After being evacuated (疏散) from her Florida home following Hurricane Michael. Amber Gee was attempting to get an idea of the destruction left behind when she discovered a sign of trouble. As reported by ABC News, Gee was using NOAA’s interactive aerial map (交互式航拍地图) to check the damage done to her and her family’s homes when she spotted the word “H-E-L-P” spelled out in the yard.
The NOAA website allows those impacted in the hurricane to get a look at specific streets or homes by zooming in on (用变焦距镜头拉近) aerial imagery of the affected area. According to ABC News, Gee was looking at one of these photos when she noticed a cry for help spelled out in wood in the front yard of her grandmother’s Bay County home.
Though her grandmother had evacuated, several other family members, including Gee’s uncle and his wife, had stayed behind. After spotting the message, Gee alerted (向……报警) Bay County Emergency Services, who went to the house and rescued those who were trapped in the residence.
“Apparently, they had to cut through a lot of downed trees to get there,” Gee told ABC News. Her uncle, Ernest, had reportedly used wood from one of those trees to spell out the message.
After the rescue, Bay County Emergency Services posted the incident on their Facebook page, writing, “This is an incredible story of how people are working together in this situation. Someone from another county was using the mapping app to check property in rural Bay County and noticed the word ‘help’ spelled out in the grass in wood. That person immediately contacted us and sent the picture and we dispatched emergency workers.”
Meanwhile, Gee says she is thankful that she was able to use the mapping tool to get her family to safety. “The hurricane has turned everything upside down everywhere. Some were more fortunate than others. I’m just happy that everybody is safe and sound and, hopefully, soon we will all get through this together and recover from this storm,” she said.
1. What did Gee use the mapping app to do? (no more than 12 words)2. Who can look at the NOAA website’s aerial photos of the affected area? (no more than 5 words)
3. Who spelled out “Help” to cry for help? (no more than 5 words)
4. What does the underlined word “dispatched” in Para. 5 probably mean? (one word)
5. What lesson can you learn from this story? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
2 . 假设你是晨光中学的学生李津。在世界地球日即将到来之际，你校与英国友好校将在线举办“绿动校园，青春飞扬”的主题摄影展，以此来记录校园环保活动中的精彩瞬间。现组委会向同学们征集照片，你打算参加此项活动。请按照以下提示用英语给组委会写一封信来推荐你的照片：
（1）描述照片的内容；
（2）说明选择该照片的理由；
（3）表达对该照片入选的愿望。
参考词汇：绿动校园，青春飞扬Green Campus, Flying Youth
注意：
（1）词数不少于100；
（2）可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯；
（3）开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir/Madam,
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Yours,
Li Jin
1. Why did the woman’s husband go to Philippines?
| A．To give lectures. | B．To provide help. | C．To do business. |
| A．14 days. | B．16 days. | C．18 days. |
| A．Floods. | B．An earthquake. | C．A terrible disease. |
1. Why does Steven feel down?
| A．He doesn’t like reading. |
| B．His friends died in an earthquake. |
| C．He got bad news from the newspaper. |
| A．About 3 thousand. | B．More than 10 thousand. | C．About 13 thousand. |
| A．Donate some money. | B．Deliver relief supplies. | C．Call for people to help. |
1. How much snowfall is expected over the weekend altogether?
| A．20 inches. | B．12 inches. | C．8 inches. |
| A．To run hot water regularly. |
| B．To travel only if it is essential. |
| C．To prepare enough supplies for a week. |
| A．Sunday. | B．Saturday. | C．Friday. |
| A．By going online. | B．By calling the police. | C．By contacting the speaker. |
6 . Dozens of dolphins swam out of the polluted waters of Haifa Harbor on Tuesday. This was the first time that dolphins had visited this crowded Mediterranean Port, and researchers were surprised by the unexpected event.
Between 40 and 50 of the dolphins appeared in the busy port on Tuesday morning, obviously drawn by the fish-rich waters of Haifa Bay.
However, the bay is also full of harmful chemicals. Avia d Sheinin, professor of Haifa University’s Maritime Studies Department, said he didn’t think the dolphins were harmed by the pollution, but that he hoped they would swim back to the sea soon. “It seems that they are quite relaxed. They don’t seem to be stressed,” he said.
Haifa Bay is lined by chemical companies that have been pouring poisonous waste into the water for decades. While pollution levels have dropped in recent years, the water is still considered a health hazard, whispering warnings to those who draw near.
