1 . In today’s world, where the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly evident, the need for energy conservation has never been more pressing.     1    .

Use your laptop more than your desktop

Laptops use an average of 20 to 50 watts of electricity to run, whereas desktop computers use an average of 60 to 200 watts of electricity to run. The reason for this is that laptops run off of battery power and desktops are continuously plugged into a power source that drains energy.

    2    . Not only does this help reduce your energy usage, but it also optimizes your laptop’s battery life to last longer.

Charge your phone in airplane mode and before bedtime

While charging, switch your phone to airplane mode, so that the phone does not slow down the charging process by continually burning energy trying to connect with cell phone towers and plot your location with its GPS function. When you switch to airplane mode your phone charges more quickly.

The brighter the screen setting, the more power it uses and vibration uses more energy than a ringtone.     3    , therefore less energy consumption. And remember-unplug your charger if not in use!

Unplug mobile phone and laptop chargers

Always unplug electronics and appliances when not in use.     4    . When the power strip is left on, the devices plugged into it continue to use energy and actually increase your energy usage. The Northern Resources Defense Council found that devices in sleep or standby mode account for about one- quarter of all residential energy consumption.

    5    

Reduce your carbon footprint by organizing your files and eliminating unnecessary data from cloud storage! Companies offering cloud data storage need warehouses filled with servers running nonstop. These data centers consume massive amounts of energy since they require AC systems to avoid overheating.

A．Low Power Mode also saves battery life

B．Delete unwanted files from cloud storage

C．Saving energy is now easier with these tips from UNICEF

D．Therefore, energy conservation has never been more pressing

E．Unused electronic appliances may produce harm to the environment

F．Deenergization will save you energy, money, and can prevent electrical fires

G．Make sure to unplug your laptop from the power source once it’s fully charged

2 . The Maasai people are the most easily identifiable in Kenya with their very colorful clothing and ornaments on the body. They live a nomadic life, raising and hunting animals near some of Kenya’s most visited wildlife parks.     1    

It is a tradition for a young Maasai man, called a moran in the Maasai language, to kill a lion alone with a spear to show that he is a man. With the kill, a moran would be able to win a “lion name” and admiration among young women.     2     Instead, the young Maasai will take part in a javelin (标枪) throwing competition at an event called the Maasai Olympics.

Mingati Samanya, at the age of 69, is one of the Maasai elders. During his youth, Samanya killed two lions to show he was a man.     3     Samanya is now among the elders who are trying to push the young Maasai to do something different to prove themselves, which includes participating in javelin throwing, jumping and other activities in the community Olympics.

    4     In the past, they killed lions and didn’t get any benefit from it. Right now, when the morans throw a javelin, run or jump, they get not just medals, but also some money.     5     Thanks to the Maasai Olympics and its appealing practice in particular, the lion population in parts of the Kimana Sanctuary (保护区) near Mount Kilimanjaro has increased 10 times over the last 20 years.

A．It can help provide for their families.

B．Quite often women also join in the events.

C．That is how he had the “lion name” Mingati.

D．Here comes how they protect the rights of the Maasai.

E．But the Maasai seem to be ending the tradition.

F．However, their hunting has often been taken as a threat to the lions.

G．On a Saturday, the morans near Kimana will compete for rewards.

3 . Dogs have a different way of seeing the world compared to human beings. As a result of this, they heavily rely on their body language to pass their messages to people.     1     . You will be shocked at some of these signs from your dog, because believe it or not, there are some that you might have never thought of.

    2     when you see your dog raising its paw. This is a behavior displayed mostly by puppies and other small dogs. Whenever puppies want to eat, they will raise their paws or put them out for their mother. So when it does the same to you, it just means they need some attention and affection.

If you pay close attention to your dog, you will notice that at some point it will curl up just like a fox. In such cases, the paws will be curled up underneath their bodies and their tail will be well wrapped around them. This shows that the dog is probably feeling cold. Curling up helps them keep more body heat.    3    .

    4    . But unfortunately this mostly means that the dog lacks some important nutrients. It could also mean that they are trying to digest their food well considering how fibrous（含纤维的） grass is. You should also be very careful because this could also indicate that your dog has worms in their intestines（肠道） or is dehydrated and it is trying to get water from the grass.     5     .

