1 . British anthropologists Russell Hill and Robert Barton of the University of Durham, after studying the results of one-on-one boxing, taekwondo, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling matches at the Olympic Games, conclude that when two competitors are equally matched in fitness and skill, the athlete wearing red is more likely to win.

Hill and Barton report that when one competitor is much better than the other, colour has no effect on the result. However, when there is only a small difference between them, the effect of colour is enough to tip the balance. The anthropologists say that the number of times red wins is not simply by chance, but that these results are statistically significant.

Joanna Setchell, a primate (灵长目动物) researcher at the University of Cambridge, has found similar results in nature. She studies the large African monkeys known as mandrills. Mandrills have bright red noses that stand out against their white faces. Setchell’s work shows that the powerful males—the ones who are more successful with females—have a brighter red nose than other males.

As well as the studies on primates by Setchell, another study shows the effect of red among birds. In an experiment, scientists put red plastic tings on the legs of male zebra finches and this increased the birds’ success with female zebra finches. Zebra finches already have bright red beaks (鸟喙), so this study suggests that, as with Olympic athletes, an extra flash of red is significant. In fact, researchers from the University of Glasgow say that the birds’ brightly coloured beaks are an indicator of health. Jonathan Blount, a biologist, and his colleagues think they have found proof that bright red or orange beaks attract females because they mean that the males are healthier. Nothing in nature is simple, however, because in species such as the blue footed booby, a completely different colour seems to give the male birds the same advantage with females.

Meanwhile, what about those athletes who win in their events while wearing red? Do their clothes give them an unintentional advantage? Robert Barton accepts that “that is the implication” of their findings. Is it time for sports authorities to consider new regulations on sports clothing?

1. According to their research, Hill and Barton conclude that ___________.

A．the colour of clothing has an effect on most sport events

B．red should be the choice of colour for clothing in sports

C．red plays a role when competitors are equally capable

D．athletes perform better when surrounded by bright red

2. The underlined word "tip" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A．achieve	B．seek
C．keep	D．change

3. The example of the blue footed booby proves that ___________.

A．male birds use different body parts to draw attention

B．red is not the only colour to attract female birds

C．blue gives female birds the same advantage

D．blue can indicate how healthy a bird is

2 . Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Stein’s jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.

Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台). The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.

Among the bag makers’ argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today.

The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.

Environmentalists don’t dispute(质疑) these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.

1. What has Steven Stein been hired to do?

A．Help increase grocery sales.

B．Recycle the waste material.

C．Stop things falling off trucks.

D．Argue for the use of plastic bags.

2. What does the word “headwinds” in paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Bans on plastic bags.

B．Effects of city development.

C．Headaches caused by garbage.

D．Plastic bags hung in trees.

3. What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?

A．They are quite expensive.

B．Replacing them can be difficult.

C．They are less strong than plastic bags.

D．Producing them requires more energy.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Plastic, Paper or Neither

B．Industry, Pollution and Environment

C．Recycle or Throw Away

D．Garbage Collection and Waste Control

3 . Dear Koko,

I’ve learned about you from my amazing teacher. I think it’s fun that you can communicate with us humans by using the sign language. I’ve spent a lot of time watching you in different videos and love you from the bottom of my heart.

It’s heartbreaking to learn about all of the cruel things done to gorillas(大猩猩). In Africa, for example, the killers use guns to kill your fellows for meat. They don’t understand the influence their actions are having on gorillas. Another thing is the loss of gorillas’ natural home, which is caused by the improved infrastructure such as building roads and airports. When we cut down trees, you become homeless. We take away your shelter and sources of food, leaving you with very little chance of survival.

Some of my classmates are writing to the relevant departments about these serious problems. Hopefully these letters will make a difference during your lifetime. Over the past three months, my class has been researching on gorillas, and I’ve learned so many things. For example, I’ve learned that you have a lot of feelings similar to mine and you are always so careful with everything you do. I think that you are really worth saving.

We’ve come up with many ideas to help you and your fellows. One of the best ideas is to communicate with the President of the World Bank and have him give more financial support to the organizations for gorillas. Another idea is to make public laws on the killers. I also think we need to keep educating people about gorillas.

I love writing to you and hope you can understand how important you’ve become to our class. Would it be too much to ask for a return letter?

Mike

1. According to the passage, Koko is probably ________.

A．a killer of gorillas	B．a member of the gorilla family
C．an expert on gorillas	D．a governor in charge of gorillas

2. What is mainly talked about in the second paragraph?

A．The problems gorillas face at present.

B．The danger gorillas cause for humans.

C．The unique characteristic gorillas have.

D．The natural environment gorillas live in.

