1 . Picking up litter is a fun, simple, and free activity that can have instant results for your child and your community.

What you’ll need

Plastic bag to collect trash (垃圾)

Gloves—especially important as we practice COVID-19 safety measures

Optional: pick-up stick, a separate bag for recyclables

Instructions

1. Assign gloves and a trash bag to each family member.

2. Clear out litter from an area of a park, beach or your own neighborhood. Take all necessary precautions (防范措施), including wearing sturdy (结实的) gloves, being careful on river banks or near roads, having adults handle dangerous items, and supervising children closely.

3. Properly dispose of all litter.

Reflections

Why is it important to pick up litter?

How can you inspire others to help keep the neighborhood clean?

Resources

Colonel Trash Truck by Kathleen Crawley

The colonel is on a mission to protect the beauty of the earth by cleaning up litter-and convincing others to do the same.

Here Comes the Garbage Barge ! by Jonah Winter

This story is sure to inspire your whole family to be mindful of your environmental impact.

Take it further

Take a few digital photos of what you’ve picked up. Then send an essay about your experience along with your favorite photos, your name and address to mail@ wildernessproject.org. Your essay will be published on the Nicodemus Wilderness Project website, and you’ll get an official certificate. For tips on conducting the clean-up and writing the story, as well as essays and photos from other people, visit the website.

1. What are a must for the event?

A．Pick-up sticks and cameras

B．Books about cleaning up.

C．Plastic bags and gloves.

D．Bags for recyclables.

2. What is one of the instructions you should follow in the event?

A．Keep an eye on children.

B．Leave dangerous items alone.

C．Keep away from the riverside

D．Stay in your own neighborhood.

3. How can participants get an official certificate of the event?

A．By inviting others to clean up their neighborhood.

B．By sharing a list of environmental books on the website.

C．By writing a review of other participants’ stories online.

D．By emailing an essay with photos about their clean up experiences.

2 . Astronomers have traced a repeating radio signal back to a rocky, Earth-sized exoplanet that appears to have one of the crucial factors that make a world habitable: a magnetic field. The planet is known as YZ Ceti b, and it’s orbiting a small red Dwarf star located around 12 light-years from Earth.

“The search for potentially habitable or life-bearing worlds in other solar systems depends in part on being able to determine if rocky, Earth-like exoplanets actually have magnetic fields,” said Joe Pesce, the program director of the US National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which supported the work. “This research shows not only that this particular rocky exoplanet likely has a magnetic field but provides a promising method to find more.”

A magnetic field is what stops a planet’s atmosphere from being driven away by powerful stellar(星球的) winds. Mars, for example, used to have an atmosphere and was a warm and wet planet before it lost its magnetic field and, without its protection, its atmosphere was gradually ruined by plasma(等离子气体) from our Sun. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune still have magnetic fields in our Solar System. And in the past, astronomers have found evidence of larger exoplanets with their own magnetic fields. But up until now we’ve not been able to identify magnetic fields on smaller, rocky worlds outside our Solar System. In fact, we’ve not even had a reliable way to even look for them.

It turns out, the repeating radio signal may be the clue we need. The team believes it’s being caused by the planet’s magnetic field interacting with YZ Ceti, the star it orbits. The rocky exoplanet is situated so close to YZ Ceti that its orbit is just two days. But if the planet’s magnetic field is confirmed with further observations, it means we’ll finally have a way to detect more life-friendly worlds like it in future, which is incredibly exciting in the search for habitable planets.

1. What’s the significance of the discovery about YZ Ceti b from Joe Pesce?

A．It can be surely de lined as a life-bearing world.

B．People make great progress in identifying exoplanets.

C．People can easily locale its exact position in space.

D．We can get more discoveries besides its habitability.

2. Which can describe the method of finding magnetic fields in smaller stars?

A．Advanced.

B．Effective.

C．Untrustworthy.

D．Notable.

3. Which can best agree with the author’s idea from the last paragraph?

A．The finding about YZ Ceti b is a good start.

B．Magnetic fields are confirmed in YZ Ceti b.

