1 . “For thousands of years, humans have raced to be the first to climb a peak, cross a frontier, or document a new species or landscape. Now in some cases, we’re racing to be the last,” said New York Times’ Paige McClanahan.
In recent years, a growing industry has been stimulated by climate change — last-chance tourism. According to Eco Sustainable Solutions, a UK-based organic recycling and waste processing company last-chance tourism is a kind of tourism geared toward seeing the last of something due to climate change. As temperatures and water levels rise, this could mean seizing the last chance to see the Great Barrier Reef, an Arctic glacier and a remote island that is sinking.
As millions of tourists rush to imperiled destinations, some are taking advantage of the increasing demand to spread environmental awareness. One tourist spot, the Sea of Ice in France, opened an exhibit in 2021 to educate visitors on glaciers and climate change. This educational push seems to be having an impact, as a 2023 survey showed that 80% of the visitors would try to learn more about the environment and how to protect it while 77% said that they would reduce their water and energy use.
However, the last-chance tourism industry may become kind of our concern. As more and more people flood into these areas in a panic to see them before they are gone, they in fact contribute to the increased greenhouse gas emissions and over tourism, leading to their destruction. Just as many scholars put it, last-chance tourism is a paradox (悖论).
Although tourists may acknowledge the broader risks and importance of climate change, it’s even more important to connect the responsibility of the individual tourism to the future of our planet. It’s not just about understanding the need to stop climate change; it’s even more important to avoid making it worse.
1. What does the author intend to do by quoting Paige McClanahan’s words?| A．To highlight the value of New York Times. |
| B．To recall and memorize the good old days. |
| C．To channel readers’ awareness to climate change. |
| D．To introduce the subject of last-chance tourism. |
| A．Visiting the Confucius Temple in China. |
| B．Taking an adventurous trip to the depths of the ocean. |
| C．Climbing the snow-covered mountain of Kilimanjaro. |
| D．Admiring the unique Spanish architecture at Cusco, Peru. |
| A．Popular. | B．Remote. | C．Endangered. | D．Preserved. |
| A．It’s a double-edged sword. | B．It’s a stone to kill two birds. |
| C．It’s a life jacket in the stormy sea. | D．It’s a dream that will never come true. |
2 . Look, let’s be honest-there’s no such thing as a “green” vacation. You’ll leave a carbon footprint, no matter what.
Is it a B Corp?
B Corps are businesses that meet a strict set of standards by the nonprofit B Lab. They include requirements for governance, workers, customers, community and the environment.
Does the company have any other environmental certifications?
Third-party certifications from Green Key, LEED and WELL can be signs that a travel company means business about the environment. Transportation companies may also offer verified certifications from organizations like Terrapass or the Gold Standard Foundation.
If the company claims to be green, don’t just take its word for it. Listen to what it says. If you see nothing but models on its Instagram channel or ads for online discounts on its site, perhaps it’s a shade of fake green. “A company’s social media strategy is generally a reflection of its current ethos and goals,” explained Julia Carter, founder of Craft Travel.
How deep is its commitment to the environment?
| A．But your trip can be green-ish. |
| B．What’s the company saying to everyone? |
| C．How can we find a reliable company online? |
| D．Don’t trust anything the company says to the public. |
| E．These certifications aren’t a guarantee the company is green. |
| F．Look for reliable reports on sustainability from a travel company. |
| G．You can search the directory of these forward-looking companies online. |
3 . Aviation is a big polluter. Cutting the sector’s impact on global warming is high on the agenda. Although many governments are regulating emissions from cars and trucks, air transportation is technologically rooted in old patterns.
Facing the reality that the sector will keep emitting a lot, ICAO has established an international carbon-trading plan—Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA. This encourages wide use of offsets (抵消) : aviation companies can buy emissions credits or invest in sectors that store carbon, such as forestry, to allow them to carry on as normal. CORSIA aims to keep CO2 emissions at 2019 levels through such purchases for emissions over that year’s baseline. ICAO predicts that increasing demand might reach 1. 7 billion tons by 2035, potentially making aviation the largest offset market in the world.
Yet offsetting faces a fundamental challenge: the size of the offset requires estimating flows of warming pollution that would have occurred if the carbon-removal project hadn’t existed, and comparing them against flows with the project in place. The former — a baseline that is unobservable — is a hotbed for shady accounting.
