1 . I am drawn to the peace and pure beauty of primary nature. Being in it heightens my perceptions and narrows my focus. As I concentrate on the surroundings, an inner stillness fill me and helps mega in a sense of place. This was the case when I packed my camera equipment and explored some of Europe’s old-growth forests to highlight these unique environments that have remained untouched for centuries, despite threats of human disturbance.
The visits were often challenging because of unfavorable weather conditions and the distances I had to cover while going multiple times to the locations for a good picture. But the joy of the experience always prevailed. Hiking off trail through the foggy laurel forests of Madeira, I was enveloped by trees that may have been up to 800 years old and whose trunks provided me with shelter when clouds released a sudden down-pour. It felt like entering a holy space.
Wandering in the Scots pine forests of northern Sweden and the mountain tree lines of southern Norway rewarded me with the sense of freedom I always get in the Scandinavian wilderness. The beech (山毛榉) stands rising from the steep slopes of Italy kept me in awe of the power that forests protected from development can possess. I feel honoured that I was allowed access to explore and photograph these wonderlands.
Except Russia, only about 2 percent of the forest areas in Europe are primary, or have never been cleared, reflecting a dazzling richness of life that once filled vast wooded ecosystems. Most of the areas are now protected, but as the human population continues to grow—with disastrous impacts on the planet and its living creatures—the future of these forests is far from certain. I hope that they will still be standing for many centuries more.
1. Why does the author like to explore the forests in Europe?| A．To help protect the vast ecosystems. | B．To experience the beauty and peace. |
| C．To improve his skill of taking photos. | D．To enjoy the feeling of being challenged. |
| A．Won out. | B．Piled up. | C．Ran out. | D．Faded away. |
| A．Most forests in Europe are kept as what they were. |
| B．People have free access to these primary forests. |
| C．The increasing population causes the destruction of forests. |
| D．The author prefers the trees of Norway to the beech stands in Italy. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Concerned. | C．Uninterested. | D．Not clear. |
2 . This fall, students at the University of Massachusetts found a new menu at their dining commons: the “diet for a cooler planet” menu. This meant herb-roasted lamb, raised with a carbon-friendly approach. It included sweet potatoes that had been picked from a local farm’s field post-harvest. The options were plant-heavy, locally grown, and involved little to no packaging.
“We wanted to let students participate in climate action by making choices about their food,” says Kathy Wicks, sustainability director for UMass Dining. The university is not alone in this effort. Increasingly, American consumers and institutions are thinking about how their food choices factor into climate change. For many, small choices at the grocery store, dining hall, and restaurant can feel more accessible than big-ticket options like buying a fuel-efficient car or installing home solar panels.
Small changes in dietary habits may make a big difference. Climate activists often target fossil fuels and transportation systems, but studies point to the food system as a significant contributor to global warming. According to Project Drawdown, a research organization that evaluates climate solutions, the way food is grown, transported, and consumed accounts for about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Beef is a regular target. “If, on average, Americans cut a quarter pound of beef per week from their diet, it’s like taking 10 million cars off the road a year,” says Sujatha Bergen, director of health campaigns for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Food waste ranks third among climate solutions. While much waste occurs before consumers are involved — food left on the field or “chucked” because it does not fit appearance standards, Americans also throw out a lot of food they have purchased: about $ 1,600 worth a year per family of four.
“People are beginning to understand that their food choices make a big impact on climate,” says Megan Larmer, director of regional food at the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in New York. But, she cautions substantial change will need to come from the whole food system.
1. What is the purpose of the new menu at the University of Massachusetts?| A．To market the cold dishes. | B．To reduce the cost of packaging. |
| C．To popularize the plant-heavy diet. | D．To promote low carbon awareness. |
| A．Food is a decisive factor for climate change. |
| B．Food choices matter much to global warming. |
| C．Universities are working together in climate action. |
| D．Fuel-efficient cars are not affordable for consumers. |
| A．It has great influence on carbon reduction. | B．It is popular among millions of car drivers. |
| C．It has a close relationship with gas emission. | D．It plays a significant role in American’s diet. |
| A．Food System Reform: A Successful Trial | B．Global Warming: An Approaching Danger |
| C．Carbon Emission: A Killer, or Healer? | D．Low Carbon Diet: A Craze, or More? |
3 . A couple has completed a tiring 4,500-mile bike ride around Europe in the shape of an enormous bicycle, in a creative attempt to promote sustainable travel.
