1 . There is nothing like a coast redwood. It is the planet’s tallest tree, soaring to heights of more than 320 feet into the sky. They have trunks that are more than 27 feet wide and can live for over 2,000 years. Some of the gentle giants living today were alive during the time of the Roman Empire.
Before the mid-19th century, coast redwoods spread throughout a range of some 2 million acres along the California coast. People had been peacefully co-existing with the forests forever. But with the gold rush came the logging (伐木作业); and today only 5 percent of the original old-growth coast redwood forest remains along a 450-mile strip of coast. And as the planet warms up, the specific conditions required by the redwoods change; their future doesn’t look so great. Animals can migrate north to escape the south’s warming temperatures; trees, not so much.
But with David Milarch on the case, maybe they can. In 1991, Milarch literally died from a life-threatening illness, before being revived and springing back to life. There’s nothing like a near-death experience to inspire a new course in life, as was the case with Milarch. His new quest? To harvest the genes of the coast redwoods and give them an assist in migration.
“I feel sorrow that 95 percent of them were killed and we didn’t even know what they do to strengthen our ability as human beings to live on this planet,” says Milarch. “We killed them. That’s the bad news. To put back every single tree that was cut down and killed. And I’m going to do it. ” By cloning and replanting them in places where they once thrived (繁荣) but were lost, he is not only increasing their numbers but planting them in locations where they have a better chance of longevity. And the result is two-fold: Save the trees and save the planet for humankind. Redwood trees are among the most effective carbon sequestration (碳封存) tools in the world.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．A brief introduction of redwoods. | B．The information about our planet. |
| C．The history of the Roman Empire. | D．The special height of the redwood. |
| A．The warming climate. | B．The overcutting. |
| C．The ocean disaster. | D．The worsening soil condition. |
| A．His love for plants. | B．His concern on global warming. |
| C．His surviving experience. | D．His study on the genetics of the redwood. |
| A．The animals which live nearby. | B．The effective tool used to plant trees. |
| C．The places where the trees grow. | D．The amounts of water trees need. |
2 . This past summer in the Arctic was the warmest since 1900, contributing to disasters across the wider region, recorded in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic Report Card. The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average as a result of human-caused climate change, driven primarily by burning fossil fuels. Researchers say changes in the Arctic can directly influence worldwide changes across ecosystems, from sea-level rise and new weather patterns, to altered wildlife migrations.
Another surprise in this year’s report card is salmon, the key to many of the region’s ecosystems, economies, and cultures. In western Alaska, chinook and chum salmon hit record low levels this year, but sockeye (红鲑鱼) salmon in Bristol Bay hit record highs. The abundance of sockeye had an unexpected downside for commercial fishermen —a price crash. “There’re so many salmon, and they can barely make a profit,” Thoman said. It’s unclear exactly why the salmon species are responding differently to climate change, but researchers say it’s likely linked to changing conditions in both the ocean and freshwater ecosystems central to the salmon life-cycle.
In order to address the issue, researchers started constantly monitoring these ecological changes across the Arctic, and the response of wildlife, founding a program aiming to draw upon the expertise of the region’s local residents: the Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH). The group works with a network of coastal local observers to document long-term environmental change and impacts in northern Alaska. Roberta Tuurraq Glenn-Borade, a community contact for AAOKH, said local observers often provide context beyond simple data collection that can better scientists’ understanding of the environmental factors driving animal behavior—like how shifting winds and sea-ice drew a surprising number of ringed seals and polar bears to Utqiaġvik in January.
Roberta expressed optimism that AAOKH can help communities adapt to the altered environment.
