The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Take rubber（橡胶） for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial（商业的）rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect—or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realize the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.
1. The underlined word "synthetics" probably means a kind of __________.
| A．natural rubber | B．tropical grass |
| C．man-made material | D．tropical tree |
| A．tell people how to avoid the tropical deforestation |
| B．show us how important it is to protect the tropical forests |
| C．persuade people to buy something synthetic |
| D．let people realize the good effect of tropical deforestation |
| A．puzzling | B．cold |
| C．supporting | D．opposed |
When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.
Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.
Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words:
__________________________________.
1. Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.
| A．prove that people could walk out of the desert see |
| B．how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert |
| C．tell people not to walk in circles |
| D．show Argutel was a great person |
| A．knew Argutel before he came to the village |
| B．came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college |
| C．became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village |
| D．taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived |
| A．Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days |
| B．the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert |
| C．tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved |
| D．Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return |
| A．A new life starts from the fixed direction. |
| B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．A long journey starts with the first step. |
| D．Two heads are better than one. |
3 . A new report says plastics are responsible for $13 billion in damage to the oceans and the undersea environment. The findings were announced recently at a United Nations conference.
Plastic thrown away carelessly makes its way into rivers and other waterways.
The report also calls on companies to improve methods for using plastics.
But all of the companies must join to deal with the problem.
| A．It asks for them to better measure and direct plastic use. |
| B．But people can make a big difference. |
| C．Plastics should be gathered together and reused.. |
| D．It is convenient to use plastic bags in everyday life. |
| E．Then, fish may eat the plastics. |
| F．The report tells about harm to sea life and what might be done to improve the situation. |
| G．The plastic eventually reaches coastal areas and ocean waters |
4 . Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So the city began a project to improve the situation.
Under the Velib project (‘Velib’ comes from velo liberty, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25 kg), and they are all gray and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!
Paris is not the first city to have a project like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle - they’ll still use their cars.”
A city spokesman said, “The bicycle project won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”
1. What can we learn about the Velib project?| A．Its bikes have no baskets. | B．Its bikes are light and colorful. |
| C．It aims to make traveling easier. | D．It owns more stations than the subway. |
| A．Free. | B．€1. |
| C．€29. | D．€30. |
| A．The cost is rather high. |
| B．It’s hard to find a Velib station. |
| C．It’s not suitable for a long journey. |
| D．The distance between two Velib stations is long. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. |
| C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
Escaping a fire is a serious matter. Knowing what to do during a fire can save you life. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone in the family， such as stairways and fire escapes， but not lifts.
From the lower floors of the buildings， escaping through windows is possible， learn the best way of leaving by windows with the least chance of serious injury.
The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. An average person， hanging by the finger-tips will have a drop of about six feet to the ground. It is about the height of an average man. Of course， it is safer to jump a short way than to stay in a burning building.
Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed. Or smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may leaked（渗） into the room.
On a second or third floor， the best windows for escape are those that open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto cement（水泥） might end in injury. Bushes（灌木丛） and grass can help to break a fall.
根据以上短文内容，然后从每题所给的四个选项中选择最佳选项。
1. It is important to _______.
| A．put out the fire in the burning house |
| B．know the ways to escape the fire |
| C．jump off a burning house |
| D．keep the door closed |
| A．if there are some bushes on the ground |
| B．if you are strong enough |
| C．if you live on a lower floor |
| D．If you have a long rope |
| A．You can escape though stairways. |
| B．You can choose fire escapes. |
| C．Escape from the windows that open onto a roof. |
| D．Use a lift to come down at once. |
| A．you can get fresh air | B．you can call for help |
| C．you can easily jump off | D．you can be seen first |
| A．Escaping from the Windows |
| B．Save Yourself in the Burning House |
| C．Knowledge on Fire |
| D．Waiting for Help |
“What’s the matter, dear?” asked her mum.
Juliet replied, “Mum, there’s so much trash on the ground.”
Juliet’s mum looked around. There was paper, boxes and glass bottles everywhere.
“What can we do?” asked Juliet.
“I’m sure you will think of something,” said her mum.
As soon as Juliet and her mum went home, Juliet painted a picture of the park and wrote a sign in large black letters at the top of the picture. The sign read “PLEASE KEEP OUR PARK CLEAN”. Later, she took plenty of bags and went back to the park with her mum. Juliet put up her picture on a big trash can (垃圾桶).
“Will you help me pick up the trash, Mum?” Juliet said as she handed her mum a bag.
“I sure will,” replied her mum.
The children at the park ran over to see what was going on. Juliet handed them each a bag. “Let’s clean this place up,” said Juliet. Then they began to pick up the trash, talking and laughing. Soon all the bags were full.
“We need to come back another day. There’s still some trash on the ground, but the park looks much better,” said Juliet.
Her mum said, “So it does. I knew you would think of a way to help.”
