1 . Throughout history, many species of animals have been threatened with extinction. When Europeans first arrived in North America, more than 60 million buffalo (水牛) lived on the continent. Yet hunting the buffalo was so popular during the 19th century that by 1900 the animal’s population had fallen to about 400 before the government stepped in to protect the species. In some countries today, the elephant faces a similar challenge, as illegal hunters kill the animals for the ivory in their tusks.
Yet not all animals with commercial value face this threat (威胁).The cow, for example, is a valuable source of food, but no one worries that the cow will soon be extinct. Why does the commercial value of ivory threaten the elephant. while the commercial value of beef protects the cow?
The reason is that elephants are a common resource, while cows are private goods. Elephants wander freely without any owners. The hunter has a strong motivation to kill as many elephants as he can find. Because illegal hunters are numerous, each has only a slight motivation to preserve the elephant population. By contrast, cattle live on farms that are privately owned. Each farmer makes great effort to maintain the cattle population on his farm because he harvests the benefit of these efforts.
Governments have tried to solve the elephant’s problem in two ways. Some countries, such as Kenya and Uganda, have made it illegal to kill elephants and sell their ivory. Yet these laws have been hard to put into effect, and elephant populations have continued to dwindle. By contrast, other countries, such as Malawi and Namibia, have made elephants private goods and allowed people to kill elephants, but only those on their own property.
With private ownership and the profit motive now on its side, the African elephant might someday be as safe from extinction as the cow. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out the problem with common resources: “What is common to many is taken least care of, for all men have greater regard for what is their own than for what they possess in common with others.”
1. Why does the author mention buffalo in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce a similar threat to elephants. |
| B．To provide an example of species extinction. |
| C．To offer an explanation for government policies. |
| D．To present the statistics of the buffalo in America. |
| A．They are under different law protection |
| B．They attract different groups of hunters |
| C．They contain different commercial value |
| D．They represent different ownership types |
| A．Bans on killing elephants for ivory |
| B．Effective laws for elephant protection. |
| C．Methods of making elephants private goods |
| D．Government policies on the elephant’s problem |
| A．People hold little regard for others’ property |
| B．People want to profit from common resources |
| C．People care more about their own possession |
| D．People tend to take what they own for granted |
2 . Harry Smith has a dog, Sarah Jane. They are best friends and love to take walks together. One day when they
As the 81-year-old, not being able to
“I am
| A．shopped | B．walked | C．ran | D．drove |
| A．adapted to | B．cleaned up | C．came across | D．worked out |
| A．But | B．And | C．Or | D．So |
| A．air | B．seat | C．street | D．water |
| A．move | B．swim | C．quit | D．shout |
| A．creatively | B．officially | C．loudly | D．hardly |
| A．jumped | B．played | C．struggled | D．lived |
| A．contact | B．praise | C．help | D．news |
| A．prevented | B．honored | C．frightened | D．pulled |
| A．equal | B．kind | C．close | D．thankful |
| A．save | B．share | C．shorten | D．record |
| A．feeling | B．saying | C．thinking | D．training |
| A．time | B．idea | C．wheelchair | D．friend |
| A．show | B．teach | C．offer | D．sell |
| A．guest | B．dog | C．visitor | D．customer |
3 . On the 5-square-metre balcony(阳台) of Zhong Lan’s apartment, there is a mini-farm filled with lemons, tomatoes, eggplants and blueberries. Zhong’s idyllic(田园诗般的)city lifestyle started in 2020 when people were required to work from home due to COVID-19. “I grew garlic(大蒜) for the very first time as I didn’t want to throw it away. It grew roots in just seven or eight days. It opened up a new world to me,” she said. Zhong is not alone. An increasing number of city people have picked up the hobby of growing vegetables on their balconies as working from home has changed many people’s lives in the cities across the country.
In the first quarter of 2022, sales of vegetable seeds on Taobao’s Tmall rose quickly year on year, according to a report released by Taobao, China’s e-commerce platform giant. Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou became the cities with the largest number of seed buyers in China, it added.
Zhong has started sharing her journey on social media this year, which has brought her more than 100,000 followers. In a chat group made up of over 100 young balcony green thumbs(园艺高手) across the country, they share the growth of their vegetables every day and discuss what plants are more suitable for balcony planting. “Balcony gardening can slow down the pace of busy city life. We grow the plants we like and look forward to the harvest, and experience the happiness of the idyllic moments,” Zhong said.
Chinese city managers and social organizations are also looking for new methods to rebuild the relationship between city people and nature through vegetable gardens. The government of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong, started a city vegetable garden project last March, providing seeds and farm tools as well as organizing agricultural experts to provide online Q&A for local people, in an effort to encourage them to get in touch with nature through balcony planting.
1. The following cities had the largest number of seed buyers in the first quarter of 2022 EXCEPT| A．Guangzhou | B．Beijing | C．Hangzhou | D．Shanghai |
| A．Grow crops in the field. | B．Create 100 vegetable balconies. |
| C．Share ideas about balcony planting. | D．Exchange their travel experiences. |
| A．To seek new ways of vegetable growing. |
| B．To organize agricultural experts together. |
| C．To choose proper tools for balcony planting. |
| D．To encourage people to get close to nature. |
| A．Zhong’s Success of Balcony Gardening |
| B．Balcony Gardening’s Effect on Seed Sales Online |
| C．Balcony Gardening’s Rising Popularity Among City People |
| D．Chinese Government’s Contribution to Balcony Gardening |
Many people have realized that the whole world is being influenced by the change of the weather-making different places
With the whole world’s weather change likely to become more common in the future, we need to find
5 . Nowadays, taking no notice of protecting the environment leads to problems including global warming. While discussing with my daughter about going green, I remembered the daily practices in most households in India. What we did was actually helping our environment and also protecting our resources. We did all this naturally, without even realizing its importance.
We preferred reusing pens in the past. We used to have ball pens used again and again by changing the refills and we also used ink pens, which were refreshed now and then by filling ink in them when required. There was no such thing as a use-and-throw pen. We loved the process of cleaning the writing instruments. However, today, plastic pens that do not last long are ruling the stationery（文具）shops.
We recycled and reused newspapers without really thinking twice about it. Newspapers were kept carefully during those days because they were an important material used for packing and storing. Today plastic bags have become important, All these materials pollute our land and water and prevent all conservation(保护)efforts.
Public transport was a common thing in the old days and it was so much fun. Nowadays.no one seems to have the patience to take public transport and many consider it too silly for them. So people take their cars out every day and pollute the environment, thinking it makes the m look cool. Vehicular (车辆的) pollution in cities is the biggest contributor to environmental problems.
I am not against the usage of modern technologies. In fact, it has helped make our life casier. While we can use the same technology to go green instead of polluting the environment, we should also go back to a few old traditions that are ecofriendly.
1. How many daily practices are mentioned in the text?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Use plastic bags. |
| B．Go to school by bus. |
| C．Use use-and-throw pens. |
| D．Throw newspapers away. |
| A．Summarize the above paragraphs. |
| B．Add some background information. |
| C．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| D．Show some reasons to the readers. |
| A．Follow Old Traditions |
| B．Go Green Then and Now |
| C．The Environment Is Worsening |
| D．Modern Technologies Are Harmful |
