1 . By 2050, 68% of the global population will live in cities. That’s 2.5 billion more people than today. In Europe, three out of four of us already live in urban areas, and the consequences of that are becoming clear. Researchers estimate that nine million people die every year as a direct result of air pollution. As our cities grow and more people move into already crowded spaces, what do we need to do to transform our urban areas into healthy places to live? An increasing body of research tells us that we should be letting nature back in.

Green spaces in cities mitigate the effects of pollution and can reduce a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, which refers to heat trapped in built-up areas. The effect appears in towns and cities where the heat generated by people, transport and industry is trapped in the narrow roads and concrete structures, unable to escape to the atmosphere. This can bring the temperature in urban areas up 3 — 4°C higher than the surrounding countryside, and with that comes a severe cycle. Increased temperatures in summer lead to an increased demand for cooling. This expands our energy consumption, which in turn build up fossil fuel consumption, increasing pollutants in the air and harmful smog on our streets.

Planning cities to include green spaces wherever possible is the first step in making our urban areas healthier. For example, adding a layer of vegetation to rooftops and creating green roofs has proven to reduce the urban heat island effect. Trees in our streets also play their part, and a variety of tree species can have a profound effect. Simply having access to green spaces in cities can do wonders for our stress levels and concentration at work. “People need to interact with nature whenever the opportunity arises. Something as simple as a five-to-ten-minute break during the workday can improve well-being and boost productivity,” Cecil, an expert studying nature in cities says.

1. How does the author bring in the topic in Paragraph 1?

A．By presenting facts.	B．By listing examples.
C．By comparing numbers.	D．By questioning an estimate.

2. What does the underlined word “mitigate” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Overcome.

B．Change.

C．Ease.

D．Shift.

3. What might be a consequence of the urban heat island effect?

A．Lower temperature.	B．Energy regeneration.
C．Fuel shortage.	D．Air pollution.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．How to Let Nature Back In

B．Why We Need Green Spaces in Cities

C．Heat Effect: An Unavoidable Urban Trouble

D．Green Roofs: Tiny Urban Forests

2 . Introduced species have a bad reputation. It has been believed that the species mix in a particular place should remain as unchanged as possible. But this is just an opinion. Other opinions are possible. A study published recently by Dov Sax of Brown University, thus asks how the benefits of introduced species might be better assessed, so that opinions can be more informed. Specifically, he identifies several aspects for that.

Initially, whether introduced species provide direct human advantage is taken into account. Dr. Sax and his colleagues ignored crops, since their benefits are obvious. But they included transplanted grass species that have gone wild，yet provide grazing(牧草)for domestic animals, and introduced forest trees that produce wood for construction.

Another factor is their possible benefit to the ecosystem into which the introduction has happened. Such introduction is sometimes made to reduce the risk of a localised species becoming extinct. Pyne’s ground plum(李子)，native to a handful of sites in the central basins of Tennessee but now transplanted to others, falls into this category.

The last value is experienced on an emotional rather than a practical level. Lots of people feel good about native wildlife, which is generally the main motive for its conservation. But that feel-good factor can extend to introduced species as well. Such value can cut both ways, however. For example, ring-necked parakeets, an Asian and African species, have been spreading through Britain for several decades. Some find them a colourful addition to the local wildlife, others a noisy competitor for native birds.

In light of their analysis, Dr. Sax and his team therefore suggest that researchers studying introduced species should in future create a clear distinction in their studies between changes that have happened and judgments about the value of those changes. In addition, when making those judgments, they should acknowledge all types of values, rather than focusing narrowly on one or two of them.

That done, many species will surely still be accused of possible damage. But others, badly thought of in the past, may not.

1. What is Dr. Sax’s study aimed to do?

A．Kecp track of introduced species.

B．Get introduced species fully understood.

C．Compare opinions on introduced species.

D．Identify consequences of introducing species.

2. Why was Pyne’s ground plum transplanted to other places?

A．To provide graze for local animals.

B．To produce wood for construction.

C．To build a new local ecosystem.

D．To save local species from dying out.

