1 . Conservationists go to war over whether humans are the measure of nature’s value. New Conservationists argue such trade-offs are necessary in this human dominated era. And they support “re-wilding”, a concept originally proposed by Soule where people reduce economic growth and withdraw from landscapes, which then return to nature.

New Conservationists believe the withdrawal could happen together with economic growth. The California-based Breakthrough Institute believes in a future where most people live in cities and rely less on natural resources for economic growth.

They would get food from industrial agriculture, including genetically modified foods, desalination intensified meat production and aquaculture (水产养殖), all of which have a smaller land footprint. And they would get their energy from renewables and natural gas.

Driving these profound shifts would be greater efficiency of production, where more products could be manufactured from fewer inputs. And some unsustainable commodities would be replaced in the market by other, greener ones-natural gas for coal, for instance, explained Michael Heisenberg., president of the Breakthrough Institute. Nature would, in essence, be decoupled from the economy.

And then he added a warning: “We are not suggesting decoupling as the pattern to save the world, or that it solves all the problems.”

Cynics (悲观者) may say all this sounds too utopian, but Breakthrough maintains the world is already on this path toward decoupling. Nowhere is this more evident than in the United Sates, according to Iddo Wernick, a research scholar at the Rockefeller University, who has examined the nation’s use of 100 main commodities.

Wernick and his colleagues looked at data carefully from the U.S. Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center, which keeps a record of commodities used from 1900 through the present day. They found that the use of 36 commodities (sand, iron ore, cotton etc.) in the U. S. Economy had peaked.

Another 53 commodities (nitrogen, timber, beef, etc.) are being used more efficiently per dollar value of gross domestic product than in the pre-1970s era. Their use would peak soon, Wernick said.

Only 11 commodities (industrial diamond, indium, chicken, etc.) are increasing in use (Greenwire, Nov. 6), and most of these are employed by industries in small quantities to improve systems processes. Chicken use is rising because people are eating less beef, a desirable development since poultry cultivation has a smaller environmental footprint.

The numbers show the United States has not intensified resource consumption since the 1970s even while increasing its GDP and population, said Jesse Ausubel of the Rockefeller University.

“It seems like the 20th-century expectation we had, we were always assuming the future involved greater consumption of resources,” Ausubel said. “But what we are seeing in the developed countries is, of course, peaks.”

1. What does the underlined word “trade-offs” refer to in the first paragraph?

A．The difficult situation of economies growth.

B．The profitability of import and export trade.

C．The balance between human development and natural ecology.

D．The consumption of natural resources by industrial development.

2. Which of the following is true of the views of the new environmentalists?

A．They believe that mankind should limit economic growth.

B．They believe that mankind is the master of the whole universe.

C．They believe that mankind should live in forests with rich vegetation.

D．They believe that mankind will need more natural resources in the future.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph of the passage?

A．Natural resources cannot support economic development.

B．All resource consumption in developed countries has reached a peak.

C．More resource consumption will not occur in a certain period of time.

D．Excessive resource consumption will not affect the ecological environment.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Urbanization and re-wildness.

B．Human existence and industrial development.

C．Commodity trading and raw material development.

D．Socioeconomic development and resource consumption.

3 . The world is wasting the opportunity to “build back better” from the Covid-19 pandemic, and faces disastrous temperature rises of at least 2.7°C if countries fail to strengthen their climate commitments, according to a report from the UN.

Tuesday’s publication warns that countries’ current commitments would reduce carbon by only about 7.5% by 2030, far less than the 45% cut, which scientists say is needed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃, the aim of the Cop26summit that opens in Glasgow this Sunday.

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, described the findings as a “thundering wake-up call“ to world leaders. while experts called for action against fossil fuel companies.

Although more than 100 countries have promised to reach net zero emissions around mid-century, this would not be enough to avoid climate disasters, according to the UN emissions report, which examines the shortfall between countries’ intentions and actions needed on the climate. Many of the net zero commitments were found to be unclear, and unless accompanied by strict cuts in emissions this decade would allow global heating of a potentially disastrous extent.

Guterres said: “The heat is on, and as the contents of the report show, the leadership we need is off. Far off. Countries are wasting a massive opportunity to invest Covid-19 finance and recovery resources in sustainable, cost-saving, planet-saving ways. As world leaders prepare for Cop26, this report is another thundering wake-up call. How many do we need?”

Inger Andersen, the director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said: “Climate change is no longer a future problem. It is a now problem. To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5℃, we have 8 years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: 8 years to make the plans, put in place the policies, carry them out and deliver the cuts.The clock is ticking loudly.”

Emissions fell by about 5.4% last year during Covid lockdowns, the report found, but only about one-fifth of the economic recovery spending goes towards reducing carbon emissions. This failure to ”build back better“ despite promises by governments around the world cast doubt on the world’s willingness to make the economic shift necessary to settle the climate crisis, the UN said.

