A. poisoned B. destruction C. survived D. increased E. especially F. chemicals G. concern H. decline I. occasionally J. sensitive K.extinction |
More recent research has shown that many kinds of amphibians(两栖动物) are declining or have become extinct. Amphibians are animals, such as frogs, that live partly in water and partly on land. And they have been around for over 350 million years. They have
The most serious aspect of amphibian loss, however, goes beyond the amphibians themselves. Scientists are beginning to think about what amphibian
Scientists now believe that amphibian decline is due to several environmental factors. One of these factors is the
There are a number of other factors in amphibian decline. Pollution is one of them. In many industrial areas, air pollution has
All these reasons for the disappearance of amphibians are also good reasons for more general
2 . We Have a Painter to Thank for Yellowstone
Before artist Thomas Moran set foot in the park, it was seen as an unhappy place. After, it was marketed as a wonderland.
Before Thomas Moran arrived, Yellowstone in the popular imagination was a harsh (严酷的), wild place pocked with hellish geysers(间歇泉). After the painter’s work was finished, Yellowstone was established as a national park and marketed as a wonderland.
In 1871 Moran and photographer William Henry Jackson had joined the first U.S. government survey of the region. For two weeks Moran filled a sketchbook (写生簿) with the landscape’s most stunning sights. The survey results, Jackson’s photos, and Moran’s watercolours—the first colour renderings of the area—were presented to Congress that fall. “The photographs were proof that what the artist was showing really existed,” says Eleanor Harvey, senior curator (馆长) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
In March 1872 lawmakers officially made Yellowstone a national park, the world’s first. By April, Moran had transformed some of his sketches into a 7-by-12-foot painting. The gold-splattered valley and billowing Lower Falls of “The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” attracted the public. “It is too grand and wonderful for words,” declared the Ladies’ Repository that August, “and none can ever judge of its wonders from any engraving or photograph in mere black and white.”
Though Moran later painted Lake Superior, the Grand Canyon, and the Rockies, his reputation was so intertwined with Yellowstone that he took to signing his paintings “TYM,” for Thomas “Yellowstone” Moran.
1. What can we know about Yellowstone according to the passage?A.It was a popular park with geysers before Thomas Moran finished transformation. |
B.It was an imagination of a harsh and wild place. |
C.It became a national park with the efforts of Moran and Jackson. |
D.It is an attractive grand valley. |
A.Packed. | B.Dotted. |
C.Blocked. | D.Stuck. |
A.Paying attention to colour rendering of paintings. |
B.His magnificent and wonderful paintings. |
C.His reputation closely linked to Yellowstone Park. |
D.His paintings with nothing special. |
A.The significance of Thomas Moran’s paintings to Yellowstone Park. |
B.How Yellowstone Park is established as a National Park. |
C.The great painter—Thomas Moran. |
D.The process of Yellowstone Park being labelled as a fairyland. |
从“食物选择”的角度,谈谈你对“低碳生活”的看法,怎样做到“低碳生活”,提出合理建议,并说明理由。
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4 . Ranchers(农场主) and environmental advocates haven’t always seen eye to eye, but the differences between the two aren’t as extreme any more, as more and more ranchers have come around to the understanding that taking good care of the land supports both economic stability and environmental health.
“For some, ranching was pursued in the past with an emphasis on raising beef at the expense of everything else,” says Bill Bryan of the Montana—based Rural Landscape Institute in a recent Christian Science Monitor. “As a matter of necessity, the old way of ranching is giving way to a new pattern. Raising animals for the dinner table isn’t an activity that has to be at odds with the environment.”
According to the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund (WWF), grazing (放牧)—when done right—is key to maintaining biological diversity and ecosystem health across the Northern Great Plains, across 183-million-acre expanse of rangelands spanning five US states and two Canadian provinces.
This vast landscape evolved in harmony with large herbivores (食草动物), such as bison and elk, and must be grazed in order to remain healthy, reports WWF, which works with hundreds of ranchers across the region as part of its Sustainable Ranching Initiative. “Without grazing, woody vegetation, such as juniper and cedar creeps in and kills plants that threatened species, such as grassland birds, need to survive.”
Not surprisingly, many of the ranchers that are following in the forebears’ footsteps have been using what we now call “sustainable ranching practices” for decades already. One example is rotational (轮流的) grazing, that is moving cattle herds more frequently to different pastures(牧场), so they don’t overgraze any one particular patch of land.
A newer “best practice” involves depositing a quarter to half inch of cattle wastes on grazed land to kick-start the soil chemistry below while also absorbing significant amounts of methane (沼气)—the most potent greenhouse gas—before it can head for the atmosphere. This technique is now becoming more commonplace as today’s ranchers care about reducing their carbon footprints like no generation before them.
