2 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Should we be rewilding more land?

Every day in the US, 6,000 acres of open land are cleared for various purposes such as farming, housing, roads, and others. This has led to concerns among scientists     1     believe that losing more open land can harm the planet. Natural habitats such as untouched forests, grasslands, and waterways provide numerous benefits     2     wildlife habitats, clean water, and reduced air pollution. To counter this trend, efforts are underway     3     the world to return animals and plants to certain areas. However, some people argue that rewilding is     4     expensive and risky process that may not work and could cause harm.

Despite the potential risks, rewilding can help slow down climate change by restoring forests that absorb harmful gases like carbon dioxide. It can also prevent species from     5    (die) out and reset natural ecosystems. For example, gray wolves     6    (reintroduce) in Yellowstone National Park in 1995, after being hunted to extinction there. The wolves reduced the booming population of elks (麋鹿),     7     gave the plants the elks ate a chance to thrive and serve as habitat for animals like beavers and birds.

    8     its environmental benefits, rewilding can also provide jobs for workers and scientists and attract visitors to an area. Despite the potential concerns and risks     9    (associate) with rewilding, it is an important tool for protecting the planet and its diverse ecosystems. As such, efforts     10     be made to ensure that rewilding projects are conducted responsibly and with careful consideration of their potential impact on the environment.

3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Meet the Islands

Located 86 km north-east of Bougainville in the South Pacific, the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea are composed of low-lying islands     1     (distribute) in a horseshoe shape, with a total land area of 0.6 square kilometers and a maximum elevation of 1.5 meters above sea level.

The Carteret Islands are believed     2     (inhabit) for more than one thousand years. Few places are as calm, peaceful and beautiful as the seaside here on a calm day. People are very     3     (welcome), gentle, and calm. There’s no phone network, shops, computers, roads, cars, or motorbikes. Food is cooked on open fires. People here live sustainably. They don’t overfish or pollute, making no contribution to the warming of our planet. However, they are feeling the consequences of the climate change.

Now, as the land     4     (swallow) by the rising sea, the islanders are faced with an uncertain future. Storms and high tides wash away homes, destroy vegetable gardens and pollute fresh water supplies. The trees on the island are also being impacted by the saltwater. The beach exists     5     fertile soil once did.     6     the coral and seagrasses die, so do the breeding areas for fish. Many seawalls have been built     7     with little success. The islands have gradually become uninhabitable.

The Carteret islanders are labelled as the world’s first official climate-change refugees, as they are forced to abandon their homelands     8     food shortages, rising sea levels, sinking shorelines, and the dangers of storms and tides. In front of     9     is the choice whether to stay and watch the islands shrink and slowly disappear or try to rebuild their community somewhere else. Yet, the relocation is not a move embraced by most, and some are unhappy living away from their home, and have returned after struggling to adapt. On the other hand, relocation will be a great challenge to the preservation of the identity and culture of the Carteret islanders.

The Carteret Islanders’ story illustrates how small island states and coastal communities fall victim     10     rising sea levels caused by climate change. The Carteret Islanders, with a carbon footprint among the lowest in the world, will be among the first to have to leave their homes because of rising seas caused by emissions from other nations.

4 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Tall, young and active

November 14, 1963 was a cold morning. This was nothing out of the ordinary for the fisherman. They were used to the winter weather around Iceland. Suddenly, however, they saw something unusual. Thick, black smoke was pouring out of the sea.     1     (think) a boat was on fire, they raced toward it. Yet as they got closer, they realized it was     2     quite different. Magma (岩浆) was rubbing away from the ocean floor. The fishermen watched as a new island rose from the sea. This island, later     3     (name) Surtsey, joined the thousands of volcanic islands worldwide.

The island of Hawaii is one of the most well-known volcanic islands. Lava (熔岩) from multiple volcanoes built this island. One of these volcanoes is Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea began under the ocean over 1 million years ago. Magma broke through the Earth’s crust- that is, the outer layer of the earth.     4     the magma cooled, it formed an underwater mountain. About 100,000 years ago, the mountain rose     5     sea level. Eruption (喷发) then became more frequent and more violent. Layers of lava hardened into rock. Now, Mauna Kea     6     (measure) 9,966 meters from ocean floor to mountain peak, making it the world’s highest mountain.

Fortunately for Hawaiians, Mauna Kea volcano is quiet - for the time being.     7     volcano on the same island is anything but quiet. Kilauea is smaller than Mauna Kea. However, it has erupted nonstop since 1983 and is the world’s most active volcano,     8     produces between 300,000 and 600,000 m² of lava every day. Over the past two decades. It     9     (add) more than 540 acres to the island. In spite of the danger, it is a popular tourist attraction. Yet,     10     this popular tourist attraction contributes to the Hawaiian economy financially also comes at a cost. Kilauea is responsible for taking both lives and homes.

6 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

A New Orchid was Found in Japan

Nature is full of secrets. There are still many things to find out about it. One of those things was discovered last week in Japan. It is rare to find a new plant in Japan. An amateur naturalist came across a new species of orchid     1     other flowers in Tokyo. Scientists also found the flower elsewhere in other districts, an indication that the new species     2     deserve further investigation.

The newly-found orchid is beautiful. It is pink and white, it has a central stem, around     3     grow tiny, bell-shaped flowers, and its delicate petals (花瓣) look like they are made from glass. The flower is a neighbor to a(n)     4     (relate) orchid species common in Japan.

