1 . As the world struggles to deal with climate change, some companies are working to capture(捕捉) polluting carbon dioxide(CO₂) from the air.
The heavy use of fossil fuels(化石燃料) over the last 150 years has released massive amounts of greenhouse gases, like CO₂, which have caused the Earth to warm up.
Scientists say large amounts of CO₂must be removed from the atmosphere and stored. Plants and trees do this naturally. But there’s so much CO₂in the atmosphere that just planting trees and protecting forests won’t solve the problem. And, when plants and trees die, the carbon they’ve stored gets released again. That means humans need to come up with ways of removing carbon from the air and storing it. This is called Direct Air Capture(DAC).
A company called Heirloom has just opened the first DAC plant in the United States. Heirloom’s process uses limestone, a common rock, to capture CO₂. The company heats up the limestone to separate out the CO₂, which is then locked away in concrete. Heirloom uses renewable electricity to produce the heat, so the process, though expensive, doesn’t produce more CO₂. The new plant can remove 1, 000 tons of CO₂a year. That’s a tiny amount compared to how much carbon needs to be removed from the atmosphere. But the company says it hopes to remove a billion tons per year by 2035. Graphyte, another US company working on DAC, collects unwanted plants and wood products and dries them completely so they can’t break down. Graphyte then smashes them into small bricks and buries them deep underground.
Not everyone is excited about carbon removal. Some experts worry that it will take too long for DAC technology to become powerful enough to make a difference. Others worry that focusing on removing carbon could take attention away from more important climate actions, like switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
1. What does the author try to say in paragraph 3?A.Protecting forests is necessary. | B.The climate crisis is unavoidable. |
C.Why DAC has come into being. | D.Why there’s much CO₂in the air. |
A.It’s hard to find proper limestone. | B.The process produces more CO₂. |
C.It needs an amount of electricity. | D.It doesn’t capture enough CO₂ now. |
A.It promotes renewable energy. | B.It has a long way to go. |
C.It can beat climate change. | D.It is so cost-effective. |
A.Exploring Methods of Removing CO₂ |
B.Building Two Plants to Capture CO₂ |
C.Planting Trees to Fight Climate Crisis |
D.Replacing Fossil Fuels by Using DAC |
2 . Reducing food waste is easy — just ask the students at a school in Wood bridge, America, who have become experts at sorting their lunchtime trash (垃圾). Since the fall of 2019, they have actively participated in a successful food-waste diversion program that not only saves money but also contributes to reducing the amount of trash that heads to landfills.
Actually, this program plays a crucial role in facing up to the challenges of climate change. By reducing food waste,the school minimizes the amount of trash sent to landfills, thereby reducing harmful methane emissions (沼气排放). The school’s program is making a significant impact. Each month, it moves over 1,300 pounds of food waste, resulting in an estimated reduction of 772 pounds in CO, emissions and the production of 180 kilowatt-hours of energy, according to Blue Earth Compost in America.
At school, when students are done eating lunch, they head to an appointed section — a row of desks, garbage cans and containers — where they sort their trash. Leftover liquids, such as juice or milk,are emptied into a big basin on the floor. The juice containers and plastic water bottles are placed into another container to recycle. Additionally, prepackaged, unopened snacks such as bags of carrots as well as produce such as apples and bananas are “rescued” and placed into a big basket with a handwritten “Donations” sign taped to it to send to the town’s senior center.
The benefits extend beyond environmental awareness. The program reduces trash-carrying costs as less weight goes into the trash bins,making it easier for cleaners to manage. The students also find this planet-friendly practice enjoyable and meaningful, considering it a small game that contributes to a bigger cause. This initiative proves that collective efforts, even on a smaller scale, can lead to significant changes, not only in waste reduction but also in educating a generation committed to preserving our planet.
