1 . More reasons to hate humidity: it expands global warming, a prof says.

Andrew Dessler, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences who specializes in research on climate, says that warming due to increases in greenhouse gases will lead to higher humidity in the atmosphere. And because water vapor itself is a greenhouse gas, this will cause additional warming. This process is known as water vapor feedback and is responsible for a significant portion of the warming predicted to occur over the next century.

“It’s a vicious cycle-warmer temperatures mean higher humidity, which in turn leads to even more warming,” Dessler explains.

The perspective by Dessler and co-author Steven Sherwood of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales is published in the current issue of Science magazine. In the article, they review and summarize the peer-reviewed evidence in support of a strong water vapor feedback and conclude that the evidence supporting it is overwhelming. “For years, there was a debate over this mechanism, with some even questioning if the water vapor feedback existed at all. But recent work on this feedback has moved its existence and strength beyond argument,” Dessler adds.

Predictions of significant global warming over the next 100 years by climate models require a strong water vapor feedback. Recent estimates suggest the earth will warm from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (4 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next century—a scenario that could have devastating long-term consequences.

“Everything shows that the climate models are probably getting the water vapor feedback night, which means that unless we reduce emissions, it is going to get much, much warmer on our planet by the end of the century,” he adds.

Many scientists believe such warming rates are already happening. They can point to the summer of 2003, when a prolonged heat wave gripped Europe. According to the Earth Policy Institute, more than 35,000 people died that summer, with France recording over 14,000 deaths and Germany more than 7,000. Additionally, warmer temperatures are having an adverse effect in the Arctic, where rapid loss of ice is now occurring. “The only possible way future warming won’t be significant is if there exists some sort of off-setting negative feedback, which has yet to be discovered,” Dessler notes. “Most scientists, myself included, judge that to be a pretty unlikely possibility.”

1. What does water vapor feedback in the passage mean?

A．Water vapor will lend to a significant portion of the warming.

B．The increases of greenhouse gases will lead to higher humidity.

C．Increasing humidity from global warming is making the earth warmer.

D．Higher humidity has caused the earth to warm from 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

2. What’s the main idea of Paragraph 4?

A．Scientists had a heated argument over the water vapor feedback.

B．The existence and strength of water vapor feedback is without question.

C．Andrew Dessler wrote an article to support his idea of water vapor feedback.

D．There was no significant evidence for the existence of water vapor feedback.

3. What do predictions of significant global warming tell us?

A．Scientists could find the offsetting negative feedback in the future.

B．There exists some sort offsetting negative water vapor feedback.

C．The warming of the earth will have destructive short-term consequences.

D．We may decrease the speed of global warming by reducing the emissions.

4. What’s the attitude of Andrew Dessler towards the way of solving future warming?

A．Positive.

B．Supportive.

C．Neutral.

D．Pessimistic.

2 . Bronx Zoo

Excited to explore this z00 already? Well, save your dates and plan your trip to the US with Travel Triangle right away and let the kids within your joy. The Bronx Zoo is definitely one of the best places to visit in the USA. We are sure that you would have the best time ever!

The Size

The Bronx Zoo is among the biggest zoos in the US, measuring 265 acres or over 100 hectares. It is literally so big that you may find it difficult to explore it all in just a day. Not only is it big in terms of size but it’s the largest zo0 in the US by number of animals as well. As of 2020, it had 4,000 animals of over 600 species. Some of them include fennec foxes, bald eagles, collared lemurs and Komodo dragons.

Location

The Bronx zo0 in the USA is located at 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10460.

The Tickets Cost

Tickets to the z00 in the US cost $28 for children, $37 for adults (13 years and over). Entry for children aged two and under is free. You can also go on group tours led by trained expedition leaders. It costs $125 for a group of up to 5 people.

Open Time

Bronx Zoo is open from 10 am to 5 pm Monday—Friday and 10 am to 5.30 pm on weekends and holidays. All animal exhibits end half an hour before the park closes.

The Best Attractions

Names	Attractions	Open Time
Butterfly Garden	A dozen butterfly species	March 30th to October 1st
Children’s Zoo	See and interact (交流) with farm animals	May 30th to October 30th
Congo Gorilla Forest	Exhibition of Congo Gorilla	April 1st to October 30th
Jungle world	Golden langurs in”Asian jungle”	May 30th to October 1st

1. How much will a couple with a 3-year-old boy pay to enter the zoo?

A．$74.

B．$93.

C．$102.

D．$125.

2. When should a child stop interacting with the fennec foxes on weekends?

A．At 10 am.

B．4:30 pm.

C．5 pm.

D．5:30 pm.

3. Which attraction opens to the public for the longest time?

A．Butterfly Garden.

B．Children’s Zoo.

C．Jungle world.

D．Congo Gorilla Forest.

3 . Nothing feels more like summer than a neighborhood barbecue. But the annoyance of summer gatherings remains: the buzzing(嗡嗡声) of mosquitoes around our ears.

“The buzzing in your ear is mostly just a side effect of the mosquito's wings beating,” said Michael Riehle, a professor at the University of Arizona. “The sound doesn't have a long range, so you notice it most when they are flying around your ears.”