Accompanied by their dog Zola, David Smith, 35, and Arianna Saraghi, 40, rode through seven countries to create the striking image, motivated by their desire to raise awareness about climate change. After completing their 7237-kilometer journey earlier this week, the pair said they had narrowly beaten the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing made by any mode of transport.
They are also, unsurprisingly, confident that they have traced the biggest ever GPS bicycle, estimating that theirs is roughly 600 miles wide. “Being able to see it on^ the map is mainly a relief,” Ms Saraghi said after recounting the problems they had along the way.
They initially set off in the summer of 2019, armed with a computer-designed route which they had followed to avoid cycling through Paris’Charles de Gaulle Airport. However, they were forced to stop after Ms Saraghi sustained a knee injury.
The Anglo-Italian couple tried again that winter, before giving up because it was too cold to camp. The Covid-19 pandemic then delayed the trip’s completion by another two years. “We had so many obstacles. When we started this time we were thinking—what can go wrong this time? We felt we had let people down by not completing it, and our life felt kind of stuck. So we’re very happy,” Ms Saraghi said.
The pair said they want people who see the GPS image to consider cycling shorter journeys rather than choosing to drive. “Cycling is cheaper, it’s healthy, it’s fun, and it’s often pretty fast. Please give it a second and consider if there is an alternative to the car- there may not be, but often there is,” Mr Smith told The Independent. The 35-year-old added that they also hope politicians, who come across their GPS bicycle are motivated to improve cycling infrastructure (基础设施) to encourage the public to travel sustainably where possible.
1. What was the purpose of the couple’s bike ride?| A．To enjoy a journey with their dog. |
| B．To encourage green travel on bikes. |
| C．To give warnings on climate change. |
| D．To create a striking means of transport. |
| A．Long and comfortable. | B．Creative and inspiring. |
| C．Relaxing and relieving. | D．Challenging and profitable. |
| A．They successfully improved public facilities. |
| B．They let people down due to many obstacles. |
| C．They realized the dream of changing their life. |
| D．They finally meet the expectation of the public. |
| A．In many cases cycling can be an alternative to driving. |
| B．The GPS bicycle can inspire people to give up driving. |
| C．Better urban infrastructure prevents sustainable travel. |
| D．Cycling is cheaper, funnier and faster than driving a car. |
4 . At a large forest park in eastern Beijing, 11 birds on the state -level protection list were recently released, which owed to Beijing’s big step in wildlife protection.
These birds had recovered after the Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center rescued and took care of them. “We will speed up our efforts to push the establishment of district-level wildlife rescue centers to guard the health of wildlife,” said Mr. Du, director of the center. The center was set up in 2001 and built a wildlife rescue base in the capital’s Shunyi District in 2005. Staff at the base have rescued and rehabilitated over 30,000 wild animals in total.
Wildlife protection has been strengthened in Beijing in recent years. On June 1, the city’s newly adopted regulation (法规) on wildlife protection took effect, introducing stricter and more concrete measures to protect the environment and wildlife. For example, the regulation states clearly that Beijing bans hunting throughout the year, compared with the previous regulation which bans hunting during the periods of March to May and September to November each year. The new regulation also gives more serious punishment for illegal hunters.
After years of monitoring, the species and quantity of wild animals in Beijing are continuously increasing, with the number of terrestrial spinal wild animals (陆地脊椎野生动物) growing from 461 species in 1994 to more than 500. The habitat of the endangered bird has expanded from Fangshan District to the whole city.
“The enforcement of the new regulation marked a new stage in Beijing’s wildlife protection work,” said Mr. Du.“We will step up the publicity of the regulation and raise citizens’ awareness of wildlife protection,” Du said. “In our protection of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands. we take into full consideration the requirements of ecological corridor construction (生态走廊建设), food- chain construction and wildlife and their habitat protection.”
