1 . It’s a sweet moment, as a chimp reaches up to kiss his mother’s face. The touching photo was taken by the famous conservationist and activist Jane Goodall in 1993 in Gombe National Park in northwest Tanzania where she has studied chimpanzees for more than six decades.
The image is part of Vital Impacts consisting of a group of 100 photographers. The women-led non-profit was founded by award-winning photographer Ami Vitale and visual journalist Eileen Mignoni. They are selling fine arts images, most of which focus on wildlife and nature, with earnings benefiting conservation organizations including Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots and Shoots program.
“Our purpose is to use photography to create awareness and understanding; to help us see that the survival of the planet is closely connected with our own survival. As photographers, we have a huge opportunity to inform and influence change, but pressing the shutter (快门) is just the start,” Vitale said.
“For an image to have significance, it needs to reach people. To this end, we are working to get the photographs of Vital Impacts photographers and our students into high-profile media and exhibitions around the world.”
The organization gives special attention to photographers who are committed to the planet. Funds will be used to support global conservation and environmental initiatives and the group will offer two $20,000 environmental storytelling awards.
Vital Impacts has raised more than $1.5 million from the sale of fine art prints since the organization was set up in late 2021. Some of its profits were donated to the organization Direct Relief, which shipped more than 1,400 tons of medical supplies worth $545 million to support 351 healthcare equipment in disaster zones. Other profits were able to provide fuel and vehicle assistance to support wildlife corridors (廊道), a monitoring program, and the restoration of the Snake River in the Pacific Northwest.
1. Why did the author mention the touching photo in paragraph one?| A．To lead in Vital Impacts. | B．To introduce Jane Goodall’s hobby. |
| C．To share a sweet image. | D．To introduce chimps’ touching behavior. |
| A．It aims to make profits by selling fine arts images. |
| B．It helps students to hold worldwide photo exhibitions. |
| C．It aims to use images to promote environmental conservation. |
| D．It helps to pick out excellent photographers by offering 2 awards. |
| A．Those who love wildlife and nature. |
| B．Those who are devoted to the environment. |
| C．Those who are committed to helping others. |
| D．Those who are passionate about photography. |
| A．Its profits. | B．Its benefits. | C．Its contributions. | D．Its effects. |
| A．They use fewer plastic bags. | B．They don’t drive cars. | C．They waste less food. |
3 . A smoke bomb from a party started a major blaze (火焰) near Los Angeles in September,just one of many recent wildfires ignited (引燃) by people. Now, an analysis of satellite data shows human-caused blazes spread much faster and kill more trees than ones ignited by lightning.
Fire has always been a part of California’s natural history. But several centuries of human settlement have created new conditions that promote its spread.Studies have shown human ignition is to blame for 84% of all wildfires in the United States,and 97% of all those that threaten homes.
Human-caused fires always seemed more extreme, says Stijn Hantson,a fire ecologist at the University of California,Irvine,who led the new research. But measurements of how fast they spread and their impacts on ecosystems (生态系统) in California had not been explored, he notes.
To examine those differences, Hantson and his colleagues analyzed satellite data for 214 wildfires in California between 2012 and 2018.Human-caused fires typically spread about 1.83 kilometers per day, more than twice as fast as lightning-ignited burns,the team reports.The faster spreading fires also burned more violently and killed “double or triple” the trees as lightning-caused ones.
However, there is no fundamental difference in the chemistry of a human-caused blaze. “A fire is a fire” Hantson says. “It’s the surrounding things that matter.” Causes of fires ranging from improperly thrown cigarettes to sparking (冒火花) power lines could ignite a blaze on any given day, he says, while lightning strikes and dry thunderstorms only happen seasonally.
The researchers tracked meteorological data and found that human-caused fires were more likely to start on days with extreme weather conditions,and were more associated with drier,less-forested landscapes. This adds to scientists’ understanding of how humans are extending the fire season, says Nathan Mietkiewicz, an ecologist with the National Ecological Observation Network.
