1 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.
Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.
Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”
Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.
Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”
Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”
1. What can we say about the new research?| A．It started in 2013. | B．It is the first of its kind. |
| C．It was carried out by AIS. | D．It covers the whole Atlantic. |
| A．Rapid population growth. |
| B．Rising global temperatures. |
| C．The huge increase in shipping. |
| D．The disappearance of marine life. |
| A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy. |
| B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment. |
| C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity. |
| D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully. |
| A．New waterways across the Atlantic |
| B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic |
| C．New research opens windows into life under the water |
| D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping |
Tangshan started to
3 . When Alex Lin was 11 years old, he read an alarming article in the newspaper about e-waste. The article said that people were throwing away their e-waste in places it should never go. This was dangerous, the article said, because e-waste contains poisonous chemicals and metals like lead. These harmful substances (物质) can leak into the environment, getting into crops, animals, water supplies — and people.
Alex showed the article to a few of his classmates. They were worried too. But what could they do about this problem with e-waste? How would they even start? “The first thing we did,” Alex says, “was to learn more about the problem.” Alex and his friends spent several weeks gathering information about the chemicals in e-waste and their effects on humans. They learned how to dispose (处理) of e-waste properly and how it could be recycled. “Then,” he says, “we had to find out what the situation was in our town. So we sent out a survey.”
What they found shocked them: Of the people who answered the survey, only one in eight even knew what e-waste was, let alone how to properly dispose of it. Alex and his friends went into action. They advertised in the local newspaper and distributed notices to students, asking residents to bring their unwanted electronics to the school parking lot. The drive lasted two days, and they collected over 21,000 pounds of e-waste.
The next step was to set up an e-waste drop-off center for the town and to find a responsible company to recycle the waste. That was when Alex and his friends learned another scary fact about e-waste — some irresponsible recycling companies don’t break down the e-waste and dispose of it safely themselves. Instead, they ship it overseas to countries such as China and Nigeria, where local environmental laws are not applied. “We checked carefully online to make sure the company we chose didn’t do this,” Alex says.
Because of the work of people like Alex and his team, more and more people are getting the message about safe disposal of e-waste. As Alex says, “Today’s technology should not become tomorrow’s poisonous trash.”
1. What can we learn about Alex from paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?| A．He was curious about chemistry experiments. |
| B．He possessed a strong sense of responsibility. |
| C．He set out to solve the problem individually. |
| D．He formed the habit of reading newspapers. |
| A．Campaign. | B．Imagination. | C．Performance. | D．Technology. |
| A．Lack of available space was the reason for shipping. |
| B．Recycling was totally banned in their own country. |
| C．They were running their companies on a tight budget. |
| D．They were not charged with insecurely disposing it. |
| A．Reusing School Computers | B．Recycling Electronic Waste |
| C．Meeting a challenge | D．Doing Scientific Experiment |
1. What does the man suggest doing in an earthquake?
| A．Going outside. | B．Protecting the pet. | C．Hiding under something. |
| A．10 years ago. | B．20 years ago. | C．25 years ago. |
5 . The human population of Sri Lanka is now believed to be over 20 million. As a result, large areas of trees are being turned into farmland, highways are being built, and elephants are being driven out of their habitats. This change causes turmoil, resulting in an increased number of uncontrollable events between elephants and humans.
The good news is that there is one place called the Elephant Transit Home (ETH) in Udawalawe National Park, the main purpose of which is to protect and care for baby elephants. A day at the ETH begins early in the morning when the baby elephants are given their first feeding of milk. During the course of the day, each baby will drink an average of 13 gallons of milk. Older elephants are fed mostly coconut leaves as well as other native plants. Then the elephants are set free to wander in the park.
The ETH spends almost $ 125 ,000 each year on powdered milk for these baby animals. To help pay for food and medical supplies, the ETH has a foster (领养) parent programme. Anyone, even schoolchildren, can help a lot by giving money to care for a baby elephant. Foster parents can name their elephants, take photographs of them, and even help send them back into the wild.
Now visitors are not encouraged to get close to the elephants. The goal of the ETH is for the elephants to return to the wild in the end. It usually takes three years for a baby elephant to be sent back into its natural habitat. This programme helps them return to the wild as members of a herd that will communicate with each other and take care of each other.
1. What does the underlined word “turmoil” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Confusion. | B．Disorder. | C．Pollution. | D．Harmony. |
| A．They mainly live on coconut leaves. |
| B．They are fed separately all the time. |
| C．They are taken care of by different means. |
| D．They don’t get along well with other animals. |
| A．You can play games with the elephant. |
| B．You can give the elephant you care for a name. |
| C．You can take the elephant home for better care. |
| D．You can visit Udawalawe National Park free of charge. |
| A．The future of the elephants. |
| B．The life of the baby elephants. |
| C．The process of raising a young elephant. |
| D．The requirements for being a foster parent. |
1. What is the cause of the disaster described in the book?
| A．Excessive use of chemicals and fertilizers. |
| B．Excessive use of water. |
| C．Excessive use of cars. |
| A．Negative. | B．Excited. | C．Worried. |
| A．A student. | B．A librarian. | C．An environmentalist. |
| A．178. | B．183. | C．361. |
But hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150, 000 soldiers to Tanngshan to dig out those who were
8 . There exist a great variety of national parks that are representative of the different regions of the world. To reveal and maintain the great diversity of the interactions between humans and their environment, and to protect living cultures and preserve the traces (痕迹) of those which have disappeared, these sites have been included in the World Heritage List.
