1 . The green, natural forest absorbs carbon dioxide from the air through photo- synthesis (光合作用). There is another way of dealing with the climate crisis. That is setting up fields of dark-colored solar panels (太阳能电池板), also known as “solar forests”, which replace power stations that use fossil fuels such as coal and gas to make electricity, thus mitigating harmful emissions (排放) of greenhouse gases.

But since they are both relatively dark, they absorb a lot of solar radiation. Some of the energy is used for photosynthesis in natural forests or to produce electricity in “solar forests”, but most returns to the atmosphere, heating it up. Then what would be the more effective land use option in terms of the climate crisis: planting a forest, or building solar panels? This issue has long been debated by decision-makers around the world. Now, we may have an answer, thanks to a new study.

First, the researchers compared the impact of a forest on the climate crisis in a dry area to that of a solar farm in a similar environment. The researchers found that the albedo effect (反射效应) of both of these “forests” was similar, but that the absorption or prevention of carbon emissions was very different. It turns out that it takes 2.5 years for the heat emitted by solar farms to be balanced by the carbon emissions that are avoided, thanks to the energy they produce. In the case of a natural forest of similar size, it would take more than 100 years of photosynthesis to balance its heating effect.

The researchers also studied how the heating-cooling relationship changed in other climates and found that in more humid environments, the heating effect of planting large numbers of trees is smaller. And the break-even point is reached within 15 to 18 years.

“In dry places, building solar forests seems far more effective in addressing the climate crisis. Meanwhile, forests absorb about a third of annual carbon emissions and play a vital role in the global rain cycle, in maintaining biodiversity and in many other environmental and social contexts. Preventing them from being cut down and planting more trees in humid areas are of great significance,” explains one of the researchers in the study.

1. What does the underlined word “mitigating” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Releasing.

B．Decreasing.

C．Generating.

D．Stabilizing.

2. What is the root cause of the long-running debate over the two types of forests?

A．They cause much damage to the land.

B．They result in a serious loss of farmland.

C．They contribute to the warming of the atmosphere.

D．They lose energy during the absorption of solar radiation.

3. What did the researchers find in the study conducted in the dry environment?

A．The natural forest exhibits a stronger albedo effect.

B．The solar forest can generate more energy in dry areas.

C．The solar forest is superior in balancing the heating effect.

D．The natural forest is more effective in solving the climate crisis.

4. What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

A．More trees should be planted in dry regions.

B．More methods should be adopted to address the climate crisis.

C．Fields of solar panels should be set up everywhere on the earth.

D．Building solar panels and planting trees should be effectively combined.

2 . Profits from cutting down rainforests are surprisingly small. A freshly cleared square kilometer of the Amazon rainforest fetches an average price of only around $ 12. By contrast, the social costs of clearing it are huge. Some 500 tons of carbon dioxide are pumped into the atmosphere. By an estimate, that does $ 25,000 of harm by accelerating climate change.

Yet still the world’s trees are disappearing. The senseless men cutting down trees receive the profits, but all 8 billion people on the planet pay for the costs. Clearly, if the owners of the rainforest were paid not to destroy it, everyone would be better off. If rainforests were in places with clear landownership and a firm rule of law, the world would no doubt already have funded such a deal. Sadly, they are not.

Local officials are often in league with the loggers, and may be loggers themselves. Consider Brazil. It had a leader, who sided with illegal loggers and ranchers (大农场主). He stopped fining forest criminals and told illegal miners on local reserves he would legalise the mining. On his watch the pace of deforestation rose by 60%. Local communities often refuse to follow the law and order since they see more benefit from deforestation than protecting it. And the land ownership is a mess. When it’s unclear who owns a piece of land, it’s unclear whom to pay to protect it, or whom to fine for destroying it.

Leadership matters. But even under better leaders, people living there should see benefits in protecting them. That will require a big, reliable flow of cash which should come from rich-country governments and from private firms buying carbon credits to make up for their emissions (排放).