1. The author uses some data in paragraph 2 to show that ________.| A．wildfires are mostly caused by humans |
| B．most wildfires threaten people’s homes |
| C．wildfire is a part of California’s natural history |
| D．wildfires break out frequently in the United States |
| A．To prove how extreme human-caused fires are. |
| B．To find out the causes and solutions of wildfires. |
| C．To explore the speed and effects of wildfires caused by humans. |
| D．To examine the differences between a human-caused blaze and a nature-caused one. |
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| D．By giving definitions. |
| A．Human-caused fires and lightning-caused fires are basically different. |
| B．Lightning strikes and thunderstorms can always lead to wildfires. |
| C．Wildfires only happen in dry,less-forested areas. |
| D．Humans are to blame for the extended fire season. |
4 . In 2011, some students at the University of Maryland saw a large amount of food going to waste on their campus. They were so
Up to now, FRN has
The chapter of FRN at the University of Maryland works to
“Our
| A．relaxed | B．delighted | C．concerned | D．confused |
| A．label | B．replace | C．waste | D．redistribute |
| A．need | B．love | C．decline | D．check |
| A．came back | B．came down | C．came into being | D．came to an end |
| A．promising | B．challenging | C．limited | D．outdated |
| A．agreed | B．prepared | C．regretted | D．grown |
| A．donations | B．meals | C．chapters | D．teachers |
| A．supply | B．insecurity | C．recognition | D．disappearance |
| A．doubted | B．rejected | C．postponed | D．submitted |
| A．medicine | B．shelter | C．food | D．trip |
| A．aid | B．assess | C．identify | D．investigate |
| A．temporarily | B．smoothly | C．randomly | D．toughly |
| A．collect | B．eat | C．order | D．sell |
| A．priced | B．sorted | C．tasted | D．cast |
| A．bank | B．home | C．company | D．school |
| A．living | B．difference | C．fortune | D．profit |
| A．extra | B．dirty | C．purchased | D．expensive |
| A．blind | B．harmful | C．adaptable | D．friendly |
| A．allowed | B．promoted | C．decreased | D．received |
| A．side | B．double | C．opposite | D．individual |
5 . A team of researchers at ETH Zurich has the perfect long-lasting solution to our fog problem. They have developed a very thin and gold-based transparent coating (涂层) that can convert sunlight into heat, which can be applied to glass and other surfaces to prevent them from fogging.
The special coating is developed using titanium oxide and gold particles. It selectively absorbs infrared radiations (红外线辐射) from the sunlight and creates a heating effect that is powerful enough to keep fog away from the surface of an object. The coating basically employs heat to stop fogging. The coating absorbs a large part of the infrared radiation, which causes it to heat up-by up to 8℃.
Previously, products like anti-fogging sprays (喷雾) create a very thin film of water on the surface to remove fog. The problem with such surfaces is pollution. Along with water, the sprays also attract dirt, dust, oil, and various other dirty substances, and just a little dirt on the surface makes it useless. However, the new coating repels (排斥) water. Furthermore, the coating is significantly thinner, which makes it more transparent as well as flexible. It is heated passively and requires, during daytime, no additional energy source.
Gold might be expensive, but the researchers stress that their coating requires so little that the material costs remain low. Their coating is produced with standardized and readily scalable methods, all cost-effectively. However, although this product can work at very low levels of solar radiation, it does rely on a certain amount of light.
The researchers will develop the coating further for other applications. In the process, they will examine whether other metals work just as well as gold. There is no need to fear. However, this would cause a car or a building to heat up more in the summer. The researchers have already filed a patent. Hopefully, this groundbreaking product will soon be available on the market.
1. How does the new coating work to remove fog?| A．By reflecting part of sunlight selectively. |
| B．By keeping cool air away from the object. |
| C．By creating a thin film of water on the surface. |
| D．By absorbing infrared radiations to heat the coating. |
| A．To stress the advantages of the new coating. |
| B．To introduce the inspiration behind the new coating. |
| C．To prove the difficulty of creating anti-fogging products. |
| D．To explain the reason for the anti-fogging coating being popular. |
| A．It is considerably expensive. | B．It depends on sunlight to work. |
| C．It takes too much time to produce. | D．It is difficult to clean and maintain. |
| A．Apply for a patent for the invention. |
| B．Develop the product for more practical uses. |
| C．Explore the environmental impact of the coating. |
| D．Seek a more environmentally friendly material to replace gold. |
6 . This summer, daytime temperatures topped 100 degrees for a full month in northwest China. Southern Europe experienced waves of 100-plus degree days. Heat waves show a serious reality: human-driven climate change is making extreme heat worse worldwide. But health-threatening heat isn’t the only result of record-breaking weather: air pollution happens when the temperatures rise according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization.
The new report, which focuses on 2022, shows the growing risk of air pollution connected to wildfires. Hotter temperatures increase the risk of large the risk of large, hot-burning fires, which can pump enormous plumes of smoke into the air. That smoke causes health problems near the fire but also for people thousands of miles downwind.
Extreme heat, also drives up the likelihood of drought, which in turn makes big dust storms more likely. Great clouds of fine dust blew off major deserts last year, particularly affecting the Arabian Peninsula region. Southern Europe also got hit by a major dust storm after a heat wave baked the deserts of northern Africa in the summer.
“That’s a very bad combination of conditions,” says Julie Nicely, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Maryland, who worked on the report. That mix is particularly dangerous for elderly people, or people with breathing sensitivities. “That is very bad for the lungs and the cardiovascular (心血管),” she says.
Air pollution levels have dropped in the past few decades in response to environmental regulations like the Clean Air Act in the United States. Ozone pollution (臭氧污染), however, remains a problem. The report authors point out that the extra heat in the atmosphere driven by climate change overpowers even the gains made by strict environmental protections. The authors suggested focusing on the importance of slowing or changing human-caused climate change as quickly as possible.
“Climate change and air quality cannot be treated separately. They go hand in hand and must be solved together to break this cycle,” WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas said in a press release.
