1 . A new study suggests classic paintings by well-known Impressionists Joseph Turner and Claude Monet may have been influenced by air pollution during the Industrial Revolution.
Scientists don’t know exactly how polluted the cities were during that time for lack of data. However, researchers say that examining the works of Turner and Monet can give a picture of long-term environmental change with the air pollution.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by authors from Harvard and Sorbonne universities, analyzed 60 oil paintings by Turner from 1796 to 1850 and 38 paintings by Monet from 1864 to 1901. Scientists successfully measured painters’ representation (再现) of nature, focusing on the colors as well as differences in local weather patterns which influenced coloring. They significantly found that paintings composed in Britain generally feature a greyer blue sky than works in other parts of Europe.
Researchers particularly believe changes in local sulfur dioxide (二氧化硫) emissions from burning coal may explain changes in the color contrast and intensity (亮度) of Turner’s and Monet’s works, even after taking into account the artistic trends and subject matter of the time.
Generally, artists can historically accurately represent their environment. Turner and Monet were chosen because they are famous for their landscape and cityscape paintings and also because they were active during the Industrial Revolution, when air pollution grew at a rate never seen before.
Additionally, researchers say that since the air in London was much polluted, the cities would appear grey and dull to the eyes as well as in photographs. By comparing the paintings of Turner and Monet to photos from the era, they were able to determine the painting works were definitely influenced by the change in emissions.
1. What did the researchers find in the works of Turner and Monet?| A．Air pollution at that time. | B．Change in subject matter. |
| C．Social trends of the period. | D．Development of photography. |
| A．By referring to relevant historical records. |
| B．By examining the coloring of the paintings. |
| C．By comparing the paintings of Turner with Monet’s. |
| D．By analyzing the data during the Industrial Revolution. |
| A．European artists preferred landscape paintings. |
| B．Turner and Monet intended to present pollution. |
| C．The research focused on studying weather patterns. |
| D．Britain suffered most from air pollution in Europe. |
| A．To call on people to protect the environment. |
| B．To introduce air pollution in the Industrial Revolution. |
| C．To inform people of a new discovery in certain artworks. |
| D．To instruct people to admire classic paintings in new ways. |
2 . Chaudhary quietly weaves together lengths of ropes, binding them with grass collected from the riverbank. She skillfully shapes the materials into a jewelry box. Meanwhile, she’s instructing a group of women to work out the materials. The ropes used were once the lifeline for climbers tackling Nepal’s mountains and were then discarded (扔掉). They are now finding new life, transformed by skilled hands into items to sell.
Acharya, working with the cleaning campaign, owns a waste processing business in Kathmandu, also an advocate for sustainable waste management. “Aluminum and other metal waste go through the recycling process, but we found no way to recycle ropes and gas cans,” she says. It struck her that the non-recyclable waste could be reused, but it wasn’t until she met Maya Rai that a solution emerged. Rai, leading Nepal Knotcraft Centre, helped connect Acharya with Chaudhary’s team of craftswomen in hopes of turning the mountain waste into economic opportunity. “While this seems insignificant compared to waste in the mountains, it’s a start. We aim to connect local expertise, mountain waste and local economy,” says Acharya, proudly displaying a mat made from ropes left on Mt. Qomolangma by climbers. Her goal is to ensure that no waste collected from mountains ends up in a landfill again.
Finished crafts are sold at outlets and exhibitions. The craftswomen are paid according to how many items they make and sell. With flexible hours, the project gives women an opportunity to earn money even as they maintain household responsibilities.
Eventually, Acharya hopes to expand the program to involve more women and process more waste. But progress has been slow. “We still have not found a sustainable business plan to make crafts in large quantities, ”she says. Now, she is searching for cooperators to make a model that serves not only the mountain but the communities. “After all, we are trying to craft a sustainable future.”
Each rope turned into a decorative item is a way to help local women earn a living and keep mountains clean.