In the run-up to Cop26, countries were supposed to submit national plans to cut emissions - called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) - for the next decade, a requirement under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. But the UNEP report found only half of countries had submitted new NDCs, and some governments had presented weak plans.

1. Why were the findings described as a “thundering wake-up call” in Para. 3?

A．Because the world has failed to deliver on its current promises.

B．Because the serious problems were brought about by global fossil fuels.

C．Because a global temperature rise of at least 2.7°C would be a disaster.

D．Because the opportunities presented by covid-19 have been wasted.

2. According to the author, in what circumstances is global warming avoidable?

A．New plans will be made to protect the environment.

B．Measures will be taken to reduce emissions in the coming ten years.

C．Transitions will be made in response to the global climate crisis.

D．Global sustainable environmental resources will be greatly developed.

3. What is the author’s purpose in saying “How many do we need?” in Para.5?

A．To show the number of alarm clocks required.

B．To inquire the number of the countries attending the meeting.

C．To explain the reason for the world’s wasting chances.

D．To stress the need to save energy and reduce emissions.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Few countries have submitted plans to reduce the emissions.

B．Most of the countries work under the Paris Climate Agreement.

C．Plans to cut emissions of many countries are far from satisfactory.

D．Much progress in reducing emissions has been made these years.

4 . Why Do Cats Love Boxes So Much?

There is an object that’s pretty much guaranteed to arouse your cat’s interest. That object, as the Internet has so thoroughly documented, is a box. Any box, really. Like many other really strange things cats do, science hasn’t fully cracked this particular feline (猫科的) mystery.

    1     In fact, when you look at all the evidence together, it could be that your cat may not just like boxes, he may need them.

The box-and-whisker plot

Understanding the feline mind is extremely difficult. Still, there’s a sizable amount of behavioral research on cats who are, well, used for other kinds of research. These studies have been taking place for more than 50 years and they make one thing quite clear:     2    

This is likely true for a number of reasons, but for cats in stressful situations, a box or some other type of separate enclosure can have a strong impact on both their behavior and physiology.

Ethologist Claudia Vinke of Utrecht University in the Netherlands is one of the latest researchers to study stress levels in shelter cats. Working with domestic cats in a Dutch animal shelter, Vinke provided hiding boxes for a group of newly arrived cats while keeping another group from them entirely.     3     In effect, the cats with boxes got used to their new surroundings faster, were far less stressed early on, and were more interested in interacting with humans.

The ‘If it fits, I sits’ principle

Some feline observers will note that in addition to boxes, many cats seem to pick other odd places to relax. Some curl up in a bathroom sink.     4     This brings us to the other reason why your cat may like particularly small boxes: It’s really cold out.

So there you have it: Boxes are insulating, stress-relieving, comfort zones—places where cats can hide, relax, sleep, and occasionally launch a surprise attack against the huge, unpredictable apes they live with.

A．Your furry companion obtains comfort and security from enclosed spaces.

B．Others prefer shoes, bowls, shopping bags, coffee mugs, empty egg cartons, and other small, enclosed spaces.

C．She found a significant difference in stress levels between cats that had the boxes and those that didn’t.

D．A box, in this sense, can often represent a safe zone, a place where sources of anxiety, hostility (恶意), and unwanted attention simply disappear.

E．So rather than work things out, cats tend to simply run away from their problems or avoid them altogether.

F．Thankfully, behavioral biologists and veterinarians have come up with a few interesting explanations.

5 . With billions of stars in our galaxy (银河系), many circled by planets, the chances are there should be advanced life capable of reaching out to us. Yet after decades of looking and listening, we have found ___________.

This apparent conflict is known as Fermi’s paradox- Some have used it to argue that the search for extraterrestrial(外星球的)intelligence (SETI) is sure to ___________ .

But a mathematical analysis of SETI searches done so far claims that the usual explanation for the paradox— that there is nobody out there—is ___________. Instead, it suggests the best explanation is simply that we have barely scratched the surface in our ___________ for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Jason Wright at Pennsylvania State University and his colleagues analysed the many variables involved in SETI, which involves searching for radio signals from other ___________ . These include what to look for, where to look, how often and for how long. They then devised an equation that computes the ___________ of the galaxy checked so far. The team says that the volume of the galaxy that has been checked by SETI so far is roughly___________ to just a single bathtub of water in the world’s oceans.

“You don’t have to do a calculation to say we’ve only just ___________ ,” says Duncan Forgan at the University of St Andrews, UK, who is a member of the UK SETI research network. ”But they’ve done a nice job of showing the huge scale of the problem___________.“

As well as putting SETI in context, the equation can help researchers see which search techniques have been used less than others. ____________ , we only developed the technology to listen for higher radio frequencies quite recently. ”But we’re getting better at that, so that variable will now shrink,“ says Forgan.

