2 . Along the Ring of Fire

Off the coast of Alaska, the lava rises through cracks (裂缝) at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. It flows like toothpaste pressed from a tube. Spreading and erupting, the earth slowly builds a new island.

Along the Pacific coast of South America, one part of the earth’s surface gradually moves toward another. Although difficult to believe, the rocky outer surface of Earth is not solid; rather, it is broken up into huge pieces called plates(板块).     1    , the action can sometimes lead to volcanic activity.

These things take place thousands of miles apart, yet they are connected. Surrounding the Pacific Ocean is a circle of volcanoes that includes more than half of the world’s active volcanoes.    2    .

The Ring of Fire spreads from the west coast of South America northward to Alaska. It goes left at the Aleutian Islands and crosses the Pacific Ocean. Then it heads down the east coast of Asia toward New Zealand.

    3    . In 1883 Krakatoa erupted four times. The third eruption was so loud that it could be clearly heard 3,000 miles away. Krakatoa threw a large dust cloud nearly 50 miles into the air.     4    . During four days in June, Pinatubo threw out more than 20 million tons of broken pieces into the air, destroying many homes.

Some volcanoes erupt more quietly, with lava flowing through the cracks in Earth’s surface. This type of volcano is found in Hawaii.     5    .

A．This area is called the Ring of Fire

B．Although the plates are connected

C．As the plates move past one another

D．The Ring of Fire is also where most earthquakes happen

E．Major volcanic eruptions along the Ring of Fire make history

F．In 1991 Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted after 600 quiet years

G．Lava from a volcano tends to advance slowly but still causes great damage

3 . Twelve years ago, a young traveler named Rhett Butler from San Francisco, California, visited the Sabah rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. In one area of the rainforest, he watched a bird flying through the trees. The beautiful sight left quite an impression on him. But weeks later, back home, Rhett Butler got the news that trees had been cut down in the area he visited.

That experience led Rhett Butler begin writing a book about rainforests and threats to their existence. But he did not publish the book. Instead, in 1999, he used his research for the book to create a website. The site is Mongabay. Com. His purpose was to inform the public about tropical rainforests. But the subject quickly developed. As a former businessman, he became a respected writer of science and environmental stories.

The popularity of Mongabay. Com attracted advertisers. Small ads on the site pay for its operations. Mongabay.Com has grown and led to other sites. For example, there is a site for children which is called kids. Mongabay.Com. Another one, WildMadangascar.Org, is all about the island nation that Rhett Butler calls his favorite place.

To keep his website going, he travels around the world on several major trips each year. His working tools are a laptop computer, cameras and sometimes diving equipment. He often calls on experts for information. For example, he interviewed Alison Jolly, a top experts on lemurs(狐猴). He interviewed Rodney Jackson, a biologist who established the Snow Leopard Conservancy.

Stories like these have made Mongabay a favorite place on the Internet for researchers, students and teachers. In April, Time.Com named it one of the fifteen top climate and environment websites in the world.

1. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．How Rhett Butler made his website popular.

B．Rainforest on Malaysian Borneo.

C．How Rhett Butler protected rare animals.

D．Rhett Butler and his website.

2. Rhett Butler didn’t publish his book about rainforests because _______.

A．making websites earns more money than writing books

B．he wanted to use the information to create a website

C．the book was not about rainforest protection

D．he didn’t want to become a writer

3. Which of the followings is NOT true about the Mongabay. Com?

A．Rhett Butler made a lot of money from it.

B．It attracted many advertisers.

C．At least two related websites grew from it.

D．It was set up in 1999.

4. To keep his website going, Rhett Butler ________.

A．kept visiting the rainforest

B．made a great number of advertisements

C．raised rare snow leopards

D．traveled around and interviewed experts

5. We can learn from the passage that _________.

A．Rodney Jackson was once a businessman

B．kids. Mongabay.Com. has many stories written by kids

C．WildMadagascar.org is better known than Mongabay.Com

D．Mongabay.Com was loved by researchers as well as students

4 . When you think of the Arctic, you imagine an icy land of pure white snow, which is considered to be the last really clean place     1    (leave) on Earth. Yet plastic trash has now reached the remote regions of the Arctic and the Alps. A team of     2    (scientist) has discovered large quantities of microplastics(微塑料) — very small pieces of plastic waste — in the Arctic snow. While microplastics have been found in sea-water, drinking water, and even in animals over     3     past several years, this is the first study to show microplastics in snow,     4     indicates it is an airborne pollutant that must be paid attention to. 

