1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

With more and more scientists saying we no longer have a climate problem but a climate emergency, the call for all hands to be part     1     the solution is bringing people of all     2    (age) to be ready. Leslie Wharton, spokesperson for Elders Climate Action(ECA), is in the midst of organizing a     3    (grow) number of “old hands” into a nationwide network of people who, instead of just talking, are getting together     4     (close) and taking action.

In 2014, after attending one of Al Gore’s Climate Reality training workshops, Paul Severance, a member of Elders Action Network(EAN), started ECA, which     5     (hold)its first in-person conference in September 2015 in Washington, D. C., with other climate activist groups. “That’s how I got     6     (involve),” Wharton says. “I was there in 2015 and I just felt such a community, such energy and support and focus, that I was just overwhelmed. At the end, I was given a form that asked if I would be willing to be     7    volunteer. I said yes.” Although most ECA members are in     8    (they) 50s through 80s and even 90s, some are as young as 18.

ECA’s mission is to reach out to older individuals and let them join, so they can use their expertise, experience and knowledge     9     (help) build a sustainable future. Those things can provide the support, encouragement, initiative     10     energy to get more and more people out there doing whatever they can do, right where they are.

2 . A team of leading environmental experts have warned that the current war on plastic is detracting from the bigger threats to the environment. In an article, they say that while plastic waste is an issue, its prominence in the general public’s concern for the environment is overshadowing greater threats, for example, climate change and biodiversity loss.

The team argue that much of the bad talk about plastic waste is based on data that is not always representative of the environments that have been sampled. The dislike of plastic associated with this could encourage the use of alternative materials with potentially harmful effects.

The authors warn that plastic pollution dominates the public’s concern for the environment and has been exploited politically, after capturing the attention of the world, for example, through the images of wildlife caught in plastic was alarmist headlines. They say small political gestures such as law banning cosmetic microplastics, taxing plastic bags, and financial rewards for using reusable containers, as well as the promotion of products as “green” for containing less plastic than alternatives, make people neglect other environmental problems that are not as noticeable as plastic pollution.

The article also highlights that plastic is not the only type of polluting materials, originating from human activity that pollutes the environment. Other examples include natural textile fibres such as cotton and wool, and brake-wear particles from vehicles — all of which are present in different places. The authors note that these materials are often much more abundant than microplastics and some are associated with “plastic alternatives” that are marketed as solutions to plastic pollution. The impacts of these materials are less well-known than plastic and microplastic pollution, yet they could have huge impacts.

The article states that solutions are likely to come from a greater focus on designing materials and products that can be recycled, that have their end-of-life, and that markets and facilities exist to recycle.

1. What’s the experts’ attitude towards the current war on plastic?

A．Indifferent.

B．Favorable.

C．Critical.

D．Objective.

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

A．The negative view of plastic.

B．The use of alternative materials.

C．The potential harmful effects.

D．The defense for plastic.

3. What does the author intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Explain a rule.	B．Make a comparison.
C．Clarify a point.	D．Offer a suggestion.

4. What is the text most likely to be?

A．A response to plastic pollution.

B．A schedule to fight against pollution.

C．An argument against climate change.

D．A guide to plastic management.

3 . Flora was playing with her new dog Stitch, while wearing a favourite second-hand sweater. Stitch jumped up and grabbed her sleeve-and tore several holes in it with her sharp teeth.

Flora wasn’t about to throw the item out. “I can’t bring myself to throw away nice clothing just because of a hole, ”she explains. She decided to tackle a new skill repairing. She began by reading a book called Make Do and Repair, about the innovative ways to avoid waste.

Instead of tying to make the repair as small as possible, she turned to “visible fixing, ”a fashion in repairing clothes that leaves an intentionally obvious fix. She added flowers, or other small designs to damaged clothes. “Every time you do a repair, it’s like getting a new piece of clothing, ”says Flora.

Sadly, we have been in the habit of replacing things instead of repairing them—and the garbage is piling up. Worldwide, we throw out 92 million tonnes of fabric every year.

The good news is that fixing things can help solve the waste problem. It’s part of a larger shift toward a circular economy -the idea that instead of throwing out items once they are broken or out of date, we reuse or repair them, keeping them out of the waste yard for as long as possible.

There was a time when people fixed things themselves or called their local repair shop, But as more items were produced and prices dropped, replacing even a big appliance became more convenient.

