1 . As the effects of climate change become more disastrous, well-known research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
That strategy, called solar climate intervention (干预) or solar geoengineering, involves reflecting more of the sun’s energy back into space — abruptly reducing global temperatures in a way that imitates the effects of ash clouds flowing out from the volcanic eruptions. The idea has been considered as a dangerous and fancied solution, one that would encourage people to keep burning fossil fuels while exposing the planet to unexpected and potentially threatening side effects, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters.
But. as global warming continues, producing more destructive hurricanes, wildfires floods and other disasters, some researchers and policy experts say that concerns about geoengineering should be outweighed by the imperative to better understand it, in case the consequence of climate change become so terrible that the world can’t wait for better solutions.
One way to cool the earth is by injecting aerosols (气溶胶) into the upper layer of the atmosphere. where those particles reflect sunlight away from the earth. That process works, according to Douglas MacMartin, a researcher at Cornell University.
“We know with 100% certainty that we can cool the planet,” he said in an interview. What’s still unclear, he added, is what happens next. Temperature, MacMartin said, is an indicator for a lot of climate effects. “What does it do to the strength of hurricanes?” he asked, “What does it do to agriculture production? What does it do to the risk of forest fires?”
Another institution funded by the National Science Foundation will analyze hundreds of simulations of aerosol injection, testing the effects on weather extremes around the world. One goal of the research is to look for a sweet spot: the amount of artificial cooling that can reduce extreme weather events without causing broader changes in regional rainfall patterns or similar impacts.
1. Why do researchers and government agencies work on cooling the earth?| A．To prevent natural disasters. | B．To win more time to reduce gas emissions. |
| C．To imitate volcanic eruptions. | D．To encourage more people to bur fossil fuels. |
| A．More volcanoes will throw out. |
| B．More solar energy will go into space. |
| C．More disasters will endanger the future of the world. |
| D．People will keep burning fossil fuels to keep warm. |
| A．He thinks more research remains to be done. |
| B．He is optimistic about the effect of cooling the earth. |
| C．He is concerned about the reduction in agriculture production. |
| D．He disapproves of the practice of solar climate intervention. |
| A．The rainfall pattern of a region. |
| B．The modest drop in temperature. |
| C．The number of extreme weather events. |
| D．The injection amount of aerosol. |
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
| A．Cartoon characters. |
| B．Climate change. |
| C．Pollution control agreements. |
| A．His dream of making a movie. |
| B．His concern about industrial pollution. |
| C．His disappointment at some governments’ inactivity. |
| A．He has aroused people’s concern about climate change. |
| B．He has played a role in a disaster movie. |
| C．He has made a box office success. |
| A．She is climate-ignorant. | B．She is an energy saver. | C．She is wealthy. |
3 . Rather than continue living a comfortable urban life, this British family has sold their London home in favor of launching the world's smallest nature reserve to save a nation's coral reef system. Karolina and Barry Seath— along with their two young daughters—are preparing to move to an island in the Seychelles（非洲塞舌尔群岛） measuring just 1,300 feet long by 980 feet wide（400 by 300 meters）.
They've launched a charity and teamed up with（与.....合作）local biologists in an effort to bring the coral reefs back to life in the smallest African country, which have been almost wiped out by rising sea temperatures. Their land-based coral farm will be only the second of its kind in the world, the other being on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, to specialize in regrowing coral to restore the reefs.
47-year-old Barry, who is a former policeman, said, “We are just a normal husband, wife and two kids, living the sort of life that most others do, but we felt the need to make a positive change for ourselves, our children, and the world we had largely taken for granted.”
Over the course of several vacations to the Seychelles, the Seaths witnessed the gradual deterioration（恶化） of the reefs. "Every time we visited, we noticed the coral was getting worse and worse," said Barry. "All the tourists say the same thing. They love the beaches but are really disappointed with the coral. "
Barry felt it was time to make a change and show his daughters an alternative way of eco-friendly living. He then teamed up with experts at the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles in order to develop the facility. Once it is complete, it will be the first large-scale, land-based coral farm in the Indian Ocean. The eco-warriors hope to use the facility to grow around 10,000 corals per year. Barry said, "Our long-term goal is to show everyone that—with just a relatively small investment—you can have a big positive influence on the marine （海的） environment."
