1 . If you’re aiming to cut back on meat and you want to build muscle strength, you’re not alone. Now, a new study finds that swapping red and processed meat for plant protein a few times a week leads to better health and lowers carbon emission.

“We found that there was an increase in life expectancy of approximately nine months linked to 50% reduction of red meat consumption,” says Olivia Auclair. “When it comes to diet changes to improve health and climate, we don’t need to go to major extremes or completely wipe out foods from our diet.”

But sudden changes can be jarring. For a long time Kyle Backlund had been in the habit of eating meat at many meals, and when he cut back, he felt a drop in his energy level and experienced some tiredness and weakness. When he realized he needed to increase his protein intake, his wife Stephany Marreel — who does most of the cooking and also eats a plant-based diet — found a solution by adding tofu, vegetables, and grains. Kyle says he is now feeling good on his plant-focused diet.

People can get all the protein and nutrients they need from a plant-based diet as long as they do a little planning, says Dr. Christopher Gardner, a food scientist. “If someone is consuming a reasonable variety, meeting protein needs from plant sources is no problem,” Gardner says.

There’s an environmental argument for shifting diet as well, Gardner says. Livestock (家畜) require lots of land and water. Beef production requires 20 times more land and produces 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions, per gram of protein, compared to beans. If people in the U.S. swapped beef for beans, this one switch alone could get the U.S. about halfway to its greenhouse gas reduction goals.

1. What should you do to improve health and climate according to Olivia Auclair?

A．Change your meat-based diet a little.	B．Give up red meat in your meals.
C．Become a devoted plant-protein lover.	D．Take up proper ways of cooking.

2. What does the underlined word “jarring” in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Admirable.

B．Upsetting.

C．Meaningful.

D．Rewarding.

3. How can one meet his protein needs while following a plant-based diet?

A．By exercising more.	B．By consuming less red meat.
C．By eating various foods.	D．By having whole grain.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Cattle are the main source of greenhouse gases.

B．Americans are reducing greenhouse gas emission.

C．Shifting diet can be beneficial to the planet.

D．Bean production requires lots of land and water.

2 . Our recommended list of environmental books covers a broad range of topics. These must-read environmental books are sure to spark the interest of the greenest books.

Silent Spring

Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring highlights the effects of pesticides (杀虫剂) on the environment, especially DDT, which was a very popular insecticide until it was finally banned in 1972. The book eventually led to a change in the United States’ pesticide policy and contributed to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference.

This book collects 11 speeches made by climate activist Greta Thunberg, highlighting the issue of climate change and its impact on future generations. Greta Thunberg was 15 when she started the School Strike for Climate, also known as Fridays for Future. She inspired protests worldwide.

The Uninhabitable Earth

This book by David Wallace Wells examines the disasters that have already occurred and looks ahead to the year 2100 and what climate change will do if we continue on our current path. Its opening line is incredibly telling: “It is worse, much worse, than you think.”

The End of Nature

Published in 1989, the book describes the relationship between nature and humans. It expresses the idea that nature was previously independent of humans but has now been affected by them in every way. According to author Bill McKibben, the idea of wilderness is lost, and nature is no longer complete.

1. Which book brought the environment to the government’s attention?

A．Silent Spring.	B．The End of Nature.
C．The Uninhabitable Earth.	D．No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference.

2. What feeling does the author display in The Uninhabitable Earth?

A．Curiosity.

B．Concern.

C．Annoyance.

D．Disappointment.

3. Which of the following is Bill McKibben’s idea?

A．Nature will not exist any longer.	B．Wild animals are disappearing fast.
C．Human activities are destroying nature.	D．Climate change affects future generations.

3 . On Friday, students around the world will walk out of their classrooms and gather in joint protests to highlight the global crisis created by climate change. The goal? To get elected officials and industry leaders to actually act to stop the coming disaster.

Climate change poses a terrible threat to humanity, and politicians aren’t doing enough to find solutions, protest organizers wrote on the Global Climate Strike website. Greenhouse gas emissions (排放) are a primary driver of global warming, but leaders have been irresolute about abandoning fossil fuels, even as global temperatures continue to climb.

Strikes and protests by students in more than 2,500 locations aim to show that the younger generations won’t stand easily by while their future — and their planet — hang in the balance. The strike follows a summer of extreme weather linked to climate change: strange global heat waves, wildfires and ice loss from glaciers (冰川). In July, three studies found that the global climate is changing more quickly than it has in the past 2,000 years.

Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is currently visiting New York City, is one of the strike’s key organizers. Thunberg will speak at a Friday demonstration at Foley Square there at 12 p. m. local time, after which protesters will march to Battery Park. Thunberg will also address the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23. The emergency meeting is being organized so that world leaders can present “concrete, realistic plans” for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of reaching zero emissions by 2050, according to a UN statement.

