1 . A report issued on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in more than 45 years says 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation (卫生). The U. N. World Water Development Report 2023, released Tuesday, painted an unpleasant picture of the huge gap that needs to be filled to meet U.N. goals to ensure all the 8 billion people have access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.

According to the report, water use has been increasing globally by roughly 1% per year over the last 40 years and is expected to grow at a similar rate through to 2050, mainly driven by population growth in urban areas.

With agriculture using 70% of all water globally, Richard Connor, editor in chief of the report, said, irrigation (灌溉) for crops has to be more efficient. As a direct result of climate change, an increase in intensity or frequency of droughts and “heat extremes” can be expected in most regions. On average, “10% of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress” — and up to 3.5 billion people live under conditions of water stress at least one month a year, said the report.

As for water pollution, Connor said, the biggest source of pollution is untreated wastewater. “Globally, 80% of wastewater is released to the environment without any treatment,” he said, “and in many developing countries it’s pretty much 99%.”

These issues will be discussed during the three-day U. N. Water Conference opening Wednesday. There are 171 countries, including over 100 ministers, on the speakers list along with more than 20 organizations. The meeting will also include five “interactive dialogues” and dozens of side events.

1. How many people lack safe drinking water according to the report?

A．About 0.8 billion.	B．About 2 billion.
C．About 3. 6 billion.	D．About 6 billion.

2. What does the report say about water use?

A．It has been increasing steadily every year.

B．It contributes to environmental pollution.

C．It is highly efficient in agricultural irrigation.

D．It is stressful for 3.5 billion people throughout the year.

3. What does the report mainly focus on according to the text?

A．Comparing opinions.	B．Analyzing causes.
C．Introducing policies.	D．Offering solutions.

4. What can we learn about water shortage from the last paragraph?

A．It has caused regional conflicts.	B．It will be eased in most countries.
C．It has attracted worldwide attention.	D．It can be managed by treating wastewater.

2 . Based on our purpose of creating a real connection with the beauty of a destination, we have carefully crafted the following Chengdu tours to explore all the highlights in and around Chengdu. All our private Chengdu tours are flexible and can be customized to suit your budget and interests.

1-Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour

If you’re looking for close contact with pandas, this 1-day panda volunteer experience will make use of your time to its fullest. It’s a memorable chance to look after a cute and fluffy panda as you clean its enclosure, make its food, and watch it be fed.

3-Day Giant Panda, Giant Buddha, and Ancient Town Tour

Two of the most highly rated attractions according to our previous customers are the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Leshan Giant Buddha, both of which you can see on this 3-day smart tour. Furthermore, on this journey, you will discover the real Chengdu by tasting amazing Sichuan food and visiting a traditional ancient town.

5-Day Chengdu, Leshan and Mount. Emei Tour

This tour covers the most popular attractions in Chengdu and nearby cities. You will see the cute pandas, some vibrant scenes that may only happen in Chengdu, and most of all two UNESCO World Heritage Sites - the Giant Buddha cut during the Tang Dynasty, and Mount Emei.

6-Day Sichuan Adventure Tour

Starting from Chengdu, take a 6-day trip to discover incredible western Sichuan, including snowy mountains, forests, grasslands, and Tibetan villages. Be one of the first to journey into beautiful Yala Snow Mountain Scenic Area. There is a large area to the west of Chengdu (western Sichuan) that is a paradise for China’s adventurers and photographers.

1. What can visitors do in the 3-day tour?

A．Clean pandas’ enclosure.

B．Enjoy Sichuan Opera.

C．Have a bite of Sichuan food.

D．Hike on the snowy mountain.

2. Which tour will you choose if an adventurous experience is a must?

A．6-Day Sichuan Adventure Tour.

B．5-Day Chengdu, Leshan and Mount. Emei Tour.

C．1- Day Dujiangyan Panda Volunteer Program Tour.

D．3-Day Giant Panda, Giant Buddha, and Ancient Town Tour.

3. What do the tours have in common?

A．Tibetan culture.

B．Personalized travel service.

C．A close look at pandas.

D．A visit to an ancient town.

3 . Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

There is an object that’s pretty much guaranteed to arouse your cat’s interest. That object, as the Internet has so thoroughly documented, is a box. Any box, really. Like many other really strange things cats do, science hasn’t fully cracked this particular feline (猫科的) mystery.

    1     In fact, when you look at all the evidence together, it could be that your cat may not just like boxes, he may need them.

