1 . For many years, the Caribbean island of Redonda was a bare (光秃秃的) rock with very little wildlife on it. Thanks to local environmental groups, it has now returned to its former state and was recently named a protected area by the government.
Redonda was once a peaceful place for wildlife. In the 17th century, people set foot on the island for the first time and found that guano (海鸟粪) produced by seabirds was useful to help farm crops grow. Humans began to mine the guano, and with the people came goats and black rats—invasive (入侵的) species.
Although humans eventually stopped collecting guano and left the island, the goats and rats stayed behind. They ate many of the island’s plants and preyed on other species, eventually leaving Redonda a plantless landscape. Without plants, birds began to fly away from there and some of the soil broke into pieces and then into the sea.
In 2016, conservationists started a project to help the island and its wildlife recover. They began by removing the invasive species. Within months, the island’s plants began to grow back on their own. As the environment gradually became healthier, species that were native to the island began to appear again.
The new protected area, the Redonda Ecosystem Reserve, includes the island itself plus the sea around it, including seagrass field and a coral reef. Conservation groups will ensure that the island is protected from other invasive species, and strict rules about fishing in the area will be put in place.
1. What can we learn about the island Redonda now?A.It is full of strange rocks. | B.It isn’t peaceful again. |
C.It is a protected place. | D.It has little wildlife. |
A.Helped. | B.Hunted. | C.Protected. | D.Removed. |
A.Living in harmony with seabirds. | B.Rules to protect the environment. |
C.The reasons for protecting plants. | D.One island’s unusual comeback. |
2 . Around the World
Here is big news from Around the World.
Science Fiction Museum opens
Chengdu, China
The Chengdu Science Fiction Museum has opened its doors to the public. China’s newest museum—a star-shaped building on a lake was built in 12 months. Technology sped up the design and construction of the 635,070-square-foot museum, which has galleries, educational spaces, and cafés.
Day of the Dead is celebrated
Mexico
Thousands of people lined the streets of Mexico City to watch its annual Day of the Dead parade. The holiday was observed from October 31 to November 2 to remember and celebrate loved ones who have died. During this time, the dead are believed to return to the world. Families welcome them back with offerings, such as their favorite food.
Modern art at ancient pyramids
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
A modern art exhibit at the Pyramids of Giza, titled Forever Is Now, has returned for a third year. This year’s show is the biggest yet and features works by 14 artists. The free event aims to celebrate ancient Egyptian culture with modern skills. Artists were careful not to harm the 4,500-year-old World Heritage Site.
Schools close due to heavy air pollution
Delhi, India
Elementary schools in Delhi are closed for at least one week because of the city’s poor air quality. The amount of harmful materials in the air has reached nearly 100 times the acceptable limit. Delhi is often very polluted in November because that is when many farmers burn their remaining crops. To reduce the smog, officials in the city have banned polluting vehicles, construction work, and the use of fireworks.
1. Where can you visit a museum on the lake?A.In Chengdu, China. | B.In Mexico City. |
C.At the Pyramids of Giza. | D.In Delhi, India. |
A.To build the newest museum. | B.To hold a modern art exhibit. |
C.To celebrate the Day of the Dead. | D.To avoid the harm caused by air pollution. |
3 . Putting more green space around a school may help students develop some mental abilities, a study suggests. Researchers tested students repeatedly over the course of a year on attentiveness (专注力)and working memory, which is the ability to keep something in mind temporarily for performing a task. On the whole, students whose schools were surrounded by more green space improved more than pupils from schools with less green space.
The study tracked more than 2,000 students in 36 primary schools in Barcelona, Spain. The pupils were in the second to fourth grades when the study began. Green space may help mental development by reducing air pollution from vehicles, according to an article by the researchers that included pollution data from the schools. It may also help by reducing noise and encouraging physical activity, researchers said.
Policy makers should know that “more green around the school is better for cognitive development and that they should make sure that kids can see and play in green areas,” one author Mark Nieuwenhuijsen said. “Existing urban schools should think about replacing concrete or other hard surfaces with green space,” he suggested, “and even a few trees may help.”
The researchers used satellite images to group schools according to how much green space appeared on the school grounds and within about 55 yards of the school property. Their analysis showed that differences in socio-economic factors between schools did not account for the study outcome.
Sally Augustin, a psychologist, said the results made sense to her. She said the results fit with previous findings that views of nature help children and adults lower stress and perform mental tasks better.
