Tibetan antelopes live on the plains of. They were hunted
I went to the Changtang National Nature Reserve to observe Tibetan antelopes along with my guide, Zhaxi,
In order
2 . Help Hermit Crabs
Hermit crabs are nature’s recyclers. They eat waste and help keep oceans and shores clean. Unlike other crabs, the hermit crab has a thin outer shell over its soft tail. This makes the hermit crab easy prey for hungry predators. Hermit crabs stay safe by living in old seashells. A hermit crab is picky; it tries on many shells until it finds one that fits just right. In recent years, however, many hermit crabs have had trouble finding their perfect homes. What is the problems There are not enough shells to go around!
One reason for the seashell shortage is that ocean water is not as clean as it once was. This has caused chemical changes to sea water. Some sea animals, like snails, are affected by these changes. Now there are fewer snails making shells. People visiting the beach often take shells home as souvenirs. This is another problem. Other people even take shells for their own pet hermit crabs! They do not realize that hermit crabs in the wild need those shells too.
Now people are working to solve this hermit crab housing shortage. They are teaching beach-Boers to leave seashells where they belong — at the seashore! Some people even make fake seashells that they hope the hermit crabs will like. For example, a group called Project Shelter invited people who visited their website to create different designs for hermit crab shells.
These designers had a lot to consider. What kind of material should be used to build a seashells. The material must be light enough for the hermit crab to carry, but strong enough to protect the crab from predators. The man-made shells could not contain glue or any other substance that might harm a hermit crab. Another challenge with building a hermit crab home was the opening to the shell. Too big would mean the crab would not feel safe. Too small would be uncomfortable, and the crab would not want to move in.
The Project Shelter shells are placed in the wild for hermit crabs to find. Lucky hermit crabs can move into these new dream homes.
1. Where can hermit crabs stay safe?| A．In different old seashells. | B．Behind the waste they’ll eat. |
| C．In their own thin outer shells. | D．Under the stones at the seashore. |
| A．The methods to recycle the wastes. | B．The ways to help the hermit crabs. |
| C．The materials of seashells. | D．The designs of websites. |
| A．man-made | B．perfect | C．hard | D．comfortable |
| A．The Project Shelter Group. | B．The shortage of the seashell. |
| C．New homes for hermit crabs. | D．The recyclers of the nature. |
3 . Thanks to Earth, we have fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink and warm sunshine to enjoy. But it seems that we may have taken these things for granted and not realized that our planet is getting “sick”.
Among those environmental challenges, global warming sits at the top. Global average temperatures have risen by more than 0.5℃since 1992.
Scientists say that we are experiencing the sixth mass extinction in history. More than two-thirds of the world’s wildlife could be gone by the end of the decade if action isn’t taken soon.
However, we have made some progress. That’s because we gradually stopped using chemicals that can break down ozone, a gas that protects Earth.
| A．The change is a big deal |
| B．Now, scientists have given us a warning |
| C．But this is not the only problem people are facing |
| D．We can make a big difference when we act right now, the letter says |
| E．Scientists also conclude that global warming will continue for centuries |
| F．Some rare animals, like black rhinos, might just appear in the pictures soon |
| G．All the countries in the world should take action on behalf off future generations |
Going green is more than just a fad (一时的流行). Understanding the link between a clean environment and human life is not a new concept. In fact, it was noticed as early as ancient Rome and medieval Europe. However, it was only in the late 1960s that environmentalism grew to become a political and grassroots movement, influencing ordinary people around the world.
The movement has been able to influence governments across the world to be responsible towards the environment in a variety of ways, such as limiting the burning of fossil fuels and managing how harmful waste is thrown away.
Fast-forward to today and we see how green-living has entered so many areas of our everyday lives, from choosing the appliances that use less water and energy to using reusable bags instead of plastic bags and even buying clothes made from recycled sources. For many of us, making small environmentally-conscious decisions, such as bringing a reusable container to take away food, is how we change our normal habits one step at a time. However, there is a growing community of people who embrace a zero waste lifestyle and make great changes to the way they live to reduce their carbon footprint.
Living a zero waste lifestyle means doing one's best to achieve the aim of not sending anything to a landfill (垃圾填埋场). People who adopt this lifestyle cut down on their waste by reducing what they need and want. They reuse what they own and send few things to be recycled.