“From a distance, mosquitoes track carbon dioxide that we give out.” Riehle told Live Science. “They fly back and forth to follow that concentration level back to the source.”

But in fact, that buzzing you hear is likely from a female mosquito. That's because male and female mosquitoes lead very different lives. The males typically hang out and feed on the sweetest part of flowers; they couldn't care less about the humans wandering about. The females, however, need to find a blood meal in order to have enough energy to produce eggs.

As she approaches, the female mosquito zeros in on body heat and the carbon dioxide to land on the victim. The female mosquito uses taste sensors on her feet to determine whether the human, or any blood-bearing animal, is adequate to tap for her next meal.

But while we feel mosquitoes buzzing around our ears, Riehle noted that most mosquitoes are not attracted to our heads. Rather, these bloodsuckers may be more likely to seek out our feet, which have bacteria that give off attractive smell to mosquitoes. However, most people probably don't notice a mosquito buzzing around their ankles, he said.

Another study found that female mosquitoes were more attracted to men who had less diverse bacteria on their skin than to men with more diverse skin bacteria; these bloodsuckers also prefer those who wear dark colors, such as black.

1. What attracts mosquitoes to our head?

A．There is most carbon dioxide.	B．The face skin is easy to stick in.
C．There exists their favorite smell.	D．They can suck most blood there.

2. What do female mosquitoes use to determine a meal?

A．Her nose.

B．Her sensors.

C．Her eyes.

D．Her ears.

3. What color might help avoid mosquitoes most according to the text?

A．Black.

B．Blue.

C．White.

D．Red.

4. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Why do mosquitoes buzz in our ears?

B．How can we avoid the buzzing of mosquitoes?

C．How are male and female mosquitoes different?

D．What effect does the buzzing of mosquitoes have?

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Coca-Cola    1     (rank) the world's No.1 plastic polluter by Break Free From Plastic and     2     (it) bottles were the most frequently found on beaches, rivers, parks and other litter sites. Last year it was the most     3     (frequent) littered bottle in 37 countries out of 51 surveyed.

The annual audit(审计)，    4     (undertake) by 15,000 volunteers around the world, identifies the largest number of plastic products from global brands found in the highest number of countries. This year they collected 346,494 pieces of plastic waste, 63% of     5    was marked with a consumer brand.

“The world's top polluting corporations claim to be working hard to solve plastic pollution,     6     they are continuing to pump out     7     ( harm) single-use plastic packaging,” said Emma Priestland, Break Free From Plastic's global campaign coordinator (协调员). Priestland said the only way to quit the growing global tide of plastic litter was to stop production.

Coca-Cola came under fire from environmental campaigners earlier this year when it announced it would not abandon plastic bottles, saying they     8     (be) popular with customers. In March, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Unilever were found to be responsible     9     half a million tonnes of plastic pollution in six developing     10     (country) each year in a survey.

5 . Going to the zoo is an all-time favorite activity for children and families.     1     In order to make a decision，we must consider the arguments for and against keeping wild animals in zoos.

One benefit of zoos is that they are useful for educating people about animals. We can observe animals at close range and learn more about them than we can from books and the TV. It also provides an opportunity to promote the conservation of endangered species.     2     This helps them to come up with better ways of protecting animals from harm in their natural habitat.

On the other hand, keeping animals in zoos is similar to a prison sentence. Many zoos do not have large enough enclosures to keep animals comfortable. The animals have limited freedom to move about. We often see even the fierce lions lying passively in their enclosures just waiting for their next meal to be served. They suffer from stress and boredom.    3    

Another thing we need to consider is the cost of maintaining a zoo. A lot of funds are needed to run a zoo. Money is needed to stock the zoo with all kinds of animals.     4     The animals need food and medical care. Special spaces need to be built to house each type of animals. More staff are needed to clean and maintain the zoo grounds.

    5     If you want to see animals, I advise you to go on a safari. For conservation and research, set up sanctuaries like the Sepilok orangutan sanctuary in Sabah. It is kinder to leave the animals in their natural home-the wild.

A．This in turn causes animals to live shorter lives.

B．We have also heard about animals being mistreated.

C．However, some people argue against keeping wild animals in zoos.

D．They have to carry out research on the survival rate of this species.

E．Staff must be hired and trained to take care of each species of animals.

F．In addition, zoos allow scientists to study animal behavior more easily.

G．In conclusion, it is cruel and selfish to keep animals in an unnatural prison.

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

A. extended     B. tasty       C. reserve            D. resistant          E. pause          F. consume G. slows        H. supplies     I. associated       J. properties        K. tapping

Extreme conditions produce extremely tough plants. The big difference between "drought—tolerant" plants and these tough plants: metabolism. Many different kinds of plants have developed tactics to weather dry spells. Some plants     1     of water to see them through a drought; others send roots deep down to subsurface water supplies. But once these plants use up their stored water or tap out the underground supply, they cease growing and start to die. They may be able to handle a drought of some length, and many people use the term "drought tolerant" to describe such plants, but they never actually stop needing to     2     water, so Farrant prefers to call them drought     3    .

