1 . How to Garden When There Is Too Much Water
Unusual weather this summer has hurt many gardens in the United States.
Use a waterway to let water run away
Use pipes
Another way to do away with water—without changing the look of your garden—is to bury pipes with small holes underground. Dig a ditch, as described above, then lay in a black pipe that is about 10 cm across its width. The pipe is made to bend easily, and the holes in it let in water.
Raise the roots (根)
A third way to give your plants more air is to raise them above the water. Trees and bushes can be planted on raised piles of soil, often called “beds”.
| A．Try to get enough air into the soil. |
| B．For many, the problem is not enough rain. |
| C．One way is to let the water flow (流) to some lower place. |
| D．Cover the pipe with a cloth that water can pass through. |
| E．The beds need to be wide enough to allow roots to spread. |
| F．The whole system can look like a beautiful water-town sight. |
| G．Build a box at least 15 cm high of wood or stone. |
2 . A magic number is mentioned again and again during the climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, 1.5℃.
It is a big number now but it wasn’t a major part of negotiations just seven years ago. The figure was put in near the end of negotiations into the historic 2015 Paris agreement because some small island nations insisted that it was a matter of survival for them. It is mentioned only once in the agreement, in which the primary goal is to limit warming to 2℃ above pre industrial levels. 1.5℃ is just a political suggestion.
“The 2℃ was chosen because it is the warmest temperature that the planet has ever seen in the last million years. To reach the goal, scientists say the world needs to cut its current greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by about half as of 2030,” said climate scientist Corinne LeQuere, who helped write the Paris agreement, “And the number is not another 1.5℃ from now. Instead, it stands for the international goal of trying to limit future warming to 1.5℃ since pre-industrial times. It’s actually only 0.4℃from now because the world has warmed 1.1℃ since pre-industrial times.”
After the Paris agreement threw in the 1.5 figure, the United Nations tasked the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to study what difference there would be on Earth between 1.5℃ of warming and 2℃ of warming. The 2018 IPCC report found that compared to 2℃, stopping warming at 1.5℃ would mean: 1) Seas would rise nearly 0.1 meters less; 2) Half as many animals and plants would die out; 3) There would be far fewer heat waves, downpours and droughts; 4) Half as many people would suffer from diseases, heat and lack of water.
“And we have more scientific evidence than ever that it gets worse and worse as we exceed (超过) beyond 1.5.” said Corinne LeQuere.
“It’s technically possible to limit global warming to 1.5℃. but I think it is close to politically impossible in the real world.” said Columbia University climate scientist Adam Sobel.
“As hard as it is. negotiators can’t give up on 1.5,” said Elizabeth May, one of the climate activists who demand that the world leaders keep 1.5℃ alive. “If we don’t hang on to 1.5 while it is technically possible, we are almost criminals.”
1. What can be learned about the 1.5℃ target?| A．It was suggested by the United Nations before 2015. |
| B．It is one of the major goals in the Paris agreement. |
| C．It is just a political suggestion adopted by negotiators. |
| D．It can be achieved by cutting current emissions by half. |
| A．0.4℃. | B．0.9℃. | C．1.1℃. | D．1.6℃. |
| A．The consequences of the global warming. |
| B．The scientific evidence of the global warming. |
| C．The possible reduction of losses and damages. |
| D．The serious challenges for small island countries. |
| A．It is technically impossible. | B．World leaders should stop talking. |
| C．Scientists should do more. | D．We should aim to the stricter target. |
3 . Western Canada and the northwestern United States have been facing record-breaking high temperatures for days. The heat lasts for several days.
The town of Lytton in British Columbia reached 46.6°C, setting the record for Canada's highest temperature ever. Before that, the record was 45°℃. But a few days later, Lytton set a new record, reaching 47.9°C.
In the US, records were also being broken. Portland, Oregon reached 46.1°C and Seattle hit 42.2°C. Those were the highest temperatures in those cities since the 1940s when they began keeping temperature records in the area.
Weather experts say that the cause of the heat wave is a high pressure system that is caught in the area. Like a cover, it is holding the hot air in over the area. Though some cities offered cooling centers to help people beat the heat, it's not always enough.