1. What does the food-waste reduction program focus on at the school in Wood bridge?A.Saving school food. |
B.Donating unopened snacks. |
C.Fertilizing the school’s garden. |
D.Minimizing harmful gases emissions. |
A.It leads to food cost reducing. |
B.It helps with energy production. |
C.It improves waste management. |
D.It addresses climate change effectively. |
A.Saved. | B.Frozen. | C.Abandoned. | D.Repurposed |
A.It is costly but highly effective. |
B.It is easy to perform and cost-saving. |
C.It is expensive and difficult to apply. |
D.It is only accessible in large companies. |
(1) 垃圾问题的现状;
(2) 垃圾分类的好处(至少2点);
(3) 呼吁全体同学积极参加垃圾分类。
注意:词数:100 左右;
参考词汇:垃圾分类 rubbish classification 可回收物 recyclable waste
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4 . Thanks to its cold environment, Antarctica (南极洲) remained largely untouched by humans for thousands of years. However, since the 1990s, the last true wilderness on the planet is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tourists. Now, a new study shows that the visitors may be bringing harmful bacteria (细菌) which could reduce the area’s native bird population.
Researchers believed that the Antarctic creatures were not affected by the danger due to the continent’s extreme weather. However, microbiologist Martà Cerdà-Cuéllar didn’t believe this was true. She and some colleagues decided to examine samples from Antarctic birds for evidence of human bacteria. To ensure the waste was not polluted, the scientists had to collect it from the birds themselves. This was no easy task. If they missed catching a skua at first go, the bird never came close again.
It took the scientists four years, from 2008 to 2011, to collect fecal (粪便) samples of 666 adult birds from 24 local species. The results of their study showed the presence of several types of human bacteria in the bird waste.
“While we should do as much as possible to reduce transmission (传播), it’s hard to believe that we can stop tourism and science at these sites, and so it is hard to believe that humans won’t continue to transmit pathogens (病原体),” said Kyle Elliott.
Experts, including González-Solís, believe the only way to prevent the destruction of the birds, is to introduce stricter regulations or, at least, obey the ones already in place. For example, while the Antarctica Treaty states clearly visitors carry their waste back home to protect the original environment, the regulation is rarely obeyed. Hopefully, officials will take steps to protect the easily injured birds as soon as possible.
1. What can be said about scientists finding the waste from the birds?A.This was not an easy task. | B.This proved their conclusion. |
C.Their tempers contributed a lot. | D.They found polluted human bacteria. |
A.Hopeful. | B.Difficult. | C.Possible. | D.Delighted. |
A.Make new strict rules. | B.Take measures as soon as possible. |
C.Quit the Antarctic Treaty | D.Encourage officials to strengthen cooperation. |
A.Technology. | B.Life. | C.Art. | D.Science. |
5 . As a young girl growing up in France, Sarah Toumi dreamed of becoming a leader who could make the world a better place. Her passion to help others was awakened when, from the age of nine, she accompanied her Tunisian father to his birthplace in the east of the country during holidays. There she organized homework clubs and activities for children.
Toumi witnessed first-hand the destructive effect of desertification (沙漠化). “Within 10 years rich farmers became worse off, and in 10 years from now they will be poor. I wanted to stop the Sahara Desert in its tracks.” A decrease in average rainfall and an increase in the severity of droughts have led to an estimated 75 percent of Tunisia’s agricultural lands being threatened by desertification.
Toumi recognized that farming practices needed to change. She is confident that small land areas can bring large returns if farmers are able to adapt by planting sustainable crops, using new technologies for water treatment and focusing on natural products and fertilizers rather than chemicals.
In 2012, Toumi consolidated (巩固) her dream of fighting the desert. She moved to Tunisia, and set up a programme named Acacias for All to put her sustainable farming philosophy (理念) into action. “I want to show young people in rural areas that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living with no access to water.”
By September 2016, more than 130, 000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with farmers recording a 60 percent survival rate. Toumi estimates that some 3 million acacia trees are needed to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She expects to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the next couple of years, Toumi hopes to extend the programme to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?A.They made her decide to leave the country. |
B.They helped her better understand her father. |
C.They aroused her enthusiasm for helping others. |
D.They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. |
A.Low rainfall. | B.Soil pollution. | C.Cold weather. | D.Forest damage. |
A.To create job opportunities for young people. |
B.To help the children obtain a basic education. |
C.To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
D.To promote the protection of their farmland. |
A.Saving Water in Tunisia | B.Holding back the Sahara |
C.Planting Trees of Native Species | D.Fighting Poverty in North Africa |
提示: 1.每天步行上学;
2.离开教室时关灯,关电扇、空调等;
3.不用水时,记住关水龙头,循环使用水;
4.充分使用纸张;
5.不使用塑料袋......等。
参考词汇: tap水龙头 plastic bags塑料袋
要求:1. 词数:100--120词 2. 文章内容要涉及所给提示,可适当发挥。
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7 . Have you ever imagined what will happen in the ocean when an earthquake happens underground? If you’ve ever felt a big earthquake or seen one on television, you know that it has the power to shake the ground and move large buildings. When a great earthquake happens under the ocean floor, the earthquake’s large energy is transferred (转移) to the water above it, creating a series of water waves called a tsunami (海啸). The word comes from the Japanese words tsu (harbor) and nami (wave).