The box-and-whisker plot

Understanding the feline mind is extremely difficult. Still, there’s a sizable amount of behavioral research on cats who are, well, used for other kinds of research. These studies have been taking place for more than 50 years and they make one thing quite clear:     2    

This is likely true for a number of reasons, but for cats in stressful situations, a box or some other type of separate enclosure can have a strong impact on both their behavior and physiology.

Ethologist Claudia Vinke of Utrecht University in the Netherlands is one of the latest researchers to study stress levels in shelter cats. Working with domestic cats in a Dutch animal shelter, Vinke provided hiding boxes for a group of newly arrived cats while keeping another group from them entirely.     3     In effect, the cats with boxes got used to their new surroundings faster, were far less stressed early on, and were more interested in interacting with humans.

The ‘If it fits, I sits’ principle

Some feline observers will note that in addition to boxes, many cats seem to pick other odd places to relax. Some curl up in a bathroom sink.     4     This brings us to the other reason why your cat may like particularly small boxes: It’s really cold out.

So there you have it: Boxes are insulating, stress-relieving, comfort zones—places where cats can hide, relax, sleep, and occasionally launch a surprise attack against the huge, unpredictable apes they live with.

A．Your furry companion obtains comfort and security from enclosed spaces.

B．Others prefer shoes, bowls, shopping bags, coffee mugs, empty egg cartons, and other small, enclosed spaces.

C．She found a significant difference in stress levels between cats that had the boxes and those that didn’t.

D．A box, in this sense, can often represent a safe zone, a place where sources of anxiety, hostility (恶意), and unwanted attention simply disappear.

E．So rather than work things out, cats tend to simply run away from their problems or avoid them altogether.

F．Thankfully, behavioral biologists and veterinarians have come up with a few interesting explanations.

4 . Most paper receipts (发票) are not recyclable. This is because they’re on thermal paper (热敏纸), which contains a chemical called BPA or sometimes BPS that cannot be easily removed from the paper during the recycling process. So we need a safe method of dealing with paper receipts.

Thermal printing uses heat from a printer head to print letters and numbers; no ink is used. This process requires the addition of BPA or BPS in the “free form”, which means that the chemicals are not bound to the soft paper. According to Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, “The chemicals can easily transfer to anything a receipt touches.” They can be transferred from fingers to the mouth via food, or absorbed directly into the skin when held. BPA or BPS can affect brain development, the heart, lungs and reproductive abilities.

If thermal paper were to be recycled, it would contaminate other products in the recycling stream with BPA or BPS. These products are often turned into items such as facial tissues, paper towels and shopping bags and having BPA or BPS in them would mean our coming into even closer contact with the chemicals. Burning and composting are not an option either, as they would release BPA and BPS into the atmosphere or soil.

The only safe place to throw thermal paper receipts is in the rubbish, followed by immediate hand washing. It’s not ideal, but it is the most effective way to separate BPA and BPS from the environment. Sierra magazine offers a small bit of relief: “Throwing receipts is not the severest of wrong behaviors, since they amount to a tiny part of all paper consumed, according to industry sources.”

If you require a paper record for business purposes and if you often go to the same shops, ask if they consider switching to BPA- and BPS-free thermal paper. The best solution is to ask for receipts to be emailed, rather than printed. Not only will you avoid chemical exposure, but you will also decrease the demand for a paper product that drives deforestation every year; do away with that demand altogether and recycling becomes far less urgent.

1. Why does thermal paper need BPA or BPS?

A．To react with ink freely.

B．To be easily recycled.

C．To be easily removed.

D．To make the writing come out.

2. What can best replace the underlined word “contaminate” in Paragraph 3?

A．Pollute.	B．Transform.
C．Color.	D．Destroy.

3. What is Sierra magazine’s attitude to putting thermal paper receipts in dustbins?

A．Opposed.

B．Cautious.

C．Supportive.

D．Ambiguous.

4. Why does the writer write the text?

A．To state the functions of BPA and BPS.

B．To express concern over the use of BPA and BPS.

C．To prove the harm of thermal paper receipts.

D．To offer ways to tackle thermal paper receipts.

5 . France has changed the rules in its grocery stores and marketplaces. Starting on January 1, 2022, most fresh fruits and vegetables can no longer be packaged for salern plastic.

