Maria and Peter lived in a coastal city. The greatest pleasure in summer for them was to swim at their local beach after school. But one day they started to lose their enthusiasm for swimming in the waters. More often than not, they would find plastic bags thrown on the beach. Worse sill, as they swam in the water, some plastic bags would float around them and even stick to their legs when they walked to the shore.
They were upset and decided something needed to be done to stop the beautiful sea becoming consumed by waste.One weekend,Maria and Peter brought a big bag to the beach and determined to clean it up. Sweat streamed down from their forehead while they bent down and picked up the plastic bags. To their disappointment, after a day’s hard work, there were still many plastic bags lying on the beach or floating in the water. Going home with aching legs and arms, Maria and Peter were almost defeated by a strong sense of failure.
That night over dinner with their parents, the pair ate silently. Noticing their low spirits, Mother asked gently, “You two looked so down. What happened?”Exchanging glances with Peter, Maria replied in a low voice,“It’s those annoying plastic bags. We tried to clean up but it was just impossible.”Understanding the pair’s disappointment, their father patted them on the back and comforted,”Well, it’s really hard for just two of you to fix such a big problem.”“Just two of us.”complained Maria and Peter, looking at each other.Suddenly, an idea lashed through their minds, their eyes shining with excitement.“Yes,that’s the point! We should make more people aware of the problem and encourage them to take action!” the pair said in chorus.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Quickly finishing their dinner, the pair went upstairs and started planning.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Excited and nervous, they posted the video and article on WeChat.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Beavers (河狸) are famous for building impressive dams in streams. They have a rare ability to transform the landscapes they live in. This is primarily because beavers need to use their dams to hide from predators (捕食者) like bears, wolves, and river otters. Beavers live in dome-shaped constructions within the ponds that can only be accessed by underwater entrances. Inside, they are safe from threats. Besides, they can also store food inside and keep warm in winter.
Beavers build dams up to 5 meters high, and the largest one, in Alberta, Canada, is 850 meters long. Most dams are built from pieces of wood, with stones at the base and a sealing layer of mud and plants on the upstream side. The dams are thicker at the bottom with a shallow slope on the upstream side, meaning that the weight of the water pushes down on the dam, keeping it in place and allowing it to hold back large volumes of water. Their engineering work is so effective that beaver dams can last for decades.
Beaver dams can promote the creation and development of stable wetland ecosystems, one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, which serve as the home of rare and endangered species. In addition, the dams can help water flow to the newly created ponds, thus, preventing flooding in areas downstream of the rivers where these dams are built. They also protect the land from soil erosion (侵蚀, 腐蚀) and block pollutants in the water flow downstream into major water bodies.
However, Ph. D. student Robert Needham, from the International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research at Southampton, expressed a great deal of his concern about the possibility of beaver dams blocking the upstream and downstream migration (迁移) of Atlantic salmon (鲑鱼) and trout during their reproduction seasons, as well as affecting habitat (栖息地) quality. Thus, people should control the construction of beaver dams, especially in human-inhabited areas, near agricultural fields and pasture lands.
1. What is the main reason for beavers to build dams?| A．Keeping warm in winter. |
| B．Storing food for later use. |
| C．Protecting themselves from predators. |
| D．Saving their habitats from river flooding. |
| A．The living environment of beavers. |
| B．The features of beaver dams. |
| C．The methods of building beaver dams. |
| D．The introduction to the largest beaver dam. |
| A．River pollution poses a big danger to beavers. |
| B．Beaver dams have great ecological(生态的)significance. |
| C．Stable wetland ecosystems are important to dam construction. |
| D．Beaver dams serve as the place of reproduction for some species. |
| A．People may be disturbed by too many beaver dams. |
| B．Beaver dams make many sea animals leave their habitats. |
| C．Farmers could benefit a lot from beavers engineering work. |
| D．Beaver dams promote an increase of some species in the Atlantic |
3 . There are few natural sounds more uplifting to my spirit than the bright and cheering calls and songs of black-capped chickadees (山雀). One of my morning routines is to step outside the house and listen for the voices of black-caps.
