1 . Flash droughts develop fast, and when they hit at the wrong time, they can ruin a region’s agriculture. They’re also becoming increasingly common as the planet warms. In a study published in the journal Communications Earth& Environment, we found that the risk of flash droughts, which can develop in just a few weeks, is on the rise in every major agricultural region around the world in the coming decades.

In North America and Europe, cropland that had a 32% annual chance of a flash drought a few years ago could have a greater chance of a flash drought by the final decades of this century. That result would put food production, energy, and water supplies under increasing pressure. The cost of change will also rise. A flash drought in the Dakotas and Montana 2017 caused $2.6 billion in agricultural damage in America alone.

All droughts begin when rainfall stops. What’s interesting about flash droughts is how fast they strengthen themselves, with some help from the warming climate. When the weather is hot and dry, soil loses moisture rapidly. Dry air extracts moisture from the land, and rising temperatures can increase this evaporative (蒸发的) demand. The lack of rain during a flash drought can further contribute to the feedback processes. Under these conditions, crops and vegetation begin to die much more quickly than they do during typical long-term droughts.

In our study, we used climate models and data from the past 170 years to assess the drought risks ahead under three conditions for how quickly the world takes action to slow the pace of global warming. If greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, power plants, and other human sources continue at a high rate, we found that cropland in much of North America and Europe would have a 53% annual chance of flash droughts, by the final decades of this century. Globally, the largest increases in flash droughts would be in Europe and the Amazon. Slowing emissions can reduce the risk significantly, but we found flash droughts would still increase by about 6% worldwide under low emission conditions.

1. What is the feature of flash droughts?

A．Seldom happen and greatly beneficial.	B．Frequently happen and low risky.
C．Suddenly happen and highly destructive.	D．Regularly happen and slightly harmful.

2. Which of the following statements may the author agree with?

A．Crops and vegetation die more quickly during long term droughts.

B．Slowing emissions can completely solve the problem of flash droughts.

C．In Europe cropland will suffer from more flash droughts by the end of this century.

D．Flash droughts won’t have any effect on food production, energy, and water supplies.

3. What may be a factor that strengthens flash droughts?

A．Adequate rainfall.	B．The warming climate.
C．The cold and wet weather.	D．Long-term droughts.

4. How can humans help reduce flash droughts?

A．By studying climate models.	B．By speeding up global warming.
C．By changing cropland into forests.	D．By decreasing greenhouse gas emissions.

2 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式，并将答案填写在答题卡上。

The Hangzhou Asian Games,     1     are the first carbon-neutral Asiad in history, are set to deliver a legacy (遗产) with long-term benefits for the host city and beyond, according to the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC).

Sustainability (持续性) has been     2     (large) integrated into all aspects of the planning and operations of the Games — from     3     (construct)to transportation and energy sources, right through to ensuring minimal waste. Green energy is used to power all venues (场地). Methanol fuels the main flame of the Games, electric     4     (vehicle) transport athletes and media between venues, a recyclable water cleaning system is put     5     use in the swimming pools,     6     a rain retention system (蓄雨系统) operates at all venues. From the beginning of the preparations, HAGOC learned about green efforts from all over the world, including some Chinese cities. They realized that a green Games should not only be     7     concept, but also a commitment and an action that is sustainable, and set a trend for     8     (lead) an environmentally friendly living.

    9     (achieve) these goals, HAGOC launched an extensive carbon-offset program that encourage the public to help the Games achieve a negative carbon footprint. Since the preparations for the Asiad began, more than 200 million people from all sectors of society     10     (respond) to the call for a “Green Asian Games” and participated in green initiatives for the event.

3 . Gardeners who use pesticides are contributing to the decline of British songbirds, a study suggests. Scientists have urged people to stop “spraying their gardens with poisons” in order to halt bird decline and adopt instead wildlife-friendly practices. The results of the University of Sussex study, which researchers call the first of its kind, were published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

The experiment, which surveyed 615 gardens in Britain, found 25% fewer house sparrows when glyphosate (草甘膦) was used regularly. This is an ingredient found in commonly used herbicide (除草剂) brands such as Roundup or Gallup. Slug pellets (鼻涕虫杀虫剂) also seemed to have an impact on bird sightings; in gardens where Slug pellets were used, house sparrow numbers were down by almost 40%.