Resurrection plants, defined as those capable of recovering from holding less than 0.1 grams of water per gram of dry mass, are different. They lack water—storing structures, and their existence on rock faces prevents them from     4     groundwater, so they instead developed the ability to change their metabolism. When they detect a/an       5     dry period, they change their metabolisms, producing sugars and certain stress—     6     proteins and other materials in their tissues. As the plant dries, these resources take on first the     7     of honey, then rubber, and finally enter a glass—like state that is "the most stable state that the plant can maintain," Farrant says. That     8     the plant's metabolism and protects its dried—out tissues. The plants also change shape, shrinking to minimize the surface area through which their remaining water might evaporate. They can recover from months and years without water, depending on the species.

What else can do this dry—out—and—revive trick? Seeds—almost all of them. At the start of her career, Farrant studied seeds such as avocados(牛油果) , coffee and lychee(荔枝). Though     9    , such seeds are delicate — they cannot bud and grow if they dry out. Most seeds can wait out the dry, unwelcoming seasons until conditions are right and they sprout. Yet once they start growing, such plants seem not to retain the ability to hit the     10     button on metabolism in their stems or leaves.

8 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填人适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Sanjiangyuan, literally meaning the “source of three rivers”, is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. The pilot national park, with a total area of 123,100 square km     1     (locate) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and harbors more than 70,000 herdsmen. Therefore.     2     is very important to maintain the purity and cleanliness of this area, because it directly affects the water quality in most of China.

For a long time, there were too many local herdsmen and animals     3     (use) the grass in the area and consequently the local lakes were getting smaller.     4     the national park was established, the government has invested a significant amount of money in equipment and training for accurate monitoring of wildlife. For example, the population of snow leopards is an important indicator of ecological health in the area, and as long as     5     number of these animals stays stable, the area is safe and     6     (environmental) healthy. Much of the grassland has been returned to its natural state, and the herdsmen have been helped to move to the local towns and to find new jobs.     7     (encourage) by local government, more and more local people are supported to take part in environmental protection. They have been appointed as conservators in the area, responsible for collecting rubbish or for observing the wildlife.     8     more people working as conservators, the     9     (aware) of environmental protection has gradually become part of their lives. Local officials also have said that their jobs have become a lot     10     (easy) now that the training programmes and government support are in place. Now, in Sanjiangyuan National Park, the mountains have become greener, the water clearer and the sky bluer.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What animals can be seen in the aquarium?

A．Sharks.

B．Whales.

C．Polar bears.

2. What food can the visitors give the monkeys to eat?

A．Specially prepared food.

B．Sweet biscuits.

C．Fruits.

3. Where do more than 300 species of birds come from?

A．South Africa.

B．South America.

C．Southeast Asia.

4. Who can help the visitors if they have any questions?

A．The speaker.

B．The friendly feeders

C．The people at the information desk.

10 . Whether you’re interested in green agriculture and rainforest conservation or supporting sustainable sources, organizations worldwide are investing time and effort into various environmental protection projects. Volunteers are always needed to help with the different initiatives to protect the environment.

The past years have been bothered by an endless report of natural disasters occurring in geographically weak locations. Floods are affecting the places that previously never faced this problem while heat waves, droughts and earthquakes are becoming the norm (常态). Important wildlife and plant species are disappearing and threatening the planet’s biodiversity. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are other problems: deforestation (毁林), pollution, water scarcity, illegal fishing and wildlife trade.

The ongoing industrialization and the lack of awareness are taking its toll (毁坏) and it’s time for that to change. Most people remain inactive, believing small changes won’t make a difference. However, there are many ways to help. Small changes carried out by some people do make a difference.

Excellent examples of this are organizations that believe small initiatives have a significant impact. These projects are growing steadily and positively affecting the environmental conservation and influencing the local community. They are creating awareness among others and helping them understand the importance of environmental conservation while creating volunteer opportunities to help the environment.

The organizations will learn valuable skills about environmental conservation but most importantly, they are moving towards change. There are enough environmental volunteer opportunities that need your help and there’s no time to waste! Continue reading about environmental volunteer programs abroad and take steps toward environmental conservation.

There are plenty of options once you decide to become an environmental volunteer. The tasks will depend on the project you have decided to volunteer with and can vary greatly. With over 130 projects focused on the environment, you’ll find projects that match both your skill set and travel preference.

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．The threats the earth is facing.

B．The influence of natural disasters.

C．The need to know natural disasters.

D．The difficulty in protecting the earth.

2. How do most people behave towards environmental problems?

A．They make small changes.	B．They help each other.
C．They keep sitting by.	D．They try to find ways.

3. What can we learn from the text?

A．It’s easier said than done.	B．It’ll be all right on the night.
C．Where there’s life, there’s hope.	D．There is no time like the present.

4. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A．To call on people to be environmental volunteers.

B．To show the serious problems of the environment.

C．To discuss the ways of environmental conservation.

D．To explain the reasons for protecting the environment.