1 . Endangered species

An endangered species is a group of animals that could soon become extinct.     1     Many species are nearly extinct and could disappear off the face of the earth very soon if we don’t do anything to save them. There are many reasons why species become endangered.

Habitat destruction is the main reason why animals become endangered and this happens in two ways. When humans move into a new area, the animals’ habitat is destroyed and there is nowhere for them to live and nothing to eat because humans chop down trees and build houses and farms.     2     Chemicals in rivers and poisons on farms cause the destruction of animals’ homes and food supplies.

    3     Animals have been brought to the edge of extinction because they are killed for their highly-valued meat, fur, bones or skin, or just for sport. Overfishing has resulted in many large sea creatures like whales and sharks becoming endangered species.

    4     We should take care not to pollute natural areas, and farmers or companies who destroy animal habitats should face severe financial penalties. The public can help out by refusing to buy any products made from these animals’ body parts. Governments can help, too, by making it against the law to hunt, fish or trade in endangered species. They can also provide funding for animal sanctuaries, to protect animals from extinction by breeding more endangered animals, which they later release into the wild.     5    

A．Animal habitats are also destroyed because of pollution.

B．Endangered species are also the result of hunting and fishing.

C．Eventually, all the creatures on Earth will enjoy being together.

D．Recent changes, however, have helped to improve the situation.

E．So what can individuals and governments do to protect endangered species?

F．Extinction happens when the last of the species has died out and there will be no more.

G．If we all cooperate and take these steps, we will protect these animals for future generations.

2 . Nola (August 21, 1974—November 22, 2015) was a northern white rhino who lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido, California. At her death, she was one of only four remaining northern white rhinos in the world. The other three lived in Kenya. World Rhino Day,   held on September 2,   is to raise awareness(意识) of the less than 30, 000 other rhinos left on Earth.

''Rhinos need our help today, not tomorrow,'' Nola's lead keeper Jane Kennedy said. ''Last year we lost over 1, 200 rhinos just in South Africa. If we continue to lose more than 1, 000 rhinos a year, in 10 to 20 years all the rhinos on the planet will be gone. ''

''Unfortunately, most animals are in danger of dying out because of humans,'' Kennedy says. ''Humans have either poached animals, or because there are over seven billion of us, we've taken up too much of the world's resources''. Poachers illegally hunt rhinos for their horns. They sell the horns for thousands of dollars per pound, to be used for art, jewelry, and decorations. Experts believe that one rhino is poached every eight hours.

In 1975,   the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research started the Frozen Zoo,   a program through which researchers have collected cell (细胞) samples from more than 8, 000 different types of animals,   including the northern white rhino. Scientists hope that by studying the rhino cells, they will get greater understanding of it, and will find ways to increase its numbers.

Jane Kennedy describes World Rhino Day as a celebration of rhinos along with an awareness campaign for everybody across the world to know that rhinos need our help. ''At the San Diego Zoo, children and adults are welcome to visit and speak with zookeepers to learn about rhinos. But you don't have to live in San Diego to celebrate World Rhino Day. It is observed around the world, with zoos and wildlife parks holding special events and programs to teach people about rhinos, and enable them to see the animals up close. For more information, go to www. worldrhinoday. org.

1. What do we know about Nola?

A．It was a baby white rhino.

B．It was one of the last of its kind.

C．It lived with other northern white rhinos in Kenya.

D．It died on September 22 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

2. What troubled Jane Kennedy according to Paragraph 2?

A．The rhinos' uncertain future.

B．The rhinos' strange activities.

C．The limited natural resources.

D．The rare animals in South Africa.

3. What does the Frozen Zoo aim to do?

A．Invent new kinds of animals.

B．Keep animals from dying out.

C．Prevent rhinos from being hunted.

D．Raise public awareness of rhinos.

4. What is the main purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To help people know more about animals.

B．To encourage people to protect rhinos.

C．To report special events in San Diego.

D．To introduce World Rhino Day.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Hawaii possesses the unique scenery of islands, but pollution takes away all the     1    (beautiful) of the beaches here. I hate to go to the beaches on sunny weekends and see rubbish bags lying on the sand, cigarette butts(烟头)     2    (bury) in the sand, and soda cans floating in the ocean.

