1 . Sara Dykman is on a 10, 000-mile bike trip, following the monarch butterfly from Mexico through the UnitedStates and Canada and back again. The purpose of her journey is not just to mark the butterfly’s migrating (迁徙) road, but to warn about the threat it faces — and what we can do to help it.
When I reached Dykman by phone, she was biking through Iowa cornfields. She said she feels more upset than usual, because of what she is seeing — or not seeing — on her travels: Fewer butterflies and milkweed. “In the last two decades, the butterfly population has declined by about 90 percent as a result of the loss of milkweed, a native plant that the butterflies need as part of their life cycle,” she said.
Butterflies go through a four-stage life cycle. In February and March, the adult monarch butterflies come out of winter sleep to look for a mate. Then they migrate north and east to lay their eggs on milkweed plants. It takes about four days for the eggs to hatch. Then the baby caterpillars (毛毛虫) spend much of their time eating milkweed in order to grow. About two weeks later, the fully grown caterpillars will attach themselves to plant branches or leaves to change into butterflies.
But Dykman is not in total despair. A solution, she says, exists within the reach of everyone who owns a home; simply planting some milkweed in the yards to help the butterflies on their journey.
Dykman lives a life as simple and rootless as the butterflies she loves. She doesn’t own a house or car or eat out at restaurants. She carries only what she needs; a sleeping bag and clothing. People help along the way by providing a place to stay and a meal.
“I have failed at everything normal, but I’m pretty good at doing the less normal things,” she admits in her new book Cycling With Butterflies.
“But this trip is about solutions, and it’s about helping people see the consequences of their actions,” she said on the phone.
1. What is the main purpose of Sara Dykman’s bike trip?| A．To live-stream the migrating butterflies. | B．To ask people to grow more native plants. |
| C．To warn about the environmental problems. | D．To encourage people to protect the butterflies. |
| A．Baby caterpillars are very harmful to various crops. |
| B．Milkweed plays a vital role in a butterfly’s life cycle. |
| C．Non-native plants are growing too fast in Iowa cornfields. |
| D．Adult butterflies come out of winter sleep later than they did. |
| A．She is a determined conservationist. | B．She is a good bread-earner. |
| C．She is a competent employee. | D．She is a comfort seeker. |
| A．A diary entry. | B．A book review. | C．An interview. | D．A news report. |
2 . “The era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived,” the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said after scientists confirmed July 2023 was the world’s hottest month on record.
“Humanity is in the hot seat,” Guterres told a press conference on Thursday. “For vast parts of North America, Asia, Africa and Europe, it is a cruel summer. For the entire planet, it is a disaster. And for scientists, it is clear that humans are to blame. Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”
Guterres urged politicians to take swift action. “The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable, and the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy, no more excuses, and no more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that.”
“It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5℃and avoid the very worst of climate change but only with dramatic, immediate climate action. We have seen some progress, but none of this is going far enough or fast enough. Accelerating temperatures demand accelerated action.”
The WMO secretary general, Petteri Taalas, said, “The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is more urgent than ever before. Climate action is not a luxury but a must.”
Other climate scientists confirmed the findings. Karsten Haustein at Leipzig University found the world was 1.5℃ hotter in July 2023 than in the average July before industrialisation.
Marina Romanello, a climate and health researcher at University College London, said, “We have data showing how the very foundations of health are being undermined by climate change. But we still have time today to turn the tide and to ensure a liveable future for us and our children.”
1. What made Guterres feel worried?| A．Global economy. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Serious pollution. | D．Rising temperatures. |
| A．To appeal to quick action. | B．To change people’s concept. |
| C．To frighten the general public. | D．To make his report vivid. |
| A．By analyzing some facts. | B．By quoting some experts. |
| C．By offering statistics. | D．By giving explanations. |
| A．Global Bailing: It Is Time to Act. |
| B．Global Boiling: Who Is to Blame? |
| C．Global Boiling: It Isn’t That Serious |
| D．Global Boling: What Measure Should Be Taken? |
3 . A recent global study, which surveyed 10,000 young people from 10 countries, showed that nearly 60 percent of them were extremely worried about the future state of the planet. The report, which was published in The Lancet, also showed that nearly half of the respondents said that such distress affected them daily, and three quarters agreed with the statement that “the future is frightening.” This, along with many other studies, shows clearly that climate change is not just a threat to the environment that we inhabit. It also poses a very real threat to our emotional well-being. Psychologists have categorized these feelings of grief and worry about the current climate emergency, a common occurrence among youth today, under the label of “eco-anxiety”.
