1 . The bank of Baisha Creek used to be concrete, but several years ago, work began to bring back wetlands here. Weeds now grow on the shallow bank and on islands in the river and insects sing in the trees.
Yu Kongjian, the man behind the project, describes a similarly natural scene that existed here 50 years ago when, as a 10-year-old, he was nearly taken away by the water. “It was a huge flood. But I survived. You know why? Because I caught hold of the weeds, the reeds, along the riverbank,” he says. Yu has been working on a solution he calls “sponge (海绵) cities.” That is, urban landscapes that are softer and purposely designed to take in more water. In Yu’s words: “You are actually playing tai chi with nature, not boxing with nature.”
Gareth Doherty, a professor from Harvard University, says the idea is completely new and different from traditional ones. “Because he’s pushing boundaries on what it is that landscape architects do,” he says. “He’s working with rain and environmental processes rather than against them.”
One of Yu’s early projects was Yanweizhou Park in the city of Jinhua, in eastern Zhejiang Province. A flood wall at the joint of two rivers was failing to protect the area from annual floods. “So instead of building the flood wall higher and higher, I took away the concrete wall and brought back wetlands,” he says.
Groundskeeper Sun Zheng’an says the park’s sponginess seemed to work this summer when a heavy rain hit. The river rose, covering low-lying parts of the park, and then went back to a normal level. “The water went quickly, and there wasn’t much pooling,” he says.
Yu says he’ll continue to suggest his ideas to officials at home and abroad because many still don’t get it. “We still trust that concrete can solve the problem. We still trust that technology can solve the problem,” he says. And that way of thinking, he says — not the concrete — is the hardest thing to break.
1. Why did Yu share his survival story?| A．To back up urban development. | B．To teach methods of self-protection. |
| C．To stress the importance of wetlands. | D．To raise awareness of natural disasters. |
| A．Yu shows a talent for planning cities. | B．Yu has won wide support from experts. |
| C．Yu draws inspiration from regional geography. | D．Yu is changing methods of dealing with floods. |
| A．To review Yu’s projects over the years. | B．To show an early application of Yu’s idea. |
| C．To stress how Yu won the officials’ support. | D．To compare Yu’s methods in different areas. |
| A．It’ll be tested in low-lying parks first. | B．It’ll attract many famous foreign experts. |
| C．It’ll win much more technical support. | D．It’ll be widely understood and accepted. |
2 . A severe drought has hit the Horn of Africa.
Since October 2020, this part of East Africa, one of the world’s poorest regions, has been stricken by its worst drought in 40 years. The unrelenting drought has brought terrible impacts to large areas of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Hunger and water insecurity are widespread and growing.
In a world without human-caused climate change, this drought wouldn’t have happened. That’s the conclusion of a study released on Thursday by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) initiative. The study found planet-heating pollution caused by burning fossil(化石) fuels has made this region’s ongoing agricultural drought 100 times more likely.
The scientists also looked at whether climate change was to blame for the lack of rain, but concluded there was no overall impact. The study found that while climate change makes low rainfall twice as likely during the region’s “long rains” season, which runs from March to May, it actually makes the “short rains” between October and December wetter. But this wetter trend has been absent in the Horn of Africa over the last few years. That’s all because of La Niña, a natural climate phenomenon that brings dryer conditions to the region during the short rains period.
Official reports suggest that in this region about 8 million farm animals have died from the drought. More than 20 million people have been pushed into crisis levels of food insecurity, or worse. Around 1.7 million people in Ethiopia and Somalia have had to leave their homes. In Somalia, more than 43,000 people are estimated to have been killed by the drought, half of whom were children under five years old.
“Frequent droughts will severely impact food security in the Horn of Africa as the climate continues to warm,” said climate scientist Joyce Kimutai. This region is seeing some relief during the current rainy season, but it’ll be a very long road to recovery. The current rains are “not substantial enough” to see a significant improvement to food security, Kimutai explained.
