Citizens Forest is a young organization from northern Germany. Its small team helps people in
The model is a sure-fire success. There are motivated people and companies everywhere
Tiny Forests are more than just woodlands
The Power and Problems of Eco-Tourism
Eco-tourism gained its popularity over the past two decades. At its core, eco-tourism promotes sustainable travel practices that benefit local communities and protect the environment. However, like any significant trend, it is vital to analyze its impact and understand both its merits (好处) and potential shortcomings.
Eco-tourism emerged as a response to the damaging effects of mass tourism. Coastal towns were being transformed into commercial centers, but the luxury resorts rarely invested back into the community. Over time, ecosystems suffered, local cultures were overshadowed, and the very essence of these destinations was at risk. On the other hand, eco-tourism focuses on smaller groups, environmental education, and local engagement.
One of the primary merits of eco-tourism is its emphasis on environmental conservation. It helps protect endangered species and reforest areas affected by deforestation. Take the mountain gorillas of Rwanda for instance, tourism income has played a crucial role in their conservation efforts, bringing them back from the edge of extinction.
Furthermore, eco-tourism often ensures that local communities benefit economically. Instead of leaving profits to international corporations, the income often stays within the community. Local artisans, guides, and service providers receive a more significant piece of the pie, ensuring that tourism acts as a tool for socio-economic growth.
Yet, eco-tourism is not without its problems. The term “eco-tourism” is sometimes misused or overused. Some businesses might claim themselves as “eco-friendly” purely as a marketing strategy, without truly making sustainable practices.
In conclusion, eco-tourism represents a significant change towards more sustainable travel, placing emphasis on the environment and local communities. However, as with any major movement, it’s essential to approach it with a critical eye. By doing so, we can ensure that our passion for travelling doesn’t come at the cost of our planet or its inhabitants, but rather enriches both the traveler and the destination.
1. How has eco-tourism impacted the mountain gorillas of Rwanda?2. What are the merits of eco-tourism?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Eco-tourism places emphasis on the environment and local communities, ensuring that our passion for travelling comes at the cost of our planet and its inhabitants.
4. Do you believe eco-tourism is a sustainable way to promote tourism without causing harm? Why or why not? (In about 40 words)
3 . When it comes to going green, intention can be easier than action. Case in point: you decide to buy a T-shirt made from 100% organic cotton. But that green label doesn’t tell the whole story—like the fact that even organic cotton requires more than 10,000 L of water to grow enough fibre for one T-shirt. Or the possibility that the T-shirt may have been dyed (染色) using harmful industrial chemicals. If you knew all that, would you still consider the T-shirt green? Would you still buy it?
It’s a hard question to answer. That’s because the global economy development is beyond our ability to comprehend the consequences—for ourselves and the planet. We are not prepared to understand the increasing impact of industrial chemicals on our children’s health or the climate. And we lack the data to understand the full impact of what we choose.
But what if we could calculate the full lifetime effect of our actions on the earth and on our bodies? Not just carbon footprints but social and biological footprints as well? What if we could think ecologically? That’s what psychologist Daniel Goleman describes in his forthcoming book, Ecological Intelligence. He compiles (汇编) the environmental and biological impact of our every decision and delivers that information to consumers in a user-friendly way. That’s thinking ecologically—understanding the global environmental consequences of our local choices.
Ecological intelligence is ultimately about more than what we buy. It’s also about our ability to accept that we live in a closely connected world with limited resources. Goleman highlights the Tibetan community of Sher, where for thousands of years, villagers have survived severe conditions by carefully protecting every resource available to them. The Tibetans think ecologically because they have no other choice. Neither do we. “We once had the luxury to ignore our impacts,” says Goleman. “Not any more.”
1. Why is it hard for us to decide whether a T-shirt is green or not?| A．The green label tells lies. | B．We lack enough knowledge. |
| C．The economy grows too slowly. | D．We are misled by false data. |
| A．Increase carbon footprints. | B．Give up regular consumption. |
| C．Develop ecological thinking. | D．Deliver information to customers. |
| A．By searching for new resources. | B．By living on plentiful resources. |
| C．By distributing resources reasonably. | D．By treasuring their resources seriously. |
| A．To instruct manufacturers how to go green. |
| B．To introduce and advocate ecological intelligence. |
| C．To warn people of the dangers of ecological crisis. |
| D．To illustrate the origin of ecological intelligence. |
1. 保护环境的重要性；
2. 如何低碳生活；
3. 发出倡议。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear fellow students,
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5 . A large flood caused by heavy rains and melting mountain snow recently hit America’s Yellowstone National Park. It caused widespread damage and resulted in many changes.
It changed the path of a river popular for fishing and also devastated hundreds of homes, bridges and roadways in nearby communities. It drove more than 10, 000 visitors out of the park. Luckily, no one was reported hurt. However, the park could remain closed for up to one week. The water also washed away camp structures, flooded small towns and cut power to parts of southern Montana and northern Wyoming.
