1 . The newly-elected president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro says that his country should withdraw (退出) from the 2015 Paris Agreement, and that Brazil’s rainforest protections are standing in the way of economic success. During the election campaign, he promised to ease protections for areas of the Brazilian Amazon set aside for native people and wildlife. Are Brazil’s rainforests in danger?
The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, is called “the lungs of the planet.” Each tree takes in and stores carbon dioxide from the air around it. Billions of trees pull up water through their roots and release water vapor into the air, forming tiny drops of water. The Amazon creates 30 to 50 percent of its own rainfall. Carlos Nobre, a climate scientist, says that it is almost impossible to say Just how important the rainforest is to the planet’s living systems.
Some of Bolsonaro’s support comes from business and farming groups. One supporter, Luiz Carlos, noted that farmers “are not invaders, they are producers.” He blamed the past government for supporting rainforest protections at the cost of farmers. “Brazil,” he said, “will be the biggest farming nation on Earth during Bolsonaro’s years.”
Paulo Artaxo, a professor of environmental physics at the University of Sao Paulo, says that if Bolsonaro keeps his campaign promises, then “deforestation of the Amazon will probably increase quickly — and the effects will be felt everywhere on the planet.”
Other scientists warn that if the Amazon and other tropical rainforests lose too many trees, this could affect rainfall in other areas. Without enough trees to support the rainfall, the longer and bigger dry season could turn more than half of the rainforest into a tropical grassland.
1. The first paragraph is intended to ________.A.draw people’s attention to the disappearing rainforests |
B.ask people to ease the protection of rainforests |
C.attract the public to the newly-elected president |
D.to complain about the new government's withdrawing |
A.produce much farmland |
B.examine people’s lungs |
C.change the earth’s living system |
D.destroy farmers’ crops |
A.The new president’s supporters care less about farmers. |
B.Scientists are concerned about the protection of rainforests. |
C.The rainforests will stop the economic development in Brazil. |
D.The past government is to blame for the destruction of rainforests |
A.a newspaper |
B.a magazine |
C.a guidebook |
D.a textbook |
2 . Among the world’s waste-recycling pioneers, Germany is the leader. The country has quite a detailed way of sorting their waste-down to the color of glass waste, the type of paper, the separate bin for metals, etc.
Here below are what you should know about Germany’s waste sorting system:
◇You are expected to gather your waste in your apartment/housing area’s local public garbage bins.
◇There are commonly several types of public garbage bins available in the German’s apartment/housing areas:
Blue bin — for paper and cardboard
Green and white bin — for glass, different bins for differently colored glass, not available for holiday decorations and lights
Yellow/orange bin — for plastic and metals
Brown bin — for goods that can be changed naturally by bacteria into substances that don’t harm the environment, like leftovers, fruit and vegetables
Gray/black bin — for everything else that can’t be recycled such as used cat litter and animal waste
◇Some items don’t belong in these public garbage bins. Items like used batteries, electronics, unused paints, and lights must be returned to the special agent/locations so they can be properly recycled. Other items such as clothes, shoes, and oversized rubbish and furniture are advised to be donated or sold.
◇There’s this thing called Pfand in Germany, a certain part of the price for a bottled drink that you get back if you send back the bottle to certified (有资历的) shops. German law requires shops over a certain size selling bottled drinks have a Pfandruckgabestelle, or place for bottles with deposits (押金). These bottles usually made of glass or plastic will be refilled. Of course, there’re strict health regulations.
1. Which bin should the fallen leaves be classified into?A.The blue bin. | B.The brown bin. |
C.The grey/black bin. | D.The green and white bin. |
A.By returning it to special agents. | B.By placing it in a specific location. |
C.By giving it away to those in need. | D.By donating it to a Pfandruckgabestelle. |
A.To collect money for some shops. | B.To help shops reuse plastic or glass. |
C.To reduce the broken bottles. | D.To encourage bottles to be returned. |
3 . Jane Goodall, the well-known scientist, is starting Trees for Jane on Tuesday, joining a global campaign to fight climate change by planting a trillion trees by 2030.
Goodall made it clear that planting is just one part of Trees for Jane. “The key is protecting existing forest because those big trees have already stored CO2,” she said in a National Geographic interview. Donations to Trees for Jane will support local groups working to stop destroying trees. And those who plant are asked to agree to care for the trees and monitor them until they’re mature(成熟的).
Of course, tree planting is not a substitute for reducing emissions (排放), said Susan Cook-Patton, senior forest restoration scientist for The Nature Conservancy. “The most important action is to reduce fossil fuel emissions. However, even if we rapidly reduce emissions, we’re still going to need to remove carbon from the atmosphere to prevent catastrophic warming. That’s why carbon removal approaches like re-growing trees remain important.”
Some tree-planting efforts have come under fire from some scientists as being ineffective since many programs don’t plant native species, essentially creating tree farms, not helping forests. And Cook-Patton’s message is clear, “Plant the right trees, in the right places, in the right way.” This means planting native trees where they historically lived.
