1 . The opening of California’s commercial crab season, which normally starts in November, is delayed once again to protect whales searching for their prey (猎物) along the coast.

California has been affected by a marine heat wave since May. The Blob, as this mass of warm water has become known, is squeezing cooler water preferred by whales and their prey close to shore, where fishermen set their traps. This crowding can lead to tangle (缠结) between whales and fishing equipment, endangering the animals’ lives and requiring rescue missions.

In a new study, scientists say they can now use global temperature models, commonly used in climate science, to predict up to a year in advance when hot ocean temperatures raise the risk of tangles between whales and fishing equipment.The tool analyzed in the new study, called the Habitat Compression Index, works by feeding sea-surface temperature measurements into an equation (方程式) that estimates the likelihood of whale habitat shrinking closer to shore.Regulators and fishermen agree that the new forecasting research could help them walk the tightrope between protecting whales and protecting local livelihoods (生计).

Mr Ogg, a commercial fishing boat captain, describes himself as a conservationist who doesn’t want to see whales harmed.“Fishermen have a big motivation to protect the natural environment,” he said, “because that’s where they make their living.” Previously, the challenge was adapting to changing conditions and fishing regulations on short notice, especially for smaller business owners and their crews.“One of the biggest problems we had was the unpredictability,” Mr Ogg said, “We were living from week to week then.”

Though scientists have shown the Habitat Compression Index can now forecast months in advance, state officials would probably wait to see conditions in real time before making decisions about the crab fishery, said Ryan Bartling, an environmental scientist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

1. What do the whales come to shore for according to the first two paragraphs?

A．Safety.

B．Shelter.

C．Leisure.

D．Food.

2. What does the underlined phrase “walk the tightrope” probably mean?

A．To take a risk.	B．To join in an act.
C．To strike a balance.	D．To walk on a rope.

3. What’s the state officials’ attitude towards the tool in the study?

A．Supportive.

B．Indifferent.

C．Cautious.

D．Pessimistic.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．How climate data gives whales room to swim

B．What causes the decrease in whale population

C．Why global temperature models are in great need

D．Whether to protect whales or the local livelihoods

2 . Each year, the world produces more than 300 million tons of plastic waste, which can take a longtime to breakdown. Almost a third of the world’s plastic waste is polypropylene, a hard plastic used to make bottle: caps and food containers that typically take hundreds of years to degrade.

Now, a group of scientists at the University of Sydney, in Australia have developed a solution: using fungi (真菌) found in soils to devour lab samples of polypropylene.

In the experiment, the scientists first weakened pieces of polypropylene plastic by exposing them to heat, chemicals, or ultraviolet (UV) light so the fungi can do their job quickly. Fungi degrade materials like plastic into simpler molecules that they can then get rid of. The usually smooth plastic become full of marks as the fungi carryout their dirty work.

The two fungi, Aspergillus terreus and Engyodontium album, made a meal of the plastic in the lab experiments. As the researchers reported, between 25 and 27 percent of samples were digested after 90 days, and the plastic was completely broken down after 140 days.

More than 400 microorganisms have so far been found to degrade plastic naturally, with fungi attracting a fair bit of attention for their ability to degrade all sorts of man-made materials. “Recent studies suggest some fungi may even degrade some of the ‘forever chemicals’ like PFAS, but the process is slow and not yet well understood,” explains microbiologist Dee Carter of the University of Sydney.

Currently, the team is testing ways to speed up the degradation process, and assessing the economic and environmental factors of potential commercial use. If the team can transform their laboratory solution into a commercial-scale plastic waste management system, the world will finally have a promising solution to one of our most pressing environmental issues.

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

A．Produce.

B．Consume.

C．Analyse.

D．Recycle.

2. Why was the first step necessary in the experiment?

A．To leave marks on the sample.

B．To reduce plastic waste globally.

C．To change the shape of the plastic.

D．To quicken the degradation process.

3. What will the team probably do in their future research?

A．Putting the solution into commercial use.

B．Establishing a system for rubbish sorting.

C．Maintaining a steady speed in the process.

D．Tackling the issue of pollution completely.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Scientists cutting down on waste

B．A solution used on a large scale

C．Plastic-eating fungi doing the trick

D．Severe plastic pollution reduced

3 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Chen Guanghui is a guardian for black-necked cranes in the Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve of Zhaotong city, Yunnan Province.     1     (live) near the reserve, Chen started looking after the cranes in 2003,     2     task she took over from her mother.

