1 . Afroz Shah, a lawyer in Mumbai, hasn’t had a weekend off in four years. But he hasn’t spent this time preparing for
His mission? Saving the world’s oceans from
It’s a calling he found in 2015 after moving to a community in Mumbai called Versova Beach. He had played there as a child and was
“The whole beach was like a
In October 2015, Shah began
For Shah, the work has always been a
He’s now spent 209 weekends on this mission,
“This world talks too much. I think we must talk
| A．teaching | B．court | C．housework | D．cleaning |
| A．river | B．soil | C．plastic | D．oil |
| A．upset | B．excited | C．delighted | D．hesitant |
| A．grown | B．changed | C．reserved | D．protected |
| A．pure | B．golden | C．shiny | D．visible |
| A．carpet | B．curtain | C．painting | D．photograph |
| A．temporary | B．permanent | C．ugly | D．pretty |
| A．sticks to | B．keeps off | C．gives back | D．ends up |
| A．killer | B．cleaner | C．guest | D．decoration |
| A．sweeping | B．attacking | C．visiting | D．beautifying |
| A．pulling | B．thinking | C．picking | D．looking |
| A．came | B．failed | C．went | D．spread |
| A．involved | B．lived | C．stuck | D．paid |
| A．easy | B．tough | C．personal | D．general |
| A．known | B．regarded | C．decided | D．honored |
| A．cause | B．case | C．position | D．fame |
| A．requiring | B．rejecting | C．inviting | D．inspiring |
| A．originally | B．finally | C．politically | D．theoretically |
| A．fewer | B．less | C．better | D．worse |
| A．honor | B．beauty | C．hope | D．love |
2 . Life will be peaceful if you always do kind things. I teach my daughters to develop a habit of
We
A helping behavior that I practice regularly with my daughters is driving around to pick up rubbish in our neighborhood. My daughters often have a
There are many other ways to
| A．watching | B．helping | C．welcoming | D．teaching |
| A．carefulness | B．peace | C．kindness | D．interest |
| A．great | B．unusual | C．easy | D．sad |
| A．work | B．travel | C．live | D．stay |
| A．dream | B．see | C．need | D．develop |
| A．environment | B．weather | C．stair | D．beauty |
| A．disadvantages | B．favorites | C．wishes | D．answers |
| A．sensitive | B．necessary | C．energetic | D．accurate |
| A．sky | B．village | C．city | D．street |
| A．match | B．chance | C．meeting | D．lesson |
| A．surprised | B．tired | C．excited | D．frightened |
| A．speed | B．start | C．move | D．stop |
| A．Although | B．But | C．And | D．Since |
| A．understand | B．experience | C．forget | D．enjoy |
| A．covered | B．lowered | C．shook | D．raised |
| A．sport | B．idea | C．result | D．question |
| A．describe | B．buy | C．provide | D．make |
| A．puzzled | B．successful | C．healthy | D．lonely |
| A．clean | B．cross | C．repair | D．draw |
| A．suddenly | B．impossibly | C．easily | D．gradually |
3 . Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is a light-weight material, about 95 percent air, with very good insulation (隔热) properties, according to Earthsource.org. It is used in products from cups that keep your drinks hot or cold to packaging material that protects items during shipping. With the above good features, Styrofoam still enjoys a bad reputation. It cannot be recycled without releasing dangerous pollution into the air. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is the fifth-largest creator of harmful waste.
But now the common worms which are usually disgusting can come to the rescue, specifically, mealworms. Scientists from the U. S. and China have discovered that mealworms can digest plastic. One mealworm can digest a pill-sized amount of plastic a day. Study co-author Wei-Min Wu says that in 24 hours, the plastic is turned into carbon dioxide.
Since Styrofoam has no nutrition at all, are the worms hurt by eating plastic? Much to the scientists’ surprise, the study found that worms eating Styrofoam were as healthy as worms eating bran (谷糠). The researchers will study the worm’s eating habits and digesting system, looking to copy the plastic breakdown but on a larger scale. Once the way can be put into practice, it will make a revolutionary difference to the disposal of plastic.
“Solving the issue of plastic pollution is important”, says Wu, a Stanford University environmental engineering instructor. After all, our earth is small and landfill space is becoming limited with too much garbage waiting to be dealt with, he says.
About 33-million tons of plastic are thrown away in the United States every year. Plastic plates, cups and containers take up 25 percent to 30 percent of space in America’s landfills. One Styrofoam cup takes more than 1 million years to recycle in a landfill, according to Cleveland State University.
