1 . An impressive invention made by a 17-year-old teenager, called Anna Du, is helping to clean up small pieces of plastic from the ocean.
While walking along her local beaches in Massachusetts, the young student began collecting waste plastic bags and bottles. But what she noticed was a large number of tiny pieces of plastic or microplastics that were impossible to pick up. At just 12 years old, Du set out to solve the problem. After testing a few prototypes(原型)in her backyard, she invented a remotely operated vehicle that uses the infrared camera(红外摄像机)to detect microplastics on the ocean floor. More recently, Du has also created a simulation(模拟)model that uses artificial intelligence to predict where microplastics are located.
Du’s robot invention has earned her awards at top science fairs in the US, and she’s now a nationally recognized advocate for microplastic awareness and pollution prevention. “When I first started doing science fairs, I had no idea that a young girl without lots of money and just a little advanced engineering knowledge could make a difference in the world. I’ve learned that I truly love working on a problem that’s so much larger than me,” Du said.
Du has also released a new book to help spread the word not only about the dangers of microplastics but also about the ways to relieve the problem. Titled Microplastics &Me, the book follows Du’s own story of how she went from worrying about the environment to designing award-winning solutions. Writing for kids her own age, the young girl alerts her readers to the threat of microplastic pollution and urges them to care about the environment. The book hopes to encourage young students to get into science, technology, engineering and math(STEM)subjects and to inspire a new generation of inventors and engineers. What’s more, Du has even raised more than $7,000 to distribute the book free to kids and libraries in high-need communities.
1. What inspired Du to make the invention?| A．There was too much rubbish along the beaches. | B．The plastics were too small to collect by hand. |
| C．The sea was polluted seriously. | D．She was interested in AI. |
| A．She has a spirit of challenge. | B．She is too poor to make a difference. |
| C．She doesn’t study hard in engineering. | D．She wins international recognition. |
| A．Innovation. | B．Voice. | C．Culture. | D．Art. |
| A．To inspire readers to share their stories. |
| B．To raise the awareness of microplastics pollution. |
| C．To encourage high schools to offer STEM subjects. |
| D．To collect money for kids in high-need communities. |
2 . In the 2010s, 34-year-old Brianne Miller travelled around the world and made a surprising discovery: large amounts of plastic littering the water and doing harm to sea life. Miller knew she needed to do something.
Canadians throw out three million tons of plastic waste each year. Groups like A Greener Future, which organize litter clean-ups across Canada, think that 33% of what they pick up comes from food packaging. About one third of food produced worldwide goes to waste too, according to a UN study. Miller decided to solve the problem at the source, imagining a shop where both wasteful packaging and the bad habit of wasting food no longer existed.
In June 2018, she opened her first zero-waste store in Canada. She named it Nada. Customers can bring their own containers (容器), though it’s not necessary: by the front door are quarrels don’t go that far. These days, especially in cities, many people live in buildings. Our neighbours are all around us — so what problems can come from that?
The first obvious cause of arguement is noise pollution. Loud noise through the walls, construction (施工), or people arguing next door can disturb the silence of your living space. Asking someone directly to turn the music down can cause you to feel anxious. However, if you get someone like a building manager to speak to your neighbour, it can make things more awkward because you didn’t speak to your neighbour directly.
And then what about smells? If your neighbour likes eating food with pungent (刺激的) smells, and the smells flow through your window, what can you do? There are some other common problems, such as water running through the wall, pets making noise, and littering from the window above you. These can bring anger over time.
It’s not easy living next door to someone, especially if they’re noisy. But having a clear and honest conversation might help. Also, try thinking if what you are doing could make your neighbours angry. If it’s something that would make you feel bad,maybe think again.
1. Why does the author mention the figures in paragraph 2?| A．To present a fact. |
| B．To provide an example. |
| C．To explain a topic. |
| D．To make a comparison. |
| A．Turn to the police. |
| B．Talk to the neighbor directly. |
| C．Quarrel with the neighbor. |
| D．Ask the building manager for help. |
| A．They provide you pleasure. |
| B．They open your imagination. |
| C．They’re your neighbor’s favorites. |
| D．They make you uncomfortable. |
| A．How to make a neighbor happy. |
| B．How to deal with a noisy neighbour. |
| C．How to communicate with a neighbour. |
| D．How to get along well with a neighbour. |
3 . Last year, wildfire spread through Boulder, Colorado. It wasn’t a hot summer day. It wasn’t a forested neighborhood. It was winter in the suburbs (郊区) . More than 1,000 homes and buildings burned.
