1 . Several years ago, Jason Box, a scientist from Ohio, flew 31 giant rolls of white plastic to a glacier (冰川) in Greenland. He and his team spread them across 10,000 feet of ice, and then left. His idea was that the white blanket would reflect back the rays of the sun, keeping the ice cool below. When he came back to check the results, he found it worked. Exposed ice had melted faster than covered ice. He had not only saved two feet of glacier in a short time. No coal plants (煤炭工厂) were shut down, no jobs were lost, and nobody was taxed or fired. Just the sort of fix we’re looking for.
“Thank you, but no thank you.” says Ralph King, a climate scientist. He told Grey Childs, author and commentator, that people think technology can save the planet, “but there are other things we need to deal with, like consumption (消费). They burned $50,000 just for the helicopter to bring the plastic to the glacier. ”This experiment gives people false hope that climate change can be fixed (解决，处理) without changing human behavior. . It can’t. Technology won’t give us a free ride (搭便车).
Individuals respond to climate change differently. Climatologist Kelly Smith is hardly alone in her prediction that someday soon we won’t be climate victims; we will be climate choosers. More scientists agree with her that if the human race survives, the engineers will get smarter, the tools will get better, and one day we will control the climate. But what then? "Just the mention of us controlling the climate sent a small shiver (颤抖) down my back”, Grey Childs writes, “Something sounds wrong about it.”
Me? I like it better when the earth takes care of itself. I guess one day we will have to run the place, but for the moment, sitting at my desk. looking out at the trees bending wildly and the wind howling. I’m happy not to be in charge.
1. What does Ralph King think of Jason Box’s experiment?| A．It’s a possible solution to climate change. |
| B．It’s a misleading attempt to fix the climate. |
| C．It’s a successful experiment on saving the glacier. |
| D．It arouses people’s attention to the problem of global warming. |
| A．The fight against climate change will not succeed. |
| B．Humans will succeed in controlling climate in the future. |
| C．Technology is not the final solution, let alone its high cost. |
| D．Jason’s experiment plays a significant role in fixing climate change. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Tolerant (容忍的). |
| C．Sceptical (怀疑的). | D．Unclear. |
| A．Should we fix the climate with technology? | B．Is climate change a threatening problem? |
| C．Why is the earth climate getting worse? | D．What if all the glaciers disappeared? |
写作要点：1.介绍垃圾污染的现状；2.提出减少垃圾污染的措施；3.发起呼吁。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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1.环境现状；2. 具体措施；3. 发出倡议。
注意：
写作词数应为80字左右;
可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯;
开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear schoolmates,
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Student Union
June 1, 2022
4 . Unimportant though it may seem, sand is a critical ingredient of our lives. It is the primary raw material modern cities are made from. The concrete used to construct shopping malls, offices, and apartment blocks, along with the material we use to build roads connecting them, are largely just sand gravel glued together. The glass in every window and smartphone screen is made of melted-down sand. And even the silicon chips inside our phones and computers—along with almost every other piece of electronic equipment in your home—are made from sand.
And what is the problem with that? Our planet is covered with it. Huge deserts from the Sahara to Arizona have numerous dunes(沙丘) of the stuff. Beaches of coastlines around the world are lined with sand. But believe it or not, the world is facing a shortage of sand. How can we possibly be running low on a substance that seems essentially limitless?
Sand, however, is the most-consumed natural resource on the planet besides water. People use some 50 billion tons of aggregate—the industry term for sand and gravel, which tend to be found together—every year. That’s more than enough to blanket the entire United Kingdom. The problem lies in the type of sand we are using. Desert sand is largely useless to us. The overwhelming mass of the sand we harvest goes to make concrete, and for that purpose, desert sand grains are the wrong form. Shaped by wind rather than water, they are too smooth and round to lock together to form stable concrete.
The sand we need is the more angular(棱角分明的) stuff found in the beds of rivers, lakes and the seashore. The demand for that material is so great that around the world, riverbeds and beaches are being laid bare, and farmlands and forests are torn up to get the precious grains.
1. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．Sand must be melted down before making glass. |
| B．Concrete is the primary material in making a city. |
| C．Electronic equipment may not work without sand. |
| D．The value of sand may go beyond our imagination. |
| A．To suggest it is rich in producing sand. | B．To warn us that sand is over used in it. |
| C．To stress sand is used too much every year. | D．To show sand is important in our daily life. |
| A．Shape | B．Weight | C．Ingredient | D．Size |
| A．Concerned | B．Subjective | C．Indifferent | D．Favourable |
5 . Away from the bright lights of the city, if you look up at the night sky you will see an ocean of bright stars. But in the illuminated concrete jungles we humans have built ourselves, it’s a different story.
