1. What is the main purpose of the weather warning system?
| A．To warn people outdoors to get inside. |
| B．To let people test the warning system. |
| C．To inform people without radios of danger. |
| A．Local media. | B．Local officials. | C．Local residents. |
| A．To the park. |
| B．To the public shelter. |
| C．To the inside of a building. |
| A．A warning system. | B．A weather report. | C．An accident. |
2 . When most kids go to the beach, they’re too focused on making sandcastles and splashing around to notice litter, but several years ago, for 7-year-old Cash Daniels, noticing a plastic straw sparked a lifelong passion for saving the planet.
Cash, who is now known as the “conservation kid”, has always loved nature. He grew up fishing along the Chattanooga River, after all! But once he learned that 80 percent of all trash from land and rivers ends up in the ocean, he couldn’t sit back.
He started with cleanups along the river, something that quickly went from a family affair to a community effort with volunteers and neighbors. In 2019, Cash, together with a Canadian conservationist, Ella Galaski-Rossen, started a nonprofit called the Cleanup Kids. Despite living in different countries, they managed to create educational videos on their YouTube channel. “We hope to be a really big nonprofit that eliminates plastic in the U. S. and Canada,” Cash said. “We want to inform kids and adults in the landlocked states on how their actions are connected to the water and the ocean,” Cash said.
Cash was selected as one of America’s top 10 youth volunteers of 2021 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. He also earned the title of National Honoree, where he received a$5,000 grant to go to a nonprofit of his choice, and he became the first person to win the Youth Conservationist Award two years in a row from the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.
“I want to travel the world, teach others, and help them feel connected to the ocean. Because if you are connected to the ocean-if you love it and what lives in it—you’ll want to protect it,” he said. “This is my fun, and it becomes more fun with every new discovery.”
1. Which can replace the underlined words “sit back” in paragraph 2?| A．Fall asleep. | B．Lose heart. |
| C．Turn a blind eye. | D．Lend a hand. |
| A．To recycle waste plastics. |
| B．To make instructive videos. |
| C．To spread marine knowledge. |
| D．To appeal for ocean protection. |
| A．Sympathetic and devoted. | B．Initiative and talented. |
| C．Ambitious and humorous. | D．Determined and modest. |
| A．Passion fuels dreams. |
| B．Great minds think alike. |
| C．Helping others is of great fun. |
| D．Actions speak louder than words. |
3 . Latin America’s first renewable fuel-powered, garbage-trapping wheel is cleaning one of Panama’s dirtiest rivers. It is powered by water and solar energy. It pulls waste out of the Juan Diaz River. Most of the waste comes from the capital area of Panama City where about 2 million people live. Thousands of kilograms of garbage flow down the river into the ocean each year.
As the leader of the project, Robert Getman said, “Cleaning beaches is good, but it is more effective and cheaper to trap garbage in rivers because when it reaches the ocean, the environmental and economic cost becomes too high.”
The Juan Diaz River is one of the most polluted in Panama. Waste systems in the area are poor, and land development is not well supervised (监督). The river also passes through Panama City, one of Central America’s largest cities. Still, the waterway and its mangrove trees are home to wildlife like turtles and birds. According to this situation, the environmental group Marea Verde launched the wheel in late September, which is named Wanda Diaz. By the middle of October, it had gathered 28. 6 cubic meters of plastic bottles from the water. Over five years, Marea Verde projects have slowed the spread of waste along the Juan Diaz River and other Panama’s rivers. Several years ago, the group launched its “Barrier or Trash” technology, a floating device. It captured more than 100 metric tons of waste in the Matias Hernandez River within two years.
The Baltimore Bay “Trashwheel” in the United States is the model for Marea Verde’s machine, Wanda Diaz. However, Wanda Diaz is more advanced and superior in terms of technology, and it even has cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) that can recognize and sort different plastics.
“We want each of us to raise awareness that we can prevent the death of the Juan Diaz River, ”said Marea Verde’s leader Sandy Watemberg. She expressed her hope that the wheel would also help many more other rivers. But she also pointed out that those who accustomed themselves to single-use plastics needed to rethink their behavior.
