1 . 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. |
2 . You must have heard about animal migration (迁徙),such as Wildebeests dash across Africa; Monarch butterflies fly across the Americas... But did you know that forests migrate, too?
In his new book The Journeys of Trees, science writer Zach St. George explores an extremely slow migration, as forests creep inch by inch to more pleasant places.
“The migration of a forest is just many trees sprouting (发芽) in the same direction,” St. George writes. “Through the fossils that ancient forests left behind, scientists can track their movement over thousands of years. They move back and forth across continents, sometimes following the same route more than once, like migrating birds or whales.” This has happened over thousands of years, and climate change tends to be the driving force.
Of course, today, climate change is speeding up, and trees can’ t keep pace. Take California for example: It’s getting hotter and drier and scientists estimate that before too long, Sequoia National Park may not be able to keep giant sequoias (巨杉).
“The scientists there had never seen anything like it” St. George says. “They worried, and I think at some point we will lose these ancient trees and that we will have to think about what we do with the places, and whether we should plant new groves where they are easy to grow.”
This is known as “assisted migration” —humans planting trees in other places where they’ re more likely to flourish. But this process carries risks—people can accidentally introduce insects and diseases to new places, where they may wipe out entire native populations. So, St. George writes, there’ s a debate among conservationists and foresters today: Should humans help the trees escape?
“There may be cases where people are probably going to step in and help species move to places where they’ll be more suitable in the future,”St. George says.“So far, there are no huge movements of citizen groups moving trees north. But that is kind of one vision of the future that the people I interview hope to see.”
1. What can be learned about the forest migration?| A．It is very difficult to track the migration. |
| B．It takes several decades to complete it. |
| C．It is mainly the result of climate change. |
| D．It often follows certain migrating species. |
| A．To prove the assisted migration carries risks. |
| B．To stress the park is able to keep giant sequoias. |
| C．To state scientists are hopeful about the environment. |
| D．To show trees fail to adapt to climate change. |
| A．Grow well. | B．Become valuable. |
| C．Develop rapidly. | D．Escape diseases. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Objective. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Disapproving. |
3 . The success of many North American crops partly depends on ground beetles, small insects that eat pests and weed seeds that could otherwise damage crops. But a new study by researchers in the US and Canada suggests not all of the nearly 2,000 species of ground beetles found in North America will survive climate change. Some could decline. And that could have a far-reaching impact on agriculture, forestry, and conservation.
By studying the data on 136 different ground beetle species across continental North America, Puerto Rico and Hawaii, the researchers found that a species’ chance of success in a changing climate depends on several important factors, such as its habitat preference, body size, and whether it flies, climbs or runs.
“We found that less mobile, nonflying ground beetles, which are critical pest control agents, are more likely to decline over time in a warmer, dryer climate,” said Tong Qiu, who led the study. “That means you’re going to have more pests that can impact agricultural and forest ecosystems.” But there is reason for hope, Qiu added, because the analysis also showed that habitat conservation can lessen these effects and reverse the trends in some areas.
“We hope conservation biologists will use this information and the online map that we created to better manage habitats for insects in general. Ground beetles are very beneficial to ecosystems, but they’re largely invisible to the average person. In this paper we’re showing the broad impacts they have on whole communities in forested and agricultural ecosystems,” said Qiu.
The researchers used ground beetle count data from the National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and from 11previously published studies to measure and map the beetles’ distribution across North America. Habitat information, such as the location of gaps in forest canopies and the density of plants on a forest floor, was obtained by using NEON’s imaging instruments to create detailed thrẹe-dimensional images of landscapes.
| A．Pests could des troy many North American crops. |
| B．Some ground beetles will not survive a climate change. |
| C．The survival of ground beetles only depends on its habitat. |
| D．Some ground beetles will destroy crops in a warmer climate. |
| A．There is no way to stop the decline of ground beetles. |
| B．Critical pests are more adaptable in a warmer, drier climate. |
| C．Ground beetles will become less mobile in a warmer climate. |
| D．The importance of ground beetles should be widely recognized. |
| A．By analyzing data. |
| B．By assessing statistics. |
| C．By doing field research. |
| D．By studying documents. |
| A．North American Agriculture Crops at Risk |
| B．Crop-saving Beetles under Climate Threat |
| C．A Catastrophic Climate Change on the Way |
| D．Beetles’ Reaction to simulate Climate Changes |
4 . If you want to understand China but can’t afford an expensive international flight, these four books can give you a complete overview of the country.
