1. What made the speaker excited in Yunnan?
| A．A bird wave. | B．A pleasant sound. | C．A long-desired bird. |
| A．He saw an ordinary bird. |
| B．He was cheated by other bird watchers. |
| C．He took a photo of a rare bird. |
| A．Enriching people’s spiritual life. |
| B．Showing the beautiful environment. |
| C．Raising awareness of protecting nature. |
2 . The green, natural forest absorbs carbon dioxide from the air through photo- synthesis (光合作用). There is another way of dealing with the climate crisis. That is setting up fields of dark-colored solar panels (太阳能电池板), also known as “solar forests”, which replace power stations that use fossil fuels such as coal and gas to make electricity, thus mitigating harmful emissions (排放) of greenhouse gases.
But since they are both relatively dark, they absorb a lot of solar radiation. Some of the energy is used for photosynthesis in natural forests or to produce electricity in “solar forests”, but most returns to the atmosphere, heating it up. Then what would be the more effective land use option in terms of the climate crisis: planting a forest, or building solar panels? This issue has long been debated by decision-makers around the world. Now, we may have an answer, thanks to a new study.
First, the researchers compared the impact of a forest on the climate crisis in a dry area to that of a solar farm in a similar environment. The researchers found that the albedo effect (反射效应) of both of these “forests” was similar, but that the absorption or prevention of carbon emissions was very different. It turns out that it takes 2.5 years for the heat emitted by solar farms to be balanced by the carbon emissions that are avoided, thanks to the energy they produce. In the case of a natural forest of similar size, it would take more than 100 years of photosynthesis to balance its heating effect.
The researchers also studied how the heating-cooling relationship changed in other climates and found that in more humid environments, the heating effect of planting large numbers of trees is smaller. And the break-even point is reached within 15 to 18 years.
“In dry places, building solar forests seems far more effective in addressing the climate crisis. Meanwhile, forests absorb about a third of annual carbon emissions and play a vital role in the global rain cycle, in maintaining biodiversity and in many other environmental and social contexts. Preventing them from being cut down and planting more trees in humid areas are of great significance,” explains one of the researchers in the study.
1. What does the underlined word “mitigating” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Releasing. | B．Decreasing. | C．Generating. | D．Stabilizing. |
| A．They cause much damage to the land. |
| B．They result in a serious loss of farmland. |
| C．They contribute to the warming of the atmosphere. |
| D．They lose energy during the absorption of solar radiation. |
| A．The natural forest exhibits a stronger albedo effect. |
| B．The solar forest can generate more energy in dry areas. |
| C．The solar forest is superior in balancing the heating effect. |
| D．The natural forest is more effective in solving the climate crisis. |
| A．More trees should be planted in dry regions. |
| B．More methods should be adopted to address the climate crisis. |
| C．Fields of solar panels should be set up everywhere on the earth. |
| D．Building solar panels and planting trees should be effectively combined. |
3 . Samarkand in Uzbekistan hosted an important intergovernmental conference on how to stop the slow spread of degraded (退化) land. Between 2015 and 2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land a year, according to an analysis for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Human activities—including destroying forests and agricultural practices — and climate change are among the main causes.
115 countries reported ahead of the meeting on three measures for restoring degraded land and soil: protecting the area used for agriculture or covered by forests or wetlands; increasing the ability of land to support and sustain life, retaining above-and below-ground stocks of carbon. Reaching the target of “land degradation neutrality (土地退化中性)” by 2030 means reversing a negative trend: the global share of land that is degraded increased from 14.7% in 2015 to 18. 9% in 2019.
Yet there are some important signs of hope amid a mostly bleak prospect. The analysis enables countries to understand land degradation at a more granular (细致的) level than before. And the UNCCD’s science teams helped to train researchers in some of the most-affected countries, so that local scientists and policymakers could do the work themselves. And some countries are moving in the right direction. In Ecuador, for example, the area of land classed as degraded went from 21.9% to 12.8% between 2015 and 2019.
Land degradation is not a priority on the world’s environmental agenda. Although the UNCCD has the same status as the UN conventions on climate change and biodiversity, unlike them it does not have an autonomous body that provides independent scientific advice. Restoration projects also receive much less international funding.