Under the new law, more than 30 types of fruits and vegetables must now be sold in materials that can be recycled. Potatoes, tomatoes, apples and carrots are some of the items included in the list. Plastic will still be allowed for packs that are over 1.5 kilograms. Smaller items such as raspberries and cherry tomatoes can still be sold in plastic for now, but the country plans to ban (禁止) all single-use plastic packaging for whole fruits and vegetables by 2026.

This ban on plastic packaging is part of a broader effort by France to control plastic waste across a range of sectors. Other efforts include preventing restaurants from including plastic toys in children’s meals, newspapers and magazines from being delivered in plastic, and tea bags being sold in plastic packages. Furthermore, public locations must provide water refill stations to disincentivize the use of single-use water bottles.

It’s believed that 37% of fresh fruits and vegetables are wrapped in plastic in France. The government says the new ban will stop one billion pieces of plastic from being used each year.

Not everyone is happy with the change. François Roch, president of the French fruit sellers’ federation, told Reuters, “Selling loose produce is complicated (复杂的) as many customers touch the fruit and people do not want their fruit to be touched by other customers.”

The ban will likely require a change in habits Shoppers will probably have to take their own reusable bags to fill and weigh. It will be interesting to see how France deals with the complications that come with selling loose produce, and whether other countries follow suit, once a precedent (先例) has been set.

1. What’s the purpose of the new ban?

A．To reduce plastic waste.	B．To control overspending.
C．To recycle plastic products.	D．To fight over-packaging.

2. What does the underlined word “disincentivize” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Ignore.

B．Measure.

C．Increase.

D．Discourage.

3. How does François Roch feel about the new law?

A．Relaxed.

B．Dissatisfied.

C．Surprised.

D．Interested.

4. What is a probable result of the ban according to the author?

A．More attention to a healthy lifestyle.	B．A change in customers’ shopping habits.
C．Fewer tips to stores and supermarkets.	D．A drop in the sale of fruits and vegetables.

6 . It’s well-known that being in green spaces is good for physical and mental health.     1     A population-based study published in Scientific Reports looked at the effect of urban waterways on mental health and found that proximity (接近) to water increased positive feelings of wellbeing.

“If you’re in a body of water, your internal state just becomes calm,” Dr Natalie Azar, NBC News medical contributor, told TODAY. “    2     However, we’ve never really been intentional about it.”

Being near water gives people a consciousness of something greater than themselves. The sounds and movement of water can get people to focus their attention and this invites calm. “You don’t have to go to the coast to experience this wellbeing,” said Azar. “Any waterway will do, including lakes, rivers, canals or ponds.     3    ”

A new study conducted by King’s College London has also proved that spending time near urban canals and rivers is linked to feeling happy and healthy, stressed a press release from the college. Moreover, it has found that urban waterways are superior to feelings of wellbeing than just being near the ocean.

“    4     This means their capacity to improve mental wellbeing is likely to be due to the multiple benefits associated with both green and blue spaces,” said Andrea Mechelli, professor of early intervention in mental health at King’s College London.

The study has also found that there are continuous improvements to mental wellbeing for up to 24 hours after visiting urban waterways.     5     In England and Wales, people have access to 3,218 kilometers of rivers and canals that are readily accessible. In fact, 9 million people live within 1 km of a canal—something that is easily walkable.

A．These results remain to be tested.

B．Even a flowing fountain will work.

C．This is good news for urban people.

D．It’s something that I think we’ve all experienced.

E．Our findings show that blue spaces are naturally calming.

F．Canals and rivers contain not only water but also trees and other plants.

G．Now scientists have discovered blue spaces are also connected to better mental health.

7 . You’ve heard of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday—they’re major shopping days. Now there’s another shopping day, and it’s called Secondhand Sunday, which is the brainchild of Poshmark, a social commerce marketplace that enables users to buy and sell clothing online, mostly used.

Poshmark asked global research firm Morning Consult to assess the secondhand market. It found over 90% of American adults say they would be willing to receive a secondhand or resold gift this season, but that only 34% are likely to buy them for others. This suggests a massive opportunity to close the gap—a task that Poshmark has undertaken with enthusiasm. Thus, Secondhand Sunday was born.

Poshmark is a platform on which individual sellers run their own shops and make extra cash. Secondhand Sunday has become a hit among them. While sellers have varying motivations for doing business, most are driven by the belief that buying secondhand items is important for the environment.

