1 . Mount Qomolangma, meaning “Holy Mother” in Tibetan, is the world’s highest mountain above sea level. No wonder most people consider climbing to its top as one of their biggest achievements. More than 4, 000 climbers, ranging from 13 to 80 years old, have managed to reach the top. Three people from the Sherpa community hold the current record at 21 times each!
You may be surprised at these numbers but that’s just the start of it. Last year, cleanup crews collected as much as 8. 4 tons of garbage from Mount Qomolangma’s North Base Camp in Tibet at 5,150 meters. And in the regions below that level, more than 335 tons of waste was collected. What a sad fact it is that the highest mountain in the world is turning into the highest mountain of trash!
To reverse the trend, the Chinese government recently announced that it had closed the North Base Camp to tourists. From now on, ordinary tourists will only be able to travel as far as Rongbuk Monastery, about 5, 000 meters above sea level. No more than 300 climbers with special permits will be allowed to climb Qomolangma each year. They are supposed to follow stricter rules, including carrying all their waste out with them and only climbing in spring.
Despite these tough measures, it is clear that tourism has caused enormous damage to the natural environment. Mount Qomolangma is not alone. Some popular parks around the world are also struggling to preserve their environments and keep up with increased tourism. Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. has long been troubled by the overflowing trash piles. Joshua Tree National Park suffered a wave of vandalism (破坏), with graffiti sprayed on rocks and ancient trees destroyed. In order to protect the environment, the National Park Service had no choice but to close the park temporarily.
As we can see, the natural environment can be destroyed by human activities in less than five minutes, but it might take hundreds of years to recover. Now it’s time for ordinary tourists to leave “Holy Mother” alone and wait for her to restore her beauty.
1. Why are the figures listed about Qomolangma in paragraph 2?| A．To describe it is extremely vast and high. |
| B．To show it is difficult to collect trash there. |
| C．To indicate it is a popular tourist attraction. |
| D．To illustrate it is suffering serious pollution. |
| A．Fit with. | B．Follow up. | C．Turn around. | D．Speed up. |
| A．Developing its tourism. | B．Reducing human activities. |
| C．Forbidding any entry in spring. | D．Building more base camps. |
| A．Environment. | B．Society. | C．Tourism. | D．Education. |
2 . How to limit your environmental impact while travelling
Travelling unlocks a world of endless possibilities and adventures, allowing us to hike through breathtaking landscapes, encounter kangaroos and deer in their natural habitat, and witness the power of volcanoes.
Try to travel by land instead of air. While air travel can often be quicker, it is typically one of the most polluting forms of transport.
Make the most of safe tap water (自来水). Drinking tap water may come as a shock to many travelers. But when you’re in countries where tap water is safe to consume, avoid bottled options. Not only are they more expensive, but they have a higher level of pollution compared to treated tap water.
Respect the local environment. When visiting different destinations, we should recognize the importance of protecting the natural beauty. We mustn’t throw rubbish everywhere.
| A．Be a responsible hotel guest. |
| B．Explore with green tour companies. |
| C．Instead, carry a bottle and refill it wherever you can |
| D．And we should avoid activities that may harm wildlife. |
| E．However, tourism can also be harmful to the environment. |
| F．Low-cost airlines have made it much more affordable to travel. |
| G．Taking the train or driving in some countries may be better options. |
3 . In the west of the Greek capital Athens, the fish market of Keratsini is busy early in the morning, with trucks waiting nearby to be loaded with fishes. But on his fishing boat, Arapakis sorts out something different—bottles, boots, plastic pipes and fishing nets, all dragged from the bed of the Aegean Sea.
“We are swimming in plastic,” said Arapakis, whose family has fished for five generations. “By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea,” he said, as recent reports noted.
That morning’s plastic catch weighed “about 100 kilograms,” said the founder of Enaleia, a nonprofit that encourages fishermen to collect marine (海洋的) waste caught in their nets. Since its establishment in 2018, it has worked with more than 1,200 fishermen in Greece to raise concern over the degradation of the marine environment.