The vast majority of offsets today and in the expected future come from forest-protection and regrowth projects. The track record of reliable accounting in these industries is poor, because they lack convincing baselines. Even with oversight, forest projects are often troubled by wild assumptions, for example that trees would disappear completely from these areas in the absence of those projects, even when there are other forest protections in place. Such assumptions drive up baselines and flood the market with huge volumes of offsets. They make it easier for accountants to claim a net reduction in emissions even though the atmosphere sees little or no benefit. These problems are essentially unfixable. Evidence is mounting that offsetting as a strategy for reaching net zero is a dead end.
In our view, this approach could prove dangerously narrow. Removing aviation’s impact on global warming means upending the industry. The longer that reality is overlooked, the harder it will be to find effective solutions.
1. What does aviation refer to in the passage?| A．A project which needs revising. | B．A resource which needs trading. |
| C．A market which needs expanding. | D．An industry which needs reforming. |
| A．To support the development of forestry. | B．To earn the largest profit in offset market. |
| C．To keep the levels of emission unchanged. | D．To make up for emissions over the baseline. |
| A．Too many offsets are filling the market now. |
| B．Some projects may cheat to create more offsets. |
| C．Offsetting contributes a lot to reducing emissions. |
| D．Trees would totally disappear without the projects. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Confused. | C．Favorable. | D．Unconcerned. |
4 . Globally, about 192.1 million animals are used annually for experimental purposes. Iran has conducted animal-based research dating back to the time of Ibn Sina. Although, like many countries, Iran regulates the use and treatment of laboratory animals, it lacks sufficient enforcement. To ensure ethical treatment of research animals, Iran needs better data about their use, and institutions and individuals need to take responsibility for their care.
Iran’s Ministry of Health, which oversees animal testing, requires all animals are treated according to international ethical standards. However, some institutions that produce or use animals provide substandard treatment, disregarding the ministry’s guidelines. To facilitate better enforcement of established regulations, Iran needs clear, accurate and reliable information about the quantity of animals used in research. All Iranian research institutions that use animals should be required to collect and report annual data on the number of animals they use, the conditions in which the animals are kept, and the animals’ research purpose. Such data would allow Iran to track each institution’s adherence (遵守) to the “3Rs”of animal research: Replacing animal-based experiments with alternative strategies, reducing the number of animals used, and refining techniques to minimize the pain and discomfort research animals experience.
In addition to government enforcement, individual institutions should prioritize the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal use. Iran’s medical schools and research institutions should establish an accessible database with comprehensive experimental details to prevent excessive animal studies. Ethics committees shouldn’t approve experiments that use more animals than necessary or methods that require animals when alternative methods are available. In some cases, technical sampling (using a small sample size) can replace experimental sampling (using a relatively large sample size).
Individuals should also take an active role. All researchers must be trained to adhere to ethical principles and understand unnecessary pain or discomfort in animals could affect the interpretation of data.
Maintaining international ethical standards for animal treatment is vital for Iran to establish its global standing in the field of medical sciences. Iran’s government, institutions, individual scientists, and public can work together to ensure ethical animal research.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1?| A．The origin of Iran’s animal-based research. |
| B．The regulations of Iran’s research into animals. |
| C．The development of Iran’s animal-based research. |
| D．Moral concerns for Iran’s research animals’ welfare. |
| A．To follow the ministry’s guidelines. |
| B．To be in control of animal-based research. |
| C．To ensure the adherence to the “3Rs” in animal-based research. |
| D．To replace animal-based experiments with alternative strategies. |
| A．To follow government regulations. |
| B．To reduce unnecessary animal-based studies. |
| C．To make research more visible to the public. |
| D．To ensure the accuracy of experimental results. |
| A．To encourage cooperation for ethical animal-based research in Iran. |
| B．To promote the use of an accessible experimental database in Iran. |
| C．To highlight ethics committees’ role in animal-based research in Iran. |
| D．To stress international ethical standards in animal-based research in Iran. |
5 . The birth of a male white-tailed eagle signals the success of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation (RDWF) and Forestry England project to return these iconic birds to their original widespread locations along the southern coast of England. The last time a white-tailed eagle chick grew in England, Mozart was working on his opera Idomeneo in Germany
For two centuries these amazing birds were missing from most of the UK, having been wiped out by human persecution by the early 20th century.