Eco-anxiety doesn’t just affect young people. It also affects researchers who work in climate and ecological science, burdened by the reality depicted by their findings, and it affects the most economically marginalized (边缘化的) across the globe, who bear the damaging impacts of climate breakdown.
In 2024, eco-anxiety will rise to become one of the leading causes of mental health problems. The reasons are obvious. Scientists estimate that the world is likely to breach safe limits of temperature rise above pre-industrial levels for the first time by 2027.
In recent years, we’ve seen wildfires tear through Canada and Greece, and summer floods ruin regions in Pakistan that are home to nearly 33 million people. Studies have shown that those impacted by air pollution and rising temperatures are more likely to experience psychological distress.
To make matters worse, facing climate crisis, our political class is not offering strong leadership. The COP28 conference in Dubai will be headed by an oil and gas company executive. In the UK, the government is backtracking on its green commitments.
Fortunately, greater levels of eco-anxiety will also offer an avenue for resolving the climate crisis directly. According to Caroline Hickman, a researcher on eco-anxiety from the University of Bath, anyone experiencing eco-anxiety is displaying entirely natural and rational reactions to the climate crisis. This is why, in 2024, we will also see more people around the world join the fight for climate justice and seek jobs that prioritize environmental sustainability. Campaigners will put increased pressure on fossil fuel industries and the governments to rapidly abandon the usage of polluting coal, oil, and gas.
It’s now clear that not only are these industries the main causes for the climate crisis, they are also responsible for the mental health crisis, which is starting to affect most of us. Eco-anxiety is not something we will defeat with therapy, but something we will tackle by taking action.
1. What can we learn from the passage?| A．The cause of eco-anxiety is emotions existing in our mind. |
| B．People in developed countries are more likely to suffer from eco-anxiety. |
| C．Eco-anxiety is a new kind of psychological disease due to climate change. |
| D．The author is disappointed about government behaviour towards climate crisis. |
| A．Break. | B．Reach. | C．Raise. | D．Affect. |
| A．puzzled | B．favourable | C．suspicious | D．unconcerned |
| A．Who Is to Blame for Eco-anxiety? |
| B．How Should You See Eco-anxiety? |
| C．How Will Eco-anxiety Be Resolved? |
| D．Why Do People Suffer from Eco-anxiety? |
4 . Keeping plants at home is a healthy and comfortable way of life. The following houseplants can create a most beautiful piece of green for your home.
Bird’s Nest Fern (蕨)The bird’s nest fern is a good choice for anyone with a house that wouldn’t support sun-loving species. It’s a hardy fern variety adapting to living on forest floors, where the air tends to be cool and damp. It likes to be misted as well, but this doesn’t always mean you need a misting bottle—spraying (喷洒) it in the sink or hanging it near a shower often works as well.
Chinese Money PlantThis is a flowering species that might be most appropriate for experienced plant gardeners looking for a new challenge. It prefers a moderate amount of indirect light, and tends to dry out slightly between watering sessions. It produces new plants easily without any input, directly from its root system. These can coexist in the same pot for a time.
Resurrection PlantThis native of the Mexican desert has adapted to surviving in extreme drought by curling (蜷缩) into a ball and remaining in seemingly lifeless state for years, if necessary. In this form, it can be transported by the wind across the dry landscape to areas with water. It will revive within hours in a shallow bowl of water, unfolding and transforming into a fresh and green moss (苔藓).
Snake PlantThis is a striking houseplant that can be an especially good option for new plant owners who you might not trust to keep a plant alive. It grows happily in almost any condition. While it prefers bright light, it doesn’t mind shade or even artificial light. Plus, thanks to its thick, fleshy leaves, it stores water with remarkable efficiency, which makes it survive without water in the earth.