1. Which words best describe the garbage-trapping wheel?| A．Green and practical. |
| B．Effective but costly. |
| C．Powerful but energy-wasting. |
| D．Renewable and simple. |
| A．Great damage to Panama City. |
| B．The importance of the Juan Diaz River. |
| C．Measures taken to battle wildlife killing. |
| D．The background information of Marea Verde projects. |
| A．It has Al to break down plastics. |
| B．It is the model for “Trashwheel”. |
| C．It has AI cameras to remove plastics. |
| D．It is an updated version of “Trashwheel”. |
| A．People should not use plastics anymore. |
| B．The death of the river is unpreventable. |
| C．Humans’ living habits matter in river protection. |
| D．River protection has received the attention of all. |
4 . Transport is undergoing a massive transformation so it can meet society’s demands for a low- carbon economy. Introducing electric vehicles (EV) and declining gasoline use are helping, but zero-carbon hydrogen can speed up both the transition (转变) and long-term decarbonization of transport.
In the US, transportation produces the largest share of all greenhouse gas emissions (排放) in the economy at 29%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. More than 90% of transport fuel is petrol based, but if more vehicles used hydrogen, emissions of this kind would plummet.
However, hydrogen is not considered an ideal replacement for gasoline as an engine fuel for cars because it is harder to store safely. And while fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) that turn hydrogen into electricity can compete with EV performance-and even out-compete them on range and refill time, extra energy is needed to produce the hydrogen needed for fuel. Also, finding investment for storage, pipelines and fuel stations is still a challenge for many nations.
Currently, governments worldwide are backing green hydrogen projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in heavy industries like freight (货运), steel, and energy storage. But hydrogen transport will need rapid production methods to create the fuel needed for the world’s road fleet.
Thankfully, research is advancing all the time. Nanoscale (纳米级的) thin films are applied to improving the chemical process to rapidly harvest hydrogen from the seawater. The same technology has been successfully used in solar power devices with higher efficiency-to-cost rates. Since hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and as seawater makes up about 96% of all water on Earth, there is a virtually limitless supply.
Even wastewater and solid waste can create green hydrogen. Researchers at Princeton University are using sunlight to separate hydrogen from industrial wastewater. Chemical plants that currently face high costs for cleaning wastewater could transform it into clean hydrogen supplies.
1. What does the underlined word “plummet” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Stop. | B．Decrease. | C．Continue. | D．Disappear. |
| A．Ways of storing hydrogen safely. |
| B．Benefits of fuel cell electric vehicles. |
| C．Challenges of using hydrogen as car fuel. |
| D．Differences between gasoline and hydrogen. |
| A．The application of solar power devices. |
| B．The method of identifying water elements. |
| C．The invention. of the water transport system. |
| D．The use of the nanoscale thin-film technology. |
| A．Clean Energy Hydrogen Ready to Take Off |
| B．Traditional Fuels Bound to Reach a Dead End |
| C．How We Can Generate Energy from Hydrogen |
| D．What the Future of Transportation May Be Like |
5 . A Malawian woman, Gloria Majiga-Kamoto, was recently awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa — the world’s leading award for grassroots environmental activists.
Gloria Majiga-Kamoto was then working for a local environmental organization with a program that gave goats to rural farmers, who would use the goat waste to produce low-cost, high-quality organic fertilizer (肥料). The problem? The thin plastic bags covering the Malawian countryside. “We have this very common street food, chiwaya, which is salty and served in little blue plastics,” Majiga-Kamoto says. “Goats eat the plastic for salty taste and they die because it blocks the ingestion (摄食) system.” For her, this was the moment when it all changed. All of a sudden, she started noticing how plastics were everywhere in the Malawian environment and food system-affecting people’s living and health.
“I remember back in the day when we’d go to the market and buy things like fish, you’d get it in newspapers,” the 30-year-old says. But thin plastics took off in the last decade or so as new producers sprung up in Malawi, selling products like thin plastic bags at cheap prices. In fact, the Malawian government decided to ban the importation, production and distribution of single-use plastic in 2015. But before the ban could go into full effect, Malawi’s plastics-producing industry appealed to the country’s High Court against the ban, causing it to be suspended.
When Majiga-Kamoto and her fellow environmentalists heard about this, they were annoyed. She organized marches and rejected the plastic industry’s argument that the ban would hurt Malawi’s economy — and even debated with an industry spokesman on TV. Finally in 2019, Malawi’s High Court ruled in favor of the ban. The following year, the government began closing down illegal plastic producers.
Michael Sutton, executive director of the Goldman Environmental Foundation, said, “Majiga-Kamoto’s fight with the plastic industry is a perfect example of the spirit of the prize.”
