1 . Warming seas across the globe are endangering coral reefs(珊瑚礁), a key ecosystem that supports sea life to live .
As a possible way to save them from extinction, scientists have recently frozen and revived groups of adult corals for the first time, according to a recent study.
Freezing biological materials, or “cryopreserving” them, refers to keeping them in a deep freeze for long periods without affecting the cell’s viability(活性), according to the Science Times website.
Researchers in the US experimented with freezing pea-sized pieces of a common coral in Hawaii. After removing the microbes on the corals, they closed the corals in metal containers filled with a chemical solution that helped control ice growth.
When the corals reached a temperature of around-200℃, the remaining water in the corals solidified into a glassy form. The corals were still alive, with their life-driving functions becoming extremely slow. After being cryopreserved for a few minutes, the researchers pulled the corals out and placed them in warm water. In two minutes, they started consuming oxygen -a sign of them staying alive.
Previously, researchers had already successfully cryopreserved coral larvae(幼虫), according to a study in 2018. However, the larvae can only be collected when corals spaw(产卵), which happens just a few nights each year. “That’s putting a lot of eggs in one basket,” US marine scientist Liza Roger told Science News.
This breakthrough offers more hope to the world’s corals, said Roger. However, there’s more work to be done. A few days after thawing, the corals became “stressed out” from the process and were killed by the bacteria they normally live in harmony with. The researchers are working on using medicine to help them survive for a longer period of time.
1. What is the purpose of the recent study?| A．To bring dead corals back to life. |
| B．To freeze and revive coral larvae. |
| C．To find a way to preserve corals. |
| D．To study the conditions of coral growth. |
| A．They died temporarily. |
| B．Their life functions slowed down. |
| C．They remained alive and unchanged. |
| D．They fed on microbes in the containers. |
| A．It is not a reliable solution. |
| B．It needs a large number of eggs. |
| C．It holds promise for restoring corals. |
| D．It requires overly expensive technology. |
| A．Finding a suitable freezing medium. |
| B．Identifying the bacteria on the corals. |
| C．Maintaining the coral’s health after thawing. |
| D．Expanding the collection of coral larvae. |
1. 濒危动物的现状及保护它们的重要性；
2. 提出具体建议。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，使行文连贯；
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1.海洋的重要性；
2.保护海洋的倡议；
注意：1.写作词数应为100词左右；
2.短文题目和首句已为你写好。
Our Oceans, Our Responsibility
June 8th was officially named by the UN in 2009 as World Oceans Day.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Yours,
Li Hua
4 . In recent years, lots of American companies have gotten behind a potential climate solution called carbon capture and storage, and the government has backed it with billions of dollars in tax preferences and direct investments. The idea is to trap planet-heating carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of factories and power plants and ship it to sites via thousands of miles of new pipelines. Communities nationwide are pushing back against these pipeline construction and underground sites, arguing they don’t want the pollution running through their land.
Now the U. S. Forest Service is proposing to change a rule to allow storing this carbon dioxide pollution under the country’s national forests and grasslands. “Authorizing carbon capture and storage on National Forest System (NFS) lands would support the Administration’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent below the 2005 levels by 2030,” the proposed rule change says.
Some experts, like June Sekera, a research fellow with Boston University, question the timing of the proposed rule change, given community pushback across the country to pipelines planned on private land. Yet she says the Forest Service proposal to open up national parks for CO2 storage is “an end run around local towns and counties. And it’s a much simpler and way less expensive route.”
In an email, Scott Owen, press officer for the Forest Service, writes that the proposed rule change would allow the Forest Service to consider proposals for carbon capture and storage projects. He writes that any proposals must still pass through a secondary screening, adding, “The Forest Service has been ‘screening’ proposals for use of NFS lands for over 20 years as a means to be increasingly consistent in our processes and also be able to reject those uses that are inconsistent with the management of the public’s land. ” He notes the Forest Service currently does not have any carbon capture project proposals under consideration. The Forest Service has opened public comments on the proposed rule change until Jan. 2, 2024.
1. What does the Forest Service intend to do by changing a rule?| A．Answer the appeals of communities. | B．Provide legal space for carbon storage. |
| C．Enlarge national pipeline storage capacity. | D．Loosen tax burden on American companies. |
| A．An eventful act. | B．A desperate try. |
| C．An alternative way. | D．A breathtaking race. |
| A．It is still up in the air. | B．It is dead in the water. |
| C．It is widely recognized. | D．It is far from satisfactory. |
| A．A fruitful research. | B．A timely rule change. |
| C．An authorized project. | D．A controversial proposal. |
5 . New research links outdoor air pollution — even at levels considered safe — to an increased risk of diabetes (糖尿病) globally, according to a study from the VA St. Louis Health Care System. The findings raise the possibility that reducing pollution may lead to a drop in diabetes cases in heavily polluted countries such as India and less polluted ones such as the United States.
Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases, affecting more than 500 million people worldwide. The main drivers of diabetes include eating an unhealthy diet, having a sedentary lifestyle and obesity, but the new research indicates the extent to which outdoor air pollution plays a role.
“Our research shows a significant link between air pollution and diabetes globally,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, the study’s senior author and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Washington. “We found an increased risk, even at low levels of air pollution currently considered safe by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). This is important because many industry lobbying (游说) groups argue that current levels are too stringent and should be relaxed. Evidence shows that current levels are still not sufficiently safe and need to be tightened.”
While growing evidence has suggested a link between air pollution and diabetes, researchers have not attempted to quantify that burden until now. “Over the past two decades, there have been bits of research about diabetes and pollution,” said Al-Aly. “We wanted to thread together the pieces for a broader, more solid understanding.”
The researchers also found that the overall risk of pollution-related diabetes tilted (倾斜) more toward lower-income countries such as India that lack the resources for environmental mitigation systems and clean-air policies. For instance, poverty-stricken countries facing a higher diabetes-pollution risk include Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Guyana, while richer countries such as France, Finland and Iceland experience a lower risk. The US experiences a medium risk of pollution-related diabetes.
1. What does the underlined word “stringent” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Strict. | B．Slight. |
| C．Bright. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．To identify the causes of diabetes. |
| B．To make better air pollution control policies. |
| C．To lead the study of diabetes and air pollution. |
| D．To figure out the link between pollution and diabetes. |
| A．India. | B．Finland. |
| C．The US. | D．Guyana. |
| A．Current pollution control levels need to be tightened |
| B．Diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases globally |
| C．Air pollution contributes significantly to diabetes globally |
| D．Poverty-stricken countries face a higher diabetes-pollution risk |
1. 活动介绍；
2. 活动意义。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为 80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Successful Cleanup Activity
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________7 . Masses of ocean plastic are providing artificial habitat (栖息地) for otherwise coastal species, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. The study’s authors observed floating water bottles, old toothbrushes and waste fishing nets. The possibility exists that species may be evolving to better adapt to life on plastic.
A decade ago, marine researchers believed coastal species could not survive a trip across the inhospitable open ocean. Yet Japan’s 2011 tsunami (海啸), which sent some 300 species of Asian marine life riding floating plastic garbage onto North American shores, disproved that assumption.
Ocean plastic is “creating opportunities for coastal species’ biogeography to greatly expand beyond what we previously thought was possible”, Linsey Haram, a researcher and co-author of the study, said in a report.
The concept of species-covered plastic may sound like the story of ocean species’ victory in spite of human pollution. But that’s not quite the case, explains Juan José Alava, PhD, an expert at the University of British Columbia. In addition to transporting non-native species to new habitats where they may become invasive and destructive, the plastic is “basically an ecological trap”, says Alava. “That’s because small species on the floating structure may attract bigger animals to come for food. When these creatures enter garbage areas for food, they run a high risk of eating and/or becoming caught in plastic and dying.”
While scientists have found some types of bacteria (细菌) are able to break down plastic, thereby cleaning up garbage, it’s unlikely that the marine animals will have any such effect. “The 2021 UN report was clear that the increasing plastic pollution is putting the health of all the world’s oceans and seas at risk,” says Alava.
1. What does the underlined word “inhospitable” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Easy-to-spot. | B．Up-to-standard. |
| C．Down-to-earth. | D．Hard-to-stay. |
| A．Putting them at greater risk. |
| B．Causing them to grow bigger. |
| C．Enabling them to live in new habitats. |
| D．Freeing them from getting endangered. |
| A．It increases some creatures’ curiosity. |
| B．It causes damage to all marine species. |
| C．It creates habitats for larger creatures. |
| D．It leads to the death of some creatures. |
| A．Ocean plastic must be dealt with. |
| B．It’s OK to throw plastic into the ocean. |
| C．Marine life may adapt to ocean plastic. |
| D．Ocean plastic may be cleaned up soon. |
8 . A new study has found that ride-sharing services result in much more air pollution than other kinds of private and public transportation, and they also draw passengers away from more environmentally friendly methods of travel, like public transportation, walking or biking.
Several studies have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can worsen traffic problems in cities. The new study attempts to center on how ride-sharing services affect air pollution. It examined the effects of ride-sharing services on 7 of America’s largest cities. Overall, the researchers reported that ride-sharing trips result in an estimated 69% more air pollution on average than the trips they displace. One of the big reasons is that ride-sharing vehicles are often driven without passengers in. This happens when drivers are either waiting for ride requests or on the way to pick up passengers.
This situation, known as “deadheading”, takes up about 42% of all ride-sharing driving. The researchers said that deadheading results in about 50% more carbon dioxide than one person driving in a private vehicle.
Both Uber and Lyft do offer a choice of a “pooled” ride, which involves drivers picking up additional riders during the same trip. The study urges services like Uber and Lyft to work to increase the number of pooled rides and electric vehicles on the road, and improve connections to public transportation centers.