    3    really annoys me is that I see tourists who visit Hawaii leave their rubbish on the beaches. I was always taught after drinking soda    4    (throw) the can into the place     5    it should stay — the trash can. It’s also     6    (annoy) that some people walk right by rubbish and pretend that it’s not there.

The dogs or the fish are not to blame for it. It’s our fault and we must blame     7    (we). Everyone has to do his or her part to solve this problem. It can     8    (hard) be difficult to do the job. There are a lot of things that we can do. First of all, we can help pick     9    rubbish along the beaches. We could also form organizations that help clean up our beaches. More importantly, we need to start now     10    the beaches are damaged beyond repair.

4 . Kevin Randall, a teacher,who teaches biology at Grandville High School,runs the environmental club at the high school,which has around 2,000 students.The club is known as the GHS Green Team,and it aims to raise awareness among students and teachers about sustainability(持续性).It also works on projects to reduce the environmental footprint of the building itself.

One of the club's recent projects focused on reducing waste in the school cafeteria.Randall said their cafeteria supervisor told them that the school went through 54,000 plastic forks every year.The club applied for a financial help,built recycling centers for the cafeteria,and purchased metal silverware.

And now every student uses a durable metal fork or a spoon instead of disposables.(一次性用品),“and that's just one way we're trying to capture the low-hanging fruit,if you will,"Randall said.

The efforts of Randall and his students have earned Grandville High School the Michigan Green School certification from the state.In addition to their work reducing waste in the cafeteria, the GHS Green Team has also built a garden with flowers and vegetables on campus,and leads cleanups on site and out in the community.Over the years,Randall and his students have also been working on raising money to install solar panels(太阳能板) on the roof of the high school.

Randall said he was motivated to take the lead on environmental issues for his school because he wanted his students to have someone to turn to in the building who understands what's at stake(利害攸关）when it comes to climate change.

＂And I also felt like I needed to do more in my life for my own two children at home," Randall added,"They need to know that their dad is working as hard as he can to reduce the effects of climate change,and to spread the word,and to make sure that other students out there are learning about this just the way they are at home."

1. What is the purpose of the GHS Green Team club?

A．To inspire students' love for biology.

B．To finish the projects assigned by school.

C．To prepare students for their future jobs.

D．To promote environmental protection.

2. What's the result of the project on school cafeteria?

A．It has changed the outlook of the cafeteria.

B．Students can have more fruits in the cafeteria.

C．Plastic forks are no longer used in the cafeteria.

D．The school has become famous nationwide.

3. What's the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．The classification of the projects.

B．The characteristics of the club.

C．The activities organized by the club.

D．The future of the club.

4. What was Randall's aim by doing the work on environmental issues?.

A．To educate the young.

B．To get material rewards.

C．To amuse his children.

D．To make himself famous.

5 . It's not always easy to run an energy efficient house. But there are some simple things anyone can do.

Go LED with your lighting.

There are sevenal benefis to switching to energy efficient light bulbs. One of them is saving money- though the LED bulbs might cost more than traditional bulbs, the average saving on LED bulbs is $ 75a year._    1    LED bulbs can last years or even decades.

Don't run your air conditioner constantly

As the weather starts to warm, you might be thinking about the right time to turrn on your air conditioner. _    2    Air conditioner units are among the most energy-consuming appliances in your home. Using electrical fans instead of your air conditioner is much more efficient and it's a big money saver, too.

    3    

On those days when you treat a large crowd and are low on time，don't beat yourself up if you have to use disposable(一次性的) dishware. This method reduces your water usage and saves energy. And as a bonus, if your city offers roadside recycling, your paper plates may qualify.

Update your insulation(隔热)

All that work you're doing to save energy in your home could go to waste if it's not properly insulated. If you can't insulate the whole house, pay special attention to the roof: it reduces air flow from outide. By updating your insulation,you're saving money.    4    

Take showers instead of baths

A full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of waler.    5    Showers are quite different---taking a five-minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons!

A．But do you really have to?

B．You should use your air conditioner smartly.

C．Tum off water when not using it.

D．Plus, you needn't change them frequenly.

E．Don't feel guilty about using paper plates.

F．And it's also easier to control your home temperature.

