1 . Vegan Agriculture

Vegan farming (全素农业) has become more and more popular. It is one of the most environmentally-friendly forms of agriculture. Vegan farming is a good way to grow plants such as vegetables without using animal-derived materials such as their waste.     1     Such an approach to farming also helps preserve the environment and regain soil richness and improve its biodiversity.

    2    Organic farming uses natural products to grow plants — that can include even animal waste as fertilizers. On the other hand, vegan agriculture rejects animal-derived products and usually sticks with plant-based organic compounds, which means that, in general, vegan agriculture has stricter rules than organic farming.

Additionally, vegan farming usually chooses more natural ways to protect the plants, like breaking cycles of plants’ diseases with mixed cropping (混作), using mechanical barriers such as nets, or even attracting opposing organisms to fight the harmful ones.     3     However, they might be less effective against certain plant diseases or pests.

One of the reasons to invest in vegan agriculture is that the vegan way of farming replaces synthetic (合成的) pesticides and uses organic pesticides or other non-chemical methods to protect the crops. By contrast, in conventional agriculture, synthetic pesticides are on a very high level.     4    

In the future, it is of great significance not to rely on animals’ waste for feeding plants. Doing so is not only beneficial to vegans.     5     Even if today’s methods of vegan agriculture might not be perfect, scientists worldwide, together with vegan farmers, are working towards developing plant-based solutions as alternatives to animal-derived fertilizers.

A．Accordingly, the amount of it in food products is much higher.

B．It is apparent that vegan agriculture is not the same as an organic one.

C．In today’s world, the vegan diet and lifestyle are increasingly popular.

D．But it’s also good for the whole world, including other animals and plants.

E．Those ways affect the environment less than the ways of traditional farming.

F．The rise of veganism creates new demand for more vegan-friendly agriculture.

G．Also, vegan farmers are far from applying synthetic fertilizers.

2 . A research team led by the University of Göttingen has shed new light on the importance of plant roots for belowground life, particularly in the tropics (热带).

Millions of small creatures working hard in a single hectare of soil including earthworms, springtails, mites, insects, and other arthropods (节肢动物) are crucial for decomposition and soil health. For a long time, it was believed that leaf litter is the primary resource for these animals. However, this recent study is the first to provide proof that resources from plant roots drive soil animal communities in the tropics.

The researchers divided plots (地块) within natural ecosystems and separated the plots from accessing plant roots with a plastic barrier. Their study included rainforest, as well as both rubber and oil palm plantations in Sumatra, Indonesia. They removed all dead leaves, the main resource of decomposer animals, from other experimental plots to compare them.

They found that without living roots, animal abundance in the rainforest plots decreases by 42 percent and in plantations by 30 percent. By contrast, removing the dead leaves has almost no effect on the animals in the underlying soil, but decreased the total animal abundance (in the soil and dead leaves) by 60 percent in rainforest and rubber plantations due to physical litter removal.

The study also revealed that living roots are especially important for the smaller soil animals, such as mites and springtails. Interestingly, after adding artificial plastic leaves in oil palm plantations, abundance of some animal groups-such as prostigmata-increased, highlighting that improving habitat structure can promote soil food networks and the services they provide.

“The study provides new perspectives for the management of the resources provided by plant litter in tropical plantations, contributing to soil animal biodiversity. This is important to develop sustainable agricultural landscapes in the tropics,” says Professor Stefan Scheu, head of the Animal Ecology Working Group at the University of Göttingen.

1. What role do arthropods play in the tropics?

A．Making soil healthy.	B．Slowing global warming.
C．Feeding other animals.	D．Providing nutrition for plants.

2. Why were dead leaves removed from some plots?

A．To make room for crops.	B．To keep the plots clean.
C．To improve the soil condition.	D．To make comparisons.

3. Which of the following may affect the animal abundance of a plot?

A．Variety of plants.

B．Roots of plants.

C．Height of plants.

D．Quantities of plants.

