1 . Much of the United States is locked by an unusually large winter storm, which has sent temperatures dropping sharply across the country, from coast to coast and as far south as southern Texas. In many areas, ice and snow storms have added to the challenges. Only a few areas in the south have dodged the freezing weather pattern. The National Weather Service( NWS) says that a winter storm, this large and this serious, has almost never been seen before.
The NWS reports that over 150 million Americans were under winter storm warnings. In Texas, over 2.7 million people were left without power on Monday. Texas isn't used to such serious winter weather. In the city of Houston, temperatures have dropped to - 9℃. The storm has led to huge, deadly highway accidents, and has forced its airport to cancel flights. On Sunday, President Joe Biden declared an emergency in Texas, allowing the state to get more help for the weather disaster from the US government. Several other states have declared some sort of weather-related emergency. In Washington and Oregon, warming shelters were opened to help people stay warm and safe.
The NWS says cold air from the Arctic is behind the record-breaking low temperatures. Though it may seem surprising, global warming may be one of the causes. A strong wind known as the jet stream usually flows in a circle around the Arctic, keeping super-cold air near the North Pole. But as the jet stream weakens because of climate change, the cold air is able to escape the Arctic and bring freezing temperatures to places that are normally much warmer.
The NWS is forecasting there’ll be more snow and freezing rain over the next few days as a new storm cuts up toward the Northeast from the middle of the country. The NWS says that much of the country will continue to have extremely cold temperatures, and it's likely that hundreds of cold weather records will be broken. Perhaps, people should think about the consequences of global warming.
1. Which can best replace the underlined word “dodged” in paragraph 1?| A．Seen. | B．Recorded. |
| C．Avoided. | D．Defeated. |
| A．It’s hit the hardest by extreme weather. |
| B．It's brought the super cold under control. |
| C．It's the first to warn of the climate disaster. |
| D．It's helping other states with the winter storm. |
| A．How the jet stream forms in the Arctic. |
| B．What causes the extreme cold in America. |
| C．Why the cold air escapes from the Arctic. |
| D．When the global warming affects America. |
| A．It’ll change climate permanently. | B．It’ll cause another new storm. |
| C．It’ll lessen global warming. | D．It’ll go on for some time. |
2 . In an effort to fight the “throw-away culture” and promote reuse and repair, the city of Berlin has taken the unique step of opening its own secondhand department store.
This isn’t your grandma’s thrift shop (旧货商店). It resells perfectly good items that would otherwise be thrown away. A pun on the German words for “department store” and “conserving house”, B-Wa(h)renhaus sells a wide variety of products. Far from simply selling old items, the electronic goods have been fixed by expert technicians and come with a year’s guarantee. And, to reach more secondhand shoppers, the store was set up right in the middle of the famous Karstadt department store.
With the success of its initial six-month trial run, the city plans to open four more similar operations in other parts of Berlin. By 2030, it hopes to have at least one location in each of Berlin’s 12 districts. Since 2008, city policies and educational campaigns have reduced average annual household waste by about 25 pounds per resident. It also recycles about 49% of its mineral construction waste. Currently, the city estimates that 8% of abandoned electronic goods and 6% of huge items thrown away can actually be reused. The goal is to expand the market for these items beyond the usual bargain hunters and eco-conscious consumers.
“Three years ago, we started collecting all kinds of used goods,” city spokesperson Dorothee Winden said. “There are lots of things that are well-preserved and functioning but aren’t being used anymore. The goal is to give these things a new life with somebody who can use them.” The store also includes an education center to encourage more sustainable lifestyles — and also gave an award to a project that recycles school uniforms, so that parents don’t have to buy new ones every year.
1. Why has Berlin opened its own secondhand department store?| A．To attract more shoppers. | B．To promote recycling. |
| C．To foster traditional culture. | D．To expand secondhand market. |
| A．The variety of the goods. | B．The location of the store. |
| C．The quality of the products. | D．The operation of the store. |
| A．Berlin currently has 4 second-hand stores in construction. |
| B．Berlin has been successful in cutting its waste since 2008. |
| C．It is not easy to make the goal to expand the market a reality. |
| D．It is estimated that Berlin will be a zero-waste city by 2030. |
| A．To introduce Berlin’s new reuse shop operation. |
| B．To raise people’s awareness of reasonable shopping. |
| C．To persuade people to become eco-friendly shoppers. |
| D．To encourage more people to donate to secondhand shops. |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧ ），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I want to take an action to put my family on the path to zero waste. First, I'll make sure the water in my house won't be left running when no one is using them and the lights in my room will be turned off when I left. Of course, I'll convince my parents to packing the goods in cloth bags instead plastic bags. Beside, I plan to do at least one environmental volunteer project with my family a week. For example, we can spare a few hour on Saturdays to serve at a restaurant but remind diners not to waste food. I'm surely we will be amazed at what much satisfaction we get from our work.