1. What made Majiga-Kamoto realize the problem?| A．Her experience with plastic-eating goats. |
| B．Her discovery of goat waste everywhere. |
| C．Her doubt about the safety of street food. |
| D．Her care for the farmers living in poverty. |
| A．It used to be extremely rich in fish. |
| B．It advocated using thin plastic bags. |
| C．It failed to ban single-use plastic at first. |
| D．It relied heavily on the plastic industry. |
| A．To put the ban into effect. |
| B．To support the government. |
| C．To back the plastic industry up. |
| D．To promote Malawi’s economy. |
| A．Humble. | B．Generous. | C．Patient. | D．Committed. |
6 . Industrial agriculture is often held up as the solution to feeding the world’s growing population. But small farms of about 25 acres or less produce over 70 percent of the world’s food. To raise awareness of the contribution of these farmers, a global photo exhibition, We Feed the World, is to open on October 12 in London.
“Industrial agriculture, which mainly focuses on a few types of crops, is not the only answer,” says art director Francesca Price. “We want these images to empower people to support their local food system.”
By growing traditional and non-commercial varieties, small farms support biodiversity and increase food security. With only 12 plants and five animal species making up 75 percent of what the world eats, food systems will be easily hurt by natural disasters and disease outbreaks. However, traditional farming communities are working to preserve their ancient seed diversity.
Keeping variety alive is very important in the face of climate change. In the future, researchers might need to get particular genes from—one variety to help another to adapt to warmer, stormier, or drier weather, or to save a prized variety from disease.
Contrary to the false impression held by the public, small farms that practise traditional agriculture can be highly productive. Studies show that the output of crops rises when there’s a wider diversity of crops being grown on a farm, and money is saved since the need for harmful fertilizer(化肥)and other chemicals is reduced.
“The photographs of family farmers may tell just a few local stories, but the message is universal,” says photographer Cheryl Newman. “I hope that the images will leave viewers thinking deeply about where their food comes from and the impact it has on the world around us.”
1. What is the purpose of the photo exhibition?| A．To help small farmers to sell their produce. |
| B．To show the challenges faced by small farmers. |
| C．To help farmers to fight against industrial agriculture. |
| D．To draw attention to small farmers’ contribution. |
| A．It produces more food than small farms in total. |
| B．It harms biodiversity and decreases food security |
| C．It has been competing unfairly with small farms. |
| D．It is the only way to feed the world’s population. |
| A．Their genes are much better. |
| B．Their output is much higher. |
| C．They may help improve the other crops. |
| D．They don’t need chemical fertilizers at all. |
| A．Industrial agriculture or traditional agriculture, hard to decide |
| B．Agriculture needs diversity |
| C．Small farms, big impacts |
| D．Traditional agriculture, highly productive |
7 . Two hours west of a perfectly sunny summer’s day in Clackamas, Oregon a foggy breeze awaited me on the Lincoln City coast. After a year of volunteering remotely with Ocean Blue Project, today is a long-awaited beach cleanup.
I didn’t expect to take away more than just trash from the beach cleanup. At first glance, the beach appears clean. However, beach cleanups require much more attention than a quick look over. Within just a couple of hours, 71 of us volunteers managed to pick up 171 pounds of debris. Actually, we’ve got much more than that.
Beach cleanups connect us to nature and provide an escape from the world for a little bit. They also provide a learning opportunity outside of the participation part. When you sit over a pile of—let’s face it—garbage, you pick out one by one the pieces left behind by others. You see first hand the impact we’re having on our environment and account for what is left behind the most. Each cigarette butt and plastic bottle sets the tone for how we should be approaching our everyday lives, which is to stop pollution.
Personally, the time spent by the ocean and away from my phone fills me with peace and calmness as I focus my attention only on the moment, looking for the little devils trying to pollute the ocean. With a pound or two less out of the ocean, I always feel a bit more optimistic about the world to come.
This boots-on-the-sand way of making a difference grants me a feeling of accomplishment and purpose. Rather than pondering the dire task of saving the planet or researching and writing ways to do so, I get to physically make a difference. And there’s nothing that can replace that instant gratification of making positive change for your community and your planet.
After the cleanup, my eyes are now expertly trained to spot loose trash and inorganic materials anywhere I step. Imagine what a huge difference we could all make collectively if we simply stopped and picked up that water bottle or wrapper off the ground instead of passing it by.
1. Which of the following can best describe the author’s first beach cleanup with Ocean Blue Project?| A．Effortless and far-reaching. | B．Annoying but rewarding. |
| C．Painstaking but fruitful. | D．Demanding and inefficient. |
| A．Maintaining good physical health. |
| B．Gaining great insight into oceans. |
| C．Developing researching ways to save the earth. |
| D．Improving our mental health. |
| A．Satisfaction. | B．Gratitude. |
| C．Impression. | D．Curiosity. |
| A．What I’ve Learned from a Beach Cleanup |
| B．How Well I Performed in a Beach Cleanup |
| C．How Much Attention a Beach Cleanup Requires |
| D．Why Volunteering with Ocean Blue Project Matters |
8 . Imagine driving down a 10-lane highway and knowing that, high above your head, a mountain lion is quietly going along its way. This remarkable image could soon be the reality for drivers on one of California’s busiest roads, as the world’s largest wildlife overpass(天桥) begins construction in April.