1. What can we learn about climate changes in Arctic?| A．They will be limited in Arctic. |
| B．They are caused by human activities. |
| C．They can hardly impact global ecosystems. |
| D．The Arctic is warming as fast as the global average. |
| A．The water pollution impacted salmon’s population. |
| B．The impact of climate change on salmon species varies. |
| C．Fishermen can gain profit because of abundant sockeye. |
| D．Salmon is important in almost every aspect of many regions. |
| A．By collecting and analyzing data from the locals. |
| B．By tracking climate changes and wildlife’s response. |
| C．By improving scientists’ grasp of the natural element. |
| D．By studying environmental changes and consequences. |
| A．Global Heatwaves: the Warmest Summer in a Century. |
| B．Local Wisdom: Arctic Residents’ Assistance in Arctic. |
| C．Arctic Report Card: Dramatic Impacts of Climate Change. |
| D．Salmon Surprises: Economic Impacts and Climate Change. |
3 . For future humans to survive long periods on Mars, growing food on the planet is a must. It would be too costly and risky to rely upon rocket deliveries to meet the food needs of settlers. With this in mind, scientists are exploring ways to improve space farming.
Researchers work in a controlled greenhouse. They have identified a way that could improve crop production in simulated (模拟的) Martian soil, with different crops grown together. The method is called “intercropping”, invented by ancient Maya farmers in what is now Central America.
In their experiments, the researchers grew cherry tomatoes, peas and carrots together in small, round containers. Tomatoes grown in this way produced about double the amount of tomatoes grown alone — or “monocropped” — in the same simulated Martian soil. The tomatoes were also bigger. They flowered and matured earlier, gave more fruit per plant and had thicker stems. The amounts of peas and carrots did not increase with intercropping.
Rebeca Goncalves, an astrobiologist and lead writer of the study, said the research is the first time the intercropping technique was used in space soil, and that it was a big find — one that they could now build further research on. The crops were grown in simulated Martian regolith, a soil with no organic matter — a near-perfect physical and chemical match to real Martian soil.
The researchers added useful bacteria and nutrients. They also controlled the gases, temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse to match conditions expected in a Martian greenhouse. Intercropping involves growing plants with properties that could help each other grow. The method makes the best use of resources including water and nutrients.
The researchers said the tomato plants in intercropping may have benefited from being close to the pea plants. That is because the peas are good at turning nitrogen from the air, with the help of bacteria introduced into the soil, into an important nutrient. Overall, the tomatoes, peas and carrots grew well, though not as well as in Earth soil in the same greenhouse.
1. What is the benefit of intercropping mentioned in the article?| A．Increasing crop yield. | B．Preventing soil pollution. |
| C．Decreasing sunlight exposure. | D．Reducing water consumption. |
| A．Enhancing growth of carrots. |
| B．Increasing fruit production in tomatoes. |
| C．Transforming nitrogen into a crucial nutrient. |
| D．Improving the variety of bacteria introduced into the soil. |
| A．Carrots benefited the most from intercropping. |
| B．The crops grew as well as they would in Earth soil. |
| C．The presence of peas helped tomatoes produce more fruit. |
| D．Peas and carrots showed significant growth improvement in intercropping. |
| A．Intercropping is developed for growing crops in space. |
| B．The study found Intercropping resulted in higher tomato yields. |
| C．Scientists are struggling to find ways to improve crop production in space. |
| D．Researchers successfully grew some plants in imitated Martian soil using intercropping. |
4 . There are some unusual wonders of our world places that most people haven’t heard about and probably don’t want to visit. But it’s good to take a step away from everything else we’ve known and see something new!
Library of Celsus, TürkiyeThe Library of Celsus was a public library built by Tiberius Julius Acquila in ancient Ephesus, now in modern-day Türkiye. It was built on the Mount Koressos and its construction began in 114 AD and ended in 117 AD. It is one of the best-preserved ancient buildings due to its Roman-time structures, which were built using marble, a type of hard, decorative stone.
Meteora, GreeceMeteora is a group of monasteries (修道院) in Greece located on top of tall rock pillars (柱子). Meteora contains 24 monasteries built on natural sandstone rock pillars between the 11th and 15th century AD. Meteora is one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations and has been a World Heritage Site since 1988.