Large parts of the country that don’t have wildfires are now at risk. They include nearly 80 million homes and buildings. That is what new data shows. Over the next 30 years, the risk will only grow. The group First Street Foundation created a program called Fire Factor. People can go to a website to learn what their wildfire risk is in 2022 and in 2052. Right now, about 16% of Americans live in risky places. By 2052, that will go up to 21%.
California will likely suffer a lot from wildfire. That’s partly because it is so big and partly because of its weather. So California will be on the top of the at-risk list. But nearly half of all at-risk Americans in 2052 will live in the southern half of the U.S. The South will be home to the largest number of people at high risk: 32 million. States like Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and North and South Carolina will be “in the line of fire,” so to speak, and so will southwestern states like Arizona and New Mexico.
People are doing many things to make fire risk worse. They are moving to places where wildfire is a natural yearly event. They are building homes right next to plants and trees that can burn. Climate (气候) change has increased heat and dryness. That means any spark (火花) at any time can cause a big fire.
As with many climate threats, wildfires put minorities at the greatest risk. By 2052, about 44% of all Native Americans will live in places at majors risk from wildfire. Nearly 1 in 4 Hispanics will. People who don’t speak English or own cars will have a harder time learning about and getting away from a fast-moving fire.
1. What problem did Boulder have last year?| A．Strange weather. | B．Widespread wildfires. |
| C．Huge loss of forests. | D．A rapid drop in populations. |
| A．About 16% of Americans are safe now. |
| B．The risky areas of wildfire are increasing. |
| C．The risk of wildfire will be lowered in 2052. |
| D．Nearly 80 million homes are burnt down by wildfire. |
| A．groups with foreign population. | B．groups with native population. |
| C．groups with large population | D．groups with small population |
| A．Reasons why wildfire risk is worse. | B．Dangers humans may face in the future. |
| C．Actions taken by humans to prevent fire. | D．Suggestions for self-protection in wildfire. |
4 . When storms come rolling in across the ocean, they struck coastlines with tremendous force. Luckily, for thousands of miles of tropical coastlines, nature has provided a remarkable form of protection: coral reefs.
These colorful wonders are best known for their diversity of life, their plentiful seafood, and their draw to scuba-diving tourists. But they are also astonishingly durable and firm structures, built by tiny animals with calcium carbonate skeletons (碳酸钙骨架), which provide an important service to the coastlines standing behind them — they can absorb up to 97% of wave energy.
A new study estimates that reefs offer protection to up to 5.3 million people and $109 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) per decade. The maps in the study scientists generated are at a much finer resolution (分辨率) than previous analyses, which allows users to view coral reefs with more details and see where reefs provide the highest degree of protection for people, GDP and infrastructure (基础设施). “This level of detail means we can use this information in practical ways, like in the marine spacial planning we do to inform conservation strategies around the world,” says Dr. Spalding, the co-author of the study. More accurate data on where reefs protect people and infrastructure from destructive waves can help improve decision-making about which reefs to protect.
We have already lost half of the world’s reefs, and scientists predict we could lose up to 90% if actions are not taken to protect them. Effective management strategies are vital to supporting reef health and recovery.
Coral reefs are often selected for conservation based on their ecological significance, which may mean they are located in remote places, away from the more direct effects of human pressures like development and pollution. “We are failing ourselves as well as nature if we don’t also consider protecting the reefs that are located closer to humans,” says Spalding. “These are the reefs that protect us and provide for us in abundance. Let’s look after them.”
1. Which function of coral reefs is mainly discussed in the text?| A．Nurturing diverse living things. | B．Offering plentiful seafood. |
| C．Attracting scuba-diving tourists. | D．Reducing the forces of waves. |
| A．Eco-tourism. | B．Urban planning. |
| C．Reef recovery. | D．Deep-sea exploration. |
| A．Because they protect and provide for humans. |
| B．Because they are more beautiful than remote reefs. |
| C．Because they are of higher ecological significance. |
| D．Because they provide better habitats for marine life. |
| A．Coral Reefs as Coastal Defenders | B．The Secrets of Coral Reefs |
| C．New Ways of Coral Reef Conservation | D．Coastlines behind Coral Reefs |
5 . To solve a big environmental problem, chemists have been thinking small. Really small: a new mini robot with the purpose of helping clean up tiny plastic polluting water across the globe.
The new microrobots, each of which is no bigger than the tip of a pencil, are magnetic (磁性的) and shaped like four-pointed stars. When the sunlight shines on them, they can swim in a specific direction; when the sunlight disappears, they stop moving. Finding a piece of plastic, they hold onto it, produce chemical reactions and start to break it down.