3. How do local people react to the introduction of ring-necked parakeets?

A．They don’t care about it.

B．They consider it acceptable.

C．They can’t put up with it.

D．They hold divided opinions on it.

4. What does Dr. Sax suggest to the future researchers?

A．Focusing on main values.

B．Evaluating evident changes.

C．Analyzing previous researches.

D．Presenting all-round assessments.

3 . The students stand on a pier (码头) over the Harlem River in New York City. They stare down into the brown water. Their teacher, Mr. Rodman, pulls a long rope out of the river. Fastened to the end of the rope is a metal cage and inside are oysters (牡蛎). Taking turns, the students measure all the oysters, and then compare notes. The biggest oyster is over 2 inches long, much bigger than a healthy size for its age! They also measure the level of oxygen. As more oysters grow, the water should become clearer and hold more oxygen. Also, other animals should move in.

Oysters are soft-bodied animals, and share the underwater community with plants, fish, and other life. They are food for crabs and other animals. As new oysters grow, they attach their shells to older ones，forming big reefs with many small spaces where other animals live. Oysters eat algae (藻类). If algae grow too fast，they can decrease oxygen from the water-and even fish need oxygen to breathe!

But what happened to the oysters 100years ago in New York Harbor? Before then, lots of oysters lived in these waters. They were shipped to restaurants around the world. By the early 1900s, people were eating them faster than they could grow. Pollution was pouring into the waters. The harbor became seriously polluted. Since the 1970s, new laws have helped reduce poisonous waste. Some fish started to swim through again. But oysters were still missing-until recently.

The Billion Oyster Project began in 2014 to help bring oysters back to New York Harbor. The project has recruited (招募) more than 6,500 students at more than 100 middle schools and high schools to help grow, distribute, and study the oysters.

Finally, the students put the oysters back in the cage. Mr. Rodman lowers the cage into the river. In a few months, they will check the cage again. When the oysters are big enough, they will be moved to join a healthy reef in the middle of the harbor.

1. Why do students come to the pier over the Harlem River?

A．To do research.	B．To go fishing.
C．To buy oysters.	D．To clean up the river.

2. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．What oysters are like.	B．How oysters get fed.
C．Why algae grow fast.	D．What role oysters play.

3. What can we learn about oysters in New York Harbor?

A．People’s love of eating oysters boosted their numbers.

B．More oysters than before lived in waters in the 1900s.

C．Polluted water was partly to blame for the missing of oysters.

D．New laws in the 1970s were crucial to oysters’ recovery.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Oysters Raised in New York Harbor

B．The Harlem River Polluted Heavily

C．Nature’s Helpful Crew Brought Back

D．Teacher Devoted to Wildlife Protection

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Melati and Isabel deeply love their home on the island, surrounded by tropical rain forests, green fields, and a vast ocean. Enjoying a swim at their local beach was once a daily pleasure for them. But when Melati was fifteen, and Isabel just ten, the sisters started to lose their enthusiasm for swimming in the waters near their borne. More often than not, plastic bags would be around them as they swam and some were scattered on the beach. They got really upset about that.

Melati didn’t think much about it until one day her teacher gave a lesson on some world heroes. Each of those people had sparked movements of positive changes in the world. They believed in the impact they could have and they did inspire more people to do something meaningful. After school, Melati walked home slowly in silence, concerned about the vast amount of plastic rubbish on the beach. The heroes crossed her mind. If they could do it, we could do it too, she thought. The idea lit her up. She couldn’t wait to share what she thought with Isabel and quickened her pace.

“So many plastic bags around! The beach is dirty and messy! It’s so terrible! We have lost the clean and beautiful beach. Can’t we do something to get it back?” Melati said heartily. Isabel felt a bit puzzled at what to do, but she also had a strong desire to do something. Picturing a beach as fascinating as before in mind, the pair jumped with joy.

They talked a lot, anxious to know how Dad and Mom would respond to their ideas. That night when the family sat by the dinner table, the sisters eagerly got their ideas across. While Mom and Dad listened to the girls carefully, their eyes shone. “How amazing that would be! We are so proud of you!” Dad exclaimed. Mom came up, gave them a thumb up and hugged the sisters.

