1 . Our city is in a sorry state. Outdoor pollution kills 4.2 million people a year, according to the World Health Organization. Concrete and tarmac (柏油碎石材料) absorb the sun’s rays rather than reflecting them back into space, and also replace plants which would otherwise cool things down. The continuous spread of buildings and roads thus turns urban areas into heat islands, discomforting residents and worsening dangerous heatwaves.

A possible answer is trees. Their leaves may destroy at least some chemical pollutants (污染物) and provide shade. In 2019, researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that American cities need 40% tree coverage to cut urban heat back meaningfully. Unfortunately, not all cities — and especially not those springing up in the world’s poor countries — are blessed with parks, private gardens or even street trees in sufficient numbers.

Miyawaki Akira, a plant ecologist at Yorkhama National University, in Japan, has developed a new way to increase unban greening. It is to plant miniature simulacra (微型仿制品) of natural forests in the unpromising abandoned areas. Dr Miyawaki has organised the planting of more than 1, 500 of these miniature forests, first in Japan, then in other parts of the world. Others are following in his footsteps. India is particularly keen. In Mumbai, more than 200,000 trees are found in Miyawaki forests throughout the city. Hyderabad started growing the largest individual forest of the lot in 2020.

The Miyawaki method will never work out on a large scale. Relying on nature and the passage of time is probably the best for replanting extensive areas of damaged woodlands. But if your goal is to better your immediate neighborhood, rather than to save the planet from global warming, then Dr. Miyawaki might well be your man.

1. What do we know from Paragraph 1?

A．Plants are replaced to cool things down.

B．Urban areas are becoming pollution hotspots.

C．Buildings and roads make residents comfortable.

D．Concrete and tarmac reflect heat back into space.

2. What does the research in 2019 imply?

A．Plants provide shade for urban residents.	B．Tree coverage needs to be further expanded.
C．The situation in urban areas gets steadily worse.	D．Trees cut down chemical pollution from factories.

3. What can we learn about the Miyawaki method?

A．It originated from India.	B．It takes effect as expected.
C．It makes no difference to Mumbai.	D．It is finding increasing favour.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A practical strategy to save our planet.	B．A flexible schedule to settle a challenge.
C．A partial solution to the lack of urban greening.	D．An effective measure to prevent global warming.

2 . Since the rise in car ownership in the 1950s, the US has started building roads in cities and across the country to provide enough room for automobiles. Houston, like many cities, is turning back the clock to make room for passers-by, cyclists and parks.

Memorial Park in Houston, Texas was halved by the Memorial Drive Highway in the1950s. It has now been reunited. The highway is still there, but the road goes underneath the 1,500-acre park.

The restoration (修复) of Memorial Park is part of a larger plan that was made after the city suffered from a serious drought. It was thought that 80 percent of the forested canopy (树冠) was dead. One of the ways to fight that was to reintroduce native plants and animals.

The city hired the landscape architectural company, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, to work with the Houston parks and the Memorial Parks Conservancy. The architects, led by Woltz, were inspired by wildlife crossings in the Northwest US and explored the possibility of using this idea in Memorial Park. Over the years, the park was cut into 20 pieces that were divided by highways, roads and parking lots. The only crossing was a 12-foot bridge.

After 10 years of planning and constructing, the Kinder Land Bridge officially opened in early February, 2023. The bridge consists of 100 acres of greenery, and while designed for people, has reconnected wildlife corridors (廊道). The reconstruction added 45 acres of native Gulf Coast prairie (草原) that’ll increase biodiversity in the park. “This project is not just about creating a passage or a bridge. This project is about ecology, it’s about biodiversity and water management. This project is a bridge into Houston’s future.” said Shellye Arnold, president of the Memorial Park Conservancy.

1. What led to the restoration of the Memorial Park?

A．A company’s suggestion.	B．A terrible natural disaster.
C．The demand from the public.	D．The recovery of native plants.

2. How did wildlife crossings in the Northwest US affect the architects?

A．They knew how to restore the Memorial Park.

B．They got the inspiration for rescuing animals.

C．They gained a sense of achievement for working.

D．They developed a new way to protect the landscape.