1. What does the underlined word “unrelenting” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Unnecessary. | B．Unexpected. | C．Lasting. | D．Possible. |
| A．The Horn of Africa used to be rich. |
| B．Man himself has caused this drought. |
| C．There was no drought before in Africa. |
| D．Fossil fuels pollute the Horn of Africa. |
| A．Climate change all over the world. |
| B．The short rains season getting shorter. |
| C．The pollution caused by fossil fuels. |
| D．La Niña which is a climate phenomenon. |
| A．Historical analyses. | B．Traditional experiences. |
| C．Published statistics. | D．Public opinions. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. | C．Unclear. | D．Carefree. |
3 . Quiet Parks International (QPI) have got every reason to award Quiet Trail to the Niobrara National Scenic River this year, making it the other Quiet Trail in the world after Cuifeng Lake Trail, Taiwan. Kalli Kieborz, Director of Niobrara Council, received the award for their assistance in managing and protecting its natural resources, including natural quiet, since 1997.
This Award concluded a two-year process that included exploring the full length of the river to collect qualitative and quantitative acoustic (听觉的) data. Gordon Hempton, cofounder of QPI, stated, “Our testing process is very exact. Beyond collecting standard acoustic data, each team member must agree unhesitatingly that natural quiet existed throughout the testing period. The river’s splendid geologic landscape, unusual atmospheric conditions and outstanding wildlife all contributed to a positive outcome.”
The Niobrara River is notable for its beauty, ecological importance, and recreational appeal in the northern Great Plains, U.S.. Six major ecosystems meet in the Niobrara National Scenic River valley, resulting in a special mix of more than 160 plant and animal species. “It is filled with unique, even one-of-a-kind opportunities for the curious and adventurous visitors,” said John Ricks, Nebraska Tourism director.
“97% of the U.S. population faces noise pollution from sources like flights and highways. In fact, the more quiet we have, the more we can see and hear about the world, so we are thrilled to be able to offer it at Niobrara National Scenic River. From a quiet starry night to peaceful natural escapes, it uncovers what cannot be enjoyed in many other places,” stated Susan Cook, another director.
Areas like the Niobrara National Scenic River offer an opportunity to showcase quiet, unspoiled areas in a noisy world. Today, as people’s life is overloaded with noise, the intentional seeking-out of quiet areas is on the rise and with it, the opportunity to engage new travelers in visiting the beautiful, yet still largely hidden treasure of the wild.
1. Which of the following best describes the testing process?| A．Flexible. | B．Reliable. | C．Simple. | D．Loose. |
| A．Ecology imbalance. | B．Biodiversity enrichment. |
| C．Species competition. | D．Tourism boost. |
| A．The joy of winning the award. | B．The outcome of noise pollution. |
| C．The activities of enjoying quiet. | D．The value of natural quiet. |
| A．To call on efforts to reconnect with nature. |
| B．To inform the recognition of a quiet river. |
| C．To display the challenges of protecting ecosystem. |
| D．To stress the need to escape busyness of modern life. |
4 . Even minor changes in behavior can have a positive environmental impact. Therefore, it is suggested to remove or reduce single-use plastic bags from your shopping trips, because the bags break down slowly, causing them to linger in landfills. But how long does a plastic bag really stick around?
The Center for Biological Diversity estimates that it takes a bag roughly 1000 years to break down. The term “break down” is a little misleading, though. Plastic ends up photodegrading (光降解) from ultraviolet (紫外线) radiation because the majority of microorganisms cannot eat it. And even after the bags degrade, the micro-plastics they leave behind may still harm the environment.
While 1000 years seems long, it is only an estimate. Since the invention of plastic bags in the 1950s or so, humankind has never actually seen the substance break down in real time. Instead, scientists have adopted respirometry tests (呼吸运动测量法), which helps estimate the breakdown rate of an organic substance by measuring the CO2 that the microorganisms produce when breaking down the material. When an organic substance, such as food waste, is present, CO2 levels rise, which allows scientists to estimate the rate of breakdown. However, because plastic bags don’t produce any CO2,—microorganisms aren’t eating them, the bags are just sitting there. If buried in a landfill and sheltered from ultraviolet light, plastic bags will last a very long time.
Bags have an impact on the environment beyond just their removal. It takes fossil fuels to make bags; one estimate puts this amount at 12 million barrels (桶) of oil annually. And after a bag has served its purpose in a consumer’s hands, it may then enter the food chain for wildlife. Plastic that builds up along the food chain is consumed by creatures like birds and fish.
While reducing the use of plastic bags is a good idea, choosing a cloth bag might not be the habit that will help the environment the most. The carbon footprint left by the cloth bags must be countered by thousands of uses.
