1 . According to the WHO, 90 percent of the world’s population lives in a place where they are exposed to unsafe levels of airborne pollutants, contributing to up to seven million deaths each year. If you live in a city, chances are that you’re part of that 90 percent, even if your city is relatively clean. That’s why cities worldwide have started embracing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.
One of the best ways to fight pollution is to figure out where it’s worst and where it’s coming from. If you’ve ever made a habit of checking air quality around you, you may notice that there aren’t actually that many monitoring stations, and your closest one may not be that close. For pollution data to really be accurate and helpful, we need a lot more of it.
Luckily, IoT sensors and low-power wide-area networks are making it a lot easier to get and spread ultra-local data. Lampposts are one popular place to put them. For example, the Republic of Korea and Barcelona have already built out a network of pollution sensors in their streetlights.
On the other hand, outfitting (配备) cars, bikes, and even people with pollution sensors provide valuable data on a smaller, more mobile scale.
Since pollutant levels can change dramatically even from one city block to another, having smaller-scale data is important for making a lot of decisions that, over time, might have a major influence on our health and behavior. It can influence where we decide to live, when we exercise, whether we bike to work, and, perhaps most importantly, what we can do about pollution in our area.
All the Internet of Things can help us do on a personal level is use less energy. The data it provides, though, can be used to make big and small changes to the way we behave and build, and that is eventually where we’ll see benefits.
1. What’s the problem mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．The death rate is high every year. |
| B．There are too many people in the world. |
| C．There is little space for people to live in. |
| D．Air pollution is more serious than expected. |
| A．Pollution data. |
| B．A monitoring station. |
| C．Internet of Things. |
| D．A low-power network. |
| A．It directly decreases pollutant levels. |
| B．It uses less energy to clean the air. |
| C．It covers more areas of air pollution. |
| D．It betters decisions on our lifestyle. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Positive. | D．Uncaring. |
2 . This past January, Captain Preet Chandi set foot on a historic, though decidedly icy, trail by becoming the first African woman to reach the South Pole alone, without assistance. While others might have been content to make history with this singular accomplishment, “Polar Preet” Chandi is not one to rest on her laurels (桂冠). The journey to the South Pole was merely “phase one” of a larger and even more extraordinary goal for the adventurous British Army officer.
For “phase two”, the 33-year-old has set her sights on crossing Antarctica — once again doing the journey alone and unsupported to become the first woman to achieve this goal.
On November 14, Chandi departed from Hercules Inlet, an ice-filled bay at the southwestern section of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf bordering the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. Her goal is to reach Reedy Glacier within 75 days, a coast-to-coast journey consisting of roughly 1,100 miles. And “roughly” is the operative (关键的) word here — she’ll be pulling a sled with equipment, weighing about 264 pounds altogether, and she’ll be doing so in temperatures that can sink to minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit, with wind speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.
Her journey thus far required years of training. Prior to her 700-mile South Pole journey, she prepared by attending a polar survival course in Norway. She continued her training back home in the U.K. by dragging tires, the closest thing to pulling a sled, and a month-long practice run in Greenland. Ultimately, Chandi went on to finish her first South Pole expedition in 40 days, a full eight days ahead of schedule.
When not otherwise setting records of human endurance in extreme conditions, Chandi tries to inspire others in her day-to-day work.
Chandi will be posting interval voice blog updates of her phase two progress on her website, polarpret.com, where a live tracking map will also provide her current location at every point along her journey.
“Nothing is impossible. I’ve always had this idea that I can achieve something great, something that allows me to be a role model,” Chandi shared on her blog.
1. What made Chandi want to cross Antarctica?| A．Sticking to a promise. | B．Trying challenging things. |
| C．Raising money for poor women. | D．Realizing her childhood dream. |
| A．To hide the author’s bad memory of numbers. |
| B．To indicate there are more challenges facing Chandi. |
| C．To explain there is no proper word to describe the journey. |
| D．To show there is no official figure about the distance to Antaretica. |
| A．Survival training is a hard process. |
| B．Chandi got trained by pulling sleds. |
| C．The journey to the South Pole was eventful. |
| D．Chandi made full preparations for her adventure. |
| A．Inspiring and friendly. | B．Active and creative. |
| C．Confident and determined. | D．Adventurous and modest. |
3 . Say No to Non-electric Cars
Most modern cities have taken action to reduce traffic jams and improve air quality. But if they want to become more livable, they should think about more ambitious goals.
Amsterdam has set a good example. As from 2030, driving a gas vehicle there will not be allowed. The Dutch capital wants its citizens to become healthier and happier.
The advantages of such plans are clear.
