1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式.并将答案填写在答题卡上

In downtown Xiamen, Fujian Province, a 6-meter-high mound(土堆) that stretches for 60 to 70 meters stands in contrast to the high-rise     1    (construction) all around. It is a vital place for the blue-tailed bee-eaters. Now they are under second-level state     2     (protect).

The blue-tailed bee-eater, or Merops philippinus, is known for its colorful plumage and on the Chinese mainland it     3     (find) in coastal provinces, such as Fujian and Hainan.

    4    (establish) in 2011 as Xiamen’s inaugural city-level nature reserve in an urban area, the Wuyuanwan Nature Reserve provides     5     crucial habitat for the species.

In recent years, with improved environmental conditions in Xiamen and the city government’s commitment    6     nature conservation, the blue-tailed bee-eaters have become regular visitors.

In 2015, the center     7     (observe) some 70 to 80 birds in the area while in 2023, over 200 of the birds were watched at the nesting site.

The birds,     8     are sensitive to smell, build a new nest every year. Therefore, the mound must be cleared and refilled after the blue-tailed bee-eaters fly south.

    9     (safeguard) their habitat better, the city government issued a notice in 2017, setting up a protective zone around the nesting site, where noise and pollution-producing industries are prohibited     10     (strict).

The 13-year experience of preserving blue-tailed bee-eaters has given the center a grasp of their habits and made the Wuyuanwan Nature Reserve a stable home for them.

2 . Bioluminescence (生物发光) is a natural phenomenon wherein a chemical reaction within an organism’s body produces light. It can be found in many places in nature — fireflies, some mushrooms — but mostly in the deep sea.

Recently, Rambouillet, a small historic French town, has teamed up with a company called Glowee to turn the city into a full-scale bioluminescence laboratory. The goal is to change the way in which cities use light. The company uses marine (海的) bacteria harvested from the coast of France. It makes some of the town’s public light up in the cool blue of bioluminescence.

These bioluminescent bacteria are stored in a seawater filled tube, giving the bacteria room to float around and light up. The light provided by the bacteria is part of their natural metabolism, so producing the light requires no energy other than that which is needed to feed the organisms. This makes it much more environmentally friendly and sustainable than electric light, which consumes a huge amount of non-renewable energy.

“On the way to lighting up the world with bioluminescence, you have to feed the bacteria and add water as they grow. That’s not so easy. The phenomenon will be very temperature-dependent and I doubt that it will work in the winter. Also, bioluminescence is not very bright compared to electrical lighting, though they have improved the light intensity,” Carl Johnson, a professor from Vanderbilt University said.

One potential solution to these issues — and one that Glowee is looking into — is to remove the biological aspect of the whole process. Theoretically, luciferase (荧光素酶) can be removed from the bacteria and used to create light instead of the bacteria itself. Because luciferase is non-living, it doesn’t need to be fed. Creating new means of sustainable lighting is a way of being environmentally friendly without plunging the earth back into darkness.

1. What do we know about Glowee?

A．It is an ancient laboratory in France.

B．It solves power shortages in coastal cities.

C．It adopts bioluminescence as a light source.

D．It feeds marine organisms to produce chemicals.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly focus on?

A．The reasons for energy waste.

B．The advantages of the marine bacteria as light.

C．The living conditions of the bioluminescent bacteria.

D．The difficulties of storing bioluminescent organisms.

3. What does Carl Johnson convey in his words?

A．The bacteria work more efficiently under low temperatures.

B．It will cost too much to improve the luminescence intensity.

C．The application of bioluminescence enjoys a bright prospect.

D．The development of bioluminescence faces many challenges.

4. What could be the best title of this text?

A．A Historic Town Lit up by Nature

B．The First Zero-carbon City in the World

C．A Reform of Producing Electricity in Cities

D．The Discovery of Luciferase in Marine Bacteria

3 . Chaudhary weaves (编织) together lengths of rope and grass collected from the nearby riverbank in her village, skillfully shaping the materials into a gift box while instructing a group of women to follow suit.

The ropes being used were once the lifeline for mountain climbers tackling Nepal’s mountains and were then cast away. Diverse measures to remove such discarded materials have rocketed since 2019, when the government launched Clean Mountain Campaign.Around 140,000 tons of waste were collected on Mt. Everest alone, which were handled accordingly, either securely buried or recycled.