Tower of Hercules, SpainThe Tower of Hercules is a Roman lighthouse built in 14 BC on the coast of Spain. You may be wondering how a place that was built much earlier than some of the other wonders of the world can still be considered a wonder today. Well, it was, once one of lighthouses in Europe. The tower has been rebuilt several times, but it still stands today.
Toruń, PolandToruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland and is the capital of the province of Kujawsko-Pomorskie. Toruń was founded by Teutonic Order in the mid-13th century as an important city on the trade route between Kraków and Gdańsk. The name “Toruń” comes from two German words — “tor” means gate or tower and “tun” means settlement; therefore, “Tower settlement”.
1. What makes Library of Celsus one of the best-preserved ancient buildings?| A．Its special purpose. | B．Its geographic position. |
| C．Its preservation skills. | D．Its construction materials. |
| A．Library of Celsus. | B．Meteora. |
| C．Tower of Hercules. | D．Toruń. |
| A．The origin of its name. | B．The theory of its design. |
| C．The time of its visit. | D．The ways of its construction. |
5 . When 12-year-old Erica Fernandez volunteered to help clean up the beach in her new hometown, Oxnard, California, she could barely speak English. She was just a kid helping 20 adults take care of the beach. She and her family had recently arrived in California from a small town in Mexico.
Erica started going door to door in her mainly Spanish-speaking farmworker community. “I always loved the ocean,” she says, “so it made me really sad to see this beautiful beach full of trash. That’s why I decided to help.”
Erica cared too much to stay silent. Having grown up in a tiny town in the Mexican state of Michoacán, she had a strong motivation to care for nature. “We grew our own food and raised our own animals. Taking care of nature was part of survival.” She wanted to bring that same spirit to her new life in California.
As her English improved, she talked to kids in her high school about what was going on. “I didn’t know if they would listen to me. My English wasn’t good and I was only sixteen,” she says. As she nervously approached the microphone, she was informed that time was running out. One minute and thirty seconds was all she had. “I couldn’t give my prepared speech, so I just spoke from my heart.”
The result was electrifying. When Erica was finished, people stood up and broke into applause. One of the teachers said, “I’m very moved by your words, Erica. When I was your age, I was playing video games.”
Only the second person in her family to go to college, Erica wants to become an environmental lawyer so she can fight for the environment and for the rights of communities. She wants other young people to speak out when they see something wrong, even if they feel shy about it at first. “We are the future. The future is ours.”
1. Why did the author mention Erica’s words in Paragraph 2?| A．To show gratitude to her action. | B．To advocate learning from her. |
| C．To clarify the reason for her help. | D．To think highly of her devotion. |
| A．She was the only college student in her family. |
| B．She volunteered to clean up the garbage on Spanish beaches. |
| C．She spent her childhood in a small town in Mexico. |
| D．She couldn’t speak either English or Spanish in California. |
| A．The device disturbed her performance. |
| B．The audience was greatly encouraged. |
| C．It affected people’s attitude to playing games. |
| D．Erica expressed her inner thoughts fluently. |
| A．A geography textbook. | B．A health report. |
| C．A scientific website. | D．An environmental magazine. |
6 . Waste not, Want not
Today, I live in Manhattan with my husband, Alex. I’m an IT specialist and Alex is a lawyer. Life’s good, but sometimes I look at the way we live it and think of Ellie, my grandmother. Her favorite saying was “Waste not, want not.”
Such economy seems strange, even ridiculous, in our modern throwaway society, where everything is sold in boxes.
| A．Packaging is not only used to protect goods |
| B．My grandparents threw almost nothing away |
| C．In one week alone, we threw away five old magazines |
| D．We didn’t often go shopping and then cook meals at home |
| E．As young Manhattan professionals, we buy a lot of “convenience food” |
| F．But we pay a high financial and ecological price for our lovely packaging |
| G．If you placed all the cans used in the United States, in one year end to end |
7 . Cold weather not only threatens the life of human beings but also the survival of wild animals. In Houston, it has claimed some unusual animal victims-bats.