1. What is the author’s purpose in mentioning Chaudhary in paragraph 1?| A．To lead in the topic with her example. |
| B．To spread her environmental consciousness. |
| C．To show her patient instructions to the women. |
| D．To speak highly of her outstanding weaving skills. |
| A．A business involving waste processing. |
| B．A team transforming waste into treasure. |
| C．A campaign advocating sustainable management. |
| D．A solution connecting expertise, waste and economy. |
| A．Selling crafts at outlets can earn more money. |
| B．Removing mountain waste generates a sense of pride. |
| C．Cooperating with local experts helps promote skills. |
| D．Work-life balance can be achieved due to flexible hours. |
| A．Hesitant. | B．Positive. | C．Suspicious. | D．Disapproving. |
3 . Nanako Hama gets a lot of mail, mostly from strangers who live in her home city of Tokyo. In light envelopes, they send locks of their hair, hoping to recycle it.
People generate a huge amount of hair waste. Nearly all of that waste ends up in landfill, where it can release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
But hair possesses useful qualities and it’s a shame to simply throw it away. That’s why people all around the world, like Hama, have been collecting hair and finding innovative ways to recycle it, including making mats (垫子) out of it for removing oil leaks,
Hama is part of the nonprofit Matter of Trust (MoT) members working at more than 60 centers dotted across 17 countries, using machines to make hair donated from local salons and individuals into square mats, which are then used to clean up the floating oil.
“Hair is particularly well-suited for this,” says MoT co-founder Lisa Gautier, “That’s because its rough sort of outer layer lets oil stick to it.” MoT’s mats have been used in major oil leaks, including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 2007 Cosco Busan incidents.
In a 2018 study, Murray, an environmental scientist at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia found that mats made of recycled human hair could absorb 0.84 grams of oil onto its surface for every gram of hair — significantly more than polypropylene (聚丙烯), a type of plastic that’s typically used to clean up floating oil.
Besides, hair is also useful as fertilizer (化肥). Hair contains a relatively high nitrogen (氪), a chemical element crucial for plant growth, and each lock of hair is made of roughly 16 percent of this essential nutrient. Last year, more than 560 gallons of liquid fertilizer made from human hair was sold to farmers in northern Tanzania and the feedback from the farmers has been very encouraging.
“It’s just a great way to use hair in a productive way. Hair is an answer literally hanging in front of our eyes-for oil and soil, ” Hama says.
1. What can the mat made of human hair do?| A．Clear the sea of oil. | B．Improve soil. |
| C．Take in harmful gas. | D．Prevent oil leaks. |
| A．Its color and strength. | B．Its length and amount |
| C．Its structure and component. | D．Its weight and flexibility. |
| A．To state a fact. | B．To support a point. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To clarify a concept. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Optimistic. | C．Doubtful. | D．Negative. |
4 . About 12% of the total global energy demand comes from heating and cooling homes and businesses. A new study suggests that using underground water to maintain comfortable temperatures could reduce consumption of natural gas and electricity in this section by 40% in the US. The approach is called ATES, short for aquifer thermal energy storage (含水层热能储存).
“We need storage to absorb energy from the sun and wind. It’s crucial to creating affordable, reliable, and deeply environmental-friendly electricity systems. Most people are interested in batteries and other kinds of electrical storage. But we were wondering whether there was any opportunity to use geothermal (地热的) energy storage,” said first author A.T.D Perera. “With ATES, energy can be stored for a long period of time, without adding an additional burden to the grid (输电网).”
ATES is a pleasantly simple concept that takes advantage of the heat-absorbing property of water and the natural geological features of the planet. You simply pull existing underground water up and heat it at the surface in the summer with environmental heat or energy. Then you send it back down. It stays fairly hot because the Earth is a good insulator (绝热体).
“Unlike above-ground tank-based water or ice storage systems, ATES will not need space. It’s also more efficient and can support larger communities in cooling or heating than traditional geothermal heat pump systems that rely on heat moving with the underground soil,” added co-author Hong Tianzhen.
A major beneft of ATES is that it will become more efficient as weather becomes more extreme in the coming years due to climate change. The hotter summers and severer winters could increase the amount of free thermal energy that can be stored with ATES. “It’s very much a realistic thing to do and this work is really about showing its value,” said Perera. “This technology is ready to go, so to speak. We just need to do it.”