That’s changing, in part due to information now available online. The popular how-to site iFixit. com has enabled more than 100 million repairs.

“Companies have been designing products that break easily or become outdated quickly, forcing consumers to buy new ones or purchase upgrades. We’re now seeing some producers show interest in making it possible for users to repair things. Some companies are selling official parts and sharing their repair guides through iFixit. IFixit has grown into a database with over 100, 000 repair manuals. We have this vision of a world where repair is the expectation for all things that are made, ”says Chamberlain, director of iFixit.

1. Why did Flora read a book?

A．For innovation.	B．For repairing skills.
C．For a better life.	D．For dog-raising information.

2. What makes the author sad?

A．People’s habit.	B．Repairing quality.
C．Fabric production.	D．Worldwide garbage.

3. What is the purpose of ”circular economy“?

A．To remove landfills.	B．To increase production.
C．To help exchange goods.	D．To realize resource cycle.

4. What can be inferred from Chamberlain?

A．He expects more wiser users.

B．He supports purchase upgrades.

C．He creates the repairing database of iFixit.

D．He has a desire for companies and consumers.

4 . 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。

One of my favourite things about spring is the arrival of different species of birds. My grandfather was a bird lover, and I picked up the birdwatching hobby at a young age, thanks to his influence. My husband John and I found it a relaxing way to enjoy nature; we like birdwatching when we go camping or hiking. Plus, I have a great love of nature photography, so when we sit out in the backyard of our home, I always have my digital camera with me. John is an artist, and he often paints the birds I photograph.

Usually when the yellow warblers (莺) come back from the south in springtime, they pass us by; we don’t typically see them hanging around our home. But not on this particular sunny day in spring. As soon as I finished my workday, I put on a light jacket and went out to the backyard to relax in my favourite way: by watching the birds.

While taking some pictures of cardinals (红衣凤头鸟) and chickadees (北美山雀) at one of our feeders, I looked up and noticed this yellow warbler in our maple tree. The tree had recently begun to bud, and the bird’s yellow feathers looked striking against the yellow blooms, so I took this photo. Our backyard has a variety of trees and between my husband and me, we’ve documented almost 40 different species of birds. I’ve photographed most of them, but some can be a bit camera shy so I also keep a written list of what we see. Our more common visitors are cardinals, chickadees, hummingbirds and various sparrows.

注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
One day, I was watching the yellow warbler jumping among trees when a snake crawled towards it.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At this time, I saw many small stones in the backyard.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, and Gu Gong in Chinese, lies at the city center of Beijing, and once served     1     the imperial palace for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Rectangular (矩形的) in shape, it is the world’s     2     (large) palace complex.

The Palace Museum is becoming waste-free as the 720,000-square-meter structure has managed to reduce     3     number of trash bins to 110 sets in areas open to the public. “It is a decrease from 310 sets logged in January 2020,     4     a zero-waste campaign was launched,” said the museum.

While     5     (protect) features of the six-century-old historical relic, the action also helps visitors and tourists get into the habit of creating less waste. The museum also recycled more than 32,000 plastic bottles to make cultural and     6     (create) products between June 2021 and October 2023, equivalent to a     7     (reduce) in carbon emission by 931 kilograms.

“By launching the campaign, the Palace Museum is taking a science-based and meticulous approach to waste. The target is to minimize the generation of waste that needs     8     (bury) or burned and bring the amount of such waste     9     (extreme) close to zero,” said the museum.

So far, approximately 3,000 museum staff members, 40,000 tourist guides, and 21 million visitors     10     (participate) in the campaign.

6 . Scientists have reported that the sea ice in Antarctica (南极) is at a record low level. Antarctica is a great, icy land, surrounded (围绕) by the huge Southern Ocean. The ice in Antarctica doesn’t just cover the land. There’s also a large area of sea ice on the ocean’s surface.

Every year, the sea ice at the South Pole goes through a cycle. In the summer, the huge sea ice melts (融化) to its smallest point. Over the colder winter months, the sea ice grows and grows until it covers a wide area. Usually, the sea ice covers the greatest area around September 23, as winter ends at the South Pole.

Scientists have been measuring the area of the sea ice in Antarctica since 1979. For most of this time, Antarctica has seemed to be almost unaffected by the changing weather conditions experienced in other parts of the globe. That began to change around 2016. Now, for several years, the area of Antartica’s sea ice has been shrinking.

