1 . We’re all familiar with the idea of climate change and how our planet is warming. Extremes in temperature have become more commonplace, making parts of the world difficult to live in. But one place where extreme heat is making life very uncomfortable is our cities. Luckily, innovation might be keeping it under control.
As thermometers(温度计) record temperatures, sometimes above 50 degrees Celsius, solutions are being sought to cool the air in our cities. In India, for example, heatwaves and rapid urbanization have led to a big rise in the use of air-conditioning units, adding to CO2 emissions. So, architects, looking for a sustainable cooling solution, are copying an ancient lattice (框架) design, used in old buildings like the Taj Mahal, to construct comfortable,low-carbon buildings. Yatin Pandya told the BBC: “Traditional architectural forms have proven their performance in combating environmental conditions.”
In America, about 80% of the population lives in cities, and it’s these cities that suffer from an urban heat island effect, caused by factors such as trapped waste heat, concrete structures and pavements absorbing the sun and tall buildings blocking the wind. Residents and developers have tried to cool these places by planting large trees that offer shade and putting plants and gardens on top of roofs to help trap heat. And in Los Angeles, there’s a experiment to cover street s with light-coloured material that reflects rather than absorbs the sun and so they remain cooler than typical black roads.
But it’s satellites in space that are really giving us the best picture of our over-heated cities. Glynn Hulley, who is leading an image-capturing project, called the Land Surface Temperature Monitoring mission, told the BBC: “The data can be used to identify hot spots, weak regions, and assess the cooling impacts of heat mitigation (缓解) approaches.” It’s already found how green spaces, white roads and water features, have helped prevent our cities from boiling over. But with extreme heat still posing a threat to our lives, more solutions are still needed.
1. What leads to the increase of CO₂ emissions?| A．Invention of thermometers. | B．Imitation of traditional architecture. |
| C．Building of concrete structures. | D．Application of air-conditioning units. |
| A．To prove it is miserable to suffer from heat. | B．To show people are trying to solve problem. |
| C．To demonstrate the benefit of modern buildings. | D．To support the idea of low-carbon construction. |
| A．Evaluating the cooling effect. | B．Identifying city features |
| C．Emphasizing threats to lives | D．Testing image capturing technology. |
| A．Cities in Danger | B．Dramatic Climate Change |
| C．Temperature Monitoring Mission | D．Cooling Hot Cities |
A cat wanders into our backyard during a thunderstorm. The cat stares at us through the kitchen window as we eat steak and garlic potatoes. She places a pa w against the window and makes a sad face.
We open the door and the cat comes right through the back door and makes herself at home on the beanbag.We give her the steak and garlic potatoes. She eats the steak but leaves the garlic potatoes.
The next evening, the cat returns. Dinner is salmon and green beans. Lucky for the cat, our children would rather eat their own shoes. The cat licks(舔) herself for an hour, making sure not to miss a single square inch of her body. She falls asleep with her paws in the air.
The children decide that the cat is ours. She has come now for seven nights, always around dinner time. No wonder, my wife says, she’s being fed like a queen. I remind my wife that the cat is eating what we are eating,which means that we too must be fed like queens.
I was rubbing her belly, and she bit my finger. Blood is drawn. If she does it again, she’ll have to go. Five minutes later, she does it again, this time to my wife. The children beg for one last chance, but my wife puts the cat out and tells it to go home. Later on, we hear the cat mewing through the bedroom window. The rain is striking the roof like gunfire. My wife sighs and rolls out of bed. Without speaking, she goes to the kitchen and cooks chicken on a frying pan. She puts a cardboard box in the shed (小屋) and puts the cat in there with the chicken. She comes back to bed. I can feel the rain on her feet.
Almost everything goes around the cat in the family. We buy cat toys and cat treats and even a bed for her.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为 150 左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I am anxious about going away for the wedding anniversary(纪念日) we have planned
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When we get back, the cat is gone
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1. 近年来开展的相关活动；
2. 最新变化。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Green Campus
Dear friends,
I am glad to meet you on our campus.
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4 . Sorting out your wardrobe(衣柜) as winter approaches? As we store away our spring and summer clothes to make room for big woolly jumpers and thick layers to survive the colder weather, there might be a few items of clothing that deserve a better home so the love you previously had for them can continue on. Luckily, the Camden Chilly TRAID Off might be able to help…plus there’s a cold, refreshing beer in it for you.