“There are lots of fishes in Haifa Port. Unfortunately, we couldn’t tell the dolphins that the fish are not healthy, and I don’t know what the result will be,” he told Israel Army Radio.
Hundreds of Haifa residents gathered around Haifa Bay to see the interesting sight, and researchers said this provided a rare chance to film and study the rough-toothed dolphins. In addition to the dozens of dolphins which swam into the port on Tuesday, a similar number stayed outside the breakwater (防波堤). Later Tuesday the dolphins left the port but remained near the entrance and Israel’s coastguard was patrolling (巡逻) the area to try to make sure the dolphins didn’t re-enter the poisonous waters.
Relatively little is known about rough-toothed dolphins, which are usually found in deep and warm tropical waters.
1. What cause the dolphins to appear at Haifa Harbor?| A．Clean water. | B．Food supply. |
| C．Social behavior. | D．Water temperature. |
| A．Danger. | B．Benefit. |
| C．Plan. | D．Survey. |
| A．He is curious about the dolphins. |
| B．He will do research on the dolphins. |
| C．He is uncertain about what will happen to the dolphins. |
| D．The dolphins might affect the existence of fish in Haifa port. |
| A．To avoid traffic jam. |
| B．To deal with the harmful waters. |
| C．To prevent people killing dolphins. |
| D．To protect the dolphins from the polluted waters. |
| A．People love dolphins. |
| B．Dolphins are well protected in Israel. |
| C．Haifa Bay is full of harmful chemicals. |
| D．Dolphins made a surprise visit to the polluted harbor. |
When Simon Cane was in the second grade, he began learning about all the ways humans have an impact on the environment and really took those classroom lessons to heart in a way that set him apart from his schoolmates at his elementary school, P. S. 81, in the Bronx. “He told me we drove too much and made too much pollution,” his dad, Jonathan Cane, told Runner’s World. So Simon convinced his parents to start hanging their clothes to dry, taking the stairs instead of elevators, and other “green” measures.
“For much of kindergarten and the first grade I rode my bike to Simon’s school with him on the back,” Jonathan said. “We had a lot of fun being outdoors. We’d stop to give our dog treats and generally enjoyed it.” As Simon got bigger, though, it wasn’t practical for him to ride on his father’s back, but it also didn’t make sense to ride together — both because of safety concerns and because there was no place to put away Simon’s bike. So, most of the time they drove the 1.5 miles to school.
But in 2019, when Simon was going into the third grade, the 8-year-old came up with a new way to help the planet: running the 1.5 miles to P. S. 81. And Jonathan promised his son he’d join him for as long as he wanted.
“We did a test run one day in August, and decided to give it a go. To be honest, I thought he’d blink after it got really cold or rainy, but he never did,” Jonathan said. He recalled one day when the weather was particularly bad. “It’s really raining out there today,” he told Simon. “And Simon said, ‘Well then we’re going to get wet!’ He took pride in toughing it out, and it became a really fun family routine.”
Since the start, Simon has run with his dad and their black dog, Lola, and has even inspired his mom, Nicole Sin Quee, to join in. They soon became known as “the family that runs to school”.
1. What made Simon different from his classmates? (no more than 10 words)2. Why did Simon usually go to school by car in the second grade? (no more than 15 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined part in the fourth paragraph? (no more than 15words)
4. How did Simon inspire his mom? (no more than 10 words)
5. What are your “green” measures? Please explain. (no more than 20 words)
8 . Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes. So the city began a project to improve the situation.
Under the Velib project (‘Velib’ comes from velo liberty, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25kg), and they are all gray and have baskets. There are about 20, 000 of them in the city, and around 1, 450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!
Paris is not the first city to have a project like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle —they’ll still use their cars.”
A city spokesman said, “The bicycle project won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”
1. What can we learn about the Velib project?| A．Its bikes have no baskets. | B．Its bikes are light and colorful. |
| C．It aims to make traveling easier. | D．It owns more stations than the subway. |
| A．Free. | B．€1. | C．€29. | D．€30. |
| A．The cost is rather high. | B．It’s hard to find a Velib station. |
| C．It’s not suitable for a long journey. | D．The distance between two Velib stations is long. |
| A．position. | B．smoke. | C．quality. | D．loss. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
9 . For this year’s Fourth of July celebration, some US cities have replaced traditional fireworks with impressive drone (无人机) light shows. Maybe most importantly, the drones being employed by more and more cities for Fourdr of July celebrations don’t leave behind a blanket of smoke at a time when America’s air quality is already at its worst in decades.
