1 . Direction: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. recorded            B. roughly            C. especially            D. narrow            E. advocate F. transformation       G. challenge       H. emitting               I. changing          J. address          K. strive

“Climate change is moving faster than we are,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said back in 2018 in his     1     to the UN General Assembly — a statement that in hindsight now rings     2     true.

The essential goal of the Paris agreement of 2015 has been to limit the rise in average global temperatures to no more than 2℃ above pre-industrial levels — a time period centered     3     on the mid-19th century. The aspirational or wished — for objective of the agreement is to     4     for a rise in temperatures that doesn’t exceed 1.5℃.

But with carbon dioxide levels in the global atmosphere topping 420 parts per million — the highest level in     5     history — the 1.5℃ target appears to many experts to be out of reach. A United Nations report in 2018 concluded as much, saying back then that average global temperatures will likely reach 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels sometime between 2030 and 2052 if emissions continue rising as they have been.

With a 1.5℃ rise, about 4% of Earth’s terrestrial land area is projected to undergo a     6     of ecosystems from one type to another. With a 2℃ global temperature rise, about 13% is projected to undergo a shift. Across the American West, ecosystems stressed by diminished snow-melt, drought, insect infestations, and wildfire are     7     forests from the Rockies to the Sierra Nevada. Ten percent of iconic Giant Sequoia trees died in wildfires in the Sierra Nevada in 2020.

According to the UN’s 1.5℃ report, the world’s countries     8     the largest amounts of carbon dioxide have to turn things around soon: to limit warming to 1.5℃, global net greenhouse gas emissions from human activity must decline by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, and reach net zero by 2050. To limit warming to 2℃, emissions must decline by about 25% by 2030 and reach net zero by about 2070.

Despite the great     9     ahead, IEA chief Fatih Birol remarked recently that clean energy investments can still “shift the world on to a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050”.

The path “is     10     but still achievable”, he said, “if we act now.”

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. effective          B. matter                 C. sustains          D. rest                  E. ecosystems             F. destroying G. miles               H. optimistically        I. crucial             J. significantly       K. generates

Our planet is our home, the place that    1    us; but are we living in harmony with nature? It seems like we humans have embraced a path of self-destruction,     2    the very home that shelters us. From rising carbon emissions, to deforestation and land degradation, anthropogenic activities are having detrimental effects on our    3    and environmental biodiversity. Not many are aware that the United Nations General Assembly had declared the period of 2011-2020, as the “Decade for Biodiversity”. We have just gone through the final period of this    4    decade, and despite several strategic plans and initiatives to mobilize people at different levels, we are    5    behind in achieving the stipulated targets. The negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems conservation, indicate that we need to do a lot more.

As teenagers, sometimes we feel helpless and powerless, unable to take action, or do things that really    6    to us, since governments and large corporations are the ones taking vital decisions. While major changes are only possible if countries and corporations alter their policies and actions, we as individuals also have the potential to make a difference, whether through small actions, or larger initiatives. Let’s not forget that consumers dictate markets, and they can    7    impact the way goods are produced and traded if they decide to change their consumption habits.

Recycling is a simple, yet    8    way of conserving resources and reducing your individual carbon footprint. Rather than throwing everything in the trash, separate your plastic, paper, and metal waste, and deposit it in a recycling bin. Recycling helps reduce landfill pollution, raw materials and fossil fuel consumption, and    9    a circular economy.

Lastly, think about your purchasing habits. As natural resources are limited, our excessive consumption can be counter-productive, and undermine our planet’s biodiversity.

The hopes of the world    10    on young people.

3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. efforts        B. hit        C. limits        D. link          E. managed       F. means G. promoting       H. push        I. reducing       J. separated     K. spared

In many big cities around the world, gas-powered vehicles are one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions. Therefore, when the Canadian city of Vancouver set ambitious goals of     1    its carbon footprint, its planners knew that green transportation had to be a big part of the solution.

The city has     2    a near-miraculous transformation of transportation. Today, around 50 percent of journeys in Vancouver are made through sustainable     3    —cycling, walking or using public transit. The city once set a goal that by 2020, ten percent of all commutes would take place on bikes. It     4    that goal three years early.

The success story began back in the 1960s when Vancouver decided not to build highways. The city remains the only major North American city with no highways within the city     5    , says Brent Toderian, Vancouver’s former chief planner. Instead of building a bridge across English Bay, the city chose to create a ferry service.