1. What does the underlined word “linger” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Reproduce. | B．Integrate. | C．Emerge. | D．Last. |
| A．Its duration of 1000 years is an overestimate. |
| B．Exposure to ultraviolet light is essential to it. |
| C．Respirometry tests effectively estimate its rate. |
| D．The level of CO2 released during it usually rises. |
| A．The multiple environmental costs of plastic bags. |
| B．The consumption of fuels for plastic bag production. |
| C．The harm of plastic bags to the food chain for wildlife. |
| D．The challenge of removing plastic bags from the ecosystem. |
| A．Declining plastic shopping bag offers. | B．Reducing the production of plastic bags. |
| C．Reusing the same cloth bag repeatedly. | D．Switching from plastic bags to cloth ones. |
5 . The health of our oceans is related to the planet’s overall environmental condition, with ocean currents (洋流) playing a key role in reflecting Earth’s climate. A recent study has shed new light on the impact of rising ocean temperatures on one of these vital current systems.
This significant research provides the first documented proof of a significant slowdown in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation or AMOC (大西洋经向翻转环流). Alexey Mishonov and his team dive deep into the data in NOAA’s World Ocean Atlas to track down the AMOC’s performance over time. Their findings reveal a change: from 1955 to 1994, the AMOC’s flow remained unchanged. However, starting in the mid-1990s, a marked decline in its strength was observed, with a striking reduction in its speed.
Mishonov explains the signs of weakening circulation in Atlantic ocean currents, stating, “If AMOC slows down, the heat exchange will be reduced, which in turn will affect the climate, causing hot areas to get hotter and cold areas to get colder.” This imbalance could have far-reaching effects on global climate patterns, possibly leading to more extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels, disorders to marine (海洋的) ecosystems, and a mass of other climate feedbacks.
Mishonov’s research also touches on the cultural spirit, referring to the dramatic description of a similar scene in the 2004 disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow. While he stated that the film’s scenes with explosive effects is highly exaggerated and not supported by the scientific community, the hidden message — that a significant slowdown in the AMOC could lead to great and unpredictable climate changes — resonates with (与……共鸣) many experts.
As the scientific community continues to uncover the mysteries of our oceans, the significance of Mishonov and his workmates’ work cannot be overstated. Their research contributes to our understanding of the relationship between ocean currents and global climate.
1. How was the research carried out?| A．By referring to huge data. | B．By recording ocean movements. |
| C．By modeling the ocean currents. | D．By doing practical experiments. |
| A．The increased heat exchange has an impact on the climate. |
| B．Rising sea levels from climate change could be prevented. |
| C．The slowdown of AMOC leads to extreme climate conditions. |
| D．The heated temperature may quicken the movement of the ocean. |
| A．To stress how scientific the story is. |
| B．To warn people of uncertain climate change risks. |
| C．To criticize the exaggerated threat in the movie. |
| D．To draw attention to the explosive effects of the movie. |
| A．The AMOC: A Potential Risk to the Earth |
| B．Ocean Currents: The Very Signals of Our Planet |
| C．Water Temperature: A Lasting Unavoidable Change |
| D．Climate Change: An Increasing Concern Around the World |
6 . The production of the cement (水泥) used in concrete is a major contributor to worldwide CO2 emissions. Since we use it a lot in building things, this is a serious problem. But there’s good news: Scientists have made a new kind of concrete that can trap CO2 instead of letting it out. It is a greener way to build things.
The concrete is made by D Company, cooperating with other companies, and is named G-concrete. Here’s how it’s made: A special cement mixture is placed in a curing chamber (养护室) and CO2 is then pumped into the chamber to be absorbed. The absorbed CO2 is then stuck inside the concrete, and will not be released. Crucially, it’s also just as strong as regular concrete.
“Generally, concrete hardens through a chemical reaction between cement and water,” the company explains. “But in G-concrete, over half the cement is replaced with a material we call γ-C2S. Instead of reacting with water, γ-C2S reacts with the CO2 in the air to harden. After mixing the materials needed to create G-concrete, the concrete can be placed in a location with high CO2 levels so it can absorb the CO2 and harden, trapping the gas inside. For example, a thermal power plant (发电厂) or other facilities that produce carbon-heavy waste gases can redirect the gases into a special chamber, where concrete products made with G-concrete can be placed to absorb the CO2 in the gases.”
