1 . PFAS are found in nonstick pans, water-proof fabrics and food packaging. They’re called forever chemicals because of their ability to stick around and not break down. Now, using a bit of heat and two relatively common compounds, researchers have degraded (降解) the chemical in the lab.
While some scientists have found relatively simple ways of breaking down select PFAS, most degradation methods require harsh processes using intense pressure — in some cases over 22 mega-pascals — or extremely high temperatures — sometimes upwards of 1,000℃ — to break the chemical bonds.
William Dichtel, from Northwestern University in Evanston, and his team experimented with two substances found in nearly every chemistry lab; sodium hydroxide (氢氧化钠), also known as lye, and a solvent (溶剂) called DMSO. The team worked specifically on a group of forever chemicals which contain a large percentage of PFAS.
When the team combined chemicals with the lye and DMSO at 120℃ and with no extra pressure needed, the carbolic acid (羧酸) fell off the chemicals and became carbon dioxide. “What happened next was unexpected, ” Dichtel said. The loss of the acid helped degrade the chemicals into fluoride ions (氟离子) and smaller carbon-containing products, leaving behind no harmful by-products.
“It’s a neat method; it’s different from others that have been tried,” says Chris Sales, an environmental engineer at Drexel University in Philadelphia who was not involved in the study. “The biggest question is how this could be adapted and scaled up. Understanding this mechanism is just one step in undoing forever chemicals,” Sales said.
This process wouldn’t work to deal with PFAS in the environment, because it requires a concentrated amount of the chemicals, but it could one day be used in wastewater treatment plants, where the pollutants could be filtered out of the water, concentrated and then broken down.
1. What can we learn about the previous ways to break down PFAS?| A．They’re eco-friendly. | B．They’ve been widely used. |
| C．They’re difficult to operate. | D．They’re regarded as useless. |
| A．They experimented with different solvents. |
| B．They tried two very common substances. |
| C．They tested every group of forever chemicals, |
| D．They exposed chemicals to extreme temperatures. |
| A．Environmentally-friendly reactions occurred. |
| B．The carboxylic acid became carbon dioxide. |
| C．No extra pressure was needed for the trial. |
| D．The lye and DMSO could work at 120℃, |
| A．It is difficult to deal with PFAS in the environment. |
| B．This mechanism will soon be used in the environment. |
| C．The method will be applied to different kinds of chemicals. |
| D．More research is needed before the method is widely used. |
The four mountain climbers were still breathing heavily as they looked out into the distance. The views from the top of the mountain were breathtaking. In all directions, valleys, forests and other mountains were laid out before them. They could even see the small wooden houses of the village where they had spent the night and the route they had taken to reach the top of this small but dangerous mountain. Laughing loudly, they were surprised at their courage in climbing such a steep and rocky mountain slope. Filled with an enormous sense of achievement, the four young climbers patted each other on the back.
As the other three continued to enjoy the views, Jason, the leader of the group, stared at the horizon with a troubled look on his face.
“What is it, Jason?” Sofia, the youngest of the group, asked.
“Those dark clouds in the distance mean a heavy storm is fast on the way,” Jason replied. He remembered the villagers had warned him of the unpredictable weather conditions on top of the mountain and that a terrible storm could appear from nowhere.
“But it's so warm and sunny here. I don't think the storm is coming this way,” Sofia said, more in hope than expectation.
However, Jason feared the worst and knew only too well what would happen if the storm caught them in the open. He addressed the group in a calm but serious tone, “If the storm hits us, the temperature will fall dramatically. The rain and mist will make it difficult for us to see where we are going and we could easily get lost or fall off a cliff. The wind will take our strength, so we need to get moving fast.”
The four mountain climbers packed up their facilities and immediately started back down the mountain. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the storm was upon them sooner than expected. The wind screamed in their ears, the driving rain stung (刺痛) their eyes and the mist made it impossible for them to see clearly.
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。
With it getting dark, Jason decided that it was just too dangerous to continue.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Finally, the storm showed signs of stopping and the climbers decided to continue their way down the mountain.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . People often recommend planting trees to make cities greener, cleaner and healthier. But during heat waves, city trees can actually increase air pollution. Indeed, a new study has found, up to 60 percent of the smoggy ozone in a city’s air on hot days may trace to chemicals emitted by trees. Galina Churkina, who works at Humboldt University of Berlin, and her team have confirmed it.