1. What do we know about Styrofoam?| A．It can be used to cool drinks. |
| B．It is a weightless material. |
| C．It is harmful when recycled. |
| D．It is usually used on ships. |
| A．Mealworms have amazing digesting power. |
| B．Mealworms are not bad in their nature. |
| C．Mealworms can rescue people’s lives. |
| D．People misunderstood mealworms in the past. |
| A．To find ways to help mealworms grow larger. |
| B．To imitate their ways of breaking down plastic. |
| C．To help develop their digesting ability. |
| D．To make sure of their safety after eating plastic. |
| A．by raising amounts of mealworms |
| B．by environmental engineering instructors |
| C．using a method inspired by eating mealworms |
| D．without sending out dangerous pollution |
| A．Styrofoam is widely used in daily life. |
| B．Mealworms are genius at eating plastic. |
| C．Plastic recycling may be no more a problem. |
| D．Plastic can be turned into carbon dioxide. |
4 . In the long discussion of water on the Moon, a new study contradicts (与……相矛盾) some recent reports that say the Moon had water at the time of its formation. A group of researchers report in the journal Science that when the Moon was created, some 4. 5 billion years ago, there was not much hydrogen (氢气) on it, and therefore no water.
The researchers surveyed and evaluated this by analyzing chlorine (氯) isotopes found in lunar rock samples from Apollo missions. The range of chlorine isotopes in lunar samples was 25 times that found in samples from Earth.
“If the Moon had significant levels of hydrogen, as Earth did, this range would have been far less,” said Zachary D. Sharp, a scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the study’s lead author.
“The chlorine would have stuck together with hydrogen, forming compounds like hydrogen chloride, and escaped from the Moon’s surface,” he said. The abundance of chlorine indicates a lack of hydrogen and water.
“The amount of water on the Moon was too low for life to possibly have existed there,” he said.
Most scientists believe the Moon was formed when a large object struck Earth, breaking off a chunk (a vast piece) that has since orbited Earth.
On Earth, goes one theory, water was released as steam from molten basalts (玄武岩) over time, eventually forming bodies of water.
“An understanding of whether the Moon was dry or wet will help us understand how water appeared on Earth,” Dr. Sharp said.
1. A new study indicates that ______ on the moon.| A．there is plenty of water | B．water is unlikely to exist |
| C．water existed in the past | D．there is a little water now |
| A．why there is no water on the Moon | B．how the Moon was formed |
| C．when the Earth struck the Moon | D．where the Moon orbited |
| A．Neither hydrogen nor water on the Moon. |
| B．Too much chlorine isotopes on the Moon. |
| C．Not being much hydrogen, no water on the Moon. |
| D．More chlorine exists on the Moon than Earth. |
| A．Zachary D. Sharp, a scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences was in charge of the new study. |
| B．Chlorine isotopes are 25 times on the Moon larger than on Earth. |
| C．The more abundant chloride, the shorter hydrogen and water. |
| D．The new study is beneficial to understand how water appeared on Earth. |
| A．There is enough water and hydrogen on the Moon. |
| B．Hydrogen chloride easily escaped from the Moon’s surface. |
| C．The Earth had significant levels of hydrogen. |
| D．Water on Earth is directly from molten basalts. |
5 . Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger, but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less usable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave, the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(缺乏). Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too. In the United States, a family of four can use 1.5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with, use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. Help your parents fix any leaks(滴水) in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
1. Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?| A．Using river water. | B．Throwing batteries away. |
| C．Throwing rubbish into lakes. | D．Paving parking lots. |
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior. |
| B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs. |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size. |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water. |
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
| A．how human activity affects our water supply |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．why paving roads reduces our water |
6 . Dr. David Sullivan, pediatric dentist（儿科牙医）, is just wild about teeth. So are some of his
You see. Dr. David, as many people call him, has some
On most days, Dr. David tends to his human patients, teaching them how to care for their
“When I was a kid in school, the only thing I ever
But Dr. David soon
After he became a dentist, Dr. David
Word of Dr. David’s work with animals
| A．friends | B．patients | C．teachers | D．colleagues |
| A．unusual | B．young | C．interesting | D．serious |
| A．clearly | B．typically | C．rarely | D．traditionally |
| A．dead | B．pet | C．real | D．toy |
| A．feet | B．ears | C．eyes | D．teeth |
| A．successful | B．general | C．dental | D．experimental |
| A．special | B．painful | C．frightening | D．valuable |
| A．Finally | B．Luckily | C．Eventually | D．Gradually |
| A．fond | B．afraid | C．tired | D．ashamed |
| A．worrying about | B．asking about | C．preparing for | D．caring for |
| A．time | B．chance | C．principle | D．honor |
| A．hated | B．managed | C．wanted | D．failed |
| A．expected | B．guessed | C．realized | D．declared |
| A．impossible | B．wonderful | C．necessary | D．imperfect |
| A．comfortable | B．excited | C．pitiful | D．nervous |
| A．But | B．Because | C．And | D．So |
| A．arrived | B．performed | C．studied | D．worked |
| A．kids | B．models | C．animals | D．adults |
| A．rang | B．spread | C．faded | D．broke |
| A．help | B．advice | C．opinion | D．permission |
7 . Animals might not be able to speak or master advanced language techniques, but they certainly have other ways of communicating. Whale song, wolf howls, frog cries — even the fast dance of the honeybee or the friendly waves of a dog’s tail — are among so many ways animals pass on information to each other and to other living things of the animal kingdom.