Saying no to non-electric cars or even all cars is hard.
| A．But will everyone support such plans? |
| B．The government should advocate the use of electric cars. |
| C．Traffic jams waste huge amounts of fuel and time each year. |
| D．Electric cars not only are energy-saving but produce little noise. |
| E．But let’s think seriously about our well-being and that of our planet. |
| F．People who drive electric car maybe given discount son parking fees. |
| G．One way to do is to encourage them to switch to electric cars or give up driving altogether. |
4 . The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is an annual showcase of the best nature photography.This year,it attracted 49,000 entries. Here are some of the winners and the stories behind the striking images.
“The embrace”by Sergey Gorshkov (Russia).
It shows a Siberian tiger hugging a tree. It took the photographer 11 months to capture, using hidden cameras. Hunted almost to extinction,the population is still threatened by poaching (偷猎). Through the picture, we are reminded of the beauty of the natural world and our shared responsibility to protect it.
“When mother says run”by Shanyuan Li (China).
This is a rare picture of a family of manuls (兔狲),the result of six years’ work at high altitude.
After long-term observation，Li tracked the family.Hours of patience were rewarded when the three kittens came out to play while their mother kept her eyes on a Tibetan fox hiding nearby.
“Show business”by Kirsten Luce(USA).
Luce has been reporting on animal abuse，but says it's the most shocking scene she has photographed. It shows a muzzled(戴口套的) polar bear performing in the Circusn on Ice，reportedly the only known circus to use the animals.The polar bear was captured when she was two years old and she’s still performing 18 years later．
1. What can we know about the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition?| A．It is held every two years． |
| B．It focuses on the natural disasters |
| C．A lot of people participated in it this year. |
| D．It aims to teach people how to take photographs. |
| A．Attacking a Tibetan fox nearby. |
| B．Tracking her family from a hiding place. |
| C．Protecting the kittens from potential danger. |
| D．Rewarding the kittens’ patience with food. |
| A．They’re about animal abuse. |
| B．It took a long time to shoot them. |
| C．The photographers are from the same country. |
| D．They aim to arouse people’s awareness to protect animals. |
5 . When John Todd was a child, he loved to explore the woods around his house, observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream, for example, often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older, John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.
After studying agriculture, medicine, and fisheries in college, John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria (细菌)? Which kinds of fish can eat cancer-causing chemicals? With the right combination of animals and plants, he figured, maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco-machine.
The task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge (污泥). First, he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little, these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks, John added the sludge.
He was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco-machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks, it had all been digested, and all that was left was pure water.
Over the years, John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse — like facility that treated sewage (污水) from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco-machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou, a city in southeast China.
“Ecological design” is the name John gives to what he does. “Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,” he says. “You put organisms in new relationships and observe what’s happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self-repair.”
1. What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs?| A．He was fond of traveling. | B．He enjoyed being alone. |
| C．He had an inquiring mind. | D．He longed to be a doctor. |
| A．To feed the animals. | B．To build an ecosystem. |
| C．To protect the plants. | D．To test the eco-machine. |
| A．To review John’s research plans. | B．To show an application of John’s idea. |
| C．To compare John’s different jobs. | D．To erase doubts about John’s invention. |
| A．Nature can repair itself. | B．Organisms need water to survive. |
| C．Life on Earth is diverse. | D．Most tiny creatures live in groups. |
6 . The old 1986 truck was large and inconvenient. So it was not an ideal vehicle for Ian Cheney’s
As in other large cities, there are not many places to grow food in New York. Yet Cheney wanted a vegetable garden. Many urban farmers in New York have found
So Cheney
When the food was ready to pick, Cheney drove the truck from one urban neighborhood to another. He
Cheney is
Cheney continues to plant his truck and drive it around New York neighborhoods. He hopes that fresh and healthy food can be
| A．crowded | B．plain | C．deserted | D．breathtaking |
| A．house | B．square | C．farm | D．bank |
| A．creative | B．uniform | C．regular | D．ugly |
| A．floating | B．emerging | C．rising | D．remaining |
| A．attachment | B．desire | C．access | D．contributions |
| A．difficult | B．practical | C．limited | D．common |
| A．tool | B．space | C．information | D．material |
| A．set up | B．set off | C．set aside | D．set out |
| A．recognized | B．measured | C．refused | D．preferred |
| A．gave away | B．gave up | C．gave back | D．gave in |
| A．curious | B．anxious | C．optimistic | D．passionate |
| A．consumption | B．costs | C．advantages | D．significance |
| A．change | B．decrease | C．remain | D．adapt |
| A．acceptable | B．reasonable | C．popular | D．available |
| A．logically | B．vaguely | C．definitely | D．randomly |
7 . On the way to his home the child turned many times and beat the dog, declaring with childish gestures that he held him in contempt (蔑视) as an unimportant dog. The dog apologized for being this quality of animal and expressed regret in fine form, but he continued stealthily to follow the child.
