1 . The Coral Sea is home to an amazing variety of turtles, sharks, whales, dolphins, large fish, birds, corals, plants, and many other species. Many of these species are endangered elsewhere in the world, but still survive in the healthy environment of the Coral Sea.
The Coral Sea is a large series of coral reefs located off the northeast coast of Australia. This area is three times larger than Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef, which the Coral Sea borders.
The Coral Sea is one of the few coral reef environments that have remained largely undamaged by overfishing, oil and gas exploration and pollution. However, statistics show that coral reefs around the world are disappearing five times faster than rainforests. It is very likely that in the near future the Coral Sea will face the same threats to its existence.
The Australian government is currently looking at options for protecting the Coral Sea but has made no decisions. Environmentalists are pushing for laws to declare the Coral Sea area a marine protected area. This would mean a large “no-take zone” for fishermen, a no-exploration zone for gas and oil companies and a no-dump zone for pollution. This would make the Coral Sea a marine park larger than any in the world.
We can write letters to Australian leaders, Australian environmental protection agencies, and Australian friends, to let them know that people worldwide support this protection of the Coral Sea. To lose this last great marine wildness would be a loss for the whole world.
For more information, CLICK here please.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?| A．To teach people how to protect the Coral Sea. |
| B．To call for the public awareness to protect the Coral Sea. |
| C．To show the amazing features of the Coral Sea. |
| D．To explain the function of the Coral Sea. |
| A．The Coral Sea, home to many species, will disappear soon. |
| B．The Coral Sea is rich in oil and gas. |
| C．The Coral Sea is three times larger than Great Barrier Reef. |
| D．The Coral Sea will be a marine park larger than any in the world. |
| A．in a guidebook | B．on a website |
| C．in a science textbook | D．on a TV show |
| A．The reason for protecting the Coral Sea. |
| B．The way to protect the Coral Sea. |
| C．The location of the Coral Sea. |
| D．The money-raising for saving the Coral Sea. |
1.活动目的；
2.活动反响；
3.你的收获。
注意：
1.写作词数应为80 左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
A Campaign for Garbage Classification
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . The Monarch butterfly (帝王蝶) population has dropped to its second-lowest number on record in Mexican forests this winter. The forests are the insects’ winter home. The population decrease is worrying as the butterfly group is already considered at risk of disappearance.
Mexico’s government and the non-profit World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently issued findings of their yearly joint study on the butterflies. The research shows that the Monarch butterfly presence has decreased to less than a hectare (公顷) of forest area. In the mid-1990s, Monarch butterflies could be found on around 18 hectares of the forests. The findings represent an almost 60 percent decrease in the Monarch butterfly population compared to last year’s study. It is also the second-lowest population finding since the first study took place more than thirty years ago.
Biologists blame the drop on higher-than-usual temperatures and dry conditions in the northwestern U. S. where the butterflies lay eggs. The weather conditions affect the growth of milkweed, the plant where the butterflies lay their eggs. When the young arrive, milkweed is their food for a time. In one of the planet’s famous wildlife migrations (迁徙), the butterflies travel south as many as 4,500 kilometers from places as far north as Canada. They spend the winter in warmer Mexico, where millions of the insects stay in trees that protect them from the rain and cold.
Monarch butterfly populations change year to year. As recently as 2021, the same study showed a 35 percent increase to cover around 2.8 hectares. Officials and activists called for more action to help the species. Such calls include the need to reduce threats of destroying milkweed and the need to protect forests. “We can’t lower our guard,” Jorge Rickards, head of WWF’s Mexico office, told reporters after releasing the latest data.
1. What can be learned from the second paragraph?| A．The reasons for the Monarch butterfly population decrease. |
| B．The findings of the research on the Monarch butterfly population. |
| C．The efforts Mexico’s government and World Wildlife Fund have made. |
| D．The effects of the Monarch butterfly population decrease on the environment. |
| A．Habitat loss. | B．Human hunting. |
| C．Weather conditions. | D．Their natural enemies. |
| A．Plant milkweed. | B．Keep the species in a reserve. |
| C．Promote public education. | D．Watch over the forests. |
| A．The Monarch Butterflies Are a Threat to Other Insects |
| B．The Monarch Butterfly Population Decrease Is a Concern |
| C．Mexican Forests Are the Winter Home of the Monarch Butterflies |
| D．The Monarch Butterflies Often Suffer When Travelling to Spend Winter |
4 . In the Seychelles archipelago (塞舌尔群岛) in East Africa, flooding and erosion (侵蚀) caused by rising sea level pose an incoming threat to the country’s many low-lying islands. At the same time its mangrove forests (红树林), which serve as a vital aspect against these impacts, are disappearing: Approximately 70% of Seychelles mangroves have been destroyed since the late 1700s due to human-driven development and agriculture as well as soil erosion from sea-level rise.