3. What do we know about the Kinder Land Bridge from the text?

A．It is about 12 feet in length.	B．Its aim is to save water.
C．It benefits the wild animals.	D．Its birth is a short process.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．A Highway Connects a Park in Houston

B．The Importance of Building Land Bridges

C．Efforts to Restore Parks in American Cities

D．Houston Creates a Creative Way to Restore Nature

3 . Last summer, I was sent to take photos that could communicate the urgency of climate change in northern Canada. When I arrived at an abandoned village on Resolute Bay, I scanned the shore with my camera. Suddenly, I spotted a bear lying on the ground. It didn’t move for almost an hour. But when it finally stood up, I had to catch my breath. The bear’s once strong body was just skin and bones; every step that it took was painfully slow.

When I posted the photos on social media, I wrote, “This is what starvation may look like. I wonder whether the global population of 25, 000 polar bears would die the way this bear is dying.”

I did not say that this particular bear was killed by climate change. But news organizations around the world focused on it. The first line of the story published in National Geographic read, “This is what climate change looks like” — with “climate change” highlighted in yellow. Other news agencies even adopted more dramatic headlines.

It was estimated that my photos had been read by about 2.5 billion people around the world. But there was a problem: Most people and the news agencies didn’t recognize or misunderstood the real message I tried to send with them. Many people expressed gratitude that I’d provided shocking evidence on climate change, while others who are still trying to deny the existence of climate change charged me with spreading false information.

Perhaps I had made a mistake in not telling the full story — that I was looking for pictures that might foretell the future and that I didn’t know what had happened to this particular polar bear.

I can’t say that this bear was starving because of climate change, but I am happy that my photos have moved the conversation about climate change to the forefront, where it must remain until this problem is solved.

Until then, when I come across a scene like this one, I will again share with the world — and take pains to be sure that my intention is clear.

1. How did the author feel when the bear stood up?

A．Shocked.

B．Scared.

C．Excited.

D．Relieved.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The story.

B．The photo.

C．A starving bear.

D．Climate change.

3. What did the author really want to do when sharing those photos?

A．Provide more direct evidence on climate change.

B．Show the link between the bear and climate change.

C．Warn the possible results of climate change.

D．Expose the false information about climate change.

4. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?

A．To admit his mistake.	B．To clarify his true intention.
C．To please his readers.	D．To show off his amazing trip.

4 . There are several reasons to use canvas (帆布) grocery bags or reusable grocery bags made from other materials. Some environmental organizations have been pushing for the use of such bags.     1    

From an environmental aspect, canvas grocery bags are better choices than paper or plastic bags.     2     Besides, turning to reusable supplies is viewed as greener than using disposable (一次性的) products, many of which wind up in landfills.

Plastic grocery bags have a number of environmental disadvantages. When plastic grocery bags end up in the natural environment, they can cause a wide range of problems. Animals may choke on or be caught in such bags.     3     While the bags may eventually break down, they can poison a wide range of sea creatures along the way.

As anyone who has had a bag broken open in the parking lot knows, it can be very upsetting to lose a lot of groceries to a poorly-constructed grocery bag.     4     They can also be easily washed in the event of leaks or spills.

    5     For example, they can be used to pick up books at the library or carry other shopping, and they make great beach bags because of their washability. For people who don’t want to carry around a grocery store logo, canvas grocery bags can be turned inside out and left plain or painted with new designs.

A．Many grocery stores carry canvas grocery bags.

B．Canvas grocery bags have uses beyond the grocery store.

C．Instead, you only have to buy a canvas grocery bag once.

D．What’s worse, plastic can stay in the ocean for thousands of years. .

E．They point out reusable bags can be a small change with a big difference.

F．Canvas is more environmentally friendly to produce than paper or plastic.

G．However, canvas grocery bags can hold much more weight than regular ones.

5 . To create “Washed Up: Transforming a Trashed Landscape”. Alejandro Duran gathers plastic trash that is washed up on the beaches of Sian Karan, Mexico’s largest federally-protected reserve. The site is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Yet every day, plastic pollution from around the world is washed up onto its shores. These materials inspired Duran to create a series of environmental art pieces, which he re-cords with photos and videos.

Duran was born in Mexico City and is now based in Brooklyn. He said that he had been collecting materials and creating photographs for the past five years, and the work was ongoing. “The project will tell me when to stop.”