3. The author suggests that ________.

A．gorillas should be protected in nature reserves

B．killers for gorillas should be legally responsible

C．organizations should be set up to protect gorillas

D．people should make donations to gorilla protection

4 . The online takeaway industry is growing in China along with the rapid development of the Internet economy. But environmental activists complain that the huge volume of plastic utensils (用具), wrapping and containers presents a great challenge to the environment, and that the heavy use of throwaway wooden chopsticks is reducing natural resources.

On September 1, the Beijing No.4 Intermediate People’s Court accepted a lawsuit filed by the Chongqing Green Volunteer League, an environmental non-government organization (NGO), against the country’s three largest food delivery platforms—Baidu Waimai, Ele.me and Meituan. The NGO stated that the companies failed to provide customers with the choice to not receive throwaway plastic utensils along with their food deliveries. Meanwhile, these utensils have created large amounts of rubbish and caused serious ecological damage.

In response, both Meituan and Ele.me, which acquired Baidu Waimai in August, have promised to take measures to reduce plastic waste. Meituan announced that it would appoint a chief environmental officer to oversee environmental issues from plastic waste and upgrade its smartphone app to provide consumers with the option of ordering food without single-use chopsticks, spoons or napkins. Ele.me followed by offering a similar choice and putting forward a plan to introduce suppliers of degradable (可降解的) plastic utensils to restaurants in the long term.

Is there a possible way out? Combined efforts by delivery platforms, consumers, restaurants and government departments are required to address plastic waste pollution.

For platforms, promoting environmental protection and introducing this idea to consumers are a meaningful move. Moreover, in the future, they should also make strict rules on the use of plastic utensils. For example, no more than one plastic bag should be used to wrap soup dishes, and all plastic products should be degradable. It is a long and difficult task for them, and the recent reactions from Ele.me and Meituan are just beginnings.

Considering most takeout food packaging is thrown into garbage bins and then taken away along with other household garbage, sorting of waste also becomes more important. Government departments could play a major role in this, and by recycling some materials, waste pollution could be reduced and resources saved. Furthermore, there have been growing calls that the government should also invest more in developing degradable plastic products or environmentally friendly alternatives.

Though consumers enjoy the convenience yet also suffer exposure to the pollution, many of them have paid little attention to the plastic waste problem. Environmental groups suggest that consumers change their habits a little by using their own utensils and dishes and refusing unnecessary plastic containers.

1. The Chongqing Green Volunteer League accused the three food delivery platforms of ________.

A．causing damage to people’s health

B．violating environmental standards

C．using many wooden chopsticks

D．offering no utensil option

2. The author suggests food delivery platforms ________.

A．raise people’s awareness	B．research possible alternatives
C．upgrade their application design	D．hire a chief environmental officer

3. Who probably plays a more important role in promoting the categorization of rubbish?

A．Government departments.	B．Food delivery platforms.
C．Environmental groups.	D．Fast food restaurants.

4. The passage is mainly concerned with ________.

A．why environmental problems arise

B．who food delivery platforms affect most

C．how plastic utensil pollution can be solved

D．what efforts environmental groups have made

5 . If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping, I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insect bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me.     1    

The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer.     2     We slept in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor’s bill for my son’s food poisoning.

I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness.     3     Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

    4     We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.

    5     It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.

A．This time there was no tent.

B．Things are going to be improved.

C．The trip they took me on was a rough one.

D．I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.

E．I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.

F．After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

G．There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.

6 . Most of us don’t like to think too much about rubbish.    1    . However, household waste is a major contributor to our planet’s waste problem. Like it or not, it needs to be managed if we are to have a brighter green future.

When it comes to being responsible for our own rubbish, the best way to approach it is by following the three golden rules of waste management, or the ‘3 Rs’-Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

“The order is important.    2     ,” says Eugene Tay, Director of Green Future Solutions in Singapore. “Recycling still affects the environment and should be done last after reduce and reuse.”

But, when our efforts to reduce and reuse still result in an overflowing rubbish bin, the advantages of recycling cannot be ignored. “    3    ,” says Amy Ho, Managing Director of World Wide Fund For Nature in Singapore. “The damage to our environment could then be slowed down as a result. ”

In fact, by recycling just one plastic bottle, you are saving not just the material to make a new one, but you also stop it from getting thrown into a landfill(垃圾掩埋场)for up to 700 years-and that’s before it even starts to rot.     4    .

Recycling is so important that we really have no excuse not to do the simplest of household tasks that will make a difference.

“    5     , ”says Ho. “Starting with recycling grey water for gardening purposes, to recycling materials such as glass, paper and iron-it all reduces the use of raw materials.”

A．We put it in the bin and don’t think too far beyond that

B．The collective action of individuals can make a significant effect

C．It‘s important for every household to make good use of grey water

D．Waste reduction and reuse is usually the best way to decrease waste

E．The three rules of waste management should be followed by every household

F．Recycling reduces the use of raw materials and so protects our natural resources

G．Recycling just 10% plastic bottles would keep 90 million kilograms of plastic out of landfills