The findings might seem the opposite of what you would expect, notes Robert Young, an expert in city planting at the University of Texas at Austin. Indeed, he says, “Everything has multiple effects.” The new findings do not mean cities should discourage tree planting. Instead, cities may need stricter controls on other sources of pollution, such as tailpipeemissions from cars and trucks.
City trees soak up carbon dioxide, and at the same time they release oxygen into the air. But oxygen is far from the only gas that trees and certain other green plants release into the air. One of these chemicals is a hydrocarbon known as isoprene(异戊二烯). It can react with combustion(燃烧)pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides(氮氧化物)emitted by cars and trucks in cities. The result is the formation of ozone, a component of smog, which can irritate the lungs and cause airway diseases.
Churkina says her team is not surprised to see the seemingly contrary relationship between plants and pollution. She adds that its importance is quite amazing. “The results,” Churkina says, “suggest that city tree planting programs should not ignore the role this greenery may play in aggravating summer air pollution.” “Adding more trees will improve quality of life only if those cities also undertake plans to sharply cut vehicle pollution in summer and to increase their reliance on clean energy sources for electric power,” she says.
1. What does the new study find about city trees on hot days?| A．City trees can reduce the smoggy ozone. |
| B．City trees may easily absorb heat waves. |
| C．City trees may cause more air pollution. |
| D．More city trees can make a city far better. |
| A．The harm ozone does to people in cities. |
| B．The way trees help the formation of ozone. |
| C．The chemicals green plants release into the air. |
| D．The benefits trees bring to the city environment. |
| A．Worsening. | B．Decreasing. | C．Improving. | D．Releasing. |
| A．Planting more trees in cities. |
| B．Advocating using clean energy. |
| C．Improving people’s quality of life. |
| D．Banning vehicle pollution in summer. |
4 . The giant African land snail (GALS) has returned to Florida for a third time. On June 23, 2022, Florida officials reported that the snails had been found in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County.
To stop the snails from spreading to other areas, officials have asked Pasco County residents not to move any soil or yard waste and to call a special hotline for any sightings. Specially-trained dogs have also been brought in to sniff out the snails. The areas where the snails have been found will be treated with a special pesticide for 18 months. Florida officials also intend to monitor the sites for two years after the last snail has been found.
Giant African land snails are one of the most destructive snails in the world. The fist-sized snails are native to East Africa. They consume over 500 plant and tree species. While they prefer to eat fruit and vegetables like beans, cucumbers and melons, the animals are not fussy (挑剔). They will eat ornamental plants, tree bark and even paint on houses! The animals also pose a serious health risk to humans by carrying the parasite (寄生). They multiply rapidly, producing about 1,200 eggs in a single year. This makes it challenging to control their population.
Greg Hodges, the assistant director of the state's division of plant industry, says the latest GALSs differ from' the ones previously found. They have light cream-colored bodies. “The populations that we coped with before had dark gray to brown bodies,” he explains. “This kind of cream-colored snails is very common in the pet trade in Europe.”
The officials are not sure how the snails got here this time. But Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says, “Because agriculture is such a prominent part of our economics in the state, it is so imperative that we get in front of these things. Let me assure you: we will get rid of these snails. It is not a question of if; it’s just when.”
1. What have people in Pasco County been expected to do when they spot the GALSs?，| A．Clean up soil and waste. | B．Call the hotline to report. |
| C．Use dogs to sniff out the snails. | D．Spray pesticides to kill the snails. |
| A．They grow naturally in Florida. | B．They rely on a single food source. |
| C．They do not cause harm to humans. | D．They have strong reproductive abilities. |
| A．Confident. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Worried. |
| A．Florida’s Battle against The GALS Continues |
| B．Various Measures to Get Rid of The GALS |
| C．The Most Destructive Snail in the World |
| D．Great Threat to Florida’s Agriculture |
1. 口号名称；
2. 设计理由；
3. 宣传措施。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为 80 左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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6 . Researchers following tiger sharks off the southern coast of Belize couldn’t believe their eyes when they recently caught a different kind of fish. It turned out to be a Greenland shark, which is typically found in the Arctic and can live to be about 400 years old.