Normal ocean waves have an average wavelength (波长) of about 100 meters and an average height of about 2 meters, while a tsunami can have a wavelength of 193 kilometers or more. Travelling at up to about 800 kilometers per hour in the deep ocean, a tsunami might be at a height of as little as 0.9 meters, which makes it almost impossible to be noticed, even for a ship in the area.
As a tsunami approaches (靠近) a coastline, things begin to change greatly. As it approaches shallow (浅的) waters, the wave speed drops below about 80 kilometers per hour. The wavelength also decreases much, but amplitude—the height of the wave—increases greatly, leading to the huge wall of water along coastlines, which causes great damage to coastal areas.
About 80% of tsunamis happen in the Pacific Ocean. Tsunamis cannot be prevented, but areas that experience tsunamis regularly have developed tsunami warning systems to give as much advance warning as possible to people who live along the coastline. For example, there are tsunami warning signs and warning sirens (警报器) on the top of nearby hills along Japanese coastlines. And many Japanese coastal communities have built tsunami walls, floodgates and others to stop or change the direction of water from incoming tsunamis.
1. According to the passage, tsunamis are hard to find mainly because of ________.A.their low sound | B.their low height |
C.their fast speed | D.their short wavelength |
A.Changes. | B.Develops. | C.Reduces. | D.Produces. |
A.how to study tsunamis |
B.where tsunamis always happen |
C.what tsunami warning systems include |
D.how to reduce damages caused by tsunamis |
A.The word “tsunami” comes from Japanese. |
B.An earthquake is sure to cause a tsunami. |
C.About 80 percent of tsunamis happen in Japan. |
D.Tsunamis can be stopped by warning systems. |
8 . Windbreaks are barriers formed by trees and other plants. Farmers plant these barriers around their fields, which help prevent the loss of soil and stop the wind from blowing soil away. They also keep the wind from damaging or destroying crops. Besides, extra trees and plants can be cut down and used or sold for wood.
Windbreaks can be highly valuable for protecting grain crops. For example, in parts of West Africa grain harvests were twenty percent higher in fields protected by windbreaks compared to fields without them.
But here is something interesting about windbreaks. They seem to work best when they allow some wind to pass through the barriers of trees or plants around a field. If not, then the movement of air close to the ground will lift the soil. Then the soil will be blown away. For this reason, a windbreak works best if it contains only 60 to 80 percent of the trees and plants that would be needed to make a solid line. An easy rule to remember is that windbreaks can protect areas up to 10 times the height of the tallest trees in the windbreak.
There should be at least two lines in each windbreak.One line should be large trees. The second line, right next to it, can be shorter trees or other plants with leaves. Locally grown trees and plants are considered the best choices for windbreaks. Trees reduce the damaging effects of wind and rain. Their roots help protect soil from being washed away. And trees can provide animals with shade from the sun.
1. The advantages of building a windbreak are as follows EXCEPT ________ .A.keeping the wind from destroying grain crops | B.increasing the production of grain harvests |
C.providing humans with shade from the sun | D.reducing the damaging effects of wind and rain |
A.the movement of air lifts the soil | B.windbreaks allow some wind to pass through |
C.large trees are lined with short ones | D.windbreaks can stop the wind getting through |
A.100 square feet | B.151 square feet | C.240 square feet | D.300 square feet |
A.Extra trees and plants can be cut down for wood. |
B.The environment is going from bad to worse. |
C.Trees and plants from abroad are the best for windbreaks. |
D.Windbreaks can contribute to agriculture harvests. |
9 . We all have an idea about the common types of environmental problems. However, light pollution may be a new term to many of us. But, the fact is that it does affect mankind, other living forms and the environment as a whole.