C．We find more magnetic fields in smaller stars.

D．More habitable planets have been confirmed.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．More Habitable World In Exoplanet Are Needed

B．Another Habitable World Is Likely To Be Found

C．Magnetic Fields Are Crucial For A Habitable World

D．People Need More Evidence For A Habitable World

3 . How do oceans affect you? If you live far from the coast, you might think they don’t. But life on this planet depends on the ocean. It covers almost three-quarters of the planet and holds 97 percent of Earth’s water. The phytoplankton (浮游植物)that live on the oceans’ surface produce half of the oxygen in the atmosphere. Oceans are a vital source of food and other resources and an economic engine for many communities.

For all the ocean provides us, we haven’t always been so responsible in our administration. “The ocean was thought of as a dumping (倾倒的) ground for so long,” says Caitlyn Toropova of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “There was a sense that there was no way we could harm it because it is so vast.”

But human activities are having a negative impact on many of the world’s oceans, jeopardizing marine life, habitats, and ecosystems. These threats include overfishing or destructive fishing, coastal development, pollution and runoff, and the introduction of non-native species. Climate change is also having a big effect by causing warming seas and ocean acidification.

The realization that something needs to be done to prevent the damage has led to the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs), Specifics differ around the globe, but the United States defines a marine protected area as “any area of the marine environment that has been preserved to prov d eating protection for part or all of the natural and cultural resources.”

There are approximately 5,000 designated (命名) MPAs around the word but many more that are not officially recognized, says Toropova, the conservation group’s officer for marine protected areas. That may sound like a lot, but less than one percent of the world’s oceans is protected. Countries around the world have committed to protecting 10 percent, Toropova say, But “even though there’s been an increase in the past 10 years, at the current rate it would take 100 years to reach that goal,” she says.

1. What does the author intend to emphasize in paragraph 1?

A．Oceans are crucial for humans’ survival.	B．Oceans affect little to people far from them.
C．The phytoplankton needs many sea resources.	D．Seas should make more room for our land.

2. Why did many people consider the sea as a dumping ground?

A．It covers so much and holds so much of Earth’s water.

B．They thought everyday wastes had little effect on it.

C．Its floor is just as irregular as the surface of the land.

D．People have acknowledged quite little about the sea.

3. What does the underlined word “jeopardizing” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Feeding.

B．Replacing.

C．Harming.

D．Protecting.

4. What is Toropova’s view about people’s efforts for the sea?

A．Marine protected areas aren’t necessary.	B．We still need contribute more to the sea.
C．MPAs have shown great effects on the sea.	D．Most of world’s oceans are being protected.

4 . A five-month-old bar tailed godwit recently broke the record for long-distance migration after flying 13,560 kilometers non-stop over a period of 11 days.

Every autumn, millions of migratory birds take to the ________ for a long and exhausting journey to ________ the coming cold, feed and breed for the next few months. Many of them ________ impressive distances of over 10,000 kilometers, but this year, one small bird was ________ all expectations regarding long-distance flying, traveling a big 13,560 kilometers without stopping. And it was all because of an unusual roundabout way that could have ________ the bird its life, considering that the non-stop journey pushed its ________ capacity to the limit.

Last month, the young bar-tailed godwit ________ from Alaska to New Zealand, but somehow, at one point during its ________ journey, the small bird took a little roundabout way that added an extra 500 kilometers to its original route. That seems like a small distance to cover, considering that the normal ________ would have seen it fly around 13,000 kilometers, but it’s actually a significant difference that could have had deadly ________.

Scientists were able to ________ the godwit’s record flight with the help of a tiny tracker that only weighed 5 grams. Technological advancements have allowed researchers to track such small species of birds without ________ them, as adding any kind of significant weight to a creature that weighs only between 300 and 400 grams could put its life in danger.

Dr. Woehler estimates that the bird lost “half or more of its body ________” during the 11-day continuous flight, but ________ it to dry land safely.

Interestingly, scientists haven’t yet understood ________ birds like the bar-tailed godwit are able to navigate such large distances without stopping and without getting lost.