1. In the first two paragraphs, what does the writer imply about the relationship in the past between ranchers and environmentalists?A.They worked together to reduce the impact of grazing on the environment. |
B.They didn’t look each other in the eyes when they meet. |
C.They had great differences between each other. |
D.They both agreed that raising animals for food benefits the environment. |
A.be favourable to |
B.be in disagreement with |
C.stand a chance with |
D.be unusual for |
A.Many ranchers persist in prioritising raising cattle over anything else. |
B.Grazing done in the right way helps biological diversity and ecosystem. |
C.“Rotational grazing” has been recently employed to raise animals. |
D.Grazing contributes to trees competing favourably with plants. |
A.grazing can be functional in the chemistry field |
B.methane is another powerful greenhouse gas besides carbon dioxide |
C.ranchers tend to remove their footprints as they are grazing |
D.grazing has become more eco-friendly as time goes by |
A.Three. | B.Four. | C.Five. | D.Six. |
A.4,830 km. | B.3,926 m. |
C.2,575 km. | D.3,830 km. |
A.Between the U.S. and North Africa. |
B.Between Senegal and Brazil. |
C.Between Greenland and Scotland. |
D.Between Senegal and North Africa. |
6 . An exhibition of vivid photographs and a restored documentary give fresh insight into the Antarctic explorer, who died a century ago.
One hundred years ago, the leader of the last great expedition of the heroic age of polar exploration died from a heart attack as his ship, Quest, headed for Antarctica. The announcement of the death of Ernest Shackleton on 30 January 1922 was greeted with an outpouring of national grief.
This was the man, after all, who had saved the entire crew of his ship Endurance — which had been crushed and sunk by ice in 1915 — by making a daring trip in a tiny open boat over 750 miles of polar sea to raise the alarm at a whaling station in South Georgia.
It remains one of the greatest rescue stories of modern history and led to the idolising of Shackleton in the United Kingdom, a reputation that survived undamaged for the rest of the century. As his contemporary Raymond Priestley, the geologist and Antarctic explorer, later put it: “When disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.”
And here and now in 2022, his death is being marked with an elaborately illustrated exhibition — Shackleton’s legacy and the power of early Antarctic photography — which opens at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), and which includes a range of images and artefacts from his expeditions. Additionally, a digitally remade version of South, a documentary film of Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance expedition, is being screened at the British Film Institute.
The film and most of the exhibition’s finest images are the handiwork of Frank Hurley, who sailed with Shackleton and who was one of the 20th century’s greatest photographers and film-makers. Both film and exhibition feature striking camera work and provide vivid accounts of the hardships that Shackleton and his men endured as they headed off to explore Antarctica.
Even after he survived the great expedition, he still longed for another trip to Antarctica, and after long negotiations set sail in Quest, from England, with the aim of circumnavigating (环航) Antarctica, Shackleton was by now very ill and had suffered at least one heart attack. On 2 January 1922, he wrote in his diary: “I grow old and tired but must always lead on.” Three days later he had a major heart attack and died a few hours later. He is buried on South Georgia, scene of his greatest triumph.
“Shackleton was an inspirational leader. He had an innate sense of what was possible and achievable. He also had a huge personality but led by example. At the same time, he was sensitive to the needs of the individuals he was leading. For example, after Endurance broke up, his men had lost their protection and shelter. Their social fabric had been destroyed. There would have been disagreement. Yet Shackleton succeeded in keeping them together and made sure they survived.”
1. People were overcome with grief when Ernest Shackleton died because .A.it was a huge pity that such a brave explorer should have died from a heart attack |
B.he was the man that wrote about one of the greatest rescue stories of modern history |
C.he came to his entire crew’s rescue and symbolised hope in extreme circumstances |
D.there was no one to pray to anymore when disaster came and there was no hope |
A.It presents Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance expedition with powerful Antarctic photos. |
B.It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton’s birth. |
C.It consists of vivid photographs, artefacts, and documentaries of Ernest Shackleton. |
D.It is created by Frank Hurley, who witnessed Shackleton’s heroic acts with his own eyes. |
A.He was the leader of a heroic exploration to the South pole, who died from a heart attack off shore. |
B.He saved the crew members of the sunken Endurance by travelling to raise the alarm in a tiny boat. |
C.He is universally recognised as the greatest Antarctic explorer who has enjoyed enduring fame. |
D.He was inspirational, practical, responsible, sensitive towards his men, but had a strong character. |
A.What they wore would not be accepted by others upon returning. |
B.They could no longer socialise with others even if they went back. |
C.The ship could not keep them together even if they survived. |
D.They could not function socially as they had when there was shelter. |
7 . An argument will break down if one of the premises is not true or if the conclusion does not logically follow from them. For example, consider this argument:
The deer population in our state should be preserved. During the hunting season hundreds of deer are killed. Therefore, the hunting season should be discontinued.