When it comes to hearing communication, not every member of a species is just alike. Animals in different places have often been sounding off in different dialects. For example, one study shows that blue whales produce different types of sounds depending on where they are from. Some bird species are the same way. And what about those birds that live on the border between territories (领地) of different songbirds? They are often able to communicate in a way accepted by each of their groups of neighbors.
Communication between different species can play important roles as well. One study shows that iguanas (鬣蜥蜴) do not communicate by making sound, but their well-developed ears help them hear well the warning calls of the flycatcher (a type of small bird). The two species have nothing in common except for the fact that they share a general habitat and enemies. So when an iguana hears a bird make a signal of danger for other birds, it probably knows to be watchful for arriving enemies, too.
However, as noise pollution has become a serious problem all across the globe, many animals are now under fire. Increased shipping traffic over the last century has greatly affected the spread of whale song around the ocean basin. Studies have found that songbirds, too, suffer from noisy city surroundings. Some species have had to change their singing styles, producing songs that sound louder, in order to be heard above the noise. Their new voices usually lead to stranger and somewhat worse styles of singing that female birds find decidedly less sexy.
1. What does the author mainly tell us in Paragraph 2?| A．Various dialects can also happen to the same animals. |
| B．Animals communicate with each other in different ways. |
| C．Different animals have different ways of communicating. |
| D．Animals from different places may make the same sound. |
| A．They communicate by singing. |
| B．They are born with poor hearing. |
| C．They often bring bad luck to humans. |
| D．They get along well with flycatchers. |
| A．they refuse to communicate with others |
| B．they cannot communicate effectively |
| C．they are now in danger of dying out |
| D．they don’t make a sound any more |
| A．find it hard to attract the opposite sex |
| B．produce more songs that sound sad |
| C．begin to communicate by dancing |
| D．can not find food easily any more |
| A．by raising questions |
| B．by following time order |
| C．by providing examples |
| D．by analyzing the data |
8 . Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.
Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.
The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”
The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom built up to dangerous levels.
1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house ________.| A．is well worth the money spent on its construction |
| B．is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation |
| C．failed to meet energy conservation standards |
| D．was designed and constructed in a scientific way |
| A．Poor quality of the air inside. | B．Poor quality of the construction. |
| C．Gas leakage in the kitchen. | D．The newly painted walls. |
| A．relieve | B．accelerate | C．worsen | D．improve |
| A．Because indoor cleanliness was not emphasized. |
| B．Because energy used to be inexpensive. |
| C．Because environmental protection was given top priority. |
| D．Because they were technically unavoidable. |
| A．Energy Conservation | B．House Building Crisis |
| C．Air Pollution Indoors | D．Traps in Building Construction |
| A．Go back home at once. |
| B．Go to Mary’s home. |
| C．Go and buy an umbrella. |
10 . Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal.
Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 70 people die. That is, more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes.
Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.
"If you hear the thunder, you are in danger from lightning," said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.
"Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any time, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until the storm has ended. The most important thing to remember is to seek shelter (遮蔽物), " Lopes said.
Summer is the peak time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:
♦ Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.
♦ Do not stand under a tree.
♦ Get off bicycle and motorcycles.
♦ Crouch down (蹲下) if there is no shelter.
♦ Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.
1. In the US, ______ is the most common cause of deaths during natural disasters.| A．lightning | B．tornadoes | C．hurricanes | D．floods |
| A．400 | B．70 | C．330 | D．5 |
| A．stand still in the open spaces |
| B．find shelter to hide in |
| C．stand under the tree |
| D．stop working in the fields |
| A．Floods are the most common cause of deaths in the US. |
| B．Less than 70 people are killed by tornadoes and hurricanes each year in the US. |
| C．If you hear the thunder, you should move indoors right away. |
| D．People don't pay as much attention to the danger of hurricanes as that of floods. |
| A．The Danger of Lightning | B．Some Safety Tips against Floods |
| C．How Lightning Happens | D．5 People Killed by Lightning in Nepal |