Thousands of protests are planned for Friday — just three days prior to the summit—and collectively, they will be the biggest climate action in history.

1. Why will students gather together?

A．To make their voice heard by leaders.

B．To call on moves to protect the earth.

C．To celebrate the newly elected officials.

D．To organize a big protest for civil rights.

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

A．Hesitant.

B．Concerned.

C．Decisive.

D．Thoughtful.

3. What is the goal of the September 23 meeting?

A．Electing new leaders of the summit.

B．Reorganizing the UN department.

C．Reaching zero emissions by 2050.

D．Protecting the whole human beings.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Global Students Mobilize for Climate Action

B．Why Not Join the Students for a New Planet?

C．Organize a Climate Talk for the Only Earth

D．A New Strike Will Be Staged Worldwide

4 . Have you got any electronic devices hanging around your home that you no longer want or use? Between us, we have millions of bits of unused tech kept in drawers.     1     There are several ways to make the most of our unwanted gadgets（小物件）.

Probably the best cure for our throwaway culture is to fix our broken tech.    2     They can be learned at repair clubs and repair cafés—free meeting places where you'll find tools and materials to help you make any repairs you need. In the UK, the interest in mending our stuff and giving it a new life is reflected by the popularity of a TV series called The Repair Shop, where craftspeople rescue and resurrect（重新使用） items that their owners thought were beyond saving.

    3     Materials used to make them can be extracted and reused in other things. As an example, Elisabeth Ratcliffe from the Royal Society of Chemistry told the BBC: "There are about thirty different elements just in a smartphone, and many of them are very rare." These can be used in touch screens and solar panels. Many of the biggest players in the industry(including Apple and Samsung) will gladly take your old gadgets back and handle them responsibly.    4    

A final choice for your unwanted items is to up-cycle them. You can breathe new life into them by transforming them into valuable pieces or collectable retroitems（复古物品）, which could be sold on.    5     By up-cycling, you contribute to waste reduction and innovation in product reuse.

A．Recycling is another solution.

B．All you need is patience and skills.

C．Another cure is to give them away.

D．However, they don't need to be thrown away.

E．You can have fun in repair clubs and repair cafés.

F．You can make some cash and create needed space in your home.

G．You might even get some cash back when buying their new products.

5 . Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that you produce as you live your life. In order to hold the global temperature rise to 2˚C or less, everyone needs to average an annual carbon footprint of 1.87 tons by 2050.     1    

Eat low on the food chain. This means eating mostly fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans. Meat and dairy is responsible for 14.5 percent of man-made global greenhouse gas emissions.     2     If you have no meat or dairy every day, you can reduce your carbon footprint by 8 pounds.

    3     Fashionable, cheap items go out of style quickly and get dumped in landfills where they produce methane (甲烷) as they decompose. Currently, the average American gets rid of about 80 pounds of clothing annually. In addition, most fast fashion comes from Asia, so shipping it to the U.S. requires the use of fossil fuels.

Use low energy appliances. Replace traditional light bulbs with LED ones. Though LEDs cost more, they use a quarter of the energy and last up to 25 times longer. Make energy efficiency a primary consideration when choosing a new microwave, air conditioning unit, dishwasher, or refrigerator.     4    

Choose green travel. An average car produces about five tons of carbon each year.     5    Take public buses, carpool, or bike to your destination when possible. This not only reduces CO₂ emissions, it also lessens traffic jams.

A．Don’t buy fast fashion.

B．Never choose quality clothing.

C．But people ignore this serious problem.

D．Making changes in transport matters much.

E．Here are ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

F．They are mainly from food production and processing.

G．Products with the ENERGY STAR sign have better efficiency.

6 . There’s been growing concerns about the damaging impact of human travel on the environment in recent years. Irresponsible tourism is a main cause of environmental destruction. The destruction of the natural environment is an urgent matter as it directly affects everyone’s well-being.     1     As a student passionate about travel, you should leave as little carbon pollution as possible wherever you visit.

Avoid takeaways as many as possible

Buying “food to go” seems logical when you are in a rush. Though convenient, this kind of take-out packaging often uses disposable(一次性的) plastic boxes and bags, which can contribute significantly to environmental pollution if not properly disposed of.     2     You can, instead, eat out in a restaurant while enjoying a scenic atmosphere. If you have to take away something like coffee, use a reusable cup.

Go for train or bus when traveling nationally

Transportation accounts for nearly a third of all greenhouse gases produced in the environment. Flying and driving, in particular, are major contributors to carbon emissions(排放) within the transportation sector, with domestic flying emitting more carbon than driving.     3    

Stay on designated roads and foot paths

Responsible tourism is about having as minimum physical interaction with the wild as possible. We not only protect the fragile ecosystems around us but also ensure our own safety.     4     If you stray away from designated(指定) paths, you risk damaging plants and the natural habitat for animals.