“Around the world, we’ve seen consistently that, during times when firework usage is really high, we have really bad air quality.” said Pallavi Pant, the head of global health at the Health Effects Institute. And while that pollution typically disappears quickly— usually around noon on July 5th— the concentration can be high enough to worsen the condition for those with breathing problems. Cities making the switch to high-tech shows say there’re plenty of other reasons why people may want to avoid traditional fireworks.
“Fireworks can be harmful to folks who suffer from PTSD (创伤后应激障碍) or families who have dogs. Salt Lake City has more households with dogs than we do with kids,” said Lynze Twede, a manager for Salt Lake City Public Lands. “Being away from fireworks is considered by many to be the tendency of the future. Drones are reusable, while with fireworks, you have smoke, falling debris (碎片), and noise which especially stresses dogs and people with PTSD out.”
About 12, 264 fires were started by firework displays in 2021, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Those added up to around $59 million in direct property damage. But data also shows that much of the wildfire risk comes not from grand public displays, but from the small-scale shows on sidewalks.
It may be too early to tell how this tendency may get close to smaller shows and consumers, but the price is a limiting factor.
1. What is the most important reason for US cities’ giving up traditional firework shows?| A．To reduce fire risks. | B．To prevent noise pollution. |
| C．To protect the environment. | D．To support new technology. |
| A．Their thick smoke. | B．Their falling debris. |
| C．Their frightening noise. | D．Their shining bright light. |
| A．Public fireworks win more people’s favor. | B．Street fireworks present more fire threats. |
| C．Usage of fireworks is on the decrease | D．Prevention of fireworks is costly. |
| A．Economic pressure. | B．Appreciation value. |
| C．Drones’ safety. | D．Related policy. |
| A．What response Americans have to drone light shows |
| B．Why some US cities replace fireworks with drones. |
| C．How Americans celebrate special events. |
| D．How drone shows develop in America. |
10 . Butterflies, a familiar sight around the world, are disappearing now. Over the past four decades, more than 450 butterfly species have been affected by threats from climate change. In the US alone, the monarch butterfly has seen a drop of 80%, from millions of them recorded by scientists in the 1980s to only 29,000 in 2020; in 2017 scientists in Germany raised alarm bells after stressing that insects had decreased (减少) by more than 70% in 30 years.
Leading environmental organizations have been working hard to find new ways of tracking butterflies. Now, there is no long-term data available to develop effective strategies in those areas where the threat is particularly widespread. The scientists also wanted to say the big problem that long-term monitoring programs worldwide have faced for a long time: they are focused on training locals as citizen biologists, which, although successful, requires significant and continued funding.
In Ecuador, however, scientists have taken things one step further. The study was undertaken (承担) to fight against the serious threat of dying out that so many insects — not just butterflies — are facing. They came up with a unique approach. In Yasuni National Park, one of the world’s most diverse reserves, they started a monitoring project where park rangers (护林员) were trained and then performed monitoring. The rangers were able to identify butterflies to species with impressive accuracy (精确性) — an 85% success rate — which was key for these monitoring programs to be successful. The data gathered by the park rangers was so accurate that it did not significantly differ from the data collected by trained biologists in the area.
In comparison to other monitoring projects that employ individuals from the community to act as citizen biologists, which usually terminate when funding is used up, this study represents a long-term solution. Monitoring with a system already in place means that it can continue, regardless of funding.
“Our approach increases the possibility of continued monitoring in the long term by saving money,” said the lead author. “What’s more, it will provide the possibility for other highly threatened and important areas for biodiversity (生物多样性) protection.” Soon, the researchers hope to expand their efforts to other parks and reserves in Ecuador and other countries.
1. The figures in the US and Germany listed in Paragraph 1 intend to ________.| A．show the rich diversity of butterflies |
| B．describe the sharp fall of butterflies’ number |
| C．stress scientists’ great attention to butterflies |
| D．compare butterfly population decrease in different regions |
| A．The high cost of training staff. | B．The wide areas to be monitored. |
| C．The lack of professional trainers. | D．The difficulty of handling existing data. |
| A．Attracting biologists’ attention. | B．Butterflies’ being saved effectively. |
| C．Rangers making accurate identification. | D．Spreading technical monitoring methods. |
| A．Grow. | B．Return. | C．Appear. | D．End. |
| A．Share their method and experience. |
| B．Prove long-term effects of their method. |
| C．Test for their approach’s economic benefits. |
| D．Compare their results with those of other areas. |