Such carbon credits could be used to promote a greener local economy, and clean up local land registration. If there’s enough cash, conditionally paid, locals will be encouraged to protect trees and less likely to elect irresponsible leaders. To preserve such a huge carbon sink — never mind the biodiversity it contains — this would be a bargain.

1. What does the author intend to tell in Paragraph 1?

A．Climate change is accelerating.	B．Rainforest clearing is rather profitable.
C．Carbon dioxide is harmful to the atmosphere.	D．The costs of deforestation outweigh the profits.

2. What makes the world’s trees disappear constantly?

A．Clear landownership.	B．The absence of related law.
C．Profit-driving logging.	D．People’s willingness to buy trees.

3. What is needed to protect the rainforest according to the author?

A．More landownership funds.	B．Bringing in more private firms.
C．Awareness of saving biodiversity.	D．Paying the locals for the preservation efforts.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Cash for Saving Rainforests	B．Fight Illegal Logging in Brazil
C．Dilemmas of Rainforest Protection	D．Rainforest Deforestation and Climate Change

3 . Urban agriculture, the practice of farming within the restrictions of a city, is becoming increasingly popular and is viewed as a sustainable alternative to big industrial farms. By some estimates, between 20% and 30% of the global urban population engages in some form of urban agriculture. But until recently, its carbon footprint remains understudied.

Using data from 73 low-tech city farms, community gardens and personal plots of land, Newell and his team compared the average carbon emissions of food produced at low-tech urban agriculture sites to those of conventionally grown crops. The team found that because of urban gardens’ relatively low yields, along with the energy used in constructing the planting beds, big-city spuds (马铃薯) were significantly more carbon-intensive than commercially grown ones. This held true even when the researchers factored in emissions from transporting commercially grown produce to often distant grocery stores. That doesn’t mean that growing vegetables in big cities is totally bad, however. “Urban farming is great, ” if imperfect, says Carola Grebitus, a food choice expert. It can be a powerful tool for job creation and education, she says, and a good way to introduce fresh produce to urban “food deserts” where healthy fruits and vegetables are hard to come by. Community gardens can also provide a place to connect with nature, and the added green space can reduce the risks of heat and flooding.

Conscious of these benefits, Newell’s team highlighted several ways to make urban agriculture more sustainable. One option is to be selective about what crops are grown. For instance, tomatoes grown in the soil of open-air urban plots had a lower carbon intensity than tomatoes grown in conventional greenhouses. Another strategy is to rely on existing constructions. Include old structures into a new garden’s design instead of taking down old buildings. Finally, take the local climate, water quality and soil into account. Growing plants that are ill-suited to an area requires more water, energy and pesticides (杀虫剂), all of which affect the environment.

1. What can we know about urban agriculture from paragraph 1?

A．It is thoroughly researched.	B．It is welcomed by city people.
C．It is environmentally friendly.	D．It is limited to industrial farms.

2. How does the author explain the reason for urban agriculture’s higher carbon intensity?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By telling a story.
C．By giving a definition.	D．By using a quote.

3. According to Carola, what is a benefit of urban agriculture?

A．It adds variety to urban people’s diet.	B．It provides recreational opportunities.
C．It strengthens the bonds of community.	D．It helps to contain drought and flooding.

4. What is recommended to make urban agriculture more sustainable?

A．Reconstructing gardens.	B．Developing greenhouse crops.
C．Selecting pesticide-free vegetables.	D．Growing plants suited to local conditions.

4 . Common water plant could provide a green energy source. Scientists have figured out how to get large amounts of oil from duckweed, one of nature’s fastest-growing water plants. Transferring such plant oil into biodiesel (生物柴油) for transportation and heating could be a big part of a more sustainable future.

For a new study, researchers genetically engineered duckweed plants to produce seven times more oil per acre than soybeans. John Shanklin, a biochemist says further research could double the engineered duckweed’s oil output in the next few years.

Unlike fossil fuels, which form underground, biofuels can be refreshed faster than they are used. Fuels made from new and used vegetable oils, animal fat and seaweed can have a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuels do, but there has been a recent negative view against them. This is partly because so many crops now go into energy production rather than food; biofuels take up more than 100 million acres of the world’s agricultural land.

