1 . The current population of oysters (牡蛎) is only a small part of their historic levels.
The critical nature of oysters in the ecosystem is difficult to overstate. Along the Atlantic shoreline of the United States, the Eastern Oyster is considered a foundation species. Oysters gather together as part of their natural life cycle, forming reefs that provide the habitat for fish, crabs, and other small ocean creatures.
In addition to being the bedrock of many underwater communities, oysters also help maintain the cleanliness of South Carolina’s coastal waters. Dirty water comes in from the ocean and gets filtered by oysters. Water goes back out cleanly.
South Carolina is working hard to rebuild coastal reefs that will support and sustain future oyster populations. It’s worth keeping in mind that every shell removed from the river could be the base for the next year’s new oysters.
| A．Once we lose that natural shell base |
| B．These little tiny fish need somewhere to hide |
| C．Because it is important to recycle the oyster shells |
| D．Even the local tourism industry relies on this effect of oysters |
| E．The best place to settle is going to be where there are adult oysters |
| F．South Carolina is actively working to restore and sustain its wild oysters |
| G．Oyster shells, both live and dead, provide the main habitat for the next generation |
2 . Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and
A recent study showed that two
Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products
The
| A．part | B．lack | C．lots | D．varieties |
| A．applied to | B．contributed to | C．exposed to | D．devoted to |
| A．possibility | B．chance | C．result | D．effect |
| A．Therefore | B．Furthermore | C．Similarly | D．However |
| A．After | B．Though | C．Before | D．Unless |
| A．reused | B．safe | C．friendly | D．returned |
| A．of | B．on | C．from | D．out of |
| A．rhyme | B．way | C．section | D．branch |
| A．carry | B．take | C．include | D．make |
| A．advantage | B．technique | C．point | D．attraction |
| A．concern | B．hope | C．care | D．plan |
| A．what | B．how | C．whether | D．when |
| A．saying | B．trust | C．attitude | D．fashion |
| A．pressure | B．pleasure | C．discussion | D．interest |
| A．enlarging | B．sharing | C．cleaning | D．improving |
3 . Scientists say a huge percentage of bird species are in danger because their habitats, or homelands, are disappearing.
Traditional migration paths take birds through countries that are not protecting the places for birds to stop, rest and feed. The scientists studied the migration or flight paths of almost 1,500 species. They decided that 91 percent of them passed through dangerous areas.
The major danger for migratory birds is development. Buildings and pavements have covered the places where birds stop and feed as they move from one part of the world to another. One of the scientists who worked on the study says “Many of these important places have been lost to land reclamation because of urban, industrial and agricultural land expansion”.
The problem, according to scientists, is that many of these small birds die along their migration paths because they don’t have a safe place to feed and rest. There is no place to restore their energy for the next part of their journey. Countries in North Africa, Central Asia and those along the coasts of East Asia are having the most difficult time in protecting land. The scientists say these countries do not have enough areas that are safe for birds. One species that doesn’t exist now is the Eskimo curlew. “Our world gets poorer every time we lose a species,” one of the scientists says.
The researchers say countries need to work together and come up with safe stopping areas for birds that pass through their boundaries. For example, one country might have preserved safe zones for migrating birds. But a neighbor country might not. A bird might die.
One scientist who is not connected with the report tells Los Angeles Times that while some habitats are changing, more work can be done to make urban areas safe for birds.
He says small changes, like planting more native plants or keeping cats out of the areas birds would be likely to use, could make a big difference.
1. What mainly caused the disappearing of birds’ habitats?| A．The decrease of awareness to protect birds. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Overuse of land by human beings. | D．The rising sea level. |
| A．Tiredness and hunger. | B．Beast attack on the ground. |
| C．Hunting of humans. | D．The long journey. |
| A．By keeping fewer cats or dogs. |
| B．By restoring their destroyed habitats. |
| C．By helping change the birds’ migration paths. |
| D．By preserving the ecological environments on their migration paths. |
| A．To call on people to protect the birds’ habitats. |
| B．To analyze the reasons for disappearing of birds’ habitats. |
| C．To offer some solutions to the problem of birds’ habitats. |
| D．To tell us a huge percentage of bird species are in danger. |
4 . Efforts to preserve the Amazon rainforest, which supports immense biodiversity and locks away tons of climate threatening carbon, are growing more urgent as the ecosystem’s destruction speeds up. Indigenous (当地的) peoples have been trying to protect the region by patrolling (巡逻) their territorial boundaries for illegal activities. But rapid deforestation continues.
