1 . Scientists have found that floating solar panels could provide a huge amount of electricity if they were placed on lakes and other bodies of water around the world. Floating solar panels could also help save water and protect land.
Solar panels — also known as “photovoltaic” panels — are used to turn sunlight into electricity. Most solar panels are placed on land in large collections called solar farms. But recently people have begun to explore putting floating solar panels on water. Because these panels float, some people call them “floatovoltaies (浮动光伏)”.
The researchers behind the new study looked at 114,555 reservoirs (水库) worldwide. They used computer programs to figure out how much electricity could be produced yearly by covering 30% of these reservoirs with floating solar panels. The answer was surprisingly large — more than twice the amount of energy the United States generates in a year. And 10 times as much energy as all the solar power currently being generated in the world. The researchers described the results as “remarkable”.
The scientists found that floatovoltaies would be especially useful when reservoirs were near smaller cities (50,000 people or less). The researchers say there are about 6,256 cities around the world where floating solar panels could provide all the electricity the cities need.
Floatovoltaies can also help save water by limiting evaporation (蒸发) from reservoirs. The scientists say that solar panels covering just 30% of the reservoirs’ surfaces could save as much water as 300 million people would use in a year. There are several other reasons that make floatovoltaies a good idea. Photovoltaic panels work better when they’re not extremely hot. The water helps cool the panels so that they create more energy. Putting solar panels on water also means that there’s no need to clear land for a solar farm. That’s more and more important as countries work to fight climate change and protect natural spaces for wild animals.
1. What did the researchers think of the study results?| A．Skeptical. | B．Amazing. | C．Worrying. | D．Interesting. |
| A．In small cities with more rain and less sunshine. |
| B．In huge cities with many small lakes and rivers. |
| C．In tiny cities near reservoirs with less than 50,000 people. |
| D．In large cities far from reservoirs with more than 50,000 people. |
| A．It can help reduce water evaporation. |
| B．It can prevent water from being polluted. |
| C．It purifies the water available for consumption. |
| D．It provides enough sunlight for the solar panels. |
| A．The methods of using floatovoltaies |
| B．The prospects of the power industry |
| C．Solar Farms —Turning Sunlight into Electricity |
| D．Floating Solar Panels — Making Energy, Saving Water |
2 . Bird populations in the UK continue to crash, new data shows, as campaigners predict the government will fail to meet its own nature targets unless radical (彻底的) changes are made. In 2021, on average the abundance of 130 breeding species was 12% below its 1970 value. Between 2015 and 2020, 24% of species increased, 28% showed little change and 48% declined. Wildlife experts agree that the decline in bird populations is largely driven by habitat loss.
The government passed the Environment Act into law in 2021, which requires a halt in species decline by 2030. Campaigners have said that radical changes to government policy are needed if it is to meet its targets. The problems were highlighted by the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this year, in which house sparrows remained the most frequently observed species in gardens for the 20th year in a row.
“The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the astonishing declines of some of our once common birds,” said Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s chief executive. “We are in a nature and climate emergency and we’ve lost 38 million birds from our skies in the past 50 years. “This year, more than 500,000 people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch, and more than 9 million birds were spotted. The results also identified problems faced by other common bird species, including chaffinches and greenfinches.
Richard Benwell, the chief executive of the environmental coalition Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Meeting the legal target to stop wildlife losses by the end of the next parliament (议会) can’t be achieved with a legal tweak (调整) here, some spare change there. Serious, sustained investment, proper punishment for pollution, and action in every department of government must be the features of any nature-positive manifesto (宣言).”
1. According to the text, what is the main cause of bird population decline in the UK?| A．Climate change. | B．Habitat loss. | C．Pollution. | D．Hunting. |
| A．Adjustment. | B．Instruction. | C．Stop. | D．Promotion. |
| A．House sparrows. | B．Chaffinches. |
| C．Greenfinches. | D．Uncommon birds. |
| A．To point out the ways to meet the nature target. |
| B．To stress the importance of setting specific goals. |
| C．To remind the next parliament to make new laws. |
| D．To prove the government’s failure in bird protection. |
3 . Cichlids and stingrays (慈鲷和黄貂鱼) can perform simple plus and subtraction (减法) in the number range of one to five. This has been shown in a recent study by the university of Bonn, which has now been published in the journal scientific Reports.
This fact has been known for sometime that Cichlids and stingrays can precisely detect small quantities without counting. However, the new research led by Dr. vera schluessel from the university of Bonn has shown that both species can even calculate. “We trained the animals to perform simple additions and subtractions,” Schluessel explains. “In doing so, they had to increase or decrease a premier value by one.”Blue means “add one”, and yellow means “subtract one”.