The researchers state that microplastics in snow suggest that microplastics may be in the air that we     5    (breath). Therefore, it is really important     6    (assess) if microplastics also reach lung tissues.

Previous research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans,     7    (damage) ecosystems along the way. They start in our wastewater, when we wash clothes     8     plastic fibers. The wastewater then flows into rivers and out to sea, where they     9    (eat) by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we’re     10    (probable) eating the plastic as well.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

There is a strong evidence that the rise in temperature has led to     1     increase in extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide, not only     2    (cause) serious damage, but also costing human lives. Climate scientists have warned that if we do not take actions     3    (appropriate), this warming trend will continue and there will be a much     4    (high) price to pay. In fact, people frequently hear news reports broadcast on the media about extreme rainstorms and heatwaves.

6 . After the earthquake hit northeast Japan on March 11, 2011, many touching stories that I saw with my own eyes happened around me.          

I had to walk home since all the _______ had stopped after the quake. On my way home I _______an old Japanese lady at the bakery shop who was giving out free bread, which made my heart _______. A middle-aged Japanese man was holding a sign that said, “Please use our _______.” He was _______ his house for people to go to the restroom. My friend wanted to _______ others. He stood in the cold with a sign “If you are okay with a motorcycle, I will _______ you to your house.” And then I saw him take one gentleman home, all the way to faraway place! Then the next day I drove to _______ my car with gas. There was a _______of gas now and many gasoline stations were either closed or had very ________ lines. I got ________, since I was behind 15 cars. Finally, when it was my ________, the man smiled and said, “________this situation, we are only giving $ 30 worth gas per person. Is that alright?” “Of course, I’m just glad that we are all able to ________,” I said. His smile gave me so much ________.

I saw a man at the evacuation (疏散) center ________ when people brought food to him. It was the first time in three days that food has been brought to their center. However, after he wiped the tears, his next ________ surprised me. “I am very ________ that we are provided with food. But people in the city next to us haven’t ________ any food at all. Please go to that centre as well.” And when hearing that, I realized there is a bright future on the other side of this ________.

1.

A．traffic

B．rescue

C．communication

D．businesses

2.

A．missed

B．caught

C．noticed

D．heard

3.

A．hungry

B．soft

C．broken

D．warm

4.

A．toilet

B．hotel

C．hospital

D．house

5.

A．advertising

B．opening

C．repairing

D．decorating

6.

A．encourage

B．save

C．charge

D．assist

7.

A．drive

B．follow

C．lead

D．send

8.

A．start

B．fill

C．check

D．wash

9.

A．plenty

B．lack

C．variety

D．diversity

10.

A．direct

B．straight

C．long

D．short

11.

A．worried

B．lucky

C．excited

D．annoyed

12.

A．time

B．turn

C．duty

D．decision

13.

A．Apart from

B．Together with

C．Because of

D．Instead of

14.

A．share

B．offer

C．tolerate

D．transform

15.

A．comfort

B．pleasure

C．trouble

D．entertainment

16.

A．waiting

B．grabbing

C．sleeping

D．crying

17.

A．promises

B．roles

C．actions

D．remarks

18.

A．upset

B．grateful

C．surprised

D．proud

19.

A．bought

B．supplied

C．prepared

D．received

20.

A．city

B．center

C．lesson

D．disaster

7 . There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered species (物种) and natural environment. If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given.

Friends of the Earth (FOE) campaigns on a range of problems including rainforests，the countryside, water and air pollution and energy. Friends of the Earth International Secretariat P. O. Box 19199 1000 G. D. Amsterdam The Netherlands	Greenpeace uses peaceful but direct action to defend the environment. It campaigns to protect rainforests and sea animals, stop global warming and end pollution of air, land and seas. It also opposes nuclear (核) power. Greenpeace International Keizergracht 176 1016 DW Amsterdam The Netherlands
BirdLife International is an organization which works to save endangered birds all over the world. BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road Cambridge CB3 ONA England	WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature is the world’s largest private international organization for the protection of nature and endangered species. Information Officer WWF International Avenue du Mont-Blanc 1196 Gland Switzerland

1. If you want to learn more about the organizations, you can        .

A．call them	B．write them a letter
C．visit them	D．send them an e-mail

2. BirdLife International is an organization trying to            .

A．reduce pollution

B．defend rainforests

C．protect ocean animals

D．save endangered birds

3. If you oppose (反对) nuclear power, you can join         .

A．Friends of the Earth

B．World Wide Fund For Nature

C．Greenpeace

D．BirdLife International

4. What can we learn about WWF?

A．It helps to protect nature and save endangered animals.

