1 . Earth Day is April 22. It's a day when people around the world work to help the planet, including kids.
Speaking Out
Jaysa Hunter-Mellers, 14, spoke at the City Hall to ask leaders to shut the last coal power plant（发电厂）nearby which brought her a serious trouble that made breathing difficult. She didn't think that people would listen to her, a kid. But the coal plant later said it would close. Jaysa learned to speak to her local government at a young age and now she wants to teach others to speak up too.
Helping Butterflies
When Aiden Wang was 6, he learned that local butterflies were in trouble because they needed milkweed plants to survive. But milkweed was disappearing. So Aiden started growing milkweed at his home, on which the insects lay eggs. Aiden's now 13 and he cares for eggs and lets them go when they turn into butterflies.
Doing Good for Gorillas（大猩猩）
When Addy Barrett was in first grade, she learnt that the mountain gorillas were in danger. She wanted to protect them and set up a program called Gorilla Heroes. So far, Gorilla Heroes has raised more than $11,000 to help mountain gorillas. Addy says, “The feeling of having a fine influence on the world is like no other. It feels so good to know that I am making a difference.”
Educating the Youth
In fourth grade, Jeremy Clark and Charlie Abrams saw a picture of the Statue of Liberty（自由女神像）up to her waist in water. It was meant to show what the statue would look like if all the ice in the world melted（融化）. In 2019, they started a group called Affected Generation to encourage young people to become climate activists. The two also want schools to teach about climate change.
1. Why did Jaysa ask the coal power plant to be closed?| A．Because it caused her some health problems. |
| B．Because she hoped to speak to the government. |
| C．Because its noise affected the neighborhood. |
| D．Because she wanted to set an example to other kids. |
| A．By warming their eggs. | B．By feeding milk to them. |
| C．By planting plants they need. | D．By turning eggs into butterflies. |
| A．Aiden Wang. | B．Addy Barrett. |
| C．Jaysa Hunter-Mellers. | D．Jeremy Clark and Charlie Abrams. |
2 . Coral reefs (珊瑚礁)are in great danger ,due to warming oceans. Conservationists are worried about how to save them, but a new study might come as music to their ears.
A team of scientists came up with an unusual idea to play underwater sounds along degraded(退化) coral reefs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef that would copy the usual noises heard on a healthy and active reef. When they did so, they found that fish were attracted to the music and more willing to hang around.
Dr. Stephen Simpson, a researcher at the University of Exeter, UK, said that coral reefs are remarkably noisy places full of various sounds. Young fish will be attracted to these sounds after they spent their early stage in the open ocean. However, once a reef becomes degraded, it smells and sounds less attractive to the young fish, who choose to settle elsewhere, thus speeding up further degradation of the reef.
In the experiment, reefs were given one of three experimental treatments. They either had no loudspeaker, a fake loudspeaker, or a real loudspeaker that played reef sounds. Playback occurred for 40 days, always at nighttime, which is when fish settlement typically occurs.
After 40 days, there were twice as many young fish on reefs with real loudspeakers than the other two kinds of reefs, with no significant differences between the two control treatments. And biodiversity also increased by 50 %, with more species attracted to the sound.
While the presence of fish alone cannot restore a coral reef to good health, study author Dr. Mark Meekan explained that “recovery is encouraged by fish that clean the reefs and create space for corals to regrow”. This could promote a “snowball effect”, with other fish responding positively to communities founded earlier, causing further increases in settlement.
The researchers hope that this discovery can add to reef restoration efforts because, at this point ,the reefs need all the help they can get.
1. How will conservationists feel about the new study?| A．Hopeful. | B．Amused. | C．Worried. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．To explain the importance of sounds to corals. |
| B．To figure out the effect of some sounds on fish. |
| C．To prove the relationship between fish and corals. |
| D．To show fish prefer to gather around loudspeakers. |
| A．They can provide food for corals. |
| B．They can make beautiful music for corals. |
| C．They can cure unhealthy corals of diseases. |
| D．They can create room for the growth of corals. |
| A．Fish Can Help Degraded Corals Produce Music |
| B．Reef Music Attracts Young Fish to Degraded Corals |
| C．Pleasant Music Can Help Coral Reefs Grow Healthily |
| D．Degraded Coral Reefs Can Create Music to Attract Fish |
3 . Climate change has been a long-standing issue that continuously drives scientists to find green fuels. The universe's most rich element, hydrogen(氢), has drawn their attention and is now on its way to becoming the future of green fuel.