Temperatures weren't dropping much at night. Since the affected areas are usually much cooler, many people don't have a machine that cools and dries air. The number of heat-related hospital visits and deaths in the affected areas has gone up quickly and suddenly.
The extreme temperatures are also affecting farmers. Some crops are getting ripe much earlier than expected，meaning farmers have to hurry to pick them before they go bad. Other crops are now likely to produce far less than expected because of the hot, dry weather. One Canadian farmer said that this year was “looking like the worst crop in history”.
1. How does the author show the weather conditions?| A．By making a comment. | B．By using experts' words. |
| C．By listing numbers. | D．By checking the earlier records. |
| A．The dry and hot air. | B．The growing farming. |
| C．The use of cooling machines. | D．The high pressure system. |
| A．The influence of heat wave. | B．The way to cool and dry air. |
| C．The reason for extreme temperatures. | D．The importance to keep cooling machines. |
4 . Technology is likely to play a big part in reaching its climate goals in the future.
Fusion is the process that fires the sun. But some experts say it could someday power our homes. Fusion happens when the nuclei (核) of two atoms are subjected to extreme heat. This leads to the formation of a new larger atom and large amounts of energy. One problem is the process itself requires a large amount of energy. Developers of the technology haven’t yet performed a fusion reaction that releases more energy than it requires. In addition, running an electric power plant of fusion would require the resulting heat to be contained in an economical way.
Advanced nuclear plants would be smaller than today’s massive nuclear reactors. Experts say they could be used in rural areas and could take over for wind and solar power when the sun goes down or the wind dies. But advanced nuclear reactors are difficult and costly to build. Critics say they would also create more waste. And they would run on uranium (铀), which could make some advanced reactors more appealing to militants (激进分子) seeking materials to make weapons.
Currently, there are 15 direct air capture plants operating worldwide, getting CO directly from the air and puts the gas underground. The costs are currently high. But supporters say those costs will fall as the technology improves. They also say tax breaks for businesses could help the technology. But critics say offering large credits could actually lead to more plants continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Hydrogen (氢) can be mixed with natural gas to make a cleaner-burning fuel. This could power a fuel cell vehicle. Such a vehicle would release environmentally friendly water vapors.
So-called clean hydrogen can be produced using energy methods such as wind and solar. But those methods are more costly than “grey hydrogen”, which is made with fossil fuels. Geothermal power plants capture heat up to 370 degrees Celsius far below the earth’s surface. The heat creates steam that can turn turbines (涡轮机) to produce electricity. But the technology would need to greatly expand to become a major alternative to fossil fuels.
1. How does the author develop the passage？| A．By analyzing the cost. |
| B．By introducing the values. |
| C．By weighing the positive and negative. |
| D．By following the order of great importance. |
| A．Carbon Capture is in the theoretical stage. |
| B．Nuclear fusion has been widely used in families. |
| C．Grey hydrogen belongs to environmental protection energy |
| D．The advanced nuclear plants have hidden dangers of making weapons. |
| A．Geothermal power. | B．Carbon Capture. |
| C．Advanced Nuclear. | D．Fusion and Hydrogen. |
| A．New Issues Facing Climate Goals |
| B．Develop New Energy According to Local Conditions |
| C．What Are the Future Development Goals of Clean Energy？ |
| D．Which Technologies Could Help the World Reach Its Climate Goals？ |
5 . Humans are not the only ones adapting to (适应) the effects of global climate change. Animals are also adapting to the environmental changes—some warm-blooded animals are beginning to “shapeshift (变身)” in response to shifts in climate, according to a recent study carried out by a team of researchers. The leader of the team is Sara Ryding, a researcher at Deakin University in Australia.
In the study, researchers have found new evidence that supports the theory that some warm-blooded animals are experiencing changes to their bodies due to the rising temperatures, resulting in larger legs, ears and beaks (喙) in some cases. The researchers have noted that warm-blooded animals living in colder climates have smaller legs, ears and beaks than animals of the same species living in warmer climates.
“When climate change is discussed in mainstream media, people are asking ‘Can humans overcome this?’ or ‘What technology can solve this?’” Ryding says.
She says that just like humans, animals also have to adapt to climate change, as shapeshifting for some of the warm-blooded animals is occurring over a far shorter time period.
“The climate change that we have created is putting much pressure on them, and while some species will adapt, others will not,” Ryding says.
