1 . When this year’s all-woman team arrived on Antarctica’s Goudier Island to run the world’s most remote post office, it was shovels they needed rather than stamps.
They’d traveled some 8,000 miles from the UK, by plane and boat, and Britain’s Royal Navy had helped them dig out their new home at the Port Lockroy scientific base, which was buried up to four meters deep under several tonnes of December snow.
It wasn’t just the frozen wastes that first struck postmaster Clare Ballantyne, who at 23 years old was the baby of the four-woman group. It was that “there’s penguins everywhere.”
More than a thousand Gentoo penguins live on this tiny island on the western side of the Antarctic peninsula (半岛), around the size of a soccer field. Since 1944, when the UK’s first permanent Antarctic base was established here, it’s also become a shelter for explorers, scientists and — in recent years — tourists.
Each year, a team is selected to run and maintain the site from November to March, or summertime in the southern hemisphere. Around 4,000 people applied for this job, but just four made the cut: Ballantyne, base leader Lucy Bruzzone, wildlife monitor Mairi Hilton and shop manager Natalie Corbett.
The job also involves counting penguins: The scientific data they gather on the Gentoos’ breeding patterns is part of a decades-long study of the colony.
When it comes to choosing candidates, “there is no recipe we can follow,” says Ballantyne. “It’s about your ability to work together as a team. Cheeriness goes a long way, being able to see the light in life and resolve problems quickly.”
Ballantyne notes that there has been “a bit of a decline in recent years in the breeding success” of the Gentoo penguins, but says “the causal connect ion is the tricky bit.” While climate change is probably “the biggest driver,” they also need to carefully examine if there’s a “human element” as well. In her opinion, Antarctica tourism has boomed significantly in the past couple of decades, but there aren’t legally enforced limits on tourism, which hopes to be a regulated industry.
1. What is the task of the all-woman team?| A．Making out all the living habits of penguins. | B．Serving as postmasters and environmentalists. |
| C．Designing stamps linked to the Antarctic peninsula. | D．Managing a post office including counting penguins. |
| A．It’s situated on the eastern side of the Antarctic peninsula. |
| B．Some scientists use it as a soccer field in their spare time. |
| C．It’s fit for man to study the Antarctic and live temporarily. |
| D．The number of the penguins on it has risen sharply. |
| A．Being optimistic, competent and cooperative. | B．Being sensitive, courageous and determined. |
| C．Being hardworking, modest and empathetic. | D．Being independent, elegant and generous. |
| A．Climate change leads to the decline of penguins. | B．Polar tourism desires for improved management. |
| C．Humans and penguins live in peace in the Antarctic. | D．Antarctica tourism has influenced climate change. |
2 . ▶Western Sydney University
The university undertakes ranges of sustainability-related research, including sustainable agriculture, soil biology and food security. It has a range of living labs on its campus to aid with teaching and research in areas such as renewable energy, water recycling and natural and cultural heritages.
▶University of Reading
The university offers a range of modules on environmental and social issues to all undergraduate students, regardless of which faculty they are studying in. There is also a free online two-week course where you can investigate the impact of climate change and the research being done into it. The university has a range of sustainability projects, including the Research Woodland and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme.
▶University of Manchester
The university has a range of sustainability measures on campus to reduce waste. The Want Not, Waste Not shop on campus sells a selection of zero-waste products including spices, pulses, cleaning products and beauty products. The university is also working to reduce plastic at all its events, by replacing balloons with paper bunting, using potato-based tokens instead of plastic ones and eliminating plastic water bottles and printed flyers.
▶Manchester Metropolitan University
In April 2021, the university launched the Give It, Don’t Bin It” campaign, which encourages students to donate unwanted items and leftover food to charity partners, including the British Heart Foundation and Manchester Central Food Bank. Donation banks and boxes are situated all over campus. Students wishing to get involved in sustainability can choose from a range of initiatives across campus, including the Sustainability Ambassador scheme and Climate and Social Action Week. Students also run a clothing swap shop and MetMUnch, a student network that focuses on training and pop-ups all around food, nutrition and sustainability.