G．Even if you don't fill it to the top, it still uses much more water.

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

We are all aware of the threats our planet is facing. Experts agree that it’s mainly humans     1     are responsible for the destruction of the environment. Activities such as mass farming and burning       2     (harm) our climate now-and we are suffering too through natural     3       (disaster) such as flooding and droughts.

One of the most destructive activities we are carrying out is deforestation (砍伐森林). This has been most noticeable in Brazil, which is home to the world’s     4     (large) rainforest. Deforestation there     5     (hit) its highest rate in the past decade, according to official data. The result of widespread deforestation has threatened     6     centuries-old way of life. The future of the rainforest could be     7     danger of being damaged.

The amount of deforestation in the Amazon has     8     (actual) seen a decline but the figures are still large. Brazil has taken some steps to try and decrease deforestation by     9    (introduce) government policies including fines for breaking land use regulations. While humans are largely     10     (blame) for the destruction of the rainforest, it seems only humans will tackle this problem and save planet Earth.

7 . Greening the Kubuqi Desert

China has seen great achievements in improving the environment and green development over the past 70 years. Solid efforts have been made to fight pollution and continuously improve the environment.

    1     It caused deadly sandstorms, which arrived like big black walls reaching up into the sky.

As President Xi Jinping has said, clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets（资产）.     2    

A series of campaigns have been carried out by the central government to improve the environment.     3     Thanks to the program, forest coverage in China had increased from 12 percent in the 1980s to nearly 23 percent last year.

    4     It has been recognized by the UN for the development of a desert eco-industry that has slowed desertification（沙漠化）.

In Kubuqi, a desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Elion has greened 600,000 hectares of land and helped lift more than 102,000 people out of poverty through the development of solar energy and tourism, as well as planting herbs for traditional Chinese medicine.

In addition, the group’s techniques have also been used in many ecological（生态的）programs, including Yangtze River Ecological Park and Qilian Mountain National Park.

“    5     With the help of modern technologies, such as drones, AI, big data and the internet of things, we are sure to achieve greater success,” said Ao Baoping, chief executive officer of Elion Green Land Technology.

A．Once the environment gets better, we will live a happier life.

B．For example, in 1998, China started the Natural Forest Protection Program.

C．Desertification was a serious problem in the 1990s.

D．Another example of the campaign is the Elion Resources Group.

E．Pollution is getting worse and worse nowadays.

F．Efforts to create “green” areas have played a crucial role in the country’s fight against desertification.

G．We will come up with new ways to improve our ability to control the sand.

8 . Let's take a minute to think about the water we use. The human body is 60% water and we need to drink lots of water to be healthy. When we are thirsty we just go to the kitchen and fill a glass with clean water.

    1    For example, farmers, who produce the food we eat, use water to make the plants grow. When we turn on a light or switch on a TV or a computer we use energy and we need water to produce this energy.

The truth is that we are lucky enough to have clean water whenever we want，but this is not the case for many people around the world.    2    That's around one in 10 people in the world. If we drink dirty water，we can catch diseases from the bacteria and become ill. Every year over 500，000 children die from diarrhea(腹泻)from dirty water. That's around 1，400 children every day！Also，in some countries children walk many kilometres every day to get water.    3    Therefore，they don't have time to learn how to read or write and don't get an education.

    4    On this day every year，countries around the world hold events to educate people about the problems of dirty water and that clean water is something that everyone should have around the world. At one school in the UK，children between the ages of 10 and 15 walk 6km with six litres of water.    5    People give them money to do this and all the money helps get clean water to as many people as possible around the world.

A．We use water indirectly too.

B．Every system in our body depends on water to function.

C．It is to inspire people to learn more about water-related problems

D．If children walk many hours a day to get water，they can't go to school.

E．Did you know that around 750 million people do not have clean water to drink？

F．In 1993 the United Nations decided that March 22nd is the World Day for Water.

G．In this way，they know how it feels to walk a long distance carrying heavy bottles.

9 . We don’t know when and where the next earthquake will hit. But we do know the importance of safety and preparation. The only way to be ready for the unexpected is to prepare ahead of time. It’s especially important if you live in earthquake zones. So here are some important steps to build your own Earthquake Action Plan.