This year, Earth Hour was observed on March 26. The annual tradition, started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, was created to raise awareness for climate change. Those celebrating turn off all their electrical appliances for one hour. It also draws attention to another serious problem that the world is currently facing — the threat of light pollution.
Light pollution happens when too much man-made light harms nature. Scientists have found that it is especially harmful to nocturnal animals. These creatures rely on the natural light cycle provided by the movement of the sun to help coordinate their sleep cycles. When this is disturbed by constant bright lights from man-made structures, it can seriously disorientate the animals and harm their physical health. “Wildlife species have evolved on this planet with biological rhythms — changing that has profound effects,” said Travis Longcore, a biogeographer with the Urban Wildlands Group in Los Angeles, US. A lack of darkness at night can also cause difficulties for animals in other ways.
Newly hatched (孵化) baby sea turtles rely on the brighter horizon over the ocean to guide them from the beach to the sea. However, with artificial lights next to the oceans, the small animals are easily led away from the right path. “Hatchlings are attracted to lights and crawl inland, or crawl aimlessly down the beach, sometimes until dawn, when predators or birds get them,” said Michael Salmon, a biologist at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Artificial light has caused a “drastic change” to the natural environment of animals, research scientist Christopher Kyba told the International Dark-Sky Association. “Predators use light to hunt, and prey (猎物) species use darkness as cover,” Kyba explained. If a predator has such an extra advantage in hunting its prey, this can lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem as the hunted species are no longer able to maintain their population when they become over-hunted.
1. Why was Earth Hour created?| A．To raise awareness of air pollution. |
| B．To call on people to get closer to nature. |
| C．To draw public attention to environmental issues. |
| D．To reconsider the necessity of electrical devices. |
| A．It slows their growth. | B．It changes their sleep cycles. |
| C．It lessens their dependence on the sun. | D．It reduces their difficulties caused by darkness. |
| A．It can prevent them from reaching the ocean. | B．It can affect their biological rhythms. |
| C．It makes them lose their way to the beach. | D．It exposes them to predators in the sea. |
| A．The argument over artificial lights. | B．Animals that benefit from artificial lights. |
| C．The impact of artificial lights on environment. | D．The dangers of an imbalance in the ecosystem. |
6 . When a heavy storm hit, residents of the floating community of Schoonschip in Amsterdam had little doubt about whether they could ride it out. They tied up their bikes and outdoor benches, and checked in with neighbors to ensure everyone had enough food and water as their neighborhood slid up and down its steel foundational pillars (支柱), rising along with the water and going back to its original position after the rain stopped.
“We feel safer in storm because we are floating,” says Siti Boelen, a Dutch television producer who moved into Schoonschip two years ago. As sea levels rise and supercharged storms cause waters to rise, floating neighborhoods offer an experiment in flood defense that could allow coastal communities to better fight against climate change.
A floating house can be constructed on any shoreline and is able to deal with rising seas by remaining on the top of the water’s surface. Unlike houseboats, which can easily be moved and relocated, floating homes are fixed to the shore and are usually connected to the local sewer (污水管道) system and power grid. They are structurally similar to houses built on land, but instead of a basement, they have a concrete hull (船体) that acts as a counterbalance, allowing them to remain stable in the water.
Severe wind and rain, or even the passing of large cruise ships, can make the buildings rock. Siti Boelen, the Schoonschip resident, says that when she first moved in, stormy weather made her think twice. “You feel it in your stomach,” she says, adding that she has gotten used to the feeling. Floating homes also require extra infrastructure and work to connect to the electricity grid and sewer system.
But the benefits may outweigh the costs. “If there are floods, it’s expected that many people will move to higher ground. But the alternative is to stay close to coastal cities and explore expansion onto the water,” says Rutger de Graaf. “If you consider that in the second half of the century, hundreds of millions of people will be displaced by sea level rise, we need to start now to increase the scale of floating developments.”
