1. What would the man like to know about the future?
| A．How the environment will be. |
| B．How fast the technology will develop. |
| C．How rich he will be. |
| A．A scientist. | B．A teacher. | C．A doctor. |
2 . Topher White spends so much time walking in the forest and thinking about how quickly we’re losing it. The engineer is determined to stop global deforestation. Founder of the San Francisco-based non-profit Rainforest Connection, White has developed a small but clever strategy: using old cell phones to listen for the sound of destruction.
Forests are disappearing worldwide, and fast：an area about half the size of England is lost each year. The Amazon has lost close to one-fifth of its rainforest cover in the last four decades. Forest loss not only harms wildlife, including many species that live nowhere else, but it’s also a big contributor to the greenhouse gas emission(排放)that cause climate change.
”I didn’t know any of this when I started,“ says White, who began his journey in 2011, when he traveled to Indonesian Borneo to help decreasing gibbons(长臂猿).
Between 50 and 90 percent of the logging that happens in the world’s rainforests is illegal, according to White, yet detecting chainsaws(电锯)and other sounds related to that activity can be tough, because the air is already filled with the loud unpleasant mixture of sounds from nature. So he has developed a system in which he installs a cell phone that stays charged by solar cells, attaches an extra microphone, and listens. From there, the device can detect the sounds of chainsaws nearly a mile away.
Because it’s unfeasible to have people listening to the devices all the time, he added some “old-school data analysis”, so that the cell phone’s computers can distinguish a chainsaw’s sound from others in the forest. This way, his device can automatically detect logging activity and send a text alert to authorities who can determine if it’s illegal and then stop it.
White notes that he’s not alone in the fight: Many people and organizations are working tirelessly to stop forests from disappearing. For instance, local groups are particularly active in forest conservation efforts, White says.
So far, his monitoring devices have been used in Cameroon, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil and will soon be used in Bolivia. It’s not just about listening for logging. The same technology that can pick out the buzz of a chainsaw can pick out the sounds of specific birds, which is why Whtie sees the forest recordings as a potential science tool. He’s urging biologists and ecologists to use his monitoring system anywhere, whether it’s a remote forest or a park in London. “The more we learn about these places,” he says, “the easier it’ll be to protect them.”
1. The second paragraph is mainly about .| A．the measures to prevent forest loss |
| B．the causes and effects of forest loss |
| C．the areas that suffer great forest loss |
| D．the urgency about reducing forest loss |
| A．Impractical. | B．Unnecessary. | C．Possible. | D．Significant. |
| A．our advanced technology | B．our strong teamwork spirit |
| C．our good understanding of it | D．our environmental awareness |
| A．Efforts should be taken to preserve nature |
| B．Your old cell phone can help save the rainforest |
| C．Old cell phones can be used for helping gibbons |
| D．A creative way is being used to protect specific birds |
3 . Janet, now 37, was playing with her new pet dog, Stitch, who jumped up, grabbed her sleeve, and tore several holes in her sweater with its sharp teeth. Instead of throwing the sweater away, Janet decided to repair it.
She turned to “visible repairing,” an idea of repairing clothes that leaves an obvious fix. She added bright flowers and other small designs to damaged clothes. “Every time you do a repair, it’s like having bought a new piece of clothes,” says Janet.
Actually, repairing is a great opportunity to realize the urgent (迫切的) need to reduce waste. Sadly, we have become used to replacing things instead of repairing them — and the rubbish is piling up. Worldwide, we throw away 92 million tons of cloth every year. Electronic waste is another growing problem: About 50 million tons of it is created each year around the world.
The good news is that fixing things can help deal with the waste problem. There are some solutions. Due to information online, the popular how-to site iFixit.com , a database (数据库) with nearly 100,000 repair brochures for everything from electronics to clothing, has promoted more than 100 million repairs. In addition, since the first Repair Café opened in2009 in Amsterdam, more than 2,700 cafés have been set up to offer in-person fix-it help in various countries. Organizers set up events, and volunteers with repair knowledge bring their tools. They will try to fix whatever people bring in, for free, and teach visitors how to do repairs themselves.