1. What do we know about ATES?| A．It is technologically demanding. |
| B．It is aimed at replacing natural energy. |
| C．It mainly relies on batteries to function. |
| D．It helps achieve an environmentally friendly society |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By discussing results. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing principles. |
| A．Temperature variations. | B．Insulated materials. |
| C．The duration of storage. | D．The category of energy. |
| A．A Turning Point in Energy Usage |
| B．A Solution to Green Cooling and Heating |
| C．A Transformation in the US Electricity System |
| D．A Discovery About Geothermal Energy Storage |
5 . It has been over 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire. The 1871 fire killed an estimated 300 people. It turned the heart of the city, wood-frame buildings quickly constructed on wooden sidewalks, into ruins, and left 100,000 people homeless. Like the Great Fire of London in 1666, the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Great Chicago Fire reminds us that big cities can still be frail.
But that same night, about 250 miles north of Chicago, more than 1,200 people died in and around Peshtigo. It was the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Survivors said the fire moved like a hurricane, jumping across Green Bay to light forests on the opposite shore.
Chicago’s fire came to be seen as a disaster that also led to the invention of steel skyscrapers, raised up on the city’s ashes. It has overshadowed the Peshtigo Fire. And for years, the two were seen as separate disasters. However, many of those houses and sidewalks that burned in Chicago had been built with trees grown around Peshtigo.
Chicago’s fire was long blamed - falsely - on an Irish-immigrant family’s cow kicking over a lantern. Some people thought the Peshtigo Fire started when pieces of a comet (彗星) landed in the forest, which has never been proven.
What we understand better today was that the Midwest was historically dry in the summer of 1871. When a low-pressure front with cooler temperatures rolled in, it produced winds, which can fan sparks (火星) into wildfires. The fires themselves generated more winds. Several parts of nearby Michigan also burned during the same few days ; at least 500 people were killed there.
At present, all of those fires on an autumn night in 1871 might help us see even more clearly how rising global temperatures and severe droughts, from Australia to Algeria to California, have made forests easier to burn, and people more likely to be harmed by the climate changes we’ ve helped create.
1. What does the underlined word “frail” in the first paragraph probably mean ?| A．Regularly enlarged. | B．Heavily populated. |
| C．Safely reached. | D．Easily damaged. |
| A．By presenting research findings. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following time order. | D．By making classifications. |
| A．A careless cow. | B．A passing comet. |
| C．A low-pressure front | D．A paper lantern. |
| A．To warn people of the forest fire threat. | B．To show signs of global warming. |
| C．To attract more tourists to Chicago. | D．To introduce an unknown city. |
6 . Do you remember all those years when scientists argued that smoking would kill us but the doubters insisted that we didn’t know for sure? That the evidence was inconclusive, the science uncertain? That the anti-smoking lobby(游说) was out to destroy our way of life and the government should stay out of the way? Lots of Americans bought that nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to early graves.
There are upsetting parallels today, as scientists in one wave after another try to awaken us to the growing threat of global warming. The latest was a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, enlisted by the White House, to tell us that the Earth’s atmosphere is definitely warming and that the problem is largely man-made. The clear message is that we should get moving to protect ourselves. The president of the National Academy, Bruce Alberts, added this key point in the preface to the panel’s report: “Science never has all the answers. But science does provide us with the best available guide to the future, and it is critical that our nation and the world base important policies on the best judgments that science can provide concerning the future consequences of present actions.”
Just as on smoking, voices now come from many quarters insisting that the science about global warming is incomplete, that it’s OK to keep pouring fumes into the air until we know for sure. This is a dangerous game: by the time 100 percent of the evidence is in, it may be too late. With the risks obvious and growing, a prudent person would take out an insurance policy now.
Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it’s obvious that a majority of the president’s advisers still don’t take global warming seriously. Instead of a plan of action, they continue to press for more research — a classic case of “paralysis by analysis”.
To serve as responsible stewards of the planet, we must press forward on deeper atmospheric and oceanic research. But research alone is inadequate. If the Administration won’t take the legislative initiative, Congress should help to begin fashioning conservation measures. A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which would offer financial supports for private industry, is a promising start. Many see that the country is getting ready to build lots of new power plants to meet our energy needs. If we are ever going to protect the atmosphere, it is crucial that those new plants be environmentally sound.
