A. agreements B. chattering C. efforts D. feasibly E. fulfillment F. hard G. introduced H. morality I. persuaded J. seized K. spoiled |
Here’s to guilt-free flying
Maj a Rosen gave up flying a decade ago out of concern for its environmental impact. But when she became a mother and started hanging out with other parents, she didn’t bring it up, even when the conversation turned to flying. It would have
Then in April 2018, her home country of Sweden
Kudos. But here’s the
We can’t rely on international
All this means we could really do with green tech riding to the rescue. Here, at least, there is a little good news. Even rather simple measures like freeing planes to fly in straighter lines could
It’s time to redouble our
2 . Science may never know the secrets to memories of the California sea hare, a foot-long sea snail. But a research team claim to have made progress in
The kinds of memories that start a defensive reaction in the snails are encoded not in the
However, the work has not yet found widespread
Tomás Ryan at Trinity College Dublin, is
A.deleting | B.disturbing | C.refreshing | D.understanding |
A.transfer | B.adjust | C.compare | D.relate |
A.connections | B.conflicts | C.secrets | D.distances |
A.promote | B.test | C.eliminate | D.impose |
A.sensitive | B.adaptable | C.strong | D.relaxed |
A.necessary | B.peaceful | C.unconscious | D.impossible |
A.plunged | B.invested | C.translated | D.injected |
A.crazily | B.dangerously | C.scarcely | D.equally |
A.optional | B.essential | C.memorial | D.virtual |
A.association | B.recognition | C.innovation | D.publication |
A.depth | B.application | C.basis | D.description |
A.imaginative | B.careful | C.ambitious | D.speedy |
A.supported | B.persuaded | C.unappreciated | D.unconvinced |
A.Nevertheless | B.Eventually | C.For example | D.As a result |
A.expression | B.likelihood | C.suspicion | D.disturbance |
3 . One summer midnight several years ago, standing outside a wooden cabin in Michigan River, I looked up. The sky was filled with thousands of stars, the sight of which was almost enough to make me, a non-believer, offer a word of
As a bat scientist, Eklof’s work on bats requires a specific kind of darkness—the
Excess light is incredibly
It is worth mentioning that middle-aged writer like Eklof can
The bottom line: We can change if we want to. Some of the solutions to light pollution— motion-detecting lights, shielded lights that do not
Right now it is hard to know what that middle way might look like. In 50 years, every city could be equipped with an array of programmed and
A.honour | B.gratitude | C.optimism | D.determination |
A.artificial | B.brilliant | C.faint | D.absolute |
A.achieved | B.distracted | C.enhanced | D.threatened |
A.resulting from | B.bringing about | C.judging by | D.contributing to |
A.decorated | B.restored | C.lit | D.faded |
A.effective | B.sensitive | C.positive | D.destructive |
A.scares | B.blows | C.pulls | D.turns |
A.accustomed | B.subject | C.available | D.restricted |
A.on duty | B.in turn | C.on time | D.in public |
A.stimulate | B.advocate | C.negotiate | D.account |
A.challenging | B.appealing | C.demanding | D.outstanding |
A.absorb | B.stretch | C.transform | D.reflect |
A.reach for | B.apply to | C.long for | D.adapt to |
A.Therefore | B.Furthermore | C.However | D.Instead |
A.fundamentally | B.scientifically | C.environmentally | D.economically |
We Must Act Now to Protect Our Threatened Oceans
Last week, climate strikers young and old came out in force to call upon the government to act with greater urgency in tackling the global climate emergency.
They
Urgent action is needed
It is hoped that early next year UN member states
The government has been a vocal champion for ocean conservation. Now is the time for Britain
5 . Each year, backed up by a growing anti-consumerist movement, people are using the holiday season to call on us all to shop less.
Driven by concerns about resource exhaustion, over recent years environmentalists have increasingly turned their sights on our “consumer culture”. Groups such as The Story of Stuff and Buy Nothing New Day are growing as a movement that increasingly blames all our ills on our desire to shop.
