1 . David Willard has been checking the grounds of Chicago’s lakefront exhibition center for dead birds for 40 years. One morning this year he found something horrible; Hundreds of dead songbirds, so thick they looked like a carpet. Nearly 1,000 songbirds died during the night after crashing into the center’s windows. According to bird experts, the result was caused by a combination of migration conditions, rain, and the exhibition hall's low lights and walls with windows.
Birds don’t see clear glass and don’t understand it’s a deadly barrier. When they see plants or bushes through windows, they head for them, killing themselves in the process. Birds that migrate at night, like sparrows, rely on the stars to navigate. Bright lights from buildings both attract and confuse them, leading to window strikes or birds flying around the lights until they die from tiredness—a phenomenon known as deadly light attraction.
But even in the best of circumstances, spring and fall are dangerous times for migrating birds. When they migrate over major cities, the risks increase. Hundreds or thousands of dead birds may appear on city streets after a wave of migrants has passed through. In all, about 100 million to 1 billion birds die each year in North America from crashing buildings.
The good news is that people can greatly reduce the danger with some simple methods. Window strikes are easily preventable, said Anna Pidgeon, an expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Architects can design windows with markings in the glass that birds can easily recognize, she said. People can paint their windows as well.
1. What caused songbirds to die according to Paragraph 1?| A．Bad migration conditions. | B．Human behaviors. |
| C．Crashing into plants. | D．A combination of external factors. |
| A．Birds dying due to being attracted by strong lights. |
| B．Birds getting attracted to bright lights and then getting lost. |
| C．Birds getting attracted to lights and then attacking each other. |
| D．Birds flying around the dim lights until they die from exhaustion. |
| A．Puzzled and unbiased. | B．Negative and suspicious. |
| C．Approving and supportive. | D．Compromising and critical. |
| A．To promote the use of dim lights in buildings. |
| B．To inform readers about bird migration patterns. |
| C．To explain the dangers birds face during migration. |
| D．To discuss the work of David Willard at the exhibition center. |
1. When did the Kobe earthquake happen?
| A．At dawn on January 17th, 1995 |
| B．At noon on January 17th, 1995 |
| C．At dawn on January 17th, 1996 |
| A．75,000 . | B．Nearly 310,000. | C．More than 6,000. |
| A．Walls should be built to protect towns on the coast from large waves. |
| B．Emergency services should control all. |
| C．Lectures should be encouraged to arouse the public’s attention. |
| A．Engineers do not have the knowledge. |
| B．Protection is too costly (昂贵的) at present. |
| C．No one takes earthquakes seriously. |
| A．Fine. | B．Snowy. | C．Windy. |
4 . Like many people, Stimpson, who is nearly 80, has noticed an alarming loss of wildlife in his lifetime. The clouds of swifts (雨燕) of his childhood have disappeared.
A loss of nesting (筑巢的) sites is driving the decline of swifts in the UK, whose numbers are believed to have dropped by about 57% in 22 years. These birds — which are now on the UK’s red list — are site-specific, meaning each spring they come back to the same spot after flying thousands of miles from Africa, The problem is that lots of old barns (谷仓) and houses have been upgraded and repaired and nesting sites have disappeared.
Thirteen years ago no one was making swift boxes, so Simpson started, “I’m not a carpenter (木匠), I’m a salesman, but I thought I’d certainly give it a go,” he says. When he started he could make three a day, now on a really good day he can make 30. “The government and big wildlife organisations don’t end up doing much to stop wildlife loss. We seem to have too many pen-pushers and not enough workers,” he says. “We could do an awful lot more than we’re doing.”
He believes local action groups are much more effective and has been working with a number of them. “The number of swift groups that have started up in the last five to eight years is quite staggering. And they seem to go from strength to strength,” he says,
“Swifts are the one thing where an individual can make a significant difference,” says Dick Newell, from Action for Swifts, who has 66 pairs of nesting swifts in his village of Landbeach in Cambridgeshire, 20 of them nesting on his house.
Newell says developers should put swift brick in every new building, and he has been working with housebuilding company Taylor Wimpey to make this happen. Exeter city council has started incorporating tfiem into new buildings, as well as the Duchy of Cornwall, and local councils are getting on board. Others are working on bee bricks and hedgehog (刺猬) holes in new developments.