Mary Warwick is the wildlife director at the Houston Humane Society. She was doing shopping when the freezing winds reminded her that she had not heard how the area’s bats were going. So she drove to the bridge where over 100 bats looked to be dead as they lay frozen on the ground. But during her 40-minute drive home, they began to come back to life. The bats made sounds and moved around in a box she had placed on her heated passenger seat for warmth. She returned to the bridge twice a day to collect more.
Two days later, she got a call about more than 900 bats rescued from a bridge in nearby Pearland, Texas. On the third and fourth days, more people showed up to rescue bats from the Waugh Bridge, and a special transportation effort was set up to get the bats to Warwick, which touched her a great deal. Each of the bats was warmed in an incubator (恒温箱) until their body temperature rose.
However, there were too many bats for one person to care for. The society’s current buildings did not have the necessary space, so Warwick and others put the bats in her attic (阁楼). The bats were separated by group in containers usually used for dogs. There, they were able to reach a state of hibernation (冬眠). Over 100 bats died because of the cold and the fall from the bridge but the others are being or have been released.
The society is now raising money to build a special room for bats at the society. The society’s entire animal rescue team will be vaccinated (接种疫苗) and trained in rescuing bats as they prepare to move into a larger building with the special bat room. “That would really help in these situations where we continue to see strange weather come through,” she said. “We could really use more space to rescue the bats.”
1. Why did Mary War wick drive to the bridge?| A．To get rid of the dead bats. | B．To check what happened to the bats. |
| C．To reach home a little earlier. | D．To monitor the surviving bats. |
| A．More people were willing to donate. |
| B．More people showed concern about her. |
| C．More people came up with good ideas. |
| D．More people joined her rescue. |
| A．There was not enough space to warm the bats. |
| B．An increasing number of bats died from the cold. |
| C．It was difficult for her to get bats into hibernation. |
| D．The bats’ body temperature didn’t rise as expected. |
| A．Critical. | B．Grateful. | C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
8 . Natural gas, long seen as a cleaner replacement to coal and an important tool in the fight to slow global warming, can be just as harmful to the climate, a new study has concluded, unless companies can cut the leaks (泄露), since it takes as little as 0.2 percent of gas to leak to make natural gas as big a driver of climate change as coal.
The study, which involved researchers from Harvard and Duke Universities and NASA, pokes holes in the idea that natural gas is suitable energy resources to a future powered entirely by renewables, like solar and wind. “Even if gas leaks little, it’s as bad as coal,” said Deborah, the lead researcher. “It can’t be considered a good bridge, or replacement.”
When power companies generate electricity by burning natural gas instead of coal, they produce only half the amount of planet-warming CO₂. But natural gas is made up mostly of me thane (甲烷), which is, in the short term, a far more powerful planet-warming gas than CO₂, when it escapes unburned into the atmosphere. And there’s increasing evidence that methane is leaking from gas systems in far larger quantities than previously thought.
There are other balances to consider. The CO₂ produced by coal-burning power plants lasts far longer in the atmosphere than methane, whose climate effects disappear after a few decades. So focusing on methane leaks from gas systems as a way to control carbon emissions (碳排放) means the world might reduce some short-term warming, but still face a dangerous rise in average temperatures many decades into the future. That said, with the consequences of climate change already spreading around the world, controlling methane would be a way that works faster to slow warming.
“I do hope the world pays attention to this, as I fear too many remain too concentrated on simply reducing coal use, even if it results in more gas consumption,” Deborah said. “What the world requires is to move to a 100 percent renewable energy future as soon as possible.”
