1 . In the past week almost 120 global leaders have resolved to triple (使增至三倍) the world’s renewable energy capacity before 2030 in an attempt to reduce the global consumption of fossil fuels. As the second half of the Cop28 UN climate conference in Dubai unfolds , more countries may join the calls for a global target of 11 TW (太瓦) of renewable power by the end of the decade, three times higher than the 3.629 TW in place at the end of 2022.

Renewable energy really could be tripled in this decade, but it won’t be a breeze, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) .

Based on the rate of growth for wind and solar power, the world is on track to meet this target. But the global energy watchdog (监察人) has warned that “stronger policy actions by governments” will be required to overcome challenges, such as rising costs, uncertain supply chains and grid (电力网) bottlenecks, which are considered essential to hit the goal of limiting global heating to within 1.5C of preindustrialised levels.

Renewable energy sources tripled, the global demand for coal power would be cut in half by 2030, according to estimates. “This is crucial for 1.5C,”said Dave Jones, the global insights lead for climate think-tank Ember. “The tripling goal would take renewables to the next level, with solar and wind reaching 40% of global electricity generation by 2030.”

The goal has won the support of 118 countries. In practice, not every country will triple its renewable capacity to meet the global target. Some countries starting from a lower level would need to more than triple their wind and solar power, while for others with a high share of renewables already, it would not be practical to triple their capacity again.

The prospect of having demand for coal is a goal worth struggling for, but governments must stay the course. Increasing capacity may have been simple in recent years with low interest rates and government support schemes, but the sector’s progress for the rest of the decade is less certain.

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

A．A demanding mission.	B．An effortless task.
C．A dreamy vision.	D．A fruitless effort.

2. What can be inferred from paragraph 3?

A．The road to the top is full of twists and turns.	B．A good beginning is half done.
C．No pains, no gains.	D．Rise from the fall, and you’ll rise high.

3. What is Dave Jones’ attitude toward tripling the world’s renewable energy capacity before 2030?

A．Indifferent.

B．Neutral.

C．Cautious.

D．Optimistic.

4. What might be written about after the last paragraph?

A．Drawbacks of power generation using coal.

B．Ways to triple the output of sustainable energy.

C．Specific difficulties in the future and solutions.

D．Joint achievements made by nearly 200 countries.

2 . People have long watched moths (飞蛾) and other flying insects flock to streetlamps, lights and flames. These insects appear attracted by the light. But a new study suggests they may just lose track of which way is up.

Previous theories say light probably blinds flying insects so that they get trapped by the light, or maybe they interpret light at night as a place to fly for a quick escape. Now the new study suggests flying insects instead turn their backs to the sky’s light to keep their feet pointing toward the ground. Insects naturally turn their backs toward light. But when that light is from an artificial source, it may affect their sense of direction, leading to them flying in circles or diving toward the ground.

At a field station in Costa Rica, Samuel Fabian, an entomologist from Imperial College London in England and his teammates set up hanging and standing lights, and then used high-speed cameras to track wild, flying insects including moths and flies. Some circled the lights endlessly, and others flew sharply upward, losing speed until they couldn’t fly any higher. When the light source pointed up, some insects turned around and headed for the ground. During the flight, the insects always kept the lights at their back even if they’d end up crashing. Crash landings were common when the team lit up a white sheet on the floor. But not when a white sheet — stretched into a height above the floor—was bathed in diffuse (漫射) light, much as the sky would be, insects flew through the area without getting trapped by the light.

The team also observed some species in a lab. Moths and dragonflies generally behaved like the wild insects, and they kept the light at their backs. However, in the lab, fruit flies, like oleander hawk moths — which can fly in the dark — could fly over LED lights without being thrown off course. In the wild, though, the moths still crashed. Maybe this is because, Fabian says, the insects can sometimes control their response to light, or over time, they might learn to avoid artificial light.

1. Why do insects naturally turn their backs toward light?

A．To get close to the light.	B．To escape being caught quickly.
C．To protect their feet better.	D．To track where the ground is.

2. What did the researchers find during the new study?

A．Artificial light at night could put insects on a crash course.

B．Artificial light signaled an escape route for the insects.

C．The insects had a better sense of direction.