1. What has the wildlife rescue base done?| A．It has sped up its efforts to recover the birds. |
| B．It has built a large forest park in eastern Beijing. |
| C．It has saved lots of wild animals in need of help. |
| D．It has established district-level wildlife rescue centers. |
| A．It bans hunting in Beijing all the year round. |
| B．It sets up nationwide wildlife rescue centers. |
| C．It raises people’s awareness of wildlife protection. |
| D．It monitors the wildlife protection for a long time. |
| A．Beijing will enter a new stage after taking the regulation. |
| B．Beijing citizens need to know more of the new regulation. |
| C．Food-chain construction needs the whole society’s attention. |
| D．The natural environmental conditions are not considered yet. |
| A．Wildlife and Their Habitat Protection in Beijing |
| B．Beijing’s Newly Adopted Regulation on Wildlife Protection |
| C．Beijing’s Big Progress in Wildlife Protection with New Regulation |
| D．The Establishment of Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center |
5 . For the first time, United Nations members have agreed on a unified treaty (协议) to protect biodiversity on the high seas, representing a turning point for vast stretches of the planet where conservation has previously been held back by a confusing patchwork (拼凑)of laws.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force in 1994, before marine biodiversity was a well-established concept. An updated framework to protect marine life in the regions outside national boundary waters, known as the high seas, had been in discussions for more than 20 years, but previous efforts to reach an agreement had repeatedly failed. The unified treaty, which applies to nearly half the planet’s surface, was reached late on Saturday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomes the finalization of the text of the United Nations Ocean Treaty, his spokesman said on Saturday. “This breakthrough, which covers nearly two-thirds of the ocean, marks the culmination of nearly two decades of work and builds on the legacy (遗产)of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” a statement said.
Nichola Clark, an ocean expert at the Pew Charitable Trusts called the long-awaited treaty text “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect the oceans-a major win for biodiversity”. The treaty will create a new body to manage the conservation of ocean life and establish marine-protected are-as on the high seas. Clark said that’s critical to achieving the UN Biodiversity Conference’s recent promise to protect 30 percent of the planet’s waters, for conservation. The treaty also establishes ground rules for conducting environmental impact assessments for commercial activities in the oceans.
Treaty negotiations were initially anticipated to conclude on Friday, but stretched through the night into Saturday. The making of the treaty represents “a historic and overwhelming success for international marine protection,” said Steffi Lemke, Germany’s environment minister.
1. What can we learn about the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea?| A．It is the basis of the UN Ocean Treaty. | B．It leads to a lot of controversy. |
| C．It has been discussed for over 20 years. | D．It is a complete failure. |
| A．Beginning. | B．Impact. | C．End. | D．Break. |
| A．Commercial ocean activities will be monitored. |
| B．Preservation of 30% of the planet will be ensured. |
| C．Protected areas on the high seas will be expanded. |
| D．An existing department will manage the conservation. |
| A．It takes tough and long negotiations. |
| B．The high seas are stressed for the first time. |
| C．Unity in protecting the high seas is achieved. |
| D．The concept of marine biodiversity is established. |
6 . Traditionally, profiting from forests often meant capitalizing on timber (木材)——choosing commercial timber. Yet increasingly, there is an understanding that it’s of greater significance to keep trees standing than cut them down for financial profit. Money is not everything. We have to recognize real and lasting value is from natural resources. But money is a fact of life.
Good news is that we can expect entire natural woodland is left undamaged and still provides a revenue (收益) stream. Leaving woodland complete does not necessarily mean that we do not touch it at all. Conservation work may involve building back biodiversity or the removal of foreign plant species.
A healthy woodland system can provide a range of yields (产物). Besides eatable yields——top fruit, berries, and food crops, it produces substances for chemical use. The non-timber forest products provided by natural ecosystems will vary significantly depending on where they are. But there’re almost always ways to explore to acquire revenue.
A project in the U.K. shows woodland is also a draw for visitors. It engages a community who creates a sustainable area of woodland. The sale of handmade wooden items and non-timber forest products is involved. But the community largely obtains revenue by opening up parts of the natural woodland to the public with an adventure playground and outdoor recreational activities on the site. It also offers courses on nest building, special wildlife events and more. The project is thought to have great uniqueness. In terms of revenue, it centers round the existing natural land; the yields woodland can provide become side products.