There is something comforting to me in black-caps’ presence.
After I’d moved into a house on Anchorage’s Hillside, I placed a makeshift feeder on my home’s back.
Within days, a whole new world opened up as woodland neighbors I’d never known, or even imagined, joined the black-caps at my feeders: red-breasted nuthatches, common redpolls…What was remarkable was that all of those species were common residents of the Anchorage area.
My newfound interest in birds grew quickly, surprising even me.
| A．Nature always amazed me in its own way. |
| B．Yet in prior days and years, I had no idea. |
| C．Black-caps are a sign of good environment. |
| D．Within a day, black-caps accepted my invitation to dine. |
| E．Black-caps have had a special place at the top of my affections. |
| F．What started as mere curiosity flowered into a consuming passion. |
| G．And much more often than not, they are heard before they’re seen. |
4 . Didga, the skateboarding cat
I have three cats. Didga is the most eye-catching. In terms of skills, there is no cat in the world that can be
I’ve been an animal-trainer for 40 years. Everyone said cats can’t be trained. Thus, I wanted to
I went to an animal shelter (动物收容所). As I was walking through, a kitten
Before long, Didga
However, training with cats isn’t
In 2017, Didga accomplished a tough task to perform 24 different tricks in
Didga has
| A．used | B．equal | C．blind | D．devoted |
| A．prefer | B．press | C．prove | D．prevent |
| A．fell | B．followed | C．left | D．travelled |
| A．hesitation | B．money | C．recognition | D．response |
| A．rose | B．added | C．tended | D．adapted |
| A．hopefully | B．passively | C．willingly | D．energetically |
| A．care | B．company | C．protection | D．help |
| A．horrible | B．hard | C．slow | D．smooth |
| A．matters | B．pays | C．spends | D．takes |
| A．individually | B．immediately | C．luckily | D．eventually |
| A．Skiing | B．Swimming | C．Skateboarding | D．Surfing |
| A．appealed | B．connected | C．attached | D．compared |
| A．over | B．under | C．beyond | D．below |
| A．shown | B．had | C．caused | D．made |
| A．bring up | B．bring about | C．bring out | D．bring back |
5 . I adopted (收养) Didga as a twelve-week-old kitten, and now she’s nearly 11. In 2017, Didga
I’ve been in the animal-training
I started searching for
Didga knows a handful of tricks that took over a year to
The psychology of training a cat is fascinating. Because I understand how animals think and learn, I can adjust (调节) to the cat’s abilities. If Didga doesn’t like it, I stop or go in a
I started some social accounts to teach people to have a better relationship with their
Didga has
| A．invented | B．performed | C．knew | D．directed |
| A．memory | B．dream | C．business | D．emergency |
| A．trained | B．challenged | C．exchanged | D．judged |
| A．responsible | B．precious | C．independent | D．potential |
| A．as | B．if | C．although | D．because |
| A．away | B．ahead | C．back | D．up |
| A．left behind | B．gave away | C．picked up | D．put aside |
| A．learn | B．observe | C．imagine | D．accept |
| A．floor | B．house | C．wall | D．board |
| A．plan | B．feeling | C．test | D．choice |
| A．appreciate | B．teach | C．recommend | D．miss |
| A．normal | B．possible | C．different | D．right |
| A．trainers | B．bosses | C．neighbors | D．cats |
| A．changed | B．copied | C．saved | D．replaced |
| A．steps | B．levels | C．attitudes | D．values |
“The Great Wall symbolizes the firm backbone of China, while the Grand Canal is the bloodline
With
China Daily reported that urbanization (城市化) has led to garbage and other waste being piled up on the waterway by residents, and others have even built illegal
7 . In the past several months, Apple, Google and Samsung have all launched their newest smartphones and other products. But in the process, this may also be adding to a growing problem: electronic waste.