4. According to Stefan, what matters to sustainable agricultural landscapes?

A．Biodiversity of soil animals.	B．Habitat structure of living things.
C．Resources provided by animal waste.	D．New perspectives of management

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What happened to the beach last year?

A．A lot of birds died at the beach.

B．Its white sand was washed away.

C．It was polluted by an oil leak.

2. What is the function of the huge machine?

A．To prevent the oil from spreading.

B．To keep the rescue workers safe.

C．To stop the waves floating.

3. What did the volunteers do on the beach?

A．Carry away the oil in big boxes.

B．Gather the oil with a broom.

C．Get the oil off the trucks.

4. What did the workers teach volunteers?

A．How to pick up birds in the oil.

B．How to send birds to safe places.

C．How to remove the oil from birds’ wings.

5 . A report issued on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in more than 45 years says 26% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to safe drinking water and 46% lacks access to basic sanitation (卫生). The U. N. World Water Development Report 2023, released Tuesday, painted an unpleasant picture of the huge gap that needs to be filled to meet U.N. goals to ensure all the 8 billion people have access to clean water and sanitation by 2030.

According to the report, water use has been increasing globally by roughly 1% per year over the last 40 years and is expected to grow at a similar rate through to 2050, mainly driven by population growth in urban areas.

With agriculture using 70% of all water globally, Richard Connor, editor in chief of the report, said, irrigation (灌溉) for crops has to be more efficient. As a direct result of climate change, an increase in intensity or frequency of droughts and “heat extremes” can be expected in most regions. On average, “10% of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress” — and up to 3.5 billion people live under conditions of water stress at least one month a year, said the report.

As for water pollution, Connor said, the biggest source of pollution is untreated wastewater. “Globally, 80% of wastewater is released to the environment without any treatment,” he said, “and in many developing countries it’s pretty much 99%.”

These issues will be discussed during the three-day U. N. Water Conference opening Wednesday. There are 171 countries, including over 100 ministers, on the speakers list along with more than 20 organizations. The meeting will also include five “interactive dialogues” and dozens of side events.

1. How many people lack safe drinking water according to the report?

A．About 0.8 billion.	B．About 2 billion.
C．About 3. 6 billion.	D．About 6 billion.

2. What does the report say about water use?

A．It has been increasing steadily every year.

B．It contributes to environmental pollution.

C．It is highly efficient in agricultural irrigation.

D．It is stressful for 3.5 billion people throughout the year.

3. What does the report mainly focus on according to the text?

A．Comparing opinions.	B．Analyzing causes.
C．Introducing policies.	D．Offering solutions.

4. What can we learn about water shortage from the last paragraph?

A．It has caused regional conflicts.	B．It will be eased in most countries.
C．It has attracted worldwide attention.	D．It can be managed by treating wastewater.

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个恰当的单词或者括号内单词的正确形式。

Spring is the season for new life. In China, the peak time for spring plowing and sowing is around the Qingming Festival, which falls     1     Wednesday this year, when people from all walks of life go out and plant trees    2     (make) the land greener.

From top leaders to ordinary citizens,     3     (plant) trees has been a widespread practice for the Chinese,     4     voluntarily take part in the country’s massive greening efforts     5     (year) to show just how much the world’s second-largest economy values greenness and ecological conservation.

Since     6     start of afforestation (植树造林) decades ago, China     7     (create) the world’s largest, planted forests. Thick forests have also become a substantial source of income for     8     (local). Last year, the output value of China’s forestry and grassland industry reached about 1. 22 trillion dollars, while the foreign trade volume of forest products     9     (be) 191 billion dollars. Green development with both ecological and economic benefits is a highlight and distinctive feature of Chinese modernization.

Under a long-term plan, China expects to increase its forest     10     (cover) rate to 26 percent by 2035. By then, China’s forest stock volume will rise to 21 billion cubic meters.

7 . Alone on a barren island, Ding Peng and his colleagues bring the Chinese crested tern (凤头燕鸥) back from the edge of extinction. From time to time, Ding Peng makes his way across the waves to Zhongtiedun, an island that dots the vast East China Sea.

