1 . The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland has suffered several mass bleaching events due to the impacts of climate change. The Australian government turned down a proposal for a new open-cut coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, considering environmental laws and the risk of “irreversible damage”. It was the first time the government had used its powers under environmental laws to reject a mine.

In turning down the project, Tanya Plibersek, the minister for the environment and water, cited significant potential environmental dangers to the reef, which is already heavily threatened by climate change.” The risk of pollution is real and the damage to the reef, once done, will never be repaired. “The project would have had unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows,” Plibersek said in a video posted on social media. She said that during the public consultation period, her department had received 9,000 public comments about the mine in just 10 business days.

The government has been under pressure from UNESCO to better protect the reef and in 2022, it pledged one billion Australian dollars for efforts to protect the fragile ecosystem, including climate adaptation measures and water quality programs. Last year, the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometers, experienced its sixth mass bleaching event, due to warming waters caused by climate change.

The government, elected in 2022, came to power promising stronger action on the climate in a country still heavily depending on fossil fuels. But its climate policies are rated “insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker, which found Australia is not on course to meet targets to limit warming to 1. 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The government has rejected calls from the country’s Green Party to turn down all new fossil fuel projects.

1. Which of the following can replace “irreversible” in paragraph 1?

A．Permanent.

B．Gradual.

C．Severe.

D．Significant.

2. Which statement would Plibersek probably agree with?

A．The reef is in good condition now.

B．9,000 people made good comments on the mining project.

C．The mining project has drawn the attention of the public.

D．The mining project has had bad effects on freshwater in the area.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Fossil fuels are not in demand in Australia.

B．The government has made effective climate policies.

C．The government failed to carry out its previous promises.

D．The Green Party reached an agreement with the government.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The Great Barrier Reef is faced with mass bleaching events.

B．Australia is on the way to protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

C．The Great Barrier Reef calls for help due to climate change.

D．Australia says “No” to a mine near the Great Barrier Reef.