Fixing things is part of a larger change toward a circular economy —the idea that instead of throwing away things once they are broken or out of date, we reuse or repair them, keeping them out of the landfill (垃圾填埋场) for as long as possible. According to a 2023 report from Circle Economy, a Netherlands-based NGO, if the world changed to a circular economy, we could lower the amount of waste by a third.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Janet?| A．To praise her way of protecting pets. |
| B．To introduce special clothing designs. |
| C．To call for attention to repairing things. |
| D．To market the products of fixed clothes. |
| A．The action of replacing things is wise. |
| B．The behaviour of repairing things is popular. |
| C．The need for reducing clothes is urgent. |
| D．The problem of producing waste is serious. |
| A．By teaching volunteers repair knowledge. |
| B．By sharing tips on opening repair cafés. |
| C．By providing information to the repair database. |
| D．By offering online and off line help to encourage repairs. |
| A．Jim threw away a used bike. | B．Jackson mended a torn sofa. |
| C．Sue replaced a worn carpet. | D．Windy removed a broken vase. |
4 . Every year, people all around the world come together to celebrate Earth Day with lots of different activities. Earth Day events typically have one theme in common: the desire to show support for environmental issues and teach future generations about the need to protect our planet.
The very first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22,1970. The event, which some consider to be the birth of the environmental movement, was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson.Nelson chose the April date to coincide (同时发生) with spring while avoiding most spring break and final exams. He hoped to call for college and university students for what he planned as a day of environmental learning and activism.
Participants(参与者) from 2, 000 colleges and universities, roughly 10,000 primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States got together in their local communities to mark the occasion of the very first Earth Day. Almost 20 million Americans filled the streets of their local communities on that first Earth Day, demonstrating in support of environmental issues.
Earth Day is now observed in 192 countries,and celebrated by billions of people around the world. Events can be found everywhere from tree planting activities at your local park to online parties that share information about environmental issues. In 2011, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan by the Earth Day Network. In 2012, more than 100 ,000 people rode bikes in Beijing to raise awareness about climate change and help people learn what they could do to protect the planet.
How can you get involved? The possibilities are endless. Pick up trash in your neighborhood. Make a commitment to reduce your food waste or electricity use. Plant a tree. Talk to your friends and family about environmental issues.The best part? Make every day Earth Day and help to make this planet a healthy place for all of us to enjoy.
1. What is the purpose to celebrate Earth Day?| A．To take part in activities. | B．To protect our earth. |
| C．To pay attention to education. | D．To gather worldwide people. |
| A．Teachers. | B．Officials. | C．Students. | D．Researchers. |
| A．Its participants. | B．Its motivation. | C．Its history. | D．Its influence. |
| A．Take specific action. | B．Reflect on our behavior. |
| C．Come up with good ideas. | D．Answer some questions. |
5 . The amount of sea ice surrounding Antarctica has reached its lowest level since modern records began, for the second year in a row. Sea ice is frozen seawater that floats on the ocean’s surface around the planet’s polar regions. It forms at much lower sustained temperatures than freshwater ice does, at around-1.8 degrees Celsius. Sea ice builds up during the winter until it reaches its maximum extent, and then melts (融化) away in the spring and summer until it reaches its minimum extent.
In Antarctica, where summer and winter are relative to the Northern Hemisphere, sea ice normally reaches its maximum extent in September when sea ice covers around 7 million square miles. At its minimum extent at the end of February, historically only around I million square miles remains. Last year the minimum sea ice extent was less than 772, 000 square miles, the lowest total since scientists began recording sea ice extent with satellites in 1979. On 21 February this year, that number had reduced to just 691, 000 square miles, which is roughly 40 per cent less than the average between 1981 and 2010.
The record-breaking minimum was expected after an extraordinarily hot January which was the seventh-warmest since records began 174 years ago. “By the end of January, we could tell it was only a matter of time until the record was broken,” said Will Hobbs, an Antarctic sea ice expert at the University of Tasmania and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership. Antarctica’s minimum sea ice extent will likely continue to decrease in the coming decades as global temperatures rise as a result of human-caused climate change and more multiyear ice, which acts as a seed for new ice growth, melts away.
Sea ice is crucial for polar predators(捕食性动物) such as penguins in Antarctica and polar bears in the Arctic, which use the ice as a platform for hunting. But the sea ice also helps stabilise ice on Antarctica. “Lower sea ice extent means that ocean waves will pound the coast of the giant ice sheet，further reducing ice shelves around Antarctic,” said Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences.
1. What can we know about sea ice?| A．It can be seen on any ocean’s surface. | B．It forms at about -1.8 ℃. |
| C．It melts all the year round. | D．There is more sea ice than freshwater ice. |
| A．There are two seasons in Antarctica. |
| B．Scientists have been recording the change of sea ice. |
| C．Sea ice in Antarctica has been on decline in the past decades. |
| D．The ecology in Antarctica needs to be improved. |
| A．The earth becomes warmer. | B．Multiyear ice disappears completely. |
| C．Ocean waves destroy the giant ice sheet. | D．Human beings occupy Antarctica. |
| A．Human activities have caused global warming |
| B．Measures should be taken to stop sea ice decreasing |
| C．Sea ice is significant for polar animals |
| D．Antarctica’s sea ice reaches its lowest level since records began |
6 . Homes are usually warmed with radiators (暖气片). Some homes are warmed by floor heating. Now, a new way of heating is being developed by using the “wallpaper” on your walls. This wallpaper is not decorative. It actually goes under and not over the wall-electrically heats a room. And this type of heating technology heats objects, even people, instead of the air and this helps you feel warmer.