“I remembered they ran away the instant I approached them. I tried everything, even singing folk songs     3     (attract) them, but failed. Later, I used special whistles and gradually formed a close bond with them.” says Chen. “I treat them as my children, especially during snowy days     4     they can’t get food. I feel     5     (comfortable) and anxious when I hear them chirp (吱喳叫) and usually rush to prepare corn for them.” It’s never been an easy job, and Chen has sustained quite a few     6     (injury) over the years, even falling into frozen marsh (沼泽) while trying to save a     7     (trap) crane in 2008.     8    , she never gave up. With love and responsibility, she bas persisted in caring for the cranes for about 20 years.

Thanks     9     the joint protection efforts of Chen and staff members, now more than 1,900 black-necked cranes overwinter (过冬) in the area every year, up from about 300 when the nature reserve     10     (establish).

4 . Indoor plants might look as if they just sit around not doing much, but in many ways they are the unsung heroes of the home.     1    , but studies have shown that they can promote people’s wellbeing by improving their mood (心情), reducing stress and helping their memory. What’s more, indoor plants are easy to look after and are not very expensive.

What are indoor plants?

Indoor plants, also known as houseplants or pot plants, are plants that like to grow indoors. Many of these species (物种) are not ideally suited to growing outside in the UK, especially in the winter.     2    .

Why are indoor plants good for you?

Will Spoelstra, who works at the Royal Botanic Gardens, says, “    3    . I find during the winter months, plants around the house can really lift your mood.” Several studies have backed this up and found that indoor plants can improve creativity, focus and memory. There is also research showing that pot plants can clean the air around them by removing harmful gases, such as carbon dioxide. They also remove some harmful chemicals from paints or cooking.     4    .

Which plants can you grow?

Aloe vera, peace lilies and spider plants are some of the species that are easy to grow indoors. You can buy plants from supermarkets, garden centres or online. Younger plants are often cheaper than fully grown ones, and you get to care for them as they mature — which is part of the joy of owning plants. “    5    ,” Spoelstra says. “It can bring a new interest and focus into people’s lives and help to make the link between home and nature.”

A．All plants are different

B．Not only do they look beautiful

C．There are many benefits to growing plants indoors

D．Instead, they grow better inside, where it is warmer

E．Plants like peace lilies and devil’s ivy are among the best

F．Changing the pot of your plant from time to time will also help

G．Learning about the requirements of each plant can be very rewarding

5 . In the past several months, Apple, Google and Samsung have all launched their newest smartphones and other products. But in the process, this may also be adding to a growing problem: electronic waste.

The limited lifespan of many tech gadgets(设备)has caused the issue of e-waste to increase over the years. “People tend not to realize that all these seemingly insignificant things have a lot of value, especially in large amounts, ”Pascal Leroy, director general of the WEEE Forum, said in a statement

How to solve the problems of e-waste is much more than just cleaning out space in your junk drawers. Actually, large amounts of e-waste are shipped to developing countries that lack the power to refuse and safely recycle these imports. The WHO warned that children, with their smaller hands, are often used to deal with mountains of e-waste in developing nations in search of valuable elements such as copper, silver, palladium and so on. The WHO said the health of more than 18 million children are being affected negatively as they are employed in this informal e-waste processing industry.

Personally, what can you do to reduce the e-waste burden? Find an e-waste disposal(处理) service. The impact of recycling e-waste can be staggering. For every 1 million cellphones that are recycled, 35, 000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. Meanwhile, environmental advocates say the most important step to deal with the mounting e-waste problem is simply to try to use your electronics for as long as possible

1. What might come along with companies launching new e-products?

A．More electronic waste.

B．Few optional tech gadgets.

C．Limited lifespan of the devices.

D．Important things for consumers.

2. Why are children greatly influenced by e-waste according to the WHO?

A．Developed countries can’t recycle e-waste safely.

B．E-waste mountains are places for children to play.

C．Many valuable elements can be found on e-waste mountains.

D．Children are hired in the informal e-waste processing industry.

3. What does the underlined word “staggering” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Interesting.

B．Surprising.

C．Annoying.

D．Challenging.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

A．What is the source of e-waste?	B．E-waste—a serious problem?
C．E-waste—a processing industry?	D．What to do with your e-waste?

6 . Coral reefs(珊瑚礁)as underwater walls can help reduce the effects of hurricanes on coastal communities. This seems unbelievable. It is reported that scientists have discovered that coral reefs are even more effective than man-made sea walls under the water. However, coral reefs are especially easy to be influenced by climate change. Overfishing and pollution have also proved very dangerous to them. Since 1950, half of the world’s coral reefs have already been lost. To protect our communities and keep sea ecosystems alive, we need to protect coral reefs right away.

Let’s take a closer look at how coral reefs protect us from floods, and how scientists are restoring (修复) reefs.

