1 . John “Charlie” Veron-widely known as “the Godfather of Coral Reef (珊瑚礁)”-is a celebrated expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world’s coral species and has spent the past 45 years diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. But now the 73-year-old is raising the alarm about its future. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders, is 2, 300 kilometers long and is the only living organism that can be seen from space. It is considered a World Treasure Site due to its biodiversity (生物多样性)with 30 species of whales, dolphins and sharks. Within the reef itself, there are also a number of tiny organisms and fishes.

However, its health is threatened. After the recent mass bleaching (白化)events, Veron dived in many areas of the Great Barrier Reef to see the damage for himself. “I was seeing and feeling it and it was absolutely shocking, ” he says.

Veron says the mass bleaching events in the past few years-and the possibility of losing one of nature’s greatest treasures-were a wake-up call for the world in the wider battle against climate change, which, together with the rising sea temperature, is considered the greatest threats to the reef.

Fortunately, earlier this year, the Australian government announced nearly 400 million dollars in new funding towards scientific projects designed to help the reef.

There has been criticism in Australia about the slow process for the funding. “It won’t be wasted, though,”Veron says. “As scientists will be able to create a sort of seed bank to protect the species until the climate is good enough to rebuild the reef. What the scientists hope to do is to help nature along a bit after the big carbon dioxide increase is over and it starts to come down.”

1. Why is the Great Barrier Reef considered a treasure site?

A．It is a natural wonder.

B．It can be seen from space.

C．It has a rich variety of species.

D．It is home to a great many fishes.

2. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Climate change is threatening biodiversity.

B．The Great Barrier Reef is in danger of extinction.

C．Scientists have found major factors in the reef’s blenching.

D．Veron has made great contributions to environmental protection.

3. What's Veron's attitude to the future of the reef according to the last paragraph?

A．Uncaring.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncertain.

D．Positive.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A travel guide.
C．A research plan.	D．A journal entry.

2 . Humans are responsible for 25% to 40% more of the total share of methane emissions(甲烷排放)than previously estimated, according to a new study in Nature.

Methane is one of the most powerful and effective greenhouse gases: about 28 times more effective than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. It's responsible for about a quarter of global warming. It's produced naturally by animals, volcanoes, and wetlands, but it's also a byproduct of oil and gas production. It's this last form of methane that the study focused on.

Researchers used ice core measurements from Greenland from 1750 to 2013, plus previous data from Antarctica. They melted the ice to let the small quantities of ancient air trapped inside come out. These act a bit like time capsules,allowing us to learn about the methane in the atmosphere at the time. They used carbon-14, which comes from living things, as a substitute(替代物)to determine whether the methane they found came from biological sources. Until 1870, around the time when we started using fossil(化石)fuels, almost all methane came from these sources. After that, there was a rise in methane that didn't have any carbon-14, from ancient fossil sources in which carbon-14 had disappeared. That allowed the researchers to compare natural methane with methane caused by human activity.

If more methane is created by humans, there's an even bigger opportunity to control how much we release. Methane stays in the atmosphere for only a decade(compared with 200 years for carbon dioxide). So efforts to cut methane, which mostly comes from the production and transportation of gas and oil, could bring great benefit right away.

1. Which methane source does the study focus on?

A．Animals.

B．Wetlands.

C．Volcanoes.

D．Fossil fuels.

2. What can we learn from this text?

A．Methane comes mainly from animals and wetlands.

B．There is more methane than carbon dioxide in the air.

C．Fossil fuels have been used about a century and a half.

D．Methane will remain permanently in the atmosphere.

3. What is the author's attitude towards methane control?

A．Optimistic.

B．Skeptical.

C．Disappointed.

D．Unconcermed

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Fossil Fuels Cause Global Pollution

B．Humans Produce More Methane than We Thought

C．Methane Is the Biggest Cause for Global Warming

D．Carbon Dioxide Has Less Impact on Climate than Methane

3 . Cultural heritage is really important in terms of promoting tourism of a place as it helps develop the local economy. But it certainly does not stop there. There is a deeper significance on preserving our cultural heritage than the possibility of bringing income for local communities. It is understanding and appreciating our way of life as a people.