Today the Seychelles Government is working with local community leaders to restore the mangroves, and not just for protection against rising sealevel. Research shows that these forests can store about 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 (equal to taking 500,000 cars off the road for a year), directly helping to fight climate change. They also provide a breeding ground for fisheries, a sector that contributes one-fifth of the country’s GDP, benefiting local communities’ livelihood and helping to protect the islands’ lively biodiversity (多样性).
While the concept of using nature to benefit both lives and lands is by no means new, global interest in “nature-based solutions” has skyrocketed in recent years. Many now see nature-based solutions as a key approach for addressing not only climate change but a range of social, environmental and economic challenges—from biodiversity loss, food security and air pollution to disease control and declining local economies.
Yet there remains widespread debate about what exactly constitutes a nature-based solution as well as how to best include these strategies into broader climate and conservation efforts. This indetermination has contributed to significant under-investment: It’s estimated that to limit temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees C (degrees F), hold back biodiversity loss and control land degradation (恶化), annual investments in nature-based approaches must be three times by 2030.
As nature-based solutions continue to rise on the global agenda, building a more consistent understanding around the concept and its implications will be key to raising support for effective, extensive solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
1. What do the first two paragraphs focus on?| A．The diversity of economy in East African. |
| B．The environmental protection in East Africa. |
| C．The disappearance of mangroves in East Africa. |
| D．The operation of nature-based solutions in East Africa. |
| A．Novel. | B．Effective. | C．Ruinous. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．500,000 cars are taken off the road. |
| B．Yearly investment increases by double. |
| C．The temperature rise is limited to below 2.7℃. |
| D．A conference on nature-based solutions is held. |
| A．What Exactly Are Nature-based Solutions? |
| B．Why Are Nature-based Solutions on the Rise? |
| C．How Can Nature-based Solutions Help Fight Climate Change? |
| D．What Are the Potential Weaknesses of Nature-based Solutions? |
5 . When photographer Chris Jordan first stepped onto Midway Atoll (中途岛) in 2009 to document “overwhelming” levels of ocean waste, little did he know that his striking image of a dead albatross (信天翁) chick would go viral and change the world’s response to the plastics crisis.
After hearing about an island covered in thousands of dead birds with stomachs full of everyday plastic items, he was determined to “find a unique way to photograph these birds indicating the severity of this environmental tragedy”. Though he never expected his images would go viral, his photos soon began appearing in magazines and newspapers all over the world. “Many people emailed me, expressing concerns and wanting to go to the island to save the albatrosses, but the plastic is not coming from this island. It’s a systemic problem,” says Jordan.
A recent report by WWF projects that plastic production is expected to more than double by 2040, resulting in plastic waste in the ocean four times by 2050. In 2010, 8 million tonnes of ocean plastic waste were from sources on land. That is the weight of some 650,000 double decker buses.
Jo Ruxton, the maker of the film A Plastic Ocean, says, “What makes Jordan’s photos resonate(共鸣)with people is that they recognize things in their daily use, and it’s when we see things that we actually use that makes people relate.”
“Every time I was with birds as they were dying, tears just poured. The grief was incredibly intense. Happily, things are improving — bans on everything from plastic micro beads in toothpaste to carrier bags have since come into force in various countries around the world. But for solutions, I believe the heart of this crisis lies in society’s disconnection between actions and their impacts on the environment and that a re-connection with nature and a raw appreciation for the world around us is what really drives positive change.” says Jordan.
1. What initially drives Jordan to Midway Atoll?| A．To support the ban on plastic items. | B．To record the environmental tragedy. |
| C．To create resonating images of plastic waste. | D．To photograph the amazing scenery of the island. |
| A．Reliable and determined. | B．Generous and responsible. |
| C．Creative and sympathetic. | D．Adventurous and intelligent. |
| A．Carrying out stricter bans on plastic products. |
| B．Strengthening education on environmental issues. |
| C．Advising using environmentally friendly materials. |
| D．Reestablishing the link between humans and nature. |
| A．The Photo: Making the Plastics Crisis Personal |
| B．The Method: Dealing with Marine Plastic Pollution |
| C．The Campaign: Restoring Our Relation with Nature |
| D．The Initiative: Fighting Against the Environmental Disaster |
6 . Imagine being able to pop to your local park and pick some tomatoes, potatoes or even bananas to take home for dinner. Sounds too good to be true, right? For residents (居民) of Andernach, German, it’s not just a dream — it’s their reality.
In 2010, Andernach began its edible (可食用的) city project that hadn’t been carried out before, planting 101 varieties of tomatoes in public green spaces around the city center. Its 30,000 residents are free to help themselves to whatever grows, as are any other visitors. The town’s motto of sorts is “Picking is encouraged — help yourself!” Every year a new type of plant is highlighted. In 2011, 100 types of beans were planted, while 2012 saw the introduction of 20 onion varieties. And it has become the phenomenon of the city.