The roles that coral reefs play as underwater walls have long been recorded by scientists. During a Category 3 hurricane in 2015 in Australia, the coral reefs effectively protected the eastern shoreline from flooding. In contrast, the western coasts without coral reefs suffered serious damage. The researchers observed that the shape of coral reefs can break the approaching waves. More recently, researchers at the University of Miami have reached the same conclusion. They used a special lab simulator to recreate ocean conditions during a Category 5 hurricane. They found that coral reefs could reduce the impact of waves by up to 95 percent!

Because of higher ocean acidity (酸 性) and temperature, coral reefs are disappearing and dying out. At the same time, climate change puts weakened coral reefs under more stress. The University of Miami researchers are testing to plant new coral reefs while others are actively looking for effective methods to reduce the acidity of sea water. The governments have also paid more attention to these actions and provided enough money for reef restoration. With these efforts, we may address climate threats to coral reefs and they can carry on protecting our communities.

1. What can we know about coral reefs?

A．They can reduce hurricanes.

B．They are faced with danger now.

C．They can’t effectively prevent floods.

D．They aren’t influenced by overfishing.

2. Which of the following is true according to paragraph 3?

A．A terrible hurricane attacked Australia in 2015.

B．Scientists paid little attention to coral reefs before.

C．Coral reefs could reduce the impact of waves to 95%.

D．The eastern coasts of Australia were damaged seriously.

3. What may happen to coral reefs in the future?

A．Coral reefs may disappear.	B．Coral reefs will be ignored.
C．More coral reefs may appear	D．Few coral reefs will be planted.

4. What’s the purpose of this passage?

A．To introduce the growth of coral reefs.

B．To explain the functions of coral reefs.

C．To encourage people to plant more coral reefs.

D．To stress the importance of protecting coral reefs.

7 . Going green is good for business. Consumers are often willing to pay more for eco-friendly products than other comparable products on the market. But not all environmental claims are created equally. “Greenwashing” is a form of misinformation often used to entice a green consumer. Companies promising to be environmentally conscious sometimes fail to meet the promises they make to consumers.

For example, a large retailer might launch a new line of products, such as jeans, that uses less water and therefore theoretically has less of an environmental impact than the other clothes the company sells. But that same company might ignore water usage in the rest of their products lines or do nothing to address their other products that might be harming the environment.

Is it possible to avoid falling victim to greenwashing? Learning about greenwashing and how it works is the most effective way for consumers to avoid giving their money to companies making false claims, according to a recent study. The researchers found people who received information on greenwashing ahead of time were more likely to question whether what the company did in fact benefited the environment.

In the meantime, experts have tips for how consumers can spot potential greenwashing. “You see a lot of products that use words like ‘sustainable’, and ‘better for the planet’ with pictures that make it look like it’s green,” says Todd Larsen, the director of Green America, a nonprofit aimed at helping consumers identify greenwashing. He recommends looking for descriptions that outline specifically how a product is green.

Another tip he offers is to shop small. “When in doubt, go smaller,” says Larsen. “Rethink shopping habits. The most sustainable thing you can do as a consumer is wear the things you have more.”

1. What does the underlined word “entice” probably mean in paragraph 1?

A．Trick.

B．Inspire.

C．Restrict.

D．Protect.

2. What can we learn from the example in paragraph 2?

A．Using less water is a required standard of producing jeans.

B．Large retailers are more aware of environmental protection.

C．Companies with environmental consciousness run smoothly.

D．Businesses claiming to be sustainable may mislead consumers.

3. What can be inferred from the research findings?

A．Greenwashing is a new way to cheat people.

B．People are getting fed up with greenwashing.

C．Knowing about greenwashing helps identify the truth.

D．Consumers have the ability to distinguish false claims.

4. What does Todd Larsen suggest people do?

A．Develop sensible shopping habits.	B．Look for pictures which look green.
C．Buy more clothes green for the planet.	D．Provide specific descriptions of products.

8 . Alaska’s Yukon River has faced major salmon shortages in recent years. Officials say record-high temperatures last year killed most salmon in the 3,200-kilometer river before the fish were able to reproduce. The losses led Alaska to stop their salmon harvests in 2021 to make sure that enough fish survived to reproduce for another year.

The poor salmon harvests caused major financial losses to private fishing companies in the area. The die-offs also hurt native communities, which traditionally store the fish as a year-round food supply.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce declared a disaster for Yukon River fishing for 2020 and 2021, making aid money available. Alaska has sent emergency fish shipments to areas affected by the salmon shortages.

Scientists have mostly blamed the problems on a series of heat waves in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean from 2014 to 2019. The warm ocean waters affected salmon’s living in the sea before they returned to lay eggs.