A recent study shows that combining on-the-ground monitoring with satellite data and smartphone technology could help put the brakes (刹车) on Amazon deforestation —and potentially that of forests elsewhere.
Illegal logging, agriculture and coca cultivation particularly threaten the Amazon in the Peruvian Indigenous communities and outsiders are often the culprits (罪魁祸首). The research team wondered if providing training for local people to use satellite based “early deforestation alerts (警报)” could help. The scientists cooperated with 76 Indigenous communities, 36 of which participated in using these alerts to watch over the forest. Over the next two years these trained participants were paid to work as forest monitors and received monthly alerts via the app when satellite data indicated local forest losses. Monitors investigated alerts, patrolled for deforestation in other areas and reported confirmed tosses back to their communities, which decided whether to deal with the culprits on their own or inform state authorities.
The researchers analyzed the same forest-loss satellite data from the given time period in all 76 communities. They found the early-alert program reduced forest loss by 8.4 hectares in the first two year — a 52% reduction compared with the average loss in the control communities.
Experts say this approach to tackling Amazonian deforestation looks promising. “Would this work in all communities that have high risk of deforestation? Given the results, it’s worth a try,” says Catherine Tucker, a researcher at the University of Florida. “But some communities may not have access to the resources needed for such a program, or their territories may hold valuable minerals that would increase the risk of deforestation by outsiders despite monitoring efforts,” wrote Francisco Hernandez Cayctano, a community member involved in the research, “we as Indigenous peoples ask the world for support.”
1. Why did the research team conduct the program?| A．To stop carbon being locked away. | B．To tackle Amazon deforestation. |
| C．To monitor satellite movement. | D．T control illegal activities. |
| A．By offering locals training in using a smartphone app. |
| B．By combining local monitoring with smartphone alerts. |
| C．By organizing native people to fight against the outsiders. |
| D．By equipping local forest with satellite data and monitors. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Objective. | C．Approving. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．Local Monitors Trained for Forest Loss. | B．Satellite Data Cure Deforestation. |
| C．Outsiders Are to Blame for Forest Loss. | D．Smart Patrol Fights Deforestation. |
5 . A Plastic Ocean is a film to make you think.Think,and then act.We need to take action on our dependence on plastic.We’ve been producing plastic in huge quantities.Drinking bottles,shopping bags and even clothes are made with plastic.
The film begins as a journey to film the largest animal on the planet,the blue whale.But during the journey the filmmakers make the shocking discovery of a huge,thick layer of plastic floating in the Indian Ocean.
In the film there are beautiful shots of the seas and marine life.
They present short-term and long-term solutions.These include avoiding plastic containers and recycling as much as you can.The filmmakers also stress the need for governments to work more on recycling programmes.
We make a shocking amount of plastic.Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year,and at least 8 million of those are dumped into the oceans.The results are disastrous,but it isn’t too late to change.
| A．This causes them to travel around the world to look at other affected areas. |
| B．Once you’ve seen the film,you’ll realize it is time to do our part. |
| C．It has raised public concern all over the world. |
| D．We live in a world full of plastic,and only a small amount is recycled. |
| E．But the film doesn’t only present the negative side. |
| F．In conclusion,we only have one earth to live on. |
| G．These are contrasted with dumps of plastic rubbish. |
Home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers, the Sanjiangyuan area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原) is known as “China’s water tower.” It is a
Decades ago, serious environmental degradation (恶化) in Sanjiangyuan,
Over the past years, the ecological environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Local residents enjoy the gifts given by nature, and the
Today, as people walk on the vast land of Sanjiangyuan, looking at the expansive mountains, glaciers, lakes and pastures,
7 . According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, the number of solar panels installed(安装)has grown rapidly in the past decade, and it has to grow even faster to meet climate goals. But all of that growth will take up a lot of space, and though more and more people accept the concept of solar energy, few like large solar panels to be installed near them.