The project is led by chemist Martin Pumera, a researcher who also studies ways to build microrobots at the Czech University in Prague. About ten years ago, he noticed the microplastic was everywhere, from the bottom of the ocean to the ice on the top of mountains. It even turned up in drinking water, both bottled and tap water. Just think about how much plastic you encounter every day. It doesn’t easily degrade (降解), which is a big problem. Therefore, Pumera chose to focus on the problem of water pollution caused by microplastic.
The researchers tested the microrobots on four types of plastic in the lab. After a week, all four began degrading, losing between 0. 5 and 3 percent of their weight, which indicated they were breaking down. The robots also turned the plastic’s smooth surface into rough. Finally, they could be collected for reuse along with the plastic waste without causing new pollution.
In fact, Pumera says they still have a long way to go. These microrobots are unlikely to succeed in degrading all types of plastics. They’ll also need a lot of testing to show that they’re safe in open waterways, such as at sea. But he thinks that these challenges can be overcome. Someday, the microrobots will play a big role in a worldwide cleanup effort.
1. What can be learned about the new microrobot?| A．It is of a round shape. | B．It is as small as a pencil. |
| C．It is driven by sunlight. | D．It uses physical reaction. |
| A．The ice on the mountains. | B．Secrets of the ocean bottom. |
| C．The lack of drinking water. | D．The microplastic pollution. |
| A．Collecting it for reuse. | B．Making its surface smooth. |
| C．Absorbing it completely. | D．Breaking it down to some extent. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Confident. |
| C．Regretful. | D．Critical. |
People in Tangshan will never forget the day
7 . Richard Proenneke did what most nature lovers can only dream of: At age 51, he quit his job as a mechanic and moved to the Alaskan wilderness to become one with nature.
In 1962, Proenneke encountered the area Twin Lakes, now called Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Its wild beauty struck a chord with Proenneke. He thought the area was a perfect place to settle. In 1968, he built a small cabin there and remained for the next 30 years.
Going such long periods without companionship would tax many a person. But that was not the case for Proenneke. An obsessive observer and diarist, Proenneke once noted he was so busy with his life that he was never lonely. He spent most of his free time writing about the weather, the environment and the animals, some of which he befriended with regular treats. He hiked thousands of miles per year, becoming quite familiar with the miles of wilderness around his cabin. He caught and ate fish from the lake. Having no refrigerator, he dug into the ground and created a chilly storage box that helped to prolong his fresh foods.
Yet Proenneke wasn’t a bitter or angry isolationist (孤立主义者). He happily wrote replies to just about anyone who sent him letters. During the 30 years, Proenneke filled up more than 250 notepads with his diary entries. He also carried a camera to record some of his daily activities. Along with a biography composed by his friend Sam Keith, Proenneke’s notepads and camera footage were later turned into a documentary, Alone in the Wilderness.
In his will, Proenneke left behind his Twin Lakes cabin to the park rangers (护林员) as a gift. Actually, he had become such an important part of the park’s ecosystem that the rangers had trouble imagining life without him.
1. What made Proenneke different from other nature lovers?| A．He loved outdoor activities. | B．He built a cabin in the forest. |
| C．He quit his job in his fifties. | D．He settled alone in the wilderness. |
| A．Impress. | B．Benefit. | C．Defeat. | D．Transform. |
| A．Bitter but fruitful. | B．Lonely but peaceful. |
| C．Risky but thrilling. | D．Simple but fulfilling. |
| A．One Man’s “Alaska” | B．Gift from a Nature Lover |
| C．A Volunteer Ranger | D．Survival in the Wilderness |
8 . The French Danone company is the latest to replace some plastic water bottles with aluminum (铝) cans. Competitors like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle have also started selling water in aluminum cans.
Replacing plastic water bottles that pollute the seas with recyclable aluminum cans should be an easy way to help the environment, right?
Maybe not.
Aluminum cans might result in less ocean waste, and the metal containers also are lighter than glass or plastic bottles, but they also come with their own cost to the environment. The production of an aluminum can is estimated to release two times as much carbon dioxide into the air as a plastic bottle.
“That’s the dilemma you’re going to have to choose between,” said Ruben Griffioen, an official at beermaker Heineken. He said his company was Lrying to reduce the use of plastic bottles.
Bruce Karas of Coca - Cola North America agreed. He said, “There’s a mix. There are some things that are not that desirable, but if you have five good things and one that isn’t, we’ll all have to make decisions.” He added, “It’ll never be that clean.”
Bottled water is a 19 billion industry. Although its use of cans is increasing, experts say cans are unlikely to completely replace plastic bottles.
