1 . The city of Venice, Italy, has finally made a long-awaited decision. Starting on August 1, 2021, cruise ships (游轮) will no longer be allowed to enter the city’s waters.
Contrary to popular opinion, these cruise ship visitors contribute relatively little to the local tourism economy. The New York Times reported cruise ship passengers add up to 73% of visitors, but contribute a mere 18% of tourism dollars. The percentage is inverted for people who spend at least one night at a hotel; they represent 14% of visitors, but 48% of the business.
Many people are overjoyed by the news, especially environmental activists. Firstly, the cruise ships would disturb the waterways and erode (侵蚀) the foundations of already weak buildings. A 2019 study published in Nature found the waves created by large ships could “redistribute industrial pollutants already present in the waters.” Others have said these same waves made huge holes in the underwater bottoms of buildings, making them unstable. Furthermore, when canals are deepened in order to allow larger boats, it destroys coastal habitats and makes floods worse. This is part of the reason why, in recent years, Venice has experienced terrible flooding that completely flooded St. Mark’s Square and other landmarks.
The announcement came as a surprise as many did not expect the regional government to act so quickly. In April a similar ban was issued, but it depended on finding an alternative port for the ships—a requirement that local people complained could take years to achieve. The announcement made last week, however, did away with that condition, allowing the city to move forward quickly with the ban.
1. What does the underlined word “inverted” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Increased slightly. | B．Looked down upon. | C．Adjusted accordingly. | D．Turned upside down. |
| A．Reasons for Venice’s terrible floods. | B．Dangers cruise ships brought about. |
| C．Reaction to the long-awaited decision. | D．Damage waves did to buildings. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Hopeful. | C．Doubtful. | D．Objective. |
| A．Venice Says “No” to Cruise Ships. | B．The Long-awaited Decision to be Made. |
| C．Cruise Ships Erodes Ancient Venice. | D．Venice Tries to Protect Its Waterway. |
(1)乱停放自行车造成的不良影响；
(2)发出倡议。
注意：
(1)写作词数应为80左右；
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
参考词汇：random随意的
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3 . When most of us think of sand, we immediately think of sunny beaches and summer holidays. But actually it’s in pretty much everything that surrounds us in our everyday lives, from the walls of our homes to the glass bottles in out kitchens and even the mobile phones in our hands. Sand is the second most used resource in the world after water: it accounts for more than two-thirds of everything that’s being dug out of the ground. But there isn’t a limitless supply. In fact, a UN report says we might be running out.
According to the report, we use an estimated 15 billion tons of sand every year in the construction industry alone. That’s enough to build a 20m×20m wall around the equator (赤道) every year. However, sand can take tens of thousands of years to form (形成): the process starts with rock being eroded (侵蚀) in the mountains and ends, eventually, with sand being in river beds, on beaches and on the seafloor.
Sand is heavy and difficult to transport, so in developing countries, sand is often mined from the nearest convenient source, and quite often that means a river bed or beach. But beaches and rivers are delicately balanced ecosystems and when a large amount of sand is removed, the balance is upset. The smallest fish, which eat organic matter on the sand in river beds, form the base of the food chain in a river. If this sand is removed, so is the source of food for the bottom feeders. All organisms in a food chain share the joys and the sorrows. Thus, when they disappear, so does the food for the larger fish which would have been caught and eaten, or sold by fishermen.
It is high time we took into consideration the big problem concerning the tiny thing. More and more conservationists are calling for new choices to replace sand, especially in the construction industry.
1. Why are the things in our daily life mentioned in the beginning?| A．To show the uses of sand. | B．To show our relationship with nature. |
| C．To introduce our lifestyles. | D．To stress the convenience of modern life. |
| A．Sand is actually our most used natural resource. |
| B．Sand is used more quickly than it’s formed. |
| C．The construction industry doesn’t use sand wisely. |
| D．The problem of wasting sand is worsening. |
| A．The river beds. | B．The fishermen. |
| C．The larger fish. | D．The smallest fish. |
| A．The World Is Running Out of Sand |
| B．Alternatives to Sand Will Be Found Soon |
| C．Sand Mining Is Unfriendly to Nature |
| D．Sand Is in Need of Immediate Preservation |
4 . Soot (煤灰) pollution is speeding up climate-driven melting in Antarctica, a new study suggests, raising questions about how to protect the delicate continent from the increasing number of humans who want to visit.
“It really makes us question, is our presence really needed?” says Alia Khan, one of the authors of the new study. “We have quite a large black carbon footprint in Antarctica, which is enhancing snow and ice melt.”
Black carbon is the leftover thing from burning plants or fossil fuels. Soot in Antarctica comes primarily from waste gases of cruise ships (游轮), vehicles, airplanes and electrical generators, although some pollution travels on the wind from other parts of the globe. The dark particles (微粒) coat white snow and absorb heat from the sun the way a black T-shirt does on a warm day. The blanket of dark bits speeds up melting that was already happening more quickly because of global warming. When snow and ice are uncovered, they reflect an enormous amount of sunlight before it can turn into heat.
“These are the mirrors on our planet,” says Sonia Nagorski, a scientist at the University of Alaska Southeast. “When those mirrors are covered in a film of dark bits, they are less reflective. That means more heat is trapped on Earth, speeding up melting and contributing to global warming.”