Each piece can convey a vastly different mood, from the calm greens of soda bottles to the playful rainbows of toothbrushes. “I’m making art,” said Duran. “It comes from the context and my moods. You can’t say only something dark.” The work reflects and plays with natural forms, exploring how humans influence the environment. The colorful and playful images can be much attention-grabbing. “Beauty is a hook (钩子) to attract people’s attention,” said Duran.

In addition to promoting awareness of the plastic pollution problem, Duran is also involved in educational programs and helps to organize beach clean-ups. He has also made a study of the types of products that are washed ashore in Sian Ka’an, and has identified objects from 50 different countries. Although there’s no way to know where or how these objects were dropped into the sea, their labels show the global nature of the problem.

1. What does Alejandro Duran do with the trash?

A．He moves it away.	B．He collects and burns it.
C．He turns it into a form of art.	D．He puts it together for people to see.

2. What does Alejandro Duran mean by saying “The project will tell me when to stop.”?

A．He will stop the project soon.	B．It’s hard to carry on the project.
C．He will go on with the project.	D．The project is important to him.

3. Aleandro Duran runs the project mainly to __________.

A．recycle the trash	B．change his career
C．clean up the beach	D．raise public awareness of pollution

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Plastic pollution in the ocean.

B．An artist creating environmental art.

C．The global nature of the pollution problem.

D．Mexico’s largest federally-protected reserve.

6 . Honeybees are in trouble. While they’ re crucial for promoting biodiversity and producing food for healthy human diets, honeybees face many threats, including habitat loss, climate change, air pollution and disease-causing organisms.

But now, there’s hope for helping honeybees fight back against one of the many stressors they face, a deadly infectious disease known as American foulbrood. To fight the disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved for use the world’s first honeybee vaccine (疫苗), developed by Dalan Animal Health.

Bacteria called Paenibacillus larvae cause American foulbrood, which kills honeybees while they are in the pupal (蛹的) or pre-pupal stage. Until now, there was no “safe and sustainable” way to prevent American foulbrood. The only treatment involved antibiotics (抗生素), which are expensive, have limited effectiveness and take lots of time and energy for beekeepers to apply. To stop the spread, beekeepers are often forced to burn infected bees. That makes the vaccine a game changer.

“Our vaccine is a breakthrough in protecting honeybees,” says Annette Kleiser, CEO of Dalan Animal Health. “We are ready to change how we care for insects, impacting food production on a global level.”

Beekeepers will mix the vaccine, which contains dead P. larvae bacteria cells, into the food that worker bees eat. Then, when the worker bees produce their milky royal jelly (蜂王浆), the queen will eat it and the vaccine. Then, the vaccine will protect her developing offspring from the disease.

Under a conditional license from the USDA, Dalan Animal Health now plans to distribute limited amounts of the vaccine to commercial beekeepers. From there, they hope to offer it for sale throughout the U.S. sometime this year.

The federal agriculture agency awards conditional licenses to products that meet an emergency, situation, limited market, local situation or special circumstance. The USDA requires products that receive these types of licenses to be pure and safe, and have a reasonable expectation of effectiveness. Generally, conditional licenses come with restrictions and cover a limited period of time. Once that period ends, the agency evaluates the product’s effectiveness to determine whether to renew the conditional license or award a regular product license.

1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?

A．To stress the importance of honeybees.

B．To lead to the topic of the passage.

C．To list the threats honeybees face.

D．To arouse readers’ interest.

2. Why is the vaccine called a game changer?

A．Because it has changed the way we care for insects.

B．Because it’s the only treatment for American foulbrood.

C．Because it breaks through the limitations of the former treatment.

D．Because the previous treatment has no effectiveness.

3. What does the “developing offspring” refer to in Paragraph 5?

A．Queen bees.	B．Worker bees.
C．Adult bees.	D．Young bees.

4. What do we know about “conditional licenses” in the last two paragraphs?

A．They promote the commercial success of honeybee vaccine.

B．They guarantee the full effectiveness of products.

C．They can be renewed with no strings attached.

D．They are in effect within a period of time.

7 . Pictures of the bird called the red siskin appear on Venezuela’s money, on products and in school books.

But the small song bird is disappearing from the wild. It has become the victim of reducing forests and hunters who want to sell their bright red feathers. That threat has brought together an international team. They hope to save the bird. The plan is to have farmers plant organic coffee plants which are covered with branches that make good nesting places for the birds.

