1 . China and India Dominate the Greening of Earth
Over the last two decades, the Earth has seen an increase in foliage (植物) around the planet, measured in average leaf area per year on plants and trees. Data from NASA satellites shows that China and India -- two
Researchers from Boston University found that global green leaf area has increased by five percent since the early 2000s, an area
"China and India
China's
Another 32 percent of the greening change in China, and 82 percent in India, resulted from intensive
Rama Nemani, a research scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center, saw a(n)
| A．emerging | B．declining | C．stimulating | D．intruding |
| A．imposing | B．contributing | C．leading | D．creating |
| A．fertile | B．extreme | C．harmonious | D．ambitious |
| A．distant | B．equivalent | C．relevant | D．resistant |
| A．expansion | B．substitution | C．innovation | D．correction |
| A．account for | B．take in | C．stand for | D．consist of |
| A．over-reaction | B．over-exploitation | C．over-generation | D．over-explanation |
| A．considerate | B．tremendous | C．magnificent | D．irregular |
| A．forbid | B．investigate | C．boost | D．reduce |
| A．cultivation | B．demand | C．destruction | D．supply |
| A．cut | B．employ | C．feed | D．treat |
| A．secret | B．brief | C．urgent | D．positive |
| A．continuously | B．incredibly | C．initially | D．obviously |
| A．Moreover | B．Meanwhile | C．However | D．Therefore |
| A．necessarily | B．generally | C．fortunately | D．thoroughly |
2 . NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC NEWS
| Human | Animal News | Ancient World | Space/Tech | Culture |
Warning from Experts
A growing amount of human- made orbital debris(太空轨道残骸)---from rocket stages and out-of-date satellites---- is circling the Earth. Scientists say the orbital debris, better known as space junk, poses an increasing threat to space activities. “This is a growing environmental problem,” said Nicholas Johnson, the chief scientist and program manager for orbital debris at NASA(美国航空航天局) in Houston, Texas.
Johnson and his team have developed a computer model capable of simulating past and future amounts of space junk. The model predicts that even without future rocket or satellite launches, the amount of debris in low orbit around Earth will steady through 2055, after which it will increase. While current efforts have focused on limiting future space junk, these scientists say removing large pieces of old space junk will soon be necessary.
Since the first launch of satellite in 1957, humans have been generating space junk. The U.S. Space Surveillance Network is currently tracking over 13,000 human-made objects larger than ten centimeters in diameter orbiting the Earth. “Of the 13,000 objects, over 40 percent came from breakups of both spacecraft and rocket bodies,” Johnson said. In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of smaller objects in space. These include everything from pieces of plastic to bits of paint. Much of this smaller junk has come from exploding rocket stages. Stages are sections of a rocket that have their own fuel or engines.
These objects travel at speeds over 35,000 kilometers an hour. At such high speed, even small junk can tear holes in a spacecraft or disable a satellite by causing electrical shorts that result from clouds of superheated gas.
Johnson believes it may be time to think about how to remove junk from space. Previous proposals range from sending up spacecrafts to grab junk and bring it down to using lasers to slow an objects orbit to cause it to fall back to Earth more quickly. Given current technology, those proposals appear neither technically nor economically practical, “Space junk is like any environmental problem,” Johnson admits. “It’s growing. If you don’t deal with it now, it will only become worse, and the solutions in the future are going to be even more costly.”
1. What is this passage mainly talking about?| A．Advanced technology is used to remove space junk. |
| B．NASA is responsible for the environmental problem. |
| C．Cleaning up the space junk is greatly needed. |
| D．Human activities generate much orbital debris. |
| A．Rocket launches produce more debris than satellite launches. |
| B．Space junk is endangering human beings' space activities. |
| C．It's necessary to clean up the large pieces of old space junk. |
| D．Even a tiny piece of space junk can destroy a spacecraft |
| A．Reasonable. |
| B．Unbelievable. |
| C．Reliable. |
| D．Impractical. |
3 . When people argue about whether coffee is good for health, they're usually thinking of the health of the coffee drinker. Is it food for your heart? Does it increase blood pressure? Does it help you concentrate? However, coffee affects the health of the human population in other ways, too.
Traditionally, coffee bushes were planted under the canopy(树冠)of taller indigenous(土生土长的)trees. However, more and more farmers in Latin America are deforesting the land to grow full-sun coffees. At first, this increases production because more coffee bushes can be planted if there aren't any trees. With increased production come increased profits.
Unfortunately, deforesting for coffee production immediately decreases local wildlife habitat. Native birds nest and hide from predators(捕食者)in the tall trees and migrating birds rest there.
Furthermore, in the long term, the full-sun method also damages the ecosystem because more chemical fertilizers and pesticides are needed to grow the coffee. The fertilizers and pesticides kill insects that eat coffee plant, but then the birds eat the poisoned insects and also die. The chemicals kill or sicken other animals as well, and can even enter the water that people will eventually drink.
Fortunately, farmers in Central and South America are beginning to grow more coffee bushes in the shade. We can support these farmers by buying coffee with such labels as “shade grown” and “bird friendly.” Sure, these varieties might cost a little more. But we're paying for the health of the birds, the land, ourselves, and the planet. I think it's worth it.