This funding gap illustrates just how little priority is given to restoring land and preventing further countries are providing data. These nations, especially high-income countries, should start reporting degradation. Yet the latest analysis shows what can be done even with limited resources. But not all their plans and actions, to raise the profile of land degradation.
1. Which of the measures is mentioned before the conference?| A．Developing more forests or wetlands. |
| B．Increasing industrial productivity. |
| C．Making people support their life. |
| D．Keeping the stocks of carbon. |
| A．Dark. | B．Interesting. | C．Wonderful. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．The land degradation is serious nowadays. |
| B．Land degradation isn’t sufficiently prioritized. |
| C．The biodiversity deserves more attention. |
| D．More funds are obtained for the restoration project. |
| A．Provide funding to support relevant projects. |
| B．Help other countries to collect and analyze data. |
| C．Start reporting their own schedules and actions. |
| D．Stop land degradation in their countries completely. |
1. 活动目的；
2. 活动过程和感受。
注意：1. 写作同数应为80个左右。
2. 参考词汇：灭火器 fireextinguishers; 消防栓 fire hydrants
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5 . When photographer Chris Jordan first stepped onto Midway Atoll (中途岛) in 2009 to document “overwhelming” levels of ocean waste, little did he know that his striking image of a dead albatross (信天翁) chick would go viral and change the world’s response to the plastics crisis.
After hearing about an island covered in thousands of dead birds with stomachs full of everyday plastic items, he was determined to “find a unique way to photograph these birds indicating the severity of this environmental tragedy”. Though he never expected his images would go viral, his photos soon began appearing in magazines and newspapers all over the world. “Many people emailed me, expressing concerns and wanting to go to the island to save the albatrosses, but the plastic is not coming from this island. It’s a systemic problem,” says Jordan.
A recent report by WWF projects that plastic production is expected to more than double by 2040, resulting in plastic waste in the ocean four times by 2050. In 2010, 8 million tonnes of ocean plastic waste were from sources on land. That is the weight of some 650,000 double decker buses.
Jo Ruxton, the maker of the film A Plastic Ocean, says, “What makes Jordan’s photos resonate(共鸣)with people is that they recognize things in their daily use, and it’s when we see things that we actually use that makes people relate.”
“Every time I was with birds as they were dying, tears just poured. The grief was incredibly intense. Happily, things are improving — bans on everything from plastic micro beads in toothpaste to carrier bags have since come into force in various countries around the world. But for solutions, I believe the heart of this crisis lies in society’s disconnection between actions and their impacts on the environment and that a re-connection with nature and a raw appreciation for the world around us is what really drives positive change.” says Jordan.
1. What initially drives Jordan to Midway Atoll?| A．To support the ban on plastic items. | B．To record the environmental tragedy. |
| C．To create resonating images of plastic waste. | D．To photograph the amazing scenery of the island. |
| A．Reliable and determined. | B．Generous and responsible. |
| C．Creative and sympathetic. | D．Adventurous and intelligent. |
| A．Carrying out stricter bans on plastic products. |
| B．Strengthening education on environmental issues. |
| C．Advising using environmentally friendly materials. |
| D．Reestablishing the link between humans and nature. |
| A．The Photo: Making the Plastics Crisis Personal |
| B．The Method: Dealing with Marine Plastic Pollution |
| C．The Campaign: Restoring Our Relation with Nature |
| D．The Initiative: Fighting Against the Environmental Disaster |
6 . In the Seychelles archipelago (塞舌尔群岛) in East Africa, flooding and erosion (侵蚀) caused by rising sea level pose an incoming threat to the country’s many low-lying islands. At the same time its mangrove forests (红树林), which serve as a vital aspect against these impacts, are disappearing: Approximately 70% of Seychelles mangroves have been destroyed since the late 1700s due to human-driven development and agriculture as well as soil erosion from sea-level rise.
Today the Seychelles Government is working with local community leaders to restore the mangroves, and not just for protection against rising sealevel. Research shows that these forests can store about 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 (equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road for a year), directly helping to fight climate change. They also provide a breeding ground for fisheries, a sector that contributes one-fifth of the country’s GDP, benefiting local communities’ livelihood and helping to protect the islands’ lively biodiversity (多样性).