1.

A．ground

B．forest

C．sky

D．mountain

2.

A．challenge

B．bear

C．escape

D．enjoy

3.

A．add

B．cover

C．measure

D．calculate

4.

A．within

B．under

C．for

D．beyond

5.

A．costed

B．saved

C．offered

D．changed

6.

A．recognition

B．flight

C．defense

D．management

7.

A．put off

B．turned off

C．showed off

D．took off

8.

A．tiring

B．exciting

C．smooth

D．short

9.

A．gesture

B．route

C．sight

D．dream

10.

A．thoughts

B．strengths

C．consequences

D．diseases

11.

A．track

B．create

C．break

D．bring

12.

A．decorating

B．endangering

C．protecting

D．preserving

13.

A．water

B．muscle

C．weight

D．size

14.

A．made

B．managed

C．took

D．appreciated

15.

A．when

B．where

C．whether

D．how

5 . Earthquakes are a deadly and unpredictable threat worldwide, as proved by recent catastrophic events in Turkey and Syria. Unlike other natural disasters, earthquakes are difficult to detect and often come with little warning, making them challenging to prepare for. However, knowing best practices for earthquake preparedness can help reduce potential harm.     1    .

Drop, cover and hold.

Make sure you know what to do when an earthquake strikes.     2    , drop, take cover under a stable piece of furniture, and hold on. You’re safe under something like a desk or table, with one arm holding onto a leg of the table and your other arm protecting your neck and head.

    3    .

Let’s say there’s an earthquake in the middle of the night and your house is damaged. “Where are you going to go?” says Alyssa Provencio, a professor who teaches emergency and disaster management. Create a meeting point — somewhere easy for everyone in your household to remember under stress, like the post office near your house. Whatever plan you decide on, don’t rely on your phone as your main form of communication, because technology fails all the time in disasters.

Make digital copies of important documents.

    4    . They’re not something people remember to grab in a disaster. Scan or take photos of your important documents, such as your license, financial records, insurance policy information and even a list of medical prescriptions, and store them in the cloud. This can help ensure your documents will be available even if your computer or hard drive is lost in a quake.

Stock up (囤积) on water and other supplies.

Access to water during an earthquake should be a guarantee.     5    . If you live alone, that means you need a total of three gallons stored in your home. The same goes for food. Store at least 72 hours’ worth of food for everyone in your family, like canned food or power bars.

By following these steps and being prepared, individuals and families can increase their chances of staying safe during and after an earthquake.

A．Make a family plan

B．If you feel the ground shaking

C．Your phones can be used to make digital copies

D．Store at least one gallon of water per person for 72 hours

E．Important documents may get destroyed during an earthquake

F．Here are several steps you can take to prepare yourself in advance

G．The amount of water to be reserved depends on your family members

6 . Water pollution caused by the coal industry is a critical issue that requires urgent attention. According to a report by environmental and clean water groups, coal plants are the primary source of toxic (有毒的) water pollution in the United States. Nearly 70% of 274 coal plants have no limits on toxic materials, such as As₂O₃ and Pb, and they were dumped directly into waterways. Over one-third of these plants have no requirements to monitor or report discharges of these toxic materials to government agencies or the public.

Furthermore, the report reveals that 71 coal plants discharge toxic water pollution into waterways that have already been declared damaged due to poor water quality. Almost half of the 386 coal plants surveyed operate without Clean Water Act permits, and 53 of them have permits that went out of date five or more years ago. These results are due to the lack of any strict standards limiting toxic pollution from coal plants.

Coal-fired power plants are the main source of toxic water pollution in the United States, accounting for more than half of all toxic water pollution. The human health impacts from this pollution are serious. The EPA estimates that nearly 140,000 people per year experience increased cancer risk due to As₂O₃ in fish from coal plants. The report indicates that almost 13,000 children under the age of seven each year have reduced IQs because of Pb in fish they eat, and almost 2,000 children are born with lower IQs because of toxic fish their mothers have eaten.