Today, walking, cycling and public transit all     6    up so that Vancouver citizens can travel car-free quite easily. Cycling is the fastest-growing mode of transport in the city. Because almost a quarter of all bike lanes are     7    from traffic lanes, people can ride their bikes without having to share their roads with cars and trucks.

In addition to building cycling infrastructure(基础设施) and     8    public transit, Vancouver has also incorporated dozens of electric cars in its municipal fleet(车队). According to Sadhu Johnston, the city manager, it’s all about setting a good example. “If we can all drive an electric car, it’s much better for air quality in the city,” he explains.

Vancouver now boasts some of the lowest carbon emissions in the world. Its story shows that small     9     eventually make big differences. It reminds us of an old proverb: The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Perhaps more cities should follow Vancouver’s example and begin a serious     10    to promote sustainable transport right away.

4 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. raise               B. involvement               C. enable               D. basic          E. constant        F. champions G. aftermath            H. engage               I. step                  J. educational            K. issues

Countless animal welfare groups, rescues and funds exist today which help animals on the     1    level—to get them out of harm’s way, fund their care and rehabilitation, and get them into caring homes or back into natural environments. On a more expansive level however, animal education foundations and charities are the     2    of promoting animal equality and compassion for all creatures, and helping us all to become more aware of our environment, and the animals that we share it with.

Animal education foundations as a whole are organizations that support animal health research, provide education to the public on animal welfare     3    , and foster the ideas of compassion and coexistence. They encourage public     4    in these humane interests, and in furthering public awareness in general. Some Foundations get involved in large-scale rescue or other local-level activity, but what these types of organizations do best is to     5    awareness, collect money through corporate, philanthropic and public donations, and fund groups that are actually out there working with the animals by rescuing, providing care and remedying their mismanagement, or by funding scientific studies that benefit animal welfare. Animal cruelty is a(n)     6    battle, with legitimate rescue groups and shelters rarely having enough money for their needs; many times it is an animal education foundation that will     7    in with a grant to help them in their missions.

Through the use of     8    material, media coverage and their support of other humane groups, animal education foundations exist to teach compassionate, humane care of all animals and to learn more about these creatures that share our world so that we can     9    them to live better lives. With a message that it is better to educate people how to prevent cruelty, than to deal with the     10    , these charitable foundations spread their messages far and wide, offering much food for thought, and providing a caring example of how all creatures and the environment should be treated so that people and animals can live together in harmony.

5 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. control               B. cruelty               C. suffer               D. entertain          E. automatically          F. odd G. alternate            H. committed             I. slight               J. attached          K. consciously

About Dancing Bear

The cruel practice of dancing bears was made illegal in 1972. However, in the decades that followed bears were still caught from the wild and beaten and mutilated to force them to dance. A nomadic tribe called the Kalandars used the bears to     1    villagers and tourists who would pay to watch the bear “dance“ while in tremendous pain.

Young bears are captured in the wild, separated from their mothers, and taught by a trainer to become dancing bears in conditions of unimaginable     2    . The young animals are forced on to sheets of glowing hot metal and, and in order to escape the pain, the bears     3    lifting up one paw and then another while music is played. The process is repeated again and again until the animals     4    begin to raise their paws—to ”dance“ in fear of the pain, even when there are no metal sheets.

A red hot poker would be driven through the muzzle of the bear, often a baby, with no anaesthetic(麻醉剂). As the bears get older the trainers keep them under     5    by inflicting pain. They do this by putting rings through the bears’ highly sensitive noses and jaws. No anaesthetic is used for this painful process. Chains are     6    to the rings so that the trainers can control the animals, which weigh up to 350 kilograms, with only a     7    tug on the chain.

The bears’ claws are trimmed several times a year and their teeth broken or removed so that they can’t injure their trainer. The bears also     8    with an inadequate diet that usually consists of white bread, sugar and cheap fruit juices. All these cause serious physical health problems for the bears. Many also display     9    behaviour such as swaying and pacing and harming themselves as they can’t follow natural behavioural patterns and instincts.

Luckily, many people are     10    to rescuing bears and providing them with a safe haven where they can live free from fear and pain for the rest of their lives. The rescuers aim to give them not only food and shelter but an environment which is as close as possible to life in the wild to keep them mentally and physically active.