While the concept of using nature to benefit both lives and lands is by no means new, global interest in “nature-based solutions” has skyrocketed in recent years. Many now see nature-based solutions as a key approach for addressing not only climate change but a range of social, environmental and economic challenges — from biodiversity loss, food security and air pollution to disease control and declining local economies.
Yet there remains widespread debate about what exactly constitutes a nature-based solution as well as how to best include these strategies into broader climate and conservation efforts. This indetermination has contributed to significant under-investment: It’s estimated that to limit temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees C (degrees F), hold back biodiversity loss and control land degradation (恶化), annual investments in nature-based approaches must be three times by 2030.
As nature-based solutions continue to rise on the global agenda, building a more consistent understanding around the concept and its implications will be key to raising support for effective, extensive solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
1. What do the first two paragraphs focus on?| A．The diversity of economy in East African. |
| B．The environmental protection in East Africa. |
| C．The disappearance of mangroves in East Africa. |
| D．The operation of nature-based solutions in East Africa. |
| A．Novel. | B．Effective. | C．Ruinous. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．500,000 cars are taken off the road. |
| B．Yearly investment increases by double. |
| C．The temperature rise is limited to below 2.7℃. |
| D．A conference on nature-based solutions is held. |
| A．What Exactly Are Nature-based Solutions? |
| B．Why Are Nature-based Solutions on the Rise? |
| C．How Can Nature-based Solutions Help Fight Climate Change? |
| D．What Are the Potential Weaknesses of Nature-based Solutions? |
7 . On Christmas Eve, a team of reindeer (驯鹿) will help Santa Claus deliver gifts to children all around the world. The reindeer, led by their fearless leader Rudolph, won’t be the only ones doing something special. Back in the highest Arctic, their cousins have a remarkable ability changing their eye color.
During the summer months, when the days are long and the sun is bright, reindeer’s tapetum lucidum (荧光膜), a mirror-like layer at the back of their eye, appears golden, which helps bounce the majority of light off the eyes, effectively acting like a pair of natural sunglasses. As winter comes, and the days become shorter and darker, the tapetum lucidum turns blue to absorb more light, allowing reindeer to improve their night vision and see clear in low light conditions.
With these adaptations, reindeer can adapt and thrive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Unlike humans, reindeer can see well into the shorter Ultra Violet (UV) range. This UV vision enables them to spot food and predators more effectively in the snowy landscape. Lichens, a key part of their winter diet, absorb UV, so they show up dark against UV-reflecting white snow. Wolf and polar bear fur also absorb UV, so instead of disappearing against snow they pop out in high contrast, allowing reindeer to spot potential threats from a distance.
Reindeer change their eyes by adjusting their tapetum lucidum, which is made of collagen fibers. In winter, the collagen fibers become packed tighter, causing the tapetum lucidum to mainly reflect blue light. This change happens when reindeer dilate their pupils (瞳孔). In summer, the reindeer’s pupils return to a smaller size, which helps reindeer reduce the amount of light entering the eye.
But their unique adaptation may hurt them. Today, the increasing use of artificial lighting, especially during the winter months, poses a potential threat to their sensitive eyes. It can make reindeer lose their way, affecting their ability to survive in their challenging environment. So it is crucial for us to be mindful of our use of electricity and make efforts to minimize light pollution to ensure the well-being and survival of these magnificent creatures.
1. What do we know from paragraph 2?| A．The shape of reindeer’s eyes varies with seasons. |
| B．It is difficult for reindeer to live in low light conditions. |
| C．The tapetum lucidum helps reindeer adapt to seasonal changes. |
| D．Reindeer’s eyes appear golden in winter while blue in summer. |
| A．To help them see clear in dark nights. |
| B．To distinguish food of different colors quickly. |
| C．To protect their eyes from harsh sunlight in summer. |
| D．To better locate food and enemies during snowy days. |
| A．Relax. | B．Expand. | C．Narrow. | D．Hide. |
| A．To call on people to protect reindeer from light pollution. |
| B．To show the reasons for the decline in reindeer population. |
| C．To present humans’ great efforts to reduce artificial lighting. |
| D．To prove reindeer’s strong adaptability to harsh environments. |
8 . Overlooking the Davis—Gant Varsity Soccer Field, a bed of overturned soil waits for further development. In a few years, this area will become a natural habitat and a playground for animals and residents. This peaceful area didn’t appear naturally, but through planning and action taken by Catlin Gabel’s Tiny Forest project launched by teacher Patrick Walsh.