Prof. Dave Goulson, of the school of life sciences at the University of Sussex, said, “The UK has 22 million gardens, which collectively could be a fantastic refuge for wildlife, but not if they are overly tidy and sprayed with poisons. We just don’t need pesticides in our gardens. Many towns around the world are now pesticide free. We should simply ban the use of these poisons in urban areas, following the example of France.” The Royal Horticultural Society, the UK’s leading gardening charity, said the use of pesticides and herbicides should be avoided if possible and they should only be used, if ever, in small and targeted applications.

The research also found that those who adopted wildlife-friendly practices such as planting native shrubs and flowers, or digging a wildlife pond, saw more birds than those who did not. Cannelle Tassin de Montaigu, a PhD researcher within the school of life sciences and an author of the study, said, “It’s encouraging to find that simple measures, such as planting native shrubs and trees and creating a pond, together with avoiding the use of pesticides, really make a measurable difference to the number of birds you will see in your garden.”

1. What does the underlined word “halt” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?

A．Stop.

B．Attract.

C．Note.

D．Witness.

2. Why are the statistics mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To reveal the severe influence of pesticides on birds.

B．To compare the effects of two kinds of pesticides.

C．To convince readers of the importance of house sparrows.

D．To help gardeners choose the proper pesticides.

3. What can be inferred from Prof. Dave Goulson’s words?

A．The ideal places for wildlife in the UK are extremely tidy gardens.

B．The gardens in the UK are so tidy that pesticides are not needed.

C．Pesticides should be prohibited from use throughout the UK.

D．Some countries like France have made urban areas pesticide free.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Alternative methods to keep gardens tidy.

B．Assistant ways to increase the number of birds.

C．Gardeners’ attitudes towards the experiment.

D．Other researchers’ interest in the experiment.

5 . The monarch butterfly migration(迁徙)is at risk because of climate change and other envuronmental factors.

Do you know that monarch butterflies can travel up to 50- 100 miles a day? If you know they need travel about two months, you’ll have an idea of the distance monarchs travel to get to Mexico.

Monarch butterflies are the only hind of butterflies to make a two-way migration. They travel to Mexico to escape the winter season in the northern climates. Cold, wet weather is considered deadly for monarchs, while hotter, diner summer change their homes in the north.

2020, however, saw a 26% drop from the year earlier in migration patterns reported in a report from the World Wildlife Fund and the Mexican government. With this drop, the butterflies’ population covered only 2.1 hectares in 2020, compared to 2.8 hectares a year earlier. And the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan. Mexico, lost trees at a higher rate than it did in 2019.

With climate change as the monarch butterflies’ biggest challenge, they are faced with many dangers, such as drought, deforestation(滥伐森林)and struggle to breed. These dangers affect the whole migration and hold back population growth. Female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed flowers, which have been heavily affected by the wild weather from spring and summer of last year. Because of this, the development of butterfly eggs was also affected.

Since 2013, Mexico has seen a rapid drop in the number of migrants arriving to the area. The effects of climate change and deforestation have become an important sign that action needs to be taken to make sure of a healthy migration for monarchs going forward. If not, it’s their possible dying, out that wall fall unto our hands.

1. Haw far do monarch butterflies fly to escape the cold?

A．50-100 miles.	B．100-200 miles.
C．1,500 – 3,000 miles.	D．3,000 -6,000 miles.

2. What’s the problem with the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve?

A．It is becoming cold and wet.	B．It is dangerous for monarchs
C．Its environment is being destroyed.	D．Its area is growing smaller.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The damage to forests.	B．The dangers monarchs face.
C．The growth process of monarchs.	D．The development of butterfly eggs

4. What does the author want to do in the last paragraph?

A．Point out the signs of climate change.	B．Explain the cause of the monarch migration.
C．Call for measures to stop monarchs dying out.	D．Express regret at the monarchs’ disappearance.

6 . A report lasting almost three decades showed that transportation—flying, driving, rail, commercial shipping, etc.—is responsible for a larger share of domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (排放) than any other economic sector. Though passenger cars currently account for the largest portion of transportation-related GHG emissions, air travel is one of the fastest-growing polluters. In 2018, aircraft were responsible for 9% of U.S transportaton sector GHG emissions and 2.4% of total carbon dioxide emissions globally.