Some waste is now finding fresh life, transformed by skilled hands like Chaudhary’s into items to sell, thanks to an initiative led by Acharya, an owner of a waste processing business and an advocate for sustainable waste management. She has been working with the cleaning campaign, aiming at mountains like Mt. Everest.

“Metal waste goes through the recycling process, but we weren’t capable of recycling these ropes and cooking gas cans,” Acharya says. It didn’t occur to her that the waste which couldn’t be recycled could be reused until she met Rai at an art exhibition and a solution emerged.

Rai, a businessman dealing in craftworks, helped connect Acharya with Chaudhary and her team of craftswomen in hopes of unlocking the economic value of the mountain waste. With flexible hours, the project gives the craftswomen an opportunity to earn money even as they maintain their household responsibilities.

“While this seems insignificant compared to waste in the mountains, it’s a start. We can’t supply sufficient raw material with waste sorting and cleaning processes taking plenty of time and money,” Acharya says, desperate to expand the program to involve more women and treat more waste. But progress has been slow. “We need investment to mechanize the cleaning and processing of waste in the initial phase to provide the crafting team with enough materials to meet their demand,” she adds.

1. What were the ropes mentioned in paragraph 2 initially intended as?

A．Tools for tying up weeds.	B．Villagers’ basic necessities of life.
C．Raw materials tor unique artworks.	D．Life-saving devices for mountaineers.

2. What inspired Acharya’s resolution of non-recyclable waste?

A．A journey to the rural area.	B．An encounter with a trader.
C．Information from a product launch.	D．Attendance at an academic conference.

3. What does Acharya expect to do based on the last paragraph?

A．Train more senior technicians.	B．Obtain a better reputation.
C．Drop waste washing procedures.	D．Bring in advanced equipment.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Chaudhary: An Eco-Minded Folk Artist

B．Nepali Women Are Turning Garbage into Crafts

C．Clean Mountain Campaign Has Already Taken Effect

D．A Headache: Mt. Everest Is Heavily Littered with Waste

4 . During the 20th century, an estimated 3 million great whales were hunted to provide humans with oil, meat and rose fertiliser. Roger Payne, a biologist and environmentalist, spurred (推动) a worldwide environmental conservation movement with his discovery that whales could sing.

This discovery was made in 1967 during his research trip to Bermuda (百慕大) when a navy engineer provided him with a recording of curious underwater sounds documented. Payne identified the tones as songs whales sing to one another and he was conscious from the start that whale song was to get the public interested in protecting an animal previously considered little more than a resource, curiosity or nuisance.

Payne saw the discovery of whale song as a chance to spur interest in saving the giant animals, who were disappearing from the planet. In 1970, Payne released the album Songs of the Humpback Whale. The record, a surprise hit, fueled a global movement to end the practice of commercial whale hunting and save the whales from extinction. It remains the bestselling environmental album in history.

The impact of the whale song discovery on the early environmental movement was immense. Many antiwar protesters of the day took on saving animals and the environment as a new cause. The humpback whale became the icon of a new environmental awareness. And the whales entered pop culture, no longer the fearsome beasts. In 1977, the whale calls were loaded on to the Voyager probes and sent into outer space.

Payne, graduating from Harvard University and Cornell University with a doctor’s degree, authored or co authored dozens of scientific papers, gave hundreds of lectures, made countless television programmes and films, and led 100 oceanic expeditions. Payne had started an ambitious new project: CETI, a combination of scientists using new technology to interpret what whales might be “saying”.

1. What caused the decline of the whale population in the 20^th century?

A．Habitat loss.	B．The climate change.
C．Uncontrolled hunting.	D．The ocean pollution.

2. What was the purpose of releasing the album of whale songs?

A．To boost interest in protecting whales.	B．To satisfy people’s curiosity about sea.
C．To achieve great commercial success.	D．To earn a reputation as a researcher.

3. Which of the following can best describe Roger Payne?

A．Considerate.	B．Accomplished.
C．Courageous.	D．Patient.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The conservation of ocean environment.

B．Efforts to awake public ocean awareness.

C．A high-tech way to document whale tones.

D．A whale protection campaign by a biologist.

5 . Sri Nihal Tammana, age 13, of Edison, New Jersey, was named a winner of the 2022 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders who have made a significant positive impact on people, their communities, and the environment.

