1 . Germany’s top court (法院) has ruled that parts of the country’s 2019 climate action law must be changed because they don’t do a good job of protecting young people. Nine young people aged 15 to 24 took the government to court over the law. They said that the government’s failure to plan carefully was putting their future lives in danger.
The judges (法官) of Germany’s highest court said climate change will influence young people far more than adults. That’s because climate change will become more serious over time. As young people become adults, they’ll be left to deal with any problems that today’s adults don’t deal with.
In 2019, Germany passed a new law, promising that the country would be producing no more CO2 than the forest can take in by 2050. The law made a plan of action until 2030. But the law didn’t have any plans for climate actions that would be taken between 2031 and 2050.
The court has asked the German government to fix the law by the end of 2022. The climate law will now need to have a plan for the actions that will be taken after 2030.
The German government has said that it will quickly begin working to make the needed changes. One important part of high court decisions like this is that they act as guides or examples for future decisions. This means that in the future, Germany’s lawmakers will be more likely to think about the climate future of young people as they create their laws.
1. Why did the judges make such a decision?A.They decided the new law made no sense. |
B.They wanted to give the young more rights. |
C.They focused more on the future of the young. |
D.They thought it’s hard to solve climate change. |
A.It failed to take action before 2030. |
B.It was producing more and more CO2. |
C.It refused to consider the young’s rights. |
D.It didn’t plan the climate actions after 2030. |
A.It will make more decisions on climate change. |
B.It will ask the young to help make climate laws. |
C.It will consider the young when making climate laws. |
D.It will encourage the young to protect the environment. |
A.They were brave and forward-looking enough. |
B.They couldn’t bear the present climate change. |
C.They wanted to take part in law-making. |
D.They planned to work in the government. |
1. What did researchers study in two tests?
A.The way of seagulls’ stealing food. |
B.The effects of staring at seagulls. |
C.The different food thieves. |
A.They flew away immediately. |
B.They stood still and looked at the food. |
C.They made an attempt to steal food. |
A.They snatched food violently. |
B.They stole food secretly. |
C.They attacked people aggressively. |
A.By feeding them first. | B.By setting a big trap. | C.By staring at them. |
位置:伦敦市中心。
旅游价值:著名的旅游景点;是文化,音乐和艺术的中心。
特色:中国传统古建筑;吸引人的中餐馆,菜品丰富多样;招牌上有英文和中文
交通:交通便利,大概步行 15 分钟就可以把整个唐人街游览一遍。
人口:来自于不同的国家。
Welcome to BBC Learning English. I am Sun Chen, the host of today’s programme In this programme, we will take you around London’s Chinatown.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________So until next time, it’s goodbye from both of us at BBC Learning English.
4 . “When one door closes,” the saying goes, “another door opens.” For one
A dog named Sheldon took part in a program to
But the very thing that made him a failure as a service dog meant he was likely
In his first
For a dog with a super sense of smell, we guess whether you’re tailing bad guys or hunting for a job, it’s always best to follow your
A.old | B.special | C.lucky | D.sick |
A.help | B.visit | C.teach | D.become |
A.difference | B.mistake | C.grade | D.change |
A.find | B.taste | C.smell | D.hear |
A.hunt down | B.return to | C.learn about | D.depend on |
A.sorry | B.perfect | C.famous | D.responsible |
A.in the front of | B.at the bottom of | C.in the middle of | D.at the top of |
A.Playing with | B.Paired with | C.Agreeing with | D.Faced with |
A.graduation | B.recovery | C.birth | D.death |
A.course | B.race | C.case | D.program |
A.sold | B.built | C.stolen | D.burnt |
A.confusing | B.interesting | C.clear | D.important |
A.sleep | B.work | C.flight | D.risk |
A.fear | B.choice | C.difficulty | D.experience |
A.nose | B.head | C.plan | D.dream |
5 . When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, Karen Lauder refused to leave her home because she was wrong about the intensity(强度) of the storm. Karen is 84 years old and depends on a wheelchair to get around because she is missing a leg. Her son, Johnny Lauder, tried repeatedly to get her to leave, but she refused.