We clearly have a growing resource problem. The produces we make, buy, and use are often linked to the destruction of our waterways, biodiversity, climate and the land on which millions of people live. But to blame these issues on Christmas shoppers is misguided, and puts us in the old trap of blaming individuals for what is a systematic problem.
While we complain about environmental destruction over Christmas, environmentalists often forget what the holiday season actually means for many people. For most, Christmas isn’t an add-on to an already heavy shopping year. In fact, it is likely the only time of year many have the opportunity to spend on friends and family, or even just to buy the necessities needed for modern life.
This is particularly, true for Boxing Day, often the target of the strongest derision(嘲弄) by anti-consumerists. While we may laugh at the queues in front of the shops, for many, those sales provide the one chance to buy items they’ve needed all year. As Leigh Phillips argues, “this is one of the few times of the year that people can even hope to afford such ‘luxuries’, the Christmas presents their kids are asking for, or just an appliance that works.”
Indeed, the richest 7% of people are responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. This becomes particularly harmful when you take into account that those shopping on Boxing Day are only a small part of our consumption “problem” anyway. Why are environmentalists attacking these individuals, while ignoring such people as Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has his own£1.5bn yacht with a missile defence system?
Anyway, anti-consumerism has become a movement of wealthy people talking down to the working class about their life choices, while ignoring the real cause of our environmental problems. It is no wonder one is changing their behaviours—or that environmental destruction continues without any reduction in intensity.
1. It is indicated in the 1st paragraph that during the holiday season, many consumers .A.ignore resource problems |
B.are fascinated with presents |
C.are encouraged to spend less |
D.show great interest in the movement. |
A.has targeted the wrong persons |
B.has achieved its intended purposes |
C.has taken environment-friendly measures |
D.has benefited both consumers and producers |
A.madness about life choices |
B.discontent with rich lifestyle |
C.ignorance about the real cause |
D.disrespect for holiday shoppers |
A.anything less than a responsibility | B.nothing more than a bias |
C.indicative of environmental awareness | D.unacceptable to ordinary people |
A New Orchid was Found in Japan
Nature is full of secrets. There are still many things to find out about it. One of those things was discovered last week in Japan. It is rare to find a new plant in Japan. An amateur naturalist came across a new species of orchid
The newly-found orchid is beautiful. It is pink and white, it has a central stem, around
Sometimes unknown species are often living right under our noses — in parks, gardens and even in planters on balconies. That’s
There are about 28,000 orchid species worldwide. The new orchid belongs to a class called Spiranthes. There are about 50 different kinds of Spiranthes. They are
7 . For millions of years, Arctic sea ice has expanded and shrunk in a rhythmic dance with the summer sun. Humans evolved in this icy world, and civilization relied on it for climatic, ecological and political stability. But now the world comes ever closer to a future without ice. The National Snow and Ice Data Center reported that 2019’s minimum arctic sea ice extent was the second lowest on record. Arctic summers could become mostly ice-free in 30 years, and possibly sooner if current trends continue. As the northern sea ice declines, the world must unite to preserve what remains of the Arctic.
Although most people have never seen the sea ice, its effects are never far away. By reflecting sunlight, Arctic ice acts as Earth’s air conditioner. Once dark water replaces brilliant ice, Earth could warm substantially, equivalent to the warming caused by the additional release of a trillion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and declining sea ice threatens wildlife, from the polar bear to algae that grow beneath the sea ice, supporting the large amount of marine life.
To avoid the consequences the scientific community should advocate not just for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, but also for protecting the Arctic from exploitation. The Antarctic shows the way. In the 1950s, countries raced to claim the Antarctic continent for resources and military installations. Enter the scientists. The 1957-1958 International Geophysical Year brought together scientists from competing countries to study Antarctica, and countries temporarily suspended their territorial disputes (争议). In 1959, 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty to preserve the continent for peaceful scientific discovery rather than territorial and military gain.