1. What led to the swifts’ decline in the UK?| A．A loss of food. |
| B．A lack of nesting sites. |
| C．Their being removed from the red list. |
| D．Their deaths during their long journey. |
| A．Curious. | B．Satisfied. | C．Tolerant. | D．Negative. |
| A．Misleading. | B．Shocking. | C．Confusing. | D．Disturbing. |
| A．Build fewer buildings in rural areas. |
| B．Increase buildings made of bricks. |
| C．Include a swift brick in new buildings. |
| D．Give special attention to bees and hedgehogs. |
Nature’s Lungs
We know that trees are nature’s purifier (净化器): They absorb carbon emissions (碳排放)and release oxygen. But their
According to the study, there are
This may sound like a lot,
Yet, planting trees is still considered the most effective way
6 . Cal Fire captain Shawn Raley barked evacuation (疏散) orders over the radio for the neighborhood of Sunset Terrace. The sky was red and the wind screamed. New fires lit in bushes and on roofs. Raley, a 24-year veteran of wildland fires, had seen nearly everything, including swirling eddies of air called fire whirls. But he hadn’t seen anything like this.
At around 7:15 p.m., he drove toward areas in the wooded hills. He figured that residents would need help escaping. His headlights barely pierced the smoke, but he could see three bulldozers (推土机) inch past him on two-lane Buenaventura Boulevard. Don Andrews drove one; Terry Cummings and Jimmie Jones drove the other two. They were under swaying electrical line, and Raley shouted at them to move away.
In the driveway of a house, Raley spotted a Tesla with someone in the driver’s seat. Dr. Thiruvoipati Nanda Kumar had raced eight kilometres home from Vibra Hospital. His wife, Yasoda, and daughter, Sushma, hadn’t received an evacuation alert, and when the power cut out, their garage door wouldn’t open. locking their car inside.
“Go back!” Raley shouted at Kumar, sounding his siren.
“My wife and daughter are there. Can they come in? Kumar said, pointing to Raley’s vehicle. He figured they’d be safest with the captain.
“Come in my truck?” Raley asked. “Yes.”
The women jumped into the back seat, coughing. Nearby, flames that climbed 30 meters burned their neighbors’ homes. Soon theirs would fall, as well.
“I’ll lead you out,” Raley yelled to Kumar. “Take your car.”
Debris (碎片) attacked the truck, cracking Raley’s windshield and breaking the other windows as the wind blew the vehicle off the road. The captain threw himself across the passenger seat, protecting his face as the fire passed over them. Yasoda and Sushma screamed.
“Are you okay?” Raley shouted, though he knew the answer. He was embarrassed. He’d told this trapped family that he would get them out safely. Now they were covered in glass and bleeding. Behind them, the trunk of Kumar’s Tesla was a flame.
1. What can we learn about Raley?| A．He hadn’t seen fire whirls before. |
| B．He was expert at dealing with wildland fires. |
| C．He put on the headlight to see clearly in the smoke. |
| D．He shouted at the workers on the bulldozers to move away the electrical line. |
| A．Kumar rushed back from work to open the garage. |
| B．The doctor’s house had been burnt down to the ground. |
| C．Kumar drove his Tesla following Raley’s truck to get out. |
| D．The whole family was trapped in the car during the power cut. |
| A．Because he was injured by the fire. |
| B．Because he might fail to save the family out. |
| C．Because his truck was blown off the road. |
| D．Because he found Kumar’s Tesla was on fire. |
| A．A Big Wildland Blaze | B．A Lucky Family |
| C．Lead You Out | D．Come in My Truck |
7 . Within the beautiful scenery of Wisconsin’s Lake Chippewa lies a natural wonder that is a unique challenge for the local community. This hidden wonder is exactly a giant floating island. The island, made up of plants and trees, sometimes floats around the lake, causing a major inconvenience by blocking (阻塞) an important bridge. Later, the local people came up with a solution to this problem. Every year, local boat owners work together and push the island away from the bridge.
