1 . When the explorers first set foot upon the continent of North America, the skies and lands were alive with an astonishing variety of wildlife. Native Americans had taken care of these precious natural resources wisely. Unfortunately, it took the explorers and the settlers who followed only a few decades to decimate a large part of these resources. Millions of waterfowl (水禽) were killed at the hands of market hunters and a handful of overly ambitious sportsmen. Millions of acres of wetlands were dried to feed and house the ever-increasing populations, greatly reducing waterfowl habitat.
In 1934, with the passage of the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Act), an increasingly concerned nation took firm action to stop the destruction of migratory (迁徙的) waterfowl and the wetlands so vital to their survival. Under this Act, all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and over must annually purchase and carry a Federal Duck Stamp. The very first Federal Duck Stamp was designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, a political cartoonist from Des Moines, lowa, who at that time was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as Director of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Hunters willingly pay the stamp price to ensure the survival of our natural resources.
About 98 cents of every duck stamp dollar goes directly into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund to purchase wetlands and wildlife habitat for inclusion into the National Wildlife Refuge System — a fact that ensures this land will be protected and available for all generations to come. Since 1934, better than half a billion dollars has gone into that Fund to purchase more than 5 million acres of habitat. Little wonder the Federal Duck Stamp Program has been called one of the most successful conservation programs ever initiated.
1. What was a cause of the waterfowl population decline in North America?| A．Loss of wetlands. | B．Popularity of water sports. |
| C．Pollution of rivers. | D．Arrival of other wild animals. |
| A．Acquire. | B．Export. |
| C．Destroy. | D．Distribute. |
| A．The stamp price has gone down. | B．The migratory birds have flown away. |
| C．The hunters have stopped hunting. | D．The government has collected money. |
| A．The Federal Duck Stamp Story | B．The National Wildlife Refuge System |
| C．The Benefits of Saving Waterfowl | D．The History of Migratory Bird Hunting |
The Xi’an City Wall is the most complete city wall that has survived China’s long history. It
We accessed the wall through the South Gate. The wall is 12 meters high and from here you can see streams of people moving inside and outside the City Wall.
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3 . I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.
I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2-to 3-week-old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.
I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could locate the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to construct a nest and anchor it in a tree.
The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.
Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.
A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all — LUNCH! The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.
1. What is unavoidable in the author’s rescue work according to paragraph 1?| A．Efforts made in vain. |
| B．Getting injured in his work. |
| C．Feeling uncertain about his future. |
| D．Creatures forced out of their homes. |
| A．To rescue a woman. |
| B．To take care of a woman. |
| C．To look at a baby owl. |
| D．To cure a young owl. |
| A．A new nest. |
| B．Some food. |
| C．A recording. |
| D．Its parents. |
| A．It’s unexpected. |
| B．It’s beautiful. |
| C．It’s humorous. |
| D．It’s discouraging. |
4 . The environmental practices of big businesses are shaped by a fundamental fact that offends our sense of justice. A business may maximize the amount of money it makes by damaging the environment and hurting people. When government regulation is effective, and the public is environmentally aware, environmentally clean big businesses may out-compete dirty ones, but the reverse is likely to be true if government regulation is ineffective and the public doesn’t care.
It is easy to blame a business for helping itself by hurting other people. But blaming alone is unlikely to produce change. It ignores the fact that businesses are not charities but profit-making companies, and they are under obligation to maximize profits for shareholders by legal means.
Our blaming of businesses also ignores the ultimate responsibility of the public for creating the conditions that let a business profit through destructive environmental policies. In the long run, it is the public, either directly or through its politicians, that has the power to make such destructive policies unprofitable and illegal, and to make sustainable environmental policies profitable.
The public can do that by accusing businesses of harming them. The public may also make their opinion felt by choosing to buy sustainably harvested products; by preferring their governments to award valuable contracts to businesses with a good environmental track record; and by pressing their governments to pass and enforce laws and regulations requiring good environmental practices.
