1 . According to reports, three-quarters of all crops around the world depend on pollinating (授粉的) insects like bees and butterflies. By pollinating, pollinators enable the production of seeds. Without them, crop farming can become extremely difficult or costly threatening food supplies and prices globally.
Research has shown a rapid and consistent decline in pollinator populations. Average butterfly populations have almost halved since 1991 and bee populations in particular face a sharp decline. Given the world’s growing dependence on these insects, we can only expect the problem to worsen if no action is taken.
Much has been written about how intensive farming practices the use of chemical pesticides (杀虫剂), and pollution are threatening the survival of these helpful insects. To add to the already critical situation, global warming is contributing significantly to the rapid disappearance of pollinators.
Climate change is a major threat to pollinators, with rising temperatures and increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events affecting the food sources and habitats, on which pollinators depend for their survival.
Climate change also changes the timing and availability of lowering plants, leading to mismatches between pollinators and their food sources. A study has found that climate change has shifted plants’ blooming to earlier times and caused certain plants to move to higher areas, resulting in a decline in pollination.
Another study has found that climate change could lead to a decline in the quality of nectar, which is the main food source for many pollinators. As temperatures rise, the sugar content of nectar decreases, making it less nutritious for pollinators. This leads to a decline in the health and reproductive success of pollinators, as well as a decline in the pollination of plants.
Needless to say, cutting global emissions (排放量) is key. It’s essential that we continue to advocate for emission reductions. From country-level to individual businesses, more concrete roadmaps to net zero are a must.
We must at least minimize, if not prevent, the usage of pesticides, since these chemicals are harmful to pollinators and can have a far-reaching effect on pollination as a whole.
1. What does paragraph 1 try to show?A.The influence of crop crises. | B.The importance of pollinators. |
C.The serious challenges faced by humans. | D.The increasing difficulty of crop production. |
A.Curious. | B.Suspicious. | C.Humorous. | D.Anxious. |
A.Why chemical pesticides are harmful to pollinators. | B.Causes of the decline in pollinator populations. |
C.The importance of pollinators to the ecosystem. | D.How climate change has affected pollinators. |
A.Climate change greatly affects pollination. |
B.Pollution seriously threatens pollinators survival. |
C.Global warming contributes to the loss of pollinators’ habitats. |
D.Improper farming practices cause some pollinators to disappear. |
A.Starting keeping bees. | B.Reducing pesticide use. |
C.Increasing the amount of nectar. | D.Building more habitats for pollinators. |
2 . Every spring, in regions at high altitudes around the world, one of Earth’s tiniest migrations takes place. The migrants are single-celled green algae (海藻); they are relatives to plants growing in the sea, but instead of living in the sea they live in snow. They spend the winter deep in the snow. In the spring, they wake and swim up through flowing streams of melted snow to the surface, dividing and photosynthesizing (进行光合作用) as they go. Then, at the top, they turn red. This creates what scientists call pink snow.
The color comes from astaxanthin (虾青素), a substance that gives some living things their reddish color. The algae produce astaxanthin as a form of sun protection; it absorbs UV light, thereby warming the organisms and thus melting the surrounding snow. “The melting helps them a lot,” said Roman Dial, a biologist at Alaska Pacific University. “The moment there is liquid water on the snow, the algae start growing.”
Pink snow is a perfectly natural phenomenon, but in an age of disappearing glaciers (冰川), it is also problematic. Last year, scientists discovered that the algae turned the snow surface dark, reducing the amount of sunlight reflected by some glaciers in Scandinavia—and increasing the amount of sunlight absorbed—by 30%. The result, as Dial and his colleagues demonstrated in this month’s issue of Nature Geoscience, is faster melting. As in other parts of the warming planet—particularly the Arctic, where scientists fear that melting permafrost (永冻土层) may lead to further climatic changes. Ice sheets are already being darkened by dust and ash, which makes the process of melting faster and provides nutrients for algae growth. As the organisms multiply, they melt even more snow, which allows them to increase in their population again. “It spreads more rapidly than people realize, once it gets established,” Dial said.