Once found in the millions, as few as 300 red siskins remain in Venezuela. “They don’t have many years left, unless we do something right now,” said Miguel Arvelo.

Fanners who meet the project’s rules will win the right to sell their beans with “Bird Friendly” labels. They will be able to set prices for such “high quality” products that can be five times higher than legal prices set by the government.

The male siskin is valued for its red feathers and black head. Breeders cross them with yellow pet birds to create babies with colourful feathers. Protection under Venezuelan law has not prohibited hunters from catching the birds to sell on an illegal international market. Poor Venezuelan families often catch and sell the birds. The money they receive can feed their children for months, said biologist Jhonathan Miranda.

At the same time, a red siskin breeding centre is being built at a private zoo in Venezuela. There, 200 birds are expected to be born next year. Scientists keep the places where the birds live a secret to protect them from hunters. They permitted some reporters to photograph a small number of birds at one of those secret places. Twelve or more of the small, red birds flew into sight just as the sun appeared.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen so many birds together,” said Miranda. “It gives us hope.”

1. What do Miguel’s words in the third paragraph suggest?

A．The red siskins can’t live longer.	B．It is urgent to save the red siskins.
C．Organic coffee plants will die soon.	D．Coffee farmers do the right thing now.

2. Why are farmers asked to plant organic coffee plants?

A．To make them plant less coffee crops.	B．To increase their coffee production.
C．To provide red siskins with good habitats.	D．To allow some sunshine into the coffee fields.

3. What good does the project do to the farmers?

A．They produce coffee beans of high quality.	B．They have a ban on their coffee planting.
C．They enjoy the right to feed birds with beans.	D．They can sell their coffee at a higher price.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Saving red siskins by planting coffee plants	B．Helping Venezuelans plant more coffee crops
C．Preserving the endangered species in Venezuela	D．Building a breeding centre for red siskins

8 . People love to hate on pigeons (鸽子) for the way they mess up parked cars or rush to food scraps on the sidewalk. But with more than 300 species of wild pigeon found on Earth-many of them amazing it’s time to truly understand the animal. “Pigeons are biological wonders,” says Rosemary Mosco, author of A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching. “They can take off almost vertically (垂直地). They see colors we can’t, hear sounds we can’t, and find their way across hundreds of miles using ways we don’t fully understand,” she says. “They’re the world’s most overlooked birds.”

Pigeons are unbelievably complex and intelligent animals. They are one of only a small number of species to pass the “mirror test” a test of self-recognition. They can also recognize each letter of the human alphabet, differentiate between photographs, and even distinguish different humans within a photograph. Besides, pigeons are known for their outstanding navigational abilities. They use a range of skills, such as using the sun as a guide and an internal “magnetic compass (指南针)”. A study at Oxford University found that they will also use landmarks as signposts and will travel along man-made roads and motorways, even changing direction at crossroads. Pigeons also have excellent hearing abilities. They can detect sounds at far lower frequencies than humans are able to, and can thus hear distant storms and volcanoes.

Despite the social idea as dirty and disease-ridden, pigeons are actually very clean animals and there is very little evidence to suggest that they are spreading disease. Pigeons and humans have lived in close relationship for thousands of years. Although pigeon droppings are seen by some as a problem in modern society, a few centuries ago they were seen as extremely valuable. They were viewed as the best available fertilizers (肥料) and armed guards would even stand by pigeon houses to stop others taking the droppings.

1. What can we know about pigeons from paragraph 1?

A．They do great harm to people.

B．They are still unknown to people.

C．They are the world’s most amazing birds.

D．They have abilities beyond people’s imagination.

2. What do the underlined words “navigational abilities” mean in paragraph 2?

A．The ability to see colors.

B．The ability to detect sounds.

C．The ability to guide directions.

D．The ability to recognize photographs.

3. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．Pigeons’ hearing.	B．Pigeons’ differences.
C．Pigeons’ qualities.	D．Pigeons’ intelligence.

4. What does the example of armed guards indicate?

A．Pigeons are dangerous.	B．Pigeons are priceless.
C．Pigeon waste is valuable.	D．Pigeon waste is poisonous.