However, advances in ____________ will only take us so far. Certain variables, such as how often a message from space might be repeated, cannot be____________. A signal sent once a year can only be listened out for once a year. ”There are things we can do better and things we can’t,” says Forgan. “We just have to ____________ and wait for the universe to do its thing.”

Forgan has a book coming out that discusses 66 potential ____________ for Fermi’s paradox. They include the possibility that Earth is somehow unusual in its ability to harbour intelligent life or that technological civilisations are rare. Or perhaps they are ____________ but short-lived. “Genetic or nuclear disasters might wipe you out,” says Forgan.

1.

A．nothing

B．something

C．anything

D．everything

2.

A．arrive

B．join

C．fail

D．improve

3.

A．possible

B．simple

C．relative

D．false

4.

A．hunt

B．love

C．service

D．region

5.

A．individuals

B．civilisations

C．surroundings

D．organisations

6.

A．source

B．centre

C．edge

D．part

7.

A．subject

B．equivalent

C．available

D．committed

8.

A．remembered

B．mentioned

C．described

D．started

9.

A．progressively

B．mathematically

C．synthetically

D．occasionally

10.

A．For example

B．What’s more

C．In summary

D．By comparison

11.

A．technology

B．computation

C．radioactivity

D．astronomy

12.

A．measured

B．challenged

C．changed

D．interpreted

13.

A．set off

B．sit back

C．put up

D．take down

14.

A．demands

B．benefits

C．explanations

D．applications

15.

A．weird

B．boring

C．exciting

D．common

6 . 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

Uber Eats pilots reusable container scheme

From today (Tuesday 18 April, 2023) Uber Eats customers in Central London will be given the option to order their takeaway in reusable containers and easily return them in an attempt     1     (address) single use packaging.

    2     (Bring) together various businesses, the project will test and measure how localized doorstep at-home collections of reusable packaging can increase the adoption rate of a reuse system and improve convenience. The system has been developed to make     3     as easy and convenient as possible for people to take part. When placing their orders, Uber Eats customers can choose to receive their food in reusable packaging. Once they’ve enjoyed their meals,     4     they need to do is to scan a QR code, select a day for collection, give the containers a simple rinse and await collection. All collections are low or no emissions,     5     (make) by deliverymen using bikes, electric cars or vans.

The trial will run for six months and will be managed by Again, which operates a network of packaging cleaning facilities     6     the reusable packaging will be cleaned and processed before being returned to the restaurants. Various promotions     7     (test) throughout the trial to measure opt-in rate and return rate. “This pilot aims to make reusable packing     8     (accessible) for customers and restaurants alike,” says Matthew Price, Uber Eats General Manager. “By integrating the reuse option     9     a delivery app used by many households and by offering doorstep collections, we hope to see a significant increase in the use of reusable takeaway packaging. The trial will help create     10     better understanding of what works and what doesn’t at a local level, and hopefully lead to wider roll out of this reuse system across more businesses and areas.”

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．To fight against violent action.

B．To explore new ways of studying animals.

C．To stop animal being used for medical research.

D．To highlight the protection of endangered animals.

2.

A．It might be the most efficient way to free animals

B．The damage done in this case might not be so terrible.

C．It might not be such a serious crime in the eyes of the law

D．The cost of setting up the lab might discourage the firm from doing so.

3.

A．Evidence was found that no actual animal cruelty did happen

B．Evidence was found that the scientists didn’t obey certain rules.

C．The scientists couldn’t afford to find animals again for the research

D．The scientists were believed to have been involved in illegal action.

4.

A．It is not their original intention.

B．It does bring them much trouble.

C．It has made their life difficult.

D．It is what they apologise for.

8 . Global surface temperatures last month were 2.25 degrees warmer than the 20th century average of 60.1 degrees, breaking previous records, from August 2016, by more than half a degree, according to NOAA researchers. “That to me is a really huge _______ from one record to the next,” said Ellen Bartow, a physical scientist with NOAA’S National Centers for Environmental Information.

The report _______ what millions of people have experienced in recent months, including record-breaking heatwaves that have touched almost every corner of the globe. Asia, Africa, North America and South America had their warmest August on record, as did the Arctic, Europe and Oceania — a region that _______ Australia - had their second-warmest August on record, the report said.

It wasn’t just the land that _______ : August set a record for the highest monthly sea surface temperature abnormally—1.85 degrees above average. The warming oceans _______experiencing its fourth continuous month with the _______ shrinking sea ice, with Antarctica sea ice extent on record. Globally, sea ice extent in August was about 550,000 square miles less than the previous record low, set in August 2019.

