1 . Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and
A recent study showed that two
Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products
The
| A．part | B．lack | C．lots | D．varieties |
| A．applied to | B．contributed to | C．exposed to | D．devoted to |
| A．possibility | B．chance | C．result | D．effect |
| A．Therefore | B．Furthermore | C．Similarly | D．However |
| A．After | B．Though | C．Before | D．Unless |
| A．reused | B．safe | C．friendly | D．returned |
| A．of | B．on | C．from | D．out of |
| A．rhyme | B．way | C．section | D．branch |
| A．carry | B．take | C．include | D．make |
| A．advantage | B．technique | C．point | D．attraction |
| A．concern | B．hope | C．care | D．plan |
| A．what | B．how | C．whether | D．when |
| A．saying | B．trust | C．attitude | D．fashion |
| A．pressure | B．pleasure | C．discussion | D．interest |
| A．enlarging | B．sharing | C．cleaning | D．improving |
2 . Trees don’t look at the calendar to see when spring arrives, but they seem to know when spring is here better than we do. The annual shift from winter to spring is a breathtaking event to watch as leaves become green and a lush(苍翠的) environment reveals itself. Recently a research takes a look at why trees in cities are turning green earlier than expected.
Scientists use satellite imagery to see when plants turn green. By comparing spring green ups in the 85 largest US cities, scientists found that on average trees start to turn green nine days earlier in cities due to the combined effect of artificial lights and urban heat effect.
According to the findings, one of the reasons is the artificial light. City lights brightening the night skies, billboard signs lit up on roadways and car headlights all contribute to shifting the regular day to night cycle that plants and trees rely on. In order to stay alive during cruel winters, trees hit the pause button on their growth. Since temperatures can vary dramatically throughout the winter, the length of daylight is the signal trees look for to safely start growing again and turn green.
On average cities are typically 1.8 to 5.4F warmer than rural areas. This is known as the urban heat island effect. The changes in city environments may affect seasonal changes even more than climate warming and mosquito season, water cycles, and also affect pollinators(授粉媒介).
Despite the worries and concern, it isn’t all bad news. “With a longer growing season, trees would be able to absorb more carbon dioxide,” A researcher said. “Hopefully they’d have a longer period to do the cooling effect that can help relieve the urban heating effect in cities.”
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To reveal how trees survive bitter winters. |
| B．To warn how human activities disturb nature. |
| C．To explain why trees turn green earlier in cities. |
| D．To clarify how trees turning green earlier benefits cities. |
| A．Bringing out urban heat island effect. |
| B．Comparing the green-up time in sample cities. |
| C．Allowing the city environment to reveal itself. |
| D．Developing pictures shot by the satellite. |
| A．Plant pollinators. | B．Water cycle. | C．Road signs. | D．Street lamps. |
| A．Environment. | B．Education. | C．Entertainment. | D．Business. |
3 . As cities balloon with growth, access to nature for people living in urban areas is becoming harder to find. If you’re lucky, there might be a pocket park near where you live, but it’s unusual to find places in a city that are relatively wild.
Past research has found health and wellness benefits of nature for humans, but a new study shows that wildness in urban areas is extremely important for human well-being.
The research team focused on a large urban park. They surveyed several hundred park-goers, asking them to submit a written summary online of a meaningful interaction they had with nature in the park. The researchers then examined these submissions, coding (编码) experiences into different categories. For example, one participant’s experience of “We sat and listened to the waves at the beach for a while” was assigned the categories “sitting at beach” and “listening to waves.”
Across the 320 submissions, a pattern of categories the researchers call a “nature language” began to emerge. After the coding of all submissions, half a dozen categories were noted most often as important to visitors. These include encountering wildlife, walking along the edge of water, and following an established trail.
Naming each nature experience creates a usable language, which helps people recognize and take part in the activities that are most satisfying and meaningful to them. For example, the experience of walking along the edge of water might be satisfying for a young professional on a weekend hike in the park. Back downtown during a workday, they can enjoy a more domestic form of this interaction by walking along a fountain on their lunch break.
“We’re trying to generate a language that helps bring the human-nature interactions back into our daily lives. And for that to happen, we also need to protect nature so that we can interact with it,” said Peter Kahn, a senior author of the study.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?| A．Pocket parks are now popular. | B．Wild nature is hard to find in cities. |
| C．Many cities are overpopulated. | D．People enjoy living close to nature. |
| A．To compare different types of park-goers. | B．To explain why the park attracts tourists. |
| C．To analyze the main features of the park. | D．To find patterns in the visitors’ summaries. |
| A．Walking is the best way to gain access to nature. |
| B．Young people are too busy to interact with nature. |
| C．The same nature experience takes different forms. |
| D．The nature language enhances work performance. |
| A．Language study. | B．Environmental conservation. |
| C．Public education. | D．Intercultural communication. |
4 . Len Collingwood, a clinical nurse specialist, retired on his 65th birthday. He told his wife,Sally, he would“start out as an adventure cyclist.”