This year, the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) reported that Antartica’s sea ice covered its greatest area on September 10 — almost two weeks earlier than normal. And the sea ice was at a new record low-not just by a little bit, but by a lot.

The last time Antartica’s low sea ice set a record at the end of winter was in 1986. And this year, there’s about 398, 000 square miles less sea ice than in 1986.

Scientists are still trying to understand what is driving the change in Antarctica. One likely direct cause for the change is the rising temperatures of the world’s oceans. Ted Scambos, a research scientist at the University of Colorado, says Antarctica’s ice levels have always changed some, but the sharp loss this year is “pointing towards warmer ocean conditions around the continent.”

The new low record has concerned the scientists. Scientists are working hard to better understand Antarctica. They don’t know yet if this is just a short-term problem, or part of a long-term shift (转变) towards less sea ice in Antarctica.

1. What does the underlined word “shrinking” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Getting smaller.

B．Being flat.

C．Observed.

D．Measured.

2. Why does the author mention the record in 1986?

A．To give an example.	B．To make a comparison.
C．To make a summary.	D．To offer an argument.

3. What is the possible direct reason for the change in Antarctica’s sea ice?

A．The changing weather conditions.	B．Human activities in Antarctica.
C．Increased volcanic activities in the area.	D．The increasing temperatures of the global oceans.

4. How do scientists feel about the low record?

A．Worried.

B．Annoyed.

C．Excited.

D．Satisfied.

7 . The “mark test” (or “mirror test”) is a way to test animal intelligence — whether an animal can recognize itself, especially animals with large brains. A mark is put on an animal, usually in a spot that can only be seen with a mirror. Then the animal is allowed to look in a mirror. If the animal seems to pay attention to the mark, scientists believe the animal has recognized itself.

But some scientists believe the mark test doesn’t work well for all animals. Roosters (公鸡) are a good example. Scientists at the University of Bonn recently ran the mark test on roosters. They put a pinkish triangle on the chest of the roosters. But when the roosters looked in a mirror, they didn’t seem to notice the mark.

The scientists needed a different way to test whether the roosters could recognize themselves. When there’s danger — like a hawk (鹰) flying above — roosters make loud calls to warn nearby chickens. But roosters only make the cries if other chickens can hear them. If they’re alone, they remain quiet so the hawk won’t see them. The scientists realized that they could use the shadow of a hawk to test if roosters could recognize themselves in a mirror.

First, the scientists let the roosters spend time getting used to being in a closed-in space and having a mirror around. Then, they ran several tests by making a hawk shadow appear above the bird and watching how the rooster reacted.

When there was no mirror, the roosters reacted as usual. They called out when they were near another rooster, but remained quiet when they were alone. But when a rooster was in a space where it could see itself in the mirror, it wasn’t fooled into thinking there was another rooster. It remained silent despite the hawk shadow.

It proves the roosters knew they were seeing themselves in the mirror, and not other roosters. That suggests that the mark test may not be a good test of whether an animal can recognize itself.

The scientists hope their results will encourage other scientists to look for better ways of testing self-recognition in animals.

1. What is the purpose of the “mark test”?

A．To test a bird’s ability to fly.

B．To measure an animal’s brain size.

C．To see if an animal can recognize itself.

D．To compare different animals’ intelligence.

2. How did scientists test whether the roosters thought they were alone?

A．By testing their eyesight with a mirror.

B．By putting a mark on the roosters’ chest.

C．By placing two roosters before the mirror.

D．By observing their reactions to a hawk shadow,

3. What do the results of the rooster experiment suggest?

A．Roosters are not intelligent animals.

B．The mark test is a reliable measure of self-recognition.

C．The mark test may not accurately determine self-recognition.

D．Roosters can recognize themselves better than other animals.

4. What do the scientists expect of further studies?

A．Conducting more experiments on roosters.

B．Using the mark test on other bird species.

C．Studying self-recognition in dolphins and elephants.

D．Searching for better ways to test animal intelligence.

8 . South Baltimore is surrounded by water, highways, and train tracks. It’s also often thought of as a place to avoid—folks are taught to be careful of or even avoid South Baltimore. “People think South Baltimore is a place filled with danger. It’s not. It’s just we’re surrounded by dangerous things,” says Taysia, 17.

