1 . Now, a study proves that gardens are more than just a pretty place. The study, by researchers at Illinois State University, demonstrates that such constructed gardens can have a measurable and positive impact on water quality.
Floating gardens are essentially platforms built and wrapped in coconut husks (椰子壳), and filled in with native plantings. As plants grow, they extend their roots into the water. On the North Branch of the Chicago River, non-profit Urban Rivers and its partners are developing a mile-long floating eco-park called the Wild Mile. The re-development of this former industrial canal is Urban Rivers’ important project. As part of the park, floating gardens, attached to shore, are being fixed.
The primary aim of the floating gardens is beautification. But the Illinois State team, from the University’s Department of Geology, Geography, and the Environment, saw an ideal setup for a controlled experiment. “We joined it because it’s the perfect opportunity to see if there’s an influence on water quality,” explains lead author Abigail Heath.
The study is novel: previous studies have explored floating gardens’ influence on water quality over time, primarily in wastewater treatment ponds, but not over space, in moving water. The project also matches well with Urban Rivers’ broader goals. “The city is interested in bettering water quality,” says Phil Nicodemus, Urban Rivers’ Director of Research. “Happily, Illinois State took part in it later.”
Could this small human-made park improve water quality? An average of data collected over the course of the study shows middle but definitive improvement. For example, nitrogen (氮) dropped from 4.69 milligrams per liter in surface water to 4.43 milligrams per liter, a drop of about 1 percent.
“Despite how small this garden was, there was measurable improvement in water quality from upstream to downstream,” notes Heath. She and her colleagues see this as a model for how large floating gardens should be to help improve water in similar settings. “Even this tiny garden makes a difference,” she says.
1. What can be inferred from the second paragraph?| A．The floating gardens are environmentally friendly. |
| B．The floating gardens are fixed everywhere in the eco-park. |
| C．The floating gardens can help fix the former parks. |
| D．The Urban Rivers were once industrial canals. |
| A．To reduce waste water. | B．To attract more visitors to the park. |
| C．To make the surroundings brilliant. | D．To help researchers do the experiment. |
| A．The floating garden. | B．The project. |
| C．The treatment of ponds. | D．The quality of water. |
| A．Floating Gardens: More than Pretty |
| B．The Best Way to Better Water Quality |
| C．A Practical Method of Improving Parks |
| D．Floating Gardens Beautify the City |
2 . You’re out on a hike, snacking on an apple, a banana, or some nuts. When you’re finished, all that’s left is a core, a peel, or a shell. “It’s natural,” you tell yourself, throwing it into the woods.
After all, food waste is biodegradable (可生物降解的). It’s not like you’re littering by throwing away a plastic bottle.
Food waste doesn’t break down as fast as you think
Most people know food waste is biodegradable. But fewer people are aware that orange and banana peels can take up to two years to break down in the wild, meaning they’re going to be staying in nature for a lot longer than you might think. And even if they eventually biodegrade, they can lead to a lot of serious problems.
“ Animals have a super advanced sense of smell compared to us,” says biologist Jeff Marion. All human food can attract animals. This can then cause “attraction behavior”, which refers to human actions that cause animals to overcome their natural wariness(警惕)of people.
Attraction can mean aggression
When animals are routinely attracted to humans and their food, they often become habituated to human presence. “Once an animal reaches that point, it’s essentially game over,” Marion says. That’s the origin of the phrase: A fed bear is a dead bear.
| A．Food waste can appeal to animals. |
| B．Human actions result from attraction behavior. |
| C．Keeping your food to yourself is the best solution. |
| D．However, food left outdoors can have unexpected impacts. |
| E．Here are the measures we should take to prevent food waste. |
| F．This sort of attraction behavior can quickly become dangerous. |
| G．Because when it comes to human-animal encounters; animals are often the losers. |
3 . The coronavirus pandemic(新冠疫情)has brought with it the rise of a new kind of single-use plastic in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE), like face masks and gloves. Experts warned that these sharply increasing single-use items could cause a new wave of plastic pollution and kill wildlife.
The charity Ocean Conservancy reported that volunteers had collected more than 100,000 PPE items from coasts and waterways during the last six months of 2020. They sent out a survey to more than 200 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) coordinators and volunteers asking about their experience with PPE. The results show that it is a real problem. Volunteers collected 107,219 pieces of PPE in 70 of 115 participating countries. Of those surveyed, 94% reported seeing PPE at a cleanup, and 40% found five items or more. Further, 37% found the items had already sunk into the water.
“During one of our clean-ups in the canals of Leiden, our volunteers found a latex(乳胶)glove with a dead fish trapped in the thumb,” said Auke-Florian Hiemstra, a study coauthor from Leiden University. “Also, in the Dutch canals, we observed that a water bird was using face masks and gloves in its nests.” Other animals that have gotten tangled up in face masks include a fox in the UK, a pufferfish in Florida, and two crabs in France. Numerous dogs and cats have been observed eating PPE as well.
