2 . Some scientists have traced the increase in earthquakes, especially in areas not known for the presence of fault lines or past seismic (地震的) activity, to human actions. The idea of humans causing earthquakes may seem strange at first. After all, you can run around your backyard and jump up and down as you want, and the ground isn’t going to start shaking. However, scientists have identified a variety of large scale human activities that can result in earthquakes.

Scientists have confirmed over 700 places where human activities have caused earthquakes over the last century. While many human-related earthquakes are mild and don’t cause much damage, some of them can be serious and dangerous. In fact, scientists believe human activity has caused earthquakes with magnitudes as high as 7.9 on the Richter scale.

Scientists believe most human-related earthquakes are the result of mining. As companies drill deeper and deeper below Earth’s surface to get natural resources, holes left behind can cause instability that leads to collapses that cause earthquakes. Another human activity leading to earthquakes is fracking (水力压裂) for oil and gas, including the high pressure waste water processing that usually goes with fracking. In this process, water, sand and chemicals are pressed underground under high pressure to break rocks to release natural resources.

Building large dams can also cause earthquakes. For example, about 80, 000 people died in China in 2008 as a result of a 7.9-magnitude earthquake caused by 320 million tons of water that had been collected in the Zipingpu Reservoir after a large dam was built over a known fault line.

These aren’t the only human activities that can result in earthquakes, though. Scientists point out that earthquakes can also be caused by other human activities, such as construction of skyscrapers and nuclear explosions.

1. What does the underlined part “fault lines” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Regions with active human actions.	B．Places associated with natural balance.
C．Zones where natural resources are rich.	D．Areas where earthquakes tend to happen.

2. What do mining and oil producing have in common?

A．They break the balance of nature.	B．They destroy the stability of rocks.
C．They use high pressure to get resources.	D．They do much damage to Earth’s surface.

3. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．The 2008 earthquake is the worst in history.	B．Construction of dams should be stopped.
C．Tons of water must cause earthquakes.	D．The location of a dam matters much.

4. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Nature punishes humans by means of earthquakes.	B．Progress has been made on earthquake research.
C．Humans are to blame for some earthquakes.	D．Earthquakes are no longer nature-made.

3 . In recent years, lots of American companies have gotten behind a potential climate solution called carbon capture and storage, and the government has backed it with billions of dollars in tax preferences and direct investments. The idea is to trap planet-heating carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of factories and power plants and ship it to sites via thousands of miles of new pipelines. Communities nationwide are pushing back against these pipeline construction and underground sites, arguing they don’t want the pollution running through their land.

Now the U. S. Forest Service is proposing to change a rule to allow storing this carbon dioxide pollution under the country’s national forests and grasslands. “Authorizing carbon capture and storage on National Forest System (NFS) lands would support the Administration’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent below the 2005 levels by 2030,” the proposed rule change says.

Some experts, like June Sekera, a research fellow with Boston University, question the timing of the proposed rule change, given community pushback across the country to pipelines planned on private land. Yet she says the Forest Service proposal to open up national parks for CO2 storage is “an end run around local towns and counties. And it’s a much simpler and way less expensive route.”

In an email, Scott Owen, press officer for the Forest Service, writes that the proposed rule change would allow the Forest Service to consider proposals for carbon capture and storage projects. He writes that any proposals must still pass through a secondary screening, adding, “The Forest Service has been ‘screening’ proposals for use of NFS lands for over 20 years as a means to be increasingly consistent in our processes and also be able to reject those uses that are inconsistent with the management of the public’s land. ” He notes the Forest Service currently does not have any carbon capture project proposals under consideration. The Forest Service has opened public comments on the proposed rule change until Jan. 2, 2024.

1. What does the Forest Service intend to do by changing a rule?

A．Answer the appeals of communities.	B．Provide legal space for carbon storage.
C．Enlarge national pipeline storage capacity.	D．Loosen tax burden on American companies.

2. What does the underlined phrase “an end run” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．An eventful act.	B．A desperate try.
C．An alternative way.	D．A breathtaking race.

3. What can we infer about carbon capture project from the last paragraph?

A．It is still up in the air.	B．It is dead in the water.
C．It is widely recognized.	D．It is far from satisfactory.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．A fruitful research.	B．A timely rule change.
C．An authorized project.	D．A controversial proposal.

5 . A new international organization, ReShark, including partners from 15 countries and 44 aquariums, is challenging the shark statistics. According to National Geographic, ReShark’s goal is to release 500 endangered zebra sharks in Indonesian waters to increase a wild population that is on the edge of extinction. This is the first-ever attempt to reintroduce captive sharks into the wild.

Marine reintroductions present significant challenges due to the complexity and shortage of ocean life, as well as the difficulty in managing threats, according to National Geographic. Team ReShark understands that the reintroduction may go up in smoke. Unlike land animals that have been successfully reintroduced in the past, such as giant pandas in China, young sharks are more likely to suffer from diseases and be killed by other animals, and they struggle to find food on their own.