Aluminum is costlier than plastic so canned drinks mean higher prices for buyers. Another major consideration is user convenience-cans stay open while bottles can be reclosed. More importantly, there is one barrier to ending the use of plastic water bottles: There may not be enough cans to go around. Beer and wine makers are now also increasingly using aluminum.
1. What’s the advantage of aluminum cans?| A．They are pollution-free. | B．They are lighter. |
| C．They are cost-effective. | D．They are low-carbon. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Disapproving. | C．Neutral | D．Indifferent. |
| A．The wide application of aluminum cans. | B．The promising future aluminum cans |
| C．The major advantages of aluminum cans. | D．The unavoidable limitations of aluminum cans. |
| A．Aluminum Cans or Plastic Bottles? | B．A Blessing or a Misfortune? |
| C．How to Deal with Plastic Bottles? | D．Why Do We Choose Aluminum Cans? |
9 . In a time when climate change becomes a more pressing issue, we sometimes may fail to realize that individual contributions have a huge effect on the big problem. Fortunately, there are some apps which can help the environment with the click of a button.
Happy Cow (Free)Buying and selling secondhand is a more responsible and environmentally friendly way to consume and part of the solution to reducing the carbon emission (碳排放) of mass production. This app helps users anywhere in the world make a little extra money from things they no longer need and moreover, how good it is to find that hidden treasure at a great price!
My Footprint (Free)Created by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), this handy app provides you with a wealth of detail on the latest facts and information on climate change issues as well as enabling you to track your carbon footprint and see how different areas of your life contribute to this. With this knowledge, you can then take part in challenges of your choice to help reduce your footprint.
Too Good To Go (Free)With the aim of reducing the masses of food waste from shops and restaurants, this app helps to connect users with local businesses that have unsold produce to be collected for a small part of the cost. The app is the most direct way for you to get involved-all you have to do is search, place your order and go to pick it up!
Good On You ($ 2.99)This app is a must-have that gives you the power to check the influence of brands (品牌) on issues that mean most to you. With more than 3,000 brands currently listed, and the option to request others to be added in time, this is a handy source of environment-friendly shopping information.
1. Which app can record the environmental impact of your daily life?| A．Happy Cow. | B．My Footprint. | C．Too Good To Go. | D．Good On You. |
| A．Collecting users’ opinions about fashion. |
| B．Providing the latest shopping information. |
| C．Recommending the most fashionable brand. |
| D．Publicizing the brands’ environmental impact. |
| A．They are free of charge. | B．They prevent food waste. |
| C．They contribute to green life. | D．They help users save money. |
10 . Healthcare professionals in four Canadian provinces can now prescribe (开处方) their patients passes to National Parks thanks to a new program, PaRX, which stresses the health benefits of spending time in nature in helping to manage physical and mental health.
PaRx was founded by the B. C. Parks Foundation in November 2020 and was officially supported by Parks Canada last month. Health professionals who register (注册) with the program can offer their patients a Parks Canada Discovery Pass, making it the country’s “first national nature prescription program”. The Parks Discovery Pass typically costs about $57 per adult per year.
“We’re really asking doctors to prioritize patients who live close to Parks Canada sites so they’ll have more access and can make it part of their everyday lives, and also those for whom the cost of a pass might be a barrier to nature access,” said Melissa Lem, president-elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Studies have shown that spending time in nature has a range of health benefits—from lowering blood pressure and improving heart health to reducing stress and anxiety. PaRx recommends that patients spend at least two hours per week in the great outdoors, and at least 20 minutes each time, to get the most benefit.
The program is currently available in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. It will eventually spread to every province.
PaRx also has benefits outside of the national parks, with many gardens offering free admission to visitors who show their prescriptions.
“There’s almost no medical condition that nature doesn’t make better. Rediscovering nature and then realizing how important it is to us has really shown that nature-health connection,” Lem said.
1. What do we know about the Parks Discovery Pass?| A．It is low priced. | B．It is designed for poor families. |
| C．It is well received. | D．It is owned by registered doctors. |
| A．Improve its service quality. | B．Carry it out all over the country. |
| C．Do further research on its effect. | D．Make it available free of charge. |
| A．Nature matters a great deal to our health. |
| B．Not all patients can get treated by doctors. |
| C．People should learn to change their lifestyle. |
| D．People should place health above everything. |
| A．Canadians Are Living in Harmony with Nature |
| B．Canadians Are Trying to Get Away from Hospitals |
| C．Canadian Doctors Are Prescribing National Park Visits |
| D．Canadian Doctors Are Leading the Way in Medical Research |