Climate change may also be affecting what the salmon are eating. Fishing experts say young salmon are likely filling up on nutrient-poor food because warmer waters drive away healthier organisms (有机物) they normally feed on. “In my opinion, the salmon are starving with climate change,” said Brooke Woods in the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

The effects of climate change on freshwater environments have also been studied. Vanessa von Biela is a biologist who looked at the rivers, streams and lakes where salmon live. Her team found that Chinook salmon show heat stress at temperatures above 18℃. They start dying above 20℃. In 2019, temperatures on the Alaskan side were above 18℃ for 44 straight days, a recent study found.

The effects of warming waters can be reduced by climate-driven glacier (冰川) runoff, which brings cooler water into rivers and streams. But scientists still expect salmon to begin slowly moving to new areas within Alaska. “Salmon will find a way,” said Biela. “but it’s going to be hard for communities in places where there might not be salmon anymore.”

1. What do the locals rely on salmon for?

A．Food supply.

B．Scientific study.

C．Green tourism.

D．Water improvement.

2. What did the declaration of the disaster bring about?

A．Financial losses.

B．Relief funds.

C．Economic growth.

D．Fast delivery.

3. Which of the following is the effect of climate change in Yukon River?

A．No healthy organisms are left there.	B．Salmon there lose the ability to lay eggs.
C．Salmon there go short of nutritious food.	D．The temperature remains above 18℃ till now.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Measures to protect salmon are effective.	B．Salmon will not find a way out of the crisis.
C．The amount of salmon will increase greatly.	D．Salmon are likely to leave the river for survival.

9 . Campaigns to protect the natural world are getting increasingly ambitious. But although there is convincing evidence that protected areas prevent habitat loss, proof that they actually benefit wildlife is surprisingly scanty. Now, the first large study of its kind shows nature reserves can increase waterbird populations, but typically only if humans take an active role in their management.

To understand the impact of nature reserves, conservation scientist Hannah Wauchope decided to analyze populations of waterbird species. First, the team identified 1506 protected areas that had population data from both before and after they were created. Then, they paired each reserve with one or more control sites — a similar patch of nearby habitat — that was unprotected. This setup helped the researchers understand how the protected area influenced bird populations.

The researchers had hoped the analysis would clearly show protected areas benefit birds. However, only 27% of waterbird populations in protected areas increased after the creation of the reserve while 21% of populations were negatively impacted, compared with the control sites, after a reserve was established. A silver lining is that nearly half the studied groups neither grew nor shrank: At least those populations were stable.

To figure out what was responsible for the population gains and losses, the team analyzed multiple factors, of which the most important was whether the site was specifically managed for waterbirds. That could mean keeping rivers and lakes at the right levels for the protected species, removing invasive weeds, or installing fencing to keep out invasive predators.

“The modest success of these protected areas makes sense.” says Paul Ferraro, an environmental economist. In many policy contexts, he notes, most interventions work no better than the status quo. However, the new study’s mixed results are what good science actually looks like and we need more studies like this one.

1. What does the underlined word “scanty” probably mean in the first paragraph?

A．Believable.

B．Solid.

C．Insufficient.

D．Conflicting.

2. What can we know about nature reserves from paragraph 3?

A．Nearly half of the waterbird populations are in a stable state.

B．A majority of the waterbird populations were negatively affected.

C．Nature reserves increased the waterbird populations as expected.

D．Protected areas make much difference to the waterbird populations.

3. Which of the following is the leading cause of the failure of nature reserves?

A．Small size.	B．Human activities.
C．Invasive weeds.	D．Ineffective management.

4. Why are the environmental economist’s words quoted?

A．To emphasize the value of the study.	B．To show the drawbacks of intervention.
C．To indicate the difficulty of more studies.	D．To express satisfaction about the status quo.

10 . 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。

Chagan is located in the Qianguo county, Northeast China's Jilin Province. Every year, fishermen struggle with the freezing cold weather, biting winds and deep snow to search for an underwater fortune at Chagan,    1    freshwater lake in the country. The lake is the only place in China,     2     you can still find fishermen using an ancient fishing method.

The lake nearly     3    (dry) up in the 1970s, and therefore fishermen were forced to give up their annual fishing tradition and take on other tough jobs for survival. However, over the past decades, these problems have been solved through projects that have allowed environmental     4    (protect), agriculture and tourism to develop at the same time. In 2013, Jilin started a river-lake connection project,     5     (link) Chagan to surrounding lakes and rivers, making the lake's water even     6    (clean). In particular, the construction of a town with eco-friendly tourism     7     (help) development so far. The town offers accommodations, dining, sightseeing and other businesses that have increased local incomes and made     8     more convenient for people to visit the area than before. Farms and tourism projects that were     9    (previous) affecting the environment have been removed or relocated. All of this was achieved     10     harming the lake or the animal and plant life.