1 . Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal.
The paper calls for a complete change in government spending on wildfires, changing their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness.
The report, Spreading like Wildfire: The Rising Threat of Extraordinary Landscape Fires, finds a higher risk even for the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires. The report had been released before representatives of 193 nations held a meeting in Nairobi for the restarted 5th session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2), between 28 February and 2 March, 2022.
The publication calls on governments to adopt a new “Fire Ready Formula” with two-thirds of spending devoted to planning, prevention, preparedness, and recovery, with one third left for response. Currently, direct responses to wildfires typically receive over hall of related cost, while planning and prevention receive less than one per cent.
To prevent fires, authors call for a combination of data and science-based monitoring systems with native knowledge and for a stronger regional and international cooperation.
“Current government responses to wildfires are often putting money in the wrong place. Those emergency service workers and firefighters on the frontlines who are risking their lives to fight forest wildfires need to be supported. We have to reduce the risk of extreme wildfires by being better prepared: invest more in fire risk reduction, work with local communities, and strengthen global commitment to fight climate change.” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director.
Wildfires disproportionately (不成比例地) affect the world’s poorest nations. With an impact that extends for days, weeks and even years after the flames die down, they block progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Coals and deepen social inequalities.
1. What does the paper appeal to the government to do with wildfires?| A．Invest more money on forecast. |
| B．Give advanced warning to wild animals |
| C．Focus on the act of stopping them from happening, |
| D．Plant more tress to make up for the loss of forests. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Unfair. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．The areas hit by climate change. |
| B．The names of the world’s poorest nations. |
| C．The relationship between wildfires and health. |
| D．The bad effects of wildfires on different fields. |
| A．Wildfires are spreading worldwide. |
| B．The UN held a meeting to discuss wildfires. |
| C．Governments should prepare themselves for wildfires. |
| D．The UNEP Executive Director released a report on wildfires. |
2 . Over the last 50 years, the environmental movement has become so closely associated with the color green that it’s almost impossible to see a green poster, label or recycling bag without thinking about our plane’s future. But though that connection is the product of a very recent crisis, its origins go back some way. We have identified green with nature and its processes for thousands of years. Indeed, the very word “green” comes from the ancient Proto-Indo-European word ghre, meaning “grow”.
The human species has a special biological bond with green. Unlike most mammals, which are red-green color blind, we developed a third cone cell. This additional photoreceptor (光感受器) enabled our ancestors to spot ripe red and yellow fruits against the green ones, and to distinguish different green leaves from each other. In daylight conditions, human eyes are more sensitive to green than any other colors.
All over the world, people shared feelings with nature through green materials. Jade, for instance, was used to make objects that would guarantee a successful harvest. The Maya buried their leaders with jade masks for this reason. The ancient Egyptians, who were farming the banks of the Nile from about 8000 BC, identified their crops with green. Their term for the color was wadj, which also meant flourish (繁荣). Egyptian painters often described their god of agriculture, Osiris, as a bright green being.
While the future of our planet remains uncertain, many scientists are convinced that leaves will prove to be a decisive weapon in our battle against climate change. This is as it should be. After all, for early farmers waiting for schools to emerge from the soil and for modern-day activists determined to bring about a sustainable future, green was, and is, a color of hope—after a long cold winter or a drought-ridden summer, the arrival of green will signal a new beginning.
1. What has happened over the past 50 years according to the text?| A．People have been used to buying recycled paper bags. |
| B．A large number of posters have been designed by artists. |
| C．Many factories have closed down due to the serious pollution. |
| D．The environmental movement has greatly affected the Earth’s future. |
| A．They have a special bond with red. |
| B．Their eyes are more sensitive to red. |
| C．They lack a kind of photoreceptor cell. |
| D．Their brains have additional photoreceptors. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By raisin a question. | D．By using statistics. |
| A．Crucial. | B．Abstract. | C．Complex. | D．Distant. |
1. What is the weather like?
| A．Cool. | B．Warm. | C．Hot. |
| A．Beer. | B．Apple juice. | C．Soda water. |
4 . If you’re not at least a bit terrified by the climate and ecological breakdown unfolding before our eyes, you haven’t grasped the scale of the crisis. Eco-anxiety, defined as “a chronic(长期的)fear of environmental doom”, is on the rise. But redirecting this anxiety into anger and collective action might just pull humanity back from the brink.
We don’t yet know how deeply eco-anxiety affects people, but we can learn not to repeat the mistakes of long-gone societies lost to environmental collapse. Jared Diamond’s Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed uncovers the common driver that led to the fall of ancient civilizations such as the Central American Mayan, the remote Pacific Easter Island, and the Mycenae: People accidentally destroyed the environmental resources on which their societies depended.
Today, we are living in a new climate and ecological age. The new normal is one that humans have never before experienced on earth, and that has occurred within a single generation. We can’t claim ignorance. Numerous scientific reports show: unprecedented(空前的)wildfires in the Arctic, heatwaves annually breaking records, the Amazon shrinking and drying, and species extinction rates accelerating. Nature’s dangerous decline is unprecedented.