Our cultural heritage is what connects the past and the present, which can be helpful to the future. There is wisdom as to how buildings were built a certain way during ancient (古代)times. We can pick a learning or two from them that can be more effective when we blend (融合) with our modern practices.

It is also our connecting bridge to cultures that share similarities with us, strengthening our ethnic bond as a human race. It also enhances our societies as we find fulfillment and pride in shaping our cultural identity.

Understanding our cultural heritage also influences our understanding of our humanity (人性). Why some of them disappear is partially because of lack of understanding why they were being done in the first place. Historian Simon Thurley views it as a cycle: by understanding cultural heritage, we come to value it; by valuing it, we want to care for it: by caring for it, we enjoy it and help other people enjoy it, too; and from enjoying it, people thirst to understand.

1. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?

A．Promoting tourism should be stopped.

B．Our way of life as a people matters a lot.

C．Developing the local economy doesn't make sense.

D．Preserving cultural heritage doesn't only benefit economy.

2. Why does the author mention ancient buildings in paragraph 2?

A．To tell people they are out of date.	B．To show cultural heritage is helpful.
C．To stress old buildings are amazing.	D．To prove modern buildings are effective.

3. What's the passage mainly about?

A．The promotion of cultural tourism.	B．The influence of culture on lifestyle.
C．The importance of cultural heritage.	D．The disappearance of cultural heritage.

4 . Four Most Amazing Cultural World Heritage Sites

Acropolis of Athens

As the name suggests, one of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites Acropolis of Athens has the location of Athens, Greece. It is a heritage site since 1987. The site is an ancient castle that is on a high rocky outcrop over the city of Athens containing the remains of the Parthenon and other ancient important structures. It is one of the most famous monument (遗迹)in Europe.

Rapa Nui National Park

One of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites, it is in the Easter Island. You know it as the heritage site since 1995. These are a Monolithic (庞大而单一的)human figures that are carvings by the Rapa Nui people from rock between the years 1250 and 1500. These have overly large heads three-eighths the size of the whole statue and Paro which is the tallest, almost 10 meters high with 75 tonnes of weight.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a place in Mexico. It is a heritage site since 1988. One of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites, Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city. It is a gift by the Maya people. Being a major focal point in the northern Maya lowlands for centuries, it was one of the largest Maya cities. Today, Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. It receives around 1.2 million visitors each year.

Taj Mahal

You will find this one of the most amazing cultural world heritage sites in Agra, India that has bagged a place in the heritage site since 1983. It is white marble mausoleum (陵墓)which was built between 1632 and 1653 under the order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

1. How long has Acropolis of Athens become a heritage site？

A．Since 1987.	B．Since 1995.
C．Since 1988.	D．Since 1983.

2. Which site will you choose if you want to see huge human figures？

A．Acropolis of Athens.	B．Rapa Nui National Park.
C．Chichen Itza.	D．Taj Mahal.

3. Whom was Taj Mahal built in memory of？

A．The Rapa Nui people.	B．The Maya people.
C．Shah Jahan	D．Mumtaz Mahal.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Every day we use energy. We use it for cooking, for heating and for lighting our cities. The energy comes from many different     1     (source). It can come from the sun, wind and water, but the energy we depend on the most comes from deep inside the Earth. These include coal, oil, and natural gas.

These fuels come from the remains of plants and animals. It takes millions of years     2     (make) them. However, with the world’s population     3    (grow), more and more of these fuels are dug up from the ground. Yet these fuels are non-renewable. When they     4    (use) up, they will be gone forever.

We need to have a strong sense of     5    (responsible) and it’s high time for us to think about     6     we can help save energy and preserve these fuels.

What about turning off anything     7     (electricity) we are not using? That’s a start! We can also recycle things such as newspapers, cans, bottles, and plastic—including plastic bags. Plastic bags start out as either oil     8     coal, and one big city can use millions of plastic bags in a year. When we use recycled things, it takes less energy     9     making something new.

Cars consume a lot of fuel, but there     10     (be) a variety of measures that car owners can take to preserve fuel. Try asking your family whether we can take a bus or walk instead of using the car.