A．Dogs may sometimes be grass-eating animals

B．Eating grass is not the most uncommon thing for a dog

C．Read the text to find out more on what your dog is trying to tell you

D．It’s a sign that they want to play or simply need something from you

E．You may feel the joy of your dog or feel it cute to see such baby-like gesture

F．If this happens a lot, take your dog to the vet to ensure their safety

G．If you see your dog doing this, throw a blanket over them to help them feel warmer

4 . Architects often spend months or even years perfecting a design to express their ideas more clearly, convey additional information, or outline the right proportions for a building. However, the urgent issue of climate change is placing new demands on their work. For example, in July, Super Typhoon Doksuri battered China, affecting more than 2.66 million people in Fujian Province alone.

Green architecture that conserves energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions offers a solution, and concerted efforts have been made in diverse research fields over the past three decades to minimize heat loss. In addition, new buildings have to be tailored to the needs of people’s lifestyles.

Ren Jun, a professor at Tianjin University’s School of Architecture, who designed the first near-zero energy house in China in December 2019, said, “You can construct low-energy, environmentally-friendly houses, but if the interior design and environmental quality don’t meet residents’ requirements, these properties won’t be suitable to live in.”

The near-zero energy house, located-in Banbidian village in Beijing’s southern district of Daxing, won the International Design Award in the United States in January last year. The 400-square-meter property, which stands at the entrance to the village, runs on solar power gathered from rooftop panels, with the addition of a small amount of power from the grid (电网).

Ren said the first obstacle to conserving energy in the property was heat retention, which he attempted to achieve by keeping the indoor temperature at a certain level. The property is divided into five areas: a solar garden in the front yard, a central lounge, a water courtyard, a sponge zone, and a back room. For the exterior walls, Ren used three types of insulation (隔热层), including plastic foam, each about 25 centimeters thick.

Ren also looked for ways to deal with emissions at the house. He decided to install a ventilator, which pipes air that is polluted and replaces it with fresh air from outside in every room at the property.

Ren said it would take three to five years before more ultralow or near-zero energy buildings appeared in Chinese cities.

1. Which is not an important factor for designing green houses?

A．Energy consumption.	B．Carbon emission.
C．People’s lifestyle.	D．Architecture style.

2. What can we conclude about the nero-zero energy house?

A．The house consumes little electricity.

B．The house is deliberately designed to keep heat.

C．The house is equipped with many intelligent facilities.

D．The house is the first International Design Award-winning building in China.

3. What did Ren do to build up the house?

A．He designed the house in five stories to trap heat in it.

B．He applied 75 centimeters of plastic foam to exterior walls.

C．He tailored the interior design to the demand of local people.

D．He installed a ventilator to cut down carbon dioxide emissions.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Green Homes Offer Hope amid Climate Change

B．Green Houses Feature Near-Zero Energy Consumption

C．Ren Jun Won the International Design Award

D．China Strives for Low Carbon Strategy with Green Houses

5 . Any schoolchild knows that a whale breathes through its blowhole. Fewer know that a blowhole is a nostril (鼻孔) slightly changed by evolution into a form more useful for a mammal that spends its life at sea. And only a dedicated expert would know that while toothed whales, such as sperm whales, have one hole, baleen (鲸须) whales, such as humpback and Rice whales, have two.

Even among the baleen whales, the placing of those nostrils differs. In some species they are close together. In others, they are much further apart. In a paper published in Biology Letters Conor Ryan, a marine biologist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, suggests why that might be. Having two nostrils, he argues, helps whales smell in stereo (立体空间).

Many types of baleen whales eat tiny animals known as zooplankton (浮游动物), which they catch by filtering (过滤) them from seawater using the sheets of fibrous baleen that have replaced teeth in their mouths. But to eat something you first have to find it. Toothed whales do not hunt by scent. In fact, the olfactory bulb—the part of the brain that processes smell—is absent in such creatures. But baleen whales still have olfactory bulbs, which suggests smell remains important. And scent can indeed give zooplankton away. Zooplankton like to eat other tiny creatures called phytoplankton (浮游植物). When these are under attack, they release a special gas called dimethyl sulphide, which in turn attracts baleen whales.