4 . A new phone app uses shaking from smartphones to warn people about earthquakes. The new app is called MyShake, which is the work of four researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
Smartphones are equipped with accelerometers （加速器）.MyShake uses phone accelerometers to measure seismic （地震的）activity. It has been programmed to know the difference between normal activity and earthquake movement. The software developers say their app is right 93 percent of the time. A smartphone sends seismic information to the app developers. If the developers receive several warnings from one area it recognizes that an earthquake may be taking place or will take place soon. Using information sent from the app, the network then judges the location and strength of the quake in real time. MyShake can record 5. 0 earthquakes at distances of 10 kilometers or less.
MyShake uses very little power according to its developers. Only when seismic activity is sensed by the app does it become active and sends data to the network. The app works best when your phone is resting on a flat surface like a table.
The developers hope that MyShake can add to information collected by the US Geological Survey. That US agency has created the Earthquake Early Warning System also known as the EEW. The EEW has used sensors for measuring quakes in many areas. In places where no such equipment exists MyShake may be the only method of early quake detection（发现）. The app also shows ways to stay safer during an earthquake. The developers say it will become more effective as more people use it.
The developers say they hope to add a feature that will warn people about a possible tsunami（海啸）after an earthquake.
1. What's the main idea of the first two paragraphs?| A．What seismic activity is, |
| B．What MyShake is and how it works. |
| C．When accelerometers record earthquakes. |
| D．MyShake plays an important role in reporting earthquakes. |
| A．Only when smart phones are placed on a flat surface can it work. |
| B．The smart phone can warn its owner when it senses an earthquake. |
| C．MyShake can quickly send seismic information to the app's developers. |
| D．MyShake can sense the difference between normal activities and earthquakes every time. |
| A．To better the EEW. |
| B．To combine the EEW and MyShake. |
| C．To add its function to warn the possible damage after an earthquake. |
| D．To use the information by the U.S. Geological Survey to better MyShake. |
| A．MyShake will Be Used in Earthquakes |
| B．MyShake Is on the Way to Predict Earthquakes |
| C．MyShake Has Been Developed to Predict Earthquakes |
| D．MyShake Makes Earthquake Prediction More Accurate |
5 . About 12 million tons of plastic wastes are entering the oceans every year. This garbage pollutes the water, kills wildlife and breaks down into small pieces that fish and other creatures eat.
Now a group of Spanish fishermen will receive economic support to catch plastics. It is part of a new project. Carlos Martin is one of the fishermen taking part in the project. He and his partners collect the plastic in the ocean and bring it back to land every week. Martin thinks rivers carry a lot of plastics to the sea. He says his most concern is no more than that the plastics often get caught in the nets, which makes nets not work properly. They take on mud（泥）, causing the nets to break because they weigh so much.
Under the new programs, one million pounds will support ocean cleanup efforts for fishermen like Martin. The money is coming from the European Union and the Catalan government. Sergi Tudela, the General Director of Catalonia Fisheries, is responsible for the cleanup project. He said, "We are hopeful that if we are successful in this project, we can apply it to other areas in the Mediterranean（地中海）."
Government reports show that the amount of plastic wastes washing up along the Spanish coastline has grown by 65 percent in just six years. Fishing equipment makes up a large part of the about 8 to 12 million tons of plastics left in the world's oceans every year.
Martin says the fishing community now understands how big the problem is. He says, "In the past we didn't see it that way. We took the plastic garbage and threw it back into the water. I think that after a few year here we have realized the problem. Nothing is thrown into the water; we collect everything and bring it to shore.
1. What worries Martin most about plastic wastes at the beginning?| A．They pollute the sea environment. |
| B．They affect the quality and taste of fish. |
| C．They prevent the fishing nets from working well. |
| D．They kill wildlife and reduce his fishing amount. |
| A．Getting more money to support the project. |
| B．Getting help from other European countries. |
| C．Spreading the cleanup project to more places. |
| D．Praising the European Union for their helping to the oceans. |
| A．Its members do a lot of work for free. |
| B．It has stopped using plastic fishing equipment. |
| C．It has made positive changes to fight plastic wastes. |
| D．Its members find people sill throw the garbage carelessly. |
| A．New programs are changing fishermen's life |
| B．Money is given to Spanish fishermen to clean up oceans |
| C．Traditional fishing equipment causes a lot of plastic wastes |
| D．Spanish fishermen are encouraging people to clean up oceans |
6 . On November 7, Lewis Pugh completed a one-kilometer swim in the freezing waters of King Edward Cove, off South Georgia in Antarctica. He was wearing only his swimming glasses, cap and Speedo !