In turn, big businesses can exert powerful pressure on any suppliers that might ignore public or government pressure. For instance, after the US public became concerned about the spread of a disease, transmitted to humans through infected meat, the US government introduced rules demanding that the meat industry abandon practices associated with the risk of the disease spreading. But the meat packers refused to follow these, claiming that they would be too expensive to obey. However, when a fast-food company made the same demands after customer purchases of its hamburgers dropped, the meat industry followed immediately. The public’s task is therefore to identify which links in the supply chain are sensitive to public pressure.
Some readers may be disappointed or outraged that I place the ultimate responsibility for business practices harming the public on the public itself. I also believe that the public must accept the necessity for higher prices for products to cover the added costs of sound environmental practices. My views may seem to ignore the belief that businesses should act in accordance with moral principles even if this leads to a reduction in their profits. But I think we have to recognize that, throughout human history, government regulation has arisen precisely because it was found that not only did moral principles need to be made explicit, they also needed to be enforced.
My conclusion is not a moralistic one about who is right or wrong, admirable or selfish. I believe that changes in public attitudes are essential for changes in businesses’ environmental practices.
1. The main idea of Paragraph 3 is that environmental damage__________.| A．is the result of ignorance of the public |
| B．requires political action if it is to be stopped |
| C．can be prevented by the action of ordinary people |
| D．can only be stopped by educating business leaders |
| A．reduce their own individual impact on the environment |
| B．learn more about the impact of business on the environment |
| C．raise awareness of the effects of specific environmental disasters |
| D．influence the environmental policies of businesses and governments |
| A．Meat packers stopped supplying hamburgers to fast-food chains. |
| B．Meat packers persuaded the government to reduce their expenses. |
| C．A fast-food company forced their meat suppliers to follow the law. |
| D．A fast-food company encouraged the government to introduce regulations. |
| A．Will the world survive the threat caused by big businesses? |
| B．How can big businesses be encouraged to be less driven by profit? |
| C．What environmental dangers are caused by the greed of businesses? |
| D．Are big businesses to blame for the damage they cause to the environment? |
5 . You look up at the sky on a clear and dark night, you’ll see more stars than your eyes can count. Most of these stars have planets, similar to our own, orbiting them. With so many celestial bodies floating out in space, you can’t help but question whether other forms of life exist in the universe. And if that’s the case, is it possible to contact them?
Science is still somewhat divided on this issue. Currently, no evidence exists to suggest that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. Yet with an estimated one trillion planets in our galaxy alone, it seems highly likely that Earthlings aren’t the only intelligent creatures out there. Some claim that life can only develop under perfect circumstances, and Earth is perhaps the only example of this. Other scientists object to this claim, and point out that even on Earth, life can find a way under the most extreme circumstances.
Some people believe that aliens have already visited our planet, but this information is being kept secret by governments. The most famous incident of this kind occurred in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. On that date, many residents reported seeing an unusual flying disc streak through the sky, before it crashed in a field. When the military heard about the crash, they quickly sealed off the area. A few hours later, the army base announced that it had recovered a flying disk. Shortly after, this statement was retracted and it was said that it was a weather balloon that crashed. However, years later one local mortician even claimed that the military had him secretly perform an autopsy on a dead alien body.
Others believe that there certainly are other life forms out there, but the distance between us is too great. Even if we could somehow create a spaceship that travels at the speed of light, it would still probably take several lifetimes to reach them. Then again, we might never have to do this if aliens reach us first.
1. Why do some scientists think there is life on other planets?| A．Because an unusual flying disc was ever witnessed. |
| B．Because life exists despite extreme conditions as those on the Earth do. |
| C．Because the government’s statement seemed suspicious. |
| D．Because there are a great number of planets in the universe. |
| A．Examined again to guarantee the correctness. | B．Emphasized again to persuade people. |
| C．Formally taken back what has been said. | D．Seriously criticized due to poor evidence |
| A．Are we alone in the universe? | B．Is it possible to contact aliens? |
| C．Intelligent life in the universe. | D．Planets floating out in space. |
| A．Objective. | B．Humorous. | C．Cautious. | D．Anxious. |
6 . On September 29, 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared it would be removing 23 species from its Endangered Species Act, including the ivory-billed woodpecker, various Hawaiian birds and freshwater fish, not because they had been pulled back from the edge of extinction, but because the USFWS believed these species would never recover, and were most likely extinct, therefore not requiring protection.