1. Which university focuses on global climate?| A．University of Reading. | B．University of Manchester. |
| C．Western Sydney University. | D．Manchester Metropolitan University. |
| A．It aims to find more renewable energy. |
| B．MetMUnch focuses on air improvement. |
| C．It has earned a reputation in controlling poverty. |
| D．Its “Give It, Don’t Bin It” helps those in need. |
| A．Development and improvement. | B．Recycling and sustainability. |
| C．Kindness and generosity. | D．Science and technology. |
3 . Volunteer at the EcoTarium! We simply could not offer the programs and special events that make the EcoTarium a unique resource to our community without our diverse and dedicated corps of volunteers. To be considered for a more specific position, look through the volunteer listings below, and submit an application.
Zoo Ambassador Volunteer
Our zoo ambassador volunteers will assist the Zoology Department to connect with guests through engaging educational experiences about our animal residents. We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about animals and excited to interact with guests of all ages. Volunteers may also complete behavioral studies on numerous animals within the care of the EcoTarium to help enhance the welfare for our animals!
Animal Care Volunteer
Animal care volunteers will aid in all areas of husbandry (农牧业), including feeding, cleaning, record keeping, training animals, and behavioral observations. They will work with a variety of animals under our care, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. The position is physically demanding and requires working in all weather conditions.
Education Program Volunteer
Through conversations and hands-on activities, education program volunteers help visitors make meaningful connections to our exhibits, encourage curiosity and scientific inquiry, and challenge visitors to dive deeper into the concepts explored at our museum.
Collections Volunteer
The EcoTarium seeks volunteers who are interested in making a contribution to science by uncovering lost specimens (标本) in the EcoTarium collection! Photograph, measure, and take notes on birds, eggs, seashells, or pressed flowers. This is an excellent position for a high school or college student considering a career in biology or lab science. It is also appropriate for citizen scientists of any age. It offers an opportunity to see examples of rare or extinct plants and animals.
1. What can an animal care volunteer do?| A．Collect lost specimens. |
| B．Learn to feed and clean animals. |
| C．Finish some studies on the exhibits. |
| D．Help elderly visitors interact with animals. |
| A．Collections Volunteer. | B．Animal Care Volunteer. |
| C．Education Program Volunteer. | D．Zoo Ambassador Volunteer. |
| A．To list the advantages of volunteers. |
| B．To spread knowledge about volunteers. |
| C．To train more people to become volunteers. |
| D．To introduce some positions about volunteers. |
4 . Foxes in southern England have apparently developed a taste for automobiles. Instead of wanting to drive them, though, they’re eating vital components. The damage hasn’t just cost U.K. drivers thousands in repair bills. The foxes have also caused dangerous accidents when people have taken to the roads without realizing their brakes no longer work.
Already in 2009, police in the southern county of Kent warned drivers to check their cars’ wires and test their brakes before driving. Indeed, for some reason, the foxes seem to find brake lines particularly attractive. With their cars’ cables broken, drivers have had to get their vehicles fixed. That has resulted in occasionally sky-high bills. The damage has also resulted in accidents. Fortunately, we didn’t find any casualties linked to the foxes, but faulty brakes and cables connected to the animals have been behind crashes and stranded (抛锚) vehicles.
To stop the greedy beasts, motorists have tried all manners of techniques. Yet, the most effective way to keep the foxes away they’ve discovered is wrapping their cars in chicken wire. It’s a trouble to constantly have to take the wire off and put it back on, not to mention the potential scrapes and scratches on the paint. But suppose it’s better than having to get your brake lines repaired — again.
But why are the foxes so crazy about biting car cables? Nobody can say for sure, but it’s most likely a sum of multiple causes. First of all, the insulation materials (绝缘材料) on car cables in the U.K. were changed from petroleum-based materials to soy-derived substances some 15 years ago. Rodents (啮齿动物), from rats to squirrels, have been attracted to the vegetable-based coatings and it could be that foxes find them delicious as well. Another reason probably lies in England’s disappearing woodlands. With fewer wild places left, the foxes are increasingly driven towards cities to find food. And then there’s the issue of people feeding them.