Recreational activities, tours, and classes are just the commencement. A rich and biodiverse woodland can be an ecosystem that draws in people looking for a beautiful place to stay. Woodland has great value in ecological and social terms. And when you nurse it, it could also add to the income from your land.
1. What do people increasingly think about forest conservation?| A．It is difficult to carry out. |
| B．It means making full use of timber. |
| C．It outweighs financial development. |
| D．It should centre on building back biodiversity. |
| A．It makes woodland itself the main product. |
| B．It focuses on protecting natural land. |
| C．It aims to promote ecotourism. |
| D．It provides educational experiences. |
| A．Intention. |
| B．Wish. |
| C．Exception. |
| D．Beginning. |
| A．Woodland Brings Profit While Staying Complete |
| B．A Project Creates Sustainable Woodland |
| C．Forest Conservation Has Been a Top Priority |
| D．Non-timber Products Help Gain More Revenue |
7 . Slowness has been a sweeping trend in sustainability. Slow food celebrates local produce and traditional cooking methods; slow fashion is made with a focus on people and the planet. You may have even heard of the slow city, a campaign to restore local cultures and turn cities back to their natural environments.
Slow design developed from the larger slow movement. Although the term was only recently introduced, the idea of thoughtful design looks back to a time when buildings and furniture were made with great craftsmanship (手艺) and by hand-before the mass-produced throwaway furniture took over. You can think of the term “slow” as a celebration of timelessness: both the timelessness of a piece and the timelessness of the relationship between that piece and its owner.
One example of slow design today is what’s been dubbed the brown furniture revival (复兴). Brown furniture refers to the heavy wooden furnishings that were popular in your grandparents’ day but suddenly fell out of style at the turn of the century. Brown furniture is often associated with dark woods, such as trees like mahogany, walnut, and teak, that take decades to reach maturity and true craftsmanship to transform into functional pieces.
Today’s furniture industry is dominated by the $13.1 billion-and-growing global ready-to-assemble(RTA) furniture market. RTA furniture is usually constructed from low-quality fiberboard, which lasts a small part of traditional furniture’s lifespan (寿命).The weight of furniture landfilled in 2018 was 9. 7 million tons, 4. 5 times what was landfilled in 1960.
In a less direct way, the idea of timelessness also lends itself to a lower environmental impact. Besides their demonstrated physical durability, slow materials and design are meant to outlive trends and never be thrown out simply because they’re out of style.
As second-hand shopping becomes more appealing to today’s young generation-because of its low environmental impact and affordability-the brown furniture of yesteryear is making a comeback.
1. Why is the first paragraph written?| A．To explain a new term. |
| B．To present the topic of the text. |
| C．To provide background information. |
| D．To highlight the importance of slowness. |
| A．Known as. |
| B．Mistaken for. |
| C．Compared to. |
| D．Connected with. |
| A．It is out of date. |
| B．It has a long lifespan. |
| C．It is heavy and expensive. |
| D．It has bad effects on the environment. |
| A．Grandparents are buying new furniture. |
| B．The brown furniture will soon be mass-produced. |
| C．The young generation favors second-hand shopping. |
| D．Materials for slow design furniture are more available. |
8 . Rayner Loi keeps a note on his iPhone with details of the fruit and vegetables that go bad every week at his home. That way, when he goes to the supermarket, he has a better idea of how many apples or bananas he actually eats in a week, and can adjust his shopping accordingly. He believes individual action like this is important to tackle the problem of food waste. But he also has higher goals.
In 2017, Loi founded Lumitics, a company that tracks food waste with the aim of helping hotels and airlines, which serve thousands of meals a day, figure out how much avoidable waste they are generating. Loi says most chefs can’t easily monitor all the food that never gets eaten and find it very hard to develop strategies and implement measures to reduce food waste.
Lumitics uses garbage cans equipped with weight sensors, cameras, and Al technology that can identify and track the type and amount of food that gets thrown out--including whether it’s spoiled, uneaten or kitchen waste. Later, Lumitics’ customers use the waste data to adjust the amount of food put out at a breakfast buffet, or cut back on buying certain ingredients. Loi points to company data that shows he has helped the hotels he work with reduce food waste significantly. That’s not only green, it’s good for the bottom line. Hotel restaurants often operate on relatively thin profit, “so any savings for them actually is really immense for their business” he says.