Most animals have stereoscopic senses. Having two eyes, for instance, allows an animal to compare the images from each in order to perceive depth. Having two ears lets them locate the direction from which a sound is coming. Dr Ryan theorized that paired blowholes might bring baleen whales the same sorts of benefits.

The farther apart the sensory organs are, the more information can be extracted by the animal that bears them. The researchers used drones to photograph the nostrils of 143 whales belonging to 14 different species. Sure enough, baleen whales that often eat zooplankton, such as the North Atlantic right whale, have nostrils that are farther apart than do those, such as humpback whales, that eat zooplankton occasionally. Besides allowing them to breathe, it seems that some whales use their blowholes to determine in which direction dinner lies.

1. What do we know about whales’ nostrils according to the first two paragraphs?

A．They are adapted ones.	B．They are developed merely for smell.
C．They are not easy to detect.	D．They are fixed universally in numbers.

2. What plays a role when baleen whales hunt zooplankton?

A．The teeth that baleen whales have.

B．The smell that phytoplankton send.

C．The sound waves that zooplankton create.

D．The chemical signals that zooplankton give off.

3. How is the concept of stereoscopic senses explained in paragraph 4?

A．By quoting a theory.	B．By using examples.
C．By making contrast.	D．By making inferences.

4. What is the position of nostrils related to according to the last paragraph?

A．The sense of smell.	B．The possibility to attract food.
C．The ability to locate food.	D．The ability to communicate.

6 . In June a massive “heat dome” baked the famously temperate Pacific Northwest, subjecting parts of Washington State, Oregon and western Canada to extreme temperatures. It is virtually impossible that heat waves like this would have occurred without climate change. Scientists estimate it was a one-in-1,000-year event. “And that’s an ‘at least,’ ” says Kristie. L. Ebi. “It could be more rare than that.” If warming reaches two degrees Cabove preindustrial levels — the threshold (阈值) that most national governments have agreed to try to avoid in hopes of reducing climate change impacts, “that event could occur every five to 10 years,” Ebi says.

“In an average year in the U.S., heat kills more people than any other type of extreme weather,” says Kristina Dahl, a climate scientist. Hundreds of people died in the recent Pacific Northwest heat wave, according to estimates: there were at least 486 deaths in British Columbia, 116 in Oregon and 78 in Washington. A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found there were more than 3,500 emergency department visits for heat-related illness this past May and June in a region that includes Oregon and Washington State.

The human body functions best at 98.6 degrees F (37 degrees C). The body has mechanisms to rid itself of excess heat, most notably sweating. But at a certain point, that fails to work, causing loss of consciousness. People can eventually acclimatize to some level of heat. If you live in a hot climate or work in hot conditions for a period of weeks or months, your body becomes more efficient at sweating and cooling itself down. This process takes time, however.

As the planet warms, heat waves like these this year are becoming frighteningly common and catching climate scientists off guard. “Even a lot of our climate models that project out how frequent extreme heat will be in the future wouldn’t have necessarily predicted this level of heat for that part of the country,” Kristina Dahl says. “But then to realize that I am seeing it in my lifetime, and living it right now, is really terrifying.”

1. What does Ebi’s saying imply in Paragraph 1?

A．Heat dome has affected at least three regions.

B．Temperature reaches the threshold immediately.

C．Heat waves affect the Pacific Northwest greatly.

D．Severe weather could become frighteningly common.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Many areas are badly affected by heat waves.

B．Heat waves pose a major risk to public health.

C．More people died of illnesses in this summer.

D．Latest news on heat waves are widely reported.

3. What does the underlined word “acclimatize” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Adapt.

B．Settle.

C．Respond.

D．Object.

4. According to Kristina Dahl, the extreme heat ________.

A．ruins his normal daily life.

B．gets scientists prepared to it.

C．fails to be accurately forecast.

D．should be examined frequently.