When the child reached his door-step, the dog was a few yards behind moving slowly toward him. He became so anxious with shame when he again faced the child that he forgot the dragging rope. He tripped (绊倒) upon it and fell forward.
The child sat down on the step and the two had another interview. During it the dog did his best to please the child. He performed a few playful jumps with such abandon (尽情地) that the child suddenly saw him to be a valuable thing. He made a swift, greedy charge (猛冲) and seized the rope.
He dragged his captive (俘虏) into a hall and up many long stairways in a dark building. The dog made willing efforts, but he could not walk very skillfully up the stairs because he was very small and soft, and at last the pace of the child grew so energetic that the dog became panic-stricken. In his mind he was being dragged toward somewhere unknown. His eyes grew wild with the terror of it. He began to wiggle his head wildly and to brace his legs.
The child redoubled his efforts. They had a battle on the stairs. The child was victorious because he was completely absorbed in his purpose and because the dog was very small. He dragged his acquirement to the door of his home, and finally with victory across the doorway. No family member was in. The child sat down on the floor and made overtures to (向……示好) the dog. These the dog instantly accepted. He smiled with affection upon his new friend. In a short time they were firm and abiding (矢志不渝的) comrades.
1. What might have happened before the first paragraph?| A．The child had wanted to own the dog for a long time. |
| B．The dog had been someone else’s pet but lost his way. |
| C．The child had been looking for the lost dog for a long time. |
| D．The dog had been driven out of home by the child’s family. |
| A．The dog’s apology. | B．His first interview with the dog |
| C．His pity on the dog. | D．The dog’s pleasing performance. |
| A．Frightened-relieved-anxious-happy. | B．Worried-angry-scared-delighted |
| C．Guilty-anxious-nervous-pleased. | D．Angry-regretted-scared-puzzled. |
8 . Most of us are familiar with carrots.
Then we should choose a variety of carrots after the soil is prepared.
Early types should be sown in spring as soon as the soil is workable. They may also be sown under covers, though the covers should be removed after a few weeks.
Weeds should be removed regularly once the carrots have germinated. Watering is needed every two to three weeks. Watch out for pests and diseases.
Early carrots can be harvested about seven to nine weeks after sowing and main crop carrots should be harvested after ten to eleven weeks.
| A．There are many varieties. |
| B．They are good to people’s health. |
| C．They are usually orange in colour. |
| D．After about a week, the seeds come out. |
| E．Carrots are grown in an open site in fertile soil. |
| F．Carrot rust flies can be a serious problem for carrots. |
| G．Main crop types can be sown from late spring to early summer. |
1. 当地风光和风土人情；
2. 个人感受。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 . Planting more breadfruit trees could help make food supplies more stable as the planet warms, with climate models suggesting they will grow well across the tropics(热带) for many decades to come.
There is an especially big opportunity in tropical Africa, where large areas are suitable for growing breadfruit trees and will remain so until at least the end of the century.
Breadfruit is a bit like a potato that grows on a tree, says Lucy at Northwestern University. The fruit can be cooked in many ways and also turned into flour. They are highly productive and extremely nutritious. In addition, once a tree is established it is quite strong.
Lucy and Daniel worked with Nyree at Chicago Botanic Garden to look at where in the tropics breadfruit grows now and to identify the climatic conditions planting trees require. Next, they used climate models to see where breadfruit could still grow between 2060 and 2080.
They found that the crop will be relatively unaffected, with the overall suitable area reducing by just 4 percent globally.
“Areas today that grow breadfruit will continue to be able to grow breadfruit, although yields may decrease.” says Daniel.
This is significant because some studies suggest that yields of staple crops such as rice could be hard hit by rising temperatures and more extreme weather. There are expected to be many more food shocks like that of 2010, when Russia stopped exporting wheat after a heatwave decreased yields dramatically.
The team’s finding also revealed a big opportunity in tropical Africa, where only a little breadfruit is currently grown. “There’s potential there to expand breadfruit planting,” says Daniel. “This tree may be able to have really positive impacts on sustainable and secure food supply.”
1. What is the strength of breadfruit?| A．Its yields and nutritional value. | B．Its shape and cooking methods. |
| C．Its size and growing area. | D．Its weight and flexibility. |
| A．By modeling the future climate. | B．By listing data of the future trend. |
| C．By investigating specific examples. | D．By comparing the past and present. |
| A．To set an example of successful food export. |
| B．To describe the possible reason of a food shock. |
| C．To prove there will be solutions to food shortages. |
| D．To show food supply can be affected by climate change. |
| A．Only a little breadfruit will be grown in the future. |
| B．Breadfruit trees could really cool down our planet. |
| C．More breadfruit should be grown in tropical Africa. |
| D．Heatwaves have really positive impact on food security. |
| A．Food Shortages in Africa |
| B．Possible Food of the Future |
| C．Surviving in Warm Climate |
| D．Food Choices in Warm Climate |