1. What does the text mainly tell us?A.Green space makes schools more beautiful. |
B.Schools are lack of green space for students. |
C.Students’ mental abilities need to be improved. |
D.Green space is good for students’ mental abilities. |
A.Moved. | B.Helped. | C.Followed. | D.Found. |
A.More trees should be planted for kids. |
B.Noise should be cleared near the school. |
C.Kids should be encouraged to play more sports. |
D.Air pollution should be reduced from vehicles. |
A.To show a different opinion. |
B.To introduce another interesting study. |
C.To present Augustin’s view about the study. |
D.To make the findings of the study more convincing. |
A.Health. | B.Education. | C.Nature. | D.Technology. |
4 . The 16-year-old Australian Shalise Leesfield couldn’t think of a better creature to meet than a gray nurse shark when diving off the coast. “I know how scary they can look, but I promise they are the sweetest animals ever,” she says. But they are under threat.
Leesfield is working with Cate Faehrmann, member of parliament (议会) and marine spokesperson for the Australian Greens party in New South Wales, to legalize protection of the sharks. Faehrmann says that she’s proud to have worked with Leesfield. “Shalise is part of a new generation of campaigners speaking up for the environment and our future is a lot brighter as a result of their passion and determination to save our planet and our precious wildlife.”
For someone who hasn’t yet left high school, this sounds like an impressive achievement, but Leesfield’s track record in conservation goes beyond protecting gray nurse sharks. Aged 11, after noticing the damage plastic pollution can do to the marine environment, she started a campaign that called for fishing line collection bins to be set in her local area to reduce ocean pollution. It resulted in a government environmental grant worth more than $48,000.Since then, she has founded “Shalise’s Ocean Support” which aims to inspire people to take care of the environment, and started a “Plastic Free Schools” website which advises teachers and students on reducing school waste.
Leesfield’s devotion to the cause comes from a deep love of the ocean that grew from her experiences of diving. “Falling in love with the sea made my passion grow and made me stand up for what I really love,” she says.
She believes that the younger generation needs to get out of the mindset that saving the environment is something that should be “left up to the adults”. “We are the ones that will take over the Earth and the ocean,” she says.
1. What does Shalise Leesfield think of gray nurse sharks?A.They are wonderful creatures. | B.Their behaviors are human-like. |
C.Their looks are attractive. | D.They are threatening. |
A.By cooperating with her teachers. |
B.By helping make related laws. |
C.By calling on adults to participate. |
D.By starting a campaign to raise money. |
A.Leesfiled has become a candidate of parliament. |
B.Leesfield has done much to protect the environment. |
C.Leesfield successfully attracted the government’s attention to pollution. |
D.Leesfiled persuaded teachers and students to reduce school waste. |
A.A new field for teenagers to explore |
B.A chance to contact sharks through diving |
C.A new website—Plastic Free Schools in Australia |
D.An Australian teenager on a mission to protect sharks |
5 . A new app promises to help Barcelona residents find the shadiest route between two places to avoid extreme heat.
Users can choose the most direct route, a shady route that may take a little longer, or they can set the app to a special mode, which avoids direct sunlight at all costs. Users can also use the app to find drinking fountains, or places to shelter from the sun.
The app uses a tool called Lidar to create high-resolution models of ground, accurate to within 10 cm. This information is combined with data on the sun’s path to work out where is in shade at any given time of the day.
Barcelona is looking to use green spaces and trees as part of its efforts to relieve the effects of global heating. The city’s 20-year tree planting plan aims to increase the proportion of land covered by trees from 25% to 30%.
Heatwaves kill more people than any other climate risk. According to C40,a climate leadership group made up of 97 cities around the world, extreme heat events in cities can lead to a 14% increase in death rates, as well as lower workforce productivity and damage infrastructure (基础设施) such as roads and rail lines.
Jon Burke, who was responsible for a massive expansion of tree planting in the district, said. “I think we should view this particular kind of app as a temporary measure to reduce the impacts of extreme heat... while cities rapidly invest in urban canopy (树冠层) cover and broader green infrastructure.”
