1 . Earth Hour is an annual event, asking you to switch off all your lights for one hour in positive change for our planet. It is organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature and it’s a big event usually at the end of March every year.
Earth Hour started in Australia in 2007, when 2.2 million people in Sydney turned off all unnecessary lights for an hour.
It’s true that switching off the lights for just one hour saves only a little power.
Why is it in March? At the end of March in the northern and southern hemispheres (半球), the days and the nights are almost of the same length.
A.But this is only the beginning |
B.The logo of Earth Hour is “60+” |
C.On this evening, people “go dark” |
D.There are many events people can join in |
E.Since then it has grown into an international event |
F.The idea is to raise the awareness of environmental issues |
G.At this time, the sunset time is similar in both hemispheres |
2 . A NASA climate research scientist, Cynthia Rosenzweig, who has spent much of her career explaining how global food production must adapt to a changing climate, was awarded the World Food Prize on Thursday.
“We basically cannot solve climate change unless we address the issues of the greenhouse gas emissions from the food system, and we cannot provide food security for all unless we work really hard to develop adaptable agricultural systems,” she told The Associated Press in an interview.
Rosenzweig, who describes herself as a climate impact scientist, grew up in Scarsdale, New York, a suburban area that she said led her to seek out life in the country. Later, she moved to Italy, and developed a passion for agriculture. After returning to the United States, she focused her education on agronomy (农学).
She worked as a graduate student at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in the early 1980s, when global climate models were beginning to show the effects of human-generated carbon dioxide on the global climate. As the only team member studying agronomy, she researched the impact on food production and has been working since then to answer those questions.
Rosenzweig’s work led to the Environmental Protection Agency’s first prediction of the effects of climate change on the nation’s agricultural regions in the agency’s assessment of the potential effects of climate change on the United States in 1988. She was the first to bring climate change to the attention of the American Society of Agronomy and she organized the first sessions on the issue in the 1980s. The research organization she founded, AgMIP, develops adaptation packages, which could include the use of more drought-tolerant seeds and improved water management practices.
Even the largest agribusiness corporations have shown a willingness to listen. Some models her colleagues have developed show how businesses could be effected by climate change and how they have a role to play in reducing the impact on climate.
“It’s really a global partnership of all the global food systems to come together to restrain climate change and maintain the food security for the planet,” she said.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?A.Plants can hardly cause greenhouse gas emissions. |
B.Issues of food security will result in climate change. |
C.Improving food systems will help address climate change. |
D.Some adaptable agricultural systems have been put into use. |
A.Modest. | B.Devoted. | C.Adaptable. | D.Warm-hearted. |
A.Rosenzweig’s contributions. | B.Rosenzweig’s challenges. |
C.Rosenzweig’s expectations. | D.Rosenzweig’s backgrounds. |
A.The models. | B.The practices. |
C.The colleagues. | D.The businesses. |
What you need to know about the sandstorm in Beijing
A: sandstorm swept across Beijing and several northern areas in China on Monday.Where did the sandstorm come from? How long will it last? Lets take
Q: Where did the sandstorm come from?
A: The sandstorm originated in the Gobi Desert areas of Mongolia. Strong winds picked up the sand and dust,
Q: When will the dusty weather
A: According to the National Meteorological Center, the sandstorm
Q: Why are sandstorms in North China so frequent this year?
A: There are multiple
Q: Is a yellowish sky always an indicator of a sandstorm?
A: Not exactly. Only when the sandy and dusty weather reaches a certain
Q: What precautions to take in dusty weather?
A: Stay indoors as much as possible, and keep windows and doors closed. Use air purifiers, sprinkle water, use humidifiers, and mop the floor with a wet cloth
4 . Many areas of the world suffer from low rainfall, and with climate change, the water shortage (短缺) is increasingly becoming a problem in some places. So more and more people, companies and governments are now looking for ways to make houses completely self-sufficient in water-providing it and dealing with it themselves.