But how do you ask a cichlid for the result of “2 +1”or “5 - 1”? The researchers used a method other research groups had already successfully used to test the mathematical abilities of bees: They showed the fish a collection of geometric shapes — for example, four squares. If these objects were colored blue, this meant “add one”. Yellow, on the other hand, meant “subtract one”. After showing the original stimulus (e. g. four squares), the animals were shown two new pictures — one with five and one with three squares. If they swam to the correct picture(i. e. to the five squares in the “blue”arithmetic task), they were rewarded with food. If they gave the wrong answer, they went away empty-handed. Overtime, they learned to associate the blue color with an increase of one in the amount shown at the beginning, and the yellow number with a decrease.
But can the fish apply this knowledge to new tasks? Have they actually mastered the mathematical rule behind the colors? “To check this, we will designedly leave out some calculations during future training,” Schluessel explains.
1. What is known about the two species before the new research?| A．They can count small quantities easily. |
| B．They can associate colors with numbers. |
| C．They can do simple calculations by training. |
| D．They can identify small quantities accurately. |
| A．To illustrate fish’s ability. | B．To ensure the research’s reliability. |
| C．To compare fish and bees. | D．To promote the research’s application. |
| A．By collecting and calculating. | B．By comparing and analysing. |
| C．By observing and concluding. | D．By predicting and checking. |
| A．The fish are competent in mathematical calculation. |
| B．The procedure of the experiment needs improvement. |
| C．More trials are still needed to confirm the new findings. |
| D．Calculation methods are comprehended by both species. |
4 . The Twenty-three-year-old Mumbai girl Vidhi Bubna is offering India’s first and only diving grant to explore the marine ecosystem.
Vidhi’s first diving experience turned out to be a heartbreaking one. While she expected a lot of colors underwater as she had seen on TV, Vidhi came across all white corals (珊瑚), which means they are almost dead from being bleached (褪色).
“It was very sad and I just started crying after coming out of the water,” she says.
Vidhi, an economics graduate from Ashoka University, did not enjoy working with numbers and turned to writing about social issues, including women’s rights and minority issues.
As an adventure lover, Vidhi went diving to explore the underwater beauty last year. Her disappointment at seeing dying corals led to the start of Coral Warriors, anon-profit organization that aims to raise awareness of marine protection and climate change.
“Nobody knows about climate change till they see it,” Vidhi says. The Mumbai-based organisation offers India’s first and only diving grant. The grant sponsors level-one scuba diving education in any location of their choice in India. While there is no specific standard, Vidhi says the selection process is strict, choosing candidates who are passionate about climate change and seeing that they do something of their choice. Four candidates have been awarded the grant so far and the organisation hopes to find at least five people every year.
“After the candidates return, we expect them to work on a climate change project of their choice, create communities, and work to create awareness and drive action-centric projects,” she explains.
Prior to starting coral warriors, Vidhi was hosting free online workshops to spread awareness of marine biodiversity and climate change, and has reached about 5, 000 people through them.
As a next step, Vidhi is planning to work on documentaries with high-quality underwater images and videos, considering not many can afford or have the courage to go diving to see what is happening underwater.
1. How did Vidhi feel on her first diving?| A．Excited. | B．Upset. | C．Awesome. | D．Awkward. |
| A．To focus more attention on social issues. |
| B．To further explore the underwater beauty. |
| C．To fuel people’s enthusiasm for adventure. |
| D．To make an appeal for marine conservation. |
| A．To help promote people’s sense of community. |
| B．To choose whatever they are passionate about. |
| C．To meet specific and strict selection standards. |
| D．To undertake activities relevant to climate change. |
| A．Ahoot documentaries. | B．Tackle climate change. |
| C．Encourage people to dive. | D．Host free online workshops. |
5 . Climate experts have warned about the many ways a warming planet can negatively affect human health.
One long-held prediction that appears to be coming true — according to the results of a study recently published in Nature Scientific Reports — is how climate change might enhance
Vibrio vulnificus (创伤弧菌) flourishes in salty or brackish waters above 68℉. Infections are currently rare in the U.S., but that’s likely to change. Using 30 years of data on infections, scientists at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. found that Vibrio vulnificusis
“We’re seeing the core
Based on the latest data on how much the world’s water and air temperatures will rise, the scientists predict that by 2081, Vibrio vulnificus infections could reach every state along the U.S. East Coast. Currently, only about 80 cases are reported in the U.S. each year; by 2081, that could go up to over three-fold, the authors say.