In April, 195 countries are getting together in China for a UN conference to discuss global agreements to protect nature and biodiversity, with the hope of finalizing an agreement to safeguard plants, animals, and ecosystems. However, the new strain (毒株) of Covid-19, Omicron, has potentially thrown the plans into a mess, and negotiators may switch to online talks if travel restrictions to China are put in place again.
“We can't go another four months without any progress” said Georgina Chandler, senior international policy officer at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Conservationists are urging the talks to go ahead — online if necessary — as the biodiversity crisis shows no sign of slowing up.
“Nature loss has not gone away and threatens both human lives and the global economy,” said Lin Li, director of global policy at the organization. “With one million species currently in danger of extinction, delaying action is not an option.”
Improving conservation and management of natural areas, such as oceans, forests, and wildernesses is crucial to safeguarding the ecosystems on which humans depend. However, forests are still being devastated, often for farming or commercial use. As trees absorb about a third of planet-warming emissions produced worldwide, stopping deforestation is key. At COP26 in Glasgow last November, world leaders plan to invest $19 billion in public and private funds to protect and restore global forests.
It’s easy to feel disheartened by the disappointing news, but the only way to stop more species suffering the same fate is to pay attention and take actions.
1. Why would the 23 species be removed from the Act?| A．Because they are less endangered. |
| B．Because they have already died out. |
| C．Because more fund is in need to protect them. |
| D．Because nothing can save them from extinction. |
| A．Take immediate actions. |
| B．Put off the conference. |
| C．Have online talks. |
| D．Improve global economy. |
| A．Abandoned. | B．Destroyed. | C．Rearranged. | D．Disturbed. |
| A．To explain why some species have disappeared. |
| B．To recommend ways to protect and restore forests. |
| C．To describe the present situation of global ecosystem. |
| D．To call for attention and action against biodiversity crisis. |
7 . A Swedish company training crows to pick up litter in exchange for food, claims that its program could save communities a fortune in cleaning costs.
Teaching humans not to throw cigarette butts on the street has so far proven impossible, but a Swedish company claims it can teach crows to pick up after us and save local communities millions of dollars in cleaning fees every year. It teaches wild crows to do our dirty work through a step-by-step learning process by rewarding the birds with food for every cigarette butt they collect.
“They are easier to teach and there is also a higher chance of them learning from each other. At the same time, there’s a lower risk of them mistakenly eating any rubbish,” company founder, Hanssen, said. “They’re wild birds taking part in on a voluntary basis.”
Crows are among the smartest birds on Earth, and such training programs have proven successful several times in recent years. In fact, the company is so confident it can pull it off that it has expressed interest in testing it in on a larger scale, in the town of Södertälje.
Hanssen believes that the initiative could save the municipality(自治市)at least 75% of the costs involved with picking up cigarette butts, depending on how hard the crows work. If it proves successful, the company hopes that it will provide a permanent cleaning solution that can be used in other parts of the country and eventually nationwide.
The approach to litter cleaning has gotten positive feedback online, but there are those who think the fact that we can train crows to pick up cigarette bults, but we can’t get humans not to throw them away is hard to accept. Plus, there are the health problems of constantly exposing the birds to the cigarette butts.
1. What is the advantage of the program?| A．It can save food. | B．It can save money. |
| C．It helps protect birds. | D．It helps change people’s bad behavior. |
| A．They have a strong ability to learn. | B．They have a strong sense of smell. |
| C．They are good at collecting rubbish. | D．They are in large numbers in Sweden. |
| A．Only a few people support the program. |
| B．The program can do harm to the crows. |
| C．The company can get a fortune from the program. |
| D．The program has served as a cleaning solution nationwide. |
| A．Crows Learn to Exchange Food | B．Crows Are Good at Collecting Litter |
| C．Crows Are Trained to Pick Up Litter | D．Crows Begin to Feed on Cigarette Butts |
8 .