D．The insects were flying toward the light.

3. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning oleander hawk moths?

A．To stress the importance of the study.	B．To prove the previous theory.
C．To tell the existence of the exception.	D．To explain the flight pattern.

4. What could be the best title for the text?

A．Artificial Light Makes Insects More Adaptable	B．Insects May Lose Track near Artificial Light
C．The Ways to Get Rid of Light Pollution	D．Insects Learn to Fly for a Quick Escape

3 . After a decade of negotiations, nearly 200 countries have agreed to a new United Nations treaty(条约)to protect the world’s oceans, the first of its kind in 40 years. The High Seas Treaty aims to protect 30% of the open oceans by 2030, setting a plan in motion to preserve this vast area.

Oceans cover about 71% of the Earth’s surface and are home to countless species of animals and plants. They play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy planet. However, overfishing and pollution from ships and other sources have severely impinged on many marine (海洋的)species and ecosystems.

The last major UN sea treaty in 1982 described the “high seas” — the parts of the oceans that aren’t controlled by any country — but it did not protect them. The high seas, which account for two-thirds of the ocean, currently have only 1.2% of their massive area protected. A marine protected area(MPA)is an area in the sea with strict rules about fishing and other activities. While more and more countries have established MPAs in their waters, most are not connected, limiting their effectiveness for migratory(迁徙的)species.

Last December, over 110 countries committed to protecting 30% of their land and ocean areas by 2030．The High Seas Treaty now enables the extension of this goal to the entire ocean. It aims to make 30% of the high seas become protected areas by 2030 and requires that proposed activities on the high seas undergo assessment for their potential impact on the ocean environment.

Reaching the agreement was challenging due to differing views on ocean protection among countries, such as limits on fishing or pollution. Disagreements also arose over sharing resources between rich and poor nations, with the latter seeking an assurance that resources benefit everyone, not just those in wealthy countries.

The treaty is not yet final and must be officially accepted at a UN meeting. Then it must be approved and signed by enough countries before it takes effect.

1. What is the main objective of the High Seas Treaty?

A．To protect 30% of the open oceans by 2030．

B．To allow unrestricted fishing on the high seas.

C．To promote international tourism in marine areas.

D．To establish new shipping routes on the high seas.

2. What does the underlined phrase “impinged on” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Exchanged.

B．Assisted.

C．Impacted.

D．Defended.

3. What does Paragraph 3 highlight?

A．Strict rules of a marine protected area.

B．Current measures to restrict overfishing.

C．The limited number of migratory species.

D．The lack of protection for the high seas.

4. What is the best title of the text?

A．New Plans to Develop Marine Resources

B．A New UN Agreement to Preserve Open Oceans

C．The Treaty Officially Accepted at a UN Meeting

D．The Cooperation on Sharing Resources Equally

4 . Recycled, reused and renewable textiles (纺织品) only go so far in solving the fast-fashion crisis, writes Alexandra Carlton. The answer may lie in consumption.

Australia is the world’s second-largest consumer of clothing, generating 800,000 tonnes of textile waste yearly. Individuals consume about 27 kilograms of new clothes annually and cast 23 kilograms of waste. Globally, the situation is even more severe, with an estimated 92million tonnes of clothing waste produced each year. This equates to a truckload of clothes entering landfills every second.

If you want to stop our unwanted clothes from jamming the planet, you’d assume that reusing and recycling would lead the discussion. However, full clothes recycling — breaking clothes down to their base fibres to create new ones — is no simple task. Clothes consist of various fibres, fasteners, and decorations that traditionally require painstaking manual (手工的) separation. Yet, innovation is underway, such as the Swedish large-scale sorting facility Siptex, where textiles can be sorted by color and material using infrared (红外线) technology.

Brands like Adelaide’s Autark focus on minimizing output. “I keep my collections tightly designed and production numbers slim,” says designer Sophia McMahon. Sometimes this means she doesn’t have the exact clothes someone wants in store, but customers are patient while she makes items to order because they understand her brand’s essence.

Startups like AirRobe are giving clothes a second life and could be part of the solution. The clothing resale market is currently worth 49 billion and is expected to reach 103 billion by 2025．AirRobe lets customers add new purchases to their digital wardrobe so they can be resold later without uploading photos or descriptions. “The ‘re-economy’ — the reuse and recycle market sector — will be a real opportunity for us,” says Erica Berchtold, CEO of The Iconic.