1. What does increased production of full-sun coffee bring about?| A．More insects. | B．Better quality coffee. |
| C．Larger farms. | D．Higher profits. |
| A．They buy more land from other farmers. | B．They cut down trees. |
| C．They move to another country. | D．They turn grassland into farmland. |
| A．insects | B．air | C．birds | D．humans |
| A．Farmers are changing the way they grow coffee. |
| B．Coffee is becoming more expensive to produce. |
| C．Shade-grown coffee is more expensive than sun-grown coffee. |
| D．People should buy shade-grown coffee. |
4 . The Earth is facing a climate crisis, but it’s also getting greener and leafier. According to new research, the rise is largely due to China and India.
A study by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), based on extensive satellite photographs and published in the journal Nature Sustainability, has revealed that the two countries with the world’s biggest populations are also responsible for the largest increase in greenness.
Since 2000, the planet’s green leaf area has increased by 5 percent, or over 2 million square miles. That’s an area equivalent to the sum total of the Amazon rainforests, NASA says. But researchers stressed that the new greenery does not neutralize deforestation and its negative impacts on ecosystems elsewhere.
A third of the leaf increase is thanks to China and India, due to the implementation of major tree-planting projects alongside a vast increase in agriculture.
Using the data from a NASA sensor, researchers discovered that China is the source of a quarter of the increase in green leaf area, despite possessing only 6.6 percent of the world’s vegetated area (植被区). Forests account for 42 percent of that increase, while croplands make up a further 32 percent. China’s increase in forest area is the result of forest preservation and expansion programs, NASA said, established to fight against the impacts of climate change, air pollution and soil erosion (水土流失). India has contributed a further 6.8 percent rise in green leaf area, with 82 percent from croplands and 4.4 percent from forests.
Rama Nemani, a co-author of the study and a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center, said in a statement, “When the greening of the Earth was first observed, we thought it was due to a warmer, wetter climate and fertilization from the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to more leaf growth in northern forests, for instance.” “Now, with the data that lets us understand the phenomenon at really small scales, we see that humans are also contributing,” Nemani said. “This will help scientists make better predictions about the behavior of different Earth systems, which will help countries make better decisions about how and when to take action.”
Thomas Pugh, a professor at the University of Birmingham’s School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the NASA report expands scientists’ understanding of the causes behind global greening. But he also cautioned that a direct line cannot be drawn between an increase in global greening and a decrease in negative impacts of climate change.
1. The passage mainly tells us that .| A．China and India have the world’s largest green leaf areas |
| B．China and India are the lead role players in global greening |
| C．our planet is experiencing a climate crisis despite human efforts |
| D．our planet is getting greener due to the joint efforts of the world |
| A．The area of croplands in India is larger than that in China. |
| B．India’s rise in leaf area is largely due to its forestry program. |
| C．They both show a greater increase in forests than in croplands. |
| D．China boasts twenty-five percent of the global rise in leaf area. |
| A．unexpected but significant | B．surprising but valueless |
| C．predictable but disappointing | D．uncontrollable but inspiring |
| A．There is an indirect link between global greening and climate change. |
| B．The new greenery does not have any positive effect on the global climate. |
| C．The gain in greenness does not make up for the damage from loss of leaf area. |
| D．The increase in greening reduces the deforestation rate and its impact globally. |
5 . Recycling
Recyclable items are waste materials that can be processed to make new products. The recycled materials go through an intense process of separating the materials and converting into reusable products. At Waste Control, we offer a suite of on-site and off-site recycling services to meet the needs of our residential and business customers.
ON-SITE RECYCLING SERVICES
At the Waste Control facility, we have Drop-off Recycling and Buy-back Recycling Centers. The drop-off recycling center is a free service and is located next to the Transfer Station Building entrance. The Buy-Back Recycling Center is located on the north end of the facility and is for customers wishing to be reimbursed(报销，偿还) for their recyclable materials at current market rates.
OFF-SITE RECYCLING SERVICES
We also offer many off-site recycling services to meet your needs. We maintain free drop-off recycling sites throughout the community for common recyclable materials and residential waste oil and antifreeze. We also offer off-site residential roadside recycling and business recycling services.
HOURS & DIRECTIONS
Waste Transfer Station, Drop-off Recycling Center, & Buy-back Recycling Center:
7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. – 7 days a week
Business Office:
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Monday through Friday
Holiday Hours:
The Business Office is closed on all major holidays (New Year’s Day, July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas).
The Transfer Station is open for self-hauled waste, drop-off recycling, and buy-back recycling for limited hours during holidays. The facility is closed Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and July 4th–if it falls on a weekend. The facility closes at 12 noon on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and July 4th–if it falls on a weekday. The facility is open on all other holidays.