Duckweed, common on every continent but Antarctica, is among the world’s most productive plants, and the researchers suggest it could be a game-changing renewable energy source for three key reasons. First, it grows readily in water, so it wouldn’t compete with food crops for agricultural land. Second, duckweed can grow fast in agricultural pollution released into the water. Third, Shanklin and his team found a way to avoid a major biotechnological barrier: For the new study, Shanklin says, the researchers added an oil-producing gene, “turning it on like a light switch”by introducing a particular molecule (分子) only when the plant had finished growing. Shanklin says, “If it replicates (复制) in other species-and there’s no reason to think that it would not — this can solve one of our biggest issues, which is how we can make more oil in more plants without negatively affecting growth.”

To expand production to industrial levels, scientists will need to design and produce large-scale bases for growing engineered plants and obtaining oil — a challenge, Shanklin says, because duckweed is a non-mainstream crop without much existing infrastructure (基础设施).

1. What can people get from duckweed firsthand?

A．Plant oil.	B．Stable biodiesel.
C．Sustainable water.	D．Natural heat.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly convey?

A．Options for renewable energy.

B．Reasons for engineering genes.

C．The potential of revolutionary energy source.

D．The approach to avoiding agricultural pollution.

3. What is the decisive factor to mass-produce the plant?

A．Industrial levels.	B．Unique design.
C．Academic research.	D．Basic facilities.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Duckweed Power	B．Duckweed Production
C．Genetic Engineering	D．Genetic Testing

5 . Every year, as the surface water temperature off the United States mid-Atlantic coast rises steadily from late spring through the summer, a pocket of uncharacteristically cool and crisp water gets trapped at the bottom of the ocean. Packed with nutrients this thick band of cold water, known as the mid-Atlantic cold pool, is a vital home for shellfish species. Extending at its seasonal peak from Nantucket, Massachusetts, to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the cold poll creates a diverse ecosystem ranging from algae(海藻)to fish — and some of the most valuable shellfish fisheries in the United States.

Now, however, two pressures have scientists worrying about whether the cold pool will last. The first is no surprise: climate change. Over the past five decades, climates change has destabilized the cold pool, causing it to warm and shrink. Compared with 1968, the cold pool is now 13℃ warmer and has lost more than one-third of its area.

The second concern is 1ess certain. In 2023, the US federal government approved plans to install(安装)98 wind turbines(涡轮机)off the New Jersey coast, covering an area of more than 300 square kilometers. Yet putting so many turbines to the seafloor could have unexpected consequences for the cold pool. That’s why Travis Miles, a researcher at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, and his colleagues are investigating. So far, Miles and his colleagues can’t definitively say what will happen to the cold pool, saying more research is needed to assess how climate change and offshore wind, together, could affect the cold pool. However, their initial analyses suggest the cold pool should be fine — at least in normal conditions.

New Jersey’s offshore wind plans are strongly opposed mainly by fossil fuel-industry funded efforts. Miles worries that an overabundance of caution or fear of potential impacts, including on the cold pool, might slow down the development of renewable energy. “...it’s quite clear that climate change is far more damaging than installing wind farms,” he says. “I don’t think any scientist would argue with that.”

1. What do we know about the mid-Atlantic cold pool?

A．It forms in early spring.	B．It’s a band of cold near-bottom water.
C．It serves as a habitat of most sea species.	D．It extends from Nantucket to New Jersey.

2. What does the underlined word “shrink” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Break down.

B．Get polluted.

C．Dry up.

D．Become smaller.

