1 . In the animal world, speed is king. Fast animals have a leg up in outrunning other animals, which puts them high on the food chain. It would seem that all animals would go for speed, but then there’s the sloth (树懒). While a lion can go from 0 to 60 miles an hour in only five seconds, it takes a sloth all day to cover no more than 50 meters.
Sloths live entirely in trees on a diet of leaves. And for this, they are extremely rare. While most of the land world is covered in trees, there are very few vertebrates (脊椎动物) that call the tree home. The aim of a 2016 study, says Jonathan Pauli, a University of Alabama professor of forest and wildlife ecology, was to help uncover why sloths are indeed so unique. “Among vertebrates, this is the rarest of lifestyles”, says Pauli. “When you picture animals that live off plant leaves, they are almost all big-things like deer. What’s super interesting about sloths is that they can’t be big.”
For their research, Pauli and his Wisconsin team studied wild sloths at a field site. When the researchers measured the energy use of sloths, they found a wildly low burning of as little as 110 calories of energy a day. And for this, they take the cake: it is the lowest measured energetic output for any mammal (哺乳动物).
“The measurement was intended to find out what it cost sloths to live over a day,”says Pauli, who adds that a diet of little but leaves lacks nutritional value and the animal’s small size doesn’t allow for overeating-so sloths need to find ways to make the most of their diets, which means using tiny amounts of energy, dramatic control of body temperature and living at an extremely slow pace.
Their reward? A wonderfully widespread ecological system to call their own, one slow inch at a time.
1. Why is a lion mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To admire lions’ speed. | B．To state sloths’ weakness. |
| C．To confirm lions’ lead position. | D．To highlight sloths’ uniqueness. |
| A．The lifestyle of sloths. | B．The diet of vertebrates. |
| C．The species of rare animals. | D．The energy use of creatures. |
| A．Break down. | B．Keep on. | C．Stand out. | D．Grow up. |
| A．Their slow pace is a balanced choice. |
| B．They are in face of possible extinction. |
| C．Their slow pace decides a tiny appetite. |
| D．They suffer a lot against natural enemies. |
2 . When most kids go to the beach, they’re too focused on making sandcastles and splashing around to notice litter, but several years ago, for 7-year-old Cash Daniels, noticing a plastic straw sparked a lifelong passion for saving the planet.
Cash, who is now known as the “conservation kid”, has always loved nature. He grew up fishing along the Chattanooga River, after all! But once he learned that 80 percent of all trash from land and rivers ends up in the ocean, he couldn’t sit back.
He started with cleanups along the river, something that quickly went from a family affair to a community effort with volunteers and neighbors. In 2019, Cash, together with a Canadian conservationist, Ella Galaski-Rossen, started a nonprofit called the Cleanup Kids. Despite living in different countries, they managed to create educational videos on their YouTube channel. “We hope to be a really big nonprofit that eliminates plastic in the U. S. and Canada,” Cash said. “We want to inform kids and adults in the landlocked states on how their actions are connected to the water and the ocean,” Cash said.
Cash was selected as one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2021 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. He also earned the title of National Honoree, where he received a$5,000 grant to go to a nonprofit of his choice, and he became the first person to win the Youth Conservationist Award two years in a row from the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
“I want to travel the world, teach others, and help them feel connected to the ocean. Because if you are connected to the ocean-if you love it and what lives in it—you’ll want to protect it,” he said. “This is my fun, and it becomes more fun with every new discovery.”
1. Which can replace the underlined words “sit back” in paragraph 2?| A．Fall asleep. | B．Lose heart. |
| C．Turn a blind eye. | D．Lend a hand. |
| A．To recycle waste plastics. |
| B．To make instructive videos. |
| C．To spread marine knowledge. |
| D．To appeal for ocean protection. |
| A．Sympathetic and devoted. | B．Initiative and talented. |
| C．Ambitious and humorous. | D．Determined and modest. |
| A．Passion fuels dreams. |
| B．Great minds think alike. |
| C．Helping others is of great fun. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
3 . Most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals. However, many of us remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that a furry friend can bring us.