Solar developers want to put up panels as quickly and cheaply as possible, so they haven’t given much thought to what they put under them. Often, they’ll end up filling the area with small stones and using chemicals to control weeds. The result is that many communities, especially in farming regions, see solar farms as destroyers of the soil.
“Solar projects need to be good neighbors,” says Jordan Macknick, the head of the Innovative Site Preparation and Impact Reductions on the Environment(InSPIRE)project. “They need to be protectors of the land and contribute to the agricultural economy.” InSPIRE is investigating practical approaches to “low-impact” solar development, which focuses on establishing and operating solar farms in a way that is kinder to the land. One of the easiest low-impact solar strategies is providing habitat for pollinators(传粉昆虫).
Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change have caused dramatic declines in pollinator populations over the past couple of decades, which has damaged the U.S. agricultural economy. Over 28 states have passed laws related to pollinator habitat protection and pesticide use. Conservation organizations put out pollinator-friendliness guidelines for home gardens, businesses, schools, cities—and now there are guidelines for solar farms.
Over the past few years, many solar farm developers have transformed the space under their solar panels into a shelter for various kinds of pollinators, resulting in soil improvement and carbon reduction. “These pollinator-friendly solar farms can have a valuable impact on everything that’s going on in the landscape,” says Macknick.
1. What do solar developers often ignore?| A．The decline in the demand for solar energy. |
| B．The negative impact of installing solar panels. |
| C．The rising labor cost of building solar farms. |
| D．The most recent advances in solar technology. |
| A．Improve the productivity of local farms. |
| B．Invent new methods for controlling weeds. |
| C．Make solar projects environmentally friendly. |
| D．Promote the use of solar energy in rural areas. |
| A．To conserve pollinators. | B．To restrict solar development. |
| C．To diversify the economy. | D．To ensure the supply of energy. |
| A．Pollinators: To Leave or to Stay | B．Solar Energy: Hope for the Future |
| C．InSPIRE: A Leader in Agriculture | D．Solar Farms: A New Development |
8 . New bio-plastics are being made in laboratories from straw, wood chips and food waste, with researchers aiming to replace oil as the source of the world’s plastic.
The new approaches include genetically modifying bacteria to eat wood and produce useful chemicals. But the bio-plastics are currently significantly more expensive to make than fossil fuel-based plastics.
Land and seas around the world, from high mountains to deep oceans, have become polluted with plastic, prompting major public concern. The world has produced 8bn tons of plastic since the 1950s and demand is still rising.
While some waste plastic is recycled, much of it is burnt to produce electricity, resulting in carbon emissions that drive climate change. In contrast to plastic made from oil, plastics made from plant-based materials only release the carbon the plants absorbed from the air as they grew. Bio-plastics will also give more options for products that biodegrade (生物降解) in the environment, although they can be made very long-lasting if required.
“Plastics are an incredible enhancement to our daily lives,” said Paul Mines, CEO of Biome Technologies in the UK, which has spent t5m in the last five years on bio-plastics research. “But we can’t go on using fossil fuel-based materials. About 6-7% of every barrel (桶) of oil is used to make plastics.”
“Using plant materials is feasible,” said professor Simon, at the University of York. “Replacing half of the nation’s plastic bottles could be done using just 3% of the sugar beet crop, 5% of wheat straw or 2.5% of food waste,” he said.
Currently, just a few thousand tons of bio-plastic are used in the UK each year, compared to millions of tons of conventional plastic. Mines said this could rise to about 20,000 tons in the next five years.
1. Why are high mountains and deep oceans mentioned in Paragraph 3?| A．To display the range of plastic pollution. | B．To show the widespread use of plastic. |
| C．To present a reason of wide use of plastic. | D．To stress the increasing demand for plastic. |
| A．Producing electricity. | B．Being eco-friendly. |
| C．Driving climate change. | D．Biodegrading other plastic. |
| A．Possible. | B．Troublesome. | C．Original. | D．Costly. |
| A．Plastics arc necessary in daily life. | B．Oil is the source of the world’s plastic. |
| C．Bioplastic making is a promising industry. | D．Scientists are researching bioplastic making. |
9 . In the 2010s, 34-year old Brianne Miller travelled around the world as a marine biologist. No matter how remote the location, she made the same alarming discovery: huge amounts of plastic littering the water and threatening marine life. Miller knew she needed to do something.