1. Talk to your friends and families and decide on a place to meet if you’re separated after an earthquake.

2. Make an emergency（紧急情况）communication plan in case cell towers or phone lines are down. You can also ask relatives or friends outside your area to be your contacts.

3. Locate a safe place in every room of your house and discuss with your families the safest places to be during an earthquake. Remember, if you’re：

a. Inside, get under something heavy like a study table or against an inside wall and cover your head.

b. Outside, stay away from buildings and get out into the open.

c. In your car, stop and stay in your seat. If you’re stopped near a building or under an overpass（天桥），try to safely move away from it.

4. Store first-aid kits（急救箱）anywhere you spend a lot of time（house, car, workplace, etc. ）.

5. Pack plenty of batteries, flashlights, and bottles of water to prepare for power outages and water shortages.

6. Review your home’s important systems（electrical, gas, water, etc. ）and know how to operate them or shut them off in an emergency.

Although they’re somewhat unusual, earthquakes are incredibly terrible, overwhelming, and unpredictable forces of nature. But with some knowledge and preparation, we can mitigate risks and do the best we can to keep ourselves and our families safe.

1. Paragraph 1 mainly shows it’s very important to ______.

A．know the use of an Earthquake Action Plan

B．know when an earthquake will come

C．stay away from earthquake zones

D．prepare for an earthquake

2. First-aid kits should be kept in places ______.

A．that are very safe

B．where you often stay

C．that are under something heavy

D．that your friends and families know

3. An Earthquake Action Plan includes the following EXCEPT ______.

A．deciding where to meet with others after an earthquake

B．making sure that you have contacts out your area

C．practicing how to escape with your families

D．finding safe places in your house

4. What can best take the place of the underlined word “ mitigate” ？

A．Lower.	B．Avoid.
C．Stop.	D．Treat

10 . Plans to bring wild tigers back to their original home , their historical range(历史分布范围） in the Ili­Balkhash region, have been announced by Kazakhstan( 哈萨克斯坦 )   and an agreement with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to conduct a tiger reintroduction program has been signed . “It will not only bring wild tigers back to their original home, but also protect the unique ecosystem of the Ili­Balkhash region，” said Askar Myrzakhmetov, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

If successful, Kazakhstan will be the first country in the world to bring wild tigers back to an entire region where they have died out for nearly half a century. Tiger reintroduction projects have only been achieved within national borders and in areas that are considered current tiger habitats . Kazakhstan's tiger reintroduction program is unique and it badly requires the restoration of a vast forest that is part of the wild tiger's historical range.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, wild tigers have lost over 90 per cent of their historical range. Wild tigers have completely disappeared from the region since the late 1940s, due to the loss of habitat. To prepare for the return of wild tigers, on 1st January 2018 Kazakhstan will set up a new nature reserve in the southwestern Ili­Balkhash, in order to restore the unique forest habitat. This will include the protection of existing wildlife, and reintroducing important prey ( 猎物 ), such as the endangered wild Bactrian deer（中亚红鹿).

Restoring tigers will also help protect Lake Balkhash and prevent it from repeating the fate of the Aral Sea, formerly the world's fourth largest lake and now 10 percent of its original size. “The hard work remains ahead of us. We have to spare no effort to make this region ready for tigers and involve all the relevant people to make this happen. That means dealing with illegal activities, having these people who govern parks be well­trained and equipped, increasing prey populations and involving local communities，” said Ekaterina Vorobyeva, Director of the WWF program.

1. What is Askar Myrzakhmetov's attitude toward the tiger reintroduction program?

A．Doubtful.	B．Favorable.
C．Concerned.	D．Disapproving.

2. What made the wild tigers disappear in the Ili­Balkhash region?

A．The increasing loss of prey.	B．The evolution of the species.
C．The lack of natural living places.	D．The serious environmental pollution.

3. Which measure may be taken for the reintroduction of tigers?

A．Regulating human activities.	B．Limiting the number of prey.
C．Building a reserve for tigers only.	D．Training tigers to be more adaptable.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Efforts to restore forests in Kazakhstan

B．Bringing tigers back home to Kazakhstan

C．Attempts to handle illegal activities effectively

D．Preventing tigers disappearing in Kazakhstan