Despite what this movement is called, experts say true zero waste is difficult to achieve. This is because waste unavoidably comes about whenever an item is created, transported or repurposed (改换用途), either through emissions or energy. The idea, really, is to change mindsets and habits to lessen our negative impact on the environment as far as possible.
| Going Green Origin: Date back to Impacts: Governments have been Ordinary people have been A growing tendency: unachievable because |
5 . Scientists in South Africa have found that ceramic (瓷的) nest boxes can protect endangered African penguins from climate change.
In the past, the penguins laid eggs in holes dug into centuries-old layers of their own droppings, most of which was shipped by traders to the United Kingdom as fertilizer (肥料) in the 1800s. Since then, many penguins have nested in the open, exposing their eggs and themselves to the burning heat.
Because penguins evolved to keep heat in cold water, they can easily overheat on land. Typically, penguins leave their nests regularly to cool off in the sea. But without proper holes, this leaves their eggs unprotected. Since 1900, the African penguin population has dropped from three million to only 48,000.
Fortunately, a team of researchers seem to have found a way. Over the past years, the team has put more than 1,500 handmade ceramic nest boxes in five areas where the penguins live, including Bird Island in Algoa Bay, South Africa, which is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining African penguins. Looking like small round houses, the double-walled ceramic nests can keep African penguins cool.
“The nests are so useful,” says Welman, a zoologist, “Even if adults had to leave nests for some reason, their eggs would never be at any risk of overheating.” Christina Hagen of Bird Life South Africa, who was not part of the study, says finding effective conservation solutions is important given the decreasing population of African penguins.
The main threat to African penguins is overfishing of anchovy and sardines, the penguins’ favorite food. Scientists and conservationists are pushing the South African government to close commercial fishing around the five African penguin breeding (繁殖) colonies until populations recover. But without protection from rising temperatures, those efforts alone may not be enough. Ceramic nests could help to give these beloved penguins a fighting chance.
1. What can we learn about African penguins from the passage?| A．They well adapt to high temperatures. |
| B．They are mainly threatened by pollution. |
| C．They are suffering a lot from overheating. |
| D．They have a population of over three million. |
| A．There is a vast population of African penguins. |
| B．It enjoys the best climate for African penguins. |
| C．African penguins there can nest in the open. |
| D．There are holes for penguins to lay eggs. |
| A．To allow the penguins to stay cool inside. |
| B．To protect the penguins from being hunted. |
| C．To provide a place for the penguins to rest. |
| D．To save enough room for the adult penguins. |
| A．Creating more nesting areas for the penguins. |
| B．Stopping people fishing where the penguins breed. |
| C．Introducing new species of fish for the penguins. |
| D．Providing man-made cooling facilities for the penguins. |
6 . Vicky Barlow is a volunteer for a non-profit environmental organization. She was overturning stones in a rock pool in Falmouth, England when something “extremely bright and unusual” caught her eye. Under a large seaweed-covered rock, she made a very rare find: a rainbow sea slug (蛞蝓).
Rainbow sea slugs are very uncommon in England — they’re usually found in warmer waters, such as those along the west coasts of Spain, Portugal and France. In fact, there have only been three previously documented sightings of the species in the UK. But those were all found by divers rather than rock poolers. “It’s a warm-water species but it looks as if it has arrived here,” said the sea biologist Ben Holt. He adds that waters around the UK have seen rapid warming due to climate change. By the end of the century, water temperatures in the UK will rise by more than 3℃.
Sea slugs are particularly useful in related research. Most sea slugs only live up to about one year, which means they can make a very quick response to the changes in water temperatures caused by climate issues. In Australia, climate scientists have been collecting information on sea slugs for over 10 years to record the species and learn about changes in their distribution (分布), including their arrival in historically cooler waters.
Around 3,000 species of sea slugs exist in waters worldwide. They mainly feed on seaweed and other sea slugs. Unlike snails, adult sea slugs don’t have shells to protect them from being eaten by hungry marine animals. Instead, many of them have formed bright colors to scare off their enemies such as sea turtles, starfish and crabs. Some species may even have the unusual ability to steal stinging cells (刺细胞) from animals they feed on and shoot them out when threatened.
Before sending it back where it came from, Barlow placed the sea slug in a pot to get a better look at its colors. “It is absolutely amazing that I could find it on our rocky coasts,” Barlow writes in her blog. “It’s a perfect example of the incredible wildlife we have on our doorstep.”