The electric heating panels (嵌板) which are hidden in the wall are connected to the main electrical panels of your home. Each room can be heated independently through an app, so you do not have to heat unused rooms. It takes around 20 minutes to heat a room.
With rising prices for home heating, the panels seen like the right way to go. “It makes me happy that I don’t depend on gas,” Kris Bilski, an early user, said. About 23 million homes in the UK are connected to the gas grid (网) but the government wants to phase out gas-fired pots by 2035. Home heating is responsible for 17 percent of greenhouse gas materials, so removing fossil fuel-based heating will help the environment.
The new electric heating systems are easy to get for private homes and the company is currently testing the new technology in public housing in some cities. The types being tested can be fitted while people are still living in the apartment so it makes installation a lot easier.
Heating your home with this type of technology does not heat your water, so an additional heating system is required, but an energy efficient heater can be used.
While the wallpaper is greener, electricity in the UK is very costly so it is not an economic way to heat homes unless there is a renewable energy source like solar panels used. Still, reducing the dependence on fossil fuels will go a long way to green the UK and help the country meet its climate targets.
1. What can we infer about a room with this “wallpaper” heater?| A．Special radiators are needed in in. | B．It’s connected to solar panels. |
| C．The temperature in it varies less. | D．It’s warmer than a normal room. |
| A．Slop using. | B．Improve greatly. |
| C．Restore gradually. | D．Finish developing. |
| A．It looks beautiful. | B．It’s easy to set up. |
| C．It heats up instantly. | D．It fits all buildings. |
| A．Doubting. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Enthusiastic. | D．Unfavorable. |
7 . Malvern is a place close to my heart. When I was growing up, both my parents worked full-time, and I spent every school holiday with my grandmother, who lived in a house in the Malvern Hills, looking out over the Worcestershire land to Bredon Hill in the distance with the Three Counties Showground in the foreground. This is the scene for the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, the opening event of the horticultural (园艺的) calendar.
Garden designer and television presenter Arit Anderson is one of the familiar faces who will be presenting talks over the four days of this year’s show. Anderson didn’t move into garden design until her mid-40s. Raised in a large family by a busy single mum in Hertfordshire, she began her working life as a pharmacy technician (药剂师). From there she moved into fashion seller, working her way up to the head office of a major high street brand. At the same time she trained as a healer. All these different strands equipped her well for a career change to horticulture.
I always said I didn’t want to do fashion at 50, but it came about a little bit earlier. The company was laying off workers and I’d just got my first garden and fallen in love with it. I thought. Let’s do something I love.”
She retrained in garden design at Cape Manor College, and in 2013 won the Fresh Talent competition at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Three years later she won a gold medal at RHS Hampton Court for a garden showcasing the need for sustainability in the face of climate change.
Gardening at one with the environment has continued to be an important focus for Anderson and she is currently setting up the Sustainability Landscape Foundation with fellow designer Marian Boswall. Their aim is to cut through the green washing and provide a portal (入口) for professionals and the public to seek out information about how to garden sustainably.
1. Why does the author refer to her childhood experience?| A．To show how busy her parents were. | B．To introduce the beautiful place — Malvern. |
| C．To tell the readers how she spent her holiday. | D．To remember her grandmother. |
| A．A garden designer. | B．A television presenter. |
| C．A pharmacy technician. | D．A fashion seller. |
| A．Creating gardens. | B．Retraining in garden design. |
| C．Fighting against climate change. | D．Cooperating with big companies. |
| A．Greenwashing is really eco-friendly. |
| B．Everyone should choose new ways to live. |
| C．It doesn’t matter whether you like your job or not. |
| D．Gardening should be in harmony with nature. |
More than 10,000 people were made
The wooden bridge across the river has been washed away. The town is cut off by flood waters. At the fifth mile, Jalan Tengkn, the water is two metres deep. It is
The National Flood Relief(救济) Centre was reported to give
The flood victims are now sheltered in different simple relief centres in the nearby town of Ternang. “Everything
According to the
1. What is Nike launching?
| A．A new bag. |
| B．A new pair of shoes. |
| C．A new line of sportswear. |
| A．To increase profits. |
| B．To improve quality. |
| C．To be environmentally friendly. |
| A．10%. | B．50%. | C．100%. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Confident. | C．Anxious. |
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 |