Pick up trash after yourself and others

    5     Instead of dropping trash, why not pick it up? You can significantly impact the environment by picking up trash along trails when hiking or backpacking for proper disposal.

In conclusion, responsible tourism is traveling with awareness, respect, and consideration for the places you visit. It’s about ensuring that your travel experiences enrich not only your own lives but also contribute positively to the destinations you explore, leaving them better than you found them.

A．So stick to marked roads and footpaths.

B．Therefore, hike for some trips at times.

C．Pay attention to the trash while traveling.

D．Make a habit of collecting trash after yourself.

E．You don’t have to be in a rush when on holiday.

F．Therefore, use public transport for short travels.

G．These concerns have resulted in the green travel campaign.

7 . A woman in a cap wanders calmly along. Except for the lava (熔岩) erupting behind her, she could be walking in the park. The woman turns to watch the molten rock flow for a moment then walks calmly toward the camera. The footage(镜头) is from Werner Herzog’s book to volcanoes and volcano hunters, Into the Inferno, and the woman pictured is perhaps one of the most important volcanologists of all time, Katia Krafft.

Born in France, in 1942, Katia developed an interest in volcanoes at an early age. Later, she met Maurice Krafft. The pair bonded over their shared love of volcanoes before marrying in 1970. The Kraffts wrote about 20 books on volcanoes across the globe.

Katia and her husband made great progress in educating the general public in volcanology. Their footage had more than scientific value. For instance, when Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines began to show signs of an eruption in 1991, the Kraffts were able to present Philippine President Cory Aquino with video footage of the effects of the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia, asking him to call for an evacuation of those in the danger zone.

In 1969, Katia was awarded the prize of the Vocation Foundation for her work on active volcanic sites.

The couple lost their lives, along with more than 40 others during the eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan on June 3.1991. when they were caught in a flow of rock, gas and ash moving at speeds of over 100 miles per hour, with temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Katia was 49; Maurice, 45.

Katia’s impact on volcanology has reached far beyond her death and has encouraged many young women to study our restless planet. “Katia Krafft is definitely the reason why I’m doing this job,” says Carla Tiraboschi, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Minster, Germany. Carla first saw Katia in a documentary when she was just six or seven years old and has been crazy about volcanoes ever since.

1. What can we infer from the book Into the Inferno?

A．Its author is Katia Krafft.	B．It’s a biography of Katia Krafft.
C．It calls on protecting the environment.	D．It focuses on volcanoes and their explorers.

2. What do we know about the couple?

A．They prevented a natural disaster.

B．They served as a warning in Japan.

C．They helped spread volcano science.

D．They covered Mount Pinatubo’s eruption.

3. Which can replace the underlined word “evacuation” in paragraph 3?

A．Substance.

B．Departure.

C．Occupation.

D．Intervention.

4. How did Katia influence Carla Tiraboschi?

A．Katia’s death made her restless.	B．Katia helped her with her research.
C．Katia taught her to make a documentary.	D．Katia’s deeds inspired her career choice.

8 . Coastal Clean-ups Program

General Introduction

Our program aims to develop appreciation for our environment in our participants by including fun into environmental education. Our program places great emphasis on experiential learning, which offers our participants the opportunity to get close to nature, enjoy and value it while learning issue of litter pollution, and the importance of individual ownership in ensuring environmental sustainability. Our program is well-suited in supporting the objectives of Values-in-Action ( VIA) programs for schools. Ever wondered how our beaches look without the care of the cleaners? So please explore yourself through the Coastal Clean-ups Program and join us in taking care of our beaches. Gain insightful discovery on the consequences of ocean pollution, and its implications on our marine environment, wildlife, and even us, humans.

Details
Location:

This program is subjected to weather and tidal （潮汐的） conditions. Please email us for the available dates and more information on the location.

Duration: 2 hours

Group Size: Maximum—60 participants
Equipment/Items needed:
·All materials needed for the program will be provided by our program.
·Participants should bring their own personal water bottles and writing materials.
·Participants should wear comfortable outdoor clothes with covered shoes.
Price: $10/per person. For more information, please consult via the official website of our program.
Important Note:
●Available dates for this program are subjected to tidal conditions.
·The program cannot be conducted in the event of bad weather.
·There is no wet-weather program. Please email us for further enquiries.
1. What do we know about Coastal Clean-ups Program?

A．It is specially designed for scholars.

B．It is interesting as well as instructive.

C．It is part of schools’ VIA programs.

D．It contributes to participants’ independence.