Snow algae need snow; when that’s gone, which seems to be the direction of things, the snow algae will go, too. Before the snow algae disappear, though, and while there’s still some glacier left, it’s entirely possible that the last snow we’ll see on Earth will be pink or even red, a wound on Earth.
1. What causes the color of pink snow?A.The migration that involves the algae and other plants. |
B.The flowing streams that the algae travel through. |
C.The algae that turn red at the snow’s surface. |
D.The sunlight that directly reflects on the algae. |
A.It absorbs UV light to cool down the algae. | B.It prevents the algae from photosynthesizing. |
C.It colors the algae for the purpose of decoration. | D.It helps protect the algae from the sun. |
A.It increases the reflection of sunlight. | B.It speeds up the melting of glaciers. |
C.It leads to a decrease in algae populations. | D.It reduces the amount of liquid water available. |
A.The rapid melting of glaciers may lead to an increase in permafrost. |
B.The darkening of ice sheets may slow down the process of melting. |
C.The warming climate may result in the extinction of algae in the region. |
D.Darkening ice sheets and multiplied algae may worsen climate change. |
A.Concerned. | B.Indifferent. | C.Neutral. | D.Optimistic. |
3 . The effects of “weird weather” were already being felt in the 1960s, but scientists linking fossil fuels with climate change were dismissed as prophets of doom (末日预言家).
In August 1974, the ClA produced a study on “climatological research as it is related to intelligence (情报) problems”. The diagnosis was dramatic. It warned of the emergence of a new era of weird weather, leading to political unrest and mass migration (which, in turn, would cause more unrest).
The new era the agency imagined wasn’t necessarily one of hotter temperatures; the CIA had heard from scientists warning of global cooling as well as warming. But the direction in which the temperature was changing wasn’t their immediate concern; it was the political impact. They knew that the so-called “little ice age”, a series of cold snaps between, roughly, 1350 and 1850, had brought not only drought and famine, but also war.
“The climate change began in 1960,” the report’s first page informs us, “but no one, including the climatologists, recognised it.” Crop failures in the Soviet Union and India in the early 1960s had been attributed to standard unlucky weather. The US shipped grain to India and the Soviets killed off livestock to eat . But, the report argued, the world ignored this warning, as the global population continued to grow and states made massive investments in energy, technology and medicine.
Meanwhile, the weird weather rolled on, shifting to a collection of west African countries just below the Sahara. People in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad “became the first victims of the climate change”, the report argued, but their suffering was masked by other struggles or the richer parts of the world simply weren’t paying attention.
As the effects of climate change started to spread to other parts of the world, the early 1970s saw report s of droughts, crop failures and floods from Myanmar, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Costa Rica, Honduras, Japan, Manila, Ecuador, USSR, China, India and the US.
1. The climatological research by CIA showed that ______.A.global cooling had more evidence than warming |
B.political impact was more unpredictable than climate |
C.climate change could cause conflicts between countries |
D.historical ice age had an impact on future weather |
A.Because climatologists lacked equipment for observation. |
B.Because crop failures attracted the world’s attention. |
C.Because climate change was a national secret e of Soviet Union. |
D.Because the world was busy developing economy and technology. |
A.The US provided them with grain to reduce hunger. |
B.The rich countries failed to notice their struggle. |
C.The world praised their courage in the face of weird weather. |
D.The African people migrated to the area near Sahara. |
A.unclear and confusing | B.widespread and neglected |
C.rare and disastrous | D.frequent and insignificant |
A.To inform people of the ignored signs of climate changes. |
B.To call on people to protect the environment. |
C.To explain why climate changes have effects on politics. |
D.To tell people how to prevent weird weather. |
In 2019, the state of California was on fire. Alexandria Villaseor, who was 13 at the time, witnessed the destruction of Northern California’s Camp Fire, which would go on to burn more than 150,000 acres of land. Villaseor was scared. “That’s when I found out how important climate education was,” she reflected. “And just how much we lacked climate education these past couple of years.”