Taysia is part of a group of student activists fighting against a very different kind of danger in their neighborhood: air pollution and climate change. Lots of trucks with their noise pass through the neighborhood. South Baltimore is also home to a junkyard where they crush (压碎)cars, an old landfill, chemical plants, and mountains of coal. These are not the communities anyone wants.

The residents of South Baltimore are breathing polluted air today. Coal releases a black dust that’s small enough to get into people’s lungs. It can cause disease and death if you’re breathing it day after day. The mountains of coal are the focus of a growing opposition movement called Free Your Voice, led by South Baltimore teenagers.

The teens of Free Your Voice are taking on a big opponent (对手): the massive transportation company CSX, which transports more than 8 million tons of coal through South Baltimore annually. CSX makes billions of dollars a year.

The teens went door to door, warning their neighbors about the dangers of the coal transportation. Not everyone was on board at first. “We were talking to people and that’s just like, ‘You’re a kid! Like this is not gonna change, it’s been happening forever.’” Taysia says.

Meanwhile, the students spent the summer using sticky paper to gather samples of dust from all over the neighborhood to prove that the dust was from coal and to pinpoint which parts of the neighborhood were most affected.

The goal is to eventually get the state regulators to deny the permit that CSX needs to operate, or at least require the company to enclose all the coal, or at the very least put water onto all of it so there’s less dust blowing around. And the state is considering all of those requests.

1. How did people describe South Baltimore according to Taysia?

A．Wealthy.

B．Dangerous.

C．Peaceful.

D．Inclusive.

2. What is the main focus of the opposition movement called Free Your Voice?

A．The junkyard.	B．The old landfill.
C．The chemical plants.	D．The coal transportation.

3. Why did some people in the neighborhood initially doubt the students’ efforts?

A．They believed the pollution was harmless.

B．They trusted CSX’s environmental practices.

C．They had no awareness of the pollution and climate change.

D．They thought the students were too young to make a change.

4. What method did the students use to gather evidence of coal-related pollution?

A．Conducting surveys.	B．Distributing leaflets.
C．Using sticky paper for dust samples.	D．Organizing protests.

9 . From 2018 to 2021, about 10 billion snow crabs (蟹) disappeared from the eastern Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. “It’s a fishery disaster in the truest sense of the word,” says Cody Szuwalski, a fishery biologist.

Usually, as winter’s thick sea ice melts (融化), the meltwater settles on the seafloor, creating a cold-water pool with temperatures below 2° Celsius on the eastern Bering Sea shelf, which makes perfect habitat for snow crabs. But a sea heat wave in the area in 2018 and 2019 prevented the usual amount of sea ice from forming.

After a close study, Szuwalski and his colleagues have found the water temperature probably didn’t kill the crabs directly, as snow crabs in laboratories can survive in waters up to 12℃. Instead, the crabs might have died from hunger. According to the study, the food demand of snow crabs in labs almost double as water temperature rises from 0℃ to 3℃. The crab population reached historic highs in 2018 thanks to great ocean conditions for newborn crabs around 2010. As a result, the crowded crabs probably needed more food, but because of the smaller foraging (觅食) area, they had even fewer resources to sink their claws into.

“It’s just something we didn’t expect, but now we have to live with,” says Christopher Harley, an ocean scientist. Such effects of ocean heat waves are likely to go beyond snow crabs. In answer to climate change, ecosystems in northern areas of the earth, such as Alaska’s, are changing more rapidly than anywhere else. Scientists can try to help predict (预测) and prepare for changes in the future with the aid of former research. “But the future increasingly holds events that have never happened on record before, like the drop in the snow crab population,” Harley says.

1. Which of the following is suitable for snow crabs to live according to the text?

A．Quiet warm water.

B．Large water area.

C．Cold deep water.

D．Cold sea surface.

2. What probably directly causes the disappearance of more snow crabs?

A．Polluted seawater.	B．Inability to fight diseases.
C．Change in water temperature.	D．Too little food for so many snow crabs.

3. Why are ecosystems in northern areas of the earth changing?

A．To adapt to climate change.	B．To force people to reduce activities.
C．To avoid destruction from humans.	D．To remove environmental pollution.

4. What does Harley mean when it comes to the prediction for the future based on former research?

A．It is useless.

B．It is challenging.

C．It is economical.

D．It is rewarding.