Four months later, he set off on a 13,000 km cycle ride from Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia to Edinburgh, much of it roughly shadowing Marco Polo’s Silk Road. No sooner had he started out than a snowstorm hit. He hid in his tent, wearing every item of clothing he had packed. At -18℃ it was too cold to go outside to cook. He survived the next 48 hours by eating a massive bag of chocolates.
So it is a surprise to hear Collingwood say that he has never feared for his life. “Never. There’s always something to be curious about,” he says.
In 2018, he rode from Edinburgh to Istanbul to earn a place in Guinness World Records. “There are very few records a man over 60 can break,” he says. During the trip, he got a dozen flat tyres. But he fixed each one. “I’ve always been serious about purpose. If something is to be done, it is to be done properly. People go forwards and people go backwards.The difficult bit is managing the times when people go backwards,” he says. “Don’t let the moment ruin the whole thing.”
He turns 71 this year. He is about to begin the 1,407 km trip to John O’ Groats. It sounds tough but he insists “it’s just a matter of spinning (转) the wheels.” Still, they don’t spin on their own. His daughter — a yoga teacher — has suggested weights to maintain muscle mass. His son, a cyclist, keeps him up to speed on the latest technology.
Collingwood is planning new rides in France next year, and beyond that hopes “to spread my wings further. There is peace on a bicycle,” he says. “The joy is the actual doing of the activity. Going further means you’re just doing more of something you enjoy.”
1. What happened to Collingwood when his first journey had just started?| A．He lost his way in Mongolia. | B．He got trapped in heavy snow. |
| C．He had nothing to satisfy his hunger. | D．He had no clothes to protect himself from the cold |
| A．Courageous and determined. | B．Generous and demanding. |
| C．Curious and imaginative. | D．Unusual and scholarly. |
| A．By checking his physical condition. | B．By planning the routes for him. |
| C．By giving him technical support. | D．By accompanying him on the way. |
| A．It contributes to his health. | B．It helps him kill boring time. |
| C．It calls for careful planning. | D．It carries his joy forward. |
5 . I found the bed shaking, gently at first. Because I was half asleep and not a native, I just thought it was nothing serious.
Sitting up, I turned on the bedside lamp. It was 3:34 a.m.
In a hurry I opened the door of my room and expected to find people. But
Soon hotel staff were setting up chairs and passing around bottled water. They offered us tablecloths to wrap (包裹) around ourselves against the night
I felt lucky to be alive, but as a
| A．Carefully | B．Suddenly | C．Secretly | D．Recently |
| A．turned on | B．ran away | C．gave in | D．went out |
| A．frightening | B．shocking | C．disappointing | D．tiring |
| A．excitement | B．fear | C．joy | D．anger |
| A．dreaming | B．believing | C．recalling | D．thinking |
| A．surprisingly | B．usually | C．actually | D．exactly |
| A．and | B．but | C．or | D．so |
| A．downstairs | B．inside | C．upstairs | D．around |
| A．lying | B．standing | C．sitting | D．sleeping |
| A．persuade | B．comfort | C．support | D．ignore |
| A．relatives | B．brothers | C．friends | D．kids |
| A．coldness | B．warmth | C．darkness | D．loneliness |
| A．proud | B．polite | C．upset | D．calm |
| A．reporter | B．survivor | C．visitor | D．rescuer |
| A．by | B．in | C．on | D．from |
It was a sunny summer morning, the breeze blowing gently. As planned, Jackson took a trip into the remote wilds near Olom Village, in the Sakha Republic, Russia. His four-year-old daughter, Karina, found him leaving and wanted to follow him to give her dad a surprise. She slipped out of the house, with nobody realizing it, even Jackson.
Unfortunately, she walked too slowly on her way and soon she was lost in the vast, dangerous Siberian wilderness. Luckily for her, her dog, Naida, followed Karina just as the girl followed her father. The two suddenly found themselves walking with no one in sight, drifting away from their home as the hours went by.
Night fell. Karina’s father returned home, and it didn’t take long after that for the whole family to realize what had happened. They couldn’t find Karina anywhere. They turned to the police for help immediately. And they took action at once in search of the lost girl.