9 . Mr. Asada is just one of many growers in Shizuoka, one of Japan’s largest wasabi-growing(山葵种植)regions, who must face rising challenges from global warming and the effect of untended forests. Already. these hazards have gradually weakened the centuries-old culture of wasabi in the area and damaged the future of one of the area’s most important agricultural products and its tourism business.

Over the last decade, the number of wasabi produced in Shizuoka has dropped by close to 55 percent, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The wasabi that comes in tubes and packets is actually a mixture of wasabi and horseradish(辣根)—or includes no wasabi at all. These days. almost only expensive restaurants have access to fresh wasabi. giving their customers a chance to experience the unique flavor and traditional culture of wasabi.

Wasabi plants grow up in spring water that flows down from the mountains, helping to improve their flavor and sweetness. Over time. local growers say, the spring water has worsened in quality due to a large number of cypress trees which grow like crazy in the untended forests.

Global warming has upset the balance even further. The delicate wasabi plants, which take more than a year to be full-grown, do best in conditions no higher than about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In recent years, heat waves in Japan have regularly pushed temperatures into the 90s and even above 100 degrees. causing more stems to rot.

Government researchers and local growers have started to experiment with crossbreeding in an effort to develop better wasabi varieties that will grow strong even in the rising heat. The challenge is that. unlike with other crops such as cucumbers or tomatoes. getting seeds and growing seedlings from wasabi requires advanced technology. Most growers rely on specialized companies to clone seedlings in labs and greenhouses. Crossbreeding new varieties needs difficult pollination(授粉)efforts, and most of all. time.

1. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “hazards” in paragraph 1?

A．signals	B．adventures
C．threats	D．measures

2. What can we learn about wasabi according to the text?

A．It is popular in Japan.	B．It likes high temperature.
C．It is damaged by the cypress trees.	D．It will develop into new species very soon.

3. How do researchers help to grow wasabi in Japan?

A．They attempt to get seeds from wasabi.

B．They make efforts to develop species standing the heat.

C．They depend on companies to clone seedlings.

D．They help complete the process of pollination.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Wasabi under severe threats	B．Global warming risks wasabi
C．Wasabi—a popular food choice	D．Researchers and growers are saving wasabi

10 . Any 25th birthday is a cause for celebration. But it was even more so for Janus, a two-headed Greek tortoise (龟). Living in the Natural History Museum of Geneva, Switzerland, Janus is now believed to be the world’s oldest two-headed tortoise. The museum celebrated the special occasion with a day-long party filled with fun events, which included taking photos with the birthday “boy”.

In the wild, Greek tortoises can live up to two hundred years in their natural habitat. However, two-headed tortoises, like Janus, usually do not survive for that long. Unlike normal tortoises, they are unable to take back their two heads into their shell, making them highly easy to be attacked.

Janus, who has spent his entire life in the museum, faces no such danger. But life is not without challenges for the two-headed tortoise who also has two hearts and two pair s of lungs. Each head controls the front and back legs on its side of the body. The right head is more curious and more awake. The left head is more passive and loves to eat. This can lead to confusion when the two heads decide to go in different directions. To make matters worse, the two heads frequently rub against each other, resulting in skin sores (溃疡). Janus also has a hard time rolling back onto his feet when he accidentally turns over. If left on their backs for too long, tortoises can get sunburned, dehydrated (脱水的) and even die.

Fortunately, Janus has a special caregiver, Angelica Bourgoin, to make sure he lives along and health y life. The tortoise receives a daily massage and is bathed in green tea and flower water. He eats a special diet of organic fruits and vegetables, keeps active with walks, and rides on his custom skateboard. With such loving care, the two-headed tortoise will surely continue to break many more records for long life.

1. Why is it hard for two-headed tortoises to survive in the wild?

A．They can’t avoid biting each other.

B．They can’t find enough food to eat.

C．They can’t hide from their enemies.

D．They can’t run as fast as normal ones.

2. Where was Janus born?

A．In the museum.	B．In a pet store.
C．In the ocean.	D．In Bourgoin’s home.

3. What will be Janus’s biggest threat if he’s left alone on its back?

A．Different decisions.	B．The death of thirst.
C．The pain on his skin.	D．Two halves of body.

4. Which of the following can best describe Janus’s life?

A．Free.

B．Tough.

C．Boring.

D．Easy.