In 2020, the parents of the landmark bird were translocated from the Outer Hebrides and north-west Sutherland in Scotland to the Isle of Wight. This is an area with plentiful food to sustain them. It is also a location from which the birds could spread out to cliffs, lakes and forests.
Female G405 and male G471 were two of 25 eagles (16 are still alive) released by the RDWF and Forestry England as part of the ongoing project. And they are one of three pairs to have now established breeding territories in the south of England.
The chick hatched earlier this summer at a nest on private land, the exact location of which is being kept a secret to ensure the welfare of the young bird.
“This is a very special moment for everyone who has worked on, supported and followed this ground-breaking project,” Roy Dennis says, founder of the RDWF. “Restoring a breeding population in southern England, where the species was once widespread, has been our ultimate goal. Seeing the first pair reach this stage is truly incredible.”
The young white-tailed eagle has now been ringed and fitted with a satellite tag (标签) so that its progress can be tracked. A further release of young white-tailed eagles is planned for late summer from the project team’s base on the Isle of Wight.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Mozart in paragraph 1?| A．To admire the musician’s great works. |
| B．To celebrate the birth of the white-tailed eagle. |
| C．To compare the situations of England and Germany. |
| D．To emphasize white-tailed eagles’ centuries-long absence. |
| A．Hunt. | B．Exploration. | C．Disturbance. | D．Training. |
| A．For privacy. | B．For safety. | C．For territory. | D．For support. |
| A．A Splendid Bird | B．A Successful Wildlife Project |
| C．Milestone for White-tailed Eagles | D．Restoring a Breeding Population |
6 . Every August the clustered carline thistle (蓟) is one of the only plants that flower in most of Spain’s dry Mediterranean habitats, making it a dominant plant on the local bees and other pollinators. But how can the thistle survive, much less flower, when its neighbors are reduced to twigs and dust?
Spanish National Research Council evolutionary ecologist Carlo s Herrera had an amazing discovery when one day he peered into a thistle blossom to see how much nectar was inside and lightly touched the flower. He discovered that even after hours in direct sun, the flower heads were routinely five degrees cooler than their surroundings during the heat of the day, with the difference approaching 10 degrees for some flowers on the hottest days.
Sanna Sevanto, a physicist and plant physiologist at Los Alamos National Laboratory says that Herrera’s finding is exciting and could confirm a risky plant survival strategy that has, until now, only been theorized.
Sevanto and other scientists have documented that to perform photosynthesis (光合作用), leaves need access to carbon dioxide, which enters through tiny pores (毛孔) called stomata on the leaf’s surface. When stomata open to let carbon dioxide in, some water escapes; this causes evaporative cooling that lowers the leaf’s temperature slightly.
But for the Spanish thistles, evaporative cooling could be the goal rather than just a side effect of photosynthesis. Herrera suggests the plant could essentially be sweating: sacrificing precious water, so scarce in Spain’s dry summers, to prevent its delicate reproductive organs from overheating. She added that some flower species have stomata on their petals, which Sevanto says would be an easy route for releasing water. Opening stomata in a drought is a big gamble, though, and she notes that, so far, “we have not observed a plant that would do it to cool themselves.”
As heat waves become more frequent and intense with climate change, it’s increasingly important to study unusual adaptations that help plants survive heat stress. But ultimately, “whether these plants will have water enough to keep the system working,” Herrera says, “that’s another story.”
1. What was Herrera’s discovery about carline thistle in August?| A．It was the only plant that blossomed. | B．It was the only plant that survived. |
| C．It had little nectar in the flower. | D．It had lower temperature in the flower head. |
| A．To cool the key organs. | B．To take in carbon dioxide. |
| C．To accelerate photosynthesis. | D．To reduce water content in leaves. |
| A．Advantage. | B．Risk. | C．Shift. | D．Evolution. |
| A．Suspicious. | B．Positive. | C．Objective. | D．Unconcerned. |
7 . In the 1950s and 60s, scientists around the world launched many creatures into space. The idea was to calculate the effects of spaceflight on living creatures in the hopes that humans could follow.
The Soviet Union sent a stray Moscow dog named Laika into space, and subsequently, it was honored as a national hero. Ham the chimpanzee was famously buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in New Mexico following his contributions to the U. S. space program. And then there was France, which sent the first and so far only cat into space. So, who was this hero cat, anyway?