A whole week had gone by and there was no progress of the rescue in sight. The whole family was stuck in desperation, but Karina’s mum never lost hope. “Many stopped believing that she was alive, but as a mother I felt that she would be found soon.”
In fact, Karina did survive. Although Siberia is an extremely dangerous place even for otherwise fit adults due to its wildlife and climate, she made it. She survived by eating wild fruits and drinking water from nearby rivers, and she faced the freezing nighttime temperatures by cozying up in a bed of grass. Naida did its best too, scaring away the wild animals and keeping each other warm by sleeping close together at night.
After nine days struggling to survive, scared and alone, Karina could only be grateful about one thing: her good friend was by her side. Naida gave its strength, and actively helped the four-year-old to stay alive for that long.
This morning, Naida suddenly walked away and headed back into town, ignoring Karina’s hopeless cry and leaving her completely alone.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Naida did what it could to lead the rescue team to where Karina was.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . Scientists have come up with a new way of identifying animals in an area by testing DNA taken in from the air. The researchers believe their new method could help scientists keep track of animals that are hard to spot, including endangered animals.
Two teams of scientists—one in Denmark and one in the United Kingdom (UK)—came up with the same question at about the same time: Could they identify the animals in an area from DNA that was simply floating in the air?
Testing for eDNA isn’t a new idea, but most of the time, scientists look for eDNA in water. DNA in the air is usually so small that it would take a microscope to see it. The scientists didn’t have high hopes for their experiment. Neither team knew that the other group was working on a similar experiment. One collected samples from different locations at Denmark’s Copenhagen Zoo, and the other at Hamerton Zoo Park in the UK. The scientists used slightly different methods to collect their samples. But basically, both teams collected extremely tiny bits of DNA onto very high quality filters.
In the laboratory, they got the DNA from the filters and made copies of it to study. By comparing their samples with examples of DNA from different animals, the scientists were able to identify many different animals at the zoos.
Each team only discovered about the other experiment after they had written a paper about their own results. Instead of competing, the two decided to combine their results and publish a paper together.
Both teams are excited about the ways this new method could be used in the wild. Scientists have been looking for better ways to track endangered animals without interfering with them. If researchers know where animals live, they can do a better job of protecting them. “The next step is to figure out how to take this method into nature,” says Dr. Bohmann , one of the scientists on the Copenhagen team.
1. What’s the task of the scientists from different countries?| A．To recognize animals by DNA in the open air. |
| B．To improve what the other team have achieved. |
| C．To look for eDNA in water for some rare animals. |
| D．To save endangered animals by copying their DNA. |
| A．The two teams collected DNA from the same zoo. |
| B．Neither team made correct treatment on the study. |
| C．The two teams used completely different techniques. |
| D．Scientists didn’t think highly of the two teams’ methods. |
| A．Eventful. | B．Competitive. | C．Promising. | D．Complicated. |
| A．People’s efforts in saving endangered animals. |
| B．New methods of recognizing animals by DNA. |
| C．Ways of studying animals without disturbing them. |
| D．Different countries’ cooperation in saving animals. |
8 . Automaker General Motors has announced the expectation of achieving carbon neutrality (中和) by 2040. On the way to that goal, the company hopes to get rid of automobile emissions (排放物) by 2035.
GM said it will take a science-based approach to become carbon neutral, balancing carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, it plans to remove gas-powered vehicle production by 2035. It intends that by 2025, 40% of its vehicles will be battery powered.
“General Motors is joining governments and companies around the globe working to establish a safer, greener and better world,” said Mary Barra, GM chairman and CEO. “We encourage others to work together and make a significant influence on our industry and on the economy as a whole.”
Transportation is the largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, just over 28%, the Environmental Protection Agency reported. That is why GM and other industry leaders have joined the Science Based Targets initiative, which calls on businesses to take action to do with climate change.
A clear step for GM to become carbon neutral is to switch from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles. Traditional gas vehicles make up about 75% of GM’s greenhouse emissions, the company said. Their production facilities make up the other 25%, but the manufacturer aims to control the ratio (比率) by using wind and solar energy. GM said it will power its U.S. factories with 100% renewable energy by 2030 and globally by 2035.
The bigger obstacle falls on the consumer. An electric vehicle is significantly more expensive. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says the average electric car costs $ 19,000 more than a gasoline-powered car. But GM has spent years improving its battery technology. Maybe that’s the reason why it can get rid of automobile emissions in the next 14 years with much confidence.