The team of scientists thought the shark was dead when they finally pulled it to the surface. Unlike the tiger sharks they saw, this particular shark had black, worn-looking skin and pale blue eyes. Devanshi Kasana, a Ph.D. candidate at the Florida International University’s Predator Ecology & Conservation Lab, said the shark looked “really old”.
There was no doubt that the discovery was unexpected. Kasana said, “As soon as it entered our field of vision, we saw a black figure that was getting bigger and bigger. When it came to the surface, none of the crew with all of their combined fishing experience had seen anything like that.” She said the discovery was especially exciting. She wondered how on earth these sharks, which were thought to mainly exist in the Arctic, could be found in the tropics as well.
Greenland sharks can be several hundred years old. The reason for their long life may have something to do with their speed of growth, which is very slow. Greenland sharks grow approximately one-third of an inch per year and can grow to more than 20 feet in length. And researchers believe the sharks don’t reach sexual maturity until sometime after the first 100 years of their life.
According to Kasana, some scientists have theorized that the Greenland sharks can be found across the globe, if one knows where to look. They love cold water, which is why they’re found in the Arctic. However, they’ve also been discovered as far south as off the coast of Georgia, thousands of feet beneath the ocean surface.
The theory is that the closer the sharks are to the equator, the deeper researchers have to go to find them. And they go deep over 7,000 feet down, according to NOAA.
1. What can we learn about the caught Greenland shark?| A．It is 400 years old. | B．It looks just like a tiger. |
| C．It has unique appearance. | D．It only lives near the Arctic. |
| A．Doubtful and fearful. | B．Common and expected. |
| C．Exciting and threatening. | D．Surprising and confusing. |
| A．The early maturity. | B．The mild environment. |
| C．The length of their bodies. | D．The slow pace of their development. |
| A．The longest-living shark in the world. |
| B．The oldest fish living near the equator. |
| C．A Greenland shark appearing in Belize. |
| D．A theory about the long life of wild fish. |
7 . Antecedent (先前的) carbon emissions are greenhouse gases released during the making of a product. Most manufacturers or customers pay little attention to them. In fact, operating emissions is important in a fossil-fuel-powered world.
An expert, Annika Ramskold, summarized the problem and said, “Going fossil free isn’t just about how things are powered. It’s about removing fossil fuels from how things are sourced, made, transported and assembled. While electric vehicles are a great start, we need to go further. Fossil fuel free vehicles mean greenwash (环保幌子) until the entire production part has been decarbonized (使环保).”
One manufacturer paying much attention is a Swedish electric motorcycle company. It plans to build the world’s cleanest motorcycle. But it may have trouble visualizing carbon dioxide. The company came up against the problem. It said, “As the Cleanest Dirt Bike Ever project involves global suppliers. it is difficult to get primary data, due to the complex global supply chain. It is also difficult to clean up that global supply chain. We investigated the possibility of treating each component separately. This needed to track the entire supply chain of each individual part. We eventually didn’t focus on the end product, but dealt with the materials used to make said parts.”
So instead, they are concentrating on the four main materials in the bikes—aluminum. steel, plastic and rubber. But some parts of the bike, including motor. battery, controller, brakes and suspension. are made by outside suppliers located globally. The company will have much trouble making much of a dent in that.
Ultimately, the answer is how much stuff goes into your vehicle. The motorcycle is said to have a twentieth of the antecedent carbon of an electric car. This is why the company’s work is so important. When people finally understand the effect of antecedent carbon emissions. they may realize that the most important choice they can make is not to drive a car as much as possible.
1. What does Annika Ramskold want to stress?| A．People should stop producing fossil fuel free vehicles. |
| B．Electric vehicles can solve environmental issues well. |
| C．It’s important to make production environmentally friendly. |
| D．Customers should pay little attention to operating emissions. |
| A．Fruitful. | B．Challenging. | C．Meaningless. | D．Conventional. |
| A．Know the reasons for emissions. | B．Make some important choices. |
| C．Buy the company’s motorcycles. | D．Adopt greener means of travel. |
| A．Sweden Is Trying to Go Green |
| B．Making Production Green Is Really Green |
| C．Global Companies Reject Carbon Emissions |
| D．Choosing Electric Vehicles to Reduce Emissions |
8 . It’s getting cold and winter is coming. More than 4 billion birds will stream overhead on their migration to warmer grounds down south, where they will feed. One of my favorite places to see this migration in action is Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, a critical stopover for a number of different migrating species.