Born in Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China’s Gansu Province, Ding grew up seeing bare mountains and sandstorms, and had an early awareness of environmental protection.

In March 2013, Ding landed on Zhongtiedun with more than 30 experts to choose a breeding (繁育) area for Chinese crested terns. They wanted to restore their populations through manual intervention (人工干预).

At the beginning, there were no Chinese crested terns on Zhongtiedun and Ding’s first cask was to attract the birds to settle there. Their breeding period is usually from May to August, and they like to lay their eggs on small islands with little tree cover, so Ding and the team of experts settled on relatively flat Zhongtiedun. They also cut away the taller bushes, while 400 fake birds of the same size as Chinese crested terns were placed there, with a bird sound playback system installed to simulate the sound of courtship (求偶).

However, they were unable to attract any of the birds over the following two months. “The experts suggested withdrawing the equipment and making plans for the next year,” Ding recalls. Ding proposed the equipment that had been installed on the island not be taken down. Two days later, the team got what they wished for—several Chinese crested terns were found among the group of great crested terns flying in the sky.

“Though the life on the island is tough, things took a turn for the better in 2017, when more volunteers came to join the bird protection team. Everything was worth it. Now that more people are aware of the importance of protecting the birds, and now that their numbers are on the rise,” Ding says.

1. What do we know about Ding?

A．He is from a poor family.	B．He is an environmentalist.
C．He lives in mountains now.	D．He feels lonely on the island.

2. Why did Ding and the team of experts cut away the taller bushes?

A．To install fake birds more conveniently.	B．To make the birds’ vision much clearer.
C．To observe Chinese crested terns closely.	D．To create a better breeding environment for the birds.

3. What does Ding think of his work?

A．It is very worthwhile to do it.	B．It still has a long way to go.
C．It is the most important project.	D．It has strengthened his willpower.

4. How does the text develop?

A．By showing examples.	B．By giving some quotes.
C．By following time order.	D．By making comparisons.

8 . Here’s a recipe for a good animal rescue story: Take one residential creek (小溪), add one lone dolphin and then bring in 28 determined biologists. Mix well and enjoy the happy ending.

A young dolphin wandered off its usual path and ended up in a creek in Clearwater, Florida. Biologists with Clearwater Marine Aquarium had been monitoring it since Jan. 1. It appeared reluctant to return to open waters via a small opening under a bridge. “Since monitoring began, the dolphin had not left the creek,” the aquarium said last week. “This posed potential long-term problems. Dolphins are naturally sociable creatures, so if they are isolated from other dolphins, they may turn their attention to human interaction.” This can be dangerous, both for dolphins and humans. Humans who get too close to dolphins can find themselves with injuries such as broken bones.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium partnered with NOAA Fisheries and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission to guard the dolphin to safety. A team of 28 biologists got into the water to form a human chain, creating a visual and sound barrier to aim the dolphin out of the creek. It’s not easy to pull off a human chain in a creek. The biologists had to stay shoulder to shoulder and navigate trees and docks without giving the dolphin an opportunity to slip by. The human encouragement worked, though there was a moment of uncertainty as the team members neared the bridge and weren’t sure if the dolphin went through.

The biologists celebrated the dolphin’s arrival on the other side.“It was very exciting after almost 20 plus days for him to finally be out of the canal,” said senior rescue biologist Brittany Baldrica.

The wandering dolphin stands a good chance back out in the wild. “We noted that the animal was in good body condition with normal breathing rates and was displaying normal behavior during observations” the aquarium said.

Happy ending achieved.

1. What attracted the biologists to monitor a young dolphin?

A．Its unusual wandering path.	B．A small opening under a bridge.
C．Its interactions with human.	D．A creek with potential problems.

2. Why did the biologists stay shoulder to shoulder?

A．To experience dolphins’ swim in the creek.

B．To avoid heavy injuries from the sociable dolphin.

C．To create a barrier guiding the dolphin out of the creek.

D．To give encouragement to each other while working in the wild.

3. Which can best describe the author’s writing style?

A．Humorous.