“Foolish people have been feeding foxes and treating them as pets,” said animal psychologist Dr. Roger Mugford. “They normally avoid humans and anything’s been touched by humans but if they are getting food given to them, that’s changed.” If some drivers have been feeding foxes. they’ve brought this problem on themselves. Unfortunately, those same foxes will then proceed to haunt the entire neighborhood
1. What have the foxes in southern England done?| A．They have developed a good taste. |
| B．They have eaten drivers’ repair bills. |
| C．They have damaged some parts of the vehicles. |
| D．They have hit cars and caused some accidents. |
| A．The cost of each car repair is very high. |
| B．Police in Kent are helping drivers chase away foxes. |
| C．Foxes biting car cables have caused a number of rollover accidents and deaths. |
| D．Drivers in some areas were warned years ago about the damage caused by foxes. |
| A．It may cause damage to the car. |
| B．It may trap the drivers sometimes. |
| C．It’s easy to be removed and put back on. |
| D．It can be used to repair the brake lines. |
| A．Changes in car cable insulation materials. |
| B．The area of forestland continues to decrease. |
| C．Some people like to feed foxes |
| D．Foxes and rodents are similar in appearance. |
| A．Praising. | B．Supportive. | C．Grateful. | D．Opposed. |
5 . At first glance the sea turtles look as if they were dead because they hardly move. But if you look closely enough, they show a slow glimpse of life. These turtles are all washed up in Massachusetts every December, on the windy beaches of Cape Cod Bay.
Shaver, chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas, said, “If we don’t help save this species, we will lose a piece that enriches us. There’s a whole variety of things that can harm them: oil spills, boat strikes, red tides, and so on.” That is why all the urgent care they’re getting back up North is more important than ever.
Saving could never happen unless hundreds of pilots were willing to volunteer their time, their planes, and their fuel to rush the rescued turtles to willing rehab facilities (康复中心) all around the country.
On this particular mission, Andrews, vice president of a unique nonprofit called Turtles Fly Too, with his dad as a co-pilot, will fly more than 2,000 miles, from Boston, to Atlanta, then on to Gulfport and finally Dallas, dropping off 44 sick sea turtles along the way, in hopes that one day they’ll be well enough to be released. It is worth mentioning that the pilots that are flying these missions are pulling $1 million out of their pocket to fly these missions every year.
With good care and the help of volunteers, these turtles were finally ready to go home again. According to Andrews, “90% of the turtles that we’ve moved to the rehab facilities have ended up back in the ocean.”
“We humans have not always been kind to the sea and those that live in it. But on this day, it was humans—not me, but the hundreds of veterinarians, biologists, volunteers, and pilots—who all came together to give these critically-endangered sea turtles a second chance that they rarely got,” Andrews added.
1. What happens to the turtles on the beaches of Cape Cod Bay?| A．They are dying out. | B．They adapt to living onshore. |
| C．They are in danger. | D．They are caught by humans. |
| A．Thrilled. | B．Concerned. | C．Annoyed. | D．Moved. |
| A．The pilots’ generous devotion. | B．The division’s urgent care. |
| C．The rehab facilities’ willingness to help. | D．The improvement of the turtles’ habitats. |
| A．It is unsatisfactory. | B．It is less effective. | C．It is controversial. | D．It quite pays off. |
6 . The beauty industry produces many units of one-time use containers every year. More and more consumers are asking how they can keep themselves clean and beautiful without trashing the planet.
It’s a question Women of the Future winner, Natassia Nicolao, considered during her years working in product development for beauty and wellness companies. Raised by a strong and supportive mother, Natassia used her skills and passion to make a difference. In 2021, she created her waterless beauty brand.
She said, “Water is involved in every stage of a product life cycle. Everything we use, buy, sell and make has a huge water footprint. On top of that, the beauty industry adds water as the main ingredients in its products, despite it having no direct benefit to our skin.”
Having lived through water restrictions in drought-ridden Australia, Natassia felt it necessary to stop the overuse of water in the beauty industry. Natassia has always loved beauty. Her company tries to be sustainable in every step of the way, but at its core, it is about removing water from our beauty routines.
“It’s really rooted in water conservation first, and then managing your water footprint, your carbon footprint and your waste footprint,” Natassia said. “We create waterless beauty products to help conserve water.” The glass bottles and jars of her products can be recycled. The oils and wipes are formulated without any water, requiring no water to use. The company also has a piece of game-changing beauty technology: face-wipes and masks that completely dissolve in water.
“The company is still in its beginning,” Natassia said. With the prize money from Women of the Future, she plans to purchase a machine to simplify the creation of the wipes and masks. The publicity, meanwhile, will help her spread the message central to the company’s existence that beauty must do better. Natassia believes that, with a little courage and innovation, it can do.