1. Why are rainbow sea slugs rare in England?| A．They prefer to live in deep waters. |
| B．Divers are unable to recognize them. |
| C．Rock pools are poorly managed here. |
| D．The environment is normally unfavorable. |
| A．They are important in studying climate change. |
| B．Their overall population continues to decrease. |
| C．They mostly choose to live in cooler waters. |
| D．Their sea habitats have been badly polluted. |
| A．Their survival abilities. | B．Risks caused by their colors. |
| C．Changes in their feeding habits. | D．Their common marine enemies. |
| A．Calm and peaceful. | B．Surprised and glad. |
| C．Curious and doubtful. | D．Shocked and worried. |
7 . Canada’s new Dark Vessel Detection program is using advanced satellite technology to find illegal fishing ships that attempt to steal fish from waters around the world. Illegal fishing is a major contributor to the decrease of fish and their habitat destruction.
It is said that illegal fishing accounts for about 30 percent of fishing activity worldwide. It means that u to 26 million tons of fish are caught at a cost to the global economy of more than $ 23 billion a year. Illegal fishing occurs both on the high seas and within the 200 mile limits of coastal states. It has an especially negative effect on coastal populations in undeveloped areas.
Now, the government’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada, in partnership with the Department of National Defense and MDA (Canada’s space technology maker), has started a new program that has already led to fines on five foreign ships. The $7 million Dark Vessel Detection program uses satellite technology to locate and track ships. Some illegal fishing ships have switched off their location transmitting (传输) equipment, in an attempt to avoid surveillance (监视) and control.
The program offers state-of- the-art satellite data to small island nations and coastal states around the world. The local economies of those places are often influenced by illegal fishing. Finding illegal fishing ships from space will allow these small island nations to focus on their investigations and protect their fish.
“Illegal fishing threatens the health of our fish population and takes resources (资源) away from hard- working, legal fishermen,” said Bernadette Jordan, the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, “This state -of the art system will help Ecuador and small island nations in the Pacific region deal with illegal fishing. Such illegal activity will do great harm to the Galapagos Islands and the food and economic security of its people,” she added.
1. What is the purpose of Canada’s new Dark Vessel Detection program?| A．To prevent sea pollution. | B．To assess the loss of fish farms. |
| C．To observe endangered fish species. | D．To protect the fish population worldwide. |
| A．The difficulties of undeveloped countries. | B．The slowdown in the global economy. |
| C．The seriousness of illegal fishing. | D．The general result of overfishing. |
| A．By speeding up their ships. | B．By finding remote fishing areas. |
| C．By hiding signals of their ships. | D．By fishing in the middle of the night. |
| A．Island nations tend to suffer food shortages. |
| B．The interests of legal fishermen are threatened. |
| C．The tracking system will be applied to more fields. |
| D．Stricter laws will be made for the fishing industry. |
8 . Plastic is everywhere in our modern world. Its toughness makes it an extremely useful material from household items to vehicle parts, but that same toughness makes it hard to break down for recycling or disposal (处理). However, Japanese scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a new plastic material that can be broken down more easily and can self-heal and remember past shapes.
Based on a kind of plastic called an epoxy resin vitrimer, which is brittle (脆性的), the new plastic has a huge range of advantages. Once scratched (刮划) with a knife, it can completely patch itself up after being heated to 150 ℃ for just 60 seconds. When shaped into the shape of a crane, then flattened, it can fold itself back into the crane shape by being heated up. It does all of this much faster than others of its type.
The new plastic can also break down easier. Even if it’s thrown into the environment, it still has less of a problem than other kinds of plastic, which the team demonstrated by placing it in seawater for 30 days. It biodegraded (生物降解) by 25% and released something that is eatable for ocean life.
The new plastic is more resistant to breaking. It can also repair itself, and can recover its original memorized shape. It even biodegrades safely in a ocean environment, according to Shota Ando, a researcher of the study.
The material can be used in a variety of applications. “Building materials for roads and bridges are often composed of epoxy resins mixed with compounds (化合物) such as concrete and carbon,” said Ando. “By using the new plastic, these would be easier to maintain as they would be stronger and healable using heat. Unlike conventional epoxy resins, this new material is hard but flexible, so it could also be expected to strongly bond materials of different hardness and stretch.”