To challenge this argument, the state’s wildlife commission might agree with both the major and minor premises but question whether the conclusion follows logically from them. True, the deer population should be preserved; true, deer are killed during the hunting season. However, in a state where deer have no natural enemies, herds become too large for the natural forest vegetation to support them. The overpopulated herds eat the leaves of the young trees, killing the trees, before dying of starvation themselves. The commission might conclude, therefore, that a limited hunting season helps preserve a healthier and more stable population of deer.
People who already agree with you need no persuasion, although a well-argued case for their own point of view is always welcome. But indifferent and doubting people will tend to resist your argument because they have minds of their own. To convince them, you will need to refute(驳斥)opposing arguments.
To give up a position that seems reasonable, the arguer has to see that there is an even more reasonable one. In addition to presenting your own case, review the chief arguments of the other side and explain what you think is wrong with them.
It is the best way to deal with the other side. Often it is useful to summarize the opposing position. Sometimes a better plan is to anticipate objections as you develop your detailed reasons for your argument. Wherever you decide to deal with opposing arguments, do your best to refute them.
As you refute opposition arguments, try to establish common ground with readers who at first do not agree with your views. If you can show that you share their values, they may be able to switch to your position without giving up what they feel is important. For example, to persuade people emotionally opposed to shooting helpless deer, a state wildlife commission would have to show that it too cares about preserving deer and does not want them to die needlessly. Having established these values in common, the commission might be able to persuade people that a carefully controlled hunting season is good for the deer population because it prevents starvation caused by over-population. However, if those opposed to hunting want to persuade the commission to ban the hunting season, they would need to show that the commission could achieve its goals by some other means, such as expanding the deer preserve or allowing the deer and the food supply to come into a natural balance.
1. What does the underlined word premises mean in the first paragraph?A.establishments | B.commercials |
C.assumptions | D.prejudices |
A.have the hunting season | B.make the hunters happy |
C.protect the rest of the herds | D.create their natural enemies |
A.present your case first | B.summarize the position of the other side |
C.review your own views | D.pretend to be indifferent |
A.One may give up a position when he sees a more reasonable one. |
B.You’d better anticipate the possible objections before you give your reasons |
C.Deer should be preserved but overpopulation will do harm to them. |
D.Those opposed to hunting don’t have good reasons |
8 . Climate change disproportionately affects the world’s most vulnerable people, particularly poor rural communities that depend on the land for their livelihoods and coastal populations throughout the tropics. We have already seen a chain of tough suffering that results from extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and more.
For remedies, advocates and politicians have tended to look toward cuts in fossil-fuel use or technologies to capture carbon before it enters the atmosphere—both of which are crucial. But this focus has overshadowed the most powerful and cost-efficient carbon capture technology in the world. Recent research confirms that forests are absolutely essential in reducing climate change, thanks to their ability to absorb and isolate carbon. In fact, natural climate solutions such as conservation and restoration of forests, along with improvements in land management, can help us achieve 37 percent of our climate target of limiting warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, even though they currently receive only 2.5 percent of public climate financing.
Forests’ power to store carbon dioxide is staggering: one tree can store an average of about 48 pounds in one year. Intact(完整的)forests could take in the CO2 emissions of some entire countries.
For this reason, policymakers and business leaders must create and enforce policies to prevent deforestation, foster, reforestation of degraded land, and promote the sustainable management of standing forests in the fight against climate change. Protecting the world’s forests ensures they can keep performing essential functions such as producing oxygen, filtering water and supporting biodiversity. Not only does the world’s entire population depend on forests to provide clean air, clean water, oxygen and medicines, but 1.6 billion people also rely on them directly for their livelihoods.
Unfortunately, a huge amount of forest continues to be converted into agricultural land to produce a handful of resource-intensive commodities - despite zero-deforestation commitments from companies and governments. So now is the time to increase forest protection and restoration. This action will also address a number of other pressing global issues. For example, in less developed, rural areas - especially in the tropics - community-based forest-management programs can forge pathways out of poverty. In the Peten region of Guatemala, for instance, community-managed forests boasted a near-zero deforestation rate from 2000 through 2013, as compared with 12 percent in nearby protected areas and buffer(缓冲)zones. These communities have built low-impact, sustainable forest-based businesses that have stimulated the economy of the region enough to fund the creation of local schools and health services. Their success is especially noticeable in a location where, outside these community-managed zones, deforestation rates have increased 20-fold.