1. What was an argument made by supporters of smoking?| A．Anti-smoking people were usually talking nonsense. |
| B．People had the freedom to choose their own way of life. |
| C．The number of early deaths of smokers in the past decades was insignificant. |
| D．There was no scientific evidence of the correlation between smoking and death. |
| A．A protector. | B．A judge. | C．A critic. | D．A guide. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Confident. | C．Responsible. | D．Experienced. |
| A．Both of them have turned from bad to worse. |
| B．The outcome of the latter worsens the former. |
| C．A lesson from the latter is applicable to the former. |
| D．They both suffered from the government’s neglect. |
7 . Back in 1973, out of concern that many of American native plants and animals were in danger of extinction, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act. The law allows the government to decide species as either “endangered” or “threatened”. Once plants and animals are on the list, they can’t be harmed or harvested, and their living places can’t be changed or damaged in a way that kills, injures or weakens their ability to breed (繁殖), feed or perform other functions necessary for existence.
While environmentalists have thought the law is of great importance in history, mining and the agribusiness (农业综合企业) interests don’t think so. They argue that when an endangered animal is found on public land, the use of the land is strictly controlled, which can prevent farming, and other business use of the land. So, the recent US government has sought to change the way that the law is applied to reduce what it considers overprotection for threatened species.
But a study published in the journal PLOS ONE in January revealed that researchers looked at 31 different populations of ocean animals, and that they found that 78 percent of the mammals (哺乳动物) and 75 percent of the turtles increased their population size after receiving protection under the Act. What was even more impressive was that the number of Hawaiian humpback whales increased from just 800 in 1979 to more than 10,000 in 2005.
“We should celebrate the Act’s track record of reducing the harm from water pollution, overfishing, beach habitat loss and killing. Humans often destroy ocean ecosystems(生态系统), but our study shows that with strong laws and careful administration, we can also help them make a comeback.” said Shaye Wolf, a researcher of the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, Arizona.
1. What can we know about the Endangered Species Act in Paragraph 1?| A．It mainly focuses on protecting ocean species. |
| B．It covers almost all the details of wildlife protection. |
| C．It encourages people to raise wildlife in a careful way. |
| D．It asks the whole world to work together to protect wildlife. |
| A．The Act has limited the economic benefits of land. |
| B．Some land has got polluted due to the Act. |
| C．Some states refuse to follow the Act. |
| D．The Act fails to save enough endangered species. |
| A．Quite a lot of ocean animals’ population is still worrying. |
| B．The government failed to put some rare species on the list. |
| C．The Act turned out to be effective for ocean animal protection. |
| D．Whales benefit most from the Act after receiving protection. |
| A．More strict rules should be added to the Act. |
| B．Overfishing is the main threat to ocean animals. |
| C．The damage caused by human activities to the ecosystem is unavoidable. |
| D．Proper laws play a powerful role in environmental protection. |
8 . A couple has recently placed their garbage can out for collection for the first time in 14 months, all thanks to their recycling skills. Richard and Louise Arnold have established such an effective routine that they only need to put their garbage can on the side of the street once a year.
Louise explained that making small monthly changes in her life has resulted in her family producing very little waste. She said, “It’s not as difficult as you might think if you start with small steps. We began with soap, switching from bath cream to natural soap without packaging. These bars are large enough that we cut them in half, using one for the sink and the other half for the shower. It’s both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.”
“So it’s actually quite easy. Just go around your house and think of little things you can do gradually, and you’ll start noticing the difference,” Louise added. Currently, the couple takes recyclable waste to the tip, donates clothes to charity shops, and brings soft plastics and batteries to a shop that accepts them.
In 2017, the couple established No Waste Living, which initially started as a weekend stall at the local market and has since developed into a website. Louise regularly writes a newsletter for her hundreds of subscribers. They also started selling eco-friendly products, ranging from non-chemical household cleaning and washing solutions for a “less toxic home” to bamboo washing-up brushes. Louise mentioned, “I started No Waste Living because I wanted to show our achievement s and lead by example.”
Although the family occasionally faces criticism, Louise remains determined. She said, “The main point of contention(争论) for people regarding new waste rules is having to drive their waste to a recycling center, which adds to their already busy lives. However, in the long run, you will create more space in your home, save money, and spend less time dealing with garbage cans.”