1. What did local residents think when a heavy storm hit?| A．They could get through it. |
| B．They could control the flood. |
| C．They could get some bikes after it. |
| D．They could gain enough food in it. |
| A．She has a sense of security in a storm. |
| B．She gets along well with her neighbors. |
| C．She has produced TV sets used in the storm. |
| D．She makes contributions to defending against flood. |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By analyzing reasons. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．The impacts of stormy weather. |
| B．The significance of thinking twice. |
| C．The higher costs of building houses. |
| D．The challenges faced by floating houses. |
Olympic and Paralympic medals for the 32nd Tokyo Olympic Games were made
“A project
As
The tiger is one of our planet’s most
Tigers help to keep the environment healthy. It’s the way things
Local people also depend on a healthy environment for food, water and other
“I am proud to be engaged in the work on tigers. In my lifetime, tiger populations declined, but are now on the up.
9 . If your family loves to travel but you worry about the environmental, social and economic effect, it’s time to take a more sustainable approach to your trips.
Wales
Wales packs many sustainable activities for kids. Camp in one of many green campsites around Pembrokeshire, where children can have fun learning about sustainable living. Or find an environmentally friendly campsite at The Greener Camping Club. Don’t forget to factor in a spin on the world’s only people-powered rollercoaster in Snowdonia.
Volcán Tenorio Area
When you think about taking your kids to Costa Rica, you normally focus on viewing its incredible wildlife. But what about giving back to the human residents too? One way to support local communities and understand the Tico culture is by staying on a farm, and there are loads of lovely options around Volcán Tenorio.
Austria
Explore the kid-friendly Austrian capital of Vienna, which offers more organic farmland than any other city and has both “Green Taxis” and plenty of bike-share stations. The city has some fantastic museums for children and the splendid Schloss Schonbrunn where kids can dress up.
San Francisco
San Francisco is perfect for a break that will both delight the kids and satisfy your sustainability principles. The city has banned plastic bags and bottles for years. Plus, most of the fun things to do with kids can be accessed without using a car and many involve green spaces.
Head to the Exploratorium: an incredible hands-on science museum in a solar-powered building.
1. Which destination best suits families that enjoy camping?| A．Wales. | B．Volcán Tenorio Area. |
| C．Austria. | D．San Francisco. |
| A．Farmland. | B．Museums. |
| C．Animals. | D．Rollercoasters. |
| A．Science. | B．Travel. |
| C．Sports. | D．Agriculture. |
10 . Astypalea, a butterfly-shaped island in the central Aegean, hopes to become Greece’s first carbon-free tourist destination. Under a deal with the government, Volkswagen, a carmaker, has donated several new electric vehicles for use by Astypalea’s public services; it will sell others at cost price to its 1,200 residents. In return, the government has largely increased subsidies (补贴) for the islanders to buy electric cars and will build a hybrid solar and wind power plant to replace those polluting generators.
Unlike other nearby islands, Astypalea is not connected to Greece’s electricity system. With only 3, 000 rooms for visitors in small hotels or flats, tourism is still low-key. Many residents make a living the old-fashioned way: raising goats, keeping bees and fishing. The island was selected for Volkswagen’s e-mobility experiment after Nikos Komineas, the go-ahead mayor, contacted the transport ministry for help in finding an electric bus to try out on its rough roads.
Most islanders sound enthusiastic about the project. Mr Komineas expects the number of private cars on Astypalea to fall by a third over the next five years. Its residents, he says, will get around on e-scooters and electric minibuses, which will be free, linked to a mobile-phone app and available round the clock.
Some observers detect a bit of green washing. Building a solar park that would generate the island’s electricity will not get started before the tourist season ends. A single wind turbine (涡轮) will not be fixed before 2026 even if the licensing process goes smoothly. On the other hand, the islanders worry that tourists will go elsewhere if the view is destroyed by a turbine 200 metres high. And even then, the hybrid power unit is planned to cover only about 80% of summer demand. But it is a start.
1. What common measure do Volkswagen and the government take?| A．Offering financial support. | B．Developing a mobile-phone app. |
| C．Making electric cars. | D．Establishing a power plant. |
| A．Tourism prospect and heavy traffic. | B．Location and government’s efforts. |
| C．Islanders’ demand and road conditions. | D．Islanders’ lifestyle and large population. |
| A．The complex licensing process. | B．Environmental damage. |
| C．Loss of tourists. | D．The influence on their daily life. |
| A．The experiment will come to nothing. |
| B．There are barriers in conducting the project. |
| C．Green tourism will become a trend in Greece. |
| D．The islanders are unwilling to change their lifestyle. |