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. gain     B. dramatic     C. capture     D. species   E. concretely   F. critical G. left     H. advance     I. smuggled   J. largely   K. conservation

Orang-utan live deep in the jungle of South-East Asia. For years, they were a complete mystery to humans. Hunters sometimes saw these shy animals from a distance, but rarely got a good look at them. No one was certain whether they were a race of humans or a kind of monkey. Indeed, the name ”orang-utan“ means ”man of the forest“. Finally, about 150 years ago, scientists confirmed that orang-utans were a(n)     1    of ape. Since then, people have been able to come into increased contact with orang-utans. Consequently, we have learnt much about them.

While the     2    of civilization has brought us more knowledge about orang-utan, it has caused the orang-utan many problems, and now these wonderful creatures are threatened with extinction. In 1900, there were several hundred thousand orang-utans living in the wild. Now there are fewer than 24,000     3    in the world. Some experts even believe that orang-utans will become extinct by the year 2023.

Humans are     4    to blame for this decline. Altogether, 80% of the orang-utan’s natural habitats has been destroyed by companies cutting down trees for financial     5    . Another problem is the trade in orang-utan babies. Every year, thousands of these babies are     6    to other countries, where they serve as zoo animals or as pets. Unfortunately, to     7    an orang-utan baby, its mother must be killed as well.

In order to save the orang-utan, many     8    centres have been set up to preserve their natural habitats. Governments and volunteers are also working to rescue pet orang-utans and return them to the wild. However, this may be too little, too late. The existence of orang-utans is at a     9    stage. People must take     10    action if orang-utans are to survive in the future.

7 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. sustainable     B. potential     C. particularly     D. profitable   E. nature F. supply       G. compare     H. alternative     I. restore     J. ultimately K. fancy

While giant sharks are more common sea monsters in films, jellyfish also pose a major threat in real life—with some being able to kill people with their stings. And the     1    danger they cause doesn’t stop there, with reports of them attacking salmon farms, shutting down power stations and incapacitating(使丧失能力)warships. There are even some scientists in Australia researching whether box jellyfish could     2    destroy our oceans—so could destroying them be a possible solution?

The huge number of jellyfish in our oceans means that if we did start eating them, there is already a large     3    of these potential morsels to be dined on. Also, some people argue that due to their reproductive cycle, jellyfish are actually a(n)     4    food source. Removing a jellyfish from the ocean doesn’t stop new ones being born. This is because they are spawned(孵出)from polyps on the seabed. In some ways, you can     5    them to apples. When you take an apple from a tree, the tree still goes on to produce more apples.

What about their nutritional value? Jellyfish contain 36 calories per ounce, which puts it on a par with iceberg lettuce. However, unlike lettuce, it is full of protein, making it potentially a great diet food. And indeed, in many parts of the world,     6    in Asia, they are already consumed, often raw, fried or chopped up as part of a salad. The demand for these animals, combined with their numbers, means that selling jellyfish is becoming an ever more     7     business.

But what do they taste like? While some say they are flavourless, others describe them as having a salty taste. This could be due to their absorbent(能吸收液体的)     8    , which also leads them to being often served in a sauce. As for the texture, some people negatively compare the experience to eating gristle.

So, the next time you     9    chowing down on some fish, you might look at jellyfish as a sustainable     10    . They might not be the tastiest thing you’ve ever eaten, but it beats fleeing the sea to avoid being stung.

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. overheated               B. considerably               C. plates               D. releasing          E. confident F. heading                  G. frequently                    H. extinction            I. damaging            J. attempt K. delivered

Last week’s United Nations report on the health of the planet and the services it provides made for very uncomfortable reading. It shows that humans are making a complete mess of things, destroying biodiversity and     1    ecosystems. The pressure we are placing on the planet through overexploitation of resources on land, sea and air is driving the Earth and its human cargo towards a catastrophic(灾难性的)end, one that will trigger a global mass     2    which may make the planet uninhabitable.

The sad thing is we can see this crisis     3    our way but don’t seem to be able to do anything to save ourselves. This isn’t just about climate change, although those who deny the human impact on climate may use similar arguments in a(n)     4    to undermine(暗中破坏)the UN report.

It may be portrayed(描述)as exaggeration or bad science, or an issue of dispute among the international team of scientists who compiled the report. Fake news. There is no dispute about the facts     5    , that at least a million species are now in serious decline or facing extinction. These species could disappear and if things continue as they are, another million more could follow.