Obviously, greener concrete is a good thing in itself. And under the right conditions, this could be used to create net-zero buildings, but if it’s not affordable and practical to produce, it’s not going to be widely adopted.
On that note, signs are actually quite hopeful. A representative of the company told us that the cost of producing G-concrete is about three times higher than standard concrete currently used. Work is being undertaken on further reducing this cost and the company believes it will become a lot more affordable in the near future.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Cement production. | B．Building construction. | C．CO2 emission. | D．Concrete use. |
| A．It is environmentally friendly. | B．It is produced in thermal power plant. |
| C．It is harder than regular concrete. | D．It is replaced by a cement mixture. |
| A．Practical function. | B．Production cost. | C．Marketing strategy. | D．Gas emission. |
| A．The Chemical Reaction Behind Concrete Hardening |
| B．G-concrete: A New CO2-absorbing Building Material |
| C．The Environmental Impact Of Traditional Cement Production |
| D．The Economic Possibility Of The Building Material — G-concrete |
7 . Fu Zai, a lovely corgi only six months old who has been trained to be China’s first corgi police dog, made his debut (亮相) during the opening day of a police camp in Weifang, Shandon g Province.
His debut once again hit people’s fixed idea that “little short legs” cannot join the police force. Unlike those long-limbed dogs full of strength and energy, Fu Zai quickly went viral online thanks to his symbolic smile, special short legs and excellent explosion device-seeking abilities.
As a reserve police dog, Fu Zai faces a “heavy workload”: training is scheduled for every morning and afternoon, involving a variety of subjects, such as obedience (服从) exercising, bomb search, sniffing techniques and so on. Throughout the whole process, Fu Zai stood out and outperformed many of his peers at two months old.
However, some have doubted whether this adorable police dog can actually be qualified. In the face of questioning, Fu Zai performed well thanks to its unique advantages in the training. “His strong environmental adaptability, his desire for possession (拥有) of items and his fondness of food are particularly beneficial to our training,” said Wang Yanan, head of the police dog base of the Weifang Public Security Bureau.
“Police dogs are cute, but trainers have done a lot of work and effort to train them,” said Wang. “After a period of further training to adapt to the complex environment, Fu Zai is sure to be appointed and given missions.”
Following four months of training, Fu Zai now can take advantage of his short legs to directly search beneath the car and easily search narrow spaces. He can also improve interactions between police dogs and the public because of his appearance.
1. What should police dogs be like in people’s mind?| A．Energetic and fierce. | B．Smart and cute. |
| C．Devoted and calm. | D．Long-legged and strong. |
| A．He has become a qualified police dog. | B．He can adapt to the surroundings easily. |
| C．He performed best in the training process. | D．He met some problems due to his short legs. |
| A．Confident. | B．Serious. | C．Interested. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Every man has his faults. | B．A good dog deserves a good bone. |
| C．Good things come to those who wait. | D．Never judge a book by its cover. |
8 . There is growing evidence to show that our past knowledge about Mars was not always the case. Now European researchers say they have discovered the first evidence of a huge groundwater system that once existed below the planet’s surface.
A new study was carried out by Francesco Salese and his team, who studied images of 24 deep craters (n.弹坑) in the northern half of the Red Planet. These pictures were captured by ESA’s Mars Express orbiter (n.宇宙飞船), which was launched in 2003. The study provides the first geological proof that Mars once had a “planet-wide groundwater system.”
According to Salese, scientific evidence already suggests Mars was once a watery world. His team says the images showed that large amounts of successive groundwater activity connected the areas they studied. Evidence of basins and coastlines was also found on the surface of Mars, supporting the idea that water was once present. He added that all the basins seemed to reach about the same height.
Scientists have yet to find out what happened to all that water. And the complex history of water on Mars has linked to whether or not life ever existed on it. During the latest study, researchers also discovered evidence of minerals within some of the identified (adj.被识别的) bodies of water.
The researchers say the findings adds weight to the idea that the water basins on Mars may have once held the materials required to support life. Some of this material could still be buried on Mars, providing possible evidence of life during future exploration. Francesco Salese believes the latest findings could also help us learn new things about our own planet.