River Town
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze by Peter Hessler — This book is a journal of the author’s two years spent teaching English in a small town called Fuling, situated on the banks of the Yangtze River. Hessler writes about his experiences living in a foreign culture and observing the lives of the town’s residents. The book was published in 2001 and has won several awards, including the Kiriyama Prize.
Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China
It is a book that tells the story of China’s modernization. It was written by Ezra Vogel and published in 2011. The author describes how Deng Xiaoping’s policies led to significant changes in China’s economy and society. The book has received critical honors and won the Lionel Gelber Prize in 2012.
The Search for Modern China by Jonathan Spence
This book is a comprehensive history of China from the Ming dynasty to the present day. The author, a prominent scholar of Chinese history, provides a detailed analysis of the social, cultural, and political changes that have taken place in China over the past 500 years. The book was first put out in 1990 and has since been revised and updated several times. This book was the top bestseller for years.
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China
Written by Leslie T. Chang, this book, published in 2008, is a reportage on the lives of young women who leave their rural homes to work in factories in China’s cities. Chang, a former New York Times journalist, interviewed hundreds of factory girls to provide insight into the social and economic changes in China.
1. What type of literature is River Town?| A．A travel guide of Fuling. | B．A personal diary. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A reference book. |
| A．It received positive reviews. |
| B．It was published 500 years ago. |
| C．It was written by a history teacher. |
| D．It has remained the same since its first publication. |
| A．River Town |
| B．The Search for Modern China |
| C．Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China |
| D．Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China |
A Four-legged Guardian Angel
Snow had just melted off the ground that April day at our house in Regina Beach. I had just cleaned up the pool in preparation for selling the house. The year before, I had lost my job, and now our financial situation was depressing. Finally, I had put the home on the market. Even worse, I would have to give up my beloved Great Dane (大丹犬), Brigitte, because I could no longer afford the cost of feeding it. The thought of losing the dog and our beautiful home was almost more than I could bear.
Deep in discouragement, I sat typing up my application letters. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my thirteen-month-old son, Forrest, as he lay on the carpet, playing near our big, gentle Brigitte. It seemed as if Brigitte was always meant to be in this family and she turned out to be a perfect companion.
Brigitte came to our house on Christmas eve when the doorbell rang and I was sure some of my Christmas packages had arrived. I ran to the door but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful Great Dane sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. Perhaps, someone had found the puppy somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed I would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.
Thinking of these, I couldn’t help sighing and went straight back to work. However, I hadn’t typed more than two sentences when Brigitte began barking and running back and forth to the sliding glass door overlooking our pool.
I raced to see what was happening and noticed that the sliding door was slightly open. Suddenly, I realized Forrest was nowhere to be seen. In panic, I opened the door and ran outside.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡相应位置作答。
There I was surprised to see Brigitte, who was terrified of water, dive into the pool.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the doctor said Forrest was all right and could be released from hospital.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Cancer-fighting genes in elephants could help tackle one of the biggest killers of people, according to research. Despite their large bodies and long lifespans, elephants are much less likely to die from cancer than humans, with death rates of less than 5 percent.
The paradox has puzzled scientists because more cells lead to greater replications (复制), which increases the possibility of the body failing to detect damaged DNA or a faulty cell that can result in tumors(肿瘤). Elephants live for almost as long as humans and weigh up to five tons.
However, a group of British and European scientists say they have taken a big step towards solving Peto’s paradox, named after the British epidemiologist Sir Richard Peto. Elephants, they say, carry a much larger more diverse group of tumor-fighting proteins.
The findings, published last week in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, raise hopes that the cancer fighting genes in elephants could be the key to tackling cancer, which kills about 167, 000 Britons yearly. Cells keep dividing throughout an organism’s life, each carrying the risk of producing a tumor. One of the body’s weapons is a gene called p53 known as the “guardian of the genome”, which hunts cells with faulty DNA. It encourages the cell to repair itself or self-destruct, keeping the cell from combining with others and producing tumors.