The danger posed by PPE goes deeper than what the eye can see. Luckily, there are ways that all of us can be part of the solution to the problem of PPE pollution. Hiemstra suggested using reusable PPE instead of single-use products. In that case, we should deal with them properly by cutting the ear loops to prevent animal entanglements(缠绕物)and throwing them away in a bin that is not overstuffed. “We definitely think it is important for citizens to understand how much PPE is ending up in the environment and impacting animals,” Hiemstra said.
1. What problem did experts mention in paragraph 1?| A．The decline of wildlife due to overhunting. |
| B．The shortage of personal protective equipment. |
| C．The plastic pollution caused by anti-pandemic products. |
| D．The increasing number of coronavirus patients. |
| A．The leading cause of ocean pollution. |
| B．Volunteers’ great efforts to protect the ocean. |
| C．The large amount of PPE in the environment. |
| D．Difficulties of cleaning up plastic waste in the ocean. |
| A．PPE pollution has threatened many animals’ lives. |
| B．Litter makes it hard for boats to pass through the canals. |
| C．Water birds may not be affected by plastic pollution. |
| D．PPE is attractive to dogs and cats due to its smell. |
| A．Limiting the production of non-recyclable plastic. |
| B．Cleaning the rubbish bin regularly. |
| C．Raising the price of PPE items. |
| D．Replacing single-use products with reusable ones. |
4 . Amy Fang has recently been asked a lot about how her handbag matches her vest (马甲). A few months ago, they belonged to the same grey jacket that she bought five years ago. “I’ve been telling people around me that if you have clothes that carry emotional value and you don’t want to get rid of them, you can have them upcycled (升级改造),” says Fang.
Fashion’s waste problem places a huge burden on the environment, awareness of which partly drives upcycle actions. The fashion industry contributes 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Upcycling, or making unwanted materials into new products, is an important solution that goes hand in hand with recycling and reuse.
In China’s big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the trend is beginning to make an impact. Retopia, a sustainable lifestyle platform backed by student designer incubator Labelhood Youtopia, hosted a pop-up in a shopping centre in Shanghai to sell secondhand or upcycled clothes—70% of over 1,000 items were sold, according to the platform.
Haiyan Zhong, co-founder of Another Aura, which helped Fang find a new life for her old jacket, explains how her startup fits into the wider sustainability fashion context in China. “One part of it is to use natural, organic or biodegradable materials in making the clothes,” she says. “The other part is how to deal with the clothes and the materials they’re made from in their afterlife.”
Customers like Fang can help to influence the next generation. She is happy to see how her upcycle mindset rubs off on her 16-year-old daughter. “My daughter was very impressed with the final products from Another Aura. I hope she can be conscious of her purchases as well and adopt the same habit in the future.”
1. What does Amy Fang think about her vest?| A．It is of little use. |
| B．It has cost too much. |
| C．It contains a certain feeling. |
| D．It should be donated to others. |
| A．The fashion industry is environmentally friendly. |
| B．Another Aura attaches importance to materials of clothes. |
| C．Retopia is the first to sell upcycled clothes. |
| D．Recycling is not a solution to the waste problem. |
| A．Shocks. | B．Affects. |
| C．Amuses. | D．Threatens. |
| A．China’s Upcycling Trend | B．Fang’s Beneficial Actions |
| C．Starting Sustainable Studios | D．Influence of the Fashion Industry |
1. What is the main idea of the conversation?
| A．How to save money. |
| B．How to educate people about the environment. |
| C．How to make the school more environmentally friendly. |
| A．It is expensive. |
| B．It is an excellent idea. |
| C．It could easily be introduced. |
6 . How to bring out your art potential? Traditionally, people may bury themselves in learning
Wiebe plans to eventually buy some land in Detroit to grow these
Wiebe also likes fiber-based art, such as quilting, sewing and weaving. She has
“I’ve been drawing since I was 2. It’s never been a question for me that I would do something art-related, but rather what more specific art-related thing I’ll
| A．teaching | B．gardening | C．painting | D．engineering |
| A．method | B．dream | C．opportunity | D．standard |
| A．environment | B．community | C．neighborhood | D．university |
| A．Guaranteed | B．Respected | C．Employed | D．Inspired |
| A．expose | B．abandon | C．imagine | D．post |
| A．hairs | B．fibers | C．pictures | D．fingernails |
| A．rewarding | B．disturbing | C．demanding | D．frustrating |
| A．colorful | B．sustainable | C．economical | D．valuable |
| A．observe | B．appreciate | C．volunteer | D．wander |
| A．weeds | B．grains | C．crops | D．plants |
| A．applied | B．confirmed | C．removed | D．supported |
| A．mixed | B．crowded | C．filled | D．occupied |
| A．saved | B．wove | C．transported | D．mended |
| A．character | B．appearance | C．life | D．technique |
| A．lead to | B．end up | C．put off | D．carry out |
Sam was a junior high school student. He lived in a community in Charlotte and usually had little exposure to country life. So much of what he knew about plants came from text-books. Sam was a kind-hearted person. He longed for a chance to explore nature and he wanted to do his part to beautify the world.