Lushan National Park, China
Mount Lushan, in Jiangxi, is one of the spiritual centres of Chinese civilization. Buddhist and Taoist temples, along with landmarks of Confucianism blend (融合) effortlessly into a strikingly beautiful landscape which has inspired countless artists who developed the aesthetic (美的) approach to nature found in Chinese culture. Special attention has been placed on protecting the cultural heritages and their settings as a whole.
Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada
In addition to its particularly beautiful scenery, Dinosaur Provincial Park — located at the heart of the province of Alberta’s badlands — contains some of the most important fossil discoveries ever made from the “Age of Reptiles”, in particular about 35 species of dinosaur, dating back some 75 million years. These fossils are valuable materials for scientists to study the history of the earth.
Kaziranga National Park, India
In the heart of Assam, this park is one of the last areas in eastern India undisturbed by a human presence. It is inhabited by the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.
Komodo National Park, Indonesia
These volcanic islands are inhabited by a population of around 5,700 giant lizards, whose appearance and attacking behaviour have led to them being called “Komodo dragons”. They exist nowhere else in the world and are of great interest to scientists studying the theory of evolution.
1. Why are these above parks included in the World Heritage List?| A．They are famous worldwide. |
| B．They have gorgeous landscape. |
| C．They are representative of the different regions. |
| D．They have important values and need protecting. |
| A．Know about religious culture. | B．Enjoy being with animals. |
| C．Study the theory of evolution. | D．Learn the history of the earth. |
| A．Lushan National Park, China. | B．Dinosaur Provincial Park, Canada. |
| C．Kaziranga National Park, India. | D．Komodo National Park, Indonesia. |
9 . Natalie Doan, 14, has always felt lucky to live in Rockaway, New York. Living just a few blocks from the beach, Natalie can see the ocean and hear the
On October 29, 2012, that ocean turned
In the following few days, Volunteers came with carloads of donated clothing and toys. Neighbors devoted their spare time to helping others
In the coming months, her website page helped lots of kids.
Today, the scars (创痕) of
| A．noises | B．waves | C．bells | D．songs |
| A．fierce | B．calm | C．active | D．silent |
| A．ran | B．headed | C．escaped | D．moved |
| A．in ruins | B．at risk | C．in rags | D．at sea |
| A．rich | B．healthy | C．young | D．elderly |
| A．excitedly | B．hurriedly | C．sadly | D．temporarily |
| A．improve | B．rebuild | C．develop | D．react |
| A．buildings | B．floors | C．flights | D．storeys |
| A．astonished | B．interested | C．inspired | D．awakened |
| A．appear | B．help | C．show | D．speak |
| A．discovered | B．landed | C．put | D．replaced |
| A．Additionally | B．Unexpectedly | C．Frankly | D．Amazingly |
| A．made | B．promised | C．awarded | D．offered |
| A．ocean | B．love | C．decoration | D．destruction |
| A．will | B．hope | C．belief | D．truth |
10 . I first came to Berwickshire for a job-to be the Ranger for the Berwickshire Marine Reserve.I was then Senior Ranger for St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve and I set up my own business, In Our Nature, offering wildlife journeys,walks,talks and courses in 2020. There’s so much I love about Berwickshire.Its stunning scenery. Its variety of landscapes and habitats and range of amazing wildlife, both above and below the water. Its friendly people. In places you can feel like you are a million miles from anywhere, when in reality you’re just an hour’s drive from Edinburgh.
The thing that supports everything on the Berwickshire Coast is its varied and fascinating geology(地质).The jewel in the crown is Siccar Point. With its world-famous non-conformity(均变)，it’s considered the birthplace of modern geology. The geology not only shapes the landscape, but it also impacts on the wildlife, forming varied habitats from steep sheltered valleys and towering cliffs to sheltered sandy bays.
There’s nothing I like more than being out in nature and sharing my passion with others, so starting up In Our Nature was a no brainer. In the warmer months I offer tours on land and sea to help folk enjoy the amazing wildlife and scenery of the Berwickshire Coast. In the darker months my online courses help people learn about wildlife in the hope that it will increase their enjoyment of the marine and coastal environments they spend time in.
My favourite spot on the Berwickshire Coast has got to be a place called Petticowick. The views up the coast and inland to the Mire Loch are second to none. It’s a place where you can marvel at geology which covers unimaginable periods of time. You can listen to and watch thousands of seabirds that return to the cliffs to breed each spring. Or witness all the amazing activity of the breeding seal colony on the beach below during the early winter.
1. Why did the author go to Berwickshire?| A．To do sightseeing. |
| B．To make friends. |
| C．To work in a reserve. |
| D．To study wildlife. |
| A．The highest part. |
| B．The most attractive part. |
| C．The valueless part. |
| D．The advanced part. |
| A．By providing online courses. |
| B．By sharing her experiences. |
| C．By offering tours on land. |
| D．By organizing trips to the sea. |
| A．Modern geology needs further study. |
| B．Petticowick should be well preserved. |
| C．People should not take advantage of nature. |
| D．The author is enthusiastic about Berwickshire. |
