1 . Amid rolling farms and green pasture 150 miles northwest of Sao Paulo, Brazil, two tropical forests bloom as one. The first consists of a single species, row after row of non-native eucalyptus (桉树), planted in perfect lines like carrots. The other is haphazard, an assortment of dozens of varieties of native saplings.

There’s no denying it: This forest looks ridiculous. The gangly (修长的) eucalyptuses shoot like witch fingers high above patches of stubby fig (矮壮的无花果树) and evergreen trees. Yet these jumbled 2.5-acre stands of native trees, ringed by fast-growing exotics, are among many promising efforts to resurrect the planet’s forests.

The eucalyptuses, says Pedro Brancalion, the University of Sao Paulo agronomist who designed this experiment, get big so quickly they can be cut after five years and sold to make paper or fence posts. That covers nearly half or more of the cost of planting the slow-growing native trees, which then naturally reseed ground that has been laid bare by the harvest. And this process doesn’t hamper natural regeneration.

You needn’t look far these days to find organizations trying to save the world by growing trees. Too often, tree-planting groups are so focused on getting credit for each seedling planted that they ignore what matters most: What kind of woodland is created? At what cost? And most importantly: How long will it last? Using the numbers of trees planted as a magic “proxy for everything,” Brancalion says, you “spend more money and get lower levels of benefits.” You can literally miss the forest for the trees.

Tree planting seems like a simple, natural way to counter the overwhelming crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Trees provide wildlife habitats and slurp carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. No wonder trees are hailed as the ideal weapon. Yet for every high-profile planting operation, devastating failures have occurred. In Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Mexico, mass plantings have resulted in millions of dead seedlings or have driven farmers to clear more intact forest elsewhere. Trees that have been planted in the wrong places have reduced water yields for farmers, destroyed highly diverse carbon-sucking grassland soils, and allowed for invasive vegetation to spread. Simply reforesting the planet isn’t going to do much if we don’t also start cutting down on our emissions from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas. Tree planting also can’t replace old-growth forests. Saving them is even more important than growing new forests.

So, what should we do?

To Brancalion, the answer is obvious: Restore native forests, mostly in the tropics, where trees grow fast and land is cheap. While that may require planting, it may also call for the clearing out of invasive grasses, the rejuvenation (使有活力) of soils, and crop yield improvements so that farmers will need less land for agriculture and more can be allowed to revert back to forests.

The combining of eucalyptus harvests with native plantings is just one more reminder that successful restoration must provide value to local communities. In many cases, if we let nature do the heavy lifting, Brancalion says, “the forest can regrow quite effectively.”

1. What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?

A．The non-native eucalyptuses bring profits that can pay for planting native saplings.

B．The non-native eucalyptuses compete with native saplings for water, nutrients, and light.

C．The variety of trees being planted determines whether or not the restoration will succeed.

D．Planting fast-growing exotics together with local trees does harm to the natural environment.

2. The example of mass plantings in Turkey, Sri Lanka, and Mexico is used to _______.

A．emphasize the significance of protecting existing forests

B．explain why tree planting is regarded as the ideal solution

C．illustrate the serious problems planting campaigns can cause

D．indicate the most important point tree-planting groups ignore

3. According to the author, we should do all the following EXCEPT _______.

A．clear more forest to improve crop yields for farmers

B．combine harvests of fast-growing exotics with native plantings

C．restore native forests in the tropics and clear out invasive grasses

D．take into consideration the benefits of reforestation to local communities

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Plant trees—and time will tell.	B．Plant trees—but don’t overdo it.
C．Plant trees—and save the world.	D．Plant trees—but mind the variety.

3 . Working Together to Save the Sea Turtles

Florida has some of the best beaches in the world. Thousands of people visit the state to enjoy the sand. But these beaches are also home to five species of sea turtles. A major problem is facing these interesting creatures.     1     So how do Floridians protect these special animals?

Some volunteers and researchers in Florida take direct action to help the turtles. They look closely at the sand to find the fin (鳍) marks the mother sea turtles left there.     2     When they’ve figured out where the eggs were laid, they mark the area off so that no one disturbs the eggs. They also collect information about the nests and tracks to help people studying sea turtles.