The limited lifespan of many tech gadgets(设备)has caused the issue of e-waste to increase over the years. “People tend not to realize that all these seemingly insignificant things have a lot of value, especially in large amounts, ”Pascal Leroy, director general of the WEEE Forum, said in a statement
How to solve the problems of e-waste is much more than just cleaning out space in your junk drawers. Actually, large amounts of e-waste are shipped to developing countries that lack the power to refuse and safely recycle these imports. The WHO warned that children, with their smaller hands, are often used to deal with mountains of e-waste in developing nations in search of valuable elements such as copper, silver, palladium and so on. The WHO said the health of more than 18 million children are being affected negatively as they are employed in this informal e-waste processing industry.
Personally, what can you do to reduce the e-waste burden? Find an e-waste disposal(处理) service. The impact of recycling e-waste can be staggering. For every 1 million cellphones that are recycled, 35, 000 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. Meanwhile, environmental advocates say the most important step to deal with the mounting e-waste problem is simply to try to use your electronics for as long as possible
1. What might come along with companies launching new e-products?| A．More electronic waste. |
| B．Few optional tech gadgets. |
| C．Limited lifespan of the devices. |
| D．Important things for consumers. |
| A．Developed countries can’t recycle e-waste safely. |
| B．E-waste mountains are places for children to play. |
| C．Many valuable elements can be found on e-waste mountains. |
| D．Children are hired in the informal e-waste processing industry. |
| A．Interesting. | B．Surprising. | C．Annoying. | D．Challenging. |
| A．What is the source of e-waste? | B．E-waste—a serious problem? |
| C．E-waste—a processing industry? | D．What to do with your e-waste? |
8 . Coral reefs(珊瑚礁)as underwater walls can help reduce the effects of hurricanes on coastal communities. This seems unbelievable. It is reported that scientists have discovered that coral reefs are even more effective than man-made sea walls under the water. However, coral reefs are especially easy to be influenced by climate change. Overfishing and pollution have also proved very dangerous to them. Since 1950, half of the world’s coral reefs have already been lost. To protect our communities and keep sea ecosystems alive, we need to protect coral reefs right away.
Let’s take a closer look at how coral reefs protect us from floods, and how scientists are restoring (修复) reefs.
The roles that coral reefs play as underwater walls have long been recorded by scientists. During a Category 3 hurricane in 2015 in Australia, the coral reefs effectively protected the eastern shoreline from flooding. In contrast, the western coasts without coral reefs suffered serious damage. The researchers observed that the shape of coral reefs can break the approaching waves. More recently, researchers at the University of Miami have reached the same conclusion. They used a special lab simulator to recreate ocean conditions during a Category 5 hurricane. They found that coral reefs could reduce the impact of waves by up to 95 percent!
Because of higher ocean acidity (酸 性) and temperature, coral reefs are disappearing and dying out. At the same time, climate change puts weakened coral reefs under more stress. The University of Miami researchers are testing to plant new coral reefs while others are actively looking for effective methods to reduce the acidity of sea water. The governments have also paid more attention to these actions and provided enough money for reef restoration. With these efforts, we may address climate threats to coral reefs and they can carry on protecting our communities.
1. What can we know about coral reefs?| A．They can reduce hurricanes. |
| B．They are faced with danger now. |
| C．They can’t effectively prevent floods. |
| D．They aren’t influenced by overfishing. |
| A．A terrible hurricane attacked Australia in 2015. |
| B．Scientists paid little attention to coral reefs before. |
| C．Coral reefs could reduce the impact of waves to 95%. |
| D．The eastern coasts of Australia were damaged seriously. |
| A．Coral reefs may disappear. | B．Coral reefs will be ignored. |
| C．More coral reefs may appear | D．Few coral reefs will be planted. |
| A．To introduce the growth of coral reefs. |
| B．To explain the functions of coral reefs. |
| C．To encourage people to plant more coral reefs. |
| D．To stress the importance of protecting coral reefs. |
9 . I am an Africa wildlife filmmaker. But wildlife filmmakers from Africa are rarer than mountain gorillas(大猩猩). To understand why there are so few, we need to remember our recent history.
When the colonialists(殖民者) ruled Africa, they seized control of the continent’s wildlife and other natural resources. They saw African wildlife as “big game” and the continent’s first protected natural areas were game reserves created by driving away locals for the benefit of white hunters. Later, game reserves were renamed national parks and big game hunting gave way to wildlife tourism. But African wildlife was still there for White people’s enjoyment and benefits.
