1 . More than two thirds of the world’s polar bears will be wiped out by 2050, according to a shocking new study. By then, scientists say, global warming will have melted 42 percent of the Arctic sea ice. By 2100, only a very few of these important creatures will be left.
The report has been produced by the US Geological Survey. The scientists have publicized their findings in the hope of influencing US Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, who has been asked to put polar bears on the US endangered species list.
Polar bears depend on floating sea ice as a platform for hunting seals, which are their main food. Without enough ice, polar bears would be forced to go onto the land, where they are poorly skilled hunters, and would be unlikely to adapt to the life on the land in time. Experts say few little bears would survive and the stress could make many females unable to get pregnant.
The team of American and Canadian scientists spent six months studying bears, on the ground, from spotter planes and in the lab, using computer models. Some team members fear the result is even worse for the bears than what their report says. They say the Arctic is warming faster than anywhere in the world and much faster than their computer had been forecasting. Satellite observations have showed that the ice has decreased to an alltime low.
However, not everyone in the scientific community believes that global warming is happening on such an alarming scale. Another investigation has found that polar bears are still being hunted by wealthy “sportsmen” who want their skins and heads. At least ten international companies offer bearhunting trips.
1. What do we know about Dirk Kempthorne according to the passage?| A．He is an animal scientist. |
| B．He is a protector of animals working for the US government. |
| C．He was asked to put polar bears on the US endangered species list. |
| D．He offered to put polar bears on the endangered species list. |
| A．Because polar bears can’t catch enough food without ice. |
| B．Because polar bears eat ice when they feel thirsty. |
| C．Because polar bears will be easily found by hunters without ice. |
| D．Because most female bears are used to giving birth under ice. |
| A．there is something wrong with their computers |
| B．polar bears will disappear even faster than they ever expected |
| C．their computer models are not as accurate as they expected |
| D．global warming will destroy everything in the Arctic |
2 . People release (放) balloons for special occasions like memorial services and grand openings. It is fun and exciting. But it really causes great destruction to the environment and threatens the
When a balloon
Part of the reason why releasing balloons
Watching hundreds of balloons slowly going up into the sky might give you a five-second thrill,
3 . Mexico sites on an island plateau (高原) surrounded by volcanic peaks, which makes air quality a constant concern for people who live there.
In April, the country took a decisive step toward improving air quality by enacting a temporary ban on private and Federal vehicles in the city. The rule forbids people from driving in the city one day each week and one Saturday each month. Electric vehicles, government service vehicles, public transport options and school buses are not included in the ban.
Mexico City isn’t the first urban center to be involved in car-free living. But the ban is more than an awareness-raiser. It was enacted with the direct aim of solving air pollution. In March, the city sank into a deep brown haze of smog when the pollution levels passed the 200 mark. The city ordered some 1.1m of the area’s 4.7m cars off the streets and also offered free bus and subway rides.
Mexico City’s temporary vehicle ban raises questions about the best ways to improve urban air quality. India, whose citizens breathe some of the world’s dirtiest air, has tried a variety of solutions. Earlier this year, the Indian government started a 4% sales tax on new-car purchases.
Beijing also has experience with cleaning the air. The city introduced alternate-day rules in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games, which produced good results. And then there is the London congestion (拥挤) charge, introduced in 2003. The charge has had a measurable effect on air quality.
For now, Mexico City — named by the United Nations as the most polluted city on the planet in 1992 — can look forward to the start of the region’s rainy season, when daily showers will help lo clean the air.
1. How did Mexico ban vehicles in the city?| A．By banning private and Federal vehicles one day a week. |
| B．By forbidding private and public vehicles every Saturday. |
| C．By limiting the number of new cars. |
| D．By prohibiting the vehicles except public ones. |
| A．Raised the number of public vehicles. |
| B．Offered free bus and subway rides. |
| C．Introduced more travel options. |
| D．Encouraged citizens to leave the city. |
| A．Alternate-day rules. |
| B．Tax rises. |
| C．Congestion charge. |
| D．The rainy season. |
| A．Mexico —an Island Plateau |
| B．A Variety of Bans on Vehicles in Mexico |
| C．Should Cities Be Car-free Zones |
| D．How to Improve Air Quality |
4 . Disneynature’s new true life adventure film “Born in China’ takes a journey into the wilds of China
“Born in China”directed
5 . In one of the world’s most forbidding environments, Polar bears spend their summers roaming (漫步) the Arctic on large pieces of floating ice. They drift(漂移) for hundreds of miles, finding mates, hunting for seals, and fatting themselves up for the winter. Without the floating ice, the world’s largest bears could not survive. Yet at this moment, the polar bears’ Arctic habitat (栖息地) is melting away under it because of global warming.
Over the past three decades, more than a million square miles of floating ice has disappeared. Scientists predict that, if the current rate of global warming continues, most, if not all, of the bears’ floating ice will be gone by 2100. As a result, the world’s polar bears could face global dying out by the end of this century.
Already, the ice on the southern edge of the polar bears’ habitat is melting about three weeks earlier than in the past. The loss of those key weeks leaves the bears less time to hunt, eat and store up fat. Once the ice melts, the bears must fast for up to eight months on land until the floating ice returns. As a result of early melting, there has been a 14 percent decline in the Hudson Bay polar bear population over the past ten years—a fall clearly caused by global warming.
Besides, a growing number of polar bears may be drowning (溺水) as they are forced to swim more often, and for longer distances, looking for ice sheets(冰原). According to a report by the US Minerals Management Service, researchers observed four dead polar bears floating 60 miles off Alaska in September of 2006 and said it was likely that many other bears swimming far off shore also drowned. Scientists have concluded that the worldwide population of about 20,000 polar bears is likely to become smaller by more than 30 percent in the next 35 to 50 years alone.