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?A.The designer of the app. | B.The function of the app. |
C.The potential users of the app. | D.The working principle of the app. |
A.Predict. | B.Feel. | C.Consider. | D.Reduce. |
A.The app is as a ever-lasting measure to reduce the effect of extreme heat. |
B.Jon Burke was responsible for a large scale of tree planting. |
C.The app stresses the importance of road construction. |
D.The app warns people of more upcoming disasters. |
A.The district needs to be expanded. |
B.Jon Burke has a great sense of duty. |
C.Investment in tree planting is a wise choice. |
D.The app is powerful enough to cope with heatwaves. |
6 . When Purdue University researchers set out to develop a new paint, the goal was to create one that would reflect sunlight away from a building. It turns out they also set an official Guinness world record for the whitest paint on the planet.
“When we started this project about seven years ago, we had saving energy and fighting climate change in mind,” Professor Xiulin Ruan said.
The paint reflects 98.1% of solar radiation while also emitting infrared (红外线的) heat.
Because the paint absorbs less heat from the sun than it emits, a surface coated with this paint is cooled below the surrounding temperature without consuming power. Typical commercial white paint gets warmer rather than cooler, Paints on the market that are designed to reject heat reflect only 80%-90% of sunlight and can’t make surfaces cooler than their surroundings.
“Conventional air conditioners consume power that is often from burning fossil fuel. Meanwhile, while they move the heat from inside of a house to the outside, they turn the electricity into heat and leave even more heat to the surrounding and earth, further causing a heat island effect and warming up the Earth,” Professor Ruan told IFLScience.
“In contrast, our paint does not consume any power, and directly sends off all the heat to the deep space, thus helping cooling down the Earth. According to a previous model, painting 0.5-1% of the Earth’s surface (roofs, roads, cars, unused land, etc) with our paint will stop the warming trend. Painting many human made-structures would be a great way to fight the climate crisis in many ways. The paint is not yet available commercially and the scientists are working with a commercial company to speed up the paint production and put it on the market.
1. What’s the purpose of creating the whitest paint?A.To make the street cleaner. |
B.To help fight climate change |
C.To remind people of climate warming. |
A.It sets an official standard for the whitest paint on the earth. |
B.It turns the light into heat and makes the houses much cooler |
C.It makes whatever it’s painted on much cooler than its surroundings. |
A.About 80%. | B.About 90%. | C.About 98.1%. |
A.The World’s Whitest Paint |
B.Paint the Earth White |
C.A Wonderful Invention |
7 . Be a Green Guest
When people take a vacation, they often take vacation from responsibility, too. Our behavior at hotels is one of the biggest problems. We have our linens(纺织品) washed daily for us, and are provided with an endless stream of hot water — what’s not to love about that? But all of this luxury equals serious consequences for the environment. More and more hotels are becoming eco-friendly. They offer programs and facilities that save water and energy. That’s a good start,
•Just say “no” to hotel shampoos
In America alone, there are about 50,000 hotels. Hotel management normally leaves out two small bottles for each hotel room every day.
•Turn off the lights.
•
Sure, it’s a luxury to have sheets and towels cleaned every day, but that’s all it is. Washing a set of bed sheets and a pair of bathroom towels requires about 12-16 gallons of water. See if there is a policy for requesting that your towels and linens get washed weekly.
A.You do it when you’re at home, right? |
B.Don’t shower too many times in hotels. |
C.Don’t have your linens washed every day. |
D.but they can do more to reduce these energy waste. |
E.The little plastic bottles may not even get recycled. |
F.but there is a lot more you can do to cut down the amount. |
G.In some hotels, it’s as simple as hanging towels back up on a hook. |
8 . Wild beavers (河狸) are back! Experts say that the wild beaver families are doing well. The beavers are even boosting wildlife and the environment!
Over ten years ago, a family of beavers turned up in a part of the river Otter, in Devon. No one knew exactly where they came from. It was a big surprise wild beavers hadn’t lived in England for around 400 years!
In 2015, the government allowed the beavers to stay there as part of a test. They wanted to see if these animals could be reintroduced to the wild. The test ends in February. Some scientists from the University of Exeter already say the beavers help the wildlife in the area. One scientist called it “an amazing story”.
A lot of this is because of dams (水坝). Beavers build dams along the river. This creates deep pools in the riverbed and slows the water down. Scientists say this is perfect for many different types of plants and animals! Many plants are growing near the beavers. Different types of animals are also becoming more and more in the river. Beavers also help make flooding less, scientists say. The beavers’ dams slow down the speed of the river, especially after heavy rain.