Sometimes unknown species are often living right under our noses — in parks, gardens and even in planters on balconies. That’s     5     researchers in Japan recently recognized this new species of orchid. Professor Kenji Suetsugu from Kobe University said the discovery of new species in usual places means it is necessary to keep exploring, even in everyday places that     6     (not look) so remarkable.

There are about 28,000 orchid species worldwide. The new orchid belongs to a class called Spiranthes. There are about 50 different kinds of Spiranthes. They are     7     (familiar) kind of orchid in Japan, for they appeared in a Japanese poem dating to 759 AD. Professor Suetsugu said he and his colleagues were “delighted     8     (identify) a new species”. He said it was exciting because it wasn’t found hidden deep in a rainforest or jungle. The discovery of the new orchid is good news. However, many orchids are on the endangered species list due to habitat loss. We need to protect natural environments to stop flowers     9     (disappear). The world will be far less colourful     10     we lose more orchids.

7 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

A rare hole has opened up in the ozone layer above the Arctic, in     1     scientists say is the result of unusually low temperatures in the atmosphere above the north pole.

The hole has reached record dimensions, but is not expected to pose any danger to humans     2     it moves further south.     3     it extends further south to overpopulated areas, such as southern Greenland, people will be at increased risk of sunburn. However, on current trends the hole is expected to disappear altogether in a few weeks.

Low temperatures in the northern polar regions led to an unusual stable polar vortex (极地漩涡), and the presence of ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorine (氯) in the atmosphere - from human activities-caused the hole     4     (form) .

It is now too early to say     5     the unusually stable Arctic polar vortex conditions are linked with the climate crisis, or part of normal stratospheric weather variability. Peuch said there were no direct implications for the climate crisis. Temperatures in the region are already increasing,     6     (slow) the destruction of ozone.

    7     a hole over the Arctic is a rare event, the much larger hole in the ozone layer over the Antarctic has been a major cause for concern for more than four decades. The production of ozone-destroying chemicals     8     (reduce) dramatically, under the 1987 Montreal Protocol (蒙特利尔协议) , but some sources appear still to be functioning.

New sources of ozone-destroying chemicals were not a factor in the hole     9     (observe) in the Arctic, said Peuch. “However, this is a reminder that one should not take the Montreal Protocol measures for granted, and that observations from the ground and from satellites are central to avoiding a situation     10     the ozone-destroying chemical level in the stratosphere could increase again.”

8 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

The Last Generation

Rising sea levels threaten the very existence of the Pacific island nations. And young people     1     families have deep roots on the islands are starting to wonder if they will be the last generation. But the islanders’ determination is as strong as their connection to their home.

The nations of the Pacific Islands recognize that     2     it comes to climate change, they are all in the same boat. Working together, they set about     3     (look) for ways to take charge and address the problem. There’s one feature of island life that gives these small nations an opportunity to make a big difference. People on islands rely on most of the things     4     (deliver) by ships, and the environmental impact     5     the marine transportation is enormous.

    6     (realize) it was up to them to come up with solutions in their own backyards (bays and harbors), Pacific islanders came up with a plan. At the United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2019, the governments of Fiji and the Marshall Islands announced the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership, which promises a 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions from shipping by 2030     7     wants to achieve zero-carbon shipping by 2050.

They plan to adopt some really cool, environmentally friendly, carbon-free technologies, including solar-powered ships and hydrogen fuel cells. Through the partnership and their efforts     8     (assemble) a fleet (舰队) of these greener ships, Pacific island nations are leading the world by example. They’re hoping their move     9     start a wave of change in the shipping industry.

Sea levels are rising, but hopes aren’t sinking in the Pacific islands, where people are fighting for life and land. The citizens of these island nations     10     (inspire) to work together so they all can survive and develop in their homelands for generations to come.

10 . Directions: After reading the passages below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Now, Mount Everest is actually an interesting comparison of a new approach     1    how we deal with garbage produced in the course of space exploration, as it’s often given the dubious hono r(耻辱) of being the world’s highest garbage dump. Decades after the first conquest of the world’s highest peak, tons of rubbish left behind by climbers     2     (start) to raise concern, and you may have read in the news that there’s expectation     3    Nepal will crack down on mountaineers with stricter enforcement of penalties and legal obligations. The goal, of course, is to persuade climbers to clean up after themselves, so maybe local not-for-profits will pay climbers who bring down extra waste, or expeditions might organize voluntary cleanup trips. And yet still many climbers feel that independent groups     4    police themselves. There’s no simple or easy answer, and even well-intentioned efforts at conservation often run into problems. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do     5    is in our power to protect the environments that we depend on, and like Everest, the remote location and inadequate infrastructure (基础设施)of the orbital environment make waste disposal a challenging problem. But we simply cannot reach new heights and create an even higher garbage dump,     6    out of this world.

The reality of space is that     7    a component on a satellite breaks down, there really are limited opportunities for repairs, and only at great cost. But what if we were smarter about     8    we designed satellites? What if all satellites, regardless of what country they were built in, had to be standardized in some way for recycling, servicing or active deorbiting (脱离轨道)? What if there actually were international laws that enforced end-of-life disposal of satellites instead of moving them out of the way as a temporary solution? Or maybe satellite manufacturers need     9    (charge) a deposit to even launch a satellite into orbit, and that deposit would not be returned     10    the satellite was disposed of properly. Or maybe a satellite needs to have technology on board to help accelerate deorbit.