The history-making project will comprise a green bridge built across the 101 highway near Los Angeles, creating a passage between two parts of the Santa Monica Mountains. The overpass will allow safe passage for lizards, snakes, mountain lions, etc. with an acre of local plants on either side and vegetated sound walls to dampen light and noise for night-time animals as they go across.
The project, nearly a decade in the making, comes at a crucial time. Beth Pratt, a conservation leader with the National Wildlife Federation, feels as if she is running the last mile of a marathon. Pratt has spent most of the last decade planning the project, persuading transportation officials of its importance, and bringing donors to fund it.
The project is breaking records in many ways: not only is it the largest crossing in the world, but it’s also an engineering wonder. Robert Rock, a landscape architect who led the design, says this nature-centered type of construction makes it unusual among other wildlife bridges and underpasses around the world, which are typically made of cement(水泥)and steel. This one is designed to integrate into the environment on both sides — and send a message to the people driving below.
About 300,000 cars pass through this area each day, and Pratt calls it an opportunity for millions of Angelenos to see how humans can live more harmoniously with nature.“Someone could be in rush-hour traffic, and there could be a mountain lion right above them,”she says. “I think that’s such a helpful image, and one that inspires me that we can right some of these great wrongs.”
1. Why is the overpass built?| A．To attract visitors to watch the wildlife. |
| B．To help animals cross over a highway. |
| C．To bridge two mountains near Los Angeles. |
| D．To allow more traffic during rush hours. |
| A．It is a long journey. |
| B．It comes a little late. |
| C．It has little official support. |
| D．It has brought economic benefits. |
| A．It stands out among similar structures. |
| B．It does harm to the local environment. |
| C．It has got little attention from engineers. |
| D．It has inspired constructions worldwide. |
| A．It’ll transform the image of the state. |
| B．It’ll provide pleasant habitats for animals. |
| C．It’ll be a reminder for us to care about nature. |
| D．It’ll create job opportunities for the local people. |
9 . Antarctica is the highest, driest, and coldest place on Earth. It is also the remotest, a fact which demystifies its unspoiled environment. It is difficult for people to get there, and not a comfortable place for people to stay once they arrive. It is widely described as the last true wilderness on our planet.
The cold climate is responsible for maintaining the continent’s year-round ice fields: They never melt. Even though Antarctica receives more sunlight than the equator, the temperatures are lower because the ice sheet reflects the heat back into space. Thus, the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica in July, 1983. Soviet scientists shivered (瑟瑟发抖) through temperatures that fell to minus 89.2 degrees Celsius.
Once completely inaccessible, Antarctica has more recently been playing host to adventurers seeking excitement, scientists interested in experimenting, and companies looking to exploit this wild zone for profit: gold, uranium and oil are just some of the valuable resources which lie beneath the continent’s icy covering.
For centuries, Europeans wondered about the existence of a South-pole continent, but no one actually knew for certain Antactica was there until 1820 when European explorers “discover” it. Since then, men have gone to Antarctica in search of adventure. Testing their abilities, several teams of explorers set out in 1911 to be the first men to stand at the South Pole.
Yet, Antarctica’s fragile and complicated ecosystem is threatened by its human visitors. Damage to the environment occurs as people come looking for resources beneath the ice, or carelessly leave their garbage behind. Currently, countries are working to ensure that the damage to Antarctica’s environment is minimized, and that the last wilderness on Earth will remain an unspoiled place.
1. What does the underlined word “demystifies” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Does harm to. | B．Lies in. | C．Accounts for. | D．Stays away from. |
| A．To make a comparison with other places. | B．To show Soviet scientists’ fearless spirits. |
| C．To stress the freezing weather of Antarctica. | D．To explain the reason for Antarctica’s cold climate. |
| A．In the late eighteenth century. | B．In the early eighteenth century. |
| C．In the early nineteenth century. | D．In the late twentieth century. |
| A．Measures are being taken to protect Antarctica. |
| B．Antarctica’s eco-system has been destroyed by men. |
| C．People visiting Antarctica leave garbage on purpose. |
| D．In the icy covering are buried few precious resources. |