As a scientist who personally visits Antarctica every year, Khan says she is troubled by her own research results. On the one hand, she goes to Antarctica to collect crucial data about how quickly the snow and ice there are disappearing. “But then when we come to conclusions like this it really does make us think twice about how frequently we need to visit the continent,” she says, “and what kind of regulations should be placed on tourism as well.” That could mean requiring that cruise ships and vehicles be electric, for example, or limiting the number of visitors each year.
1. What are the feelings expressed in Khan’s words in paragraph 2?| A．Doubt and concern. |
| B．Confidence and courage. |
| C．Anger and disappointment. |
| D．Optimism and certainty. |
| A．Burnt plants. |
| B．Tourist vehicles. |
| C．Black carbon elsewhere. |
| D．Fossil fuels underneath Antarctica. |
| A．It causes Antarctic surface temperature to rise. |
| B．It is increasing in amount because of wind. |
| C．It reflects a large volume of sunlight. |
| D．It is like a big mirror on Earth. |
| A．Help design scientific research regulations. |
| B．Use electric cars for her daily transportation. |
| C．Collect more data about Antarctica. |
| D．Reduce her visits to Antarctica. |
Sustainable tourism, which is becoming increasingly popular nowadays, is not just about seeing the sights — it is also about connecting with people and their cultures,
It is important to travel in
In summary, being a sustainable tourist comes down to respect — for nature, culture and people.
6 . Changing to electric vehicles makes sense. Now it can make cents, too. France on Wednesday announced a program to get high gas consumption old cars off the road by offering a grant（补助金）to buy an electric bike.
A French driver can get $2,991 towards a new e-bike. The grant is high enough to buy a quality e-bike. To receive the grant, the driver has to ensure their old car to be taken off the road and scrapped(报废). Replacing the highly inefficient gas-powered vehicles will help France meet its the Paris Agreement goals to keep global warming below 2℃. In 2018, 200countries-including France-agreed to the Paris Rulebook that details the way countries can relieve climate change and this includes limiting greenhouse gas emission(排放). Other benefit to the programme is to get cars off crowded roads. After all, e-bikes take up far less room. And cleaner air due to fewer pollutants is also a big plus.
A similar program was introduced in Norway. The project for the old car was actually spearheaded by the country’s government. Drivers applied to receive a grant for up to $1,200 to buy a bicycle, e-bike, e-motorcycle, or even public transportation credits for turning in their old vehicles. More than 8,500 people applied for the grant. Finland also has a similar grant, which is used to help fund more than 1,000 low emission cars,2,000 e-bikes, and 200public transportation tickets. “For the first time it is recognized that the solution is not to make cars greener, but simply to reduce their number, ” Olivier Schneider of the French Federation of Bicycle Users said.
Since the French grant is more than twice the amount of the Finnish and Norwegian ones, it should be more successful. Getting a large number of high gas consumption off the road will go a long way in helping to reduce emissions, road crowdedness, and less pollution in the air.
1. Why does France give drivers a grant to buy electric bikes?| A．To help repair old cars. | B．To help electric bike sellers. |
| C．To make the economy better. | D．To protect the environment. |
| A．Electric bikes are popular with the French. |
| B．Preventing global warming is difficult to achieve. |
| C．The French programme is not more costly than Norway. |
| D．France has announced the conditions of getting the grant. |
| A．corrected | B．added | C．led | D．discussed |
| A．He is a news reporter. | B．He is a novel writer. |
| C．He is an e-bike buyer. | D．He is a French driver. |
7 . With greater climate catastrophe (气候突变) on Earth, it is natural for us to make every effort to stop the potential floods, snowstorms, and alarming reports from scientists. For many of us (myself included), part of that means running out to buy reusable straws, organic cleaners, and packaging-free products.
However, before you are delighted at “green” purchases, take a second to consider the results of a new study from Arizona University. By comparing the shopping habits, mental health and environmental impact of young people, the researchers reconfirmed a principle: Buying less beats buying “green” stuff without effort. And that is true whether you are looking at the impact that your purchases have on the Earth or on your own happiness.
It should not come as a shock that simply consuming less is better for the planet. After all, every new item a factory yields requires some resources to produce. Take plastic bag bans for instance. If your city is getting rid of single-use shopping bags, it can be attractive to pay for a fashionable organic cotton bag hanging in the check-out line of your local supermarket. However, experts insist that growing cotton is actually no better for the Earth than producing the conventional plastic bags. Then what is your best bet for carrying your groceries if you care about sustainability? Any bag you already own.
It is not just the Earth that will be happier if you buy less. You will feel more contented too, according to the new study. “People believe that they might well be self-satisfied about becoming environmentally conscious through ‘green’ buying patterns, but it doesn’t seem to be that way”, said the lead researcher Sabrina Helm. “Reduced consumption has effects on increased well-being, but we don’t see that with ‘green’ consumption.”
“Owning every new ‘green’ product on the market might make you feel contented, but if you relieve yourself of that burden of ownership, most people report feeling a lot better,” said Helm.
1. Why does the writer mention “green” shopping habits?| A．To call on a green lifestyle. | B．To praise people’s green efforts. |
| C．To introduce a social trend. | D．To present a half true “green” truth. |
| A．The plastic bag bans are of no effect. | B．Using any bag you have is the best bet. |
| C．Reduced consumption is better for the Earth. | D．Growing cotton is far worse for the Earth. |
| A．The sense of achievement. | B．The sense of happiness. |
| C．The sense of relief. | D．The sense of security. |
| A．Less is More | B．The Greener, The Happier |
| C．Happiness Guarantee | D．What Are Green Products? |