The best time to visit is mid-November through mid-February, and I usually go to the place in mid-December. I’ve made it a tradition to go with my father with our cameras, and I look forward to our day trip all year long. I also love our tradition of stopping at Buckhorn Tavern for a famous green chile cheeseburger at the end of a long day in the field.
Most Snow Geese come from Northern Canada, flying up to 1, 500 miles at 40 miles per hour along with their partners and sometimes their young. Sandhill Cranes are much larger, breeding in Canada, Alaska and Siberia. Once almost extinct, they have recovered dramatically because of places like this national wildlife refuge.
Bird photography typically means using a huge lens (镜头) to get close to all the action. The big lens ensures I get those magical moments without disturbing a bird endangered. But I needn’t go far to see migrating species. In my own backyard. I use a bird blind, which allows me to sit inside capturing photos of any migrating species flying through. In my own back-yard, I also find that not all birds migrate, but they prepare for winter, stocking up seeds and acorns.
So wherever you are, keep your eyes out and up. If you miss the migration this year, soon it’ll be warming up and the birds will be on their journeys to their summer homes in the North.
1. What does Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge mean to the author?| A．A scenery spot to have fun. | B．A destination to take photos. |
| C．A field to catch some birds. | D．A place to watch birds migrate. |
| A．To Canada. | B．To Alaska. | C．To Buckhorn Tavern. | D．To the backyard. |
| A．To show the reserves value. | B．To introduce a kind of birds. |
| C．To stress the importance of birds. | D．To list some birds’ migratory sites. |
| A．The habits of some migrating species. | B．The author’s knowledge of endangered birds. |
| C．The skills of taking photos of migrating birds. | D．The author’s efforts to watch birds’ migration. |
Rachel had always been fascinated with the mysteries of the sea. She dreamed of exploring the
10 . Where does food waste go? In most countries around the world, it goes into landfills (垃圾填埋场). But not in South Korea. The country banned food waste in landfills nearly 20 years ago and today, it is turned into animal feed, fertilizers and fuel.
Around the globe, 1.4 billion tons of food is thrown away every year. The waste goes into landfills where it can pollute the land and water as well as releasing methane — a greenhouse gas — into the air. In fact, food waste is the third-largest source of methane in the US.
The system that is in place in South Korea keeps almost 100 percent of unused food out of landfills. While other cities and local governments have put similar plans in place, it is not done anywhere else on a country-wide basis.
There are two reasons why South Korea passed laws to carry out mandatory (强制性的) recycling of food waste. First, the country’s cooking tradition of numerous small dishes resulted in large amounts of uneaten food. This food waste went into landfills. But the country’s mountainous geography didn’t allow for enough landfills to be built. That’s why the government forced recycling of paper and plastic in 1995 but food waste continued to be buried in landfills. But it was the neighbors of these landfills that demanded that another solution be found due to the very unpleasant smell from rotting food. The government banned organic waste from landfills in 2005. Another law that was passed in 2013 banned dumping liquid food waste in the ocean.
The system is not free but most of the cost is absorbed by the country. People can buy yellow recycling bags that are picked up on the roadside and some local governments have placed autonomous food waste collectors that require residents to pay a weight-based fee by using cards.
The food waste is collected from the bins every day except Sunday. Some of it is used to make animal feed or fertilizers and some is used to make fuel.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe in paragraph 2?| A．The US is worried about landfills. | B．Landfills are the most common. |
| C．Greenhouse gas is hard to avoid. | D．Food waste can cause much harm. |
| A．Other governments don’t plan to recycle food waste. |
| B．100 percent of food waste goes into landfills worldwide. |
| C．South Korea is successful in dealing with the unused food. |
| D．South Korea should follow others’ way of building the system. |
| A．Some people’s appeal. | B．Insufficient landfill sites. |
| C．Unhealthy traditional diets. | D．Large amounts of food waste. |
| A．By avoiding using cards. | B．By purchasing recycling bags. |
| C．By paying the cost of collectors. | D．By picking up waste on the roadside. |