1. Why is the extreme weather in northwest China and southern Europe mentioned in Para l?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To show the serious situation. |
| C．To warn people of the bad weather. |
| D．To compare two countries’ weather. |
| A．Air pollution is likely to be solved in the future. |
| B．Climate change and air quality are closely connected. |
| C．It’s no use slowing or changing human-caused climate change. |
| D．People’s efforts to protect the environment make no difference. |
| A．It deals with the air pollution completely. |
| B．It makes a big difference to the air problem. |
| C．It has made the problem of air pollution worse. |
| D．It is partly effective in dealing with air pollution. |
| A．A science magazine. |
| B．A travel brochure. |
| C．A research paper. |
| D．An encyclopedia. |
7 . I used to think my life was perfect. My mom had her dream job and a beautiful office and I had my own room with a computer and a garden to look after. But one Sunday, everything changed. A hurricane
But something
We started a new
I
Looking back, I realize that the hurricane
| A．visited | B．exchanged | C．approached | D．swept |
| A．affected | B．changed | C．destroyed | D．cleaned |
| A．invisible | B．unexpected | C．impossible | D．awkward |
| A．mind | B．contact | C．aid | D．sense |
| A．belief | B．request | C．wealth | D．kindness |
| A．really | B．obviously | C．naturally | D．clearly |
| A．sold | B．rented | C．showed | D．opened |
| A．business | B．project | C．tradition | D．life |
| A．destinations | B．gatherings | C．journeys | D．memories |
| A．family | B．survivors | C．community | D．supporters |
| A．soon | B．never | C．already | D．also |
| A．fortune telling | B．story telling | C．mind reading | D．house keeping |
| A．brought about | B．resulted from | C．made up | D．gave out |
| A．rescued | B．unearthed | C．enriched | D．recorded |
| A．legend | B．effort | C．party | D．disaster |
8 . An earthquake can strike without warning. But many injuries and deaths from this kind of natural disaster can be prevented if people follow these safety tips.
If you’re inside a building, stay there! One of the most dangerous things to do in an earthquake is to try to leave a building.
If you are trapped in the ruins, cover your mouth with a handkerchief or a piece of clothing. Use your cellphone to call for help if possible. Don’t shout.
Be prepared for aftershocks
| A．Don’t move about or kick up dost. |
| B．If you’re outside, go to an open space. |
| C．Shouting can cause you to breathe in dust. |
| D．Don’t park your car under a tree or any tall object. |
| E．Take a good hold of your cellphone in the building. |
| F．They can happen in the first hours after the earthquake. |
| G．Most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to get out. |
9 . New Mexico is famed for roasted green chillies with a distinctive smoky flavour, but it comes at a cost — producers in the state typically use propane (丙烷) as fuel, releasing an estimated 7,800 tonnes of CO2 a year. Ken Armijo at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) wanted to see if he could match the flavour without the need for fossil fuels.
Armijo, whose family owns a chilli farm, works with solar concentrators at NSTTF, normally used for experiments boiling liquid to produce electricity, or simulating (模拟) the effect of re-entry on materials used in spacecraft. The facility uses rings of mirrors to focus sunlight on a 60-metre tower at the centre. He improved a traditional chilli roaster and loaded it with 10 kilograms of chillies before placing it in the tower to roast at 480°C.
A group of green chilli connoisseurs (品鉴师) blind-tasted the solar-roasted version alongside the traditional variety and rated them higher for both flavour and smell. Armijo says infrared (红外线的) imaging showed solar heating produced a more even distribution (分布) of heat with fewer hotspots. “Solar-roasted chillies appeared to have a much cleaner taste because the localised heat from propane roasting can cause localised burning,” says Armijo.
Although this test took place at a research facility, Armijo says the cost of solar concentrators is dropping and it could be possible to use technology developed at Sandia to build small solar concentrators at low cost. These could produce the high temperatures needed for roasting chillies and other foods.
Armijo is eager to try the technique with other foodstuffs, including cocoa and coffee beans, which are grown in lower-income countries and could be solar roasted.
Pete Schwartz at California Polytechnic State University, who has been exploring solar cooking for many years, said that he was not sure “whether solar concentrators will catch on in lower-income countries, where he has seen many solar projects fail due to lack of training and technical support.”
Armijo says he has been approached by at least 15 companies and is in discussions on ways to commercialise the technology. He is seeking extra funding from the US Department of Energy and other organisations to pursue small solar concentrators for food processing.
1. Why did Armijo roast green chillies using solar concentrators?| A．To increase profits. | B．To create a new recipe. |
| C．To reduce air pollution. | D．To improve chillies’ taste. |
| A．They are lower in production cost. |
| B．They work with higher efficiency. |
| C．They spread heat more equally. |
| D．They are easier to operate. |
| A．Favourable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．It has been adopted by some companies. |
| B．It is on its way to the market. |
| C．It has been officially recognised. |
| D．It is in need of technical support. |
A Norwegian company has created what it calls the world’s first zero-emission, automatic cargo ship. Developed by chemical company Yara International, the ship
The shipping industry accounts for between 2.5% and 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization. Nearly all of Norway’s electricity is generated by hydroelectric power, which is
Capable of carrying 103 containers and with
As well as