The carbon dioxide emitted from one round-trip flight from New York to London totals about 1,259 pounds per passenger, according to ICAO’ s Carbon Emissions Calculator—that’s more than what the average citizen of Kenya (and more than 30 other countries)emits over a full year.

Planes also leave behind those ice trails (痕迹)—called contrail clouds—which are even more polluting than the CO₂ they produce. The word “contrails” is a mix of “condensation” and “trails”. They occur when waste gases mix with low-temperature, high-humidity (湿度) air. Contrails are harmful not just because they block sunlight, but also because they trap heat coming up from the ground, finally creating a warming effect below.

Today, alternative fuels that are similar in chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel, but made from waste and raw materials instead, are becoming more commonplace. San Francisco International Airport has already started delivering sustainable aviation (航空) fuel through a pipeline; American, JetBlue, and Alaska Airlines are some of the industry players that have committed to using it.

New research suggests that because contrail louds form only in very low temperatures, reducing the altitude of fights even slightly could dramatically minimize contrail climate forcing. One study found that just 2% of flights in Japan’s airspace were responsible for 80% of that space’s radiative forcing. The same study estimated that if even 1.7% of flights reduced their altitude by 2,000 feet—which is a normal amount of variation from the flight path anyway—the climate impact of contrails could be cut by 59%.

1. What can we learn about air travel in America from paragraph 1?

A．It emitted more CO2 than passenger cars did in 2018.

B．It is the most convenient means of transportation.

C．It accounted for over two percent of global CO2 emissions in 2018

D．It is considered as the largest air polluter recently.

2. What harm will the contrails of the plane cause?

A．Global warming	B．Low temperatures.
C．Expensive flying costs.	D．Increasing water in the air.

3. Why does the author mention the airlines in paragraph 4?

A．To show alternative fuels are much cheaper.

B．To prove alternative fuels are increasingly popular.

C．To announce alternative fuels have a huge effect on the air.

D．To stress raw materials of alternative fuels are common.

4. What does the new research expect airplanes to do to reduce the harm of the contrails?

A．Change their flight paths.	B．Reduce some flight distance.
C．Develop alternative fuels.	D．Fly at a slightly lower altitude.

7 .    

Endangered Species Youth Art Contest

2023 Contest Now Open!

Join us for our 6th annual Endangered Species Youth Art Contest! In celebration of Endangered Species Day (May 19, 2023), Roger Williams Park Zoo is accepting art entries from local K-12 grade students in the New England area showing threatened and endangered species. Together we hope to raise awareness about the importance of saving endangered species and their wild habitats.

Winners will be formally announced by May 2023.

Rules & Art Submission Instructions:

▲All entries are to be submitted electronically. Web form will be made available beginning February 1,2023.

▲Students’   artworks must be original. Computer-produced images will NOTbe judged.

▲All artworks must be about threatened/endangered species.

▲Each art entry must also include a short explanation (3-5 sentences) as to why saving your chosen species from extinction is important.

Deadline: Entries must be received by Sunday, April 2,2023. Late entries will not be judged.

2023 Art Contest Prizes

GRAND PRIZE(Judges Choice)

▲One Family RWPZoo membership (a S149 value; or extra year added to current Zoo membership)

▲An adopt-an-animal package of your choice

▲One $100 gift card

GRADE CATEGORY WINNERS (Grades K-2, Grades 3-12)

Each grade-winner shall receive:

★Six General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo

★One $25 gift card

HONORABLE MENTIONS (Grades K-2,Grades 3-12)

Each grade-honorable mention shall receive:

·Four General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo

·An award certificate

All winning artworks will be highlighted on the Zoo’s website and social media pages, and in the Zoo’s summer WILD Magazine issue.

1. How can you submit your artwork?

A．By sending it in an envelope.

B．By turning it in on the website.

C．By handing it to the zoo in person.

D．By having it delivered to the judges.

2. What should you explain in your entry?

A．The habitats of threatened and endangered species.

B．The relationship between humans and endangered species.

C．The measures to protect endangered species.

D．The reason of protecting your targeted species.

3. What award will a grand prize winner get?

A．A choice to adopt an animal.

B．A S25 worth of gift card to the zoo.

C．An exhibition of the artwork all year round.

D．Six tickets to RWPZoo for general daily time admission.

8 . Microplastic pollution is increasing greatly around the globe, according to a study of plastic particles (微粒)carried in the air.

