1. What would the man like to know about the future?
A.How the environment will be. |
B.How fast the technology will develop. |
C.How rich he will be. |
A.A scientist. | B.A teacher. | C.A doctor. |
2 . Topher White spends so much time walking in the forest and thinking about how quickly we’re losing it. The engineer is determined to stop global deforestation. Founder of the San Francisco-based non-profit Rainforest Connection, White has developed a small but clever strategy: using old cell phones to listen for the sound of destruction.
Forests are disappearing worldwide, and fast:an area about half the size of England is lost each year. The Amazon has lost close to one-fifth of its rainforest cover in the last four decades. Forest loss not only harms wildlife, including many species that live nowhere else, but it’s also a big contributor to the greenhouse gas emission(排放)that cause climate change.
”I didn’t know any of this when I started,“ says White, who began his journey in 2011, when he traveled to Indonesian Borneo to help decreasing gibbons(长臂猿).
Between 50 and 90 percent of the logging that happens in the world’s rainforests is illegal, according to White, yet detecting chainsaws(电锯)and other sounds related to that activity can be tough, because the air is already filled with the loud unpleasant mixture of sounds from nature. So he has developed a system in which he installs a cell phone that stays charged by solar cells, attaches an extra microphone, and listens. From there, the device can detect the sounds of chainsaws nearly a mile away.
Because it’s unfeasible to have people listening to the devices all the time, he added some “old-school data analysis”, so that the cell phone’s computers can distinguish a chainsaw’s sound from others in the forest. This way, his device can automatically detect logging activity and send a text alert to authorities who can determine if it’s illegal and then stop it.
White notes that he’s not alone in the fight: Many people and organizations are working tirelessly to stop forests from disappearing. For instance, local groups are particularly active in forest conservation efforts, White says.
So far, his monitoring devices have been used in Cameroon, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil and will soon be used in Bolivia. It’s not just about listening for logging. The same technology that can pick out the buzz of a chainsaw can pick out the sounds of specific birds, which is why Whtie sees the forest recordings as a potential science tool. He’s urging biologists and ecologists to use his monitoring system anywhere, whether it’s a remote forest or a park in London. “The more we learn about these places,” he says, “the easier it’ll be to protect them.”
1. The second paragraph is mainly about .A.the measures to prevent forest loss |
B.the causes and effects of forest loss |
C.the areas that suffer great forest loss |
D.the urgency about reducing forest loss |
A.Impractical. | B.Unnecessary. | C.Possible. | D.Significant. |
A.our advanced technology | B.our strong teamwork spirit |
C.our good understanding of it | D.our environmental awareness |
A.Efforts should be taken to preserve nature |
B.Your old cell phone can help save the rainforest |
C.Old cell phones can be used for helping gibbons |
D.A creative way is being used to protect specific birds |
3 . Since the 1950s, some 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally, of which only about 10% has ever been recycled. Yet environmentally conscious companies and consumers continue to look to recycling as a way to ease the plastic problem. Manufacturing giants claim to be committed to making more of their products and packaging from recycled materials. However, this confidence masks (掩饰) a complex web of issues around plastic recycling. Recycling rates remain extremely low and critics argue that we should look at alternative ways to tackle plastic pollution.
While many plastics have the potential to be recycled, most are not because the process is costly, complicated and the resulting product of a lower quality than the original. Despite rising demand for recycled plastic, few waste companies turn a profit. Part of this is because virgin plastic—linked to oil prices—is often cheaper than recycled plastic, meaning there is little economic motive to use it. Worse yet, much of our plastic waste is difficult to recycle. Lightweight food packaging, like a mozzarella packet, contains different plastics, dyes and toxic additives (添加剂). This dirty mix means plastic recycled through mechanical methods—the most common form—can only be melted down and moulded again a couple of times before it becomes too fragile to be reused. And the nature of the process means plastic recycling has a carbon footprint of its own.
Given all of these difficulties, environmental critics say recycling is not the solution and argue that creating more products from recycled material to attract environmental consciousness merely worsens the problem. “The solution is to use less plastic and to stop misleading the public about the recyclability,” says Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, a US campaign group with a mission to end single-use plastic. “They should stop making false claims about the recyclability of plastics since they know most will either be littered or burned or landfilled (填埋). Using less plastics means shifting to reusable products and relying more on paper, cardboard, glass and metal—all of which should be made from recycled content.”
1. Which of the following statements would environmentally conscious companies support?A.Recycling can’t solve the plastic problem. |
B.Creating more products from recycled material can help ease plastic pollution. |
C.The solution to plastic pollution is to use less plastic. |
D.People should give up recycling because the recycling rates remain extremely low. |
A.The process is costly and complex. |
B.Waste companies can’t make a profit. |
C.The process of recycling has a carbon footprint. |
D.Policy support is insufficient and people’s awareness of plastic recycling is insufficient. |
A.Disapproving | B.Unclear | C.Neutral | D.Indifferent |
A.An environmentally conscious customer’s attitude towards recycling plastics is not favorable. |
B.Contributing factors to low plastic recycling rates. |
C.Most plastics have the potential to be recycled. |
D.Few waste companies turn a profit because the demand for recycled plastics is low. |
4 . When 62-year-old fisherman Kpana Charlie has finished placing the day’s catch in his nets, he likes to sit on his wooden chair and let his mind go back to his childhood. Back then, his home on Sierra Leone’s Nyangai Island seemed like a paradise (天堂).