More than $150 billion worth of green hydrogen projects were announced globally in 2020, according to Reuters. Airbus, a European corporation, has taken the lead in the new sustainable fuel industry. It has designed self-contained hydrogen fuel cell pods(燃料电池舱) that can be attached to the underside of airplane wings, which aim to achieve zero emissions(排放). The company plans to launch hydrogen -powered aircraft in 2035, according to Daily Mail.
Compared to fossil fuels, hydrogen is a much more eco-friendly fuel. When hydrogen bums, the only by-product is water. However, the traditional way to extract(提取) hydrogen from natural gas or coal generates considerable carbon emissions. The greenest way is to obtain hydrogen from water using electrolysis(电解) powered by renewable energy, although this process requires so much electricity that it is quite expensive. The key to making hydrogen competitive with fossil fuels is to lower the production cost to under $1.50. This would require lowering around 50 percent of renewable power costs and 75 percent of electrolyzer costs, according to Australia’s renewable energy agency.
Also, shipping liquid hydrogen is challenging, because that needs to be chilled to －253℃ to do so. According to Reuters, most of the world's big hydrogen export projects are looking to ship hydrogen in the form of liquid ammonia(氨), which can be converted to hydrogen and needs to be chilled to only －33℃.
With more and more countries aiming to cut down carbon emissions to deal with the issue of global warming, green hydrogen will help them hit the targets by decarbonizing industries that cannot be electrified.
1. What is the unique strength of the hydrogen fuel cell pods?| A．They work very efficiently. | B．They produce no by-product. |
| C．They are environmentally friendly. | D．They allow for long-distance flights. |
| A．Its lower performance. | B．Its production cost. |
| C．Its carbon emissions. | D．Its electricity consumption. |
| A．The required temperature. | B．The expensive shipping cost. |
| C．The building of professional carriers. | D．Getting it to the form of liquid ammonia. |
| A．Those funded by public money. | B．Those depending on electricity. |
| C．Those unable to be electrified. | D．Those with an improved energy system. |
4 . The waters around the Galapagos Islands, a hot spot of biodiversity off the coast of Ecuador, have been invaded by more alien species than previously thought.
While the number of invasive species on land is well-documented, relatively little was known about those in the marine environment.
Now field surveys have found 48 invasive species off the coasts of the islands, in addition to five known non-native species. These creatures probably got a free ride on ships from around the world.
These surveys were undertaken only in certain hahitats around two of the larger islands, so the actual number of invasive species is likely to be much greater. “From our knowledge of similar studies, I wouldn’t be surprised if the number was twice as many,” says team member Jim Carlton of Williams College in Massachusetts.
The alien species included worms, mussels crabs and sea squirts. There were also tiny moss (苔藓)animals, such as Amathia verticillata, which kills seagrass and messes up fishing equipment.
Seventeen of the newly-identified invaders had been spotted around the Galapagos Islands before, but bad been wrongly thought to have been native species.
The influence of these alien species on the islands’ ecosystems is not yet known. But it is likely to be damaging judging from experiences elsewhere, and could threaten hundreds of local species on the islands. “What we know is that a number of these invasive species clearly have had serious effects elsewhere in the world,” says Carlton.
Invasions in other places suggest that even more harmful species could soon be headed for the waters of the Galapagos Islands, the team warns, including soft corals (珊瑚虫)that could grow rapidly over local coral, and the possibility of poisonous lionfish crossing from the Caribbean through the Panama Canal.
The Galaparos Marine Reserve is now protected, but it will be hard to stop further invaders because it is difficult to check for tiny species on the bottom of every visiting boat.