注意：
1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Melati and Isabel decided to make a positive impact straight away.

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One month later, Melati received a call from the local newspaper.

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5 . On September 29, 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared it would be removing 23 species from its Endangered Species Act, including the ivory-billed woodpecker, various Hawaiian birds and freshwater fish, not because they had been pulled back from the edge of extinction, but because the USFWS believed these species would never recover, and were most likely extinct, therefore not requiring protection.

In April, 195 countries are getting together in China for a UN conference to discuss global agreements to protect nature and biodiversity, with the hope of finalizing an agreement to safeguard plants, animals, and ecosystems. However, the new strain (毒株) of Covid-19, Omicron, has potentially thrown the plans into a mess, and negotiators may switch to online talks if travel restrictions to China are put in place again.

“We can't go another four months without any progress” said Georgina Chandler, senior international policy officer at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Conservationists are urging the talks to go ahead —   online if necessary — as the biodiversity crisis shows no sign of slowing up.

“Nature loss has not gone away and threatens both human lives and the global economy,” said Lin Li, director of global policy at the organization. “With one million species currently in danger of extinction, delaying action is not an option.”

Improving conservation and management of natural areas, such as oceans, forests, and wildernesses is crucial to safeguarding the ecosystems on which humans depend. However, forests are still being devastated, often for farming or commercial use. As trees absorb about a third of planet-warming emissions produced worldwide, stopping deforestation is key. At COP26 in Glasgow last November, world leaders plan to invest $19 billion in public and private funds to protect and restore global forests.

It’s easy to feel disheartened by the disappointing news, but the only way to stop more species suffering the same fate is to pay attention and take actions.

1. Why would the 23 species be removed from the Act?

A．Because they are less endangered.

B．Because they have already died out.

C．Because more fund is in need to protect them.

D．Because nothing can save them from extinction.

2. What do Georgina Chandler and Lin Li urge to do?

A．Take immediate actions.

B．Put off the conference.

C．Have online talks.

D．Improve global economy.

3. What does the underlined word “devastated” mean in the fifth paragraph?

A．Abandoned.

B．Destroyed.

C．Rearranged.

D．Disturbed.

4. What does the author intend to do by writing the text?

A．To explain why some species have disappeared.

B．To recommend ways to protect and restore forests.

C．To describe the present situation of global ecosystem.

D．To call for attention and action against biodiversity crisis.

7 . The convenience plastic offers has led to a throw-away culture that reveals the material’s dark side. Many of its products, such as plastic bags and food wrappers, have a service life of mere minutes to hours.     1    

Plastic has been the biggest threat to ocean life for decades. Sunlight, wind and wave action break down plastic waste to a certain extent, but it only succeeds in reducing it to smaller pieces.

    2    They spread throughout the water and have been found in every corner of the globe, affecting nearly 700 species, including endangered ones.

    3    They range from birds to fish and to other marine animals. Most of the deaths to them are caused by starvation. Small pieces of plastic have been found in more than 100 marine species, including fish, shrimp, and some seashells. In many cases, these tiny bits pass through their stomachs.     4    Stomachs so packed with plastic reduce the urge to eat, making them die eventually.

Tests have also confirmed cell damage and trouble with animals’ reproductive systems caused by plastic-eating. Some species, such as oysters, produce fewer eggs if they wrongly take too much plastic.

Fortunately, solutions are being found. Many scientists agree the top priority is to prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and seas.     5    Better product design also should be taken into account, as well as the reduction in producing unnecessary single-use plastic products.

A．Nearly every species of seabird eats plastics.

B．This makes plastic waste even harder to notice.

C．Millions of animals are killed by plastic every year.

D．Some pieces have even been found blocking their organs.

E．Half of all plastics ever produced have been made in the last 15 years.

F．It could be done with improved waste management systems and recycling.

G．However, they may remain in the environment for hundreds of years and cause a lot of harm.