1. What is special about the bird’s nest fern?| A．It prefers shade. | B．It is sun-loving. |
| C．It tends to grow in the sink. | D．It can return to life after death. |
| A．Bird’s nest fern. | B．Chinese money plant. |
| C．Resurrection plant. | D．Snake plant. |
| A．They demand attentive owners. | B．They are very drought-tolerant. |
| C．They will curl for self-protection. | D．They can store water for drought. |
5 . New research shows that removing black rhinos’ horns (犀牛角) to make them less attractive to illegal hunters is reducing their territory (领地) sizes and making them less sociable with each other.
The study, published in the journal PNAS, found that dehorned South African rhinos have home ranges that are 45 per cent smaller than those of complete animals, and that they were 37 percent less likely to engage in social interactions.
“The big, dominant bulls that used to have very large territories that overlapped with a lot of females may now have much less territory and much less reproductive (繁殖的) success,” says Vanessa Duthé, who led the work at Switzerland’s University of Neuchâtel.
“It’s really hard to predict the effects of this,” she says. “It doesn’t mean that population success will necessarily decline, because it might open up gaps for younger males that would not have had the space or the means before.” Indeed, a University of Bristol study published last year showed that dehorning (去角) does not negatively affect populations overall.
But such unintended behavioral consequences necessarily feed into judgments about whether this highly invasive procedure is worthwhile. Remarkably, perhaps, there is little hard evidence either way. “No one’s put all the data together to say whether it’s a really effective measure,” says Duthé.
“What is clear is that the introduction of dehorning and a decline in illegal hunting has occurred at the same time,” she adds. “But dehorning has been accompanied by other conservation measures that may be more effective.”
“It’s incredibly complicated,” says Lucy Chimes, a member of the Bristol team. “There are so many other factors involved. You have to consider what other security measures are being carried out — fencing, patrols, staff numbers — and poverty levels surrounding parks, their nearness to national borders and whether there is community engagement.” Chimes is currently planning a project that aims to separate these and other factors. In the meantime, Duthé believes that dehorning is a worthwhile tool of last course of action. “A rhino that is behaving a little bit strangely is better than a dead rhino.”
1. What is the purpose of removing the horns of black rhinos?| A．To make them less sociable. | B．To protect them from being hunted. |
| C．To reduce their home ranges. | D．To affect their reproductive success. |
| A．The removal of rhino horns. | B．The loss of rhino territories. |
| C．The impact on rhino population. | D．The change of rhino behavior. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Dehorning rhinos shows satisfying effects. |
| B．Various factors lead to the decline in illegal hunting. |
| C．Dehorning is the last action researchers will take. |
| D．Rhinos are supposed to behave a little bit strangely. |
6 . Humans have sailed the oceans’ surfaces for millennia (千年), but their depths remain effectively uncharted. Only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped at high resolution. Maps of most regions display only approximate depths and often miss entire underwater mountains or canyons (峡谷).
So a group of researchers has recruited some deep-diving experts: Elephant Seals and Weddell Seals. Scientists have been placing trackers on these blubbery marine mammals around Antarctica for years, gathering data on ocean temperature and salinity. For a new study, the researchers compared these dives’ location and depth data with some of the less detailed seafloor maps. They spotted places where the seals dove deeper than should have been possible according to the maps-meaning the existing depth estimates were inaccurate.
In eastern Antarctica’s Vincennes Bay, the diving seals helped the scientists find a large, hidden underwater canyon. An Australian research ship called the RSV Nuyina later measured the canyon’s exact depth using sonar, and the researchers have proposed naming their find the Mirounga-Nuyina Canyon — honoring both the ship and the involved Elephant Seals, genus (动植物的属) Mirounga.
But seals can’t map the entire ocean floor. The trackers used in the study could pinpoint a seal’s geographical location only within about 1.5miles. Plus, because the seals don’t always dive to the bottom of the ocean, they can reveal only where the bottom is deeper than in existing maps — not shallower. McMahon notes that scientists could improve on these data by using more precise GPS trackers and analyzing the seals’ diving patterns to determine whether they have reached the seafloor or simply stopped descending.
The current seal-dive data can still be valuable for an important task, says Anna Wåhlin, an oceanographer. The deep ocean around Antarctica is warmer than the frigid waters at the surface, and seafloor canyons can allow that warmer water to flow to the ice along the continent’s coast, Wåhlin explains. To predict how Antarctica’s ice will melt, scientists will need to know where those canyons are and how deep they go.