1. What does the underlined word “trashing” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Studying. | B．Damaging. | C．Exploding. | D．Supporting. |
| A．Her pursuit of profit. | B．Her best beauty skills. |
| C．Her growth environment. | D．Her love of extreme beauty. |
| A．Environmentally friendly. | B．Relatively cheap. |
| C．Elegant. | D．World-famous. |
| A．It has died out. | B．It’s promising. | C．It develops well. | D．It’s worth analysis. |
7 . Catherine Krestyn furnished (布置家具)her home mainly with hard rubbish, such as the chairs, doors and lamps, which have been collected from the street where she lives. And it’s a way of life she’s sharing with her community in the hope of making a difference.
Catherine leads a 6,000-strong online group called Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome, where members upload pictures of their hard rubbish piles for eager locals to find. She started the group in 2022 with her childhood friend Jennie Irving, hoping to build a community of thrift (节俭)where they lived. The pair have stopped more than 7,000 kg of hard rubbish going to landfill since they founded the group.
Some items are ready as they are, like chairs and lamps, and others take a bit of effort to clean up, like the old, wooden doors.
Local teacher Ruth Polgar discovered the group while surfing the Internet and has since decorated her classroom with second-hand items, including artwork she has rehomed from a neighbour. “We regularly take unneeded items from the group and use them for our school projects,” she says.
Running the group can be really challenging for Catherine. But she doesn’t resent those who have to let go of their possessions because of stressful circumstances. “If you’re downsizing or if you’re clearing an old house, quite often you’re desperate for access to easy options,” she says. “Hard rubbish piles are often that option.”
All Catherine wants to do is give her community a way to reduce their waste, and to send a message to those in charge that things need to urgently change.
“The government has big targets around sustainable development leading into 2030. We want to start speeding that up even sooner,” she says. “We’re suffering from our own waste really, so anything that we can all do on a practical level helps. We should first make lifestyle choices and be prepared to go second-hand.”
1. Why did Catherine set up Boroondara Hard Rubbish Rehome?| A．To create a community of thrift. | B．To donate her collection to charity. |
| C．To collect hard rubbish for locals. | D．To decorate the houses for the homeless. |
| A．She prefers second-hand items. | B．She buys items on the Internet. |
| C．She supports Catherine’s cause. | D．She teaches art at a local school. |
| A．Feel angry about. | B．Feel pleased with. |
| C．Show sympathy for. | D．Show interest in. |
| A．Setting ourselves a big goal. | B．Giving throwaways a second life. |
| C．Meeting the government’s requirements. | D．Replacing old furniture regularly. |
8 . Because of a record drought, the Amazon River drops to the lowest level ever recorded. Smaller river systems that feed into the Amazon River have been drying up, leaving boats stranded (搁浅) and people in remote villages with very little food and water. The port of Manaus, where the Amazon River meets with the smaller river Rio Negro in Brazil, recorded 13.59 m of water on Monday compared to 17.60 m a year ago. That was the lowest level since records began in 1902. It was said the drought had affected 481,000 people so far.
The Brazilian government has blamed the drought on the El Nino climate pattern, which has brought hotter and drier weather. The government said it was expected the drought would last until at least December, when El Nino’s effects are forecast to reach the highest point.
The drought has made it hard to access food, drinking water and medicines, which are usually transported by river. After months without rain, some rainforest villagers were relieved when a Brazilian charity delivered supplies to their community. Some areas could still be reached by canoe, but many boats hadn’t been able to bring supplies along the river and a lot of supplies were being delivered by tractor. The drought also affected the cleanliness of the village’s drinking water. As a result, many children were getting ill and often having fever. Villagers said it wasn’t very good for them because they were practically isolated (隔绝).
El Nino has also affected the animals of the river. More than 100 endangered river dolphins are thought to have died because of high water temperatures. The Amazon rainforest represents about half of the remaining rainforest left on Earth and is home to more than one million species, or a third of all known land plants, animals and insects. About 150—200 billion tons of carbon is stored in the Amazon rainforest, making it important for the health of the whole planet.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?| A．Water level in Manaus hit its lowest in over a century. |
| B．The Amazon River has been drying up and disappearing. |
| C．It is important for the global fight against climate change. |
| D．It forces villagers living in the rainforest to leave their homes. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Concerned. | C．Content. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．It contains almost all of the world’s fresh， flowing water. |
| B．It will cause the widespread droughts around the world. |
| C．It is important for the global fight against climate change. |
| D．It forces villagers living in the rainforest to leave their homes. |
| A．The Ecosystem of the Amazon Rainforest |
| B．The Importance of the Amazon River |
| C．The Amazon River and Its Rainforest |
| D．The Lowest Level of the Amazon River |
9 . Scientists have recently discovered the world’s largest known field of sea grass. They did it using videos shot by some extraordinary helpers. The work should help protect the sea grass, and also shows off a powerful way to explore the ocean.