Villaseor, at the age of 15, was determined to have a bigger conversation. She quickly realized the fight requires international, government-level changes. For her, what started as local concern turned into a year-long protest in front of the United Nations’ New York City headquarters and a global campaign for more compulsory climate education. She sat on a bench in front of the headquarters, begging for the world’s leaders to take climate change seriously.
Her action received national attention, with millions of other students around the world joining in the movement. “It’s completely unacceptable not to learn anything about our planet and our environment in school, after all the young people would inherit the Earth.” Villaseor said, “That’s why I think that climate education is so important, and that’s why I focus a lot on it now.”
Right now, Villaseor is working with the American Administration on its climate plan, which has promised to center on the needs of young people and communities most impacted by climate change. She even spoke at the 2021 Democratic National Convention. “This was definitely a huge moment when I realized that people were listening to the voices of me and youth climate activists.” Villaseor said.
When she isn’t connecting with her fellow youth activists, Villaseor is like most other teens. “My favorite thing to do, of course, is sleep,” she said, “I like to read a lot. I like fantasy books, normally. I also like to write.”
1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly tell us? (no more than 10 words)2. How did Villaseor make the world’s leaders attach importance to climate education? (no more than 15 words)
3. How do you understand the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3? (no more than 15 words)
4. When was the huge moment to Villaseor? (no more than10 words)
5. What do you think of Villaseor? Please explain in your own words? (no more than 20 words)
5 . The rapid pace of global warming and its effects on habitats raise the question of whether species are able to keep up so that they remain in suitable living conditions. Some animals can move fast to adjust to a quickly changing climate. Plants, being less mobile, rely on means such as seed dispersal (传播) by animals, wind or water to move to new areas, but this redistribution typically occurs within one kilometer of the original plant. Writing in Nature, Juan P. González-Varo sheds light on the potential capacity of migratory (迁徙的) birds to aid seed dispersal.
González-Varo and colleagues report how plants might be able to keep pace with rapid climate change through the help of migrating birds. They analyzed an impressive data set of 949 different seed-dispersal interactions between bird and plant communities, together with data on entire fruiting times and migratory patterns of birds across Europe.
The authors hypothesized (假定) that the direction of seed migration depends on how the plants interact with migratory birds, the frequency of these interactions or the number of bird species that might transport seeds from each plant species.
Perhaps the most striking feature of these inferred seed movements is the observation that 35 percent of plant species across European communities, which are closely related on the phylogenetic tree (进化树谱), might benefit from long-distance dispersal by the northward journey of migratory birds. This particular subset (小组) of plants tends to fruit over a long period of time, or has fruits that persist over the winter. This means that the ability of plants to keep up with climate change could be shaped by their evolutionary history – implying that future plant communities in the Northern Hemisphere (半球) will probably come from plant species that are phylogenetically closely related and that have migrated from the south.
This study provides a great example of how migratory birds might assist plant redistribution to new locations that would normally be difficult for them to reach on their own, and which might offer a suitable climate.