Humans have two versions of p53 but elephants have 40, said the researchers. Biochemical analysis and computer simulations also showed that an elephant’s p53 genes are structurally slightly different, providing a much larger anti-cancer toolkit. The researchers suspect that while faulty cells might be able to skirt two p53 versions, they cannot combine with other cells as easily in the face of dozens.
The findings will open the way for research on how p53 genes of elephants are activated and on medical treatment for humans.
1. What has puzzled scientists?| A．Few elephants end up dying from cancer. | B．Elephants live long and weigh enormously. |
| C．More cells lead to higher chances of tumors. | D．A larger body is less likely to discover faulty cells. |
| A．How many Britons die each year. | B．How the anti-cancer gene works. |
| C．How the research was carried out. | D．What the findings have been applied to. |
| A．Strengthen. | B．Detect. | C．Escaped. | D．Cure. |
| A．Scientists find elephants live longer than humans. | B．P53 genes play essential role in preventing cancer. |
| C．Elephant genes could be key to fighting cancer. | D．Groundbreaking treatment for cancer is on the way. |
7 . The streets, sidewalks and roofs of cities all absorb heat during the day, making some urban areas across the United States up to 6 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than rural ones during the day—and 22 degrees F hotter at night. These “urban heat islands” can also develop underground as the city heat spreads downward, beneath the surface. And basements, subway tunnels and other underground infrastructure also constantly bleed heat into the surrounding earth, creating hotspots. Now the underground heat is building up as the planet warms.
According to a new study of downtown Chicago, underground hotspots may threaten the very same structures that emit the heat in the first place. Such temperature changes make the ground around them expand and contract (收缩) enough to cause potential damage. “Without anyone realizing it, the city of Chicago’s downtown was deforming,” says the study’s author Alessandro F. Rotta Loria, a civil and environmental engineer at Northwestern University.
The findings, published in Communications Engineering, expose a “silent hazard (危险)” to civil infrastructure in cities with soft er ground — especially those near water — Rotta Loria says. “There might have been structural issues caused by this underground climate change that happened, and we didn’t even realize,” he adds. While not an immediate or direct danger to human lives, this previously unknown effect highlights the impacts of a lesser-known component of climate change.
Similar to climate change above the surface, these underground changes occur over long periods of time. “These effects took decades, a century, to develop,” Rotta Loria says, adding that elevated underground temperatures would likewise take a long time to dissipate (逐渐消失) on their own.
But other researchers interviewed for this story all say this wasted energy could also be recycled, presenting an opportunity to both cool the subsurface and save on energy costs. Subway tunnels and basements could be updated with technologies to recapture the heat. For example, water pipes could be installed to run through underground hotspots and pick up some of the heat energy.
1. What can we learn about the “urban heat islands”?| A．They can develop underground structures. |
| B．They are impacted by global warming. |
| C．They can destroy the ground around. |
| D．They only exist in the United States. |
| A．To discuss structural issues. |
| B．To categorize climate change. |
| C．To explain underground heat. |
| D．To emphasize the neglected reality. |
| A．The future of tunnels and basements. |
| B．The reusing approaches of heat energy. |
| C．The cost of maintaining structures. |
| D．The evolution of underground environment. |
| A．Warming Underground, Weakening Surface |
| B．A Silver Lining of Global Warming |
| C．Urban Silent Islands in the Making |
| D．A Silent Crisis in Downtown Chicago |
8 . A group of researchers studying the behavior of Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, have found that they have different “personality” types that help them survive and raise their baby tigers.
According to the previous investigation, Amur tigers are definitely the largest cuts in the world. They live in vast forests in wildness areas of eastern Russia and in protected areas of northern China. There are about 400 of these tigers left in the wild, although there are probably hundreds more living in zoos or reserves.
The researchers based the study on a human test called “The Big Five”, which scores people on five personality features. They asked feeders working with 248 cats in two shelters to spy on the tigers and give an account of their personalities. The results divided the tigers into two groups, which the researchers described as having either “majesty” or “steadiness”. Tigers in the majesty category were those that appeared “dignified (高贵的) and ambitious”. The tigers in the steadiness category were “sincere and tolerant”.