One such seller is Ashley Wheeler. Her husband worked as a truck driver at a landfill (垃圾填埋) site. They were both shocked at the amount of secondhand items that were getting dumped (倾倒), just because they were considered old or useless. Even when her husband asked to bring home items that still had value, he was rejected, because companies had paid the landfill site to deal with their garbage.

Wheeler said, “For us, that was a wake-up call. We realized it wasn’t just about us bringing our pre-owned items back into the market but finding other used items that companies were ready to deal with and help recycle back into use. That’s when we started to learn about Goodwill Outlets and other similar stores, where we source a majority of items. She now buys cast-off items from Goodwill’s “last chance” bins and resells them on Secondhand Sunday.

Amber McCasland, vice-president of Global Brand and Communications, said, “Secondhand Sunday is our first joint effort to change how people shop and gift during the holidays. The hope is that, instead of running out to buy new items as gifts, people will realize that it’s acceptable and even preferable to source used items instead.”

1. What drove Poshmark to start Secondhand Sunday?

A．The findings of an assessment.

B．The increasing shopping waste.

C．Booming gift-exchange seasons.

D．Buyers’ strong desire for old items.

2. What is the key factor for the popularity of Secondhand Sunday according to the text?

A．The great demand for more shopping days.

B．Some local landfill sites’ generous donation.

C．Shoppers’ curiosity about running businesses.

D．The improved public environmental awareness.

3. What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 5 probably refer to?

A．Working as a truck driver at a landfill site.

B．Being rejected by some brand companies.

C．Seeing valuable used items dumped and landfilled.

D．Looking for secondhand items to resell.

4. What does Secondhand Sunday encourage people to do?

A．Buy used items as gifts on holidays.

B．Be cautious of online shopping.

C．Donate used items to companies.

D．Form the habit of recycling waste.

8 . Satellites are already in use for so many purposes today — from weather forecasting to communications, GPS, and more. Since the late 1970s, satellites have also been used to monitor changes in the Arctic sea ice. Data suggests that sea ice is thinning over time due to climate change. Over the last forty years, the extent of Arctic ice cover has been declining at a rate of 13%per decade. However, existing ways of measurement do not provide a clear and continuous picture of the state of sea ice.

This September, scientists developed a new method that combines computer modeling and satellite data to predict ice thickness all year round. Over the years, scientists have proposed several methods to measure ice thickness. These include flying planes over the Arctic Ocean or collecting field measurements.

Neither of these methods provides a full picture of Arctic melt, making year-long data collection difficult. Continuous data across the entire region from satellites is a great way for scientists to understand how climate change is playing out in the Arctic.

These satellites use special radar or laser-based altimeter instruments. Sea ice thickness is then calculated as the difference between the height of the ice and the top of the water(ice level — sea level). This method works well during the winter months — September to May.

Unfortunately, satellite-based sea ice thickness measurements are inaccurate during the summer months: the time of the year with the greatest melting. This melting creates a pool of liquid water on the surface. As a result, the simple calculation (ice level — sea level) does not work as radar systems are unable to differentiate between ocean water and ice, thus rendering measurements inaccurate.

New research led by Jack Landy, a scientist, seeks to tackle this age-old issue. The team used machine learning and deep learning methods to distinguish between seawater and ice.

The researchers built a model of the radar system’s predicted data and cross-referenced these values to those collected by a satellite. This model allows the researchers to obtain accurate, year-round Arctic sea ice thickness data.

1. Why are satellite-based sea ice thickness measurements not accurate?

A．The ice melts in summer months	B．The radar system doesn’t work in winter.
C．The liquid water turns ice in cold days	D．The ocean water comes onto the ice surface.

2. What does the age-old issue refer to?

A．The changeable climate change	B．The incorrect ice measurements.
C．The constantly flowing ocean water.	D．The great amount of melting ice.

3. How do the researchers study Arctic sea ice changes in the new research?

A．By using satellites to collect data.	B．By collecting field measurements
C．By flying planes over the Arctic Ocean.	D．By using machine learning and deep learning methods.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A new device to measure ocean water	B．A new stage for the application of satellites
C．A new way to monitor Arctic sea ice changes	D．A new finding about the rising sea level

9 . For over 14 years, Iylene Weiss has been fighting to save the Ballona Lagoon, a narrow, mile-long wetland surrounded by ever growing residential development. But now, thanks to her determination: and the help of her army of volunteers and the California Coastal Commission, it looks as though the fight may finally be over.