Goodall said this agrees with the goal of Trees for Jane. She, noting that Trees for Jane encourages people to plant trees themselves or donate to support global efforts, said her love for trees dates back to her childhood. Nearly eight decades later, she is working tirelessly and selflessly to share the gift of trees with the entire world, for the good of the planet.
1. What is the most vital measure to reduce emissions?A.Stop cutting down trees. | B.cut down on fossil fuel emissions. |
C.Remove carbon from the atmosphere. | D.Plant more trees. |
A.Be criticized for. | B.Be burned under a tree. |
C.Win the support of. | D.Argue violently. |
A.Determined | B.Optimistic | C.Humorous | D.Considerate |
Over the last 200 years, humans have become the dominant species on earth. As a result, the natural world
Therefore, many environmentalists are turning to “rewilding”,
For these projects to succeed, they need
1. How does the woman often get to work?
A.On foot. | B.By car. | C.By bike. |
A.He spent too much money repairing it. |
B.He thought having a car made him lazy. |
C.He thought it was bad for the environment. |
A.She likes doing exercise. |
B.She wants to lose some weight. |
C.She has never ridden a bike to get around. |
A.To a car factory. | B.To a car repair shop. | C.To a car dealership. |
6 . Keeping curious kids from disrupting wildlife
Interacting with the wild, naturally curious kids tend to collect seashells at the beach or keep small wildlife as pets.
Take an interest, not things. Kids show interest in picking flowers, rocks, or shells outdoors. They’re part of wildlife's habitat and play an important role.
Admire animal afar, not disrupt nearby. The urge to take a photo with a squirrel, bird, or slow-moving turtle can be strong for kids.
Take well-worn paths, not off-road romps (嬉戏). Kicking piles of leaves, stepping on bushes, and walking through forested areas can unintentionally scare wildlife. If surprised animals defend their homes, everyone could get hurt. Nobody likes having a guest come in and destroy their home and act rudely.
A.Keep snacks away from animals. |
B.Share food if animals are hungry. |
C.Exposure to them develops kids’ love and curiosity. |
D.The same rule applies to visiting wildlife in their homes. |
E.Animals rely on plants for hiding; rocks and shells, for homes. |
F.Approaching animals disrupts what they do for survival, such as eating. |
G.Despite innocent purposes, kids’ curiosity accidentally damages the wild. |
The oceans can absorb 93 per cent of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases which humans release into the atmosphere. And the other 7 per cent
“If the ocean wasn’t absorbing as much heat, the surface of the land would heat up much
However, the ocean itself, as Discover Magazine noted, is heating up 40 per cent faster on average than the United Nations
1.垃圾分类的好处;
2.讲座具体时间和地点;
3.邀请学生参加。
参考词汇:垃圾分类garbage classification;
注意:
1.词数80左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
9 . About 12 million tons of plastic wastes are entering the oceans every year. This garbage pollutes the water, kills wildlife and breaks down into small pieces that fish and other creatures eat.
Now a group of Spanish fishermen will receive economic support to catch plastics. It is part of a new project. Carlos Martin is one of the fishermen taking part in the project. He and his partners collect the plastic in the ocean and bring it back to land every week. Martin thinks rivers carry a lot of plastics to the sea. He says his most concern is no more than that the plastics often get caught in the nets, which makes nets not work properly. They take on mud(泥), causing the nets to break because they weigh so much.
Under the new programs, one million pounds will support ocean cleanup efforts for fishermen like Martin. The money is coming from the European Union and the Catalan government. Sergi Tudela, the General Director of Catalonia Fisheries, is responsible for the cleanup project. He said, "We are hopeful that if we are successful in this project, we can apply it to other areas in the Mediterranean(地中海)."
Government reports show that the amount of plastic wastes washing up along the Spanish coastline has grown by 65 percent in just six years. Fishing equipment makes up a large part of the about 8 to 12 million tons of plastics left in the world's oceans every year.
Martin says the fishing community now understands how big the problem is. He says, "In the past we didn't see it that way. We took the plastic garbage and threw it back into the water. I think that after a few year here we have realized the problem. Nothing is thrown into the water; we collect everything and bring it to shore.
1. What worries Martin most about plastic wastes at the beginning?A.They pollute the sea environment. |
B.They affect the quality and taste of fish. |
C.They prevent the fishing nets from working well. |
D.They kill wildlife and reduce his fishing amount. |
A.Getting more money to support the project. |
B.Getting help from other European countries. |
C.Spreading the cleanup project to more places. |
D.Praising the European Union for their helping to the oceans. |
A.Its members do a lot of work for free. |
B.It has stopped using plastic fishing equipment. |
C.It has made positive changes to fight plastic wastes. |
D.Its members find people sill throw the garbage carelessly. |
A.New programs are changing fishermen's life |
B.Money is given to Spanish fishermen to clean up oceans |
C.Traditional fishing equipment causes a lot of plastic wastes |
D.Spanish fishermen are encouraging people to clean up oceans |
Saving nature is at the very heart of what we do as WWF, short for the World Wildlife Fund. For nearly 60 years, we
The good news is that some achievements have been witnessed so far. WWF has been part of
It is clear: we cannot afford to fail