Majestic tigers had a higher social status, spent more time hunting live animals, and mated and ate more. The steady tigers seemed gentler and loving toward one another. Rosalind Arden, co-author of the study, said, “It’s pleasant to see that you don’t have to be dominant, fierce, competitive, and aggressive in order to succeed as a tiger, which doesn’t correspond with people’s traditional insights into tigers.”
There were female and male tigers in both categories. In fact, female Amur tigers are rare and feel exhausted after giving birth to baby tigers so that fathers often help raise the baby tigers. Having a steady personality, especially for male ones, could play a significant role in the relatively long amount of time — two to three years — that baby tigers stay with their parents. The researchers say both personalities have advantages that help the tigers survive threats, including loss of habitat and hunting. The team hopes the study will encourage more support from all walks of life in a bid to guarantee the tigers’ conservation.
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 2?| A．To justify an argument. |
| B．To add background information. |
| C．To summarize the previous paragraph. |
| D．To introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．categorizing them for inspection |
| B．scoring them on 5 personality features |
| C．doing comparison experiments in the lab |
| D．observing them through a personality test |
| A．They improve Amur tigers’ welfare. |
| B．They change the tigers’ living conditions. |
| C．They help the reproduction of Amur tigers. |
| D．They contradict traditional ideas about tigers. |
| A．Few sex-related differences exist in tigers’ personalities. |
| B．A steady personality decreases tigers’ chance of survival. |
| C．Greater conservation efforts have been made due to the study. |
| D．Personality types of baby tigers are influenced by their parents. |
A Panting Trout
Julia always enjoyed running through The Dark Walk towards the light at the end of it, which was a dark, damp tunnel of smooth branches. This year she had the extra joy of showing it to her small brother, Stephen, and of terrifying him as well as herself.
One day they found a hole on one side of the walk. Inside there was water, where they perceived (察觉、发现) a breathless trout (鳟鱼). They were both so thrilled that they were no longer afraid of the darkness as they bent down and peered at the fish panting (喘气) in his tiny prison, his silver stomach going up and down like an engine, otherwise he was motionless. Julia wondered what he ate and thought of his hunger. She found him a worm. But he ignored the food, and just went on panting. She bent over him, wondering how he had been here. All the winter, in the dark tunnel, all day, all night, floating around alone.
Nobody knew how the fish got here. Her mother suggested that a bird had carried it here. Her father thought that in the winter a small stream might have carried it down there as a baby, and it had been safe until summer came and the water began to dry up.
Before going to bed, Stephen asked his mummy to tell him a story as usual, while Julia lay in her bed, not interested in it. That night mom told a story about a trapped little fish. “And so, in the end, the naughty fish got bigger and bigger, and the water got less and less…Then a Fairy Godmother appeared…”
Passionately, she turned around and cried, “Mummy, don’t make it a horrible old story.” Staring at the moon she knew there was no such thing as a fairy and that actually the trout, down in the tunnel, was panting for his life:
She sat up in the silent night and Stephen was sound asleep.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Julia poured the trout out of the pot into the river.
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10 . Our planet is an amazing place, but it needs our help to survive! By taking part in activities like planting trees and saving energy, we can make our world a happier and healthier place.
Plant a tree
Researchers estimate roughly 15 billion trees in the world are cut down each year. So help make up that loss by planting a tree of your own. Trees absorb CO2 and produce oxygen for us to breathe. They also provide shelter and food for animals. Depending on where trees are planted, their shade can even reduce the need for air-conditioning in hotter months.
Turn off the lights
Electricity doesn’t just happen.
Limit your water usage
It might seem like water is everywhere. But the fact is that less than one percent of the water on Earth can be used by humans.
Start a collection campaign for recyclable items. Talk to your friends and family members about what you’re doing and ask them to help. The more people do, the better off our planet will be!
| A．It is produced at a huge cost |
| B．Offer your time and spread the message |
| C．Can you share your wonderful ideas with us |
| D．How many more reasons do we need to go green |
| E．Get everyone together and reconnect with nature |
| F．The rest is either too salty or too difficult to access |
| G．Try to save energy by turning off the lights when you don’t need |