The Yellowstone River was running at a historically high level of 4. 9 meters as it flowed past Billings, Montana’s largest city. The city got its water from the river and was forced to close its treatment plant (工厂) because it couldn’t operate effectively with water levels that high. Billings officials said the city only had a 24-hour supply of water. They were asking people to save water until the river could drop and the plant could restart operations.
Yellowstone officials said, “The northern half of the park is likely to remain closed over the summer. This will greatly affect local economies that depend on summer tourists. But we have faith in the park repairs and economic recovery.”
1. What does the underlined word “devastated” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Ruined. | B．Promoted. | C．Challenged. | D．Demanded. |
| A．The flood lasted quite long. | B．The flood left bad effects. |
| C．The flood was caused for some reasons. | D．The flood killed 10, 000 visitors. |
| A．It needed new equipment to supply water. | B．It cut down the city’s water supply for 24 hours. |
| C．It was forced to operate in 24 hours. | D．It stopped working. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncertain. | D．Curious. |
6 . Thanks to the 1999 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 26 endangered species in Australia have seen their populations recover.
It seems like that we're always hearing about new animals that have become endangered, but there's some good news in Australia: 26 animal species no longer meet the criteria to be listed as threatened. Australia’s biodiversity has been in decline, with more than 1, 700 species and ecological communities known to be on the line. In 1999, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act was passed to introduce protections for endangered animals. The burrowing bettong is one of 26 Australian species that have returned from the edge of extinction.
Seemingly these are working, as a recent study published in the journal Biological Conservation reviewed the animals that were previously or currently listed as threatened between 2000 and December 2022, and discovered that 26 species had recovered to no longer meet the criteria. Species that have seen improvement include the charmingly named burrowing bettong, the golden bandicoot and the bulloo grey grasswren.
Factors behind this improvement include habitat management, control of introduced predators (捕食者) and translocation of endangered animals to predator-free islands. However, the species have not been officially delisted at this time. The EPBC Act only allows species to be delisted if doing so will not have a negative effect on their survival, and researchers believe that conservation gains could be lost should management efforts be stopped.
Dr Michelle Ward, a conservation scientist at WWF Australia, told The Guardian, “The key problem with delisting species is that then they no longer have monitoring and no longer need certain funding plans.”
However, it is promising that researchers have found signs of improvement. Hopefully this will continue among these and other species!
1. What do the underlined words “on the line” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Out of place. | B．At risk. |
| C．Under control. | D．On the increase. |
| A．Some animals are facing extinction. |
| B．Burrowing bettong is a charming species. |
| C．The criteria to be delisted were hard to meet. |
| D．26 endangered species’ populations are recovering. |
| A．their living situation is severe | B．the delisting consequences are uncertain |
| C．the conservation gains are short | D．the habitat management level is poor |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Worried. |
7 . Artificial intelligence (AI) is showing promise in earthquake prediction, challenging the long-held belief that it is impossible. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, have developed an Al algorithm (算法) that correctly predicted 70% of earthquakes a week in advance during a test in China and provided accurate strength calculations for the predicted earthquakes.
The AI was provided with a set of statistical features based on the team’s knowledge of earthquake physics, and then instructed to train itself using a five-year database of earthquake recordings. Once trained, the AI provided its prediction by listening for signs of incoming earthquakes within the background rumblings (轰隆隆) in the Earth.
This work is clearly a milestone in research for AI-driven earthquake prediction. “You don’t see earthquakes coming,” explains Alexandros Savvaidis, a senior research scientist who leads the Texas Seismological Network Program (TexNet). “It’s a matter of milliseconds, and the only thing you can control is how prepared you are. Even with the 70% accuracy (精确度), that’s a huge result and could help decrease economic and human losses and has the potential to remarkably improve earthquake preparation worldwide.”
While it is unknown whether the same approach will work at other locations, the researchers are confident that their AI algorithm could produce more accurate predictions if used in areas with reliable earthquake tracking networks. The next step is to test artificial intelligence in Texas, since UT’s Bureau TexNet has 300 earthquake stations and over six years worth of continuous records, making it an ideal location for these purposes.
Finally, the authors hope to combine the system with physics-based models. This strategy could prove especially important where data is poor or lacking. “That may be a long way to go, but many advances such as this one, taken together, are what moves science forward.” concludes Scott Tinker, the bureau’s director.
1. Which words can best describe the earthquake-predicting technology?| A．Reliable but outdated. | B．Effective but costly. |
| C．Potential and economical. | D．Groundbreaking and promising. |
| A．By identifying data from the satellites. |
| B．By analyzing background sounds in the Earth. |
| C．By modeling data based on earthquake recordings. |
| D．By monitoring changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. |
| A．The ways to reduce losses in earthquakes. |
| B．The importance of preparing for earthquakes. |
| C．The significance of developing the AI prediction. |
| D．The limitation of AI algorithms in earthquake prediction. |
| A．Conducting tests in different locations. |
| B．Applying the AI approach to other fields. |
| C．Building more earthquake stations in Texas. |
| D．Enlarging the database to train the accuracy. |
8 . The endangered pandas in the Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food — bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.
Adult pandas spend most of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of the rising temperature worldwide.