3. Miles’ attitude toward installing wind farms can be described as ______.

A．supportive

B．dismissive

C．overcautious

D．skeptical

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Cold Pool Plays a Role on species

B．Opinions Divide on Offshore Wind Farms

C．Scientists Eye Potential Risks to the Cold Pool

D．Renewable Energy Helps to Race Against Climate Change

6 . For the past two months, Mandy Chen, a second-year student at Beijing University of Technology, has been posting photos of herself to Taobao, posing with a reusable cup, climbing stairs and switching off lights.     1     Taobao’s Al algorithm (算法) calculates that Chen’s use of a reusable cup reduced 15.7 grams of carbon emissions (排放), while her choice to take the stairs instead of the lift resulted in a reduction of 19.5 grams.     2    

After seven days of posting her photos, Chen exchanged the points for a dozen of biodegradable rubbish bags from Taobao. Everyone can get an endless supply of free trash bags if they keep going, according to Chen.     3    

Chen uses Carbon88, a platform launched last August by Alibaba Group Holding, to help the more than 800 million users on Taobao adopt a sustainable lifestyle. The platform rewards users for over 70 low-carbon behaviours.     4     It also recommends products that it considers environmentally sustainable, and gives users points for buying them.

    5     “I didn’t know that my actions could produce such carbon reduction,” Chen said, “Now I feel good for what I’m doing to make this world a tiny bit better. We as a part of society can call for more systemic changes.”

A．It encourages them to reduce their carbon footprint.

B．And her efforts to save electricity prevented 65.50 grams.

C．It’s a valuable addition to current carbon-reduction policies.

D．Carbon reduction has helped increase Chen’s environmental awareness.

E．Within minutes, she receives a dozen points from the app as a reward.

F．They range from taking public transport to shopping of second-hand items.

G．She is now saving points for something better, like snacks and water bottles.

7 . After being driven to near extinction, wolves are back in Washington state.

Wolf 32M, called The Old Guy by wolf specialist Ben Maletzke, lived some 12 years as the patriarch (族长) of the Teanaway Pack, kicking off the recovery of wolves in Washington. The pack’s territory was roasted by wildfire in 2014. But wolf 32M and his family remained in existence, bringing the call of the wild back for the first time in a century. These wolves are what Maletzke calls stepping stones in recovery — the animals that could help lead the way to new territory not yet repopulated by wolves.

Wolves spread to new territory to find mates and begin packs of their own. It is this pack dynamic that wildlife biologists are counting on, in time, to urge wolves into areas where they do not presently live. “We just need a couple to pick up and go,” Maletzke says.

All along, the Teanaway pack has stayed mostly out of trouble probably, helped by a lot of range riding (牧区巡逻) intended to help reduce conflicts over wolf recovery by keeping wolves away from cattle. “He is an example of wolves living and doing what they do, even around people,” Maletzke says of wolf 32M.

Story Warren, a student at the University of Montana, was just a girl when she first saw 32M’s tracks in the Teanaway River Valley — an exciting encounter that helped generate a serious interest in wildlife that now fuels her studies. To her, the return of the wolf is about more than the species; it is about recovering something even bigger: hope.

“Growing up in my generation, there is so much bad ecological news, a lot of hopelessness about climate change and loss of biodiversity and extinctions,” Warren says, “To have something as wild as wolves coming back to Washington is very encouraging for me — just to know such an amazing and powerful creature exists.”

1. Why does Maletzke call Wolf 32M family “stepping stones”?

A．They are nearly dying out.	B．They are victims of wildfire.
C．They are worth protection.	D．They are pioneers in wolf recovery.

2. What function does paragraph 3 serve?

A．To present a result.	B．To clarify a concept.
C．To offer an explanation.	D．To make a prediction

3. What can be learned from the example of the Teanaway pack?

A．Wolves face a lot of trouble.

B．Wolf recovery counts on its population.

C．Certain measures to ensure cattle safety are required.

D．Wolves should be forbidden from human residence.

4. What does Warren think of the coming back of wolves?

A．It fuels more studies on wildlife.	B．It clears up bad ecological news.
C．It worsens climate change.	D．It excites hope for the ecosystem.