As a shelter for many sea creatures, sea grasses are flowering plants that normally grow in shallow waters near coasts. They grow in thick fields, known as seagrass meadows (海草床), which help clean the ocean water. More importantly, they are called “ocean lung”. They help in the fight against the climate crisis. That’s because they store huge amounts of carbon — the major source of global warming.
Considering the urgent need to protect seagrass meadows and the challenges to spot them, scientists decided to have tiger sharks help the research.
Tiger sharks are inborn fast swimmers, and spend a lot of time in seagrass meadows. Between 2016 and 2020, the researchers attached cameras and other trackers to the fins of seven tiger sharks, and then let them go again. The cameras were designed to fall off after hours and float to the surface. Tracking signals helped find the floating cameras and collect the videos the sharks had taken while traveling for miles. Moreover, other tools were used, including satellite images, as well as images taken by divers and boats.
Putting all this information together, the scientists learned that the waters around the Bahamas are home to the largest seagrass meadow ever discovered. Different from previous studies, the program discovers how useful large underwater animals can be in helping to learn more about life under the sea. Oliver Shipley, a scientist from the team, says animals like tiger sharks are going to take us to new places that we didn’t know existed.
1. Why do seagrass meadows urgently need protection?| A．Damaging them will worsen climate crisis. |
| B．They determine the cleanliness of ocean water. |
| C．Sea creatures can’t survive without their shelter. |
| D．Their existence balances the underwater ecosystem. |
| A．By tracking signals scientists sent. |
| B．By bringing back cameras with videos. |
| C．By carrying the recording equipment around. |
| D．By spending a lot of time in seagrass meadows. |
| A．Leading scientists. | B．Unusual research assistants. |
| C．Multiple experimental tools. | D．Advanced theories. |
| A．The Cooperation between Man and Animals |
| B．The key to protecting the Sea—Tiger Sharks |
| C．Sea Grass: An Undervalued Plant |
| D．Ocean Lung Monitored in a New Way |
10 . Should we hide in the “Triangle (三角) of Life” when the earthquake comes?
At 1:39 on June 15, a magnitude (里氏) 3.1 earthquake occurred in Qingpu District, Shanghai, with a focal depth of 8 kilometers. Earthquakes are one of the major natural disasters, so how to avoid danger and self rescue during earthquakes has become a topic of great concern.
There has always been a saying on the Internet that when an earthquake comes, collapsed objects and solid large objects will form a triangular space around them(the “Triangle of Life area”), and hiding in this area will have a greater probability of survival, which many people believe deeply.
In this regard, the China Earthquake Administration said that although observing the ruins after the earthquake, we can find that there are similar triangular spaces in some places.
However, when an earthquake occurs, people cannot know in advance the way of the earthquake, the direction of the collapse of buildings or objects, and it is difficult to know where there will be the so-called “Triangle of Life”.
The “Triangle of Life area” was proposed by an American disaster relief worker named Kupp, who believed that traditional self-help methods such as drilling tables were no longer suitable for people living in modern buildings. The collapsed floor structure would crush the tables or beds for refuge, and only hiding in the triangle area could survive.
Although the “Triangle of Life area” self-help method has been popular for more than ten years. However, the American Red Cross, the California State Emergency Service Office and earthquake experts have all pointed out the irrationality of the “Triangle of Life”. The Chinese Ministry of Emergency Management has also provided a refutation explanation.
In fact, after an earthquake, the internationally recognized most reliable method of self rescue is ‘lying on the ground, blocking, and holding onto your hands’. You should lie down, squat down, or sit down, try to lower the center of gravity of the body, and protect important parts such as the head, neck, eyes, and mouth and nose.
1. What information can we learn about the “Triangle of Life” in the first three paragraphs?| A．The Triangle of Life area is an official definition. |
| B．Many people believe in the “Triangle of Life”. |
| C．The earthquake in Shanghai has caused panic among the masses. |
| D．When an earthquake strikes, one should hide in the triangle area. |
| A．To protect himself | B．To overthrow the government |
| C．To avoid earthquakes | D．To attract attention |
| A．Its unpredictability | B．Its out-of-date construction |
| C．Its instability | D．Its illegality |
| A．Newspaper | B．Horror Book | C．History Book | D．Science Magazine |