Sharks have a remarkable history as one of the oldest vertebrate species, surviving five mass extinctions over a period of 420 million years. They play an important role in marine ecosystems by influencing the ocean’s food chains. However, they are now facing the second-highest rate of disappearance. Research shows that more than 37 percent of the shark species are at risk of extinction due to overfishing, both legal and illegal. Sharks are hunted for their meat. Nearly 100 million sharks are killed by human hands each year, according to the organization Sentient Media.

Despite the alarming decline in shark populations globally, top shark scientists are hopeful that ReShark’s efforts will succeed. Given these challenges, Simon Fraser University ecologist Dulvy initially had some doubts about ReShark’s plans. However, after asking some questions, he was surprised by what the initiative could produce. “This initiative is different,” Dulvy explained. Similarly, Rima Jabado, Dulvy’s successor, recognized ReShark as a unique project that could provide a lifeline for endangered shark species. “It may provide an opportunity for species not to go extinct,” she said.

1. What’s the ReShark’s intention of releasing sharks?

A．To conduct shark data collection.

B．To study the living habits of sharks.

C．To save the endangered shark species.

D．To test new ways of keeping sharks.

2. What does the underlined part “go up in smoke” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Disappear.

B．Fail.

C．Work.

D．Influence.

3. How does the Paragraph 3 develop?

A．By giving examples.	B．By giving descriptions.
C．By making comparison.	D．By making classifications.

4. What does Rima Jabado think of ReShark’s project?

A．Special and promising.	B．Hopeful and effortless.
C．Risky and costly.	D．Doubtful and immature.

6 . Watford and her family have lived in Curtis Bay, Baltimore for generations. Her community has faced environmental injustice. Heavy industries continued to move in her community. As a result, her neighbors have had to live with serious respiratory (呼吸的) problems.

When she knew a plan to build the nation’s largest trash-burning incinerator (焚化炉) less than a mile away from her high school, she realized she had to take action. The incinerator was being sold wrongly as clean, renewable energy equipment but actually it would be a source of brain-damaging chemicals and would release 200 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, both worse than coal burning. Watford felt she had a responsibility to warn her community to work together to shut this plant down.

She co-founded Free Your Voice (FYV), a 10-person student organization devoted to community rights and social justice. Together, they decided to start a campaign to take down Energy Answers, the incinerator’s developer. They went door-to-door talking to neighbors and organizing protests.

When it was discovered that Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS) was going to be a customer of Energy Answers, the organization fought with the board and presented their case, urging BCPS to withdraw from the project. BCPS was convinced to cancel their contract, which in turn inspired 22 other customers to do the same. Without any financial gain, Energy Answers had no market to move forward with its plan.

Watford continues to work with Curtis Bay residents toward fair development. They have a vision for the future which includes building a zero-waste movement, a solar farm, and green jobs. She wants the entire human family to join the fight for environmental justice because survival as a species depends on our ability to take action.

1. What caused respiratory problems in Watford’s community?

A．Poor medical care.	B．Terrible environmental conditions.
C．Constant bacterial infection.	D．Unbalanced distribution of resources.

2. What is Watford’s attitude to building the incinerator?

A．Unfavourable.

B．Doubtful.

C．Unclear.

D．Indifferent.

3. What was the result of their campaign?

A．BCPS lost financial support.	B．Energy Answers stopped its plan.
C．The investors found new market.	D．Many customers revised their contracts.

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

A．A teenage hero against urban pollution

B．A teenage hero fighting for an advanced city

C．A battle for Baltimore’s sky by a teenage hero

D．The social justice challenge for a teenage hero

7 . It may come as a surprise that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, especially when it comes to carbon emissions and water usage.     1     Clothing production releases 10% of worldwide carbon emissions. Although cotton is often offered as a more sustainable material, one cotton shirt requires 2, 700 liters of water to make, which is enough for one person to drink eight cups per day for 2.5 years.

    2     However, it’s undeniable that sustainable companies like Reformation and Organic Basics are out of most people’s price ranges. Fast-fashion clothing companies have the advantage of low prices, and when it comes down to it, most people will choose low prices over sustainability. So, how can people buy sustainable clothing when it’s not affordable?    3    

Actually, there are other ways to practice sustainable habits. Of course, the best way to limit waste is to not buy any new clothes. For example, saving up to buy more sustainable clothes and then wearing them for many years is healthier for the environment and your wallet.     4     Then you can combine them with your statement pieces to get a variety of new outfits that still feel stylish and don’t generate waste. Certainly, buying second-hand clothing is also a great option.

With ever-changing fashion trends moving at breakneck speed, consumers are easily persuaded into buying latest designs to stay stylish and sustainable.     5     Honestly, it’s unnecessary. Wearing what makes you feel confident will make you look good, and the earth will thank you for your efforts.

A．The reality is frightening.

B．However, trend is hard to keep up.

C．They have no choice but to follow suit.

D．They can’t, and moreover, they don’t have to.