1. Which of the following statements about natural climate solutions is true according to the passage?A.They are the only effective strategies available to address the climate change. |
B.They pale in comparison with the reduction in fossil-fuel use or technologies. |
C.They can and should play a more important role in cutting carbon emissions. |
D.They manage to limit warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. |
A.documented | B.incredible |
C.unsteady | D.negligible |
A.The policies to prevent deforestation have borne fruit. |
B.Developed countries are hit the hardest by climate change. |
C.Economic growth contributes a lot to reducing deforestation. |
D.Some governments fail to keep their promises to preserve forests. |
A.Keeping forests undamaged can go a long way toward saving the planet. |
B.A high-tech climate fix is required to dramatically lessen global warming. |
C.Governments should work together with businesses to stop deforestation. |
D.Sustainable management of forests is crucial in powering regional development. |
Meet the Islands
Located 86 km north-east of Bougainville in the South Pacific, the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are composed of low-lying islands
The Carteret Islands are believed
Now, as the land
The Carteret islanders are labelled as the world’s first official climate-change refugees, as they are forced to abandon their homelands
The Carteret Islanders’ story illustrates how small island states and coastal communities fall victim
10 . At Cleveland Bridge, in Bath, a long line of traffic is building up. Although the Georgian structure was praised for its handsome Greek Revival style by Nikolaus Pevsner, an architectural master, it was built for horses, not cars. Repairs will close the bridge for several months, causing bigger jams and more pollution in a city where air quality is already a cause of concern.
Bath is an extreme example of a tradeoff faced by much of the country. Britain has the oldest housing stock in Europe, with one in five homes more than 100 years old. Period features are prized and often protected by law. Yet as efforts to cut carbon emissions intensify, they are clashing with attempts to preserve heritage. It is a “delicate balance” says Wera Hobhouse, Bath’s MP “What is the public benefit of dealing with the climate emergency, versus protecting a heritage asset?”
Two years ago, Bath was among the first British cities to declare a “climate emergency” when it also promised to go carbon-neutral by 2030. Yet Bath also wants-and is legally required to preserve its heritage. With Roman remains and Georgian streets that spread across the Avon Valley in shades of honey and butter, the city is designated a world heritage site by UNESCO. About 60% of it is further protected by the government as a conservation area, more than 5.000 of Bath’s buildings-nearly 10% of the total-are listed as being of special architectural or historical interest, making it a criminal offence to alter them without permission.
Many of the features that make Bath’s Georgian buildings so delicate also make them leaky. Buildings of traditional construction make up 30% of Bath’s housing stock but account for 40% of domestic carbon emissions, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy, a charity. British homes are rated for energy efficiency on a scale from A to G; most traditional buildings in the city are an F or G.
Transport is another area where climate and heritage clash. Bath’s 17t-century streets lack room for bike lanes. Joanna Wright was recently booted out of her role as Bath’s climate chief after proposing that North Road, which leads to the university, should be closed to traffic. In two years she was unable to install any on-street electric-vehicle charging points, partly because of the “nightmare" of getting permission to dig up old pavements.
All this means going carbon neutral by 2030 looks hard, but the city is at least beginning to make compromises. In March it launched the first “clean-air zone” outside London, charging drivers to enter central Bath. A trial has made 160 electric motoreycles available to hire. And local opinion seems to be shifting in favour of sustainability. “The discussion has moved dramatically towards considering the climate emergency,” says Ms. Hobhouse.
1. What problem does Bath face?A.It is getting more and more crowded due to the repairs that are under way. |
B.Its historical significance makes it hard to reform it into an eco-friendly city. |
C.It refuses to admit that the climate emergency is already a cause of concern. |
D.Its promise to go carbon-neutral by 2030 wins no support from the city residents. |
A.question the validity of the A-G scale |
B.highlight the long history of Bath’s buildings |
C.emphasize the buildings are not energy efficient |
D.illustrate the features that Bath’s buildings share |
A.failed to perform her duties well |
B.managed to dig up some old pavements |
C.succeeded in building bike lanes in Bath |
D.removed charging points from Bath’s streets |
A.Wera Hobhouse doesn’t care much about the public benefit. |
B.Traditional buildings in Bath are not accessible to tourists now. |
C.Local people in Bath used to favour heritage over sustainability. |
D.Bath has been leading the way in constructing a carbon-neutral city. |