2. What can cause the cancellation of the program?

A．Terrible weather.	B．Shortage of cleaning tools.
C．No comfortable outdoor shoes.	D．Limited number of participants.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．An advertisement.	B．A natural science magazine.
C．A research report.	D．A school-tour website.

9 . To produce the classic clothing, blue jeans, producers rely on indigo dye (靛蓝染料), the only molecule known to provide jeans’ unique, beloved color. While indigo itself naturally comes from a plant, growing demand for blue jeans throughout the 20th century gave rise to synthetic (合成的) indigo, which is now more commonly used.

Indigo is the dye that makes jeans blue, but it doesn’t mix with water. To dye clothes, usually, chemicals are needed to make the color stick to the cloth. But in Denmark, scientists have created a new way to dye clothes using an enzyme (酶), which is a kind of protein that can cause chemical reactions, instead of harmful chemicals. This new method is better for the environment and doesn’t use poisonous stuff.

The chemical process for dyeing blue jeans has persisted for the last century. Workers are exposed to the poisonous chemicals, which also pollute the environment near factories. Waste water from those factories often ends up in waterways, decimating local ecosystems and even dyeing rivers blue.

Ditte Hededam Welner, the study’s lead researcher, says their new enzyme works really well and is strong enough for making lots of jeans without breaking down. This enzyme makes dyeing with indican, which is like indigo, much less harmful to the planet — about 92% better than the old way.

However, the new method doesn’t fix all the environmental problems of making jeans. Making a single pair of jeans uses a lot of water — enough to fill many bathtubs — from growing the cotton to putting the final touches on the jeans.

Even though the new dyeing process is better for the environment, it’s not always easy or cheap to change to it. Welner’s team isn’t sure if jeans companies will find it easy or affordable to switch to this method. It costs a little bit more — just seven cents extra per pair of jeans — to use the enzyme for dyeing. But Welner believes it’s worth it because it’s much better for the environment.

1. Why was synthetic indigo created in the 20th century?

A．It made jeans’ color unique.	B．It was easy to dye cloth with it.
C．People liked jeans made from it.	D．People were in greater need of jeans.

2. What does the underlined word “decimating” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Troubling.

B．Entering.

C．Destroying.

D．Defeating.

3. Which is an advantage of the new method?

A．The colour is more beautiful than the synthetic indigo.

B．The market can keep stable goods supplies.

C．Enzyme facilitates the advance of science.

D．The dye is more environmentally friendly.

4. What makes Welner worried about the new method?

A．Production costs.	B．Environmental benefits.
C．Water consumption.	D．Laborer shortage.

10 . The Forest Eye project aims to create the largest living forest feature in England by growing 5,000 alder, beech and maple trees into the shape of a child’s eye. The trees are being planted in Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, with the help of local young people. The trees will form an eye 300 meters wide that will be visible from the sky in about six years, when they have grown.

The project hopes to focus on the importance of young people’s ideas for creating a health y natural environment. It was designed by a company called Sand in Your Eye and has been created by Forestry England, an organization that protects forests and woodlands.

Josephine Lavelle, director at Forestry England, says, “Having the gaze of a child growing in the heart of this beautiful and ever-changing forest is a powerful symbol of how we need to listen and respond to the needs and vision of future generations.”

The project also aims to highlight the important role that forests play in fighting climate change. As well as providing a home for wildlife, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create oxygen that humans need to breathe. When the trees have grown, they will provide a place for lots of wild animals, like bats, birds and small mammals to live. The Forest Eye will also create a space for people to explore and connect with nature.

Jamie Wardley, artistic director at Sand in Your Eye, has plenty of experience creating pieces of “land art”. These are huge drawings and sculptures made from grass, ice and sand, including a 60-meter portrait of Swedish climate-change campaigner Greta Thunberg on a school field in Yorkshire. He says, “The trees are my paint.” “Our work is about prompting people to think deeply and respond emotionally to some of the biggest issues facing us, including the climate crisis.” Wardley also plans to develop the Forest Eye into an even bigger project. “It is our ambition to create the whole face of a young girl at the same scale, measuring 2,000 meters across. Those trees that are planted in the Forest Eye are the very beginning of this,” he says.

1. What can we know about the project?

A．It is planting trees to form an eye.	B．It is aimed at creating artworks.
C．It is proposed by the local youth.	D．It is carried out in the largest forest.

2. What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The argument for the project.	B．The benefits of tree.
C．The value of children’s ideas.	D．The fight against climate change.

3. Which of the following can best describe Jamie Wardley?

A．Ignorant.

B．Adventurous.

C．Emotional.

D．Creative.

4. Which is the best title for the article?

A．Land arts take off	B．Tree planting catches on
C．Giant eye planting kicks off	D．Environmental groups spring up