Félicette was one of 14 cats cited to the French space program. Each cat had electrodes implanted into their brain, and all were subjected to many of the same activities included in human astronaut training. French scientists decided to use cats as they already had a lot of neurological data on them. At the conclusion of training, the petite tuxedo Félicette got the green light.
On Oct. 18, 1963, Félicette, was strapped into a Véronique rocket and blasted from Algeria to nearly 100 miles above Earth. She experienced about five minutes of weightlessness followed by the terror of a turbulent, spinning descent via parachute.
Just 15 minutes later, the flight was complete. A helicopter crew dashed to the landing site, threw open the cabin, and found Félicette alive and well.
Two months later, scientists rewarded her heroism with euthanasia (安乐死) — they wanted to examine her body. Then, Félicette was all but forgotten.
So forgotten that in the 90s, when three former French colonies celebrated her story by issuing stamps with the cat’s likeness, they mistakenly turned her into a boy by using the wrong name — Felix.
But thanks to Londoner Matt Guy who came across the tale of Félicette that she wasn’t already properly recognized for her accomplishments, the story’s finally been set straight. His online pleas netted around $57,000 enough to fund a 5-foot tall bronze statue. On Dec. 18, 2019, the statue was finally unveiled at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France.
1. Why did scientists choose Félicette for their space program?| A．Because cats were more readily available than other animals. |
| B．Because cats had well-developed neurological system. |
| C．Because they liked her more than Laika and Ham. |
| D．Because they got rich research data about cats. |
| A．She became a national hero in France. |
| B．She was euthanized for scientific examination. |
| C．She was adopted by one of the scientists involved in the program. |
| D．She was remembered until a Londoner rediscovered her story. |
| A．He helped issue stamps with the cat’s likeness. | B．He built a status for Félicette by himself. |
| C．He raised money online in Félicette’s honor. | D．He discovered Félicette initiatively. |
| A．Félicette the first cat in Space finally got her due. | B．Félicette was forgotten in the history. |
| C．The first and only cat Félicette was sent into space. | D．Félicette was rescued bravely by humans. |
8 . During the last week of Fu Bao’s public viewing earlier this month, visitors endured waiting for 5—6 hours just to give a glance at the panda for only five minutes, as Everland Panda World restricted viewing time to manage the flood of visitors.
Born to parents Ai Bao and Le Bao in July 2020, Fu Bao is South Korea’s first naturally-born panda. In the days following her birth, Everland’s social media channels offered fans a steady diet of Fu Bao videos, pulling in more than 1.2 million subscribers and, as of February, over 500 million accumulated views. The most recent videos are now filled with warm and sincere messages from viewers.
Thanks to Fu Bao’s widespread popularity, her zookeeper has also found himself in the spotlight, becoming a bit of a social media star himself. Often referred to as her grandpa, Kang Chul-won offered hi own farewell message to Fu Bao, noting that the South Koreans’ special love for her all began with social media videos shared during the pandemic when the zoo was closed. She brought help and happiness to a society in many ways that was having a difficult time due to the virus. He said people visited the social media sites every day so it felt like he was raising her together with them. They cared so much for her and shared the same emotions of raising a baby panda together during such difficult times.
Fu Bao will be transferred to China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Sichuan Province. Everland says that she will be kept alone at Everland Panda World for a month to prepare her to adjust to her new environment before her overseas transfer, which will be carried out in accordance with international rules.
1. What can we learn about Fu Bao from the first two paragraphs?| A．She has a balanced diet. | B．She is five years old. |
| C．She is very popular in South Korea. | D．She came from Sichuan, China. |
| A．She is a live symbol of luck and fortune. |
| B．She is an animal who can resist any virus. |
| C．She is an inspiration to overcome difficulties. |
| D．She is their common possession and business. |
| A．She will go on show in Everland. | B．She will be separated for adjustment. |
| C．She will leave Everland Panda World. | D．She will be moved to a research center. |
| A．On behalf of. | B．In terms of. |
| C．In company with. | D．In agreement with. |
9 . The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s longest reef, measuring 2,027 km. Running parallel (平行的) to the coast of Queensland, Australia, the reef is home to many species of fish.
The Great Barrier Reef took thousands of years to form, and has existed for thousands of years, but in just a few short decades we humans have made remarkable progress in killing it. The balance of this ecosystem is being destroyed. Poisonous coastal pollution, overfishing and unsustainable tourism all contribute to the damage done. However, the biggest threat of all is climate change, which causes coral bleaching (珊瑚白化) and other problems.