Lake Chippewa was born in 1923 when a vast bog (沼泽) was changed through flooding. Soon after that, many of the dark bogs started rising to the surface and became perfect growing places for plants, with seeds carried by wind and wild birds to this floating place. Over the years, these bogs have grown plants and trees and turned into full islands. As time goes by, plants take root, and the oldest islands even have trees that act as sails (船帆) when the wind blows, moving the entire floating island around the lake.
Although the years-old floating island does not relocate (重新迁移) so often, when it does, it causes trouble for the community by blocking the important bridge that serves as the only passage between the lake’s East and West sides. The only solution is to gather a group of boats, and not just one or two, but dozens of boats working together to push the island away. “It takes a community’s effort, and you must have the winds at your back to push them in,” said a resident. Moving the island also requires precision (精确), as just relocating it a short distance may result in its return within days.
Some people have suggested destroying the floating islands to get rid of the problem. However, the big bog in Lake Chippewa has been around for many years, and during that time a variety of animal and plant species have made it their home. Therefore, local government advises they be dealt with in a way that won’t do harm to wildlife, paying more attention to the fine-drawn balance between human convenience and environmental protection. The annual tradition of relocating Lake Chippewa’s floating island is evidence to the coexistence of man and nature, a heartwarming display of community unity, and a reminder of the importance of preserving the unique areas that enrich our world.
1. What does the underlined word “solution” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Building a new bridge. | B．Moving the floating island away. |
| C．Transforming the vast bog. | D．Rebuilding the local community. |
| A．The formation of the floating island. | B．The history of flooding in Lake Chippewa. |
| C．The varieties of species in Lake Chippewa. | D．The impact of the wind on the floating island. |
| A．It is usually finished within days. |
| B．It is a must in cooperation and precision. |
| C．It can only be carried out during windless days. |
| D．It greatly disturbs the community residents’ lives. |
| A．To save costs for local people. | B．To ensure the safety of residents. |
| C．To improve the bond between communities. | D．To protect the wildlife species on the island. |
8 . Have you ever wondered what happens to your mobile phones and laptops after you throw them out to make way for a newer model? According to its latest Global E-Waste Monitor, India is the third top producer of e-waste in the world. E-waste in Indian landfill goes on to pollute soil and groundwater, affecting food supply systems and water sources.
Thankfully, the country has a new group of artists who are changing these thrown mechanical items-from mobile phones to old televisions- into large murals (壁画) and artworks to creatively show their concern for the waste problem.
Over the past quarter of a century, Mumbai’s Haribaabu Naatesan has transformed hundreds of tonnes of e-waste into art, integrating elements from nature and industry. “I get my waste material from friends, relatives and neighbours who know my interest in e-art and send me bags of thrown electronic appliances,” says Naatesan. Over his career, he has created huge murals for several companies. He has also showed his work at the India Art Fair, as well as several other national displays.
Another artist Vishwanath Davangere has also long worked with e-waste. He likes to take apart old laptops and reassemble (重新组装) them into birds, animals and plants. After retirement, he started pursuing this hobby more seriously and started selling his creations across the world. His most outstanding works include a robotic Egyptian statue with glowing red eyes and a Milky Way made from keyboard keys. He hopes to enable others to reconsider their own consumption habits and make more environmentally conscious choices.
“By giving e-waste a second chance, I aim to raise awareness about the environmental impact of electronic waste.” says Davangare, who today has a collection of more than 600 eco-art objects.
1. Why do the artists create artworks from E-waste?| A．To promote their artistic career. | B．To update electronic appliances. |
| C．To make profits for several companies. | D．To express their environmental concern. |
| A．His creations are displayed globally. | B．He gains support from people around. |
| C．He has been creating e-art for 10 years. | D．His works integrate technology and history. |
| A．Reliable. | B．Confident. | C．Devoted. | D．Generous. |
| A．E-waste Recycling Sweeping the World | B．Environmental Problems Worrying Indians |
| C．An Art Movement Turning Trash into Cash | D．Indian Creatives Transforming E-waste into Art |
9 . A shocking 53.6 million metric tons of electronic waste was discarded last year, a new UN-backed report has revealed. The report shows that e-waste is up by 21% from five years ago. This isn’t surprising, considering how many more people are adopting new technology and updating devices regularly to have the latest versions, but the report also shows that national collection and recycling strategies are nowhere close to matching consumption rates.