Waste collection and roadside recycling services are uninterrupted during holidays, except for Christmas Day and New Years Day. If Christmas Day or New Year’s Day fall on a weekday, there will be no pickup on the holiday and all garbage and recycling services will be moved one day forward from your regularly scheduled pickup for the remainder of the week. For example, if Christmas falls on a Wednesday, customers with regularly scheduled Wednesday service will be picked up on Thursday. Customers with regularly scheduled Thursday service will be picked up on Friday. Customers with regularly scheduled Friday service will be picked up on Saturday. Monday and Tuesday fall prior to the holiday and will be picked up as regularly scheduled.
1. If you wish to be paid back for the recyclable items, you should ________.| A．check the current market rates first |
| B．take them to the Waste Control facility |
| C．put them into the roadside recycling sites |
| D．separate them from waste oil and antifreeze |
| A．Tuesday | B．Wednesday | C．Thursday | D．Friday |
| A．Off-site services are not offered to collect business recyclable materials. |
| B．Waste Transfer Station is open on July 4th morning if it falls on a weekend. |
| C．The drop-off recycling center is far away from the buy-back recycling center. |
| D．There is no need for residents to pay for dropping off recyclable materials. |
6 . Against the assumption that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where burnt trees allow more snow to mirror more sunlight into space.
This finding suggests that taking steps to prevent northern forest fires to limit the release of greenhouse gases may warm the climate in northern regions. Usually large fires destroyed forests in these areas over the past decade. Scientists predict that with climate warming, fires may occur more frequently over next several centuries as a result of a longer fire season. Sunlight taken in by the earth tends to cause warming, while heat mirrored back into space tends to cause cooling.
This is the first study to analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate. Earlier studies by other scientists have suggested that fire in northern regions speed up climate warming because greenhouse gases from burning trees and plants are released into the atmosphere and thus trap heat.
Scientists found that right after the fire, large amounts of greenhouse gases entered the atmosphere and caused warming. Ozone（臭氧）levels increased, and ash from the fire fell on far-off sea ice, darkening the surface and causing more radiation from the sun to be taken in. The following spring, however, the land within the area of the fire was brighter than before the fire, because fewer trees covered the ground. Snow on the ground mirrored more sunlight back into space, leading to cooling.
“We need to find out all possible ways to reduce the growth of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.” Scientists tracked the change in amount of radiation entering and leaving the climate system as a result of the fire, and found a measurement closely related to the global air temperature. Typically, fire in northern regions occurs in the same area every 80 to 150 years. Scientists, however, found that when fire occurs more frequently, more radiation is lost from the earth and cooling results. Specifically, they determined when fire returns 20 years earlier than predicated, 0.5 watts per square meter of area burned are soaked up by the earth from greenhouse gases, but 0.9 watts per square meter will be sent back into space. The net effect is cooling. Watts are used to measure the rate at which energy is gained or lost from the earth.
1. According to the new findings, taking steps to prevent northern forest fires may _______.| A．result in a warming climate |
| B．cause the forest fires to occur more frequently |
| C．lead to a longer fire season |
| D．protect the forests and the environment there |
| A．analyze all aspects of how northern fires influence climate |
| B．indicate that forest fires will pollute the atmosphere |
| C．suggest that people should take measures to protect environment |
| D．suggest that the fires will speed up climate warming |
| A．released | B．absorbed |
| C．created | D．disturbed |
| A．warm the climate as the assumption goes |
| B．allow more snow to reflect more sunlight into space and thus cool the climate |
| C．destroy large areas of forests and pollute the far-off sea ice |
| D．help to gain more energy rather than release more energy |
| A．A new source of fuel oil. |
| B．An alternative use of fuel oil. |
| C．A way to make fuel oil less polluting |
| D．A new method for locating underground oil. |
| A．She was doing research for a paper on it |
| B．She was told about it by her roommate. |
| C．She read a newspaper article about it. |
| D．She heard about it in class. |
| A．To produce a gas containing carbon and hydrogen. |
| B．To heat the reactors to a proper temperature. |
| C．To prevent dangerous gases from forming. |
| D．To remove impurities from methanol |
| A．It hasn't been fully tested. |
| B．It is quite expensive. |
| C．It uses up scarce minerals. |
| D．It produces harmful gases. |
| A．Staying home. | B．Reducing air pollution. | C．Enjoying fresh air. |
| A. locals B decrease C. experienced D.positive E.popularity F.efficiently G. focus H. increase I. respectful J. protect K.fiercely |
Eco-tourism involves people travelling to beautiful but environmental sensitive place. Such trips are usually carried out with a(n)
It is obvious that eco-tourism is beneficial in many aspects. First, all the money spent by the tourists is used to
Compared to normal tourists, eco-tourist use energy more
Two things are needed to make eco-tourism a success. First, it should be done in small groups. And second, because it requires great effort, both eco-tourists and
| A. allowing B. detectable C. hazard D. irresponsible E. linked F. optimism G. punishing H. routes I. sowed J. unavoidable K. widespread |
Time for a clean-up
You are probably aware of the term “forever chemicals”, if not entirely clear on the specifics. What they are is a class of around 16, 000 artificial compounds called PFAS that break down very slowly, if at all in the environment and our bodies. They are extremely useful, but also a potential
A growing body of research has
How did we let it come to this? To some extent, society is reaping what it