In some houses in rural areas of Australia, the owners are doing exactly this. Although the houses are in a suburb called Gelorup, only 10 kilometres from the city of Bunbury, they do not have water supplied to them. Instead, water is collected on the roof and from the channels (排水沟) and then run into underground pipes that lead to a large water tank (箱). From the tank the water purified (净化) in the underground system is sent back to the house to meet all household needs from drinking to cleaning toilets. Because of this, no one in the households can use strong chemicals for cleaning and washing.
We produce different kinds of water waste from our homes. Black water is the waste water that comes from our toilets, but most of our waste water is actually grey water. This is the waste water produced by people having showers or baths, washing their hands or faces in the sink, and washing their clothes or dishes. However, while grey water is not drinkable, there are many ways in which it can be reused around the home. With water recycling systems, grey water can be collected and made safe enough to use on gardens and for cleaning toilets.
The process of treating and transporting water produces large amounts of carbon emissions. So if we all began to recycle our grey water, it could radically reduce the impact on the environment. The use of water recycling systems would also help with the problems of water shortage faced in many areas of the world. Water recycling, it seems, must have an important place in our future.
1. What information does paragraph 2 mainly tell us?A.Why the water should be recycled. |
B.How the water recycling system works. |
C.What difficulties the house owners are facing. |
D.Why strong chemicals may be used for cleaning and washing. |
A.We should know the different kinds of waste water. |
B.We should reduce it by not having showers or baths. |
C.We should find some ways to reuse the recyclable waste water. |
D.We should drink the waste water purified by water recycling systems. |
A.greatly | B.creatively | C.likely | D.regularly |
A.Water recycling: the way of the future |
B.Saving water: the immediate need |
C.House owners: the different choice |
D.Grey water: the most important point |
5 . Cristina Mittermeier is a marine biologist, activist and multi-award-winning photographer who has given her life to ocean protection. Recognised as being one of the world’s most influential conservation photographers, Cristina has travelled to 132 countries to achieve her goal — to communicate the immediate need to protect wild places.
She began her career as a marine biologist, but soon realised that she could better work for the interests of the oceans and the planet through her camera than with scientific data. In her eyes, science is basic to understanding what is happening to our planet, but it fails to convey (传递) the emotions that make us care.
According to Cristina, photography allows us to humanise (使人性化) stories and create something meaningful, and she had an urgent need to share the difficult situation of the planet. For her, it’s all about the emotional connections we can establish with the subject matter. She loves creating pictures that engages people in conversations and makes them stop and think. Establishing a successful career as a photographer has not been an easy journey. She worked hard at teaching herself the basics of photography and then she went back to school to learn more about the underpinnings of fine art.
When asked what has inspired her focus on marine life, she replied, “The ocean is barely mentioned but it is the largest ecosystem on our planet and is the ecosystem that has the most influence on Earth. It absorbs at least 25% of all emissions and most of the heat on our planet. I want people to recognise that the ocean isn’t just hurt by climate change — it is our solution. If our oceans die — and they are dying — we will die with them. Life on Earth is not possible without a living ocean.”
1. What goal did Cristina intend to achieve in her travels?A.To take more wonderful pictures. |
B.To urge people to protect the wild places. |
C.To work for the non-for-profit organization. |
D.To become the world’s most influential photographer. |
A.She was bored with her career as a marine biologist. |
B.She can’t understand what is happening to our planet. |
C.She can convey emotional information through her camera. |
D.She wants to establish a successful career as a photographer. |
A.Because of the marine life. |
B.Because of the great emissions. |
C.Because of her love for the ocean. |
D.Because of the ocean’s importance. |
A.Powerful. | B.Patient. | C.Responsible. | D.Intelligent. |
Bhutan’s snow leopard (雪豹) population
“With less than 3% of the habitat surveyed, there are serious knowledge gaps in the population status of snow leopards,” said Dechen Dorji, Senior Director for Asia, Wildlife Conservation. “A 39.5% increase in Bhutan’s snow leopard population is remarkable and calls for the urgent need to
Although the news is uplifting, the species is still listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It
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
8 . 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 |
9 . Earlier in the year we decided to build a garden in the heart of the village. We
While we were
So, I looked around to
Last weekend, before we set out to plant our sunflowers, we received an unexpected
All problems were
We were just about to leave for the day, when my friend came with some daisies (雏菊).What a surprise! These daisies aren’t on our plan, but if the garden says that they’ll go well there, then who am I to argue?