1. How many invasive species have been found off the coasts of the Galapagos Islands?| A．5 | B．43 | C．48 | D．53 |
| A．It mainly feeds on worms and lionfish. |
| B．It’ll be harmful to the fishing industry. |
| C．It was the earliest invader found in Ecuador. |
| D．It makes up the majority of invasive species. |
| A．The damage of local species. | B．The ecosystem around Ecuador. |
| C．The impact of invasive species. | D．The number of invasive species. |
| A．Alien species are spreading quickly. | B．Many ships visit the islands illegally. |
| C．It’s hard to identify very small species. | D．There is a lack of men needed for the job. |
5 . When it comes to sharks, many people think of their pointy fins and violent nature. But there is more to sharks than their sharp teeth: The creature appeared on earth 410 million years ago, before dinosaurs.
However, sharks are now at the edge of extinction. Numbers of sharks have decreased by 71% over the past 50 years, according to the research published in Nature. “Such sharp decreases are shocking even to experts, especially when compared to land animal statistics,” Sonja Fordham at Shark Advocates International told New Scientist magazine. “This data(数据) may be an underestimate(低估) of reality because of unreported fish catches,” noted Nathan Pacoureau, a researcher of the study team.
The study included 31 species; 24 now risk extinction, and 3 shark species are now classified as highly endangered. The study found the decrease hit the largest species first before influencing smaller ones over time, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It also said that shark finning and fishing worldwide have driven the decrease. “The Indian Ocean is the worst. There is almost no fishery management at all,” said Pacoureau.
“Overfishing of sharks destroys the health of entire ocean ecosystems as well as food safety for some countries,” said Nicholas Dulvy, a professor of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. “The researchers are calling on immediate action to ensure a brighter future for these animals,” according to the BBC.
Although the situation looks depressing, the future of sharks is not doomed(注定)yet. 25 species have recovered because of long-term protection campaigns in the past decades. A couple of shark species have started to recover through science-based fishing limits. These examples provide living evidence that the world can set and meet biodiversity goals.
1. What can we know about sharks from the text?| A．They are faced with a bad situation. |
| B．They began to exist later than dinosaurs. |
| C．They are well preserved in the Indian Ocean. |
| D．They became an extinct species 5 decades ago. |
| A．They just focus on the largest species. |
| B．They may leave out unreported situations. |
| C．They disagree with some experts’ judgements. |
| D．They are only compared with those of land animals. |
| A．Overfishing. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．The ocean pollution. | D．Food source shortage. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Bright. | C．Dark. | D．Unclear. |
Environmental problems are significant in many people’s minds, but it’s
In fact, this isn’t the only positive program
7 . Half of the world's beaches could disappear by 2100, a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change suggests.
Michalis Vousdoukas, of the European Union's Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy, was the lead researchist. "Tourist areas which have sandy beaches as their main selling point will probably face strong consequences," he said. Aside from economic value, beaches play an important environmental role. "Sandy beaches are important habitats supporting a wide range of species. They also protect the coast from the effects of storms, so without sandy beaches other inland environments can be affected by the effects of waves and saltwater entering," Vousdoukas added.
The main causes are rising sea-level and erosion (侵蚀)from storms, the study says, which warned of the near-disappearance of almost half of the world's sandy beaches by the end of the century. Beaches in the United States will be “greatly affected”，as will shorelines in Canada, Mexico, China and Chile. In the U. S. , beaches along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast will experience the most erosion.
Michalis Vousdoukas and other researchers used satellite images to track the way beaches have changed over the past 30 years and patterned how global warming might affect them in the future. They found that West Africa will see some of the worst losses, where more than 60% of sandy coastline may be lost in countries such as The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau. Australia will also take a hit:when the total length of sandy beach projected to be lost is analyzed, Australia would be hit the hardest, with more than 7,000 miles at risk.
1. What mainly caused the disappearance of half of the world's beaches?| A．Over population and more tourism. | B．Severe erosion and coastline losses. |
| C．Global warming and climate change. | D．Sea-level rise and storm destruction. |
| A．Chile. | B．The Gambia. | C．Australia. | D．The United States. |
| A．They can provide habitats for species. |
| B．They can block out waves and storms. |
| C．They can be popular tourist attractions. |
| D．They can stop erosion from happening. |
| A．To introduce beaches. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To protect environment. | D．To explain a study. |
8 . Here are 5 actions you can take to make a difference to our environment.