Increasing exercise. Taking a dog for a walk, hike or run is a fun and rewarding way to fit healthy daily exercise into your schedule. Studies have shown that dog owners are far more likely to meet their daily exercise requirements, and exercising every day is great for the animal as well.
Providing companionship. Companionship can help prevent illness and even add years to your life, while isolation and loneliness can trigger symptoms of depression.
Adding structure and routine to your day.
| A．Reducing anxiety. |
| B．Finding meaning in life. |
| C．Pets provide valuable companionship for older adults. |
| D．Caring for an animal makes you feel needed and wanted, especially if you live alone. |
| E．In fact, caring for a pet helps us make many healthy lifestyle changes. |
| F．It will deepen your bond and keep your pet fit and healthy. |
| G．Many pets, especially dogs, require a regular feeding and exercise schedule. |
4 . Ensuring that your home is as energy-efficient as it can possibly be is essential. Take the steps listed below, and you’ll be living in an energy-efficient home in no time.
The old boilers (锅炉) are not as energy-efficient as the very latest models in this field.
Only when you know how much energy you use can you take action to be less wasteful and more resourceful in this instance.
With just twelve years (now seven years) to go until climate change alters earth forever, now is the time for you to play your part in protecting the planet that you live in.
| A．The investment demanded in this instance is significant. |
| B．Taking such action will help you adapt to climate change. |
| C．Generally, this type of device will cost between £25 and £40. |
| D．It means you should try to keep track of energy consumption. |
| E．By putting the above advice into practice, you’ll be green soon. |
| F．Most of your home’s wasted energy will escape through your roof. |
| G．It might be high time to update yours if you haven’t done so for years. |
| A．Glass. | B．Paper. | C．Plastic. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Stormy. | C．Cloudy. |
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Pulling away from it and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. The marine park
A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef’s impressive coral gardens reveals many
The reef is
Because of
8 . Scientists have found that floating solar panels could provide a huge amount of electricity if they were placed on lakes and other bodies of water around the world. Floating solar panels could also help save water and protect land.
Solar panels — also known as “photovoltaic” panels — are used to turn sunlight into electricity. Most solar panels are placed on land in large collections called solar farms. But recently people have begun to explore putting floating solar panels on water. Because these panels float, some people call them “floatovoltaies (浮动光伏)”.
The researchers behind the new study looked at 114,555 reservoirs (水库) worldwide. They used computer programs to figure out how much electricity could be produced yearly by covering 30% of these reservoirs with floating solar panels. The answer was surprisingly large — more than twice the amount of energy the United States generates in a year. And 10 times as much energy as all the solar power currently being generated in the world. The researchers described the results as “remarkable”.
The scientists found that floatovoltaies would be especially useful when reservoirs were near smaller cities (50,000 people or less). The researchers say there are about 6,256 cities around the world where floating solar panels could provide all the electricity the cities need.
Floatovoltaies can also help save water by limiting evaporation (蒸发) from reservoirs. The scientists say that solar panels covering just 30% of the reservoirs’ surfaces could save as much water as 300 million people would use in a year. There are several other reasons that make floatovoltaies a good idea. Photovoltaic panels work better when they’re not extremely hot. The water helps cool the panels so that they create more energy. Putting solar panels on water also means that there’s no need to clear land for a solar farm. That’s more and more important as countries work to fight climate change and protect natural spaces for wild animals.