Forests typically take hundreds of years to mature, with four stages of growth. “Tiny forests flatten out time through the planting of all four layers (层),” Walsh explained. The end result is a fast-growing, native forest in about 20 years. Over 600 plants from 43 species will be planted in the tiny forest, the first one in Oregon.
Walsh was inspired to build a tiny forest after hearing about this idea, which emerged in Japan and has taken hold in North America. He shared his vision with seniors in his class. The seniors researched tiny forests and made a proposal resulting in Clean Water Services donating 60 trees and $5,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Armed with these resources, Walsh and the students started working. “Something I didn’t really expect was the outpouring of students’ enthusiasm. Seeing students from all grades volunteered to contribute to the ‘dirty work’ really blew me away,” Walsh said.
Senior Megan Cover has been at the school since the first grade. “I’ll graduate after working on this project, which is surely sad, but it’s really rewarding and great to be a part of this project and to do my bit. We’re creating this educational space for many young kids,” Cover said.
Walsh summed up his goal of the project, which is to build a place where students can enjoy and learn about nature. “The forest will obviously not solve climate change, but it will deserve the efforts if the kids think about climate change and remember the importance of reforestation and trees when they look outside at the forest.”
1. What is special about tiny forests?| A．They originated in North America. | B．They are usually planted in schools. |
| C．They contain various types of trees. | D．They become mature in a shorter time. |
| A．The abundance of native tree species. | B．Public concern about the environment. |
| C．The active participation of students. | D．Support from local organizations. |
| A．Proud. | B．Regretful. | C．Grateful. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．A model. | B．A reminder. | C．A resource. | D．A witness. |
1. 公园垃圾乱扔的现象；
2. 捡垃圾的意义；
3. 报名方式及截止日期。
Dear fellow students,
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Students Union
10 . It was a typical summer day in my small town, with the sun shining and the sky clear. I was sitting on my porch, enjoying the peaceful view of the rolling hills and the calm lake, when suddenly a strong wind blew in from the west. The peaceful sky turned dark as a storm approached.
I went inside, grabbing my raincoat and heading to the barn to secure the animals. The cows were nervous, sensing the approaching storm. I quickly tied them up and ran back to the house, just as the rain started to pour down. The wind was howling and the rain was pounding against the windows. Lightning and thunder followed, making the atmosphere even more electric. I sat by the window, watching the raging storm and praying that everything would be okay.
After what seemed like hours, but was only a few minutes, the storm passed. The clouds moved away, revealing a bright and sunny sky. I walked outside, taking in the fresh air and surveying the damage. The trees were bent over and some branches had been blown off. Our vegetable garden was flooded, but other than that, everything seemed to be fine. I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized that no serious damage had been done.
That evening, as I sat by the fireplace with a cup of hot coffee, I reflected on the experience. It reminded me that nature can be both powerful and unpredictable, but that we must persevere and adapt to whatever it throws at us. The next morning, as I watched the sun rise over the now-calm landscape, I felt a sense of pride knowing that my family and I had weathered the storm together.
1. What does the word “weathered” mean in the last paragraph?| A．enjoyed | B．survived | C．forecasted | D．changed |
| A．Angry | B．Relieved | C．Scared | D．Sad |
| A．Problem and solution | B．Cause and effect |
| C．in order time | D．by Comparison |
| A．The author explains how to prepare for and cope with a storm. |
| B．The author describes how a storm ruined his day and his garden. |
| C．The author compares and contrasts the different weather conditions in his town. |
| D．The author recounts how he and his family withstood a sudden storm and learned a lesson from it. |