It’s a community effort, as local citizens are encouraged to help plant and maintain the gardens. This offers an opportunity to socialize as well as to learn about planting, cultivating and harvesting food.
An Andernach resident spoke to DW,“I often drop by to pick some herbs that I’m missing at home. Everything is easily accessible. There aren’t any fences. You just take what you need. The only thing is that you have to be quick once the fruits are ripe or they’ll all be gone!”
Andernach may have been the first in German, but it isn’t the only edible city. It’s part of the Edible Cities Network, a project funded by European Union to connect green urban foot initiatives (方案) around the world. Other cities include Carthage in Tunisia, Havana in Cuba and Sempeter-Vrtojba in Slovenia. In February 2022, the first Edible Cities Network Conference took place. Dr Ina Saumel, principal investigator of the Edible Cities Network, called it “a unique opportunity to invite researchers of edible city solutions and practitioners all together.”
Ultimately, the Edible Cities Network aims to give people “greener, more edible and, above all, more livable cities.” It is a response to the pressures of global climate change, and a significant cause full of hope.
1. What can residents do in public green spaces according to the edible city project?| A．Sell the produce they grow there. | B．Learn something about dealing with people and planting. |
| C．Cook whatever plant as they like. | D．Pay to pick some vegetables and fruits there. |
| A．Creative and popular. | B．Conventional and costly. |
| C．Common and fundamental. | D．Rare and unacceptable. |
| A．Andernach is the only city to carry it out. | B．European Union originally established it. |
| C．It helps combine theories with practices. | D．It invites people to share meals together. |
| A．To help residents relieve their pressure. | B．To involve residents in urban planting. |
| C．To increase the produce supply in cities. | D．To create environmentally friendly cities. |
1. How does the woman deal with her old clothes?
| A．By throwing them as waste. |
| B．By donating them to a charity. |
| C．By putting them into the recycling box. |
| A．He likes to buy big furniture. |
| B．He often buys second-hand furniture. |
| C．His sofa has been changed three times. |
| A．The previous one was out of date. |
| B．The previous one was damaged by the lightening. |
| C．The previous one was destroyed by her children. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Annoyed. | C．Satisfied. |
8 . The Amazon rainforest is now alarmingly close to dying by 2030 due to climate change and forest loss, a WWF report warns. The world’s largest rainforest is now close to a “tipping point” (临界点) that could mean it changes forever, no longer benefiting humanity in dealing with climate change by absorbing greenhouse gases, the report says.
Deforestation in the Amazon reached a record high this year, as illegal trees cutting increased to the highest levels in 15 years. Between 13 to 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest area has already been lost in the past 50 years. The WWF report said an area of 1.4 million square miles of the Amazon has experienced a lack of rain, a constant dry season and deforestation, which could lead it to become degraded, turning to a dry land.
What’s worse, the “tipping points” could lead to irreversible (不可逆的) loss, including receiving less than 1500mm annual rainfall, a dry season of more than 7 months and deforestation of the area to reduce to just 20 percent of the original cover. The loss of the Amazon would further reduce the chances of alleviating (减轻) global warming as the areas’ trees take in enormous amounts of carbon dioxide.
“This paper sounds an alarm bell for humanity, revealing the threats of climate change and forest loss are pushing the world’s largest rainforest at risk,” Professor Gagen, lead author of the WWF report, added. “The evidence gives a serious warning that we need to take the tipping point risk seriously and act immediately to cut emissions, saving natural resources, and, most importantly, change the unconcerned attitude to forest loss which are sending people and our planet down a path to disaster.”
“Only by listening to the voices of Amazonia’s peoples and by preserving nature can we bring our world back to life,” Gagen said.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 1?| A．The Amazon rainforest will be faced with disappearance by 2030. |
| B．The Amazon rainforest is now being threatened mainly by natural disaster. |
| C．The Amazon rainforest crisis can be a sign that we may lose it in the next decade. |
| D．The Amazon rainforest can no longer benefit humans in dealing with climate change. |
| A．To show why deforestation happens. | B．To show how big the Amazon rainforest is. |
| C．To suggest what to do to stop global warming. | D．To explain how bad the current situation is. |
| A．Cutting down emissions right away. | B．Change the indifferent attitude to the problem. |
| C．Preventing natural resources going to waste. | D．Saving the Amazon from deforestation. |
| A．Ecology. | B．Psychology. | C．Philosophy. | D．Meteology. |
| A．The environment. | B．An activity. | C．A lifestyle. |
Two disabled Chinese citizens who have planted trees
The vote
Jia Wenqi and Jia Haixia, both of
“I am his hands; he is my eyes,” says Haixia. “We are good partners.”
Fully
Despite their disabilities, they form a great team that makes a huge