Researchers have found body change in birds in Australia and North America. Certain species of Australian parrots have shown about 4%~10% increase in the size of their beaks since 1871, the reason for which is rising temperatures. In North America, the dark-eyed junco (灯芯草雀) also has seen an increase in beak size.
“Larger beaks help birds dissipate (驱散) extra body heat more effectively, which is useful as global temperatures rise. However, shapeshifting does not mean that animals are able to deal with climate change easily and that all is ‘fine’,” Ryding says. “It just means that they are struggling to adjust themselves to surviving it.”
1. What happens to some warm-blooded animals in warmer climates?| A．Some parts of their bodies are missing. |
| B．Their bodies become colder and colder. |
| C．Their bodies change into smaller ones. |
| D．Some of their body parts become larger. |
| A．To warn about the decrease of animal species. |
| B．To speak highly of animals’ ability to survive. |
| C．To explain why animals change the body shape. |
| D．To show the evidence of animals’ shapeshifting. |
| A．Climate change does little harm to bird species. |
| B．Climate change is still a big challenge for birds. |
| C．Birds can easily deal with global climate change. |
| D．Birds fail to adjust themselves to climate change. |
| A．All Animals Have to Adapt to Global Climate Change |
| B．Rising Temperatures Are Destroying Animals’ Bodies |
| C．Climate Change Is Making Some Animals Shapeshift |
| D．Warm-blooded Animals Inform Us of Global Warming |
6 . The climate change and environmental crises are now closely connected with our daily lives. We've collected a small selection of our favourite documentaries, charting the history and future of the challenges we face.
 | KISS THE GROUND The documentary adopts a light voice when exploring the power of the worlds soils to draw in carbon from the air. The film begins by examining how farming and pesticides have led to soil loss, tracking the damage done to ecology, health and climate. The solution is found through regenerative faming —a field receiving more and more attention. |
 | ICE ON FIRE Dramatically titled, Leonardo DiCaprio's 2019 documentary focuses on the melting polar ice caps of the Arctic. The documentary explores the planetary impact of melting ice, but intelligently includes solutions. DiCaprio explores renewable energy technologies and sustainable economies to put forward a vision for a cleaner future. |
 | CHASING CORAL It can be difficult to really understand what climate breakdown looks like. In 2017, Chasing Coral brought the very real impacts of climate change into sharp focus. The insight into the world's corals suffering from ocean acidification and temperature rise is impressive. |
 | REBUILDNG PARADISE Wildfires — once a natural regulator of ecosystems, now an increasing phenomenon thrown out of rhythm by climate change — are so frequent that many hardly consider the consequence. While it's one thing to deal with the financial loss and restoration, it's something quite different to repair the broken spirit of a community. In Rebuilding Paradise, we follow the journey of the citizens of Paradise, California, as they attempt to restart their lives from the ashes of the destructive 2018 wildfires. |
| A．KISS THE GROUND | B．ICE ON FIRE |
| C．CHASING CORAL | D．REBUILDING PARADISE |
| A．Wildfires nowadays break out as frequently as before. |
| B．Wildfires have both physical and psychological impacts. |
| C．The damage caused by wildfires can never be recovered. |
| D．Wildfires do more harm to economy than to the environment. |
| A．They focus on the speed of the global warming. |
| B．They relate to the global issue of climate change. |
| C．They analyze the frequency of the natural disasters. |
| D．They present solutions to dealing with the challenges. |
7 . On August 8, 2021, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its first assessment of climate science since 2013. The news was not good. The report stated that this past decade was the hottest in 125,000 years and that the atmospheric carbon levels are the highest in at least 2 million years. Glaciers are melting faster than any time in over 2,000 years, and ocean levels are rising at twice the rate since 2006.
At the current pace, the researchers expect global temperatures to rise by at least 1.5°, compared to pre-industrial levels, within the next 20 years. The temperature increases will result in significant changes to the planet’s water cycle. Areas that currently receive a lot of rain will get significantly more, while dry regions will become increasingly likely to droughts.
The IPCC’s findings come as no surprise to the millions of people worldwide currently feeling the impacts of climate-related disasters. America and many European countries are battling wildfires. Meanwhile, an unprecedented (史无前例的) week-long storm in July 2021 caused flash floods and mudslides in Western Europe. Climate change is even impacting the Earths coldest and most remote regions which experienced the first rainfall event in recorded history.