Uber made no comment on the latest report, but the company said it aims to be part of the solution to address climate change by working directly with cities, adding that it will continue to promote pooled trips and other means of transportation. Lyft said that the study made misleading claims about ride-sharing although it shared the practice of increasing the number of pooled rides and putting more electric vehicles in service.
Both companies have already operated businesses that offer electric scooters and bikes and have begun to include public transportation information in their systems.
1. What’s known about ride-sharing services before the new study?| A．They are more popular with passengers than public transportation. |
| B．They provide a more efficient means of transportation. |
| C．They waste a lot of time waiting for ride requests. |
| D．They make traffic problems in cities even worse. |
| A．They use too much fuel to operate. |
| B．They are used by too many people. |
| C．They are often driven with no passengers. |
| D．They don’t have public transportation information. |
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Approving. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Both Uber and Lyft pay little attention to the result of the study. |
| B．Ride-sharing business will be canceled in more countries. |
| C．Ride-sharing services will become greener in the future. |
| D．Riding bikes is the solution to urban traffic problems. |
9 . Multiple actions have been taken to fight food waste, but one young man is making a big difference with technology. Liu Jichen, a student from Tsinghua University, has developed a WeChat mini-program called “Clear Your Plate”.
After a meal, users can open the mini-program and take a picture of their empty plates. Once the image is recognized by the AI, students can collect points and use them to buy gifts or purchase charity meals donated to children in poor areas.
The idea came from Liu’s experience in a canteen where he found that diners finishing their food could get a card and then small gifts with a certain number of cards collected.
“Technological innovation is a good way to reduce food waste and contribute to global food challenges.” Liu thought. With this in mind, he organized a team of 20 members to work on the project in 2017. To solve the AI’s problem of identifying photos of empty plates, the team spent half a year collecting over 100,000 samples in canteens and restaurants. In 2018, the mini-program was officially put into operation on Oct 16, World Food Day.
This year, the one-month campaign has attracted almost 1.6 million participants and collectively reduced food waste by 862 tons and carbon emissions by 3,337 tons.
“There were so many unknowns in research and development. For us, the biggest psychological challenge was whether we were confident enough to complete it,” Liu said. However, they not only achieved their goal, but now, the mini-program has more than 5 million registered users.
Thanks to his actions concerning social issues, Liu Jichen was inducted into the 2020 Class of Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals in September.
1. What is true about the “Clear Your Plate” mini-program?| A．It inspires people to make money. | B．It aims to encourage people to treasure food. |
| C．It has helped reduce food waste by 3,337 tons. | D．It offers people cards and small gifts as a reward. |
| A．They lacked professional technical support. | B．They found it tough to promote the campaign. |
| C．They had difficulty gathering enough samples. | D．They felt uncertain about completing the project. |
| A．Optimistic and cautious. | B．Generous and responsible. |
| C．Talented and humorous. | D．Creative and determined. |
| A．Learn from Liu Jichen | B．The Power of AI Technology |
| C．Clear Your Plate with Technology | D．Actions to Fight against Food Waste |
10 . Going vegan or vegetarian is one way to decrease your diet’s impact on greenhouse gas emissions (排放) — but it isn’t the only way. A recent Purdue University study suggests that smaller changes can make a difference too, while improving your health.
After analyzing the 2010 grocery purchases of more than 57,000 U.S. families, Purdue researchers found 71 percent could reduce their food carbon footprint by making some changes. One is to skip the unhealthy snacks. Avoiding foods with high calorie is important and low nutritional value can reduce the total carbon footprint of U.S. family food consumption by nearly 10 percent. Items like candy, soda, and packaged snacks take more ingredients and more processing, which translates to higher environmental impacts.
Another effective way to reduce your carbon emissions is to avoid bulk buys. Households of one or two people may end up with food waste when they try to save money with bulk buys. Before you buy supersize, consider whether a three-pound jar of peanut butter will go bad before it’s used up.
The researchers of the study also suggest consuming fewer ready-made foods. One average microwave meal may not have a very large carbon footprint. But buying them regularly can add up to high emissions because ready-made foods are sold in large quantities, which makes their carbon footprint significant, the study found.
By making the above changes, the U.S. could cut more than a quarter of emissions from household food consumption, the researchers say. That’s about 36 million metric tons — about what 6.6 million households generate in a year of electricity use. “Collective action can make a huge impact,” says study co-author Hua Cai.
1. Why does the author mention being a vegetarian in Paragraph 1?| A．To encourage us to become vegetarians. |
| B．To introduce the findings of a recent study. |
| C．To illustrate the impact of greenhouse gas emission. |
| D．To tell readers it’s not a good way to help the environment. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. |
| C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Buying things in quantity. |
| B．Buying things of low quality. |
| C．Buying things out of date. |
| D．Buying things of low price. |
| A．We should collect some materials to make a difference. |
| B．We should take measures quickly to make a difference. |
| C．We should make efforts together to make a difference. |
| D．We should avoid all unhealthy food to make a difference. |