Johnny and his whole family live within a few blocks of one another. They kept in touch with Karen as the storm continued violently(猛烈地) outside, watching the water rising dangerously all around them. When Karen reported that the water in her house had reached her bottom, Johnny knew he had to take action.
First, Johnny ensured his sons and their pets were taken care of. Then, he jumped out of a window and began to swim. Johnny used to work as a rescue swimmer. He is obviously a strong swimmer, but the flood water was filled with dangerous materials. There was also a strong current (水流), and he had to swim against it for most of his trip to Karen’s. As he made his way through the water, Johnny stopped periodically to snap selfies(自拍) to show his worried family that he was okay.
Johnny was racing against the clock. He knew he only had a short period of time to get there before the water rose above Karen’s head. It took him 40 minutes to swim four blocks. The sound of Karen shouting inside was music to his ears!
“If it would’ve been 20 minutes later, she wouldn’t be here,” Johnny said.“She’s never been happier to see me.”
Karen is now safe, although she is in the hospital being treated for infections(感染) she got in the water. The family have all lost everything they owned, including their houses, but they’re grateful just to be here.
1. Why did Karen decide to stay in her house when Hurricane Ian came?A.She had nowhere to go. |
B.She was too old to move. |
C.She thought the storm was not violent. |
D.She lost her wheelchair and was unable to leave. |
A.To record his swimming trip. | B.To show off his swimming skills. |
C.To warn other rescuers of danger. | D.To report his safety to his family. |
A.By shouting. | B.Over the phone. |
C.Through e-mail. | D.With other’s help. |
A.Curious. | B.Frightened. | C.Confused. | D.Relieved. |
The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) said a large atlas moth (皇蛾)
The department said
Atlas moths are native
“This is an
“We hope residents will help us learn if this was a one-off escapee or whether there might be a population in the area,” the department said.
7 . Several years ago, a worldwide heavy rain was predicted, but no one got prepared for what was to come. Then, some areas received over 100 cm of rain. Cars and trucks floated down the streets. Whole buildings were swept away. At least 225 people lost their lives, and millions became homeless.
The weather is always changing. Over the past few years, heavy rains have led to floods in many parts of the world. Droughts have taken place in Brazil and Australia. There have been heat waves in Europe which killed thousands. There have been more powerful hurricanes and tornadoes than ever before. In 2017 alone, the financial cost from global weather events was up to 340 billion dollars.
With more wild weather events happening, people couldn’t help asking questions: What is happening with the weather? And why? Is this natural, or our fault? The answer seems to be: a little of both. Wild weather is natural. But most scientists hold the same view that human activity has made the Earth warmer. It is this global warming that makes heat waves more likely. The higher temperatures also result in more water to go into the air, which causes heavier and more frequent rain. Many scientists also believe global warming makes hurricanes and other storms stronger.
This means we’re likely to see more wild weather. “But we don’t have to just stand there and accept it,” says scientist Michael. He and other experts say we need to stop the Earth from getting warmer. We also need to be prepared, to do things that will help save lives.
1. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?A.A past weather event happened in some areas in the world. |
B.Some facts are listed about the global warming. |
C.A number of recent weather events happened over the world. |
D.Wild weather is partly the result of human activity. |
A.By giving a lot of examples of recent wild weather events. |
B.By describing a serious flood that once happened. |
C.By predicting how the weather will change in a few years. |
D.By comparing the former wild weather with what happened now |
A.People can not do anything to prevent wild weather. |
B.If people stop global warming, the weather will be better. |
C.It is too late to stop global warming. |
D.People have to stand by and accept what will happen to us. |
A.In a tourist brochure | B.In a research paper |
C.In a science fiction | D.In a nature magazine |
1. How tall is Panda?
A.About 30cm. | B.About 60cm. | C.About 160cm. |
A.To help blind people. | B.To compete with dogs. | C.To dance in the shows. |
A.An English trainer. | B.A reporter. | C.The Panda’s owner. |
A.She can’t get lost. | B.She will live longer. | C.She can go everywhere. |
9 . My kitchen may be the best kitchen on the planet. That is because when I look out of its window can see the west side of Grandeur Peak. Grandeur Peak is one of the most attractive mountains in central Wasatch, with its animals, trees, morning clouds, evening sunset, and the mountain’s paragliders (滑翔伞运动员).