Fortunately, the EPA proposed the first ever national standards to limit toxics dumped into waterways from coal plants in April 2013. According to the EPA, these standards should reduce pollution by more than 5 billion pounds a year. The report suggests that the EPA’s new coal plant water pollution standards will not only clean up our water but will also save lives.

Affordable wastewater treatment technologies exist to prevent toxic discharges and are already in use at some plants. It is time for the coal industry to be responsible for the damage it is causing, and for the government to set stricter standards to protect the environment and public health. With the proposed EPA standards, there is hope for a cleaner future. By holding the coal industry responsible, we can make significant steps in protecting our waterways and ensuring that future generations have access to clean and safe water.

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．Over 100 coal plants have limits on toxic materials.

B．Most coal plants operate with Clean Water Act permits.

C．About half of 274 coal plants monitor the toxic materials.

D．Strict standards limiting toxic pollution are urgently required.

2. Which is the main issue affecting human health according to the passage?

A．Outdated Clean Water Act permits.

B．Consumption of polluted fish by humans.

C．Air pollution caused by Coal-fired power plants.

D．Not advanced wastewater treatment technologies.

3. Which word can best describe the new water pollution standards in Paragraph 4?

A．Significant.	B．Ineffective.
C．Alternative.	D．Meaningless.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Lack of strict standards to limit toxic pollution.

B．Serious health problems affected by coal plants.

C．Urgent joint efforts to deal with water pollution caused by coal plants.

D．Importance of affordable wastewater treatment technologies in the United States.

7 . 阅读下列材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Mount Lushan is located in Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. Lushan National Park     1    (occupy) a total area of 30, 200 hectares and its     2    (high)Peak, Hanyang Peak, is 1, 474 meters above sea level. Bordered on the north by the Yangtze River and on the south by Poyang Lake, Mount Lushan presents an     3    (appeal) scene of river, hills and lake, the beauty of     4     has attracted spiritual leaders, scholars, artists and writers for over 2, 000 years. More than 200 historic buildings are located in the Lushan National Park. These include the Buddhist East Grove Temple complex     5    (begin) by Huiyuan in 386 CE…Other important features include the stone single-span Guan Ying Bridge of 1, 015 CE and more than 900 inscriptions on cliffs and stone     6    (tablet).

Mount Lushan has an important place in Chinese history and culture. It is     7     outstanding representative of Chinese landscape culture, as well as a remarkable model of Chinese academy-based education. The significant cultural developments and political events occurring over the course of Lushan’s history     8    (influence) the recent course of Chinese history over the past decades. The natural beauty of Lushan is perfectly integrated with its historic buildings and features, creating a unique cultural landscape powerfully associated with Chinese spiritual     9     cultural life.

In 1982, Mount Lushan became one of the first National Scenic Areas and one of the First Class National Nature Reserves. All attributes of Mount Lushan are     10    (effective) protected by the laws and regulations for the protection of cultural heritage and its setting. Any measures and projects that may significantly impact the heritage value must be authorized by the relevant national authorities.

8 . Signal for help in the wild

Having multiple effective ways to signal for help can make all the difference in a survival situation where outside help is guaranteed. Signaling is one of the most under-practiced and under-emphasized skill sets in our survival, and it’s about time we took it more seriously.     1    

Cell phone used for signaling. In areas where service is available, your call for help can be made to the exact right people and vast amounts of information can be conveyed.     2    If you’ll be spending time in an area without cell service, consider buying(or renting)a satellite phone, which will allow you to make a call from anywhere on earth.

Signal whistle. The humble whistle is a fine piece of signal gear for short-range audible signaling. Three blasts of a whistle are generally interpreted as a universal signal for distress.     3    Also, select whistles that are attached to rings to prevent loss. Blow the whistle in blasts of three and to stay in one spot until help arrives.