Canadians throw out three million tons of plastic waste each year, 33 percent of which comes from food packaging. Approximately one third of all food produced worldwide goes to waste, too. Miller, determined to fix the problem, imagined a shop that went further than banning plastic bags—a place that avoided both wasteful packaging and the bad habit of wasting food itself.
In June 2018, Miller opened her first zero-waste grocery store in Canada. She named it Nada, and ensured everything was designed to make the zero-waste shopping experience easy. You can bring your own containers, though it’s not necessary: right by the front door are sanitized (消毒过的) glass or plastic containers, free for the taking.
Nada sells various food items, all 100 percent package-free. Miller is clear that the store doesn’t try to compete on price. For example, popcorn with paper package at a regular store may cost 70 cents per 100 grams; at Nada, a customer might pay $1 per 100 grams. Even so, zero-waste shopping can still come with savings. Take products that typically come packaged in large containers, like spaghetti sauce, a large part of the traditional cost would be in that glass jar.
Although the early days of the pandemic were tough on the business, Miller timely turned to online ordering and delivery, though in a very Nada way. Everything from olive oil to fresh eggs comes delivered in sanitized containers, which are collected with the next round of deliveries.
Those containers do so much more than just reduce waste. They get people thinking big, just as Miller hoped. “They’re tagged with Nada stickers, so you can see how many times the container has been used,” she says, and then smiles.
1. Brianne Miller was inspired to start her business by the fact that ______.| A．food packaging generated tons of waste |
| B．plastic litters posed a threat to marine life |
| C．people formed the bad habit of wasting food |
| D．lots of food produced worldwide went to waste |
| A．Brave and cautious. | B．Caring and humorous. |
| C．Creative and determined. | D．Optimistic and thoughtful. |
| A．Miller thinks her efforts worthwhile. |
| B．Miller stopped her business during the pandemic. |
| C．Nada suffered serious losses because of the pandemic. |
| D．Containers were recycled during the pandemic to save money. |
| A．No pains, no gains | B．Dream big, aim high |
| C．No packaging, no wasting | D．More haste, less speed |
10 . Whether you’re interested in green agriculture and rainforest conservation or supporting sustainable sources, organizations worldwide are investing time and effort into various environmental protection projects. Volunteers are always needed to help with the different initiatives to protect the environment.
The past years has been bothered by an endless report of natural disasters occurring in geographically weak locations. Floods are affecting the places that previously never faced this problem while heat waves, droughts and earthquakes are becoming the norm. Important wildlife and plant species are disappearing and threatening the planet’s biodiversity. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are other problems: deforestation, pollution, water scarcity, illegal fishing and wildlife trade.
The ongoing industrialization and the lack of awareness are taking its toll (毁坏) and it’s time for that to change. Most people remain inactive, believing small changes won’t make a difference. However, there are many ways to help. Small changes carried out by some people do make a difference.
Excellent examples of this are organizations that believe small initiatives have a significant impact. These projects arc growing steadily and positively affecting the environmental conservation and influencing the local community. They are creating awareness among others and helping them understand the importance of environmental conservation while creating volunteer opportunities to help the environment.
The organizations will learn valuable skills about environmental conservations but most importantly, they are moving towards change. There are enough environmental volunteer opportunities that need your help and there’s no time to waste! Continue reading about environmental volunteer programs abroad and take steps toward environmental conservation.
There are plenty of options once you decide to become an environmental volunteer. The tasks will depend on the project you have decided to volunteer with and can vary greatly. With over 130 projects focusing on the environment, you’ll find projects that match both your skill set and travel preference.
1. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?| A．The threats the earth is facing. |
| B．The influence of natural disasters. |
| C．The need to know natural disasters. |
| D．The difficulty in protecting the earth. |
| A．They try to find ways. |
| B．They keep sitting by. |
| C．They start to get involved. |
| D．They make small changes. |
| A．It’s easier said than done. |
| B．It’ll be all right on the night. |
| C．Where there’s life, there is hope. |
| D．There is no time like the present. |
| A．To call on people to be environmental volunteers. |
| B．To show the serious problems of the environment. |
| C．To discuss the ways of environmental conservation. |
| D．To explain the reasons for protecting the environment. |