Coral bleaching is a process that causes coral to turn white in color when exposed to certain stressors, such as changes in temperature or light. As water temperatures rise due to climate change, the algae (海藻) living inside coral becomes poisonous and is expelled from the coral, causing it to lose its color and a major source of food. Not only do the algae produce coral’s color, they also provide 90%of the coral’s energy. Thus, without the algae, most corals will die.
Unfortunately, coral bleaching events are now occurring at an alarming rate. Mass coral bleaching events in the Great Barrier Reef have been recorded in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2016, 2017 and 2020, and they are now expected to become an annual occurrence. The Great Barrier Reef is believed to have lost over 50% of its corals since 1995 and as global warming continues, this number will continue to increase rapidly.
In 2015, the Australian government formed a plan for the protection and preservation of the Great Barrier Reef until 2050. While the plan contains many great aims to improve water quality and restore the reef, there are no measures to deal with the root cause of the issue-climate change.
Solving the most important problem of our generation will require many solutions, such as supporting the use of renewable energy, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, protecting forests, reducing plastic production and preventing unsustainable business practices.
Repairing the damage done to the Great Barrier Reef — and other ecosystems around the world — will be no easy job, but we believe that individuals, businesses and governments will make a change and then there will be hope in the future.
1. What can we know about the Great Barrier Reef?| A．It is a lifeless coral reef structure. |
| B．It has the most preserved ecosystem. |
| C．It is a threat to the survival of human. |
| D．It has been affected by various factors. |
| A．Taken out. | B．Given away. | C．Driven out. | D．Washed away. |
| A．Coral reefs are experiencing growth. |
| B．The loss of corals is expected to decrease. |
| C．Coral bleaching takes place more frequently. |
| D．The government has taken steps to stop coral bleaching. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Indifferent. |
10 . A small car around the size of a Mini Cooper, the Seagull is a fast-charging electric vehicle (车辆) (EV) produced by BYD. It’s hardly a luxury car but it’s well-equipped, with a power driver’s seat and cruise control. The best part? Its base model costs about $10,700 in China. That’s about a third of the cost of the cheapest EV you can buy in the US. In 2018, Trump put, and Biden has since continued, a special 25 percent tax on Chinese-made cars, on top of the ordinary 2.5 percent tax on foreign-made cars, which perfectly shows that however motivated the Biden government might be by climate concerns, it is much more motivated by a desire to help American carmakers.
The basic environmental argument for electric cars is simple: Burning petrol in internal combustion enginest (内燃机) produces CO2. Electric cars emit (排放) less per mile traveled both because some electricity is generated through clean sources like wind, solar, and because electric motors are far more efficient than petrol engines. EVs are slightly more carbon-intensive (密集) to produce in the first place, but most estimates suggest the lower per-mile emissions of EVs quickly make up for the extra emissions involved in their creation.
But is this still true for Chinese EVs? China still gets more than 60 percent of its electricity from coal, compared to less than 20 percent in the US. So, does this mean that BYD’s cheap EVs are bad for the environment? Hardly. Close to 90 percent of the emissions of a fossil fuel vehicle (化石燃料汽车) are from the combustion of the fuel. Besides, EVs of whatever origin are getting cleaner over time as the electrical grid (电网) gets cleaner. That means EVs will do even more for the environment as the years go on.
The biggest factor for China is that they control all the upstream material supply chain for lithium batteries (锂电池). Even if your EV’s battery is made by a plant of Panasonic in the US, the raw materials for that are processed in China first. “Part of why they’re so successful is they’ve been thinking outside the box on cost reduction for a long time,” an expert says.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?| A．Chinese EVs are a threat to American electric cars. |
| B．American government has placed a ban on Chinese EVs. |
| C．The seagull provides luxury experience at a reasonable price. |
| D．Climate concerns are the only driver of EV development in the US. |
| A．They are no better than typical gas vehicles. |
| B．Their power is generated in green ways. |
| C．They are eco-friendly in the long run. |
| D．Their production causes no pollution. |
| A．Lower carbon emission. | B．The advanced technology. |
| C．The low budget marketing. | D．The control of raw materials for batteries. |
| A．EVs: opportunity and challenge. | B．Chinese EVs: powering ahead. |
| C．Green cars: a long way to go. | D．Petrol vehicles: faded glory. |