The number of paragliders flying above Grandeur Peak has grown over the past 15 years, so much so that they have become part of the mountain. But during the past year they have largely disappeared. Some paragliders told me that the wind became too strong to fly in. The wind is too strong! Is this another character of our changing climate (气候)? Will paragliding be a sport affected by a warming planet? Utah has been much windier in the past few years. For me, a scientist who studies living things, it is easy to believe that our future will be windier. This year it’s getting super-hot, and the planet is warming faster than scientists expected. I can’t help but worry that the future of paragliding in Utah is not bright.
I’m writing to the brave people who fly from Grandeur Peak with beautiful wings. I want you to join Clean The Dam Air, a group that’ s working hard to fight climate change and air pollution — I’m part of it too. We are introducing a measure, which aims to remove the state sales tax (税) on grocery store food and put a carbon tax on fossil fuels (化石燃料) in its place: gas, electricity produced from fossil fuels, and natural gas. The goal isn’t to make taxes higher. The idea is to encourage everyone to reduce their use of fossil fuels. So, paragliders, join us. Now is the time to take care of our planet. If we succeed, then Utah can be an example to others in fighting climate change.
1. Why does the author mention his kitchen?A.To share his love of cooking dishes. |
B.To bring back his memories of paragliding. |
C.To introduce Grandeur Peak’s paragliding. |
D.To describe his adventures around Grandeur Peak. |
A.The author saw less paragliding. | B.Few people visited Grandeur Peak. |
C.Air pollution became serious in Utah. | D.Strong winds stopped people going outside. |
A.Uncaring. | B.Supportive. | C.Positive. | D.Worried. |
A.Buy those foods that are taxed less. |
B.Reduce flying with wings in Grandeur Peak. |
C.Join him to support a program about taxing. |
D.Join a group to improve their paragliding skills. |
10 . Species (物种) can actually go extinct (灭绝的) more than once. In a biological sense, species become extinct when the last animal of a species stops breathing. But when the species disappears from our shared memory and cultural knowledge, it becomes extinct in a different way — society (与社会有关的) extinction.
The researchers looked at dozens of previous studies to look into how societal extinction happens, finding out contributing factors such as symbolic or cultural importance, how long ago a species was last alive, and how much of a connection it had to humans.
Societal extinction usually but not always happens after biological extinction. Sometimes, both extinctions can happen at the same time, depending on how well and widely known a particular species is.
Most species — such as those far removed from culture, or those too small to be noticed except through a microscope (显微镜) — never have a societal presence to begin with. Meanwhile, for other species, the societal presence can break with reality after a biological extinction.
“Species can remain widely known after they become extinct, or even become more popular,” says conservation biologist Uri Roll. “However, our awareness and memory of such species gradually becomes transformed, and often becomes incorrect, or disassociated from the actual species.”
Take the Spix’s macaw(金刚鹦鹉) for example, currently extinct in the wild: A 2013 conservation report from Brazil surveyed 242 children from the bird’s former habitat, and almost all of them incorrectly believed the species originated from Rio de Janeiro, because of its appearance in the 2011 cartoon movie Rio.
Finally, the researchers found various links between societal extinction and a lack of support for biodiversity protection. So, ifs important to keep the memories and the records of extinct species in order to realize what’s been lost.
1. When does a species most probably become societal extinct?A.When it has difficulty in breathing. |
B.When it faces some biological changes. |
C.When it disappears unexpectedly in nature. |
D.When it no longer exists in our memory and culture. |
A.Relationship with humans. | B.Average length of life. |
C.Biological importance. | D.Shape of the body. |
A.They are not big enough to be seen. |
B.They are closely linked to a specific culture. |
C.They are in the process of societal extinction. |
D.They are cleared away from scientific studies. |
A.To draw a conclusion. | B.To prove an opinion. |
C.To introduce a topic. | D.To make a prediction. |