1 . During the summer of 2021, I flew to Greece to learn more about the wildfires there. I wanted to hear people’s stories, to understand what it meant to be displaced by environmental disaster.
In a cafe for people surviving the fire, I met brave children who now have to live with terrible scars, physical and emotional. I met a man who could not even speak to me, his eyes filling with tears.
I was expecting to hear a lot about loss; I was not expecting to learn so much about the attribution (归因) of blame. I came to understand how desperately people needed to blame a tangible entity (实体) –a person, a group of people, the government. Indeed, this was understandable and reasonable. The outbreak and mishandling of the fire needed to be explored, looked into and dealt with.
What surprised me, however, was that the survivors were completely silent over any mention of the climate crisis and global heating. It was made clear to me that this subject was unacceptable. Survivors felt that these issues had nothing to do with what they had suffered, and that the people actually responsible needed to pay.
But when it comes to climate breakdown, blame did not come to just one person, one corporation, one country. In Greece, the fire didn’t rage so hard because someone had set off a spark—— it raged so hard because years of global heating had dried up the land, part of a set of unsustainable (不能持续的) practices and inaction that had set our planet on fire. And now the fires are even worse.
The more I spoke to people, including climate scientists, the more I came to see that there is often a gap that separates science from public awareness. In her book “Engaging With Climate Change” Sally Weintrobe says that “many people who accept global warming continue to regard it as a problem of the future”. To my astonishment, this seemed to apply even to people who had themselves been affected directly by wildfires.
1. What did the author hardly expect to learn in Greece?| A．Kids’ scars. | B．Economic loss. |
| C．Survivors’ blame. | D．Duration of the fire. |
| A．It was closely related to global heating. |
| B．They couldn’t accept its massive destruction. |
| C．The government should be responsible for it. |
| D．It resulted from someone’s setting fire to the forest. |
| A．Much attention has been given to it. |
| B．People don’t consider it serious now. |
| C．Scientists are urged to apply efficient way to it. |
| D．People should make their opinions about it heard. |
| A．To inform readers of wildfires in Greece. |
| B．To encourage readers to donate to survivors. |
| C．To equip people with surviving skills in wildfires. |
| D．To raise people’s awareness about the climate crisis. |
2 . I was a young newspaper reporter, and I wanted to succeed. My first job was in Latin America. It was almost my last job.
I had not planned to stay in the village of Zacate, but it had been raining hard for a whole day. So I had to stay there.
I found people there full of fear. This village was at the foot of a volcano. It was becoming more active. Men, women and children came to the square. A few helped each other and went out of town to get as far away from the volcano as possible, with large and full packs in their hands. Suddenly, I felt a strong earthquake. The villagers in the square ran away as soon as they felt the earthquake.
Suddenly, I saw black smoke rolling down the side of the mountain towards the village. Trees and grass burned up in a second. The volcano eruption(喷发) was coming so fast that in less than a minute the roads to the village were cut off. All I could do was watch and wait. Suddenly, my landlord(房东) cried out, “Look!” He pointed to a small hill, which was near to us. The lava(岩浆) was not coming over it but flowing on each side of the village, leaving the village centre undamaged. For a time, at least, we were safe, unless the lava grew much bigger.
My landlord gave me a wet blanket to cover myself to avoid the heat and we poured water over our heads to cool ourselves. We could hardly breathe because of the heat and the smoke of the burning houses. Thanks to my landlord, I survived the volcano.
1. The reporter stayed in Zacate because of ______.| A．his busy job | B．bad weather | C．an accident | D．an adventure |
| A．The news report. | B．The journalist. |
| C．The active volcano. | D．Their strict landlord. |
| A．The lava. | B．The thick smoke. |
| C．The village. | D．The small hill. |
| A．The landlord is very experienced. | B．The small village was flooded. |
| C．The lava killed a lot of people. | D．The rescuers saved the reporter. |
3 . This winter, the state of California in the US received unusually large amounts of rain and snow. Now, people worry that some areas will flood as the snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains melts (融化).
Ron Caetano lives about half-way between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. He is preparing to leave in case his community, called the Island District, floods.