The situation may sound hopeless. However, many experts believe it is still not too late to turn things around, if we all act now. While governments need to do their share by introducing and obey stricter carbon emission laws, individuals can also help. Driving less, conserving water, and reducing electricity usage are some great ways to start. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle will help conserve natural resources and energy. It will also save you and your community. Be sure to start doing your part to save our beautiful home today!
1. Why did IPCC release its first assessment of climate science?| A．To appeal to people to reduce carbon levels. |
| B．To state the earth’s temperature hits a record high. |
| C．To inform readers climate change is severe. |
| D．To report ocean levels are rising higher. |
| A．The rise of global temperatures. | B．The fast development of industry. |
| C．The heavy rainfall of the earth. | D．The terrible droughts in dry regions. |
| A．Effects of climate change. | B．Facts of rainfall disasters. |
| C．Losses caused by natural disasters. | D．Weather phenomena in many regions. |
| A．Fighting against climate change is relatively simple. |
| B．Stricter carbon emission laws has been tightened up. |
| C．The author is opposed to consuming natural resources. |
| D．The author urges immediate action on climate change. |
8 . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently that diseases from mosquito, flea and tick bites tripled in the US between 2004 and 2016, with more than 640,000 cases seen during that period of time. Maine alone saw a 20-fold increase in cases of the tick-borne (蜱传播的) illness Lyme disease. The danger showed no sign of abating this year, with ticks crawling into Mainers’ lives as early as May.
Their early arrival was largely a product of warmer temperatures in the region. It is perhaps for this reason that Lyme disease-once a regional problem largely confined to New England-has now been discovered in all 50 states. Warm weather-loving ticks and Lyme disease are just the examples of how our rapidly-heating planet is destroying our health.
Climate change’s most visible symptoms are the natural disasters we’ve seen so often in recent years. When a disaster strikes, the most immediate threat to health is, of course, the danger posed by the event itself. During the 2017 wildfires in California and Oregon, for example, many living near the smoke reported respiratory distress (呼吸窘迫) and other problems because of breathing in the dangerous smoke. But this initial damage is often just a prologue (序幕) to the damage these disasters can have on our health-damage that unfolds over the course of weeks, months or even years.
Take standing flood water for example. It’s a ripe breeding ground for mosquitoes and bacteria and can pose a serious threat in the period following a major storm. Climate change’s impact is combined with the destruction of the basic construction-like power grids and drinking water delivery systems-and the loss of core services-like health care and waste disposal. It can both create new health challenges and complicate the treatment of existing ones.
Climate change can lead to storms and fires, fever and smoke, and the mental and physical health challenges that characterize the long aftermath of disasters. It is through these damages that climate change has gotten under our skin, into our lungs and weighed on our minds to the hurt of our well-being.
1. What does the underlined word “abating” in the first paragraph mean?| A．Decreasing. | B．Distinguishing. | C．Disobeying. | D．Developing. |
| A．Because of the movement of population. |
| B．Because of the wide spread of mosquitoes. |
| C．Because of more natural disasters in the country. |
| D．Because of warmer temperatures all over the country. |
| A．Natural disasters are becoming more common. |
| B．We should take measures to prevent climate change. |
| C．Climate change is becoming more and more noticeable. |
| D．Climate change increases the chance of people getting sick. |
| A．following time order | B．giving examples |
| C．making comparisons | D．presenting research findings |
9 . China is one of the countries most affected by typhoons in the world. While summer is the peak typhoon season, autumn typhoons might be more dangerous.
In September, Typhoon Conson and Chanthu formed successively in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Chanthu has become a super typhoon, bringing “gale-force winds and rainstorms to regions including Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu,” reported Xinhua on Sept14.
It’s no surprise that super typhoons occur in September. From the vernal equinox (春分), the subsolar point (太阳直射点) moves from the equator to the Tropic of Cancer (北回归线), heating the tropical ocean in the northern hemisphere(半球). The sea temperature reaches the highest from August to September, according to Weather China website.
“The warming ocean, especially the warming northern South China Sea, enhances typhoons before landfall(着陆),” said Xiao Zhixiang, a researcher of the Guangxi Institute of Meteorological Sciences, in the conference of the Japan Geoscience Union in 2020.