Sixty years later, we must now save the Arctic. A new Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) Treaty would protect the Arctic Ocean as a scientific preserve for peaceful purposes only. Similar to Antarctica, MAPS would prohibit resource exploitation, commercial fishing and shipping, and military exercises. So far, only 2 non-Arctic countries have signed MAPS; 97 more need to sign on to enact it into law. Scientists can help—just as they did for the Antarctic—by giving statements of support, asking scientific organizations to endorse (支持) the treaty, communicating the importance of protecting the arctic to the public and policy-makers, and above all, by convincing national leaders to sign the treaty. In particular, Arctic nations must agree that recognizing the arctic as an international preserve is better than fighting over it. In 2018, these countries successfully negotiated a 16-year moratorium on commercial fishing in the Arctic high seas, demonstrating that such agreements are possible.
Humans have only ever lived in a world topped by ice. Can we now work together to protect Arctic ecosystems, keep the northern peace, and allow the sea ice to return?
1. What can be inferred from the passage?A.wildlife relies on sea ice for food and water. |
B.The Arctic would be ice-free in 30 years. |
C.Sea ice slows down the global warming. |
D.The melting of sea ice releases CO2. |
A.remind readers of the past of the Antarctic |
B.propose a feasible approach for the Arctic |
C.stress the importance of preserving sea ice |
D.recall how the Antarctic Treaty came into being |
A.battle | B.ban |
C.memo | D.protection |
A.Antarctic: a Successful Comeback? | B.Sea Ice and Global Warming |
C.Arctic: the Earth’s Future | D.Life Without Ice? |
A. carved B. unknowingly C. ecosystem D. artificial E. elemental F. changing G. practically H. wrinkled I. unmoving J. species K. inspection |
Magical Creatures: AN APPRECIATION OF AUTUMN MOTH (蛾)
Moths seem to have a bit of a bad reputation: to some they are ill indications or something scary, to others they are dull in comparison to our well-loved butterflies. But moths are an essential part of a(n)
My first meeting with an Angle Shades moth was nearly a non-encounter. I almost passed by without noticing it, thinking it was a fallen leaf on a fence post. But there was something about it that stopped me in my tracks. Its angular shape perhaps? Or the way it sat,
The Canary-shouldered Thorn, with its hairy buttercup-coloured body and yellow and orange wings, reminds me of a fallen silver birch (白桦树) leaf. A night-flyer, it favours gardens and woodlands, and is often drawn to
There’s more to these imitators than fallen leaves. The Green-spotted Crescent, which
The Last Generation
Rising sea levels threaten the very existence of the Pacific island nations. And young people
The nations of the Pacific Islands recognize that
They plan to adopt some really cool, environmentally friendly, carbon-free technologies, including solar-powered ships and hydrogen fuel cells. Through the partnership and their efforts
Sea levels are rising, but hopes aren’t sinking in the Pacific islands, where people are fighting for life and land. The citizens of these island nations
A. mineB. criteriaC. catalogedD. candidateE. delay F. anticipatingG. comprisedH. perceivingI. initiativeJ. compounds K. unfavorable |
What Lies Beneath
“Earth” has always been an odd choice of name for the third planet from the Sun. After all, an alien (外星人) examining it through a telescope would note that two-thirds of its surface is
A new
The attempt is happening now for two reasons. One is that, the longer scientists
The second one is technological. Marine biologists discover about 2,000 new species a year, a rate hardly changed since Darwin’s day. Ocean Census is
Exactly what the new effort might turn up, of course, is impossible to forecast. But history suggests it will be fruitful. Half a century ago scientists detected hot openings on the sea bed that were home to organisms living happily in conditions that, until then, had been thought
More practical benefits can’t be ignored. Many drugs, for example, come originally from biological
To help make use of its data, Ocean Census plans to make it attainable to scientists and the public without charge, who will be able to search it for anything valuable or unexpected.