Here to help avoid those pre-loved clothes going to landfill, Camden Town Brewery has partnered with clothes waste charity TRAID for the launch of its Camden Chilly TRAID Off. The nationwide tour allows consumers to exchange their pre-loved clothes for a can of Camden’s new winter seasonal: Chilly, Cold IPA—so you can do your bit to save clothes from going to landfill and be rewarded with a refreshing drink in the process. And today’s the day for Londoners looking to exchange pre-loved clothes for free beers—so take that box of clothes you’ve been meaning to donate to the local charity shop, and head on down to the van(面包车).
Touring Manchester, Leeds and London from November 15-17, Camden and TRAID will be stationing their van at the heart of each city, ready for consumers to come down and donate any unworn or pre-loved clothing this Chilly season. Encouraging consumers to shop more sustainably this winter, the Camden Chilly TRAID Off aims to freeze out waste, while giving people good beer for a good cause.
Research from TRAID has found that 300,000 tonnes of clothing end up in landfill every year in the UK—of which it is estimated 40% is in reusable condition. Camden is encouraging British people to take another look at the estimated 1.6 billion pieces of unworn clothing in their wardrobes this winter and think about how we shop as we head towards the festive period.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To summarize the main idea. | B．To start a vivid story. |
| C．To give a good example. | D．To explain reasons. |
| A．Chilly, Cold IPA enjoys great popularity. | B．TRAID is expert at its work. |
| C．40% of clothes thrown away can be reused. | D．Camden can provide expensive beer. |
| A．People can exchange their pre-loved clothes for a beer anytime. |
| B．It is planned to do the collection in London on November 17th. |
| C．People around Britain can find the van for the clothes within 15 days. |
| D．It can pick up people’s clothes from door to door at the fixed time. |
| A．Empty Your Wardrobe for Your Winter Clothes Now |
| B．Save Earth by Reducing Landfill of Pre-loved Clothes |
| C．Get a Good Can of Camden’s New Summer Seasonal |
| D．Exchange Your Pre-loved Clothing for Free Beer |
5 . Your pet might have four legs, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get tired just as quickly as we do. Uber (优步) must have taken
Before the days of Uber Pet, booking a taxi through the app proved
Now, users of Uber Pet will be
General manager at Uber UK Andrew Brem said: “We’re really happy to be launching Uber Pet in the UK,
“With Covid 19 restrictions lifted, it’s the
Those driving with a service animal can
| A．note | B．charge | C．control | D．place |
| A．plan | B．service | C．company | D．survey |
| A．Originally | B．Ridiculously | C．Creatively | D．Suitably |
| A．persuades | B．forces | C．allows | D．promises |
| A．anywhere | B．elsewhere | C．anyway | D．somehow |
| A．donate | B．own | C．return | D．advance |
| A．comfortable | B．simple | C．hard | D．efficient |
| A．terrible | B．embarrassed | C．empty | D．cute |
| A．case | B．matter | C．policy | D．view |
| A．shared | B．connected | C．paired | D．competed |
| A．remember | B．guarantee | C．afford | D．guide |
| A．requiring | B．buying | C．removing | D．bringing |
| A．pets | B．drivers | C．riders | D．managers |
| A．only | B．perfect | C．dangerous | D．challenging |
| A．start | B．stop | C．continue | D．forget |
6 . Fashion house Alabama Chanin has a new line of organic cotton clothing made from its own cotton field. It’s not just an experiment in keeping production local but also an attempt to bring back to life the tradition of clothes-making in the Deep South.
Alabama Chanin, the fashion and lifestyle company founded by Natalie Chanin and Billy Reid, is best known for her flowing, made-to-order organic garments (衣服), entirely hand-made and inspired by the rural South of the 1930s and ‘40s’. “It’s not just ‘factory work’,” Chanin says. “This is a skill that’s dying out in this country. ” “It’s part of the nation’s ‘cultural sustainability to preserve these things’,” Chanin says, “to be able to make our clothes.”