Loi and his small team are already working with major clients like the Four Seasons hotel in Singapore and airlines including Etihad Airways. Now, Loi is expanding his ambitions beyond Singapore: Lumitics is working to begin operations next year in hotels in the Middle East and in other cities across Asia. What they want to achieve is really tangible in terms of the number of meals saved and the amount of carbon emissions avoided.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．keep track of his food consumption. |
| B．buy less apples and bananas. |
| C．buy food in supermarket every week. |
| D．handle the problem of food waste. |
| A．It develops strategy and implements measures. |
| B．It makes full use of the garbage cans. |
| C．It recognizes and traces the food waste. |
| D．It analyzes the waste data from hotels. |
| A．It is environmentally-friendly. |
| B．It can help hotel restaurants cut their cost. |
| C．It can reduce food waste. |
| D．It can attract more customers. |
| A．He loves cooking in hotel restaurants. |
| B．He is the manager of hotel restaurants. |
| C．He is ambitious to reduce food waste. |
| D．He is working with hotels in Middle East. |
9 . Masks that helped to save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings. Single-use masks have been found around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide. Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Face masks aren’t going away any time soon — but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals,” Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.
In Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps (带子) of a mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest effect may be in the water. More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world’s oceans last year, accounting for around 6200 extra tonnes of ocean plastic pollution, according to environmental group Oceans Asia.
Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another of the coast of Miami. French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean. Masks and gloves are “particularly problematic” for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy. “When those plastics break down in the environment, they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems,” he added.
There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic (疫情) has worn on, but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties. Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
1. What does the underlined word “decompose” mean?| A．Break down. | B．Burn down. | C．Turn down. | D．Fall down. |
| A．The environmental group saves many animals. |
| B．Sea wildlife is fond of feeding on face masks. |
| C．Measures should be taken to protect sea wildlife. |
| D．Masks thrown around will finally harm humans. |
| A．By analysing causes. |
| B．By giving examples. |
| C．By providing explanations. |
| D．By making comparisons. |
| A．By washing the reusable cloth masks more frequently. |
| B．By stopping the public from using the single-use masks. |
| C．By encouraging the use of reusable masks and increasing fines. |
| D．By cutting the straps of the masks and reusing them properly. |
10 . Kenya’s tree planting plan turns out to be of great benefit to both the environment and the Kenyans. Launched in 2016 by Elizabeth Wathuti when she was twenty-one years old, the Green Generation Initiative is a Kenyan charity that has been planting trees to deal with deforestation (滥伐森林) and climate change in the East African nation.
The initiative’s primary focus is on addressing food insecurity in the region through planting fruit trees, as well as developing young climate activists through environmental education in schools. Since its foundation, over 30,000 trees have been planted in Kenya, while thousands of school children have not just planted trees but also adopted them to ensure that young people learn the importance of acting as a guardian over the health of the environment. The trees have recorded a survival rate of over 98 percent, as they remain tended to from young trees to maturity.
Speaking to world leaders at the recent United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow (COP26), Elizabeth issued a serious warning on the threat of climate change. Over two million of Kenyans are facing climate related hunger now. In 2025, half of the world’s population will be facing water shortage. The climate crisis will displace 80 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Elizabeth said, “Environment is the foundation of development, and it can no longer continue being taken for granted. I have been doing what I can. Inspired by the great Wangari Maathai, I founded a tree growing initiative that enhances food security for young Kenyans.” So far, they have grown 30,000 fruit trees to maturity, providing desperately needed nutrition for thousands of children. “Every day we see that when we look after the trees, they look after us. We are the adults on this Earth right now, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the children have food and water,” she added.
1. What is the Green Generation Initiative intended for?| A．Raising money. | B．Making policies. |
| C．Educating the adults. | D．Fighting climate change. |
| A．Green awareness has been raised. | B．3,000 trees have been planted. |
| C．80 million people have been saved. | D．School education has been guaranteed. |
| A．Sickness. | B．Water shortage. | C．Starvation. | D．Economic crisis. |
| A．Honest and determined. | B．Considerate and responsible. |
| C．Friendly and optimistic. | D．Cooperative and humorous. |