Antarctica (南极洲) |
Weather Antarctica lies in the most southern part of the world. It is the coldest area on Earth. There isn’t much rain, but there is a lot of snow and wind. The lowest temperature was on 21 July in 1983 at -89.2℃ ! |
Population Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time! The first people to stay there for a while were fishermen in 1786. Now there are about 5, 000 scientists and researchers there in the summer |
History of exploration (探险) During 1907-1909, British explorer Earnest Shackleton explored Antarctica on foot. In 1911, two explorers — a British man named Scott and a Norwegian named Amundsen — raced 1, 400 kilometres to the South Pole (南极). Amundsen arrived first. |
Animals and birds There aren’t any large animals in Antarctica. Polar bears live at the North Pole. But there are a lot of penguins and seabirds. Every spring there are over 100 million seabirds in Antarctica. |
| A．In 1786. | B．In 1983. | C．In 1907. | D．In 1911. |
| A．Fishermen. | B．Scientists. | C．Researchers. | D．Explorers. |
| A．Penguins. | B．Seabirds. | C．Polar bears. | D．Fish. |
9 . According to Dr. John Swaddle, a professor at the Institute for Integrative Conservation at William & Mary, hundreds of millions of birds die every year from window collisions(碰撞).
However, if you put decals(贴花纸) or colorful stickers outside of your windows, the birds are more likely to see the barrier and therefore avoid it. Remember: never inside your window; always outside of your window.
“Double-glazed(双层的) windows reflect a lot of light, especially when you view them from a slight angle, as a flying bird would do,” Swaddle told Salon. He is the corresponding author of a recent study which tries to figure out how this basic reality of physics impacts on a bird’s experience as it flies near a standard window. For their experiment, researchers had birds perform repeated and controlled flight trials near windows with film(薄膜) products, BirdShades film and Haverkamp film, respectively.
“In our collision avoidance trials, BirdShades increased window avoidance by 47% and the Haverkamp increased avoidance by 39%. But neither product was effective when the films were applied to the internal surface of windows,” the authors concluded.
When breaking down the problem of avoiding window collisions from a bird’s point of view, Swaddle explained, “The light and reflected imagery from the external surface of the glass is sufficient to obscure a film or decal that is stuck to the inner surface from being seen clearly.”
If you want to protect birds from easily avoidable deaths without buying window film products, there are other solutions. Swaddle recommended “pleasing fritted glass that could be used in new construction and which is also bird-friendly”. Besides, he notes that screens can be helpful as well, not only by limiting reflectiveness but by providing birds with a cushion if they make impact. It is also possible to use everyday household objects to signal to birds that there are barriers — netting, bits of string, colorful stickers, and paint. These can all be used to this effect.
1. Which of the following can work to reduce bird window collisions?| A．Choosing double-glazed windows. |
| B．Avoiding opening windows at night. |
| C．Covering the inner windows with decals. |
| D．Sticking decals to the outer side of windows. |
| A．The bird-friendly film products and glass. |
| B．The efficient measures of collision avoidance. |
| C．The bird behaviors when hitting the bright window. |
| D．The link between light reflection and bird window collisions. |
| A．Protect. | B．Use. | C．Shade. | D．Find. |
| A．Solutions to reducing the window cost. |
| B．Other ways to avoid bird collisions. |
| C．Bird-friendly objects to attract birds. |
| D．Environmentally friendly glass products. |
10 . An earthquake can strike without warning. But many injuries and deaths from this kind of natural disaster can be prevented if people follow these safety tips.
If you’re inside a building, stay there! One of the most dangerous things to do in an earthquake is to try to leave a building.
If you are trapped in the ruins, cover your mouth with a handkerchief or a piece of clothing. Use your cellphone to call for help if possible. Don’t shout.
Be prepared for aftershocks
| A．Don’t move about or kick up dost. |
| B．If you’re outside, go to an open space. |
| C．Shouting can cause you to breathe in dust. |
| D．Don’t park your car under a tree or any tall object. |
| E．Take a good hold of your cellphone in the building. |
| F．They can happen in the first hours after the earthquake. |
| G．Most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to get out. |