1. What do polar bears usually do in summer?| A．Look for relatives. |
| B．Hunt for food. |
| C．Store crops up. |
| D．Make friends with seals. |
| A．Global drowning. |
| B．Global dying out. |
| C．Global hunger. |
| D．Global roaming. |
| A．The bears will have to stay hungry longer. |
| B．The bears will have to roam faster. |
| C．The bears will have to stay quieter on land. |
| D．The bears will have to face a faster fall of its population. |
| A．To search for food. |
| B．To build up bodies to survive. |
| C．To find places to land on. |
| D．To escape being hunted. |
6 . When it comes to eating, most of us don’t have to go very far. But for many bird species, finding food may mean traveling hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
A team of researchers from institutions in the UK and Ireland spent five years tracking (追踪) four species of seabird to monitor their travel patterns. It was discovered that over the five years, the species covered an area of 1.5 million square kilometers when hunting for food-almost four times the size of Japan.
The findings were published recently in the journal Ecological Applications. As part of the study, over 1,300 birds were fitted with GPS tags to track their movements. It was discovered that most of them search for fish in the same place-waters off the coast of Scotland.
As a result of this, organizations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) will spend more time trying to preserve coastal Scotland.
“For the first time, this study provides us with a full map for each breeding colony (繁殖群体) of the feeding areas for some of our most important seabird species,” wrote the study’s lead author Ewan Wakefield, from the University of Glasgow.
“That means we can now protect the places these birds catch the fish they need to feed their hungry chicks.”
The findings could also affect the future building of offshore wind turbines (满轮机). Although wind turbines help to fight climate change by providing a green source of energy, their huge blades (刀片) are blamed for the deaths of thousands of birds each year, as they often fly into them.
Stuart Housden, director of RSPB Scotland, said in a news release that although climate change is a huge threat to both humans and nature alike, we should “invest in an energy system that works for both people and our natural heritage.”
To protect both nature and the environment, the RSPB supports the building of turbines in areas that won’t have “significant adverse (不利的) impacts on important bird populations or their habitats,” it wrote on its website.
1. What did the scientists from the UK and Ireland find about the four species of seabird?| A．They have totally different travel patterns. |
| B．They prefer to catch fish in places near their nests. |
| C．Climate change has influenced their hunting distance. |
| D．They can travel a very long distance to find food. |
| A．It shows what a perfect living environment for seabirds is. |
| B．It was the first to use GPS technology to track seabirds. |
| C．It could guide people on how to better protect seabirds. |
| D．It provides more information about the diet of seabirds. |
| A．they produce noise that could disturb seabirds |
| B．their strong airflow could influence the flight of seabirds |
| C．their big blades may kill the seabirds that fly by |
| D．they force seabirds to move away from their habitats |
| A．no more wind turbines should be built in the future |
| B．we should think of more measures to protect the climate |
| C．the government should invest more money to protect seabirds |
| D．we should consider wildlife when we build turbines in the future |
7 . With the
There was great excitement on the planet of Venus this week. For the first time Venusian scientists managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever since.
The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan(named after the great Venusian astronomer Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20,000 light years ago). Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get valuable information as to the feasibility(可行性)of a manned flying saucer(飞碟)landing on Earth. A press conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.
“We have come to the conclusion, based on last week’s satellite landing,” Pro. Zog said, “that there is no life on the Earth.”
“How do you know this?” the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked.
“For on thing, Earth’s surface in the area of Manhattan is composed of solid concrete and nothing can grow there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide and other deadly gases and nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive.”
“What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?”
“We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means heavier flying saucer than we originally planned.”
“Are there any other risks that you discovered in your studies?”
“Take a look at his photo. You see this dark black cloud floating over the surface of Earth?” We call this the Consolidated Edison Belt. We don’t know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have to make further tests before we send a Venus Being there.”
“If what you say is true, won’t this set back the flying saucer program several years?”
“Yes, but we shall proceed as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds.”
“Pro. Zog, why are we spending billions and billions of zilches to land a flying saucer on Earth when there is no life there?
“Because if we Venusians can learn to breathe in an Earth atmosphere, then. We can live anywhere.”
1. The Venusians were excited this week because they __________.| A．landed a satellite with Venus astronauts on Earth |
| B．made a first-rate flying saucer |
| C．got an Earth Being to Venus |
| D．directed a satellite into Earth |
| A．Because they need it on their way to the planet of Earth |
| B．Because the Earth’s atmosphere is filled with deadly gases |
| C．Because deadly gases is far from enough on Earth |
| D．Because there is no air on the planet of Earth |
| A．the polluted air floating over the surface of Earth |
| B．the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth |
| C．the concrete that is unknown to everywhere |
| D．the dark clouds gathering before a storm breaks |
| A．to arouse the awareness of protecting the earth |
| B．to introduce a Venusians’ science program |
| C．to tell us the serious pollution of the Venus |
| D．to tell us an exciting Venusians’ exploration |
9 . Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many， many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports, emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “Green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty –five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” says Bruce Anderson.
1. According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___.| A．the social movement | B．recycling techniques |
| C．environmental problems | D．the importance of Earth Day |
| A．The grass –roots level. | B．The business circle. |
| C．Government officials. | D．University professors. |
| A．They have cut car emissions to the lowest. |
| B．They have settled their environmental problems. |
| C．They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
| D．They have reduced pollution through effective measures. |
| A．Education. | B．Planning |
| C．Green living | D．CO reduction |