Her business partner, K. P. McNeill, is the one who first thought about growing their own cotton. The ideas of going from field to garment made Chanin think of how generations ago, manufacturing was of a vertical (纵向的) affair. Could that be done today? And organically? They came up with a plan to test it. Reid says it meant no artificial chemicals. “A lot of the weeds had to be pulled by hand. It’s not just your normal cotton operation that’s automated,” Reid says.
Chanin holds a piece of ivory-colored cloth made from the hand-picked cotton grown in the Alabama field. “I’ve never seen cotton quite as clean and clear as this,” Chanin says, “I don’t think people have seen that since cotton was really a driving factor of destruction in this country.”
Chanin says this project is about transforming cotton into something more modern. “I mean, cotton has an ugly history. It has built fortunes, it’s destroyed nations, it’s enslaved people,” says Chanin. “But to me this cotton is part of making a new story for cotton.”
1. What do we know about Alabama Chanin?| A．It just focuses on the ready-made suits. |
| B．It preserves traditional craftsmanship. |
| C．It leads the way in the fashion industry. |
| D．It ensures sustainable economic growth. |
| A．To highlight production efficiency. |
| B．To question the cotton’s cleanliness. |
| C．To contrast cotton’s historical image. |
| D．To praise the cotton of high quality. |
| A．Fashion keeps changing all the time. |
| B．A bad reputation often ruins tradition. |
| C．Honoring the past builds the future. |
| D．Modernization easily beats tradition. |
| A．From Cotton Field to Garment |
| B．Creating Clothes That Do Matter |
| C．From Old Times to Modern Days |
| D．Launching a Fashion Movement |
7 . The dog is moving through the grass, closely followed by bear biologist Carrie Hunt, who is observing his reactions as he sees the grizzly bear carcass (尸体) for the first time. “Find it,” says Hunt, encouraging the two-month-old puppy. The puppy’s ears and tail are up as he approaches the bear, but with the confidence that Hunt is looking for in a bear conflict dog.
This is a Karelian bear dog, a type of animal known to be fearless and capable of standing up to large mammals. People once used them to hunt. Today, Hunt is using them to keep bears alive.
Karelian puppies undergo a series of procedures where trainers teach them the right behaviours and evaluate their personality and how they react. Just 20% will make the cut as bear conflict dogs. When ready, they are distributed across North America—for example, working with the Alaska fire service to keep firefighters safe and reduce the number of bears killed.
In America, bears live in landscapes where the human footprint is expanding. Consequently, people and predators (捕食性动物) are forced to share space, setting the stage for increased conflicts. Historically, wildlife managers tried to scare bears away with noise makers and rubber bullets (子弹), but that did not always work. Now the wildlife department is employing dogs. When a bear dares to come too close, the dogs chase it away in a brief pursuit. “For the bear, it is a bad experience,” Hunt says. Bears are born to be wary of animals of the dog family as wolves can kill their babies. The lesson taught by the dogs is one that the bears seem to remember. A study found that bears that had encounters with bear dogs spent less time in urban areas.
“The dogs make me a better biologist because they allow me to keep bears in the landscape as long as I possibly can, rather than having to kill and remove them,” Hunt says.
1. What do you think of the dog from his reaction at the first sight of the carcass?| A．Observant and aggressive. |
| B．Mindful but fearful. |
| C．Determined and skilled. |
| D．Cautious but brave. |
| A．It starts with dogs recognizing bear carcasses. |
| B．A very small percentage survives the selection. |
| C．Personality tests really weigh the most heavily. |
| D．Firefighters teamed with dogs further the training. |
| A．Be watchful of. | B．Be ashamed of. |
| C．Be envious of. | D．Be fond of. |
| A．To keep more bear dogs alive. |
| B．To evaluate the training procedures. |
| C．To train would-be biologists. |
| D．To resolve human-animal conflicts. |
8 . Some ants have figured out how to avoid getting lost: build taller anthills, according to a recent study.
Desert ants living in the hot, flat salt pans of Tunisia spend their days looking for food and reach as far as 1.1 kilometers from their nests. To find their way home, desert ants use a navigation system, relying on the sun’s position and counting their steps to track their location relative to their nest.
But this system becomes increasingly unreliable as the distance from the nest increases. “We realized that, whenever the ants in salt pans came closer to their nest, they suddenly pinpointed the nest hill from several meters distance,” says Markus Knaden, a researcher at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology. “This made us think that the hill serves as a nest-defining landmark.”