“We’ve seen unheard-of warmth in the global ocean, and that’s definitely alarming because its effects _______ beyond just the scope of the ocean,” Bartow-Gillies said. “Not only are you _______ marine habitats, but you’re affecting storm creation, you’re creating more instability in some areas, and you’re creating flooding events in other areas. There’s a whole host of _______ that come along with these warmer ocean surface temperatures that we’re seeing.”

In fact, the report comes after a series of severe natural ________ that span the globe. This week, a Mediterranean storm caused serious flooding in Libya, killing more than 11,000 people. In Canada, wildfires burned through more than 42 million acres of forests this summer, and several are still burning. ________ global warming was not the singular cause of any of these disasters, heating of the Earth continues to ________ the likelihood of extreme weather events and wildfire worldwide.

“The scientific evidence is ________ —we will continue to see more climate records and more intense and frequent extreme weather events impacting society and ecosystems, until we stop ________ greenhouse gases,” read a statement from Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which also ________ that this summer was the hottest on record.

1.

A．distance

B．jump

C．travel

D．flight

2.

A．confirms

B．emerges

C．quotes

D．argues

3.

A．holds

B．touches

C．surrounds

D．includes

4.

A．boiled

B．cooled

C．stricken

D．disappeared

5.

A．contributed to

B．suffered from

C．resulted from

D．devoted to

6.

A．slowest

B．lowest

C．highest

D．fastest

7.

A．enlarge

B．discharge

C．extend

D．undertake

8.

A．creating

B．saving

C．remaining

D．disturbing

9.

A．issues

B．debates

C．events

D．proposals

10.

A．floods

B．disasters

C．storms

D．earthquakes

11.

A．Though

B．Because

C．Unless

D．When

12.

A．damage

B．destroy

C．decrease

D．increase

13.

A．irresistible

B．unchangeable

C．inaccessible

D．unbearable

14.

A．conveying

B．releasing

C．relieving

D．dismissing

15.

A．predicted

B．expected

C．doubted

D．determined

9 . Directions: After reading the passages 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.

Fresh warning sounded on plastics problem

Walk along any beach in the world, no matter how isolated, and you will see plastic of some kind washed up on the shoreline,     1    (offer) a reminder of the reckless throwaway culture of the present-day world.

Lately, a study     2     (sound) a fresh warning on the damage caused to the marine ecosystem due to discarded plastics, which eventually has a bearing on human health due to the seafood we consume.

In a paper     3    (title) “A Growing Plastic Smog” published on March 8, 2023 in the peer-reviewed research journal Plos One, researchers called on governments around the world     4    (take) sweeping action to address the “unprecedented plastic pollution” of the world’s oceans.

The plastics break down over time into minute particles that cannot be detected by the naked eye, but find their way into the marine ecosystem and into the seafood humans consume. No one knows for certain     5     the long-term damage will be to marine life and humans, but the study placed much of the blame on the plastics industry for failing to recycle or design for recyclability. “    6     eaten, microplastics can severely damage an animal’s internal tissues. Globally, we have reached a situation     7     we can no longer ignore the plastic pollution pandemic that is infecting our oceans,” he said.

“This research shows us that beach cleanups and citizen science projects that focus on the environmental fate of plastics have little impact on solving the enormity of the plastic problem. Marcus Eriksen, lead author of the study, said in a statement that the findings were a “stark warning     8     we must act now at a global scale”. “We’ve found an alarming trend of exponential growth of microplastics in the global ocean since the millennium, which     9    (expect) to reach over 170 trillion plastic particles,” said Eriksen, adding that the exponential increase in microplastics across the world’s oceans makes     10     necessary to “bring in an age of corporate responsibility for the entire life of the things they make”.

10 .
1. According to the poster above, which groups of items will be the best for the Pearson family (father with chronic disease, mother, a 10-month-old infant, and a pet dog) to pack into their limited-size emergency supplies kit besides necessities such as food, water and clothes?

A．passport, paper cups, whistle, rain gear, flashlights

B．formula, blanket, medication, diapers, pet food

C．pet food, cottont-shirt, plastic sheeting, books

D．medication, bank account records, diaper, can opener, formula

2. According to the poster, why is it advisable for children to have a personal pack?

A．To provide more appropriate protection.

B．To create a sense of security and familiarity.

C．To make them feel more physically comfortable.

D．To simulate a seemingly school-like environment.

3. Which is TRUE about suggestions given in the poster?

A．Families should adjust the contents of the emergency supplies kit every other year based on needs.

B．There are no specific items in the poster that address the needs in different natural disasters.

C．All of the supplies in the emergency kit should not be stored in waterproof and portable containers.

D．Children should not be allowed to include their favorites books and stuffed animals in the kit.