1. What problem is mentioned at the beginning of the text?| A．Lack of the map. | B．Not enough tools. |
| C．Ineffective charts. | D．Inaccurate measurement. |
| A．By observing the seals. | B．By comparing different data. |
| C．By using advanced equipment. | D．By analyzing the existing maps. |
| A．The canyon. | B．The ship. | C．The seals. | D．The genus. |
| A．The present data is of little use. |
| B．Seal’s swimming pattern influences the data. |
| C．The ocean’s surface around Antarctica is warmer. |
| D．The seal can’t reach deep ocean because of temperature. |
7 . Billions of insects are moving together over the sky like a black cloud. It’s a swarm of locusts. Many insects move in huge swarms. They form swarms for different reasons. Some move together to look for food or to find new homes. Sometimes insects swarm for protection. These enormous swarms can destroy food crops and harm other living things.
When something disturbs a red fire ants’ nest, out they will come. Not just one or two, but thousands of them. The fire ants swarm all over their victim. Their stings burn like fire. Each ant in the swarm can sting over and over again. The fire ants hold onto their victim with their mouth parts. Then they inject their prey with poison. Most small animals cannot survive the stings from a swarm of fire ants.
When army ants are on the move, anything in their path is prey. Even snakes can’t escape a swarm of these stinging ants. Army ants move together to look for food. They can’t see their prey, but they use smells and sounds to find their way. If they come to a river, they make a bridge with their bodies. They cling together with their legs. Then the rest of the ants can cross the bridge. There is not much that can stop these fierce and cruel ants from chasing their prey.
Insects are not the only animals that swarm. There are many others that do. Most are not harmful to people. Being close to a huge swarm of animals can be scary and dangerous. Some scientists have studied animal swarms. They have found that many swarms follow simple rules. They work together to solve problems. When they work together they are a very strong team.
1. What does the underlined word “swarm” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．To force a liquid into something. | B．To hold onto something tightly. |
| C．To move together in a large group. | D．To watch over something. |
| A．Their stings contain a kind of poison and are deadly to most small animals. |
| B．They can destroy food crops and are harmful to other living things. |
| C．When they move together, they are called “a swarm of locusts”. |
| D．They move in swarms to make new nests in different places. |
| A．Blind and smelly. | B．Angry and violent. |
| C．Scary and dangerous. | D．Strong and fast. |
| A．Moving Nests | B．Stinging Fire Ants |
| C．A Moving Army | D．Swarms of Animals |
8 . A brown and dry lawn is not something many gardeners would boast about. But that is exactly the kind of yard competition organizers in Sweden were looking for when they launched the prize for the “World’s Ugliest Lawn”. People from around the world were invited to post pictures of their dehydrated(脱水的)grass to social media in a bid to win the uncertain honor.
The intention, according to those behind the project, was to raise awareness of “saving water on a global scale by changing the norm for green lawns”. Lawns, which can require large amounts of water to maintain, are coming under increasing examination as climate change makes periods of drought more frequent and intense.
The global initiative was launched on the official website for Gotland in Sweden. “Huge amounts of water are used to water lawns for aesthetics(美学). As the world gets warmer, lack of water in urban areas is projected to affect up to 2.4 billion people by 2050. By not watering lawns for aesthetic reasons, we can protect the availability of groundwater,” the competition organizers said.
The unlikely title has been awarded to Kathleen Murray who lives in Sandford in Tasmania, Australia. According to the organizers, Murray’s lawn “boasts deep and dry divots created by three wild bandicoots(袋狸)and not one dust-covered decimeter is wasted on watering”. Murray said in the press release about her triumph, “I am terribly proud! I knew I would have my 5 minutes of fame, even if it was for having the ugliest lawn on the planet! I am now free of ever taking care of my lawn again.”
A press release by the Gotland, office added, “For the planet and its declining stockpiles of life-giving liquid, thank you, Kathleen, as well as those naughty bandicoots damaging your lawn for the greater good.” Organizers added, “Gotland aims to show to Sweden and the world that sustainable behavior doesn’t have to be dull.”