1. What did the researchers think of the study results?| A．Skeptical. | B．Amazing. | C．Worrying. | D．Interesting. |
| A．In small cities with more rain and less sunshine. |
| B．In huge cities with many small lakes and rivers. |
| C．In tiny cities near reservoirs with less than 50,000 people. |
| D．In large cities far from reservoirs with more than 50,000 people. |
| A．It can help reduce water evaporation. |
| B．It can prevent water from being polluted. |
| C．It purifies the water available for consumption. |
| D．It provides enough sunlight for the solar panels. |
| A．The methods of using floatovoltaies |
| B．The prospects of the power industry |
| C．Solar Farms —Turning Sunlight into Electricity |
| D．Floating Solar Panels — Making Energy, Saving Water |
9 . Bird populations in the UK continue to crash, new data shows, as campaigners predict the government will fail to meet its own nature targets unless radical (彻底的) changes are made. In 2021, on average the abundance of 130 breeding species was 12% below its 1970 value. Between 2015 and 2020, 24% of species increased, 28% showed little change and 48% declined. Wildlife experts agree that the decline in bird populations is largely driven by habitat loss.
The government passed the Environment Act into law in 2021, which requires a halt in species decline by 2030. Campaigners have said that radical changes to government policy are needed if it is to meet its targets. The problems were highlighted by the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this year, in which house sparrows remained the most frequently observed species in gardens for the 20th year in a row.
“The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the astonishing declines of some of our once common birds,” said Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s chief executive. “We are in a nature and climate emergency and we’ve lost 38 million birds from our skies in the past 50 years. “This year, more than 500,000 people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, and more than 9 million birds were spotted. The results also identified problems faced by other common bird species, including chaffinches and greenfinches.
Richard Benwell, the chief executive of the environmental coalition Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Meeting the legal target to stop wildlife losses by the end of the next parliament (议会) can’t be achieved with a legal tweak (调整) here, some spare change there. Serious, sustained investment, proper punishment for pollution, and action in every department of government must be the features of any nature-positive manifesto (宣言).”
1. According to the text, what is the main cause of bird population decline in the UK?| A．Climate change. | B．Habitat loss. | C．Pollution. | D．Hunting. |
| A．Adjustment. | B．Instruction. | C．Stop. | D．Promotion. |
| A．House sparrows. | B．Chaffinches. |
| C．Greenfinches. | D．Uncommon birds. |
| A．To point out the ways to meet the nature target. |
| B．To stress the importance of setting specific goals. |
| C．To remind the next parliament to make new laws. |
| D．To prove the government’s failure in bird protection. |
10 . Earth’s oceans are changing color and climate breakdown is probably to blame, according to a research. The deep blue sea is actually becoming steadily greener over time, according to the study, with areas in the low latitudes(纬度)near the equator especially affected.
“The reason why we care about this is not that we care about the color, but that the color is a reflection of the changes in the state of the ecosystem,” said BB Cael, a scientist and author of the study published in Nature.
The previous research focused on changes in the greenness of the ocean to learn about trends in the changing climate. But Cael’s team pored over 20 years of observations by NASA’s Modis-Aqua satellite, a comprehensive database, and looked for patterns of change in the ocean’s color through a fuller color spectrum(色谱)including red and blue.
The changes have been detected in over 56% of the world’s oceans. In most areas there’s a clear “greening effect”, Cael said, but he added that there are also places where red or blue colorings are rising or falling. “These are not massive ecosystem-destroying changes. They may be mild,” said Cael. “But this gives us an additional piece of evidence that human activity is likely affecting large parts of the global biosphere(生物圈)in a way that we haven’t been able to understand. ”
Although this discovery firmly documents another consequence of a changing climate, what is not yet clear is how strong these changes are and what is happening inside the ocean to cause them, according to Michael J Behrenfeld, a researcher of ocean productivity, who was not involved in the research.
NASA will be launching an advanced satellite mission in January 2024 called Pace which will also measure hundreds of colors in the ocean instead of a handful, progressing studies like these further. “Making more meaningful inferences about what the changes actually are is definitely a big next step,” said Cael.
1. Why should attention be drawn to the changing color of oceans?| A．It reflects ecosystem changes. |
| B．It causes climate breakdown. |
| C．Human activities are affected. |
| D．Low latitude areas are influenced. |
| A．Copied. | B．Covered. | C．Studied. | D．Borrowed. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Dismissive. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Pace’s function. |
| B．Cael’s suggestions. |
| C．Meaningful inferences. |
| D．NASA’s further research plans. |