What is light pollution? It presents all forms of misused man-made light. The obvious cause of light pollution is the use of outdoor lighting products improperly. It can be office lighting, car headlights, station lights, streetlights and many more.
Light pollution is harmful to both animals and plants. Upon studies, it is found that obvious effects are observed in the behaviour of animals that are active at night. Needless to mention, bright light at night makes it difficult for these animals to hunt, wander and perform their regular activities. Light pollution is directly or indirectly responsible for causing several diseases. Its effects are related to disturbance in the physical rhythm (节奏). It contributes to risks of developing cancerous cells. So, it’s nothing less than a threat to human health.
You have already seen the negative effects of light pollution on animals and human health. Apart from this, the actual cost of misused light is about millions of dollars every year. It also leads to the release of greenhouse gases and global warming. After all, coal or gas is used for producing electricity.
While outdoor lighting and using man-made lighting products are part of our modern lifestyle, some simple ways will surely help in reducing light pollution. For example, while installing (安装) outdoor lighting, make sure that they are pointed downwards. Also, use only the required lighting equipment for both home and offices. Believe it or not, many people living in the urban areas cannot view clear sky and stars at night. Let’s contribute our part in reducing the pollution.
1. What can we learn about light pollution?A.It has little effect on plants. |
B.It contributes to most cancers. |
C.It is a negative fruit of light technology. |
D.It affects animals’ behavior during the day. |
A.It increases the temperature at night. |
B.It creates clouds in parts of the Earth. |
C.It stops the release of greenhouse gases. |
D.It is related to the burning of coal and gas. |
A.Forbid the use of outdoor lighting. |
B.Use clean energy to produce electricity. |
C.Avoid unnecessary lights at home and offices. |
D.Reduce money spent on light in urban areas. |
A.Citizens should be banned to install outdoor lighting. |
B.Only simple ways can help reduce light pollution. |
C.There is no clear sky or stars over the urban areas. |
D.Light pollution needs to be dealt with urgently. |
10 . Alexander Tsao, a keen rock climber for several years, was climbing the walls at a gym near his home in Redmond, Washington, when he noticed that the ropes were frequently being replaced with new ones. Just 16 at the time, Tsao wondered what happened to the old ropes. He asked the gym owners and found out the ropes had to be discarded regularly due to safety regulations. He was surprised to find that so many ropes were sent to landfills (废物填埋地).
This discovery inspired him to find a solution to the environmental issue of climbing rope waste. He considered possible ideas and ways to upcycle the discarded ropes, deciding to turn them into leashes (拴狗带) for dogs.
Once he had made his plan, Tsao contacted all the climbing gyms in Washington State, introducing his idea of recycling old ropes. Some were doubtful at first but many gyms agreed to donate their used ropes. Tsao spent months testing and designing his products and filing documents to become a nonprofit organization which he called Rocks2Dogs.
To make the leashes, Tsao and volunteers first wash and dry the ropes. They cut them into different lengths, ranging from 4 to 10 feet, and then burn the ends to prevent them from fraying (磨损). They add a clip and handle to each end, and cover the leash’s hardware with shrink tape.
Because making the leashes now is a full-time job, Tsao has asked his friends, family and neighbors for help. “We have made and sold over a thousand leashes, which add up to over 10,000 feet of rope being saved from landfills,” says Tsao. The leashes come in various colors. There are also half price leashes made from ropes with slight imperfections. These start at $7.49 while most other leashes start at $14.99. To date, the nonprofit has raised more than $35,000. Much of this money has been donated to animal shelters.
1. The underlined word in paragraph one can be replaced by________.A.cut off | B.checked up | C.got rid of | D.taken care of |
A.To set up an environmental organization. |
B.To call on climbing gyms to donate ropes. |
C.To transform retired ropes into dog leashes. |
D.To upcycle old leashes saved from landfills. |
A.Efforts to promote the ropes. | B.Steps for making the leashes. |
C.Ways to reuse discarded waste. | D.Reasons for starting Rocks2Dogs. |
A.Tsao succeeds in the leash business. |
B.More people volunteered to help Tsao. |
C.Animal protection gains more attention. |
D.Leashes are not very popular with pet owners. |