Pugh is an advocate for our oceans and seas, working to protect these ecosystems with their large diversity of marine life. When asked why he doesn't wear a wetsuit(防寒泳衣), Pugh says, "I ask world leaders to do everything they can to protect our oceans. Sometimes the steps they need to take are difficult and unpopular. If I'm asking them to be courageous, I must also be. Swimming in a wetsuit would not send the right message."
It took Pugh about 19 minutes to complete the one-kilometer swim in Antarctica where the water averaged about 1.6 degrees Celsius. He says that his body can only tolerate about 20 minutes in the freezing waters before it starts shutting down. As he swims, his body temperature steadily drops, which in turn causes his muscle control to drop, slowing him down. When he is done with his swim, his support team rushes him to a hot shower and it takes almost an hour for his body temperature to return to normal.
Doctors and Pugh caution that one must receive months of training to swim in such cold waters. Even expert swimmers who are unused to freezing water can drown within minutes because of the physical shock experienced by the body. Pugh says he trained for six months before this swim.
This is not the first time that Pugh has swum in dangerous conditions. In 2007, he swam one kilometer in the North Pole to draw attention to the melting Arctic ice due to climate change. In 2015, he swam in the Bay of Whales in Antarctica's Ross Sea as part of his successful campaign to help set up a marine reserve there.
1. Why did Lewis Pugh swim without a wetsuits ?| A．To show his bravery. |
| B．To swim faster. |
| C．To build up his body. |
| D．To have overnight fame. |
| A．His body temperature. |
| B．His body |
| C．The water. |
| D．The water temperature. |
| A．One should be expert at swimming. |
| B．One must be used to long-distance swimming. |
| C．One should be ready to take on challenges. |
| D．One must be adequately prepared for it. |
| A．Lewis Pugh: achieving the impossible |
| B．How to survive a swim in cold waters |
| C．Lewis Pugh: swimming for a cause |
| D．How to prepare for extreme swimming |
7 . In October 2015, Shah began picking up rubbish from the beach every Sunday morning. At first, it was just him and a neighbor, and then he began
Shah hasn't stopped since. He's now spent 209 weekends
For Shah, the work has
Today, Shah is also working with coastal communities to
"This world
| A．asking | B．ordering | C．warning | D．forcing |
| A．challenged | B．encouraged | C．involved | D．required |
| A．compared | B．adapted | C．related | D．devoted |
| A．workers | B．volunteers | C．journalists | D．clerks |
| A．originally | B．finally | C．suddenly | D．theoretically |
| A．park | B．bank | C．beach | D．market |
| A．occasionally | B．hardly | C．already | D．always |
| A．global | B．local | C．national | D．coastal |
| A．described | B．honored | C．opposed | D．elected |
| A．simplified | B．changed | C．accepted | D．finished |
| A．make | B．discuss | C．throw | D．handle |
| A．trees | B．materials | C．rubbish | D．tools |
| A．ocean | B．factory | C．mountain | D．forest |
| A．protect | B．control | C．scold | D．educate |
| A．talks | B．complains | C．thinks | D．argues |
| A．earlier | B．faster | C．more | D．better |
| A．sea | B．planet | C．water | D．sands |
| A．pity | B．need | C．pain | D．effect |
| A．come on | B．get on | C．look on | D．go on |
| A．great | B．complex | C．complete | D．difficult |
8 . A new study has found that ride-sharing services result in much more pollution than other kinds of private and public transportation. Ride-sharing trips also draw passengers away from more environment friendly methods of travel, like public transportation, walking or biking, the study found.
Several studies in recent years have suggested that ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft can worsen traffic problems in cities. The new study represents an attempt to center on how ride-sharing services affect pollution.
Overall, the researchers reported that ride-sharing trips now "result in a 69 percent more climate pollution on average than the trips they replace." The study notes that the same passengers could have chosen to travel by bus, train, bike or on foot.
One of the big reasons they give for this result is that ride-sharing vehicles are often driven with no passengers in the car. This happens when drivers are either waiting for rider requests, are on the way to pick up passengers. This situation, known as "deadheading," takes up about 42 percent of all ride-sharing driving activity, the study found. The researchers said that deadheading results in about 50 percent more carbon dioxide than one person driving in a private vehicle.
