1 . A rainforest is an area
In the past hundred years,
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their
2 . Illegally traded endangered species that escape, forming secondary populations, offer hope to their long-term survival, a study suggests. "This first came to my attention when I read a news story about the seizure of an illegal shipment of 23 yellow crested cockatoos (小葵花凤头鹦鹉),” said Luke Gibson, a college teacher. He learned that the species was critically endangered, which surprised him.
This encouraged Dr. Gibson and his colleague to investigate (调查) how a critically endangered species had become self-sustaining outside of its natural range. They discovered 49 cases of a globally threatened species becoming established as a separate population, which they hadn’t thought of, including the yellow-crested cockatoo in their city.
“This is a species which is primarily threatened by wildlife trade,” he told BBC News. “Poachers (偷猎者) go out into the forest in its native range in eastern Indonesia and capture the bird and then ship them off, usually up to our city where there is a strong demand for pet birds. This is what has fueled the decline of this species in its native range. But it’s really interesting because that same cause also had another effect: some of the people who were keeping this species here accidentally or intentionally released them.” As a result of enough of the birds set free, it allowed a new self-sustaining population to be established in this city.
The government in of Dr. Gibson’s city has made it illegal to capture the species, even though it is a non-native species. Because the city is affluent and relatively well educated, the cases of people breaking the law are extremely rare, explained Dr Gibson, unlike in its native range in Indonesia, where capturing birds form a major source of income.
However, there can be downsides (缺点) to the newly established population of endangered species, such as a limited genetic pool, and suffering from novel diseases. It did also present a possible “very interesting” opportunity for conservationists, Dr. Gibson suggested. This would involve “harvesting” some of the newly established secondary population, which may provide a way to help slow global biodiversity loss.
1. What was beyond Gibson’s expectations according to the first paragraph?| A．The high rate of wildlife trade. | B．The preciousness of the birds. |
| C．The fact that the birds nearly disappear. | D．The news that the birds were poached. |
| A．They formed a separate population. | B．They were kept as pet birds. |
| C．They were traded illegally. | D．They were killed for research. |
| A．Peace-loving. | B．Rich. |
| C．Free. | D．Environment-friendly. |
| A．To appeal to everyone to stop the wildlife trade. |
| B．To explain the challenge the wild birds are facing. |
| C．To introduce a creative approach to wildlife conservation. |
| D．To raise peopled awareness of protecting endangered species. |
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
| A．A terrible storm. | B．A big earthquake. | C．A heavy rain. |
| A．This morning. | B．Last night. | C．Two days ago. |
| A．The line is busy. |
| B．The power is down in that area. |
| C．Her parents are sleeping. |
| A．Houston. | B．New York. | C．Los Angeles. |
Scientists found that air pollution may cause a big reduction in intelligence. Research
The study is a
1. What are the speakers mainly talking about?
| A．A terrible storm. | B．A big earthquake. | C．A heavy rain. |
| A．This morning. | B．Last night. | C．Two days ago. |
| A．The line is busy. |
| B．The power is down in that ares. |
| C．Her parents are sleeping. |
| A．Houston. | B．New York. | C．Los Angeles. |
6 . 
Climate change may make parts of the Middle East too hot for human beings, according to a new study.
Researchers have been studying weather conditions in the Middle East since 1970. They say “very hot” days in the area have doubled over that period. They say temperatures in summer in the Middle East and North Africa will continue rising. They believe by 2050, temperatures will not fall below 30 degrees Celsius at night in the hottest part of summer, and day-time temperatures could rise to 46 degrees Celsius. Temperatures at noon could reach as high as 50 Celsius. Heat waves are likely to last longer.
“If mankind continues to release carbon dioxide as it does now, people living in the Middle East and North Africa will have to expect about 200 unusually hot days,” says Panos Hadjinicolaou, a climate change expert with the Cyprus Institute.
The researchers also looked at the amount of “fine particulate (颗粒) air pollution” in the Middle East. They found that the amount of dust in the atmosphere over Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria jumped 70 percent since the start of the century. This, they say, could have resulted from an increase in the number of sand storms caused by climate change.
The researchers created two models. In one model, rising temperatures are limited because of reductions in greenhouse gases. The other model is said to be a “business as usual” model where nothing is done to stop climate change. Under both models, the future of the Middle East is not good, the researchers say. They added that climate change can result in a slow worsening of living conditions for people in North Africa and the Middle East and in time many people may have to leave the regions.