E．A similar resolution is to own some basic pieces.

F．Sustainable fashion has been on the rise in recent years.

G．Industrial development is pursued at the price of pollution.

8 . From airplanes to apartments, most spaces are now designed with sound-absorbing materials that help decrease various sounds of everyday life. But most of the sound-absorbing materials that can cancel out human voices, traffic noise and music are made from plastic foams (泡沫) that aren’t easily recycled or degraded. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering have created a biodegradable film (薄膜) obtained from seaweed, which effectively absorbs sounds in this range.

Controlling and optimizing the way sound moves throughout a room is the key to creating functional spaces. Foam sound-absorbing panels are a common solution, and they come in a variety of materials and thicknesses tailored to specific sound requirements. Most of these foams, however, are made from a type of plastic material and other chemical substances that are obtained from natural oil or petrol. To avoid petrochemicals, researchers have explored more renewable sources and biodegradable sound-absorbing alternatives. But many current options are made from plant fibers that don’t effectively decrease noises in the most useful range of sound frequencies, or they are too thick or difficult to produce. So, Chindam’s team wanted to develop a biodegradable material from a plant, which would be simple to produce and could absorb a range of sounds.

The team created films of agar (琼脂), a material that comes from seaweed, along with other additives developed from plants and varied the thickness of the films. After running the materials through a battery of tests, the researchers measured how well the films reduced sound across a range of frequencies. To do this, the team created a sound tube in which a speaker is placed at one end, and the test film is fitted over the other end. Microphones in the middle of the tube measured the amount of sound sent by the speaker and the amount of sound reflected off the film. These experiments showed that the films with many small holes made with the highest concentrations of agar had the greatest sound-absorbing qualities and performed similarly to traditional sound-absorbing foams. The researchers plan to explore ways to change the agar films to give them other desirable properties, such as flame resistance, and will explore other biologically obtained film materials.

1. What is the disadvantage of plastic foams?

A．They take up, too much space.	B．They cannot absorb sounds effectively.
C．They cannot meet specific sound requirements.	D．They have difficulty achieving sustainable use.

2. What kind of sound-absorbing material would Chindam’s team develop?

A．One obtained easily and effectively.	B．One produced toughly and tiredly.
C．One developed from petrochemicals.	D．One made from plant fibers.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The purpose of film research.	B．A series of tests on the new material.
C．A tool of measuring the film thickness.	D．The difficulty of searching the new material.

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

A．An Eco-friendly Sound-absorbing Material from Seaweed

B．Plastic Foams: the Worst Choice of Absorbing Sounds

C．A Tube for Measuring the Amount of Underwater Sounds

D．Seaweed: a Better Sound-absorbing Underwater Plant

9 . A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health finds air pollution may negatively impact standardized test scores. Using data from the North Carolina Education Research Data Center, the researchers tracked 2.8 million public school students in North Carolina from 2001 to 2018 and measured their exposure to PM2.5 found in polluted air. While previous research has shown negative effects on academic performance, it has relied on relatively small or less representative samples. “The biggest strength of this study is that we tracked every student in North Carolina in those years, for the whole time period that they were in the public schools,” said Emma Zang, coauthor of the study.

The study also finds that test scores of ethnic minorities and girls are disproportionately (不成比例地) impacted by PM2.5 levels. “Females and ethnic minorities face sexism and racism,” said Zang. “There are a lot of policies that are not friendly towards them. So, when they’re exposed to the same level of air pollution, they don’t have the resources to lessen the negative influences.” More privileged populations, however, might have more resources that allow them to live in a better environment, such as in houses with air purifiers.

“The level of PM2.5 pollution in the US is relatively low, but students living in areas below the current air quality standard of annual PM2.5 concentration are still negatively impacted by air pollution when it comes to their test scores,” said Zang. “We should aim to strengthen the annual PM2.5 standard to better protect our children.”

Air pollution is known to contribute to disease and death, and it also negatively affects students’ academic performance even at low levels of pollution. The subsequent studies, the researchers said, would involve looking at whether the findings hold true in different areas, and also the reasons behind the ethnic and sexual differences.

1. What’s the greatest advantage of the study?

A．Tracking each student for 18 years.	B．Collecting more comprehensive data.
C．Measuring students’ PM2.5 exposure precisely.	D．Building links between air pollution and test scores.

2. According to Zang, ethnic minorities and girls ________.

A．benefit from current policies on PM2.5 pollution

B．have the lowest test scores due to their identities

C．lack resources to reduce the impact of air pollution

D．suffer from educational inequalities owing to their background

3. What’s Zang doing in paragraph 3?

A．Offering a suggestion.	B．Raising a doubt.
C．Making a comparison.	D．Giving a prediction.

4. What might be the focus of the follow-up studies?

A．Applicability of the findings to other regions.	B．Ways to address racial and sexual differences.
C．Long-term impacts of air pollution on children.	D．Establishment of PM2.5 standard fit for children.