Nihal founded Recycle My Battery to promote and facilitate the recycling of used batteries. His nonprofit places free battery recycling bins(箱子)and educates young people and adults about battery recycling. In just three years he has built a team of more than 250 student volunteers across the globe who have recycled nearly 200,000 batteries and educated millions of people. Nihal learned at age 10 that 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year and that most end up in landfills(垃圾填埋地)where they pollute groundwater, harm the ecosystem, and can cause catastrophic fires. Inspired to tackle the problem, he began collecting used batteries from his community. He put them in free recycling bins at stores like Staples until he was told he was bringing too many and had to stop.

Undeterred, he reached out for help from Call2Recycle, the largest battery recycling nonprofit in North America. Call2Recycle agreed to assist and provided recycling bins for free, which were placed in schools, libraries, and other public places. Nihal’s organization now operates across the U.S. and is expanding to other countries including Canada, Switzerland, and India. “Earth gives us so much — oxygen, food, water — everything! So it’s important that we give something back when we can,” says Nihal.

The Barron Prize was founded in 2001 by author T. A. Barron. “Nothing is more inspiring than stories about heroic people who have truly made a difference to the world,” says T. A. Barron. “And we need our heroes today more than ever. Not celebrities, but heroes — people whose character can inspire us all. That is the purpose of the Barron Prize: to shine the spotlight on these amazing young people so that their stories will inspire others.”

1. What does Recycle My Battery intend to do?

A．Protect the earth from used batteries.	B．Promote used batteries across the globe.
C．Make money by collecting used batteries.	D．Stop people throwing used batteries away.

2. What does the underlined word “Undeterred” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Undiscouraged.

B．Unprepared.

C．Unsurprised.

D．Uninterested.

3. How did Call2Recycle help Nihal’s organization?

A．By making it go global.	B．By offering free recycling bins.
C．By providing financial support.	D．By buying more used batteries.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The importance of recycling batteries.

B．The impact of batteries on the environment.

C．The achievements of the Barron Prize winners.

D．The inspiring story of a young environmentalist.

6 . From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the orange gardens of Seville, urban planners down the ages have taken inspiration from nature. And those living in the concrete and brick jungle have perhaps never appreciated green space more than during the covid-19 pandemic. During lockdowns, citizens have found parks and gardens an unexpected source of calm and joy.

The evidence of positive effects from nature includes studies on specific psychological conditions.     1     It can promote positive social interactions and even help generate a sense of meaning to life. Being in green environments boosts various aspects of thinking, including attention, memory and creativity. Equally healthy natural spaces provide us with a whole range of essential “ecosystem services” for free.     2    

The evolving understanding of nature’s broad health benefits, plus our ongoing pandemic experience, is a big urge to build the green cities.     3     The Million Trees Los Angeles initiative and an ambitious greening programme in New York are the inspiring examples in the US.

    4     Most urban growth in the next decades will occur in developing nations. China encourages the building of parks, green spaces and wildlife passageways in many cities. Admittedly, developing countries face many challenges in building greener cities, but they can learn from the mistakes already made in older-growth cities in the West.

    5     It is important to make green spaces multipurpose so they meet a variety of needs. Biologist Gretchen Daily, at Stanford University, has pioneered the concept of ecosystem services as a way of evaluating the benefits nature provides and factoring these values into economic decision-making. She also favours combining more natural elements into the built environment, such as green roofs, and even designing buildings that imitate patterns found in nature.

A．How to build green cities is a problem.

B．What does an ideal green city of tomorrow look like?

C．Actually, the trend for urban greening has already begun.

D．This isn’t just a phenomenon in developed countries, either.

E．Clean air and water, nutrient recycling and flood defence are the bonuses.

F．Access to nature can improve sleep, reduce stress and increase happiness.

G．It has a huge impact on people’s perceptions of their health and well-being.

7 . It is late autumn—millions of gardeners across the northern hemisphere, pulled on their thickest sweaters, spent hours clearing large piles of leaves and packed them into plastic bags at the end of driveways.

In the US alone, nearly 10 million tonnes of garden waste go to landfill every year. That is a large amount of effort, not just from an environmental viewpoint but from that of our aching backs, too. So where does this advice come from? Well, it largely comes from the belief that thick fallen leaves can make plants under them unable to breathe, especially shorter grass. They shut down important photosynthesis (光合作用) and get in the way of the growth of the shorter grass. However, this received wisdom has recently been questioned by researchers at Wisconsin University.

The key finding of their new research was that although clearing fallen leaves is one of the most common gardening practices, it makes very little sense. In natural ecosystems, fallen leaves help return nutrients necessary for healthy plant growth to the soil, which greatly improves soil condition. Removing leaves year after year breaks this ecological (生态的) balance. Letting some leaves stick around to cover your garden is a great way to help your grass and the local ecosystem.