Beavers aren’t the only animals that are being reintroduced to the wild! In 2019, red squirrels were brought back to an area of the Scottish Highlands. Further away, the world's rarest (罕见的) duck, the Madagascar pochard, is making a comeback. It was set free into the wild on the African island in 2019 and is doing well.
Who knows what other animals might be making a comeback?
1. The underlined word “boosting”in Paragraph 1 probably means “______”A.building | B.spreading | C.helping | D.creating |
A.To reintroduce animals to the wild. |
B.To introduce the beavers to the wild. |
C.To build dams for the beavers in the river. |
D.To grow more different plants along the river. |
A.They help plants grow. | B.They eat up the plants. |
C.They do harm to animals. | D.They bring heavy floods. |
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
A.Worried. | B.Disappointed. | C.Tired. | D.Pleased. |
9 . An earthquake is one of the most common natural disasters. It may cause great damage. So it is wise to learn some simple safety tips to protect yourself or your family members.
Fragile items like those made of glass are easily broken and should usually be placed on a lower surface, near the ground instead of placing them in the cupboards higher up. Never place them near your bed, sofas and other furniture where you would be sitting or lying down. So when there is a strong movement, these pieces will fall on the floor directly, not on you.
There is a strong chance of short circuits and fire during an earthquake. Make sure you turn off electrical connections and gas immediately when an earthquake happens.
During an earthquake, lie beneath an object that is not easily damaged. Do not go near objects that could directly fall on you. Never use the elevator to go down. Stay inside until the shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries happen when people inside buildings try to go out. Use the staircases (楼梯) at all times.
If you are outdoors, do not take shelter under a tree, streetlights, electric poles or tall buildings. If you are driving, stop your car and stay in a safe place. Do not park your car under a tree or any tall object.
If trapped in ruins, cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or the wall so rescuers can find you. Use a whistle (哨子) if one is available. Never shout for help. Shouting can cause you to breathe in dangerous amounts of dust. Do not light a match because you may burn yourself.
1. The purpose of the passage is to tell readers .A.the damage caused by earthquakes |
B.the rescue work after earthquakes |
C.how to prevent earthquakes |
D.what to do about earthquakes |
A.easily found | B.easily broken | C.expensive | D.heavy |
A.in the cupboards |
B.on a lower surface |
C.in the bedroom |
D.in a place where children can’t reach them |
A.go out of the building at once |
B.shout for help |
C.take shelter under a tree |
D.turn off electricity and gas immediately |
10 . All living things on Earth need water to live. Yet humans are facing serious water problems. According to the United Nations, today over 663 million people live without a safe water supply close to home.
To remind people of the importance of water, the UN first set up World Water Day in 1993. It is on Mar 22 each year. From Mar 22 to 28 is also the China Water Week. The first year’s theme is “Waste water”. It tried to call people to reuse waste water instead of wasting it.
In Australia people make good use of waste water. Most Australians have a grass lawn around their home instead of washing the car in the street. Many of them wash it on the lawn to keep the grass longer so that it covers the ground and reduce evaporation.
Rainwater may seem useless to you. But you can also reuse it. People in Germany collect rainwater to wash their toilets. Most houses in the country that are built in the last few years have rainwater collection devices (设备). Rainwater is collected from the root, and then linked to the toilet. But if you don’t have the device just put a bucket (桶) under your roof when it rains.
Water makes up 71 percent of Earth’s surface. But we can only use a very small part of it. Only about 3 percent of the world’s water is fresh water. It’s in lakes, rivers and underground.
Over 80 percent of the waste water in the world goes back into the nature. It has not been cleaned and pollutes the rivers and lakes. Unsafe water makes around 842,000 people die each year.
By 2030, about half of the world’s population could be facing water problem. By 2050, as many as seven billion people across the world could not have enough water supplies. The world’s population might be 9.3 billion by then.
1. The China Water Week in 2017 tries to___________.A.collect rainwater to wash their toilets |
B.remind people of the importance of water |
C.put a bucket under your roof when it rains. |
D.call people to reuse waste water instead of wasting it. |
A.sit down | B.cut down | C.put down | D.write down |
A.To share his rich knowledge about water. |
B.To warn more people to save water. |
C.To show how water problems change the world. |
D.To tell people how to discover safe water supply. |
A.Water in the world has become less and less. |
B.Unsafe water makes so many people die. |
C.Our planet will face serious water problems. |
D.Learning to save water to protect our planet. |