7 . In the Seychelles archipelago (塞舌尔群岛) in East Africa, flooding and erosion (侵蚀) caused by rising sea level pose an incoming threat to the country’s many low-lying islands. At the same time its mangrove forests (红树林), which serve as a vital aspect against these impacts, are disappearing: Approximately 70% of Seychelles mangroves have been destroyed since the late 1700s due to human-driven development and agriculture as well as soil erosion from sea-level rise.

Today the Seychelles Government is working with local community leaders to restore the mangroves, and not just for protection against rising sealevel. Research shows that these forests can store about 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ (equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road for a year), directly helping to fight climate change. They also provide a breeding ground for fisheries, a sector that contributes one-fifth of the country’s GDP, benefiting local communities’ livelihood and helping to protect the islands’ lively biodiversity (多样性).

While the concept of using nature to benefit both lives and lands is by no means new, global interest in “nature-based solutions” has skyrocketed in recent years. Many now see nature-based solutions as a key approach for addressing not only climate change but a range of social, environmental and economic challenges — from biodiversity loss, food security and air pollution to disease control and declining local economies.

Yet there remains widespread debate about what exactly constitutes a nature-based solution as well as how to best include these strategies into broader climate and conservation efforts. This indetermination has contributed to significant under-investment: It’s estimated that to limit temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees C (degrees F), hold back biodiversity loss and control land degradation (恶化), annual investments in nature-based approaches must be three times by 2030.

As nature-based solutions continue to rise on the global agenda, building a more consistent understanding around the concept and its implications will be key to raising support for effective, extensive solutions that benefit both people and the planet.

1. What do the first two paragraphs focus on?

A．The diversity of economy in East African.

B．The environmental protection in East Africa.

C．The disappearance of mangroves in East Africa.

D．The operation of nature-based solutions in East Africa.

2. Which of the following words can best describe nature-based solutions?

A．Novel.

B．Effective.

C．Ruinous.

D．Uncertain.

3. What is the aim of the nature-based solutions in 2030?

A．500,000 cars are taken off the road.

B．Yearly investment increases by double.

C．The temperature rise is limited to below 2.7℃.

D．A conference on nature-based solutions is held.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．What Exactly Are Nature-based Solutions?

B．Why Are Nature-based Solutions on the Rise?

C．How Can Nature-based Solutions Help Fight Climate Change?

D．What Are the Potential Weaknesses of Nature-based Solutions?

8 . I have discovered that I have a second shadow these days as I go outside. This one, however, has four legs instead of two. It is my daughter’s adopted, black cat: Miss Alice. Every time I go out the door she is waiting on my front porch, meowing to be petted. Then she follows me down the hill to my car sometimes running in front so she can get in my way for even more petting. And when I finally return home she is there asking for attention again.

It wasn’t always this way. The very first time I saw Miss Alice she was hiding under my house just having had a family of kittens. When I looked under there I got an angry hiss (嘘声) from her, warning me I was in for a clawing if I got near her kittens. It took a lot of time, patience, kindness, love, and cat food from my daughter to tame her. At first she didn’t want to be touched at all. Then she would only allow an occasional petting. Now my daughter can pick her up and carry her up the road to her house like a little baby. It still makes me smile to see how my daughter’s loving, caring and sympathetic spirit tamed this wild cat and made her as lovable as the most affectionate dog.

I guess that is the power of love. It can heal a hurting heart. It can save a broken spirit. It can uplift a sunken soul. It can free you from fear. It can transform your life. It can even take a violent, wild cat and turn her into a puppy dog in a cat suit.

Embrace (拥抱) the love in your own life then. Welcome the love of your family and friends into your life. And let your own love flow through everything you think, everything you say, and everything you do.

1. What do we know about the cat from the first paragraph?

A．It enjoys staying with the author.	B．It tends to be in the author’s road.
C．It is often ignored by the daughter.	D．It gets well along with the daughter.

2. What does the underlined word “tame” probably mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Feed her up.

B．Make her mild.

C．Arrange for her.

D．Dress her up.

3. What makes the author still smile?

A．The lovely dog.

B．The daughter’s love.

C．The cat’s babies.

D．The harmonious family.