More than 100 years ago, the Island District area was under Tulare Lake, a large lake. At one time, Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. But reservoirs (水库) and watering systems for agriculture caused it to disappear. However, in very rainy years, farmland can still get covered with water.
Experts say reservoirs near the area will likely receive three times more water than they can hold this year. That means officials must increase the amount of water they release (释放) from the reservoirs. But if too much water is released, the area might flood.
The Island District has organized a community network to help prepare for floods. People are placing sandbags close to elderly neighbors’ houses to stop possible flooding. And they are looking at reports from water officials, county officials, and from each other.
California has had very dry weather in recent years. Therefore, both cities and farm communities acclaimed this year’s winter rains. If the weather gets warmer slowly, the snow will not melt quickly and there may be little or no flooding. But if the weather gets hot quickly, that will bring trouble from too much melting snow.
Officials announced plans to close parts of Yosemite National Park because of possible danger of flooding. The park is about 270 kilometers east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nicholas Pinter is with the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He said the lake’s size has always changed because of California’s weather. He described the surrounding area this way. “It has been an engineering problem all along,” he said. “This is a bathtub (浴缸) with no way out.”
1. What made Tulare Lake disappear?| A．Lack of rainfall. | B．Natural disasters. | C．Climate warming. | D．Human behavior. |
| A．Feared. | B．Doubted. | C．Welcomed. | D．Tracked. |
| A．The government can help them move to other states. | B．The weather can get warm gradually in California. |
| C．There is more rain in the cities than on farms. | D．The officials release water on a regular basis. |
| A．It is difficult to deal with the flood. | B．It is easy to keep the snow water. |
| C．The surrounding area is unfit to live in. | D．The lake is already overflowing. |
4 . Plastic pollution has become an unfortunate fact of life all over the world—including in the oceans. While all that junk floating around can pose a serious threat to many animals, a new study finds some species may have actually turned it into an entirely new ecosystem!
The North Pacific“Garbage Patch”is a huge area in the ocean where a lot of plastic waste gets stuck. However, it’s not just wastes that get caught up in this mess. Researchers from Georgetown University found that many sea creatures like jellyfish, snails, and barnacles also live there.
In 2018 and 2019, scientists collected 105 pieces of plastic from the patch, and found 46 different species of invertebrates(无脊椎动物)living on them. About 80％of those species normally live near the coast rather than in the middle of an ocean. The researchers also found that these species have been breeding on the patch—meaning there may now be a permanent community of coastal species in the middle of the ocean.
Lead author Linsey Haram said that it’s not yet known how this will affect the ocean ecosystem. But she said the coastal species are likely competing for food with ocean species, and they may also be eating each other.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is one of the five areas of garbage that have formed in the middle of huge circular ocean currents called gyres(环流). Another garbage patch is in the South Pacific, two are in the Atlantic Ocean, and the fifth is in the Indian Ocean.
A 2018 study of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch found that about one-third of garbage that could be linked to Japan. Up to 20％of garbage added since 2011 was created by the huge tsunami that hit northern Japan that year, the study said.
1. What makes the plastic waste get stuck in the garbage patch?| A．Climate change. | B．Human activities. |
| C．Sea creatures living there. | D．Huge circular ocean currents. |
| A．Reproducing. | B．Restoring. |
| C．Revising. | D．Refreshing. |
| A．To blame Japan for polluting the ocean. |
| B．To indicate one of the sources of the garbage. |
| C．To stress the responsibility of some countries. |
| D．To suggest clues that help with the plastic pollution. |
| A．Education. | B．Economy. |
| C．Environment. | D．Entertainment. |
5 . The winter migration (迁徙) season has arrived. With the cold wave heading down south, migratory birds from faraway places such as Siberia have begun to arrive at Dongting Lake, central China for the winter.
Dongting Lake in central China’s Hunan Province is the country’s second-largest freshwater lake. When the temperature rises after a short cold time, locals call the 10th lunar month “Indian summer.” During this time, the lake’s water level drops and sedges (莎草) grow, allowing wintering birds to plentiful food.