Active in 42 ports throughout Greece, Enaleia provides fishermen with large bags for marine waste that they can put in garbage cans once back at port. For every kilogram of plastic they deliver, they receive a small amount of money, which is enough for a drink. Since October, fishing crews have dragged out 20 metric tons of plastic and old fishing equipment each month. Nearly 600 tons have been collected over the last five years. The collected plastic is transported to a recycling plant in the industrial area of Megara near Keratsini, to make new products such as socks, swimwear or furniture.
Arapakis said he went about the cleanup project after a trip to Greece’s Cyclades islands, where he saw fishermen throwing the waste gathered by their nets back into the sea.
Arapakis is convinced there has been a “mentality change” among Greece’s fishermen. “Previously we caught large quantities of plastic, but we only kept the fish. All waste was thrown into the sea,” said Mokharam, team leader on the Arapakis family’s boat. “The project brings practical benefits for fishing boats. In the past, the anchor was often caught by waste, especially nets, and the engine would go out. But now things have changed,” he added.
1. What can we learn about Arapakis from the first 2 paragraphs?| A．He was a successful fish trader. | B．He collected waste from the sea. |
| C．He liked swimming in the sea. | D．He had a large family to support. |
| A．Impact. | B．Worsening. | C．Improvement. | D．Research. |
| A．It will be sold at a high price. | B．It will be exchanged for food. |
| C．It will be thrown back into the sea. | D．It will be well dealt with for reuse. |
| A．Fishing is a tough job for fishermen. | B．The sea in Greece is seriously polluted. |
| C．He thinks highly of the cleanup project. | D．He still feels ashamed for fishermen’s behavior. |
4 . Not even the sea is safe from the glare (强光) of humans’ light at night. Researchers published the first global maps of ocean light pollution. It shows large parts of the sea lit up at night. And that risks confusing or disrupting the behaviors of sea life.
Tim Smyth led a team to research where in the water this glow is strongest. Smyth and his colleagues started with a world map of man-made night-sky brightness that had been created in 2016. Then they added data on the ocean and atmosphere. Some data came from shipboard measurements of man-made light in the water. Others came from satellite images that judge how clear the water is. Particles (微粒) in the water, such as tiny floating plants and animals, can affect how far downward light travels. These factors vary from place to place and may change with the seasons. The team also used computers to copy how different wavelengths of light move through water.
Next, they wanted to know how that underwater light might affect animals. Not all species will be easily affected. The team focused on copepods (桡足亚纲甲壳动物) . These common creatures are a key part of many ocean food webs. They use light as a signal to move all together to the dark deep, seeking safety from other surface creatures. Normally they use the sun or the winter moon as their signal. Too much man-made light can mess up their usual patterns.
Light pollution is strongest in about three feet of the water. Here, man-made light can be strong enough to confuse the copepods. Nearly 2 million square kilometers of ocean get such strong night light. That’s an area about the size of Mexico. Farther down, the light gets weaker. But even 65 feet deep, it’s still bright enough to bother copepods across 840,000 square kilometers of ocean.
The team described its findings December 13 in Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.
1. Which of the following best explains the underlined word “disrupting” in Paragraph 1?| A．Upsetting. | B．Observing. | C．Ensuring. | D．Protecting. |
| A．They are not affected by underwater light. |
| B．They can escape attacks with the help of light. |
| C．They are main eaters of other creatures. |
| D．They can weaken the effect of man-made light. |
| A．By stating opinions. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By giving reasons. |
| A．Light Pollution from Sea Life | B．Living Conditions of Copepods |
| C．Discoveries of Copepods | D．Light Pollution Even in Sea |
5 . Last summer, I was sent to take photos that could communicate the urgency of climate change in northern Canada. When I arrived at an abandoned village on Resolute Bay, I scanned the shore with my camera. Suddenly, I spotted a bear lying on the ground. It didn’t move for almost an hour. But when it finally stood up, I had to catch my breath. The bear’s once strong body was just skin and bones; every step that it took was painfully slow.
When I posted the photos on social media, I wrote, “This is what starvation may look like. I wonder whether the global population of 25, 000 polar bears would die the way this bear is dying.”