Researchers Samantha Sharpe and Taylor Brydges from the University of Technology Sydney advocate a widespread shift among consumers towards buying fewer, higher-quality clothes besides these innovations.

1. Why are the numbers used in Paragraph 2?

A．To encourage factories to produce more clothes.

B．To emphasize the severity of the clothing waste.

C．To present the amount of clothing consumption.

D．To set the stage for discussing how to landfill clothes.

2. What does the author think of full clothes recycling?

A．It is challenging.	B．It is energy-saving.
C．It is unworthy of attention.	D．It is time-efficient.

3. What does Sophia McMahon mean in Paragraph 4?

A．Consumers should be patient to buy high-quality clothes.

B．Clothes specially designed for consumers are the most fit.

C．Adelaide’s Autark has enough clothes in store for consumers.

D．Slowing the production cycle is essential to reducing output.

4. What do the researchers suggest doing regarding consumer habits?

A．Buying more clothes.	B．Following the fashion trend.
C．Changing consuming behavior.	D．Concentrating innovation.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I was doing homework with my friend Ollie at his home when he randomly started scribbling (乱画) a fish. But not just any fish. This fish was riding a skateboard and blowing a bubble that said “I’d rather be skating!”I laughed and drew a sea star saying “Quit fooling around and get to work!”

Just then, Ollie’s grandma Abuela and her friend Mr. Goldberg came into the kitchen. Mr. Goldberg was in charge of the local animal shelter. Abuela poured their tea and inquired about how things were going at the animal shelter. Mr. Goldberg sighed, shaking his head. He explained that not enough people were adopting pets, resulting in too many animals without homes.

Overhearing the conversation, Ollie offered to adopt some excitedly. But Abuela said that one noisy parrot was plenty for this house.

“Blue isn’t noisy,” defended Ollie. “He’s just musical.”

“I’d have a whole farm full of animals if I could,” I said. “But my parents say two cats and a hamster (仓鼠) are enough.”

Mr. Goldberg said he kept trying to attract people to adopt animals, but found it hard to get people’s attention these days. Ollie drew a sad whale, and I wrote the words “Please adopt me” in the shape of a whale spout (喷水). Mr. Goldberg took a look at our drawings and made favorable comments on them, saying that these clever talking animals just might grab people’s attention. And he asked us if we were willing to design a poster for his animal shelter, a proposal we happily accepted. We decided to draw some ideas on our own and meet up again the next afternoon.

That night, when I was sitting in the living room brainstorming ideas for the poster, my little brother brought in our hamster, Mr. Nibbles, to give him a little run-around time. He made a hamster playground out of couch pillows and Mr. Nibbles began to run around merrily.

Suddenly, an idea formed in my mind.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

We decided to make both Mr. Nibbles and Blue the stars of the poster.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Sometimes we only appreciate something when we realize we may lose it. That is the story of the Everglades. A shallow slow-moving river, the Everglades once covered about 18,000 square miles of southern Florida. Until the 1900s, few people lived in the grassy wetlands. Not much was understood about the unique balance of nature that existed there. Plants, creatures, and water had formed a remarkable ecosystem.

By the early 1900s, Florida’s pleasant winters attracted more people. Visitors became new permanent residents. They built homes and roads. The conditions looked good for farming, so the newcomers planted large agricultural crops. But South Florida’s cycle of flooding was a problem. To address that, developers attempted to drain (排水) the land. They also built structures to control water levels and flow.

Those changes made it easier for more people to live year-round in South Florida. However, they also disturbed life in the Everglades, which depends on freshwater regularly refilling the land. The area’s growing human population needed freshwater. And large farms consumed large quantities of freshwater. By the mid-1900s, water levels in southern Florida began to go down. Lack of freshwater wasn’t the only problem. As more and more land was developed for people and farms, the Everglades’ historic boundaries contracted. Loss of habitat and hunting threatened the survival of native species in the Everglades.

Some people hoped that the government’s recognition might save the Everglades. They fought for it. Everglades National Park was established in 1947. It became the first park in the United States created for its biodiversity.