1. The rapid pace of global warming and its effect are mentioned in Paragraph 1 ________.A.to call public attention to seed dispersal |
B.to show the threat of climate change to human beings |
C.to provide the background of González -Varo’s research |
D.to explain why some animals can adapt to climate change |
A.With the help of wind and water. |
B.With the help of migratory birds. |
C.By adjusting themselves to the climate. |
D.By relying on animals on land. |
A.By analyzing related data. |
B.By conducting field research. |
C.By interviewing experts. |
D.By reviewing findings of previous studies. |
A.Most plant species benefit from long-distance dispersal. |
B.The evolutionary history of different plants is similar. |
C.Plants with longer fruiting times adapt better when transported farther. |
D.Plant communities in different hemispheres will become less related phylogenetically. |
A.Impacts of Climate Change on Migratory Birds. |
B.Different Ways to Redistribute Plants to New Climates. |
C.Plants Struggle to Keep Pace with Climate Change. |
D.Migratory Birds Aid the Redistribution of Plants to New Climates. |
A.Rainy. | B.Sunny. | C.Windy. |
A.Go back home at once. |
B.Go to Mary’s home. |
C.Go and buy an umbrella. |
8 . Several years ago, Jason Box, a scientist from Ohio, flew 31 giant rolls of white plastic to a glacier (冰川) in Greenland. He and his team spread them across 10,000 feet of ice, then left. His idea was that the white blanket would reflect back the rays of the sun, keeping the ice cool below. When he came back to check the results, he found it worked. Exposed ice had melted faster than covered ice. He had not only saved two feet of glacier in a short time. No coal plants were shut down, no jobs were lost, and nobody was taxed or fired. Just the sort of fix we’re looking for.
“Thank you, but no thank you.” says Ralph King, a climate scientist. He told Grey Childs. author and commentator, that people think technology can save the planet, “but there are other things we need to deal with, like consumption. They burned $50,000 just for the helicopter” to bring the plastic to the glacier. This experiment, quote-unquote, gives people false hope that climate change can be fixed without changing human behavior. It can’t. Technology won’t give us a free ride.
Individuals respond to climate change differently. Climatologist Kelly Smith is hardly alone in her prediction that someday soon we won’t be climate victims, we will be climate Choosers. More scientists agree with her that if the human race survives. The engineers will get smarter, the tools will get better, and one day we will control the climate. but that then? “Just the mention of us controlling the climate sent a small shiver down my back, Grey writes.” “Something sounded wrong about stopping ice by our own will,” he says.
Me? I like it better when the earth takes care of itself, I guess one day we will have to run the place, but for the moment, sitting at my desk, looking out at the trees bending wildly and the wind howling, I’m happy not to be in charge.
1. Why does the author mention Jason Box’s experiment in the first paragraph?A.To introduce a possible solution to climate change. |
B.To describe a misleading attempt to fix the climate. |
C.To report on a successful experiment on saving the glacier. |
D.To arouse people’s attention to the problem of global warming. |
A.The fight against climate change will not succeed. |
B.Technology is not the final solution, let alone its high cost. |
C.It’s best to deal with climate change without changing our behavior. |
D.Jason’s experiment plays a significant role in fixing climate change. |
A.Favorable | B.Tolerant | C.Doubtful. | D.Unclear. |
A.But should we fix the climate? |
B.Is climate change a real problem? |
C.How can we take care of the earth? |
D.What if all the glaciers disappeared? |
9 . Antarctica is known for being a vast land of ice and snow, a place too cold for most life. Despite this, the continent is slowly starting to turn warm. According to the Guardian, the Antarctic has registered a new high temperature for the first time on record, prompting fears of climate instability in the world's iciest place.
On Feb 9, Brazilian researchers at Seymour Island reported a temperature of 20.75℃ on the icy continent of Antarctica. It was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 19.8℃, taken on Signy Island (西格尼岛) in January 1982.
This record-breaking reading was taken at a monitoring station in the northern part of Antarctica. According to Brazilian soil scientist Carlos Schaefer, the temperature was documented during a 20-year-long research project. The focus of this project is to study the effect that climate change has on the permafrost(永久冻土)within the region. Permafrost is soil that stays frozen for at least two years. Although this is a first record high for Antarctica, Schaefer stressed that "We can't use this to anticipate climatic changes in the future. It's simply a signal that something different is happening in that area."
But in fact, the last high temperature reading was in the 19℃ range. These higher temperatures can cause ice and glaciers in Antarctic regions to melt. The Antarctic peninsula(半岛)---the long finger of land that stretches towards Argentina---is most dramatically affected. Scientists saw glaciers that have retreated by more than 100 meters in Discovery Bay where the snow melted in little more than a week, leaving dark exposed rock. This melted ice leads to a rise in sea levels that can threaten the safety of coastal areas. It's believed to be behind an alarming decline of more than 50 percent in chinstrap penguin(帽带企鹅) colonies, which are dependent on sea ice.