So, it’s not surprising that eco-anxiety is on the rise. Anxiety is often a private emotional state: We feel alone, stuck inside our own heads, and our emotions stop us from doing the things we want. But anger, directed appropriately, can fuel powerful collective action for change.
We are on a pathway to destroy the global conditions for human survival. Unlike previous civilizations, we have the science and technology to understand our danger and chart a new pathway. This is a moment for all of us to channel our eco-anxiety, fear and anger into energy for change.
1. Which of the following best describes “eco-anxiety”?| A．Uncertainty about the future. | B．Anxiety about modern civilization. |
| C．Fear of changes in the living standard. | D．Worries about the destruction of nature. |
| A．To warn people to learn a lesson from the past. |
| B．To prove the importance of ancient civilizations. |
| C．To present the collapse of ancient civilizations. |
| D．To add some background information on eco-anxiety. |
| A．People lack the knowledge about nature. | B．Nature is in its most dangerous state ever. |
| C．Climate issues can’t be solved effectively. | D．People have limited access to natural resources. |
| A．Frustrated. | B．Doubtful. | C．Hopeful. | D．Concerned. |
5 . The grass swung gently above a crack in the limestone (石灰岩) and Ludvik Husu realized he had found what he was searching for: a new cave in Slovenia’s dramatic Karst (喀斯特) region.
The cave enthusiast, with more than 50 years of experience, told AFP that “the conditions were perfect ... all the signs pointed to something beneath” as he felt the air current push up from below.
The 63-year-old had come across a new, 60-meter-deep limestone cave, a discovery that made the headlines this summer in a country that prides itself on its 14,000 underground caves.
The tiny Alpine nation is unusually rich in caves, which are a major tourist attraction. Perhaps the best known is the Postojna cave system, the longest in Europe, discovered by another amateur enthusiast two centuries ago. It extends for 24 kilometers and has offered up valuable finds for biologists.
Stanislav Glazar, a Postojna cave guide, told AFP that more than 150 species have been discovered in the system.
Glazar said Postojna is one of the richest caves in the world “in limestone formations.” The cave, located about 50 kilometers south of the capital Ljubljana, was also home to the world’s first cave tourist train, which began transporting visitors in 1872.
Elsewhere in the Karst region, the cave systems are of historical, cultural and even extraterrestrial interest. For instance, the UNESCO-listed Skocjan system was where the European Space Agency sent some astronauts to prepare for life in space.
“Astronauts know that the Karst world is exceptional, in a similar way to the environment in space: you don’t know what to expect at your next step,” said Skocjan Caves director Tomaz Zorman.
But for Husu, it’s the exploration that proves most rewarding. Once he knows there is something beneath, he digs around the crack to widen it and alerts fellow cavers to help gain access. He then uses ropes and a lamp to go down to what are vertical entrances in most caves. But doesn’t he feel scared to enter such unexplored depths?
“You enter a cave out of curiosity — there is no fear! Those who feel fear should stay home,” he said.
1. What was people’s attitude towards Ludvik Husu’s new finding this summer?| A．Critical. | B．Positive. | C．Doubtful. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．It has little biological value. |
| B．It has diverse limestone formations. |
| C．It is the most famous cave system in Europe. |
| D．It has been open to the public for two centuries. |
| A．Financial. | B．Political. | C．Alien. | D．Biological. |
| A．Slovenia is known for its Karst landforms. |
| B．Ludvik Husu started exploring caves before he was 13. |
| C．Slovenia has the most underground caves in the world. |
| D．Ludvik Husu is often upset about entering unexplored caves. |
6 . If you visit Uluwatu Temple in Bali, take care. The long-tailed macaques(猕猴) there are well-known thieves. Since time out of mind(自古以来) they have made a living by taking away visitors’ belongings and refusing to return them until some food is provided. That is quite clever. But Jean-Baptiste Leca of the University of Lethbridge wondered whether these monkeys are cleverer still. Sometimes, they do not accept the first offer and hold out for more. He therefore asked himself whether they are able to assess how valuable an object is to its owner, and use that knowledge in their negotiations.
Experiments conducted in the past with monkeys and apes suggest such primates(灵长类动物) can indeed attach a value to something worthless to them like a colored plastic counter(筹码), by learning that symbols of this sort may be exchanged for food, and that different counters bring different rewards. These findings, however, were based on rules made by humans but followed by lab animals. The macaques of Uluwatu are true wild animals, though ones that are familiar with, and comfortable in the presence of, human beings.
Dr. Leca and his colleagues conducted their experiment by wandering around the temple with video cameras, recording the robberies. After that, they tried to establish the relative values of food rewards to monkeys, and of stealable objects to people. There are three sorts of rewards: raw eggs, biscuits and small bags of fruit. Different monkeys have different preferences, but Leca established these for individual animals by offering them choices between pairs of goodies. They then observed, from their video recordings, how many times victims bothered to bargain with a thief for the return of property, and thus classified objects into low value (including plastic bottles and key rings), medium value (such as hats and shoes) and high value (like electronics and wallets).