1.A.boosted | B.attained | C.made | D.assumed |
A.Therefore | B.However | C.Furthermore | D.Instead |
A.take effect | B.come true | C.go easy | D.make sense |
A.seed | B.space | C.time | D.money |
A.turned | B.figured | C.worked | D.broke |
A.puzzled | B.delighted | C.frightened | D.worried |
A.compose | B.clarify | C.channel | D.cover |
A.answer | B.price | C.problem | D.core |
A.meant | B.said | C.hoped | D.thought |
A.beaten | B.lifted | C.watered | D.burned |
A.purchase | B.design | C.borrow | D.hire |
A.suggested | B.ordered | C.required | D.guaranteed |
A.fancied | B.managed | C.stopped | D.rejected |
A.security | B.guidance | C.kindness | D.treatment |
A.charged | B.donated | C.lent | D.awarded |
A.potential | B.goal | C.conclusion | D.wallet |
A.avoid | B.involve | C.help | D.remember |
A.analyzed | B.resolved | C.discussed | D.released |
A.relatives | B.commanders | C.couples | D.volunteers |
A.fond | B.afraid | C.tired | D.ashamed |
10 . The fishermen of Senegal have joined forces to protect one of the ocean’s most endangered species — the sea turtle, a classic case of “poacher turned gamekeeper”.
The coastal waters of Senegal in West Africa are home to several species of sea turtles which are all beautiful creatures but are affected by pollution, poaching and even fishing nets.
“Once we were the biggest eaters of turtles, now we have become their biggest protectors,” said Abdou Karim Sall, a fisherman who led the Management Committee for the Marine Protected Are (MPA) of Joal-Fadiouth.
The Joal-Fadiouth MPA, covering about 174 square kilometers, was founded in 2004, and it’s backed by the government, local authorities and several associations. It is an area aimed at protecting marine ecosystem, habitats and species, including endangered species like the sea turtle. Its benefits are obvious: maintaining biodiversity, increasing fish catches on fishing grounds, as well as economic development.
For a long time, Sall has been working to raise local awareness of sea turtle protection. “Even former turtle sellers have been ‘changed’ by receiving three small boats to take tourists to sea,” he said. Instead of strict restrictions, the Joal-Fadiouth MPA has been trying to educate local communities about the economic benefits so that they would join the project. “It’s after they are told: ‘It’s an endangered species’,” Sall said.
Local residents have also set out to protect the nests. During summer and fall, a few dozen turtles may stop to lay eggs on the beaches of Joal-Fadiouth. MPA agents and village volunteers protest their nests with fences. “People come at 6 a. m. so that other animals do not take the young.” said Sall.
Sall added the number of turtles had decreased by about 30% in the past 20 years, and chances of survival of a young turtle were no higher than one in a thousand. But the fisherman-conservator agreed, “Awareness has not worked 100%.”
1. What do the underlined words “poacher turned gamekeeper” in Paragraph 1 probably refer to?A.A person beginning to hunt animals illegally. |
B.A person switching from a hunter to a protector. |
C.A person changing completely from good to bad. |
D.A person continuing to protect endangered species. |
A.Building more nests for turtles to lay eggs. |
B.Publicizing the economic benefits of the project. |
C.Placing strict restrictions to educate the communities. |
D.Providing different means of transportation for turtle sellers. |
A.The measures the MPA will take in the future. |
B.The argument about the Marine Protected Area. |
C.The danger sea turtles still face from fishermen. |
D.The benefits brought by the Marine Protected Area. |
A.Fishermen of Senegal have joined together to protect sea turtles. |
B.Sea turtles in Senegal are endangered because of human activities. |
C.The situation of sea turtles in Senegal has been improves significantly. |
D.The Marine Protected Area has played an important role in protecting sea turtles. |