B．Flowery.

C．Informal.

D．Rough.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．A Good Way to Rescue Wild Animals.

B．A Human Chain to Save a Dolphin’s Life.

C．A Heart-stopping Survival Game in Florida.

D．A Celebration of Biologists Studying Dolphins.

9 . 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。

The habitats of the gray nurse shark have been lost and extensive fishing has led to a huge decline in its numbers. The species     1     (list) as the critically endangered animals by the IUCN now.

Shalise Leesfield, a 16-year-old Australian, devotes     2     (she) to the protection of the gray nurse shark. She took     3     series of actions to protect those sharks, such as establishing the conservation area     4     promoting the legalization of shark protection. Her efforts have already seen the area nominated (提名) as a Hope Spot, a program to identify and protect places that are     5     (essence) to the ocean’s health. Leesfield has also started a petition (请愿书) to have the area declared a marine park,     6     (aim) to offer much greater protection for the sharks and their habitats.

Aged 11, having noticed that the marine environment was     7     (serious) damaged because of plastic pollution, Leesfield started a campaign that called for fishing line collection bins to be installed in her local area. She also     8     (found) “Shalise’s Ocean Support” later which aims to inspire people to take care of the environment.

“I know     9     most people feel about them — scary and fierce, but in fact far from their appearance, they are clever and really friendly to people, ”Leesfield says. She tells what she has done can help change people’s previous beliefs in these sharks, saying that the youth need to get out of the mindset that saving the environment     10     (be) something that should be “left up to the adults”.

10 . In a new finding that goes against current conservation patterns, re-introducing wolves and other predators (捕食者) to our landscapes does not amazingly reduce deer populations, restore worsening ecosystems or significantly threaten livestock (家禽), according to a new study.

“The hopes and fears that we have on both sides of the debate—neither are realized,” said conservation biologist Bernd Blossey, professor of natural resources and the environment at Cornell University. On the one hand, there is little evidence for claims that re-introducing large predators such as wolves, bears and mountain lions is a major threat to livestock and wild animals such as white-tailed deer and mule deer. When the wolf was taken off the endangered species list, hunters and livestock producers, and some state governments, called for action to safeguard the wildlife they wanted to hunt and the livestock that was their livelihood. But it is nearly impossible to independently evaluate those claims, Blossey said. Other factors also kill livestock, from lightning strikes to extreme weather and diseases.

On the other hand, the claim that wolves and other predators can control deer populations and restore worsening ecosystems lacks evidence as well. “Meaningfully reducing deer populations in Wisconsin alone would require tens of thousands of wolves, which is ecologically and socially impossible,” said Blossey. And wolves alone can’t repair the ecological damage humans have done, he said. A popular video “How wolves change rivers,” which has been viewed more than 43 million times, suggests that the re-introduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park benefited the entire ecosystem. “I was as fooled like everybody else by the lovely stories that came out of Yellowstone saying, you bring wolves back, and you restore the rivers, and everything’s satisfactory,” said Blossey.

We should see large predators like wolves as a valuable part ecological communities in their own right, Blossey said, and not just for their function. “As long as people learn to live with and tolerate the new (old) neighbors, a careful but not fully conflict-free existence appears possible,” said Blossey.

1. Which of the following does Blossey probably agree with?

A．The loss of livestock may not necessarily be due to wolves.

B．People should not take wolves off the endangered species list

C．People should take action to protect livestock and wild animals.

D．The threat to predators comes from climate change and diseases.

2. Which word best describes Blossey’s attitude to the video “How wolves change rivers”?

A．Tolerant.	B．Unclear.
C．Doubtful.	D．Favorable.

3. What does Bernd Blossey say about large predators in the last paragraph?

A．They upset the balance of the ecosystem.

B．They should rightfully stay in their habitats.

C．They are key to restoring the environment.

D．They change people’s view about rewilding.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The value of humans’ living together with animals

B．The importance of restoring worsening ecosystems.

C．A debate over the threat to livestock and wild animals.

D．A clarification of the effects of bringing back the wolves.