1. Why was Juliet sad?
| A．Because the weather was bad. |
| B．Because she couldn’t find her mum. |
| C．Because her friends were not at the park. |
| D．Because there was too much trash at the park. |
| A．show off her painting skills |
| B．give her mum a big surprise |
| C．encourage people to keep the park clean |
| D．show people how beautiful the park was |
| A．was proud of Juliet |
| B．was angry with Juliet |
| C．thought Juliet was lazy |
| D．thought Juliet was difficult |
| A．They laughed at Juliet. |
| B．They had an awful and tiring day. |
| C．They bought some bags from Juliet. |
| D．They joined Juliet in picking up the trash. |
| A．A cleanup story. |
| B．Juliet and her mum. |
| C．A beautiful park. |
| D．How to protect the environment. |
7 . Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many， many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports, emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “Green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty –five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” says Bruce Anderson.
1. According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___.| A．the social movement | B．recycling techniques |
| C．environmental problems | D．the importance of Earth Day |
| A．The grass –roots level. | B．The business circle. |
| C．Government officials. | D．University professors. |
| A．They have cut car emissions to the lowest. |
| B．They have settled their environmental problems. |
| C．They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
| D．They have reduced pollution through effective measures. |
| A．Education. | B．Planning |
| C．Green living | D．CO reduction |
8 . Going green seems to be fad (时尚) for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can’t really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22,2011,we decided to be green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 different things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day a year, Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic (有机的) stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planets.
1. What might be the best title for the passage?| A．Going Green. | B．Protecting the Planet. |
| C．Keeping Open-Minded | D．Celebrating Our Green Year. |
| A．they were expected to follow the green fad |
| B．they didn’t know how to educate other people |
| C．they were unwilling to reduce their energy |
| D．they needed to perform unusual green tasks |
| A．They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. |
| B．They ignore others’ ungreen behavior. |
| C．They chose better chemical cleaners. |
| D．They sold their home-made food. |
| A．The government will give support to the green people. |
| B．The couple may continue their project in the future. |
| C．Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas. |
| D．Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. |
“Planting trees is one way, but it isn’t that simple. It doesn’t solve the basic issue of water resources,” says Wu Bo, a professor. “We need to calculate how much water the trees will absorb, or else it could have a negative effect.”
Villagers in Zhengxin have taken on this challenge, with limited success. When the irrigation channels began to run dry, Lu Xianglin switched from wheat to cotton on his land. He also planted trees to protect his fields from sandstorms. He says he still gets good yields（产量） using flood irrigation and earns a good income for his family.
Other farmers haven’t stuck it out（坚持到底）: about one in three have left Zhengxin in the past 10 years after their wheat crops died. Young people who can find jobs in the towns rarely return.
Last week, Mr Lu joined the other men in his village on a government-arranged trip to see the land that has been set aside for their relocation, nearly 40 miles to the south. The next day, he was back, shaking his head at the plan. The idea of uprooting his family troubles him, as does the idea of giving up the land that fed his forefathers. He prefers to stay and keep up the fight.
“With enough water, this problem can be solved,” Lu says. “We can plant trees and grass, and they will grow bigger. That will stop the desert.”
Experts say that farmers could switch to drip irrigation （滴灌）to lessen their water intake for growing crops. Elsewhere in the region, farmers have built brick greenhouses as part of a plan to grow vegetables using less water. Roadside signs urge farmers to “Save Water, Protect the Environment”.
1. The negative effect of planting trees in deserts is that __________.
| A．it can make groundwater become less |
| B．it can prevent the sand moving freely |
| C．it can stop crops growing well |
| D．it can get the soil to become poor |
| A．Because the plan of relocation will cost him much money. |
| B．Because his family had trouble moving away. |
| C．Because he was reluctant to give up his land. |
| D．Because he would rather stay than fight against the deserts. |
| A．The deserts drive more and more people to leave their homes for their lives. |
| B．People have no means to fight against the land becoming desert. |
| C．Water is the biggest barrier for people to stop the desert. |
| D．Planting trees cannot solve the problem of desertification of farmland. |
| A．To plant more trees. |
| B．To build greenhouses. |
| C．To change crops. |
| D．To use drip irrigation. |
Some of the threats are natural, such as wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, floods and so on. But the biggest threats to the food chain come from you and me. These threats include overhunting, overfishing, logging, farming, development, pollution, etc. The food chain is endangered anywhere humans have had an effect on the natural environment.
A recent study shows that the overfishing of large sharks is damaging the food chain along the US Atlantic coast. Canadian and American scientists say sharks are being killed in great numbers for their meat and fins(鳍). Now, not enough sharks are around to eat the cownose(牛鼻) ray. The ray’s population has increased and they have eaten up the shellfish to the point where it has hurt commercial(商业的) fishing.
Many of us disturb the natural environment in our own backyards. It’s up to us to take care of the environment and try not to disrupt the natural food chain. If we don’t act responsibly, animals will start disappearing.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
| A．The food chain is not easy to be broken. |
| B．The energy of an animal usually disappears when it dies. |
| C．Increasing the links will not break the balance of nature. |
| D．Breaking the food chain is bad for the biodiversity of the environment. |
| A．human activities can be a big threat to the food chain |
| B．we are all responsible for the breaking of the food chain |
| C．natural disasters are hard to break the food chain |
| D．hunting large sharks for meat is beneficial |
| A．explain what the food chain is |
| B．tell us something interesting about Nature |
| C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals |
| D．suggest that we not disrupt the natural food chain |
