1 . The newly-elected president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro says that his country should withdraw (退出) from the 2015 Paris Agreement, and that Brazil’s rainforest protections are standing in the way of economic success. During the election campaign, he promised to ease protections for areas of the Brazilian Amazon set aside for native people and wildlife. Are Brazil’s rainforests in danger?
The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, is called “the lungs of the planet.” Each tree takes in and stores carbon dioxide from the air around it. Billions of trees pull up water through their roots and release water vapor into the air, forming tiny drops of water. The Amazon creates 30 to 50 percent of its own rainfall. Carlos Nobre, a climate scientist, says that it is almost impossible to say Just how important the rainforest is to the planet’s living systems.
Some of Bolsonaro’s support comes from business and farming groups. One supporter, Luiz Carlos, noted that farmers “are not invaders, they are producers.” He blamed the past government for supporting rainforest protections at the cost of farmers. “Brazil,” he said, “will be the biggest farming nation on Earth during Bolsonaro’s years.”
Paulo Artaxo, a professor of environmental physics at the University of Sao Paulo, says that if Bolsonaro keeps his campaign promises, then “deforestation of the Amazon will probably increase quickly — and the effects will be felt everywhere on the planet.”
Other scientists warn that if the Amazon and other tropical rainforests lose too many trees, this could affect rainfall in other areas. Without enough trees to support the rainfall, the longer and bigger dry season could turn more than half of the rainforest into a tropical grassland.
1. The first paragraph is intended to ________.A.draw people’s attention to the disappearing rainforests |
B.ask people to ease the protection of rainforests |
C.attract the public to the newly-elected president |
D.to complain about the new government's withdrawing |
A.produce much farmland |
B.examine people’s lungs |
C.change the earth’s living system |
D.destroy farmers’ crops |
A.The new president’s supporters care less about farmers. |
B.Scientists are concerned about the protection of rainforests. |
C.The rainforests will stop the economic development in Brazil. |
D.The past government is to blame for the destruction of rainforests |
A.a newspaper |
B.a magazine |
C.a guidebook |
D.a textbook |
2 . A tornado is a rotating
Tornadoes can
Charles Coghlan,an Irish actor,
A.mixture | B.form | C.movement | D.column |
A.important | B.fascinating | C.violent | D.marvelous |
A.pick up | B.take up | C.put up | D.cut up |
A.yet | B.still | C.even | D.already |
A.away | B.on | C.off | D.out |
A.leave | B.keep | C.put | D.make |
A.In common | B.On average | C.In fact | D.At least |
A.caused | B.causing | C.leading | D.brought |
A.affecting | B.influencing | C.attracting | D.destroying |
A.wounded | B.injured | C.claimed | D.recovered |
A.Hurricanes | B.Tornadoes | C.Earthquakes | D.Storms |
A.drought | B.floods | C.rainstorms | D.currents |
A.worse | B.most | C.worst | D.least |
A.area | B.population | C.region | D.district |
A.travelled | B.moved | C.visited | D.returned |
A.where | B.there | C.which | D.on which |
A.disappeared | B.appeared | C.struck | D.caught |
A.lying | B.laid | C.buried | D.died |
A.taken up | B.ended up | C.came up | D.went up |
A.carried | B.brought | C.taken | D.sent |
3 . Royal Dutch Shell is launching a $ 300 million forestry program, at a time when an increasing number of oil companies are putting money in carbon offset (碳补偿) plans to meet climate goals. The company will spend the money over the next three years on projects to store carbon, including large forests in the Netherlands and Spain, and will start offering motorists the option of purchasing carbon offsets when they buy petrol at the pump.
The executives of the company explained that these carbon offset projects were a new business opportunity for Shell, as well as a way to meet its climate targets. “We believe that over time we will be building a business, because these carbon credits will become more valuable as carbon becomes more limited,” they said. Shell recently decided to cut its net carbon footprint by 2-3 percent in five years, which includes emissions from the products it sells. The company plans to produce carbon credits from the forestry projects, then sell these credits on to customers buying its oil and gas products , or apply the credits to its own operations to lower its carbon footprint.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and restoring forests and other natural areas is considered one of the simplest ways to store carbon. However, the voluntary market for carbon credits based on forestry projects has its critics, as projects in developing countries can be hard to monitor. Shell's move has also been criticized by some environmentalists. They worried that there was a risk of “green wash” when companies invested in forestry projects. “There is an entire debate about whether forestry projects truly reduce emissions or not,” they said, pointing out that planting in one area could cause deforestation(滥伐森林) to another.