1. Why have Karolina and Barry Seath sold their house?| A．They need to collect enough money to set up a charity. |
| B．They will move to an island in the Seychelles to save coral. |
| C．They think suburban life near the sea will be more comfortable. |
| D．They want to have a sea farm to grow coral for their daughters. |
| A．They often take other people's deeds for granted. |
| B．They have visited the Seychelles only once. |
| C．There are altogether six family members. |
| D．Barry Seath used to be a policeman. |
| A．It will be 1,300 meters long and 980 meters wide. |
| B．It will be the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean. |
| C．It will focus on fighting with rising sea temperatures. |
| D．It will be larger than the one on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. |
| A．To show everyone they can make a difference to the sea environment. |
| B．To make sure no one is disappointed with the coral in the Seychelles. |
| C．To try to grow around 10,000 corals per year on their coral farm. |
| D．To show his daughters a better life of eco-friendly living. |
对于清洁工的工作，有人认为薪水低,工作环境差；也有人 认为它有很大的价值。请你写一篇英语作文。内容包括:
1.陈述观点；2.说明理由。
参考词汇:
cleaner, garbage, worth, provide, make great contributions, beautify the environment 注意:
1. 词数100左右；2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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5 . Vitamin B could help lessen the effects of the most dangerous type of air pollution，according to a new study published recently. In the first study of its kind，a team of international researchers looked at the damage caused by one of the pollutants that has the most severe impact on health: PM2.5.
Particulate matter，or PM，is a type of air pollutant consisting of small particles of different sizes. PM2.5 has a diameter of fewer than 2.5 micrometers，about 30 times smaller than a human hair. These particles are so small that they can go into our respiratory system (呼吸系统), resulting in lung and systemic inflammation (炎症) and stress.
The team found that something as simple as a daily vitamin B supplement could potentially reduce the impact of the tiny particles on the human body，although they stressed that the research was in its early stages and the sample size was small.
For this study，10 volunteers were initially exposed to clean air and given a placebo (安慰剂) to check their responses. The group then took another placebo for four weeks before being exposed to heavily polluted air from downtown Toronto，where an estimated 1，000 cars pass every hour. The bad air was delivered to the volunteers through an “oxygen－type” face mask. The experiment was then repeated，with each volunteer taking a vitamin B supplement daily made up of 2.5 mg of folic acid，50 mg of vitamin B6，and 1 mg of vitamin B12. B6 can be found in liver，chicken and nuts，and B12 in fish，meat，eggs，milk and some cereals.
The researchers found that four weeks of vitamin B supplements reduced the damage of PM2.5 exposure by 28%－76%. The results highlight how prevention at an individual level could be used to fight the harmful effects of PM2.5.
1. Why is PM2.5 harmful to our health?| A．It pollutes and poisons the air. | B．It is too much to be got rid of. |
| C．It carries viruses and diseases. | D．It is easily breathed in and damages our body. |
| A．The process of the research was not scientific. |
| B．This kind of research has been done many times. |
| C．Further studies are needed to confirm their findings. |
| D．Vitamin B is hard to obtain in people’s daily life. |
| A．International researchers have a new finding. |
| B．Vitamin B could reduce the damage of PM2.5. |
| C．Particulate matter does great harm to our health. |
| D．Emission control and regulation are badly needed. |
| A．in a science journal | B．on a government website |
| C．in a fashion magazine | D．in a medical textbook |
6 . I earned about the zero waste movement in 2010 after reading a book about it in the library. It was eye-opening and encouraged me to remove as much single-use package as possible.
But as I followed the advice，I met many challenges. It turns out that small town Ontario isn't nearly as progressive as San Francisco when it comes to allowing reusable containers in grocery stores.
That’s when I wished I still live in downtown Toronto which would give me access to many health food store that allowed reusable containers. It took a while, but finally I realized that my location give me one key advantage over city’s people. I now live at the center of food production, which means I can go directly to producers to get ingredients that are not only package-free but the freshest and most delicious.
“Zero waste should be thought as more of an ideal than an hard-and-fast rule. It’s so geographically independent on what is in your area, so I think it is about doing your best to make use of the resources you have.” said Celia Ristow, founder of a website. It is refreshing to see that fact accepted by others. It’s true that the best-known zero waste supporters are city’s people, who have access to many stores and restaurants that are willing to work with them.
However, wherever you are, it is impossible to find a places that meets all the ideals criteria. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying. The food scene in my small town has changed greatly in the past six years and far more reusable choices have been available than before. We have a food co-op that allows for online ordering and home delivering, many locations for dropping off milk bottles, a growing summer farmer’s market and large pick-your own fruit farm.
I tell people and remind myself to remove what you can. Maybe the farmer’s market share are only seasonal, and you have to be perfect, in fact, as the saying goes, “Perfection is the enemy of progress.”
1. What advantage does the author have over city's people?| A．An access to delicious food | B．A chance to avoid wasting food |
| C．A direct access to farmer | D．A chance to refusing food containers |
| A．It should be viewed as a rule. | B．It requires you to start small. |
| C．It is more widely supported. | D．It has geographic limitation. |
| A．Making good use of what you have. | B．Finding some more zero waste methods. |
| C．Trying to improve your surroundings. | D．Buying supermarket produce once a week. |
| A．Zero Waste makes no place perfect | B．Zero Waste depends on where you live |
| C．Zero Waste is a hard-and-fast rule | D．Zero Waste calls on you to start small |
7 . Walls blanketed in moss(苔藓)are popping up in major cities, along with promises that they can reduce air pollution—but can a few square metres of plant matter really deal with the smog?