Iylene Weiss, founder of the Ballona Lagoon Marine Preserve(BLMP).has been working to save this fragile ecosystem for fourteen years, It’s taken a long fight. Partly because this wetland has seen such incredible abuse for so long. At one time it was even host to a vast oil refinery (精炼厂). In modern times it faces threats of housing development, factory pollution and soil loss. All of that is now changing though, thanks to Iylene Weiss.

The California Coastal Commission recently granted the BLMP its long sought-after permit to begin restoration on this natural habitat.

“Restoration is not only desirable. it is vitally important to our whole ecology,” says Steve Rabinaer, a BLMP board member. “The Ballona lagoon is the only remaining tidal (受潮汐影响的) wetland in Los Angeles County.” Because of the daily tidal flow; the lagoon is host to a vast array of species including halibut diamond turbo, anchovies, clams, shrimps, tern, pelicans, egrets, killdeer as well as dozens of salt-resistant plants.

As part of this innovative foundation, the BMP invites schools to visit the lagoon, where children and adults can learn about life in the tidal pool. There are ten dedicated docents (讲解员) who volunteer to educate the public about the wetlands and their significance in the ecosystem.

“If you understand what a wetland means: and why it’s so important to all of us, you understand that without it we wouldn’t be here. We have to protect our nest,” said Iylene Weiss.

1. What has Iylene Weiss been fighting for?

A．The establishment of BIMP	B．The protection of a wetland.
C．Saving the ecosystem of the country	D．Stopping the residential development.

2. Which might be a major threat to the Ballona Lagoon once?

A．Soil lass.

B．Oil refinery.

C．Factory pollution.

D．Housing development.

3. What can we know about the Ballona Lagoon?

A．It is probably a salty wetland.	B．All the animals left there.
C．it is the only wetland in Los Angeles County.	D．Its ecosystem has been well restored by BIMP

4. Which can best express Iylene Weiss’ words in the last paragraph?

A．Less footprints, more green.	B．Birds need everyone’s protection.
C．Animals and trees are our friends.	D．Protect nature and care for home.

10 . Poison frogs across Central and South America display some of the brightest colors in the animal kingdom. The way such creatures evolved to be just colorful enough to signal their toxic (有毒的) defense-but not so colorful that they become vulnerable to predators (捕食者) — has long been a grey area for scientists. Initially, predators would not have known that bright colors signal toxicity, and therefore would have eaten, and then become ill-these easily-spotted few members of a species with the colorful mutation (突变). In theory, this should make it virtually impossible for the aposematic (防护色的) pioneers to pass on their genes to their offspring, allowing for the mutation to take hold in the population.

To get to the bottom of this dilemma, Karl Loeffler Henry, a researcher at Carleton University launched the new study. Loeffler Henry’s team pored over data from the family trees of 1,100 species of frogs, newts and salamanders, and categorized them into one of five groups. On one end of range are the creatures with bright blues, yellows and reds. On the other are species that blend in perfectly with their surroundings. Between these poles, the scientists place species with camouflaged (伪装的) tops and colorful bottoms in various degrees. These tend to display their dramatic halves only when trying to defend themselves from predators.

The team used nine different computer models to test the potential evolutionary routes the species in the bright aposematic group might have taken to evolve this way. In the end, the researchers realized that they all kind of followed a similar pattern, evolving from species in the middle of that range, those whose colors are hidden unless in danger.

There have also been other theories proposed, but this new theory presents a mechanism that is likely to play a role in the evolution of anti-predator defense in various prey groups and a wide range of different predators. Possibly, it might inspire the exploration of evolution of warning coloration in other animal groups as well.

1. What remained unclear to scientists in the past?

A．How the proper shades of the colors are evolved.

B．How these creatures signal their toxic defence.

C．Which colors are better at scaring predators away.

D．Which creatures are at higher risk of being eaten.

2. What do the underlined words “this dilemma” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The predators clearly knew about the toxicity but still feed on them.

B．The first colorful members have bright colors but can avoid predators.

C．The first colorful members were eaten but the mutation was passed on.

D．The predators became seriously ill but their population continued to boom.

3. What do we know about the new study?

A．The colors of all those species were either bright or grey.

B．The aposematic group evolved by following nine routes.

C．The researchers observed these different species in the wild.

D．The origin of the evolution turned out to be the hidden colors.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Other theories of the evolution.	B．Other animals’ evolution routes.
C．The drawbacks of the study.	D．The significance of the study.