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of the text. | B．To show the disadvantages of plastic. |
| C．To highlight the importance of plastic. | D．To show his views on previous plastic. |
| A．Change itself. | B．Destroy itself. | C．Repair itself. | D．Burn itself. |
| A．It is safe for animals in the ocean. | B．It is made up of concrete and carbon. |
| C．It can change its shape when frozen. | D．It is more brittle than previous plastic. |
| A．How to Make a New Plastic | B．An Interesting Scientific Study |
| C．The Widespread Application of Plastic | D．A New Environmentally Friendly Plastic |
9 . It will soon be possible to reduce common indoor air pollution using just a curtain. A mineral-based surface treatment enables this new curtain from IKEA to break down air pollutants when exposed to light. Air pollution is a global problem. According to WHO, around 90% of people worldwide breathe polluted air. It causes eight million deaths per year.
The Swedish furniture company hopes to reduce this number by producing an air-purifying (净化空气) curtain. It can increase people’s awareness of indoor air pollution. It can also change some people's bad habits and bring clean air to the world. The technology will be applied to other textiles (纺织品).
The curtain uses a technology that has been developed by IKEA suppliers over the last few years. The process, similarly to photosynthesis (光合作用), is activated by both outdoor and indoor light. It's important to work on products that solve actual problems. Textiles are used across homes. By enabling a curtain to purify the air, they are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution. Meanwhile, the home will become more beautiful.
For many years, IKEA has been reducing air pollution. They avoid using chemicals that release air. Last year, IKEA launched a campaign, aiming to turn rice straw—a rice harvesting remains that is traditionally burned and contributes heavily to air pollution—into a new renewable material source.
IKEA has also promised to become climate positive by 2030, reducing our overall climate footprint by 70% on average per product. The company has recently been praised for making their products made from renewable or recycled materials. In fact, IKEA has been working on positive change. It is their dream to enable people to live healthier lives.
1. What's special about the new curtain from IKEA?| A．It can purify air. | B．It can beautify the home. |
| C．It can block polluted air out. | D．It can carry on the photosynthesis. |
| A．It is a high-tech textile company. | B．It is a high-tech costume company. |
| C．It focuses on environmental protection. | D．It is an international environmental group. |
| A．Because of its economical materials. | B．Because of its environmental production. |
| C．Because it has made people live healthier. | D．Because it has developed a high-tech product. |
| A．A global problem. | B．A new explanation of photosynthesis. |
| C．An environmental company. | D．An air-purifying curtain. |
10 . Margaret is a famous climate activist (气候活动家). When she was thirty- two years old, she created an Egyptian charity organization called the Green Generation Initiative (倡议), which has been planting trees and countering the acts of cutting down the forests at will and climate change in the North African nation since 2013.
GGI’s primary focus is on developing young climate activists through environmental education in schools and addressing food unsafety in the area through planting fruit trees.
Over 120, 000 trees have been planted in Egypt since GGI’s start and they have recorded a survival rate of over 90 percent, while thousands of schoolchildren have chosen to plant trees to make sure that they learn the importance of acting as a guardian over the health of the environment.
Speaking to world leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Margaret issued a warning on the harm of climate change, “Over 1 million of my fellow Egyptians are facing climate related hunger. In 2024, half of the world’s population will be short of water. By 2030, the climate problem will make about 50 million people in Sub- Saharan Africa homeless.”
Margaret added, “I have been doing what I can. I was inspired by the great Maathai, who called on thousands of women and men to plant tens of millions of trees throughout Kenya. Her approach was practical and deeply ecological (生态的). She was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. I started a tree growing initiative that raised the awareness of food safety for young Egyptians. So far, we have grown 30, 000 fruit trees, providing badly needed food for thousands of children. We are the adults on the Earth right now, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the children have food and water.”
1. What does the underlined word “countering” in paragraph l mean?| A．Trying out. | B．Worrying about. |
| C．Passing on. | D．Fighting against. |
| A．To plant useful fruit trees at school. | B．To increase the survival rate of trees. |
| C．To deal with food unsafety in Egypt. | D．To raise enough money for a charity. |
| A．The great waste of water resources. |
| B．The serious impact of climate change. |
| C．The bad results of people’s going hungry. |
| D．The rapid growth of the world population. |
| A．Working for the Nobel Prize. | B．Expressing thanks to Maathai. |
| C．Being responsible for the future. | D．Making more children educated. |