A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate change. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature increases 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century,” said Liu Jianguo, one of the report's authors.
He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in The Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening around the world.”
In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger nature reserves.
“But it is far from being enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,”said Shirley Martin from the WWF but not a member of the team.
There are 345 wild pandas in the Qinling Mountains. That is about 18.5% of the population of China's wild pandas. In addition, about 375 pandas are living in research centers and zoos in China.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The Qinling Mountains can provide enough bamboo for the pandas. |
| B．Pandas in the Qinling Mountains are only threatened by the loss of food. |
| C．Lots of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains will probably disappear. |
| D．Pandas have already eaten 99% of the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains. |
| A．China needs more help from the WWF. |
| B．It is difficult to control the temperature rise within 3.5 degrees. |
| C．Bamboo is sensitive to changes in temperature. |
| D．China is making great efforts to protect the pandas. |
| A．About 345. | B．About 408. | C．About 2,272. | D．About 1,864. |
| A．The Disappearance of Bamboo |
| B．Necessity to Change Pandas' Food |
| C．A New Threat Faced by the Pandas |
| D．Efforts Made to Save Pandas |
9 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, and almost six months before it enters its peak (高峰), weathermen are already predicting (预测) that it could be particularly active.
Officially, hurricane season begins from June 1 and runs through November. One reason is that sea surface temperatures in the tropical (热带的) Atlantic are already at record highs.
Meanwhile, another significant potential factor in this year’s hurricane season is taking shape thousands of miles away in the Pacific. Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean warm and cool in turn as a result of a repeating climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes less likely to form but La Niña does.
During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño period. However, by the time the 2024 season starts, it will have changed into a “neutral(中立)” period, but that by the peak months, it is likely to have changed fully into a La Niña.
“How quickly that change occurs can affect everything as well,” says DaSilva, a lead hurricane weatherman. “There’s a lag time. So, while we expect the change to occur in mid-summer, it may not be until late summer or fall where we really see those effects across the Atlantic basin.” As a result, he says, this year’s hurricane season could remain particularly active deep into November.
Of course, no report can predict when individual storms will come or the paths they will take, but DaSilva warns that those who live in areas likely to suffer hurricanes, especially around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, should prepare. “If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly strengthen, potentially close to land,” he also warns. “And that’s why people need to be careful and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”
1. What is the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To give advice. | B．To explain the season. |
| C．To introduce the topic. | D．To inform a weather report. |
| A．The hurricane season has entered its peak. |
| B．A repeating climate has changed weather in summer. |
| C．The sea surface temperatures are the highest of all time. |
| D．El Niño makes Atlantic hurricanes more likely to form. |
| A．A time delay. | B．A time in a zone. |
| C．A time waste. | D．A time in advance. |
| A．It can be exactly predicted ahead of time. |
| B．People needn’t worry about hurricane season. |
| C．It may be eventually controlled by weathermen. |
| D．People can’t be more careful about hurricane season. |
10 . In the U.S., people eat more protein than they need to, which might not be bad for human health, but does pose a problem for the country’s waterways. The nation’s wastewater is loaded with the leftovers from protein digestion: nitrogen compounds (氮化合物) that can feed harmful algal blooms (藻华) and pollute the air and drinking water.
Maya Almaraz, a biogeochemist at the University of California, Davis, and her team wanted to see how much of this nitrogen entered into the U.S. wastewater system because of a protein-heavy diet. The researchers found that the majority of nitrogen pollution present in wastewater — some 67 to 100 percent — is a by-product of what people consume.
Once it enters the environment, the nitrogen can have a series of ecological impacts. It helps algae grow much faster than they would normally, which is harmful to humans, other animals and plants. And when the algae eventually die, the problem is not over. Microorganisms (微生物) that feed on dead algae use up oxygen in the water, leading to “dead zones”, where many species simply cannot survive, in rivers, lakes and oceans.
Although it is possible to treat algal blooms, many of the current methods are not always effective at getting rid of all of the harmful growth. Some of these methods can even lead to additional pollution. So the best strategy for dealing with the effects of nitrogen pollution is prevention, says Patricia Glibert, an ocean scientist at the University of Maryland. Almaraz and her team state that controlling nitrogen pollution could be approached more quickly with a change in eating habits that could save billions of dollars in the long term.
1. Which aspect of Americans’ diet does Almaraz’s research focus on?| A．Its nitrogen compounds. | B．Its algal blooms. |
| C．Its amount. | D．Its effect. |
| A．No oxygen for many species. |
| B．Death of lots of healthy algae. |
| C．Microorganisms’ over-consumption of nutrients. |
| D．Poisonous chemicals released by harmful algae. |
| A．They are costly but inefficiently . | B．They may cause secondary pollution. |
| C．They may kill all algae. | D．They are slow to take effect. |
| A．Why the Algae Grow So Rapidly? |
| B．Why Eating Too Much Protein Harms the Planet? |
| C．How to Prevent the Air and Water Pollution? |
| D．How to Solve the Problem of Wastewater? |