He spent endless hours playing with his friends on the island’s shining white beaches. He liked to kick around a soccer ball on the sports field in his village, and in mango season, he would shake the trees to collect their colorful fruit. Whenever he wanted to avoid doing his homework, he could simply disappear into the thick forest that covered much of the island.
Today, Nyangai is disappearing, swallowed up by the sea. As recently as ten years ago, it still measured some 2, 300 feet from end to end. What’s left today is a patch of (一片) sand which is 300 feet long and 250 wide. The forests are gone, flooded by saltwater. The soccer field lies under water for 22 hours of the day. And the land on which Charlie’s family home once stood, the home he was born in, has been disappearing under the waves. In as little as two years, Charlie fears, Nyangai may no longer exist at all.
With nearly a third of its population living in coastal areas, and its heavy reliance on agriculture and fishing, Sierra Leone has been treated as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate (气候) change.
Gabriel Jaka, head of operations for the country’s Meteorological Agency, says the reason for Nyangai’s troubles is clear. “We’re seeing a significant sea-level rise and these people don’t have any proper defenses,” he says. “All they have are sandbags. If we don’t act now, the effects on people are just going to get worse.”
1. What do the figures in paragraph 3 show?A.Nyangai is large in area. |
B.Nyangai has a long history. |
C.Nyangai is being destroyed by humans. |
D.Nyangai is suffering a lot from a sea-level rise. |
A.Far-reaching. | B.Protected. |
C.Easy to be attacked. | D.Difficult to keep in touch with. |
A.Worried. | B.Calm. |
C.Unconcerned. | D.Hopeful. |
A.To introduce a poor fisherman. |
B.To call for actions to fight climate change. |
C.To present a fisherman’s old hometown. |
D.To show the destruction of the forest. |
5 . Last summer on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, Tina Taniguchi worked close to the ground. Her coconut leaf hat covered most of her thick brown hair. Wet soil had gotten on her clothes and her smiling face.
Taniguchi smiles a lot while working on the Hanapepe salt land on the west side of Kauai. It is a piece of land about half a hectare in size with pools of salty water. The salt becomes crystals (晶体)as the water dries.
“The work is tiring, but for me it’s also play,” Taniguchi said with a laugh. Taniguchi’s family is one of 22 families who make salt, following a cultural and spiritual tradition. Hanapepe is one of the last remaining salt lands in Hawaii. Its salt can be traded or given away but must never be sold. Hawaiians use it in cooking, healing, and as protection.
Over the past 10 years, there have been several threats to this field. They encompass development, pollution from a neighboring airfield, damage to the sand from vehicle traffic and waste left by visitors to the nearby beach. In addition, rising sea levels and weather might stop the practice.
The process of turning sea water into salt can be slow. The season begins once the rain stops and water starts to disappear from the salt beds. Ocean water travels underground and enters the wells. Each family has their own well. As water enters the well, so do tiny, red brine shrimp. These small ocean animals give Hanapepe salt its unusual, sweet taste.
The families first clean the salt beds and line them with black clay (陶土). Then they move water from the wells into the beds. There, salt crystals form. The top level, or layer, is the whitest. It is used for table salt. The middle layer is pinkish and is used in cooking, while the bottom layer, which is a deep red color, is used in blessings.
1. What do we know about Taniguchi?A.She gives salt to others as a gift. | B.She works hard but with pleasure. |
C.She has found a new way to make salt. | D.She fears old traditions will disappear. |
A.Trade goods with it. | B.Use it as a treatment. |
C.Make money from it. | D.Cook vegetables with it. |
A.Prevent. | B.Include. | C.Improve. | D.Discover. |
A.The special taste of the salt. | B.A thicker middle layer of salt. |
C.More water in the wells. | D.A quicker process of making salt. |
Tibetan antelopes are very graceful animals,
Plogging
The
Now, plogging is widely recognized as an
8 . I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it. I went there for camping with my parents. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to EI Capitan, a huge rock of 3, 300 feet straight up. I touched that
About 7 years ago I started seeing a lot of waste,
I made an attempt to clean the place myself, but the job was too
In 2018, together with some climbers, I set a
Each year these climbers come for the
There are many people around us who are
A.deep | B.mysterious | C.giant | D.slim |
A.perform | B.signal | C.climb | D.compose |
A.failure | B.passion | C.contest | D.admiration |
A.like | B.as | C.except | D.with |
A.homelike | B.lifelike | C.industrial | D.firm |
A.professional | B.minor | C.small | D.big |
A.put up with | B.come up with | C.keep up with | D.team up with |
A.place | B.date | C.figure | D.plot |
A.required | B.received | C.shot | D.collected |
A.complex | B.visual | C.tense | D.unbelievable |
A.park | B.lake | C.garden | D.campus |
A.cleanup | B.stage | C.ceremony | D.party |
A.content | B.dissatisfied | C.busy | D.confident |
A.working through | B.working out | C.taking action | D.taking off |
A.request | B.cause | C.balance | D.duty |
9 . Sounds from human activity flood across the oceans, causing trouble to ocean creatures. And climate (气候) change may make some places even louder.