Song Yucheng, deputy chief engineer of East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve, is proud of their protection work. According to him, the Eurasian spoonbills are the first to arrive at the heart of East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve. They line up and use sideways sweeps of their beaks to filter (过滤) out tiny fish and shrimp. When they fly to another spot looking for food, people can only see the vast expanse of a white sky.
“Now the weather is also very good, the sky is very clear, with green grass, clear water and white spoonbills wandering for hunting. It’s a beautiful picture of nature,” said Song.
For the villagers living in the East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve, their farm fields are still full of busy and active fellows after harvest because there are about 100 swans settled down there. To provide these birds with an quiet and safe environment, the local government has stopped the vehicles and visitors from entering the area.
“Firecrackers are not allowed, and loud noises are also not allowed in the surrounding area,” said Long Yong, a villager from the Hehua Village, citing the local government.
1. The birds migrate to Dongting Lake not because _____.| A．Siberia is cold at winter. |
| B．It is the nearest to Siberia. |
| C．The protection work there goes great. |
| D．The warm temperature and plentiful food. |
| A．an engineer | B．a kind of bird |
| C．migration destination | D．birds food |
| A．Weather is always good here. |
| B．More birds are coming here. |
| C．The environment is beautiful here. |
| D．It’s good to draw pictures here. |
| A．government measures |
| B．fields harvest |
| C．village life |
| D．how to observe birds in nature |
6 . At Bamfield, a coastal community in British Columbia, Canada, 84-year-old Louis Druehl is guiding the Kelp Express along the shore. For 51 years, the boat has taken him to Kelp Bay. There, ropes of seaweed are growing beneath the water’s surface. Seaweed is Druehl’s life.
People think of forests as the best protection against climate change.
Seaweed might fight climate change. But it isn’t without its risks. If it isn’t harvested, it can rot and put carbon back into the air or water. Growing too much of it can also affect the amount of light that reaches species living deeper in the water.
| A．But some researchers say seaweed is a better way. |
| B．That will be dangerous for underwater ecosystems. |
| C．Seaweed can also become a key global food source. |
| D．When the seaweed plants die, they will be burned for fuel. |
| E．In the past 10 years, global seaweed production has doubled. |
| F．He has studied, farmed, cooked it, and written a book about it. |
| G．Trees make a big difference to the improvement of the environment. |
7 . The Greek historian Herodotus is said to have made one of the earliest lists of Seven Wonders of the World. These were man-made structures, including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. More recent times saw natural alternatives to these wonders of classical architecture proposed: waterfalls, mountains, canyons, reefs. Dramatic landscapes, features and wildlife, and the pleasure and excitement they offer to visitors, are basics of tourism.
As environmental consciousness has risen, attitudes to such sightseeing have changed. Yes, it is exciting to visit remote forests or spot rare species. But travelling to distant destinations is carbon-intensive (碳密集的) when flights or long road journeys are involved, and conservation can be made more difficult as well as assisted by sightseers. There is a balance to be struck, and some governments and businesses around the world try to increase the benefits while reducing the harm. Colombia, for example, recently introduced laws aimed at promoting sustainable tourism. Based on this, its economy got prosperous (繁荣的) as well as the tourism.
Most of us understand better than ever that there are costs as well as benefits associated with exploring. One of the commitments made by an environmental campaign launched last month, “The Jump”, is to “holiday local”, taking short flights once every 3 years and long flights very rarely. Fortunately, the UK’s 15 national parks, 86 areas of outstanding natural beauty, and countless other landscapes that are without formal status, but still beloved, mean that there is no shortage of special places for domestic nature tourists to visit, while a lot of European beauty spots are accessible by rail.
One recent survey found that Windsor Great Park and Kew have become Britain’s most popular attractions. Visitor numbers at wildlife trusts are high, with waiting lists for beaver-spotting. Some companies that formerly ran foreign trips have adapted to the pandemic by taking people to watch dolphins and other marine life off British coasts instead.
As we face an environmental emergency that grows ever more dangerous, it is essential to develop appreciation for nature that surrounds us. In a small way, holiday outings to watch dragonflies, kingfishers or seals, or be surrounded by trees that are coming into leaf, could help us to focus on what matters.