Signal mirror. A signal mirror is one of the furthest reaching, non-electronic signal methods. Properly aimed, a signal mirror can shine a beam of daylight up to 10 miles, creating a flash of light that can catch the attention of distant aircraft, watercraft, vehicles, or persons on foot. Purchase a mirror with a sighting lens and sweep the mirror VERY slowly right to left and up and down.    4    

Signal flag. Flags have been used for signaling for thousands of years. And while there are commercially available signal flags, you also can create your own. A brightly colored or contrasting colored garment tied to a stick serves as a quick flag.     5    Your homemade flag could be virtually any shape, so long as it is a large panel of material that doesn’t blend into the surroundings. Flags can also be laid out on the ground for ground-to-air signaling.

A．But in most cases, signaling with a whistle makes little difference.

B．Select brightly colored whistles, which are easy to spot if dropped.

C．While in areas with a weaker signal, try sending out a text message.

D．A space blanket and other reflective material makes an excellent flag as well.

E．This should sweep the beam across your target and hopefully get someone’s attention.

F．Follow my lead and learn how to assist in your own rescue with our signaling methods.

G．Here’s some practical advice for you to follow if you are really at a loss about various signals.

9 . 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。

Zibo barbecue     1    (be) a trending topic on Chinese social media platforms since early March.

Mouth-watering images describe a typical Zibo barbecue     2    (name) after its place of origin, Zibo, a small industrial city in East China’s Shandong province. Zibo barbecue     3    (consist) of well-seasoned meat and vegetables wrapped in a pancake has dominated Weibo and Xiaohongshu, Chinese platforms similar to Twitter and Instagram.

Zibo was hardly on anyone’s travel bucket list     4     it went viral. But thanks to a group of college students who documented     5    (they) Zibo barbecue trip on Douyin, the city’s delicious and     6    (afford) barbecue became a hit.

The local government has jumped     7     the opportunity to take advantage of the city’s newfound fame and explore its tourism potential. Must-go restaurant maps were drawn up, and barbecue-themed high-speed train services and special bus routes were established     8    (make) the small city more accessible to tourists from all over the country.

The city’s other attractions, such as the Haidai building, a    9    (beautiful) designed bookstore, also gained popularity due to visitors who want to make     10     most of their Zibo trip.

10 . Climate change is making a safe, slow adjustment to heat much harder by upending(颠覆)what we’d typically expect as seasons change.

Although late summer can bring more extreme temperatures, early heat waves have a particularly dangerous influence. A large body of research tends to find that early summer heat waves can have higher rates of death compared to later in the season.

There are a few explanations for this phenomenon. One theory is that the most vulnerable populations will fail to fight the higher temperatures at the start of the season, so there are fewer vulnerable people in the more intense heat waves a few months later. A second explanation is the acclimatization(气候适应)effect, since people need time to adjust to heat. How much time a person needs to physiologically adapt depends.

The way we adapt to early season heat isn’t just about physiological changes in our bodies. Behavior makes a difference too, as do policies and infrastructure that help people cope.

The US still has few policies that help protect people from the most extreme summertime heat. Even the protections that exist around heat don’t focus on the vital early season. Besides, the protection measures, where they do exist, don’t typically kick in until after a certain date or when temperatures are above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, which is far beyond what some vulnerable populations can handle.

“We barely have enough resources to deal with what’s occurring right now,” said University of Arizona professor of urban planning Keith Ladd. “With climate change, we’re seeing increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of heat waves, so we need to adjust our response.”

1. What can we learn from paragraphs 3 and 4?

A．Our adjustment to heat varies from person to person.

B．Infrastructure will hardly affect our adaptation to early heat.

C．Old people can properly fight higher temperatures in early summer.

D．Physiological changes make a big difference to our behavior.

2. What do we know about America’s reaction to early heat waves?

A．Its response needs adjustment due to climate change.

B．It has enough resources to deal with the present situation.

C．Only a few measures concentrate on the deadly early season.

D．Its policies can effectively help protect people from the early season heat.

3. Which section of a magazine does the text probably come from?

A．Technology.

B．Nature.

C．Population.

D．Politics.

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．Climate change leads to early summer heat.

B．Why can early heat waves lead to more deaths?

C．How can we adapt to early season heat?

D．Early heat waves can be the deadliest.