1. How did the couple start their waste reduction journey?| A．By replacing small soaps with large ones. | B．By using a small amount of bath cream. |
| C．By using unpackaged soap bars. | D．By recycling soft plastics and batteries. |
| A．To bring eco-products to market. | B．To inspire others to follow in their footsteps. |
| C．To treat recyclable waste from the neighborhood. | D．To answer the call of their subscribers. |
| A．They mean more work to deal with garbage. |
| B．They increase the cost of garbage collection. |
| C．They establish a set time for waste management. |
| D．They limit the daily amount of garbage for collection. |
| A．A business - minded couple. | B．The “less poisonous home” concept. |
| C．The global trend in recycling. | D．A planet- friendly lifestyle. |
9 . Within the beautiful scenery of Wisconsin’s Lake Chippewa lies a natural wonder that is a unique challenge for the local community. This hidden wonder is exactly a giant floating island. The island, made up of plants and trees, sometimes floats around the lake, causing a major inconvenience by blocking (阻塞) an important bridge. Later, the local people came up with a solution to this problem. Every year, local boat owners work together and push the island away from the bridge.
Lake Chippewa was born in 1923 when a vast bog (沼泽) was changed through flooding. Soon after that, many of the dark bogs started rising to the surface and became perfect growing places for plants, with seeds carried by wind and wild birds to this floating place. Over the years, these bogs have grown plants and trees and turned into full islands. As time goes by, plants take root, and the oldest islands even have trees that act as sails (船帆) when the wind blows, moving the entire floating island around the lake.
Although the years-old floating island does not relocate (重新迁移) so often, when it does, it causes trouble for the community by blocking the important bridge that serves as the only passage between the lake’s East and West sides. The only solution is to gather a group of boats, and not just one or two, but dozens of boats working together to push the island away. “It takes a community’s effort, and you must have the winds at your back to push them in,” said a resident. Moving the island also requires precision (精确), as just relocating it a short distance may result in its return within days.
Some people have suggested destroying the floating islands to get rid of the problem. However, the big bog in Lake Chippewa has been around for many years, and during that time a variety of animal and plant species have made it their home. Therefore, local government advises they be dealt with in a way that won’t do harm to wildlife, paying more attention to the fine-drawn balance between human convenience and environmental protection. The annual tradition of relocating Lake Chippewa’s floating island is evidence to the coexistence of man and nature, a heartwarming display of community unity, and a reminder of the importance of preserving the unique areas that enrich our world.
1. What does the underlined word “solution” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Building a new bridge. | B．Moving the floating island away. |
| C．Transforming the vast bog. | D．Rebuilding the local community. |
| A．The formation of the floating island. | B．The history of flooding in Lake Chippewa. |
| C．The varieties of species in Lake Chippewa. | D．The impact of the wind on the floating island. |
| A．It is usually finished within days. |
| B．It is a must in cooperation and precision. |
| C．It can only be carried out during windless days. |
| D．It greatly disturbs the community residents’ lives. |
| A．To save costs for local people. | B．To ensure the safety of residents. |
| C．To improve the bond between communities. | D．To protect the wildlife species on the island. |
10 . Lightning (闪电) is a beautiful and inspiring phenomenon, but it can be deadly. Over the past 30 years, lightning has killed an average of 67 people per year in the United States alone.
Find shelter immediately
If you find yourself caught in a lightning storm, never stand under a tree, and avoid being close to power lines as they’re both excellent conductors (导体) of electricity and could potentially cause death, if not serious injury.
Watch out for dangers
Windows provide a direct path for the lightning to travel. Keep windows closed, stay away from them and try to stay within inner rooms of the structure.
Being near water is extremely dangerous during a lightning storm, so move away from the body of water. If you are fishing, swimming or on a boat, get out of the water immediately and hurry back to the bank.
Stay inside
Stay inside at least 30 minutes after the last strike. Don’t go out just because the rain is starting to let up. There is still a significant risk of lightning strikes from a departing storm.
Lightning is dangerous but you can minimize your risk. The advice is simple: increase the awareness of avoiding danger and master proper knowledge to protect yourself from a thunderstorm.
| A．Get away from the water |
| B．Prepare enough water |
| C．Go to hospital quickly |
| D．Don’t touch anything metal or electrical |
| E．Find shelter near or under a stony shelter |
| F．Wait for news that the danger has passed |
| G．Fortunately, most lightning-related deaths are preventable |