Such a proliferation could have serious health consequences. Vibrio vulnificus kills approximately 20% of the healthy people it infects, and 50% of those with weakened immune systems. There is little evidence that antibiotics can
Warming sea temperatures aren’t the only reasons behind the rise of Vibrio vulnificus. Hotter air also draws more people to the coasts and bays, bringing them into closer contact with the bacteria.
“The bacteria are part of the natural marine environment, so I don’t think we can
To alert people to the growing threat,
Vbrio vulnificus is so
Lake says the expansion of Vibrio vulnificus is concerning for public health since the bacteria are now invading waters closer to heavily
| A．Even if | B．Except when | C．The instant | D．In case |
| A．numbers | B．ranges | C．coverages | D．concentrations |
| A．failure | B．fatality | C．survival | D．acid |
| A．ranging | B．varying | C．expanding | D．shifting |
| A．distribution | B．launch | C．community | D．sample |
| A．principle | B．lead | C．principal | D．hit |
| A．boost | B．accelerate | C．contain | D．remove |
| A．harms | B．damages | C．injuries | D．wounds |
| A．relieve | B．dissolve | C．resolve | D．erase |
| A．conscience | B．awareness | C．panic | D．alert |
| A．monitoring | B．processing | C．managing | D．delivering |
| A．sensible | B．vital | C．vulnerable | D．sensitive |
| A．populated | B．dense | C．paralleled | D．bordered |
| A．reaction | B．interaction | C．intervention | D．relativity |
| A．rather than | B．except for | C．such as | D．other than |
6 . My husband and I always wanted to go to the Caribbean but didn’t know much about the islands or how we were going to afford it. By chance, a friend of ours in Australia mentioned “pet sitting” and that it is something you can do all over the world.
We quickly created an account on a pet sitting website and began searching for options. There were only a couple of sits available in that part of the world, but we tried our luck, sent a request, and to our surprise, landed a three-month job in Grenada, so our year was going to be taken up with Caribbean pet sits.
Inspired by a Canadian couple, we decided to start our own travel blog. We began by writing about The British Virgin Islands, highlighting the beautiful beaches. However, for every photo album of a beautiful beach, there were 10 photos of trash (垃圾). It was hard to ignore the plastic pollution issue, especially on such primitive and remote beaches. So, we began to share photos of the trash we saw and how much we could pick upon our daily dog walks.
The more we looked into plastic pollution, the more we realized the severity of the global plastic pollution. From that point, we used our platform to create awareness and highlight ways to say no to plastic and travel plastic-free. We changed our daily routines, our way of living, and even our diets to accommodate more organic foods and little to no plastic packaging.
It’s been over three years now and we continue to do what we can. This journey has led us to some amazing places, working with great brands and even organizing a country-wide beach clean-up campaign in Grenada.
Our aim now is to keep on going. We love connecting with like-minded people. It’s been amazing few years that was sparked by a conversation about pet sitting. Who would have guessed?
1. Why did the author do pet sitting?| A．To cover travel expenses. | B．To raise fund. |
| C．To conserve the environment. | D．To shoot beautiful beaches. |
| A．Pet sitting is a new sort of occupation. |
| B．The Caribbean is a perfect travel destination. |
| C．Travel blog is a superb way to gain popularity. |
| D．Actions should be taken to fight plastic pollution. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Significant. | C．Adventurous. | D．Unbearable. |
| A．Shifting Lifestyles by Pet Sitting | B．Address Global Environment Pollution |
| C．Unexpected Gains from Pet Sitting Travel | D．The availability of Pet Sitting in the Caribbean |
7 . Scientists recently conducted a study that involved giving pet parrots (鹦鹉) a tablet. They could use the tablets to make video calls to other parrots. It turned out that the birds showed signs of feeling less isolated (孤独的). They also began to engage in more social behaviors, including cleaning their feathers, as well as singing and playing.
Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a co-author of the study, works at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. She said that video calls had helped many people feel less isolated. “There are 20 million parrots living in people’s homes in the U. S., and we wanted to explore whether those birds might benefit from video calling, too,” Hirskyj-Douglas saíd. “If we gave them the opportunity to call other parrots, would they choose to do so, and would the experience benefit the parrots?”
In order for the parrots to use their tablets, the birds first had to learn to ring a bell. They could then touch a photo of another bird on the screen to call that bird. The birds were also given a choice of which “friend” to call. In total the birds made 147 deliberate calls to each other during the study. Scientists took detailed notes on the birds’ behavior and later reviewed the video footage (片段).
Their analysis suggested that there were, indeed, benefits for the birds. In the wild, many parrots live in large groups. As pets, they tend to be kept alone or in a small group. Isolation and boredom can cause birds to develop psychological problems. These are problems related to the mind and behavior. These problems can look like rocking, pacing back and forth, or self-harming behaviors such as feather-plucking.