I did not say that this particular bear was killed by climate change. But news organizations around the world focused on it. The first line of the story published in National Geographic read, “This is what climate change looks like” — with “climate change” highlighted in yellow. Other news agencies even adopted more dramatic headlines.
It was estimated that my photos had been read by about 2.5 billion people around the world. But there was a problem: Most people and the news agencies didn’t recognize or misunderstood the real message I tried to send with them. Many people expressed gratitude that I’d provided shocking evidence on climate change, while others who are still trying to deny the existence of climate change charged me with spreading false information.
Perhaps I had made a mistake in not telling the full story — that I was looking for pictures that might foretell the future and that I didn’t know what had happened to this particular polar bear.
I can’t say that this bear was starving because of climate change, but I am happy that my photos have moved the conversation about climate change to the forefront, where it must remain until this problem is solved.
Until then, when I come across a scene like this one, I will again share with the world — and take pains to be sure that my intention is clear.
1. How did the author feel when the bear stood up?| A．Shocked. | B．Scared. | C．Excited. | D．Relieved. |
| A．The story. | B．The photo. | C．A starving bear. | D．Climate change. |
| A．Provide more direct evidence on climate change. |
| B．Show the link between the bear and climate change. |
| C．Warn the possible results of climate change. |
| D．Expose the false information about climate change. |
| A．To admit his mistake. | B．To clarify his true intention. |
| C．To please his readers. | D．To show off his amazing trip. |
6 . Plastic mobile phones cases and sweet wrappers, some more than 50 years old, have recently been pulled from the sea off the coast of East Yorkshire. The finds lead to growing concern among scientists about the long-term impact of plastic waste on our seas, with research suggesting it takes over 400 years for a drinks bottle to breakdown in the sea.
Notpla, a London-based startup company, is currently designing a seaweed-based replacement for single-use plastic packaging. Founded in 2014, the company has been sparing no efforts to further develop its product line.
The firm initially looked to seaweed as the solution to the world’s white pollution, because it is plentiful, grows quickly, doesn’t compete with land crops and doesn’t use chemicals, but absorbs carbon from the air. Design director Karlijn Sibbel says, “It can grow into the sea, where it actually has many positive benefits so it can create new ecosystems for other organisms to grow in.”
Sibbel says they look to nature as inspiration “for the ideal packaging” like the skin on a fruit. “A peel (果皮) will eventually be used as nutrients by nature, disappear and become part of the cycle.”
“The exciting thing is that this is a film that can replace most of the flexible packaging you see around,” Sibbel says. The potential contents could include coffee grounds or toilet paper. For food items, such as noodles, they have even experimented with adding flavors to the packaging, so that dissolving the bag could add seasoning to the food. “You can cook with it. And you can really start to rethink what we can do with these materials,” she explained.
The approach feels especially relevant as the world is coming to terms with the effects of decades of uncontrolled plastic production. Co-CEO Paslier says, “We’re excited to see our power in the foodservice industry and looking forward to moving into the fashion markets very soon.
1. What problem is mainly referred to in Paragraph 1?| A．Energy crisis. | B．Food waste. |
| C．Ecological disaster. | D．White pollution. |
| A．How seaweed grows in the sea. |
| B．How seaweed absorbs carbon from the air. |
| C．Why seaweed can create more new ecosystems. |
| D．Why seaweed was chosen as a plastic alternative. |
| A．It can be digested by nature. | B．It’s as thin as a peel. |
| C．It can transform into chemicals. | D．It bears a flavor enhancer. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uncertain. | C．Promising. | D．Darkening. |
7 . In the modern era, it may come as a surprise that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries, especially when it comes to carbon emissions. However, ever-changing fashion trends persuade consumers into buying new pieces and getting rid of old clothing that’s no longer considered fashionable. With trends moving at breakneck speed, we’re buying more clothes and wearing them for less time.
Sustainable fashion has been on the rise in recent years, but it’s undeniable that sustainable companies like Girfriend Collective, and Organic Basics are out of most people’s price ranges. Instead, fast-fashion companies have the advantage of low prices. So most people tend to choose low prices over sustainability, particularly when they’re not directly dealing with the impacts of clothing pollution. But how can people, buy sustainable clothing when it’s not affordable?