Like American writer Ernest Hemingway once said, "The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for." We should do everything we can to help save our planet. Otherwise, it may become too hot for us to fix.
1. What did Brazilian researchers report on Feb 9?A.Seymour Island is the warmest region in the Antarctic. |
B.Antarctica hit a record high temperature of 20.75℃. |
C.The average temperature of Antarctica ranges from 19.8℃ to 20.75℃. |
D.Antarctica's new record temperature is a full degree higher than the previous decade. |
A.To predict possible climatic change in the future. |
B.To monitor Antarctica's contributions to world climate change. |
C.To explain why the permafrost may cause glaciers to melt. |
D.To examine how the permafrost is influenced by climate change. |
A.moved backward. | B.increased in size. |
C.covered a certain area. | D.stretched in an opposite direction. |
A.the pollution of ocean water | B.the release of various viruses |
C.threats to penguin habitats | D.disappearances of coastal cities |
A.The Earth will be hotter and hotter. |
B.The high temperature can cause ice in Antarctica melt. |
C.People should spare no effort to protect the earth and the environment. |
D.A rise in sea levels can threaten the safety of coastal areas. |
Migrating or mobile animals move through several environments as they travel away from the cold of winter to warmer areas. Birds may fly from one part of the world to another, perhaps stopping at feeding grounds on the way. Whales and turtles (海龟) cover vast areas of ocean. The report says that changes in any one of the places which these animals use can cause serious harm. “Obviously these animals have developed their travelling patterns over thousands of years. But climate change is almost certain to be extreme over the next 25 to 50 years and it is extremely unlikely that these animals can change their habits fast enough,” said the report author Dr Robert Hepworth.
Hardest hit by rising temperatures are turtles. Scientists have found that at higher temperatures, turtles produce far more female eggs than male ones. In parts of Malaysia, turtle birthing sites are producing only females, the report says. It also provides evidence that some turtles are more likely to develop cancer as the waters get warmer.
With birds, the main problem is climate-related damage to important areas at either end of the travels or at resting places along the way. About one-fifth of migrating birds are now in danger because of climate-related changes including rising sea levels, land loss and more violent storms, the report concludes.
Other animals picked out as particularly in danger include: the North Atlantic Right Whale, whose main food (tiny shrimp) is disturbed by the change in ocean flows and the White-Nose Dolphin, which is out-competed by other kinds of dolphins in warmer waters.
The report is not all bad news. Even with major climatic changes, protecting the environment can still help mobile animals to recover. “We need governments to start taking action at the national and international lever. The clock is running.” said Dr Hepworth. And some animals are already adapting, with the report mentioning whales that are changing their feeding behaviour, finding new feeding grounds and new foods to eat.
1. What is the main topic of the text?
A.The effect of climate change on migrating animals. |
B.How animals are adapting to changes in temperature. |
C.The actions required to save migrating animals. |
D.The need for government policies to prevent global warming. |
A.it may be too late to save some animals |
B.it is time to start protecting the animals |
C.there is not much time to solve the problem |
D.it takes time to complete the actions |
A.They will only produce female babies. |
B.Their food supply will gradually disappear. |
C.Some will suffer from higher rates of cancer. |
D.They will be in greater danger because of more violent storms. |
A.More storms will affect the ability of whales to find their feeding grounds. |
B.20 percent of all birds are likely to die out because of land loss. |
C.Migrating animals are likely to start adapting to the changes more quickly. |
D.Warmer oceans will increase the competition between different kinds of dolphins. |
A.They are the only animals besides humans that suffer from cancer. |
B.They have traditionally lived longer than other ocean-based animals. |
C.Those born nearer a hotter area are more likely to be female. |
D.Most kinds of turtles are likely to die out within 50 years. |