Now, Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres along the southern tip of Florida. An amazing variety of creatures live there. About 360 different species of birds have been sighted in the park. Nearly 300 different species of fish have been identified. About 40 species of mammals and 50 species of reptiles inhabit the park. Nature still rules in the Everglades, a place worth understanding, appreciating, and protecting.

1. What was the Everglades like before the 1900s?

A．Naturally wild.	B．Partly explored.
C．Completely lifeless.	D．Thickly populated.

2. What problem did new residents cause for the Everglades?

A．A cycle of flooding.

B．Pollution of freshwater.

C．Possible extinction of native species.

D．The extension of historic boundaries.

3. Why are the figures mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To attract visitors to the park.

B．To stress the great power of nature.

C．To call for more efforts to protect nature.

D．To show the successful conservation of the park.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．How people adapted to life in the Everglades.

B．How Everglades National Park was established.

C．How humans harmed and saved the Everglades.

D．How the ecosystem of the Everglades was formed.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the man think of his job?

A．It is tiring.

B．It is boring.

C．It is easy.

2. What is the most challenging to the man?

A．Treating injured lions.

B．Attending to baby animals.

C．Dealing with special animals.

3. What does the man advise the woman to do?

A．Take a higher degree.

B．Receive specific training.

C．Raise a pet.

4. What is the woman?

A．A student.

B．A doctor.

C．A zookeeper.

9 . “A moth (飞蛾) to a flame” is often used to indicate an inescapable attraction, yet it is a strange example of animal behavior that continues to confuse people today. Scientists have raised a number of theories over the years to explain why. One holds that insects flying at night are following their nature to fly toward the brightest spot in their field of vision, which they mistake for the sky. Another suggests that insects are trying to warm themselves with the heat produced by the light. The most popular theory, though, is that insects are confusing lights with the moon or other celestial bodies (天体) that they normally use to navigate (导航).

To find out the real reason, the team carried out a first set of experiments in an insect flight area. The researchers used eight high-speed infrared (红外线) cameras equipped with motion-capture technologies to track 30 insects from three moth and two dragonfly species. They also flew lab-raised insects from six different insect orders that were too small for motion-capture technology, including fruit flies and honeybees, to make sure different insects all showed similar responses to light. Working with co-author Pablo Allen of the Council on International Educational Exchange in Monteverde, Costa Rica, the researchers put heavy cameras, lights and tripods in two field sites to gather behavioral data from insects in the wild.

The team was able to confirm that insects were not beelining to the light but rather circling it as they tilted (倾斜) in an attempt to turn their backs toward it. This behavior, known as a “dorsal light response”, normally helps insects to remain in an unchanging path of flight that is properly lined to the horizon (地平线). Artificial light that arrives from a point source causes them to fly in unpredictable patterns as they try to turn their backs to what they are mistaking for the sky.

Now research might have finally solved the mystery mentioned first: artificial light confuses insects’ ability to turn themselves to the horizon, confusing their sense of what is up and down and causing them to fly in circles.

1. Which theory about a moth to a flame is accepted by most people?

A．They follow their nature to fly.	B．They are blind to artificial light.
C．They mistake artificial light for celestial bodies.	D．They are attracted by the warmth of artificial light.

2. What’s the author’s purpose in using the figures in paragraph 2?

A．To show the study is comprehensive.	B．To introduce the purpose of the study.
C．To estimate the cost of the research.	D．To stress the challenge faced by the researchers.

3. What does the underlined word “beelining” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Flying slowly.

B．Sticking.

C．Responding.

D．Going straight.

4. What benefit can insects get from “dorsal light response”?

A．They can fly beyond the horizon.	B．They can follow a steady flight path.
C．They can turn their backs toward lights.	D．They can circle the light source upside down.

10 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出 提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

A new study shows rapid decline in insect populations. A growing number of the Earth’s insect population now can     1     (see) only in collections on exhibitions. Nobody’s seen those for 400 years. A new review of over 70 studies of insect populations     2       (suggest) that human pressures are causing insect populations to decrease by as much as a quarter every decade. The loss of species is inevitable (不可避免的) because often we don’t know     3     those species are doing or how other species are depending on them.