These are not the only Floridians taking action to help protect these creatures. Florida’s government has passed laws to save the turtles. One of these laws is “Florida’s Marine Turtle Protection Act”. This law prohibits anyone from disturbing or destroying marine turtles, nests, or eggs.    3    

Another way Floridians work together to save these creatures is through organizations like the Sea Turtle Conservancy. The Sea Turtle Conservancy helps people take steps that will help reduce the threats that put sea turtles in danger. For instance, bright lights on buildings near the beach can negatively impact sea turtles. Baby sea turtles usually hatch on the sandy beach and head to the ocean. When there are bright lights coming from the other side of the shore far from the ocean, the baby turtles get confused.     4     To help save these turtles, The Sea Turtle Conservancy works with property owners to make lighting in their buildings sea turtle-friendly. They also encourage Florida residents to turn off their lights at night if they live close to a beach.

    5     Sometimes, turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. They eat this trash and die. Florida residents can volunteer for beach clean-ups and make sure to pick up their own litter. They can also vote for state leaders who want to protect the sea turtles’ habitats. Every individual in the community has the power to make a difference!

A．Many of them do not make it to the ocean and die.

B．Some of these turtle species are in danger of going extinct.

C．This helps them to locate where the sea turtles laid their eggs.

D．It also helps make sure that sea turtles’ natural habitats are protected.

E．Female sea turtles come from the ocean and onto these beaches at night.

F．They use their fins to move back across the beach and return to the ocean.

G．Every Floridian can do their part to protect sea turtles and their environment.

5 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

E-waste is a serious problem that isn’t going to get better on its own. Here are some do-it-yourself tips on how to manage e-waste.

Maybe the biggest cause of our e-waste problem is the fact that we buy things that we just don’t need. Next time you feel like you need a device or electronic item, stop yourself and ask if it is truly necessary. This is maybe also the easiest way we can manage e-waste. Organize your electronics. If you don’t keep your connectors, DVDs, wires and gadgets organized, you won’t be aware of what you have. When we buy duplicate electronics because we think we need them, we are contributing to our growing e-waste problem. “How to manage e-waste” becomes less of an issue when we keep our own houses in order.

If you do not need a piece of equipment and it is in good enough condition to be reused, donate it as soon as you can so that somebody else can use it. Donations are good for us because they are a useful way to get tax deductions, and a lot of times that tax deduction will be close to the value of the item had you tried to sell it. Take your electronics back to the store. Some stores offer trade-in programs, where you can drop off your old equipment in return for gift cards.

There are also places to sell electronics that might be valuable to somebody else. Just be sure to sell them right away, because they lose value very rapidly in our changing market.

If you are frequently receiving memory sticks and little gadgets, collect them into a good-e-bag. Whenever you no longer need a USB stick or a small electronic device, toss it into the bag. You might be surprised at how quickly it fills up. So be sure you are utilizing your materials and products thoughtfully. With these tips you can use DIY solutions to learn how to manage e-waste. Your house will be cleaner, you will save money and you’ll be doing a good thing.

1. What is the biggest cause of our e-waste problem?
_____________________________________________________________
2. How can people get tax deductions when managing e-waste?
__________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Sell the electronics that you don't need right away because the earlier you sell them, the more gift cards you can get.
________________________________________________________
4. Why do we need to manage our e-waste? (In about 40 words)
_________________________________________________________________

6 . Alarming reports that the Antarctic ice sheet is becoming smaller misrepresent the facts. The ice sheet holds about 26.5 million gigatons(十亿吨)of water. If it were to melt(融化)completely, sea levels would rise 190 feet. Such a change is an issue for the far future, if it comes at all.

Much more modest ice loss is normal in Antarctica. Each year, some 2,200 gigatons of the ice is discharged(消融), while snowfall adds almost the same amount. The difference between the discharge and addition each year is the annual loss. That figure has been increasing, from 40 gigatons a year in the 1980s to 250 gigatons a year in the 2010s. But the increase is just a slight change in a complex process. If it continued at that rate, the sea level would be raised by 3 inches over 100 years.

Many fear that a warming globe could increase discharge and cause more rapid sea-level rise. Two recent studies focus on this issue. Researchers in the study of Thwaites Glacier(冰川)—an unusually broad and fast Antarctic glacier—infer that in the past it became smaller for half a year at more than twice the fastest rate ever observed. The cause of this specific event remains unknown, partly because the time of the rapid melting hasn’t yet been determined. But the media goes with this angle: “A ‘doomsday(末日)glacier’, the size of Florida, is breaking faster than thought.”

A second study tested the idea that the melted freshwater could be carried by currents to speed up the discharge of nearby glaciers. Researchers constructed a special model to prove their idea. If ocean currents can connect the discharges of distant glaciers, that would add to the complexity in the Antarctic ice sheet. To emphasize their idea, researchers used human influences almost three times larger. Even though that fact is stated in the paper, reporters rarely catch such nuance, and the media goes with headlines such as “a massive tsunami would drown New York City, killing millions.” A more accurate headline would read: “Ocean currents connecting Antarctic glaciers might quicken their melting.”