4. What message does the text convey?

A．Where there is life, there is hope.

B．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

C．Love is life in its fullness like the cup with its wine.

D．Do what you fear, and fear that nature will fade away.

9 . Each fall, millions of butterflies across the U. S. and Canada fly up to 4, 000 km to central Mexico. Travelers can see the butterflies overwintering on the Western Monarch Trail, a 465-mile, road trip-friendly conservation initiative that links over a dozen stops along the route.

Helping the butterflies

Organizers created educational panels in English and Spanish explaining the butterflies’ annual traveling and their trouble. The signs also outline ways travelers can help the butterflies recover, such as by supporting chemical-free farms and planting native nectar (花蜜) gardens.

Why butterflies fly to the California coast

Many stops in Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove and Andrew Molera State Park, are overwintering sites where, from October to February, travelers can see thousands of butterflies gathering in forests in areas with mild temperatures, dappled (斑驳的) sunlight, high dampness, and little to no wind.

Other sites, like the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden and Avila Valley Barn, growflowers that provide sugary, high-calorie food for the butterflies to eat. Butterflies settling here demonstrate how vital nectaring plants are to their survival.

How to explore the Western Monarch Trail

The butterflies’ behavior varies at different times of day and depending on the weather. In the mornings, while temperatures are still cool,     step out of the cabin (木屋) in the Fernwood Resort where you stay overnight, you’ll find many butterflies hanging together on the branches and trunks of trees at the overwintering sites. As the day starts to heat up-typically by late morning or early afternoon — you’ll be amazed at the phenomenon “sunburst” — the butterflies start flying around in search of nearby nectar. Keep your eyes skyward. Don’t grab your camera. Just be in the moment.

1. What’s the Western Monarch Trail initiative aimed at?

A．Providing a travel route.	B．Encountering butterflies.
C．Promoting organic farming.	D．Advocating species conservation.

2. What do we know about Andrew Molera State Park?

A．It holds many nectar gardens.

B．It’s pleasant throughout winter.

C．It has sufficient food for butterflies.

D．It’s home to butterflies all year around.

3. What is guaranteed for the travelers along the Western Monarch Trail?

A．Signs to guide the route.

B．Cameras for recording videos.

C．Ready shelters to stay overnight.

D．Experience of watching “sunburst” at dawn.

10 . At The Rachael Ray Foundation^TM (RRF), we’re pretty big animal lovers. As a part of our work, we support a wide variety of organizations that do good for animals, from rescue to care and more. Get to know a few of them and the work we do together.

Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team

RRF helped enable Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) to purchase a new and bigger plane for its rescue missions which bring animals from danger to safety. Whether it be flying dogs in overcrowded shelters to new homes, saving animals caught in the path of natural disasters, or bringing supplies to shelters in need, the brave PAART pilots are always ready to help.

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation

National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) works to find and train shelter dogs who have the talent and drive to become search and rescue animals. RRF supports SDF’s efforts to identify and transform rescued dogs into rescuers, to provide lifetime care for these dogs and to find homes for all dogs who enter the SDF training program.

Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants

This is a program administered by Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS) to support Best Friends’ network partners in their lifesaving efforts. The money has been awarded to organizations across the country to fund initiatives such as adoption drives and shelter intake prevention efforts.

North Shore Animal League America Disaster Relief Grants

This program, administered by North Shore Animal League America (NSALA), provides money for animal welfare organizations impacted by disasters. RRF is proud to help NSALA in its efforts to identify needs in disaster situations and provide targeted, effective relief.

1. What is special about PAART?

A．It provides necessities for-animals in need.	B．It conducts animal rescue missions by plane.
C．It is supported by the Rachael Ray Foundation.	D．It assists in finding adopters for rescued animals.

2. Which organization is devoted to training shelter animals to do rescue work?

A．SDF.

B．BFAS.

C．PAART.

D．NSALA.

3. What do the last two programs have in common?

A．They both strongly promote animal adoption.

B．They are both in charge of Best Friends Animal Society.

C．They both provide financial assistance to animal welfare initiatives.

D．They are both administered by welfare organizations impacted by disasters.