A close analysis showed that monkeys do, indeed, have a complicated sense of what they are doing — at least, adults and sub-adults do. For these animal thieves, high-value items are their first choice, and they will often hold out either for more rewards, or for better ones, if they are in possession of such items. But this is something that they have to learn how to do as they grow up.
1. Why should visitors be careful in Uluwatu Temple?| A．There are strict rules in the temple. | B．There are many thieves and cheats. |
| C．Some wild animals may attack them. | D．Monkeys may steal their possessions. |
| A．They focused on symbols and rewards. |
| B．They were conducted in an artificial setting. |
| C．They looked at how monkeys and apes learned. |
| D．They mainly examined how primates used counters. |
| A．There is a reward system among adult monkeys. |
| B．Young macaques are born with negotiating skills |
| C．Monkeys have a great ability to sense human feelings. |
| D．Long-tailed macaques can recognize high-value objects. |
| A．Name your price | B．Threats to macaques |
| C．Welcome to Uluwatu Temple | D．Various survival skill in nature |
7 . After eight puppies were abandoned on the side of the road in Texas, an animal shelter came to the rescue and brought them all the way from Brownwood, Texas to Wintersville, Ohio. Their journey was, by no means, a simple one.
The puppies were first found fighting for their lives in a muddy channel. They were extremely weak and dehydrated after being forced to protect themselves in the burning Texas sun. Once the puppies were discovered, their journey was far from over. They were immediately brought to what is known as a “high kill” shelter, and after only a few hours, were scheduled for euthanasia. Things weren’t looking good for the pups and were cruel despite lack of suffering. Luckily, they were rescued once more.
“There’s a group that specifically goes around to these high kill shelters and rescues the animals that are scheduled for euthanasia,” said Brandi Damewood, the JCHS Community Outreach Manager. “These guys were rescued by the Corrine T. Smith Animal Center.”
The puppies would eventually end up under the care of the Jefferson County Humane Society. This is because no-kill shelters and rescue organizations often work together to aid in urgent cases. An incredible network of shelters helping other shelters enables these miracle workers to save so many pets in danger of being put down prematurely.
The JCHS has appropriately titled the puppies’ journey “the freedom ride”. The 20-leg trip required 16 different volunteers to drive a total of 1,300 miles and they would meet at specified stops, and then the puppies would be transferred to the next driver for the next leg of the journey. But it was all worth it to save these adorable pups!
Since arriving in Ohio, the puppies have been vaccinated and are hoping to find forever homes in the near future.
1. The underlined word “euthanasia” in Para. 2 most probably means “________”.| A．practice of killing without pain | B．medical examination for an animal |
| C．physical care of a baby animal | D．supplies of food and housing for animals |
| A．Intolerant. | B．Doubtful. | C．Favourable. | D．Neutral. |
| A．volunteers worked together to find homes for abandoned puppies |
| B．abandoned puppies caused animal shelters too much trouble |
| C．shelters tried their best to cure eight abandoned animals in Texas |
| D．eight rescued puppies journeyed 1,300 miles in a “freedom ride” |
| A．The nice weather. | B．The strong wind. | C．The beautiful leaves. |
Shennongjia is one of the most popular scenic spots in China. It is said to be the place
Official data showed that tourist
10 . Have you heard of Robert Bateman? He worked late the evening of March 31,1992. He studied his painting of three lions. Bateman decided to add some finishing touches. As he turned away from the canvas, he smiled, imagining the reaction of his staff the next morning. What an April Fools’ joke! The next day, when his assistants came to the studio, they were shocked. What had the famous artist done to his masterpiece? The lions had bat ears!
World-famous wildlife artist Robert Bateman lives in British Columbia, Canada. On working days, he might be found hiking on the mountain, sketching birds and animals. Bateman spends his days observing, studying, and painting wildlife.
As a boy, Bateman explored the woods and fields around his home in Toronto, Ontario. By the 1970s, he was well-known for his realistic paintings of the natural world.
When he’s not in the woods or mountains, Bateman can be found at home in front of his easel (画架). He still gets a thrill out of seeing an eagle. Sometimes, Bateman does not even have to leave home to find an eagle. They come to him. Eagles rest on a dead tree that Bateman “planted” in rock in front of his house.
Bateman’s most exciting place to find subjects to paint is in Africa. “Every day in Africa is thrilling,” he says. “There are places in Africa that look like the Garden of Eden (伊甸园).”
As for the bat ears on the lions, Bateman painted them on with watercolor paints. After everyone had a good laugh, he simply washed the ears away.
1. Why did Bateman add bat ears to the lion?| A．Because he was dissatisfied with his painting. |
| B．Because he wanted to joke with his staff members. |
| C．Because he would like to make his painting more attractive. |
| D．Because he was eager to have a better study on his painting. |
| A．To look for fun. | B．To research and paint wildlife. |
| C．To take care of wildlife. | D．To search for new species of wildlife. |
| A．He lived in the UK many years ago. |
| B．He spends quite a lot of time in hunting eagles. |
| C．His paintings do not look like real things in life. |
| D．He is particularly fond of living in Africa. |
| A．Crazy and cruel. | B．Naughty and unkind. |
| C．Humorous and hardworking. | D．Imaginative and impractical. |