Rébecca Kleinberger, who works at Northeastern University in Massachusetts, also helped with the study. She said video calling could reproduce some of the social benefits of living in a larger group.
1. Why did scientists conduct the research?| A．To see if parrots can use tablets. |
| B．To see if video calls benefit parrots. |
| C．To evaluate the mental health of parrots. |
| D．To study the living conditions of parrots. |
| A．Its process. | B．Its findings. | C．Its application. | D．Its influences. |
| A．It helps with their reproduction. | B．It contributes to their misbehavior. |
| C．It improves their physical health. | D．It widens their social circle. |
| A．Parrots living in the wild tend to be socially active. |
| B．Parrots living alone may develop mental problems. |
| C．Parrots taught to make video calls become less lonely. |
| D．Parrots learn to behave properly by calling each other. |
8 . Naturalist Enzo Suma, who is now 40, lives in Puglia, a region in southern Italy whose long coastline faces the Adriatic Sea. Floating waste accumulates in this relatively enclosed part of the Mediterranean, unlike the open ocean, where the waste tends to be spread over a vast area. Feeling concerned about that, Suma makes it a habit to pick up the washed-up waste along the shore, especially after big winter storms.
One day, Suma was walking along the beach near his home when he discovered a bottle of Coke. Suma noticed on the bottle that the price, clearly printed on the bottom, was in lire, a currency (货币) that hadn’t been used in Italy since it was replaced by the euro in 2002. Could a plastic container have well survived in the Mediterranean, he wondered, for about two decades?
That led him to founding the Archeoplastica museum. It has a collection of about 500 unique pieces recovered from Italian shores and the Coke bottle is the first one of them. All collection demonstrates the unsettling life force of plastic waste in the environment. “Seeing that a product people may have used 30, 40, or 50 years ago remains still unchanged, you’ll feel different. It’s a great shock,” Suma said to a reporter. So Suma often exhibits selected pieces from the Archeoplastica collection at local schools around his hometown of Ostuni.
“The playful side of the work allows you to arrive at the less beautiful side of things,” Suma acknowledged. “Plastic is a kind of useful substance. But it’s unthinkable that a water bottle, made from a material designed to last so long, can be used for just a few days—or even minutes—before becoming garbage. Clean the beaches. Clean the oceans. Recycle. But if we are still throwing out plastics, none of those are going to be long-term solutions.”
1. What’s Suma’s concern about his living place?| A．Its long coastline is disappearing. | B．Big storms frequently hit the area. |
| C．Floating waste spreads over a vast area. | D．The waste pollution on shore is worsening. |
| A．They have a history of more than half a century. |
| B．They were quite valuable before turning into waste. |
| C．They’re more like educational exhibits than garbage. |
| D．They have stronger life force than ordinary plastic products. |
| A．Creative, devoted and socially responsible. | B．Enthusiastic, ambitious and adventurous. |
| C．Generous, cautious and humorous. | D．Curious, efficient and playful. |
| A．The birth of plastics has greatly served humans. |
| B．The key to tackling the plastic pollution is to stop littering. |
| C．The plastic problem can be solved by cleaning and recycling. |
| D．People should be more aware of the powerful functions of plastics. |
| A．The one with the white face. |
| B．The one with two black legs. |
| C．The one beside the black horse. |
10 . Five years ago, I was a trail ride leader at a holiday farm in Victoria. My favourite horse was a warmblooded called Holly, a chestnut mare. Aged seven, she was
One day, as we headed back from a ride on the beach, Holly and I were
At the bottom of the hill as we rounded a corner, Holly
I have heard that horses have a better sense of
Holly then
| A．negative | B．graceful | C．pitiful | D．aggressive |
| A．solution | B．reaction | C．problem | D．difficulty |
| A．frightened | B．delighted | C．touched | D．attracted |
| A．chasing | B．leading | C．following | D．pushing |
| A．proceeded | B．preferred | C．hesitated | D．refused |
| A．evidence | B．truth | C．signals | D．symbols |
| A．sped | B．rushed | C．escaped | D．slowed |
| A．rabbit | B．horse | C．monster | D．snake |
| A．turn | B．case | C．chance | D．rule |
| A．sealed | B．planted | C．fastened | D．frozen |
| A．vision | B．direction | C．smell | D．hearing |
| A．proved | B．denied | C．ignored | D．demonstrated |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Undoubtedly | C．Thankfully | D．Instantly |
| A．fell off | B．went back | C．came out | D．stepped forward |
| A．responsible | B．regretful | C．grateful | D．available |
