
Satellite data suggests that light pollution has been increasing in many parts of the world over the last decade. However, satellites miss the blue light of LEDs (发光的二极管), which are commonly used for outdoor lighting, resulting in an underestimate of light pollution.
An international citizen science project called Globe at Night (环球夜景) aims to measure how everyday people’s view of the sky is changing. The data shows that the night sky got, on average, 9.6% brighter every year. For many people, the night sky today is twice as bright as it was eight years ago. The brighter the sky, the fewer stars you can see. If this trend continues, a child born today in a place where 250 stars are visible now would only be able to see 100 stars on his/her 18th birthday.
The main factors leading to increasing brightness of the night sky are industrialization and the growing use of LEDs for outdoor lighting. The loss of dark skies threatens our ability as astronomers to do good science. But everyday people feel this loss too. Starry night skies have inspired artists, writers, musicians and philosophers for thousands of years. Light pollution also has a bad effect on the daily cycle of light and dark that plants and animals use to adjust their lifestyle. Two-thirds of the world’s key biodiversity (生物多样性) areas are affected by light pollution.
Individuals and their communities can make simple changes to reduce light pollution. The secret is using the right amount of light, in the right place and at the right time. Making outdoor lights shine downward, using lights that give out more yellow-colored light instead of white light and putting on light timers can all help reduce light pollution. A view of about 2,500 stars in a truly dark sky might convince you that dark skies are a resource worth saving.
1. How is the first paragraph mainly developed?| A．By giving an example. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By reaching a conclusion. | D．By raising a question. |
| A．The light pollution is getting more serious. |
| B．The night sky today gets darker than before. |
| C．It’s difficult to imagine a child’s fast growth. |
| D．LEDs are commonly used for outdoor lighting. |
| A．The bad effects of light pollution. | B．The factors causing light pollution. |
| C．The functions of starry night skies. | D．Key biodiversity areas in the world. |
| A．To explain a phenomenon. | B．To suggest a solution. |
| C．To remember a scientist. | D．To increase public awareness. |
10 . According to a new study released Wednesday, human activity has now gone past six of nine planetary boundaries, which are ways to measure the stability and livability of Earth for humans. The study published in the journal Science Advances represents the third update of the planetary boundary framework carried out by 29 scientists from eight different countries.
The planetary boundaries concept identifies nine global priorities relating to human—caused changes to the environment. The concept sets boundaries on how much we can allow ourselves to impact not only the climate but also other global processes that can support modern civilization. Respecting these safety boundaries would minimize the risk of human activities setting off a dramatic and potentially irrecoverable change in global environmental conditions.
Crossing six boundaries does not necessarily mean a disaster to follow, but it is a clear warning signal. “We can regard it as we do our own blood pressure,” said the study lead author Katherine Richardson of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. “A blood pressure over 120 is not a guarantee of a heart attack but it increases the risk of one. For our own and our children’s sakes we need to reduce the pressure on these six planetary boundaries.”
As pressure on the planet increases and vital boundaries are being violated, we don’t know how long we can keep turning against these key boundaries before combined pressures lead to irrecoverable change and harm.
Richardson likens the framework to a bank statement—“it tells us how much of various resources of the Earth system we can allow ourselves to use without greatly increasing the risk in the overall environmental conditions we experience on Earth.”
According to Richardson, the study shows that focusing on climate alone will not solve the climate crisis; it must be seen together with the biodiversity crisis. Life is what makes this planet unique and it is the interactions between land, ocean, atmosphere and life that together provide conditions upon which our societies depend.
There is still time to prevent disasters, but we must take action, not next year or next month but now.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．Our planet is safe enough to live on. |
| B．Man puts our environment in great danger. |
| C．The environmental stability can be ensured. |
| D．The earth we live on is in a healthy condition. |
| A．Reduce. | B．Increase. | C．Reconsider. | D．Challenge. |
| A．Blood pressure is an important indicator in measuring physical health. |
| B．Breaking six boundaries is certain to result in environmental disasters. |
| C．Crossing boundaries is a clear warning against damaging environment. |
| D．Paying attention to the behavior towards environment is very important. |
| A．The nine planetary boundaries we should never go past |
| B．How much of various resources of the Earth system we can use |
| C．The ideal conditions upon which our humans depend to survive |
| D．Immediate actions should be taken to protect the environment |