Researchers have expected the oceans to get noisier because of increasing human activity. “The more goods you buy, the more shipping you have, so the more noise you have.” says Luca Possenti, a scientist studying sound in the ocean at the Royal Netherlands Institute. But Possenti and his co-worker realized that climate change might also influence how sound travels through the water.
Human-caused climate change is changing ocean temperatures, salt levels and acidity (酸度). So Possenti’s team used computers to model how those factors (因素) influence noise levels across the world’s oceans.
When waters become more acidic, they can’t take in sound at some wavelengths as well, so those sounds can travel further, adding to the noise in some areas. This effect is relatively small. Other changes impact the sound level more, the researchers found. Changes to temperature and salt levels can change how well different layers (层) of the ocean mix, which, in turn, impacts how sound travels.
The team predicted (预测) models of the world in about 70 years if climate change continues. And then they compared them with models of the world now. In the North Atlantic, they saw an increase in sound levels in the upper 125 meters of the ocean. This was caused mostly by ice melting (融化) off of Greenland, forming a cold layer of water near the ocean’s surface. Sound traveling through water tends to go toward the coldest area. As a result, sound waves tended to get stuck in the cold top layer-spreading further out across the water, instead of traveling deeper. That increased the noisiness at this depth in the North Atlantic. The models suggested that a single ship could sound about five times as loud underwater because of this. Considering all the ship traffic between Europe and North America, that may stress animals, many of which communicate, and catch food with sound.
1. How is paragraph 2 developed?A.By quoting an expert. | B.By using examples. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By presenting research findings. |
A.Effects of temperature changes. | B.Some risk factors for a nosier sea. |
C.Impacts of acidity on wavelengths. | D.Ways oceans mix and sound travels. |
A.Sea animals will be protected from noises. |
B.Added meltwater does more harm than good. |
C.Greenland is hit the hardest by climate change. |
D.The result of the research is based on prediction. |
A.Increase in salt levels. | B.Failure of acidity control. |
C.Change in the ocean depths. | D.Formation of a cold water layer. |
10 . More than 80 percent of global heat is absorbed by the ocean, which has a massive capacity to store and give off heat. High sea-surface temperatures are causing long-term damage to coral reefs (珊瑚礁). Corals are dying. The IPCC (政府间气候变化专门委员会) projects that up to 90 percent of coral reefs could disappear if global warming reaches 1.5℃. Another reason corals are in trouble is because of ocean acidification. Higher carbon dioxide levels have shift ed the chemistry of the ocean, making it more acidic, and corals and sea creatures have trouble growing in acidic conditions.
When ocean water warms, it expands in volume. This is a major cause of the rise in sea levels, along with the water added to the ocean by the melting of land-based glaciers (冰川). The sea level has risen by an average of 20 centimeters since the late 19th century, and the research by scientists studying the last 25 years of satellite data found that the ocean water is rising faster and faster. If it continues at its current rate, the rise in sea level by 2100 will be more than double the current estimates. Sea level rise leads to the destruction of coastal wetlands, flooding and damage to water ecosystems.
Temperature and precipitation (沉淀) are key elements of climate. A warmer climate means that more water rises from both the land and ocean, and a warmer atmosphere holds more of that water. Scientists have noticed that there are more heavy rainfall events. Additionally, higher water temperature in streams, lakes, and rivers lead to lower levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, which impacts the survival and populations of fish and other sea life.
Especially troubling are the extreme weather events that are happening more often around the world. Hurricanes are ramping up in intensity, particularly in North Atlantic. The year 2017 was a busy one for Atlantic hurricanes. Meanwhile, in the western United States, the state of California has had record-setting drought conditions, which began in 2012.
1. What does the author intend to tell us in Paragraph 1?A.Global warming has little damage to the land. | B.Ocean acidification affects the sea temperature. |
C.Coral reefs are in danger of disappearing. | D.Corals and sea creatures need critical surroundings. |
A.Sea level rise has positive effect on sea animals. |
B.By 2100 the sea level will rise 20 centimeters. |
C.Global heating is the direct cause of wetlands destruction. |
D.The rise of sea level is beyond our imagination. |
A.Increasing. | B.Failing. | C.Appearing. | D.Changing. |
A.High Sea-surface Temperatures to Creatures | B.Global Warming, What Damages It Causes |
C.Ways to Stop High Sea-surface Temperatures | D.Extreme Weather Events and Global Warming |