1. The underlined word “fine” in the 4th paragraph probably has the same meaning as ________.| A．bright | B．terrible | C．very thin | D．high-quality |
| A．climate change →sand storms→dust in the atmosphere |
| B．sand storms →climate change→dust in the atmosphere |
| C．climate change →dust in the atmosphere→sand storms |
| D．sand storms →dust in the atmosphere→climate change |
| A．indifferent | B．casual | C．skeptical | D．concerned |
| A．In a History Paper. | B．In a News Report. |
| C．In a Literature Magazine. | D．In a Travel Brochure. |
Every year, approximately 1.6 million tons of soil flows into Yellow River, China’s second
In fact, it is you
8 . It took a wave of water full of plastic crashing over Babacar Thiaw as he went out to sea for him to decide to act. By the time his surfboard had carried him back to Virage beach on the north shore (岸) of Senegal’s capital, Dakar, Thiaw had a plan to make use of the surfing community he had built there.
Within a year he had turned Copacabana Surf Village, which he founded with his father two decades ago, into a center for young Senegalese eco-surfers, where he organizes beach cleans, environmental courses for children and runs Senegal’s first zero-waste restaurant.
Thiaw grew up in a fishing village near the beach, and the Copacabana Surf Village’s foundations (地基) were laid by his fisher father, who after a day’s work would head to Virage beach to surf on a wooden board. They worked hard to turn the Village into a business by renting out surfboards and later offering lessons with the help of visiting overseas surfers.
It is now a popular surfing location, attracting tourists. It’s also a place where Thiaw teaches young Senegalese how to surf and care for the ocean they spend so much time in.
“When we come to the water to surf, we can see how much plastic is ending up here and it disturbs (使烦恼) us,” says Mohammed Sarr, 17, who Thiaw taught to surf. Sarr says he has become more aware of how he uses and deals with plastic because he and his family, who live near the sea, are directly affected.
Thiaw says there was doubt about the plastic-free initiative (倡议), with diners questioning whether it was healthy for him to be serving water in reusable glass bottles. But he stresses that everyone needs to understand the requirement to change .“ Once the environment is getting worse, you and your family and friends will surely suffer,” he says.
1. What caused Thiaw to decide to make a change?| A．The attack of seawater. | B．The sight of plastic in the sea. |
| C．The dirty Virage beach. | D．The needy surfing community. |
| A．He is very good at running a business. | B．He founded the Village to save the sea. |
| C．He was the first to develop Village beach. | D．He tried hard to get support from the public. |
| A．To show Thiaw’s influence on him. | B．To describe his relationship with Thiaw. |
| C．To share his worries about Thiaw’s efforts. | D．To praise his surfing skills taught by Thiaw. |
| A．They’ll have a healthy diet. | B．They’ll donate to locals in need. |
| C．They’ll do their part for the environment. | D．They’ll contribute to running the restaurant. |
9 . Most Beautiful of All
| A．They smelled wonderful and crunched (发出碎裂声) under our feet as we walked along. |
| B．Then, she approached and asked us whether we had any trash. |
| C．I decided to take my sons for a walk the other day. |
| D．As is often the case, we are too busy to find the beauty of nature. |
| E．As we turned a corner along the walking trail, I noticed a woman slowly making her way towards us. |
| F．Of all the things I saw that day, she was the most beautiful. |
| G．Then, quickly and neatly, she placed it in the trash bag. |
10 . Organic (有机的) farming is a type of agriculture that benefits from the recycling and use of natural products. Use of dried plants not only saves money, but also ensures the growth of crops. The technique is characterized (具有……的特征) by the use of green manure (肥料), biological pest control methods and special farming techniques to keep soil productive. Limiting the use of manmade chemicals or completely doing away with (去掉) them reduces the risk of diseases. Today, organic farming is a major and preferred industry around the world. Organically grown products have a huge market, with farmlands covering about 10% of the total world farmland. The initial effort made by Sir Albert Howard, the Father of Organic Farming, has paid off.
Advantages of Organic Farming：
1. The economics of organic farming are characterized by increasing profits (利润) through reduced water use and reduced soil erosion (侵蚀).
2. Organic farming produces the same crops as those produced through traditional farming methods, but uses half the energy, and holds 40% more top soil.
3. Farming the organic way enables farmers to get rid of weeds without the use of any chemicals.
4. The use of green pesticides (杀虫剂) is environmentally friendly and does no harm to human’s health.
Disadvantages of Organic Farming：
1. Organic methods of farming produce less, compared to traditional farming techniques.
2. Organic agriculture does little to fight global climate change. Though organic farming practices are recognized as giving out less CO2, but not to a significant degree.
However, though there are some disadvantages to organic farming, farms where organic methods for cropping have been used have more advantages than traditional farms. Organic agriculture is surely better in the long term.
1. Organic farming uses the manure made from ________.
| A．expensive soil | B．dried plants |
| C．harmful pests | D．manmade chemicals |
| A．worked hard for nothing |
| B．succeeded in organic farming |
| C．spent all his time on organic farming |
| D．didn’t expect organic farming to be successful |
a.is more environmentally friendly
b.produces a lot more food
c.uses less energy
d.results in more weeds in the farmland
e.is better for human’s health
| A．abc | B．acd | C．ace | D．bce |
| A．anxious | B．hopeless |
| C．unclear | D．optimistic |