1. What can we say about the yard competition organized in Sweden?| A．People had even doubted its authenticity. |
| B．People worldwide were unwilling to join. |
| C．Its participants must be professional gardeners. |
| D．Its entries must agree with the existing aesthetics. |
| A．To call on people to protect lawns. | B．To encourage people to be creative. |
| C．To challenge the norm of aesthetics. | D．To remind people of water shortage. |
| A．Ambition. | B．Success. | C．Sorrow. | D．Barrier. |
| A．People’s Whelming Reaction To A Yard Contest In Sweden |
| B．Lawns And Rare Bandicoots Calling For Urgent Protection |
| C．A Lawn Named The Ugliest Globally All For A Good Cause |
| D．The World’s Ugliest Lawn Unaccepted By The Whole World |
9 . Most of us are familiar with Groundhog Day, wherein a large groundhog checks to see its shadow on February 2 and helps to predict when winter will end. But have you ever heard about how a mountain town in North Carolina uses a caterpillar (毛毛虫) known as the Woolly Worm to make similar predictions?
According to the folklore (民间传说), the amount of black on the woolly worm in autumn predicts the severity of the upcoming winter. The longer the woolly worm’s black bands (带) are, the longer, colder, snowier, and more severe the winter will be. Similarly, a wider middle brown band is associated with a milder upcoming winter. The position of the longest dark bands supposedly indicates which part of winter will be coldest or hardest. If the head end of the caterpillar is dark, the beginning of winter will be severe. If the tail end is dark, the end of winter will be cold. In addition, the woolly worm caterpillar has 13 segments to its body, which traditional forecasters say correspond to the 13 weeks of winter.
Scientific studies on worm forecasting are few and far between. The most often cited is a small trial that American Museum of Natural History entomologist Howard Curran conducted in 1948. Having heard about the caterpillar folklore, Curran traveled to Bear Mountain State Park to collect woolly worms each fall for eight years. He found that if the worms had brown markings on more than a third of their body, winters tended to be milder.
Most scientists discount the folklore of caterpillar predictions as just a folklore. “It’s a wonderful story, but I do think it was a playful trial,” says Joe Boggs, an entomologist at Ohio State University Extension who has studied woolly worms. “Curran was a real scientist. He had a bunch of papers published, but he never published this one—probably because he knew it wouldn’t stand up to peer review.”
Mike Peters, an entomologist at the University of Massachusetts, doesn’t disagree, but he says there could be a link between the band of a woolly worm and the severity of winter. Peters suggests that the timing of their growth and environmental conditions, such as temperature, moisture levels, and food sources, can impact the appearance of woolly worms, including their size, coloration, and band patterns. By analyzing these characteristics, researchers can potentially infer information about the weather conditions. “The band does say something about a heavy winter,” he says. “The only thing is that it’s telling you about the previous year.”
1. How do people predict the weather through woolly worms?| A．By analyzing their living habits. | B．By measuring the change of their size. |
| C．By studying color bands on their bodies. | D．By calculating the number of their segments. |
| A．A survey on the locals. | B．His personal observations. |
| C．Studies by previous scientists. | D．Statistics collected by the museum. |
| A．consider. | B．believe. | C．doubt. | D．dismiss. |
| A．The caterpillar forecasting needs long-term data to support it. |
| B．The color band of caterpillars can be a mirror of past weather. |
| C．The cold environment has a great impact on caterpillars’ growth. |
| D．Woolly worms can help predict the severity of winter accurately. |
10 . It was snowing hard. Gus Kiebel, a county wildlife officer, was driving home from work when he
Gus parked his truck and
Obviously, these beagles were
In the following days, Gus phoned the shelter
| A．spotted | B．recorded | C．assisted | D．gathered |
| A．instructor | B．companion | C．stranger | D．officer |
| A．immediately | B．frequently | C．unwillingly | D．curiously |
| A．comfort | B．fire | C．blanket | D．shelter |
| A．protected | B．approached | C．awakened | D．embraced |
| A．starve | B．interact | C．expect | D．escape |
| A．refreshed | B．concerned | C．defensive | D．accessible |
| A．abandoned | B．discovered | C．reconnected | D．released |
| A．miracle | B．surprise | C．dream | D．pressure |
| A．declined | B．reported | C．approved | D．contacted |
| A．hand | B．basis | C．condition | D．level |
| A．prevent | B．separate | C．impress | D．adopt |
| A．gradually | B．traditionally | C．repeatedly | D．confidently |
| A．influences | B．possesses | C．guarantees | D．conveys |
| A．passion | B．cruelty | C．respect | D．tiredness |