That locals could have an interest in preserving wildlife for its own sake was rarely considered. Africans -like me who tried to get involved in wildlife conservation were made to feel out of place. When I was first interviewed by a British film crew, my interview was cut at the editing stage and replaced by a white man, just because I was an African.
Africa was the setting for some of the most popular films about wildlife, but these films were made by western-owned production companies for Western audiences, and most Africans never even got to see them. What Africa needed was to see themselves and their view points in the films. We urgently needed wildlife films made by Africans, about Africans and for Africans. As producer of the documentary TV series “Wildlife Warriors”, I set out to find African conservation heroes who could play a role in the documentary. I soon discovered that we had some talented African filmmakers across the continent.
Today things are changing fast. Companies like National Geographic and the BBC are leading the way with new approaches to global storytelling that deliver diversity and equality. Our African wildlife filmmakers’ mission is to draw on the power of local storytelling to inspire our people to save our continent’s rich wildlife.
1. Why are African wildlife filmmakers rare?| A．They lack the talent in making films. | B．They live in the shadow of westerners. |
| C．They are still colonized by the westerns. | D．They aren’t interested in filming wildlife. |
| A．The strictness of the crew. | B．The preference for the British. |
| C．The prejudice against Africans. | D．The benefits of local communities. |
| A．The locals enjoy wildlife films set in Africa. |
| B．Africans play a leading role in wildlife film-making. |
| C．Films made by westerners are the most popular ones. |
| D．Africans long for having a say in wildlife film-making. |
| A．To introduce how African wildlife are protected. |
| B．To urge people to better preserve African wildlife. |
| C．To show that the author was ignored by westerners. |
| D．To explain why more African filmmakers are needed. |
10 . Avoid the supermarket shelves piled with cheese, cupcakes and pies. That is the message of an analysis that found these items are the worst when looking at both nutritional and environmental impacts of thousands of food and drink products sold in the UK and Ireland. So far, most studies have focused on the environmental impact of goods such as beef or beans, rather than tofu and other products that shoppers often buy. Where research has focused on such products, it has usually been for a small number of them.
In a bid to bridge the gap, Micheal Clark at the University of Oxford and his colleagues analyzed more than 57,000 food and drink products sold in the UK and Ireland. The team took the ingredients (成份) data from eight retailers (零售商), including major supermarkets Tesco and Sainsbury’s. However, precise figures on how much of each ingredient is in each product were only available for around a tenth of them. To estimate the rest, Clark and his colleagues trained an algorithm (算法) on the known products and used it to predict the composition of the unknown ones. Finally, the team linked all the ingredients to an existing database of environmental impacts, including emissions (排放), land use and water stress.
The results may come as no surprise: meat, fish and cheese products had highest environmental impact while fruit, vegetables, bread and sugary drink products had the lowest burden. Clark admits that none of this is exciting, given what we already knew from past research. “What is important is that you can start getting these impact estimates for products that people are purchasing, which then has a lot of effects,” he says.
One of those is eco-lables, which can help consumers to make greener choices. However, retailers have struggled in the past with the challenge of the large number of food. Clark is thinking about how to eventually turn the data into an app that could be used either by shoppers or by retailers wanting to reduce their environmental impact. “We’ve made that information available in a way that means people can start making informed decisions,” he says.
1. What is the purpose of Clark’s study?| A．To solve the environmental problems with some products. |
| B．To point out the mistakes of the previous research. |
| C．To focus on the important ingredients data from retailers. |
| D．To estimate the environmental impact of frequently-bought products. |
| A．The process of Clark’s study. | B．The result of Clark’s study. |
| C．The significance of Clark’s study. | D．The limitation of Clark’s study. |
| A．Surprising. | B．Worrying. | C．Meaningful. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Nutritious food like beef and eggs. | B．Green food like carrots and bananas. |
| C．Healthy food like fish and tofu. | D．Fresh food like milk and chicken |