1. What measure is GM taking to achieve the goal of removing carbon dioxide emissions?| A．Working with global organizations. |
| B．Cutting back on battery-powered cars. |
| C．Gaining industrial and financial support. |
| D．Reducing production of cars powered by gas. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. |
| C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Renewable energy. | B．Fast food. |
| C．Transportation. | D．Electric vehicles. |
| A．Consumer. | B．Environmentalist. |
| C．Producer. | D．Advertiser. |
9 . Live with roommates? Have friends and family around you? Chances are that if you’re looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, not everyone around you will be ready to jump on that bandwagon.
I experienced this when I started switching to a zero waste lifestyle five years ago, as I was living with my parents, and I continue to experience this with my husband, as he is not completely zero waste like me. I’ve learned a few things along the way though, which I hope you’ll find encouraging if you’re doing your best to figure out how you can make the change in a not-always-supportive household.
Zero waste was a radical lifestyle movement a few years back. I remember showing my parents a video of Bea Johnson, sharing how cool I thought it would be to buy groceries with jars, and have so little trash! A few days later, I came back with my first jars of zero waste groceries, and my dad commented on how silly it was for me to carry jars everywhere. It came off as a bit discouraging.
Yet as the months of reducing waste continued, I did what I could that was within my own reach. I had my own bedroom, so I worked on removing things I didn’t need. Since I had my own toiletries (洗漱用品), I was able to start personalising my routine to be more sustainable. I also offered to cook every so often, so I portioned out a bit of the cupboard for my own zero waste groceries. Perhaps your household won’t entirely make the switch, but you may have some control over your own personal spaces to make the changes you desire.
As you make your lifestyle changes, you may find yourself wanting to speak up for yourself if others comment on what you’re doing, which can turn itself into a whole household debate. If you have individuals who are not on board, your words probably won’t do much and can often leave you feeling more discouraged.
So here is my advice: Lead by action.
1. What do the underlined words “jump on that bandwagon” mean in the first paragraph?| A．Share an apartment with you. | B．Join you in what you’re doing. |
| C．Transform your way of living. | D．Help you to make the decision. |
| A．He disapproved of it. | B．He was favorable to it. |
| C．He was tolerant of it. | D．He didn’t care about it. |
| A．She is quite good at cooking. | B．She respects others’ privacy. |
| C．She enjoys being a housewife. | D．She is a determined person. |
| A．How to get on well with other family members. |
| B．How to have one’s own personal space at home. |
| C．How to live a zero waste lifestyle in a household. |
| D．How to control the budget when buying groceries. |
10 . A Dutch city will become the first in the world to ban meat advertisements from public spaces in an effort to reduce consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.The ban also covers holiday flights, fossil fuels and cars that run on fossil fuels.The ban is delayed until 2024 due to existing contracts with companies that sell the products.
Haarlem, which lies to the west of Amsterdam and has a population of about 160,000,will bring the ban into effect from 2024 after meat was added to a list of products deemed to contribute to the climate crisis. Advertisements will not be allowed on Haarlem’s buses, shelters and screens in public spaces, prompting complaints from the meat sector that the government is “going too far in telling people what’s best for them”.
Recent studies suggest global food production is responsible for one-third of all planet-heating emissions,with the use of animals for meat accounting for twice the pollution of producing plant-based foods. Forests that absorb carbon dioxide are cut down for the food of animals while fertilisers used for growing their feed are rich in nitrogen(氮)，which can contribute to air pollution，water pollution and climate change. Livestock also produces large quantities of methane(甲烷)，a powerful greenhouse gas.
Zlggy Klazes,a councillor from the GroenLinks party, said she had not known the city would be the world’s first to enforce such a policy when she proposed it. She told the Haarlem105 radio channel:“We are not about what people are baking and roasting in their own kitchen;if people want to continue eating meat, it’s fine. We can’t tell people there’s a climate crisis and meanwhile,encourage them to buy products that are part of the cause. Of course, there are a lot of people who find the decision shocking and unreasonable,but there are also a lot of people who think it’s fine.”
1. What does the meat sector think of the ban?| A．Disapproving. |
| B．Neutral. |
| C．Indifferent. |
| D．Positive. |
| A．Nitrogen is harmful to the environment. |
| B．Methane mainly comes from livestock. |
| C．Meat consumption causes more pollution. |
| D．People cut down trees for human habitation. |
| A．She is the first to ban meat advertisement. |
| B．She is in favor of banning meat advertising. |
| C．She emphasizes the advantage of eating meat. |
| D．She cares about what people cook in the kitchen |
| A．Fossil fuels are banned in Dutch city. |
| B．Dutch city decreases meat production. |
| C．Dutch city bans meat advertisements in public. |
| D．Greenhouse gas emissions are limited in Dutch city. |