A Berlin-based firm, Green City Solutions, believes so. Its moss walls, called the CityTree, are roughly 4 square metres in size. Armed with Wi-Fi sensors to monitor the health of moss, a City Tree functions autonomously and requires very little maintenance(维护). The wall collects rainwater, which is pumped through a built-in irrigation system to the plants, powered by solar energy. As a result, the firm says each CityTree is able to “eat” around 250 grams of particulate(颗粒) matter a day (nearly 90 kgs a year) and removes about 240 metric tons of CO2 annually. It also cools the surrounding air.
Aware that getting the surrounding air in contact with the moss wall is crucial for the CityTree to be effective, the inventors ensure that the location of each installation (安装) is chosen carefully. Spots where pollution is heavy due to traffic and where air flow is limited are picked. The importance of this step is explained by the fact that the waste gas from a car generally goes vertically a few kilometres into the air.
But this doesn’t mean moss walls will necessarily protect people from pollution. In the Netherlands, researchers found that eight walls installed in Amsterdam failed to reduce the concentration of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (N02). Their report concluded that even doubling the number of moss walls would do little to improve their effectiveness.
The CityTree is not meant for parks or to substitute for street trees, but to add greenery to concrete-heavy spaces where planting is not an option. It’s important to remember that street trees provide a whole host of other benefits, including shelter and habitat for urban wildlife, shade and cooling for people on the street, and reduction of urban heat islands.
1. What do we know about the CityTree?| A．It can absorb some air pollutants. | B．It can irrigate other street plants. |
| C．It produces electricity to cool water. | D．It is aimed at saving water in cities. |
| A．The importance of CityTree. |
| B．The function of CityTree. |
| C．How to operate CityTree. |
| D．Where to place CityTree. |
| A．To show that CityTree can’t always work well. |
| B．To prove that CityTree can reduce air pollutants. |
| C．To emphasize the necessity of building moss walls. |
| D．To analyze the reasons for the failure of the program. |
| A．Ambiguous. | B．Disapproving. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Cautious. |
8 . Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So in her book Silent Spring, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.
Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.
Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.
For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.
In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.
Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.
Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”
1. Silent Spring is a book that__________| A．aims to raise people’s environmental awareness |
| B．stresses the importance of the cycle of nature |
| C．describes the author' s childhood experiences |
| D．asks people to enjoy the beauty of spring |
| A．curious | B．humorous | C．excited | D．worried |
| A．became world-famous due to Silent Spring |
| B．warned against the use of chemicals to kill insects |
| C．had a good knowledge of the planets in the universe |
| D．created a system for improving human brainwave activity |
| A．we should prove ourselves to be the ruler of this world |
| B．it's a chance for us to prove our mastery of nature |
| C．it's time for us to think about what we have done |
| D．settling on the earth is a challenge for humans |
9 . Providing five-star luxury (豪华) in the middle of a treasured wilderness without damaging the environment might not be easy, but it is far from impossible. The King Pacific Lodge in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest proves that if enough care and attention is taken, the task is within the reach of any tourist provider.
Unlike many other hotel building projects, no trees were cut down and no land was wasted in order to build it. The Lodge does not have the same location but sits on a floating boat pulled into the sea bay in May, till September. Those wishing to stay in one of its seventeen rooms must access it by boat or seaplane. Each guest staying at the Lodge is charged 3% conservation tax, but is rewarded by the chance to sight whales and bears. And since these are the main attractions of the area and of the Lodge, the management is well aware that in order to stay in business they must leave the area untouched.
In 2000, the Lodge management signed an agreement with the native Gitga’ at people. Together they work for the benefit of the area. The Lodge recognizes the native tribe (部落) as the owners of the land, pays the tribe for the use of their land and even supports the native youth and employs the tribe’s people. They, in turn, teach the newcomers about the local culture.
The King Pacific Lodge is one of a growing number of tourism companies that go beyond only minimizing (把……减至最小程度) their environmental effect to win the approval (批准) of the local community where they set up their business. These companies use environmentally friendly solution to problems, and are careful to limit their use of resources and protect threatened species. Realizing how destructive (破坏性的) tourism can be, they want to avoid the love-it-to-death effect of tourism and leave a lighter environmental footprint.
1. What can we learn about the King Pacific Lodge?| A．It is located in an area without any trees. |
| B．It can be moved from place to place. |
| C．Guests have to pay extra for the flight to get there. |
| D．Guests can take part in conservation programs. |
| A．It cooperates with the native people. |
| B．It wants to borrow the land from the native people. |
| C．It does not care about the local culture. |
| D．It seldom considers protecting the environment. |
| A．has a disagreement with the local communities |
| B．can limit the danger it does to the environment |
| C．ignore the importance of environmentally friendly tourism |
| D．will always do harm to the environment |
要点为：(1) 树的重要性；(2) 捐钱植树；(3)提出倡议。
注意：(1)词数 100 左右；
(2)可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
(3)开头语已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Ladies and gentlemen,
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