B．It is the world’s largest international organization.

C．It works for private companies and rich people.

D．It is a private organization in the United States.

5. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Environmental Protection Organizations

B．Global Environmental Problems

C．Endangered Animals

D．Friends of the Earth

8 . Every year, young, talented, and ambitious nature conservationists from all over the world participate in the presentation of the Future For Nature Award, an honorable international award.

The Future For Nature aims to:

• Reward and fund individuals for their outstanding efforts in wildlife protection.

• Encourage winners to sustain their dedicated work.

• Help winners to raise their profiles, extend their professional network and strengthen their funding basis.

Benefits

• The winners each receive 50,000 euros and may make their own decision to spend the money in the service of nature conservation.

• FFN offers the winners a platform and brings their stories to the attention of conservationists, financiers and a wide audience.

• FFN offers the opportunity to meet people with the same interest and continue to learn with each other.

Qualifications

The candidate:

• Must be born on or after the 31st May 1988 and before the 28th of August 2005.

• Is able to explain his/her conservation work in fluent English.

• Has achieved substantial and long-term benefits to the conservation status of one or more animal or plant species.

Additional Remarks

From all applications, 6 to 10 nominees will be selected for the 2025 Future For Nature Awards. These applicants will be asked to provide additional information, which will be used to select the final Awardees. Ultimately, three inspiring wildlife heroes are selected as the winners.

Application Process: Apply online through the Apply Now link.

Application Deadline: 28th August, 2024

1. What is the aim of the Future For Nature Award?

A．To raise funds for nature conservation projects.

B．To inspire conservation efforts of young talents.

C．To provide training opportunities for young conservationists.

D．To create a platform for conservationists to share their stories.

2. The winners will get the chance to _______.

A．consult top specialists	B．benefit the local community
C．meet the like-minded people	D．promote self-created platforms

3. What is a requirement for the applicants?

A．Meeting the age limit.	B．Applying via mail by the deadline.
C．Submitting the application in English.	D．Providing additional personal information.

10 . The world is a greener place than it was 20 years ago. A study published in the journal “Nature Sustainability” said that recent satellite data reveals a greening pattern that is strikingly prominent in China and India. The study shows that human activity in China and India dominates this greening of the planet, thanks to tree planting and agriculture. The effect comes mostly from ambitious tree-planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries.

“China and India account for one-third of the greening, ” said lead author Chi Chen of Boston University. “ That is a surprising finding, considering the vague idea of land degradation (毁坏) in populous countries from overexploitation, ” added Chen.

China alone accounts for 25 percent of the global net increase in leaf area with only 6.6 percent of global vegetated area. The greening in China is from forests (42 percent) and croplands (32 percent), but in India, it is mostly from croplands (82 percent) with minor contribution from forests (4.4 percent).

China’s outsized contribution to the global greening trend comes in large part from its programs to conserve and expand forests with the goal of preventing land degradation, air pollution, and climate change.

“Once people realize there is a problem, they tend to fix it,” said Rama Nemani, research scientist and co-author of the study. “In the 1970s and 80s in India and China, the situation around vegetation loss was not good. In the 1990s, people realized it, and today things have improved. Now we see that humans are contributing.”

Land area used to grow crops is comparable in China and India—more than 770, 000 square miles—and has not changed much since the early 2000s. Yet these regions have greatly increased both their annual total green leaf area and their food production.

This was achieved through multiple cropping practices, where a field is replanted to produce another harvest several times a year. Production of grains, vegetables, fruits and more have increased by about 35%～40% since 2000 to feed their large populations.

1. What did the study mainly find?

A．India and China are leading the global greening effort.

B．Intensive agriculture is the cause of global land degradation.

C．China and India has got the largest forest coverage in the world.

D．Agriculture is more helpful in expanding green areas than tree-planting.

2. How is China different from India in contributing to the global greening?

A．India reduced cropland to prevent the overexploitation.

B．India increased forest by planting around croplands.

C．China changed more lands into forest by planting trees.

D．China controlled the increase of its population.

3. What does Nemani think about humans in China and India in protecting the Earth?

A．Ambitious.	B．Responsible.
C．Passionate .	D．Tolerant.

4. What does the passage finally suggest humans should make good use of?

A．Forest.	B．Trees.
C．Cropland.	D．Food