E-waste contains materials including copper (铜), iron, gold and silver, which the report gives a conservative value of $ 57 billion. But most are thrown away or burned rather than being collected for recycling. Precious metals in waste are estimated to be worth $ 14 billion, but only $ 4 billion-worth is recovered at the moment.
While the number of countries with national e-waste policies has grown from 61 to 78 since 2014, there is little encouragement to obey and a mere 17% of collected items are recycled. If recycling does occur, it’s often under dangerous conditions, such as burning circuit boards to recover copper, which “releases highly poisonous metals” and harms the health of workers.
The report found that Asia has the highest amounts of waste overall, producing 24.9 million metric tons (MMT), followed by Europe at 12 MMT, Africa at 2.9 MMT, and Oceania at 0.7 MMT.
But whose responsibility is it? Are governments in charge of setting up collection and recycling points, or should companies be responsible for recycling the goods they produce? It goes both ways. Companies do need to be held accountable by government regulations and have incentives to design products that are easily repaired. At the same time, governments need to make it easy for citizens to access collection points and deal with their broken electronics in a convenient way. Otherwise, they may turn to the easiest option — the landfill.
1. What does the underlined word “discarded” most probably mean?| A．increased | B．distributed | C．thrown away | D．consumed |
| A．The functions of policies. | B．The great damage to environment. |
| C．The change of consumption rates. | D．The urgency of recovering e-waste. |
| A．It does harm to the workers’ health. | B．It lacks national policy support. |
| C．It hardly makes profits. | D．It takes too much time. |
| A．New technology should be used to update old devices. |
| B．Governments and companies should take responsibilities. |
| C．Non-poisonous metals had better be used in e-device. |
| D．Citizens must play a key role in recycling e-waste. |
10 . When temperatures rise, humans sweat, dogs pant (喘息), and cats… don’t move enough to overheat? Well, partially. Cats, which need to maintain an internal body temperature of 101°F to 102°F, have several methods for keeping cool in sweltering weather.
It’s a misconception that cats sweat through their paws to cool themselves off. As summer wears on you might see moist paw prints, but as veterinarian Kimberly May told The Washington Post, “Any secretions (分泌物) there or from their nose, mouth, or tongue are not for sweating; they’re for protection and moisture and are insufficient to cool the blood.”
Instead, cats recreate the sweating process—which is similar to human’s via evaporation (蒸发)—by grooming themselves regularly. The saliva (唾液) from their tongues acts like sweat that cools their body when it evaporates—which is why you can also help cool your cat down by using a damp washcloth to lightly wet their fur. In extreme weather, cats will also pant, but unlike dogs who pant regularly to keep themselves cool, a panting cat is a sign of more dangerous over-heating or other serious diseases.
And if you’re tempted to shave your fur friend to help keep him cool—don’t!
“Fur acts as a thermal regulator to slow down the process of heat absorption,” James H. Jones, an expert in comparative animal exercise physiology and thermoregulation at the University of California at Davis, told The Washington Post.
Fur coats are highly evolved—in the winter they keep animals warm, but in the summer, they work both to protect delicate skin from the sun and slow dehydration, Jones notes that, according to research, shaved camels performed worse in the deserts than those with their fur undamaged.
But even with these methods for keeping cool, cats also need to stay indoors to keep comfortable. So even though they evolved from wild ancestors and are able to tough it out, leave the air conditioner or a fan on for your cats when you go out, and make sure to leave them plenty of water.
1. What is the common misunderstanding of how cats cool themselves off?| A．Cats pant regularly to keep themselves cool. |
| B．Cats rarely know how to cool themselves down. |
| C．Cats sweat through their paws to cool themselves off. |
| D．Cats produce secretions from their tongue for protection. |
| A．By making comparison. | B．By analyzing data. |
| C．By explaining cause and effect. | D．By listing numbers. |
| A．To show the camels are resistant to heat. |
| B．To emphasize the importance of the fur coats. |
| C．To illustrate the fur coats are highly evolved. |
| D．To prove the fur coats unnecessary in summer. |
| A．Changing people’s wrong views on cats’ cooling. |
| B．Telling us to help cats cool themselves in summer. |
| C．Uncovering the secrets of cats cooling themselves off. |
| D．Comparing cats with other animals on keeping cool. |