People are already known to breathe, drink and eat microplastics, and research suggests that pollution levels will continue to rise rapidly. The researchers said that breathing in these particles can be harmful to lung tissue and lead to serious diseases.

Professor Natalie Mahowald, at Cornell University in the US and part of the research team, said, “ But maybe we could solve this before it becomes a huge problem, if we manage our plastics better, before they accumulate in the environment and move around everywhere.”

The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Acadenry of Sciences, examined airborne (空气传播的)microplastics, which have been far less studied than plastics in oceans and rivers.

The team gathered more than 300 samples of airborne microplastics from 11 sites across the western US. These were the basis for atmospheric modeling that estimated the contribution from different sources (来源),and it was the first such study to do so.

They found that roads were the main factor (因素)in the western US, linked to about 85% of the microplastics in the air. These are likely to include particles from tires and brake pads on vehicles, and plastics from litter that had been broken down.

The researchers extended their modeling work to a global level and this suggested that while roads are also likely to be the major driver of airborne plastics in Europe, South America and Australia, plastic particles blown up from fields may be a much bigger factor in Africa and Asia.

Professor Andreas Stohl of the University of Vienna’s Faculty of Earth Sciences said, “The study confirms the global-scale (全球规模的)nature of microplastic transport in the atmosphere and does a good job in highlighting highly relevant and concerning possibilities, but more measurement data is needed to get a better idea of the sources.”

1. What can be known about microplastic pollution from this text?

A．The particles can do great harm to our lungs.

B．Airborne microplastics have been widely studied.

C．It has become the most pressing environmental problem.

D．There is less plastic in the air than in oceans and rivers.

2. What did the researchers find out about microplastic pollution?

A．Its results differ across many continents.

B．Africa and Asia are suffering most from it.

C．Roads and fields are largely to blame for it.

D．It spreads fast from one continent to another.

3. What should the researchers do next according to Professor Andreas Stohl?

A．To predict the potential damage of microplastics.

B．To understand the nature of microplastic pollution.

C．To improve the method of collecting samples of microplastics.

D．To collect more data to understand the sources of microplastics.

4. What can be the best title for this text?

A．Effects of microplastics on human health

B．Microplastic pollution on the global scale

C．Possible solutions to microplastic pollution

D．Microplastic pollution rising quickly in the air

9 . Lithium (锂) is called “white gold” for good reason. The metal’s value has been growing rapidly over the last several years, mainly because it is an essential material of lithium-ion batteries, which play an important part in several key sustainable technologies, e. g. electric cars.

As ocean waves, wind and solar power have grown into major players in the energy industry, lithium has also become key to building a future free of petrol. But getting lithium comes at a huge cost. As with most metals, its mining is damaging. It often works like this: Briny water, containing lithium and other metals, is pumped to the surface from underground. Then it sits in pools to allow the water to evaporate, leaving the rest behind as poisonous matter. Workers use chemical reactions to remove the lithium from that, making it into powder which is then packaged and shipped to the buyers around the world. Any accident that releases mine matter into surrounding communities or the groundwater supply could have damaging long-term impacts.

Indigenous (原住民) communities often bear the result of the damage, and political leaders have paid little attention to their concerns. In Arizona, for example, an expanding lithium mine is threatening the Hualapai Tribe’s historical sites. And for politicians who have promised to work with native peoples to deal with it, mining lithium and other precious metals is putting them into a dilemma: How do you ensure the availability of materials which are essential to the future while protecting indigenous people’ rights?

Mining of the metal is expected to increase greatly in coming years. Over time, that will make electric cars inexpensive and, therefore, more popular.

As environmentally conscious consumers buy electric cars in ever-greater numbers, it’s important to be aware of the dirty process that powers those clean air vehicles.

1. What do we know about Lithium in paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?

A．It’s a kind of battery.	B．It will be widely used in the future.
C．Only Lithium can replace fossil fuels.	D．It is the same with wind and solar power.

2. What can be inferred from the mining process (开采过程) ?

A．It’s easily done.	B．It does harm to the environment.
C．It costs much money.	D．The workers benefit a lot from it.

3. What aspect of Lithium mining concerns the politicians?

A．The shortage of Lithium.

B．The prices of electric cars.

C．Their people will no longer support them.

D．The balance between it and environment protection.

4. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to Lithium mining?

A．Supportive.

B．Indifferent.

C．Worried.

D．Optimistic.