So Knaden and colleagues captured ants from nests in the middle of salt pans and from along their shorelines. Only salt-pan nests had distinct hills, up to 40 centimeters tall, whereas the hills on shoreline nests were lower or barely noticeable. Next, the team removed any hills and placed the captured insects some distance away from their nests. Salt-pan ants struggled more than shore ants to find homes. Shore ants relied on the shoreline for guidance and weren’t affected by the hill removal, the researchers concluded.
The team further conducted another study to see if desert ants were deliberately building a taller hill when their surroundings lacked any visible landmarks. So, the researchers removed the hills of 16 salt-pan nests and installed (安装) two 50-centimeter-tall blocks near eight of them. The other eight nests were left without any artificial visual aid. After three days, the researchers found that seven ants from the unaided nests had rebuilt their hills. But only two ants from the nests with man-made blocks nearby had bothered to rebuild.
“It implies that ants regularly assess the complexity of their environment and change their decisions based on their conclusion,” says ecologist Judith Bronstein of the University of Arizona.
1. What aspect of ants is the recent study mainly about?| A．Challenges of survival. | B．Landmarks of habitats. |
| C．Intelligence of navigation. | D．Comparison of varieties. |
| A．Explored. | B．Recognized. | C．Climbed. | D．Crossed. |
| A．To observe different ants’ reactions. | B．To prove impacts of various habitats. |
| C．To disturb desert ants’ navigation system. | D．To test anthills’ functions and significance. |
| A．Evaluate and make changes. | B．Visual aid is a must. |
| C．Cooperation brings victory. | D．No man-made blocks are used. |
9 . Animal appear to predict earthquakes by sensing electricity in the air — the first study to find reliable evidence of the phenomenon has shown.
Cameras revealed an “amazing” drop in the number of animals up to 23 days before a major quake hit their rainforest home at Yanachaga National Park in Peru. Lead scientist Dr Rachel Grant, from Anglia Ruskin University, said, “The results showed that just before the earthquake, animals’ activity dropped right down.”
On a normal day the cameras placed around Yanachaga National Park record between 5 and 15 animals. But in the 23 days before the earthquake, the number of animals dropped to five or fewer per day. No animals were photographed at all on five of the seven days immediately before the quake.
Another study showed that animal activity remained normal in the park over a different period when seismic (地震的) activity was low. Co-author, professor Friedemann Freund, said, “The cameras were located at an altitude of 900 meters. If air ionization occurred, the animals would escape to the valley below, where there were fewer positive ions ( 离子). With their ability to sense their environment, animals can help us understand small changes that occur before major earthquakes.”
Other evidence suggested that before the earthquake, the air around the high mountain sites filled with positive ions that can be produced when rocks are placed under stress. Positive ions have been known to cause ill effects in humans as well as animals. Scientists believe the animals were made to feel uncomfortable by the positive ions, leading them to avoid the area. They are thought to have escaped to lower ground, where the air was less ionized. The findings may help experts develop better short-term seismic forecasts.
1. How did scientists conduct the study?| A．By comparing different animals’ habits. |
| B．By observing animals in high mountains. |
| C．By explaining the positive ion phenomenon. |
| D．By analyzing images of animals they obtained. |
| A．The ground at a lower altitude is less ionized. |
| B．Cameras normally record more animals per day. |
| C．Earthquake warnings can be detected in lower places. |
| D．The activity of animals and earthquakes is consistent. |
| A．The findings make for accurate seismic forecast. |
| B．Animals tend to be uneasy with more positive ions. |
| C．Positive ions make humans and animals depressed. |
| D．All the animals remain abnormal before the earthquake. |
| A．Negative Influence of Positive Ions. |
| B．Ions’ Destruction to the Environment. |
| C．Animals’ Behavior Before Earthquakes. |
| D．Creatures’ Ability to Predict Earthquakes. |
1. What do bees do when they need to relax?
| A．Fly all day. | B．Make honey. | C．Play with balls. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. |
| A．A sugary treat. | B．A special treat. | C．A flowery treat. |
| A．Bees are more thoughtful. |
| B．Bees are more hardworking. |
| C．Bees are hard to get along with. |