Shell said it would rely on the third party to ensure its forest program to meet the Voluntary Carbon Standard and strict biodiversity requirements. Mark Lewis, head of climate change investment research at BNP Paribas, said," Planting trees to offset emissions, as far as it goes, is a step in the right direction.
1. What is popular among oil companies these days?A.Studying climate changes. | B.Launching forestry programs. |
C.Selling carbon credits. | D.Working out carbon offset plans. |
A.By quitting the emissions of its products. |
B.By commercializing carbon credits it produces. |
C.By limiting the oil used by other companies. |
D.By reducing its carbon footprint sharply. |
A.Discount. | B.Cheat. | C.Decline. | D.Change. |
A.They sharply reduce emissions. | B.They will fail in developing countries. |
C.They require broader monitoring. | D.They contribute to deforestation. |
Ten years ago, Sir Richard Branson launched an exciting challenge. A reward of $25 million would be offered to anyone if he/she
No such situation appeared, not even with the massive reward. But all is not lost. Branson believed everyone could participate in
Drawdown focuses on small, practical steps, not
Just as it says in this book, we can't just build a piece of big equipment
We are living in
1. Where do Indonesians put their garbage?
A.In the official garbage bags. |
B.In the public garbage cans. |
C.In the front of their houses. |
A.Blue. | B.Yellow. | C.Gray. |
A.They are provided by the government for free. |
B.Their price depends on the type of waste. |
C.Different districts have different official garbage bags. |
6 . When you think of the Arctic, you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic rubbish. “And now”, CNN says, “It's the Arctic's turn.”
German scientists have recently found microplastics (微塑料) in Arctic snow. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Sadly, the scientists found 1800 pieces of microplastics per liter of snow.
How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists, “It's clear that most of the microplastics in the snow come from the air.” They fall off the plastic objects and are moved by the wind, just like dust. They mix with ice in the air and fall to the ground as snow. Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in.
Are they bad for us? Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the WHO. We do know that our bodies cannot take in “large” pieces of microplastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time, which can be bad for our health. What's more, earlier studies have shown that microplastics may contribute to lung cancer risk.
Microplastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Earlier research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans, hurting ecosystems along the way. They start in our wastewater, then flow into rivers and out to the sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we're eating the plastic as well.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?A.The Arctic has been polluted by plastic rubbish |
B.The Arctic is an icy land of pure white snow. |
C.The Arctic is a beautiful icy land with clean air. |
D.The Arctic is the last rally clean place left on earth |
A.From water. | B.From air. | C.From wind. | D.From food. |
A.Reduce. | B.Donate. | C.Cause. | D.Help. |
A.By advising us to drink clean water. |
B.By asking people not to eat sea animals. |
C.By showing the beauty of Arctic. |
D.By telling the seriousness of plastic pollution. |
A.Apartment building. | B.Plastic trash. | C.Environmental protection. |
8 . In the 1990s, when an area of Brazilian rainforest in Amazon region, the size of Belgium, was cut down every year, Brazil was the world's environmental villain(反派角色). Now, the Amazon ought to be the image of what is going right. Government figures show that deforestation fell by 70% in this region during the past decade. If deforestation had continued at the rate in 2005, an extra 3.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide—equal to a year's emissions from the EU would have been put into the atmosphere. However, Brazil is now the world leader in dealing with climate change.
But how did it break the vicious cycle(恶性循环)? There was no shortcut but a three –stage process including bans, better governance in frontier areas and consumer pressure on companies.
The first stage, from the mid-1990s to 2004, the government put its efforts into bans and restrictions. For example, every farm in the Amazon, had to set 80% of the land aside as a forest reserve. But this share was too high to reach. This was the worst period. Soybean prices were high and a vast expansion of soybean farming expanded on the south-eastern border of the rainforest.
During the second stage, from 2005 to 2009, Brazil's president made stopping deforestation a priority(优先事项), resulting in better co-operation between different bits of the government. The area where farming was banned was increased from a sixth to nearly half of the forest.