These two studies were conducted with clever methods to infer past conditions and advanced computer modeling to show possible situations. These papers describe the science with appropriate precision and caution, but it is a shame that the media misrepresents the research to raise alarm. That denies the public the right to make informed decisions about “climate action,” as well as the opportunity to be amazed at the science itself.

1. What does the author think of the annual loss of the Antarctic ice sheet?

A．It’s a danger.	B．It’s limited.
C．It changes significantly.	D．It decreases yearly.

2. What can we learn from the two studies?

A．Both studies constructed new models.

B．The Thwaites Glacier melts faster than expected.

C．The complexity of the ocean speeds up the discharge of glaciers.

D．Neither the reason nor the time of the Thwaites Glacier’s melting is known.

3. The underlined phrase “catch such nuance” probably means       .

A．deny the obvious facts	B．pay attention to the difference
C．evaluate the details	D．are serious about the warning

4. What can we conclude from this passage?

A．Antarctic glaciers melting makes sea level rise greatly.

B．Recent studies on the melting ice call for people’s action.

C．Reports of the media on Antarctic glaciers mislead the public.

D．The researches about the glaciers melting raise public awareness.

7 . The bald eagle was once a dying species in the United States. This is because the bird wasn’t always held with respect. At the National Book Festival, author Jack E. Davis detailed the bald eagle’s “great conservation success story”.

The bald eagle has faced extinction twice. The first occurred in the late 19th century. “It was then that a bald eagle seen was one to be shot,” he said. He explained that the bird had been regarded as a dangerous animal, and considered a threat. But such threat tended to be overstated. Throughout the early 20th century, thousands of bald eagles were shot down. Things began to change for the bird in 1940, when the government passed its legal protection — the Bald Eagle Protection Act.

However, only five years later, the bird faced its second near extinction when DDT, an environmentally harmful insecticide (杀虫剂), was introduced at the end of World War Ⅱ. In 1963, the bald eagle hit its lowest number — totaling less than 500 nesting pairs across the U.S. “At that time, only about one-third of the nation’s water was safe for swimming and fishing,” Davis said. “That was eagle habitat, but also our habitat.” “We stepped up.” He mentioned that this situation led a nonprofit organization, Fish and Wildlife, to launch “hugely successful” eagle protection projects.

By 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the list as the species regained its health, reaching nearly 11,000 nesting pairs nationwide, and today’s number is somewhere around 500,000.

For those looking to assist in the ongoing comeback of the bald eagle and other endangered animals, Davis said, almost every state has a center that accepts donations and welcomes visitors and volunteers.

1. What made the bald eagle almost extinct for the first time?

A．The illegal hunting.	B．The loose control of guns.
C．The attack from other animals.	D．The misunderstanding of their threat.

2. What caused Fish and Wildlife to start eagle protection projects?

A．The outbreak of World War II.	B．The overuse of DDT nationwide.
C．The disappearance of eagle habitat.	D．The worsening of eagles’ living condition.

3. What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A．To tell a story of a dying species.

B．To advertise the book of Jack E. Davis.

C．To raise the awareness of protecting wildlife.

D．To introduce the ways of protecting bald eagles.

8 . 北京在过去的一年中产生了大约 901 万吨的生活垃圾,导致垃圾填满场超饱和运转,因此会产生一系列问题,面对这种情况,北京希望尽快改善状况,争取实现零垃圾填埋。你作为学生会的一名成员,请给你们学校全体学生写一封信,号召大家行动起来,帮助北京实现梦想。信中要包含以下要点：
1. 目前北京垃圾现存的问题
2. 正确处理垃圾的必要性
3. 给出一些具体建议
注：文章开头和结尾已给出字数不少于60。
Dear all students,
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sincerely, Li Hua

President of the Student Union

9 . 阅读下面短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词, 在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

March 22nd is World Water Day. It started in 1993. It not only makes us think about the importance of water, but also calls     1     us to save and protect water. Today, we     2     (face) terrible water problems. Among them, wastewater problem is especially serious.

Wastewater has a big influence on our life. It causes both illness for us, and pollution for the environment. We muse care about our environment and our own health.

Different kinds of wastewater need different ways of treatment. Wastewater from homes can be reused. Then there will be less wastewater. Also, factory wastewater has to be cleaned     3     it goes back to nature.