Finally, the opportunity came. On Arbor Day (植树节), his class organized a trip to a local village to plant trees. Sam was excited about it and couldn’t wait to tell his mom the good news. So the next day, Sam and his mom went to buy some tools for planting trees, including a shovel(铲), a bucket, gloves and so on.
On the day of the event, Sam and his classmates arrived early at the starting point. It was a beautiful day and everyone looked particularly happy. With the tools in hand, Sam got into the bus with everyone else and headed off to their destination.
As soon as they reached the village, all the students were divided into three teams by their teacher. One team was responsible for planting the trees, one team for shovelling the soil and one team for watering the trees. At the teacher’s command, everyone started to do their job.
However, it was the first time that many of the students had taken part in planting trees, so they had no idea about how to start. Of course, Sam was one of them. Fortunately, their teacher was a middle-aged man from the countryside who had some knowledge of planting trees. In order to set an example to the students, the teacher started to plant trees himself. After watching the teacher plant the trees, everyone also became busy. Before long, they planted hundreds of trees. Sam watched very carefully, not wanting to miss any of the details. Finally, Sam learned how to plant trees by himself and felt happy.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A few days later, a storm damaged some young trees in the community.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The neighbours praised Sam for what he had done.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Tiny sensors inspired by dandelion (蒲公英) seeds could be spread to the winds to help track of climate change and global warming.
As the climate crisis continues to strengthen, tracking changes in temperature and other environmental signals across a wide area is useful. But doing effectively requires distributing sensors throughout the environment, which can be time-consuming.
“We wondered whether it’s possible to build a system that can spread sensors in the wind, rather than having a person go out and place sensors alone, which can be dangerous in hard-to-reach places,” says Vikram Iyer at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Iyer and his colleagues used a laser-powered tool to make devices. Each one weighs 30 milligrams with a diameter of 28 millimeters, and has a number of small holes through which air can float in the air like dandelion seeds.
The devices carry tiny sensors, essentially a microcomputer powered by small solar panels that can send back signals to the researchers, who developed different types that can measure temperature，pressure，light and so on. A small capacitor (电容器) can store energy overnight or in cloudy conditions.
In all, the team tested 75 different designs before finding the right mix of variables. The final design can move through the air at 0.87 metres per second, travelling up to 100 metres in a mild wind when released from a drone (无人机). Real-world tests showed that the sensors can transfer data up to 60 metres.
“The production of the ‘seeds’ is especially interesting, so is the design of the electronic devices,” says Jonathan Aitken at the University of Sheffield, UK. “Both seem to be very strong to the natural environment.”
Aitken is also impressed by the range of the sensors’ communication abilities. “Plus the cheapness of the device, it means that it can be placed in large numbers, and the communication range makes this an excellent choice, especially within agriculture or disaster area monitoring,’’ he says.
1. What can we learn about the sensors like dandelion seeds?| A．They are quite expensive to make. |
| B．They are efficient in space and time. |
| C．They can be carried by dandelion seeds. |
| D．They can change the temperature. |
| A．The sun. | B．Strong wind. |
| C．A smalI capacitor. | D．A drone. |
| A．The seed-like sensors can rise up from the ground without any help. |
| B．The seed-like sensors can only travel in a mild wind. |
| C．The scientists have tried many other designs before the seed-like sensors. |
| D．The seed-like sensors travel much slower than its common competitors. |
| A．Costly. | B．Risky. |
| C．Complicated. | D．Promising. |
Plastic has polluted the countryside and been
There may be a solution. Recently scientists have made a biodegradable (可降解的) plastic,
10 . When a heavy storm hit, residents of the floating community of Schoonschip in Amsterdam had little doubt about whether they could ride it out. They tied up their own stuff, and checked in with neighbors to ensure everyone had enough food and water.
A floating house can be constructed on any shoreline and is able to deal with rising seas by remaining on the top of the water’s surface.
| A．They then boarded their floating houses |
| B．But the benefits may outweigh the costs |
| C．Since floating houses are on the increase |
| D．We feel safer in a storm because we are floating |
| E．Unlike houseboat which can easily be moved and relocated |
| F．Hundreds of millions of people will be displaced by sea level rise |
| G．Severe wind and rain, or even the passing ships, can rock the buildings |