Autumn brings cold air, and when that cold air meets a typhoon, it could make it more destructive. “This will develop into a powerful typhoon due to the greater temperature difference between the cold continent and the hot sea,” said Woo-Sik Jung, a researcher at Inje University in South Korea, at the conference. “In other words, the larger the temperature difference, the stronger the wind, the more powerful the autumn typhoon can be compared to the summer typhoon.”
Megi, the 13th typhoon of 2010, was generated in October. Before making landfall in Taiwan, it entered the South China Sea and then headed north to land in Zhangpu, Fujian province, where Megi met cold air from the north. The typhoon led to more than 1,000millimeters of rainfall in Ilan, Taiwan, resulting in many deaths, according to Weather China.
Autumn typhoons are not only powerful but also often unpredictable. Three typhoons “with the most complicated paths in China” include Wayne in 1986, Nat in 1991 and Nari in2001. Among them, Nat and Nari were formed in autumn, according to the National Meteorological Center.
1. Which of the following contributes to the formation of super typhoons in September?| A．It’s highly wet in tropical areas. |
| B．The sun is heating the tropical ocean in the southern hemisphere. |
| C．The weather is warm along the coast. |
| D．The sea temperature is the highest. |
| A．The strong wind. | B．The cold air. |
| C．The unstable temperature. | D．The heat on the continent. |
| A．It occurred in September 2010. |
| B．It first hit Taiwan and then Fujian. |
| C．It cost many people their lives in Taiwan. |
| D．It formed in the South China Sea. |
| A．The most powerful summer typhoons. |
| B．Examples of unpredictable typhoons. |
| C．Why autumn typhoons are unpredictable. |
| D．How the National Meteorological Center predicts typhoons. |
10 . NASA scientist Josh Willie flew over Greenland this week, and gazed at a widespread polar world of melted ice and dark pools of water.
In mid-August, a powerful heat wave melted large areas of the Greenland ice sheet, which is three times the size of Texas. It's a vivid sign of changing times, and climates. In recent decades, Arctic scientists have observed record-breaking melt events in Greenland, which result in water pouring into the sea - and contribute to sea level rise. So far in 2021, the island's melted area (8.2 million square miles) is way above the 1981 to 2010 average-to-date, by some 1 million square miles.
"What's important to know is that all the big melt years have happened in the last two decades or so," Willis, who researches ice sheets and oceans at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Mashable between Greenland flights. "That's because the melt in Greenland is getting more extreme with every decade due to human interference with the climate."
Arctic scientists have found that, over the last couple decades, Greenland is melting faster than it has in at least 350 years. The ice sheet is shrinking.
As the climate warms, and heat waves become increasingly extreme, major melting events are even happening at the island's typically freezing summit. This summer, a couple of serious heat waves hit Greenland, noted Ted Scambos, an ice sheet expert at the University of Boulder Colorado who has no involvement with the NASA mission. It even rained on Greenland, at 10,551 feet. Scientists had never observed rain there before.
Before 1995, centuries would go by between major melt events at the summit, explained Scambos, referencing evidence from cores of ancient Greenland ice. Now, it's occurred a handful of times in recent decades, he said.
1. What do we know about the melting in Greenland?| A．The melted ice and dark pools of water in Greenland are normal phenomena. |
| B．A powerful heat wave melted large areas of ice sheet belonging to Texas. |
| C．Greenland's melting in 2021 is more serious than the past three decades. |
| D．The sea level in Greenland is way above that of the Atlantic Ocean. |
| A．Human's interference with the climate lead to the melt. |
| B．The melt is getting more extreme just in two decades. |
| C．There was fewer big melt years two decades ago. |
| D．Willis is still not worried about the melt in Greenland. |
| A．To display a kind of normally-happened natural phenomenon. |
| B．To imply that huge climate changes are happening in Greenland. |
| C．To show what is happening at Greenland's typically freezing summit. |
| D．To imply that everything strange is possible in this fantastic world. |
| A．The sea level rise in Greenland area is happening. |
| B．Greenland's melting is becoming more serious. |
| C．How human interference influence Greenland. |
| D．Major melt events happening in Greenland area. |