The third stage, from 2009, was a test of whether a system of restrictions could survive as soybean expansion continued. The government shifted its focus from farms to counties of each stave. Farmers with me worst deforestation rates were banned from getting cheap credit(贷款)until those rates fell.
Brazil's Amazon policy is a success because it relied on restrictions rather than rewards, which have worked better. Brazil also changed itself into a farming superpower, so the country is possible to get a huge increase in food output without destroying the forest. But now the policies have been successful among commercial farms. Small holders care rather less about the law and respond to market pressures, so the government have to persuade them to change their ways. Deforestation has been slowed, but not yet stopped.
1. Brazil is considered to play a leading role in dealing with climate change because________.A.it has rainforest as large as Belgium |
B.it has taken action to reduce deforestation |
C.it has cut down too much rainforest |
D.it sent 3.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the air |
A.Bans on deforestation. |
B.Joint efforts between different bits of the government. |
C.Changing Brazil into a farming superpower. |
D.A three-stage process of protecting rainforest. |
A.Small farm holders are a headache for the Brazilian government. |
B.All the farmers care much about forest protection. |
C.Brazil has successfully got rid of deforestation. |
D.Both the food output and the forest in Brazil have greatly increased. |
A.Restrictions Better than Rewards |
B.Brazil, the World Leader in Forest |
C.Cutting Down on Cutting Down |
D.Former Awareness Creating Wonders |
9 . The desert locust (蝗虫) is the most dangerous migratory pest with a huge appetite unmatched in the insect world. In just one day, a swarm of locusts the size of Paris could consume the same amount of food as half the population of France. They annually reproduce, concentrate and then form swarms that can move up to 150 kilometers per day.
To control these swarms, some experts think drone (无人机) technology could provide survey and control teams with an inexpensive and efficient method of searching for these destructive insects.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) — also known as drones — could be used to automatically collect high-resolution imagery of green, vegetated areas potentially affected by locusts.
Controlled by a hand-held tablet, the UAV would follow a pre-programmed flight path, covering a 100 kilometer survey radius to collect data. Then the survey teams use the data to identify areas that seem most likely to harbor locusts and travel directly to suspicious locations. Once the team reaches such an area, the UAV could be launched to fly overhead and identify other nearby areas affected by locusts that may require treatment. A separately controlled UAV could then be used to administer pesticides directly onto the locust concentrations. UAVs could also be used to check for locusts in areas that are insecure or cannot be accessed by ground teams.
Pest control operations would become safer, as human operators would no longer be exposed to potentially dangerous pesticides while getting rid of the insects. They would also become more effective, since drones would be able to spray pesticides precisely.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is currently working with university researchers and private sector partners in Europe to address challenges of drone technology concerning design, endurance, power, and detection of green vegetation and locusts. The FAO remains hopeful that within five years, UAVs will play an essential role in protecting food supplies and livelihoods from the desert locust, as part of the fight against global hunger and poverty.
1. What does the author try to express by mentioning France in Paragraph 1?A.Desert locusts are a great threat to food supply. |
B.France is one of the disaster areas affected by desert locusts. |
C.It’s hard to deal with the problems caused by desert locusts. |
D.Desert locusts are a migratory pest that can travel extremely fast. |
A.To detect desert locusts. | B.To locate the affected locations. |
C.To kill desert locusts effectively. | D.To free operators from chemicals. |
A.They are convenient but expensive. | B.They are creative but time-consuming. |
C.They are safe but hard to operate. | D.They are smart but still need improving. |
A.Preventing the Spread of Desert Locusts |
B.FAO Continues Fighting Against Locusts |
C.Massive Locusts Threaten Millions of People |
D.Locust Control Throug hout History |
10 . More than half the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.
Wood is one of the most promising sustainable (可持续的) alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.
Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.
According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic metres of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.
1. Why is India mentioned in paragraph 1?A.To point out the severe pollution. |
B.To predict the population increase. |
C.To indicate the high degree of urbanization. |
D.To show the great need for building materials. |
A.It is produced at a low cost. |
B.It hardly appeals to architects. |
C.It helps save energy in transportation. |
D.It possesses greater strength than steel. |
A.Becomes cheaper. | B.Gains popularity. |
C.Requires less work. | D.Proves sustainable. |
A.Making Future Cities More Attractive |
B.Living in a World with Less Emission |
C.Building Sustainable Cities with Woods |
D.Growing More Trees for Future Building |