1. How can natural gas contribute to global warming?| A．Its huge amount of CO₂ while burning. | B．Its taking in extra heat from the atmosphere. |
| C．Its leaking methane warming the planet. | D．Its combination with methane to produce CO₂. |
| A．Avoid the threats of climate change. | B．Cancel out the impacts of global warming. |
| C．Slow down warming more immediately. | D．Balance carbon emissions with coal burning. |
| A．Lack of attention to reducing gas use. | B．Unbalanced mix of coal and renewables. |
| C．Shortage of renewable energy sources. | D．Difficulty in promoting renewable energy. |
| A．Is Natural Gas Better for the Climate? | B．How Can Carbon Emission be Controlled? |
| C．Is Natural Gas Taking the Place of Coal? | D．How Can Methane Speed up Global Warming? |
9 . Fans of Star Wars might remember Luke Skywalker’s home planet. Called Tatooine, the planet orbits two stars. A new study suggests similar planets might be the best focus in the search for places that can host life outside our solar system.
Many suns come in pairs called binary stars. Lots of these should have planets orbiting them. That means there could be more planets orbiting around binary stars than around lone stars like our sun. But until now, no one had a clear idea about whether those planets could host life. New computer models suggest that in many cases planets like Tatooine could be fit for life.
The researchers ran computer models of binary stars arranged in thousands of ways. Each had an Earthlike planet orbiting the two stars. The team modeled different sizes and shapes of the stars’ orbit around each other. They then tracked the movement of the planets for up to a billion years of simulated (模拟) time. That showed whether the planets would stay in orbit over timescales that might develop conditions to start life. They also checked to see if the planets stayed in a habitable zone. That’s the region around a star where an orbiting planet’s temperatures are never extremely hot or cold, and water could stay liquid (液态).
“An atmosphere and oceans could make a great difference,” says Mariah MacDonald, who took part in the new modeling work. Plentiful air and water could change the picture. Adding atmospheres to the modeled planets should increase the number of stars that could host life. She hopes to build more advanced models in coming months.
“Models of planets orbiting binary stars could guide future efforts to look for them with telescopes,” says Jason Wright, who studies the physics of stars at Pennsylvania State University. “This is an under-explored population of planets. There’s no reason why we can’t go after them,” he says. “And it might be worthwhile to try.”
1. Why does the author mention Tatooine in Star Wars?| A．To attract movie lovers. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To remember an old friend. | D．To present a newfound planet. |
| A．Its preparation. | B．Its application. | C．Its process. | D．Its finding. |
| A．Improve the study. | B．Lead a peaceful life. |
| C．Start another project. | D．Travel into outer space. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Concerned. | D．Uncaring. |
10 . Floods can cause major damage to city infrastructure and even deaths.
Get informed, stay informed
One of the best ways to prepare yourself and your loved ones for a flood is to be aware of weather conditions.
Update your emergency kits
Be sure your emergency kit s are all up-to-date. Ensure they have the proper supplies needed to protect multiple family members. In your prepared bags, you should have 72 hours-worth of food and water along with other essential supplies.
Secure your home
Making sure loose items are secure can help to prevent both property damage to your home and bodily injury. Furniture items aren’t the only things that should be secured. Also, take the time to se cure electrical items to prevent them from falling into water.
Practice your emergency plan
Make sure your family has an emergency action plan ready to implement (实施) at any moment. Then, practice your emergency action plan with your entire family. This will help each member to directly understand their roles in the plan and give an opportunity to answer any questions that may arise.
Of course, natural disasters occur in an instant. Therefore, keep your entire family and all pet family members close and within sight at all times during an emergency situation.
| A．Pay close attention to the development of current storms |
| B．Floods are too powerful to be stopped |
| C．Keep all family members (pets too!) in sight |
| D．Invest in sandbags and keep them inside your home |
| E．Though floods are among the most dangerous of natural disasters |
| F．Never leave your family or pets behind when floods are coming |
| G．In particular, include life vests along with other waterproof survival items |