Of course, the best way is not to buy any new clothes. However, saving up to buy higher quality, more sustainable garments and then wearing them for many years are healthier for the environment. A similar resolution is owning some basic garments and a few statement pieces in what’s called a “capsule wardrobe”. We can combine our pieces in different ways to get various new outfits that still feel stylish and don’t generate waste.
Buying secondhand clothing is also a great way to be sustainable at a lower cost. It should be noted that some new websites and apps like Depop and Mercari allow consumers to buy specific items of secondhand clothing. They also offer a wide selection for a price more comparable to physical stores.
There is something else to be concerned with staying stylish and sustainable. With the rise of social media, the pressure to “fit in” has risen, causing people to focus on fashion feeling. But, honestly, wearing what suits us will make us look good, and the earth will acknowledge us, too.
1. Why do consumers tend to buy new clothes?| A．To replace the worn-out ones. | B．To lead a low-carbon life. |
| C．To keep up with fashion trends. | D．To satisfy their inner needs. |
| A．Selecting clothes of lower prices. | B．Purchasing stylish clothes online. |
| C．Putting cost-effective clothes to best use. | D．Choosing favorable clothes in physical stores. |
| A．A place for various statement pieces. |
| B．A variety of essential clothes and stylish items. |
| C．A cupboard of displaying delicately made garments. |
| D．A collection of basic clothes and easily matched pieces. |
| A．Fashion can keep pace with sustainability. |
| B．Fashion trends change at an alarming speed. |
| C．Clothing industry gives rise to carbon emissions. |
| D．Top priority should be given to secondhand clothing. |
8 . Germany’s top court has ruled that parts of the country’s 2019 climate (气候) action law must be changed because they don’t do a good job of protecting young people. The result is a big victory for the nine young people who started the law suing (诉讼).
The court suing stresses an important part of the climate change: The change will impact greatly on young people far more than the adults. That’s because the effects of earth warming will become more serious over time. As young people become adults, they’ll be left to deal with many problems that today’s adults have ignored. The government’s failure to plan carefully was putting their future lives in danger.
In 2019, Germany passed a new law, promising that the country would be carbon neutral (碳中和) by 2050. The law made a detailed plan of action until 2030. But the law didn’t have any specific rules or plans for climate actions that would be taken between 2031 and 2050.
Last Thursday, the judges of Germany’s highest court agreed with the young people. They said that not taking climate action made the basic rights of young people to a good future in danger.
The young people had challenged the government’s law in four specific areas. The judges didn’t agree with all of the challenges. But having the court support even a part of their case is seen as a big victory. Neubauer is one of the young people who sued. She works with the climate action group Fridays For Future. Ms. Neubauer said, “Climate protection is our basic right. This is a huge win for the climate movement. It changes a lot.”
The court has given the German government until the end of 2022 to fix the law. The climate law will now need to have a much more detailed plan for the actions that will be taken after 2030 to cut Germany’s pollution, allowing it to become carbon neutral by 2050. Germany’s government has said that it will quickly begin working to make the needed changes.
1. Why did the nine young people sue the Germany government?| A．They faced a higher rate of losing jobs. |
| B．The government refused their law suing. |
| C．The local court ruled against the climate law. |
| D．They weren’t satisfied with the climate action law. |
| A．The adults nowadays are put under pressure. |
| B．The climate change will influence the young. |
| C．Earth warming is becoming out of control. |
| D．Humans feel uncertain about the future. |
| A．Improve the present law. |
| B．Win people’s wide support. |
| C．Take strict punishment measures. |
| D．Achieve carbon neutral in advance. |
| A．Business. | B．Health. |
| C．Education. | D．Environment. |
9 . An increasingly popular way of eating called reducetarianism may sound like a new weight loss trend. But that’s not the goal; instead, reducetarianism is about cutting down the amount of meat you eat and making small changes that are healthy for you and the planet. “But the vast majority don’t want to go vegan”, says Brian Kateman, co-founder of the Reducetarian Foundation. So he has a simple message for us: “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.” Compared with a vegetarian, reducetarians take a more flexible approach that acknowledges challenges of giving up meat entirely but still limits meat when possible.