1. Why are the lists of Seven Wonders mentioned?| A．To bring natural wonders into focus. |
| B．To show changes in architectural styles. |
| C．To reveal the rising popularity of tourism. |
| D．To compare historic and modern structures. |
| A．It made efforts to conserve rare species. |
| B．It banned sightseers from going to remote forests. |
| C．It introduced laws to increase the income of tourism. |
| D．It tried to make its tourism develop healthily and stably. |
| A．Relaxed. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．Nature tourism: “travel local” |
| B．Discovery of European beauty spots |
| C．International tourism: wait before setting out |
| D．Sightseeing leads to environmental emergency |
Thanks to a series of protection
The Dabry’s sturgeon is also known as the Yangtze sturgeon,
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, underwater cameras have recently shot the natural spawning (产卵) of the Yangtze sturgeon,
Overfishing was once a serious challenge,
Surprisingly, many fishermen have now become protectors of fish in the Yangtze River. Zhang Song, who had depended on fishing for a living since 2000, volunteered to become
9 . When people think about ways to help the environment, encourage biodiversity and decrease greenhouse gases, they don’t usually think about the impact of food waste.
Decrease single-use plastics. Many of us are seeking ways to decrease the amount of single-use plastics in our lives and in our shopping baskets. This is good but often these plastics and packaging keep food fresh for longer.
Dish up smaller portions. This results in up to 20% less food waste. Many of us put our leftovers in the fridge, then forget about them. Fortunately there are many ways to manage our fridge contents effectively and decrease food waste.
Buy directly from local suppliers. Our food systems and supply chains are incredibly complex, which leads to high levels of food loss and waste. In contrast, buying directly from local suppliers results in less waste.
| A．Store the food in the fridge. |
| B．Set your fridge to below 5℃. |
| C．These range from apps to the small post-it notes. |
| D．The most commonly wasted foods are fresh fruit and vegetables. |
| E．Fortunately, there are significant developments towards a post-plastic world. |
| F．So, to decrease waste, we should support a local business, and eat quality food. |
| G．Yet food waste is responsible for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. |
10 . Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, started erupting late Sunday in the U.S. island state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. The volcano last erupted 38 years ago. But it is not expected to put people in danger.
At this point, melted(熔化的) rock, called lava, is predicted not to come near populated areas, but officials warned people to be ready to move away. The path of lava flows can change quickly.
Island officials warned people to stay away from the areas where lava is coming out because it can shoot 30 to 60 meters in the air. The gas coming from the eruption is also harmful. At the moment, however, the state said air quality on the island is good.
The eruption is a new experience for many people on the island. There are more than twice as many people living there compared to the last time Mauna Loa erupted. State officials are most concerned about an area about 50 kilometers to the south of the volcano where about 5,000 people live.
There is some concern about a weak area on the southwestern part of the mountain. If lava escapes from that area, it could threaten places where people live in just hours or days. The lava has never come up through that area during past eruptions.
The lava could flow toward the city of Hilo, which has about 45,000 people. That could take about a week. Scientists say they hope the lava flows like it did in 1984, when it moved slowly.
Hawaii mayor is Mitch Roth. He said the eruption “will be remarkable”, but he does not think it will cause problems for people visiting Hawaii. He said many people come to Hawaii to see volcanoes, but they have to travel a long way to a national park. Now, they can see an eruption much more easily. “You can just look out your window at night and you’ll be able to see Mauna Loa erupting,” he said.
1. Why did officials give people a warning?| A．The way lava flows is uncertain. | B．Air quality on the island isn’t good. |
| C．The lava can shoot 60 meters at least. | D．The lava will reach where people live. |
| A．It is near populated places. | B．No lava has come up through it. |
| C．Many people live there. | D．It can stop eruptions. |
| A．People had better leave Hawaii soon. |
| B．The eruption is a possible danger to visitors. |
| C．It is convenient to watch an eruption in Hawaii. |
| D．The eruption is a once-in-a-century natural wonder. |
| A．People in Hawaii Are Ready to Escape |
| B．Volcanoes in Hawaii Always Attract Visitors |
| C．Damage of Volcano in Hawaii Is Not Clear |
| D．World’s Largest Active Volcano Erupts in Hawaii |