We are shortening our odds     6    if you look at the UN report. We are damaging the web of life and the way that species interconnect and interact, but we don’t know to what end or how the damage we are causing will impact on ourselves. Are we     7    that humans would survive a runaway greenhouse effect for example? Would we be able to use technology to help us survive? But what of the social unrest(动荡)and migration that would follow a failure of crops in dry,     8    climates?

One direction we cannot turn to for help is planet Earth itself. It too evolves over geological[地质(学)的]time as the     9    that make up its surface ride across the planet. It makes mountains and creates inland seas. It kicks off environment-changing volcanoes and lets geology alter its surface. It doesn’t care if a species pollutes its oceans with plastic or tears down oxygen-     10    forests. It is life, in whatever form, that instead must adjust to accommodate changes in the planet that arise through natural causes or careless intervention.

9 . After reading the passage below, fill in each blank with a proper word given in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. captured               B. released               C. alive               D. competition               E. close F. adjusting               G. hunts                  H. typical             I. transformed               J. safety        K. shared

The Rebirth of an Ancient Craft: Eagle Hunting

   

When school is done on Fridays, Zamanbol, a 14-year-old eagle huntress, heads back home, finishes her homework and does her chores as     1    teenagers do anywhere. On Saturdays, she saddles up her horse, treks (艰苦跋涉) deep into snow-capped mountains and     2    wild beasts with a trusted partner: her trained bird of prey. She is part of a generation of nomadic (游牧的) youth who are embracing customs centuries old as they seek connection with their roots and the wild in a world being     3    by technology.

Just as Zamanbol began learning the craft at a young age, the training of the birds starts soon after an eaglet is     4    from the nest, often after a hunter has made a rugged (崎岖的) climb up a cliff. The resulting relationship between hunter and eagle is     5    and spans years; some last more than a decade, with a few hunters even talking about the eagle as if it were their child.

Female eagles, larger and stronger than males, are used almost exclusively in the hunt. Once grown to about 15 pounds, the eagles ride with their hunters on horseback into the mountains, where they are     6    to scan the landscape for prey, typically foxes and rabbits. But wolves are the true prize, even if the hunters fear for their birds’     7    when they go in for the dangerous, and brutal (野蛮的) kill.

Eagle hunting almost vanished in the last century. It was kept     8    by the Altai Kazakhs in western Mongolia in Bayan-Olgii Province, where at least 400 ethnic Kazakhs have formally registered as eagle hunters.

Now, for perhaps the first time in its history, the art, and its essential role in Altai Kazakh culture, is being     9    with outsiders. Hunters come together for the Golden Eagle Festival, held around early October, to compete with each other in a two-day gathering open to tourists.

A popular 2016 documentary film about Aisholpan, a young eagle huntress who won the festival’s hunting     10    in 2014, helped bring the Altai Kazakh culture to international attention.

10 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. projects               B. affected               C. issuing               D. dependence     E. urgently F. prolonged             G. miraculously        H. restore               I. former            J. vanishing          K. inaction

UN Report: World Could Lose Coral Reefs by End of Century

According to a recent United Nations Environmental Programme report, reefs worldwide are in danger of     1    by the end of this century, under the pressures of ocean warming and coral bleaching (漂白).

Using a new generation of climate models employed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the report     2    that Cayman’s reefs could be experiencing annual severe bleaching by 2035.”In the face of     3    , coral reefs will soon disappear,” Leticia Carvalho, head of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s Marine and Freshwater Branch, said following the     4    of the report in late December.

Coral bleaching occurs when corals react to rising water temperatures by expelling (排出) the microscopic algae (微藻) living in their tissues. Although the     5    coral may appear white and lifeless at this point, it is still alive and can     6    its algae if conditions improve and the water temperature drops. However, the UN report points out that the loss of the algae puts the coral under increased stress, and if the bleaching persists, the coral will die. With     7    bleaching that continues over several years, the corals have no opportunity to recover.

The latest report offers two possible scenarios of what happens next—a “worst-case” one involving continued global use and     8    on fossil fuels, and a “middle-of-the-road” one in which countries exceed their current pledges (誓言) to cut back on fossil fuels and limit carbon emissions by 50%. Under the     9    scenario, all of the world’s reefs will bleach by the end of the century. If jurisdictions (管辖区域) do manage to achieve the “middle-of-the-road” scenario, severe bleaching could be delayed by 11 years, to 2045. It means we really need to do it even more     10    and take more action because it’s even worse than what we thought.