The opposite side of eating less meat is eating more plant foods. Animal products often replace fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, leading to lack of nutrients from them. A more plant-based diet can help lower the risk of health problems including heart disease, colon cancer, and obesity. And research shows the climate toll from raising plant-based foods is less than that caused by animal-based foods. This is largely because it takes much more land, water, and other resources to produce a pound of meat than plant protein, says Dana Ellis, a dietitian.
The type of meat you buy matters too. Grass-fed meat—from animals raised without antibiotics (抗生素)—tend to be the more sustainable options. By grazing, cows encourage grass growth and nutrient turnover in the soil, which may help offset cattle’s climate impact, according to a study published in 2021.
Looking for local produce that requires no air transport and cutting down the food waste are also significant aspects of being a reducetarian. The message of reducetarianism is that you don’t have to be perfect to help yourself and the planet by making small changes in how you eat and shop for food. And that’s something we all can accomplish.
1. What does reducetarianism refer to?| A．A novel weight loss trend. | B．A healthy diet with little meat. |
| C．An idea of accepting imperfection. | D．An approach to being a vegetarian. |
| A．It helps to free people from diseases. |
| B．It guarantees all the nutrients needed. |
| C．It allows people to obtain more protein. |
| D．It causes less damage to the environment. |
| A．A meat lover | B．A cow raiser. |
| C．A keen environmentalist. | D．A devoted vegetarian. |
| A．Local produce can offer more nutrition. |
| B．Reducetarianism is something imperfect. |
| C．Any amount of food waste should be avoided. |
| D．Small changes in diet better man and the earth. |
10 . Here in the middle of London, something extraordinary is going on. You can hear a loud and unmistakable sound of bees doing what they do best: making honey.
What’s more, they’re performing their magic, not in the leafy acres of nearby park, but up on the balcony of St Ermin’s Hotel. Whereas most urban residences would do their best to keep sting-bearing insects as far away from guests as possible, this hotel opens its doors to the capital’s bees. The person who tends this “Bee Hotel” is Camilla Goddard. “In the long run, bees are amazing creatures to work with. You can’t help admiring the way they operate. They really do put the good of the community first,” she says.
As well as providing an enjoyable pastime, modern beekeeping is becoming increasingly critical. According to the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), 70 different UK crops depend on bees for pollination (授粉). Without bees to provide pollination, one-third of all our food wouldn’t survive. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill was a firm supporter of bees and made sure they got extra supplies to carry on with their pollination work, even as the German army dropped their bombs.
“Bees are in danger of disappearing from our environment,” warns Tim Lovett of the BBKA. Today, bee numbers are down by 50 per cent. Using more and more land, agricultural industry reduces spots where bees can live. Crop-protecting pesticides have also led to high death rate of bees. Another blow was an Asian species that first arrived in Devon and then spread across the country. It settled on the bees and not only weakened their immune system but caused their wings to deform (变畸形) so that flying became impossible.
Anxious about the decline of beekeeping, the BBKA has produced a school information pack entitled “Bees in the Curriculum”. Once the children have been around bees for a while, they understand the service that bees provide for us, rather than seeing them as the source of stings.
1. What do we know about Camilla Goddard?| A．She has never got bee stings herself. |
| B．She tries to make her guests bee-free. |
| C．She admires the way in which bees live. |
| D．She owns a bee hotel in a London suburb. |
| A．To criticize the cruelty of war. |
| B．To change the role of bees in the war. |
| C．To highlight the value of bee pollination. |
| D．To awaken the consciousness of saving crops. |
| A．Modern agriculture. | B．Foreign species invasion. |
| C．Hunting from humans. | D．Crop-protecting pesticides. |
| A．The number of bees is decreasing sharply |
| B．Modern beekeeping is ensuring our future |
| C．Bee Hotel is changing bees’ fate in the UK |
| D．Children are educated about the value of bees |