1. What can we infer about our past knowledge of Mars?| A．It had no water. |
| B．It had no groundwater. |
| C．It had a great groundwater system. |
| D．It had water on the surface of the planet. |
| A．In paragraph 3. | B．In paragraph 2. |
| C．In paragraph 1. | D．In paragraph 4. |
| A．complicated | B．brilliant | C．continuous | D．incredible |
| A．Evidence of water on Mars enables us learn new things about the earth |
| B．Our past knowledge about Mars was incorrect. |
| C．Evidence of life could be revealed by the discovery of water on Mars. |
| D．The ever existence of groundwater system on Mars was discovered. |
9 . Southern Africa is home to most of the world’s black and white rhinos. Because of global warming, the weather in this area is changing quickly. People have worked hard to protect rhinos from being hunted, but until now, no one has really looked at how the changing weather might hurt these animals.
A research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has recently reported that the area will be affected by both higher temperatures and changing precipitation (降水) and the rhinos are more sensitive to rising temperatures, which will quickly increase above the animals’ acceptable maximum threshold.
Over the last 100 years, Africa’s average monthly temperatures have gone up by 0.5℃ to 2℃. Scientists think that in the next 100 years, it might get even warmer, up to 2 more degrees. This change in weather might also change how much rain we get. But here’s the thing：For animals like white and black rhinos, which people have been trying to protect for a long time, will the heat or the rain changes hurt them more? This is a big question because rhinos don’t have sweat to cool down. They stay cool by taking baths and staying in cool shady spots.
To understand how changing climate will affect rhino populations, lead author Hlelowenkhosi S. Mamba and his colleague, focused their efforts on five large national parks representing diverse landscapes in southern Africa that are home to most of the rhinos. They have found that temperature conditions in all study parks will become increasingly unsuitable for both species, but it is predicted that white rhinos will be affected earlier than black rhinos.
“This research highlights the importance of using climate predictions for both park and rhino management,” says Randhir. “We propose that park managers now think about increasing water supplies, tree cover, watching for stress and planning to allow rhino migration as the world warms.”
1. How are rhinos traditionally protected?| A．By building their living habitats. |
| B．By saving them from illegal hunt. |
| C．By monitoring their physical health. |
| D．By removing their breeding surroundings. |
| A．range | B．register | C．average | D．content |
| A．Cooling heat off by sweating. | B．Drinking much water. |
| C．Migrating to other places. | D．Bathing in the water. |
| A．Predicting the weather. | B．Buying new species. |
| C．Boosting habitats. | D．Restricting visitors. |
10 . “They are our guests,” Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar said on an extremely cold day as he and his colleagues broke the ice and dropped grain at bird feeding points on the Hokersar wetland in Kashmir.
Dar and his colleagues are hired by the local government to feed the hungry birds as weather conditions in the region became worse. “Since December, temperatures have dropped to—10℃ and there have been two heavy snowfalls, which have blanketed the vast rice fields and fruit farms in the area. Scores of wetlands and lakes, including parts of the famous Dal Lake, have been covered up by thick ice in Kashmir,” Dar added.
The cries of hundreds of thousands of birds that visit Kashmir during their winter migration (迁徙) have long been a welcome noise for the locals. They arrive from as far away as eastern Europe, Japan and Turkey to feed and produce babies in the wetlands. Officials say at least 700, 000 birds have moved to Kashmir in the past two months and expect more to arrive as temperatures improve in February.
In recent decades, the number of visiting birds has declined, which experts say is due to climate change and urban development. “Construction around the Hokersar wetland, poisonous waste and the changing climate in the area are robbing the birds of their traditional watering holes and nesting areas,” Dar explained.
According to a recent study by the University of Kashmir, the Hokersar wetland shrank (缩小) from nearly 19 square kilometers in 1969 to 12.8 square kilometers today. Fortunately, environmental groups and local residents are also joining hands to feed the hungry birds in the icy conditions.
“It’s not just our official duty to feed them but also an order from Nature,” Dar told me.
1. What does the second paragraph focus on?| A．The icy conditions. | B．The lack of snowfalls. |
| C．The variety of birds. | D．The warming climate. |
| A．The wetland was damaged. | B．The watering holes became very salty. |
| C．The locals tried to poison them. | D．The authorities stopped feeding them. |
| A．It is a big waste to feed them. | B．They may destroy the crops. |
| C．It is annoying to hear their noise. | D．They are their lovely guests. |
| A．The Hokersar wetland has to be protected. |
| B．Wildlife groups and locals did a good job. |
| C．It is absolutely necessary to help those birds. |
| D．The recent study provides valuable information. |