8 . 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

Housed in a small container and measuring just 0.5cm long, the weevil (象鼻虫) doesn’t look very     1    (frighten). Yet this species is the UK’s latest hope in a new wave of biological ways       2     (control) invasive species rather than using chemical and mechanical methods. The South American creature’s target is a floating plant     3     blocks rivers, cutting water oxygen levels and outcompeting native plants. As well as     4     (potential) threatening biodiversity, the invasive species have a big economic impact on Great Britain,     5     (estimate) ￡1.7 billion a year. Those are the reasons why the weevil is at the forefront of a new wave of biological agents used in the UK after many relative tests have been carried out.

The weevil I saw in     6     lab near London belonging to the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International will eat the invasive plant’s     7    (leaf) and its larvae (幼虫) will eat the stalks (茎) from the inside out.

The weevils were first used in the wild in the UK last winter. Now more will       8    (release) in various areas this year to deal     9     the invasive species. The next problems will be whether the weevils can establish       10    (them) in the wild and be effective against the plant.

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。

Greenpeace is not satisfied     1     the EU move, saying in statement that the 2032 deadline is too late     2     (limit) global warming below 1.5℃.

“Europe desperately needs to decarbonize transport, but ministers missed a     3     (gold) opportunity. It is now in     4     hands of national authorities to cut car usage, boost public transport, and make more livable cities and towns where more people can cycle or walk.” Greenpeace EU transport campaigner Lorelei Limousin said.

Greenpeace francized EU national governments for     5     (open) the door to further promote “expensive and inefficient synthetic (合成的) fuels that are harmful to the environment and the climate”.

The Czech Republic, which     6     (take) the rotating (轮流) six-month presidency of the Council of the EU from France last Friday, has listed energy sector     7     (transform) as a priority but said that it must be carried out in a socially and     8     (economic) sensitive manner so as not to ruin the living standards of EU citizens and the competitiveness of industry.

European Commission Executive Vice-President Fran’s Timmermans,     9     is in charge of the European Green Deal initiatives, applauded the agreement by EU environment ministers as setting EU on a path toward     10     (it) goals.

10 . For a century, Jordan Creek cut across downtown Springfield. Over the decades, the stream regularly flooded into the city’s commercial heart. Residents had been tired of the floods so they created concrete banks to cage the stream and in 1932 buried the waterway, hiding it in culverts (排水管) under city streets. It was man’s attempt to control floodwater. That was the old way of thinking.

For a while, that controlled the floods. But the roads and other hard surfaces prevented water from going into the ground and allowing more rainwater into the enclosed streams than they could handle. Eventually, the water won. The neighborhood flooded in 2000, 2008 and 2016. For two decades, the city discussed freeing the stream and allowing water to run over the floodplain. Finally, a project to uncover 1,100 feet of Jordan Creek and build three bridges is moving forward. The new way of thinking is to give the water some room, leave some areas for floods and just let nature be nature.

Uncovering buried waterways to bring them back to life is a process known as “daylighting”. Coverings are removed and an attempt is made to restore the natural flow and the surrounding ecosystem.

The primary goal of the project is flood control. But the work has a variety of benefits. Native plantings will help improve the water quality by filtering (过滤) rainwater. The stream will replace an unsightly landscape and become a “string of pearls (珍珠)” connecting parks and green areas in the city’s “Quality of Place” initiative.

The benefits go beyond that. Stream restoration is neighborhood restoration. The project may promote economic development and increase property values and tax revenue. While the projects can be expensive, they end costly maintenance. Returning to nature is cheaper than maintaining concrete culverts.

1. What did Springfield citizens in the 1930s probably believe?

A．Man can control nature.

B．Life is prior to development.

C．Business is the heart of a city.

D．Residents should not live by a river.

2. What was one result of covering Jordan Creek?

A．Three bridges were removed.	B．Water went into the ground.
C．Floods hit the neighborhood.	D．Rainwater was well handled.

3. Which aspect of the project does paragraph 4 mainly discuss?

A．Economic value.	B．Construction planning.
C．Flood management.	D．Environmental impact.

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

A．A Solution That Proves a Problem

B．Old Thinking Inspires New Changes

C．“Buried” Streams Turn into Urban Centers

D．“Daylighting” Buried Waterways to Refresh Cities