1. Use fewer napkins.
The next time you’re eating, don’t take a bunch of napkins when you need only one. If every American used an average of one less napkin every day, it would prevent the use of more than a billion pounds of napkins — enough to fill the Empire State Building — from ending up in landfills. Use fewer napkins, and you’ll cut down on waste.
2. Think before flushing.
Don’t flush wastefully. By avoiding just one flush a day, you could save about 4.5 gallons of water. That’s as much water as the average person in Africa uses to bathe, drink, clean, and cook for an entire day.
3. Avoid wasting food.
Eat Thanksgiving leftover-Don’t let them spoil. If every US household reduced food waste by the weight of.one slice of bread, the money saved would be enough to pay for three meals a day for a year for every homeless child in the U.S.
4. Kick off the shoes
Leave your shoes at the door when you come into your home. Unwanted fertilizers, lead, and poisonous cleaners found on outdoor surfaces can hitch a ride on your shoes and track through your house.
5. Save energy
When you go out, try to use public transport. If you close the bathroom door when you take a bath, you will keep the room warmer, Your bath water’s heat stays trapped in the bathroom. The water also stays hotter and longer, so you don’t need to add more hot water. Save energy: Close the door.
1. Suppose you and your parents all reduce one flush a day, how much water will be saved?| A．About 9 gallons of water. | B．About 14 gallons of water. |
| C．About 16 gallons of water. | D．About 11 gallons of water. |
| A．Be stuck. | B．Ride on you. | C．Follow you. | D．Visit you. |
| A．Save energy can help to save money. |
| B．Wasting is shameful. |
| C．One can use some ways to protect the environment. |
| D．You may make a bigger difference than others. |
9 . Jet airplanes are one of the largest causes of human pollution. About 3% of the world’s carbon emissions(碳排放）are believed to come from airline travel. Thai number is likely to go up—the number of people traveling by plane has been growing for years, and is expected to keep increasing.
To help fight climate change, Dutch airline KLM has started a program asking people to “ Fly Responsibly”. The company is asking its customers to think about their choices before they buy a plane ticket. In a video, the airline suggests that travelers ask themselves questions, such as whether they could lake a train instead.
However, some people have suggested that instead of asking the public to think carefully about their actions, KLM, and other airlines, need to be considering solutions that lie with the industry itself . “ Voluntary (主动的）actions by customers are not enough; the cost of flying must increase." said Justin Francis, founder of Responsible Travel.
Anna Hughes, who runs Flight Free UK, Sees much of the “greening" in aviation(航空) as problematic. She said, “The simple fact is that climate change, worsened by our use of (fossil fuels(化石燃料），will make it difficult for our children to live on this planet. While we welcome action，to make aviation friendlier to the environment, airlines must be honest about their influence on climate change."
But the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is backing the KLM program. Rafael Schwartzman, IATA's vice-president for Europe, said, “We support it in the sense that you do have a choice. In certain cases you could have another choice. " But, he added, “the UK is an island. If you want to trade internationally, you will have to count on aviation.”
1. What does KLM suggest travelers do?| A．Spend less on traveling. | B．Think twice before they fly. |
| C．Act responsibly on a plane. | D．Travel by train whenever possible. |
| A．To turn to cleaner fuels. |
| B．To raise the price of tickets. |
| C．To encourage customers to volunteer. |
| D．To tell the public how to cut air pollution. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uninterested. | D．Unclear. |
| A．To introduce a Dutch airline. |
| B．To list the harms of airline travel. |
| C．To discuss a program of an airline. |
| D．To call on people to fight climate change. |
10 . Alternative energy is becoming popular in many homes. Solar systems are being set up to heat water and provide energy,
When cleaning inside the home you can use cleaning products that are eco-friendly, and reduce the amount of chemicals that are released in the environment.
There are many things that you can do to reduce the impact on the environment when building a home.
| A．There are simple and easy ways to do it |
| B．Try to avoid using plastic when possible |
| C．Water management is extremely important |
| D．People are also starting to use wind systems |
| E．Greener living is not only environmentally friendly |
| F．Not everyone can make big changes to their lifestyles |
| G．You end up with a home that rises above your expectations |