Both Uber and Lyft have said in the past that most studies on the subject overstate (夸大）the effects of their services on pollution. Uber told Reuters news agency in a statement it had no comment on the latest report and that the study made misleading claims about ride-sharing. Meanwhile, the company said it would work directly with cities to address climate changes, promoting sharing trips and other means of transportation.
1. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?| A．Ride-sharing becomes a new trend that can’t be avoided. |
| B．Ride-sharing industry is met with criticism. |
| C．Ride-sharing services increase pollution. |
| D．Ride-sharing services need improvement. |
| A．a driving process where the driver is not carrying passengers |
| B．a potential risk that the driver may lose control of the vehicle |
| C．a period of driving hours when vehicles produce more carbon dioxide |
| D．a situation in which a driver has too many passengers to pick up |
| A．barking up the wrong tree | B．not seeking the truth from facts |
| C．killing two birds with one stone | D．beating around the bush |
| A．Ride-sharing attracts exactly the same number of people as traditional means of transport. |
| B．the study was conducted to prove the influence of ride-sharing services on modern cities |
| C．ride-sharing service is not an environmentally friendly way to travel |
| D．the new report has forced Uber to make big changes to achieve its goal |
9 . You just can’t imagine what a brave mother is like. She was a mother of three, who just
At midnight, Connie and her three children were
Juan slowly
Being deaf was not deterrent (妨碍物) for this
| A．experienced | B．dreamed | C．avoided | D．reported |
| A．turning around | B．standing by | C．running away | D．crying out |
| A．see | B．hear | C．forgive | D．reach |
| A．when | B．after | C．unless | D．before |
| A．blind | B．deaf | C．old | D．sick |
| A．alone | B．awake | C．alive | D．asleep |
| A．chatting to | B．playing with | C．focusing on | D．running after |
| A．signed | B．phoned | C．shouted | D．explained |
| A．helper | B．flashlight | C．box | D．suitcase |
| A．mopped | B．examined | C．climbed | D．left |
| A．carefully | B．regularly | C．bravely | D．hurriedly |
| A．up | B．above | C．under | D．down |
| A．stay | B．return | C．flee | D．cry |
| A．famous | B．skillful | C．ordinary | D．determined |
| A．darkness | B．shelter | C．ruins | D．stairs |
10 . "Like a monster, it destroys everything. " That's how one school girl described a tsunami（海啸）.
On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude-9. 1 earthquake in Indonesia set off a massive tsunami. It killed more than 230,000 people across four countries and cost an estimated $ 10 billion in damage.
Nov. 5 is World Tsunami Awareness Day and at the United Nations Wednesday, disaster risk reduction was high on the agenda.
"What I can tell you is that the tsunami wave cannot be stopped," said Bulgarians U. N. Ambassador Georgi Velikov Panayotov. He was on vacation in Thailand in 2004 and survived the tsunami. "What we can do is build early warning systems and, of course, educate the population about the damaging power of the tsunami wave," he said.
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake rocked northeastern Japan triggering a fierce tsunami that also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, south of Sendai.
"When the big earthquake hit Japan in 2011, people thought that we were prepared for it," said Japan's U. N. Ambassador Koro Bessho. "It caused severe damage. We had dams； we had drills. However, we had been counting on something that hits every 100 years and the earthquake was of the size of possibly every 500 years or thousand years, he said.
These two events sent the countries of the region into overdrive to review and improve disaster preparedness. In 2015 the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction was born. It aims to help create a better understanding of disaster risk and improve preparedness for an effective response.
Indonesia is made up of thousands of islands which are disaster-prone（易受灾地区）. Willem Rampangilei, head of the Disaster Management Agency of Indonesia, said his government now has plans for every disaster-prone city.
Countries at risk are also expanding their education programs. Children from an early age are taught how to react in case of a tsunami and then go with their classmates to higher ground away from coastal areas to avoid the walls of water the tsunami triggers.
1. What does Georgi Velikov Panayotov mainly talk about?| A．The general features of a tsunami. | B．Ways for humans to face a tsunami. |
| C．His suffering in the 2004 tsunami. | D．The loss caused by the 2004 tsunami. |
| A．It caused a fierce tsunami. | B．It destroyed a nuclear plant. |
| C．The size was beyond expectation. | D．There was no effective defense system. |
| A．Children should be protected by all means. |
| B．The improvement of preparedness can reduce damage. |
| C．Proper response in case of a tsunami can save one's life. |
| D．Stronger measures should be taken in disaster-prone areas. |
| A．World Tsunami Awareness Day |
| B．Nations Attacked by Massive Tsunami |
| C．The Unpredictable and Destructive Disaster |
| D．Learn from Disasters to Prevent Future Ones |