They further explained that if up to 50percent of your grass lawn (草坪) is covered by fallen leaves, you might as well go back indoors and put your feet up. The advantages of this light leaf coverage far outweigh the disadvantages—the leaves will quickly break down and help next year’s lawn grow far better than if you had cleared them. Only at over 50 percent coverage do the Wisconsin researchers recommend clearing.

So why not consider leaving the leaves? Save time, carbon and effort, and in exchange get a healthier lawn from this garden waste—that seems like a pretty good deal. And how many plastic bags could be saved by simply not binning fallen leaves every year? In the US alone, about 700 million.

1. What does the author describe in paragraph 1?

A．An amazing autumn game.	B．A common sight in gardens.
C．A hot attraction in the north.	D．An extreme weather event.

2. What is the received wisdom?

A．Fallen leaves need not be cleared.

B．Fallen leaves protect shorter grass.

C．Fallen leaves block photosynthesis.

D．Fallen leaves are hard to break down.

3. The new research finds clearing fallen leaves makes little sense, because ________.

A．it ruins city image	B．it breaks gardening rules
C．it affects local economy	D．it causes ecological damage

4. What’s the author’s attitude to Wisconsin University’s study?

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Unclear.

D．Worried.

8 . This past summer I set out on a journey to Canada’s Arctic. When I left I was wrapped in a blanket of uncertainty and ______.

But when I first met the group members, I knew I didn’t have anything to ______. The group was amazingly ______ and I was soon part of a big family boarding on an amazing ______!

Approaching the Arctic, I was repeatedly ______ with its unusual largeness and its beauty. There I flew over vast glaciers (冰河) and stood on the frozen Arctic Ocean, ______   polar bears walk in search of seal holes, and _______ wait for a meal.

However, I also learned the pollutants carried by ocean from far away have a negative ______ on all Arctic inhabitants. And global warming has put polar bears at ______ because a warmer climate means that they have a shorter time to ______ seals on the ice.

During the journey, I talked with some ______ scientists about the ruins of homes once ______ by the ancient Thule people. I made good friends with people from different parts of world.

The Arctic is a land of incredible beauty which ______ to be preserved. I’ve learned why it is so important to ______ it. This journey has made me more determined to try to ______ that I do not leave negative or harmful footprints on either Earth or its people.

1.

A．relief

B．anxiety

C．pride

D．argument

2.

A．put up

B．prepare for

C．give up

D．worry about

3.

A．easy-going

B．well-behaved

C．sensitive

D．flexible

4.

A．failure

B．performance

C．adventure

D．conflict

5.

A．embarrassed

B．ashamed

C．amused

D．shocked

6.

A．watching

B．organizing

C．noticing

D．guessing

7.

A．painfully

B．patiently

C．unconsciously

D．doubtfully

8.

A．source

B．reaction

C．effect

D．development

9.

A．rest

B．ease

C．peace

D．risk

10.

A．hunt

B．explore

C．help

D．meet

11.

A．demanding

B．learned

C．modest

D．rigid

12.

A．classified

B．decorated

C．confused

D．occupied

13.

A．promises

B．benefits

C．deserves

D．intends

14.

A．take care of

B．make use of

C．run out of

D．became tired of

15.

A．deny

B．ensure

C．argue

D．overlook

9 . A couple has recently placed their garbage can out for collection for the first time in 14 months, all thanks to their recycling skills. Richard and Louise Arnold have established such an effective routine that they only need to put their garbage can on the side of the street once a year.

Louise explained that making small monthly changes in her life has resulted in her family producing very little waste. She said, “It’s not as difficult as you might think if you start with small steps. We began with soap, switching from bath cream to natural soap without packaging. These bars are large enough that we cut them in half, using one for the sink and the other half for the shower. It’s both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.”

“So it’s actually quite easy. Just go around your house and think of little things you can do gradually, and you’ll start noticing the difference,” Louise added. Currently, the couple takes recyclable waste to the tip, donates clothes to charity shops, and brings soft plastics and batteries to a shop that accepts them.

In 2017, the couple established No Waste Living, which initially started as a weekend stall at the local market and has since developed into a website. Louise regularly writes a newsletter for her hundreds of subscribers. They also started selling eco-friendly products, ranging from non-chemical household cleaning and washing solutions for a “less toxic home” to bamboo washing-up brushes. Louise mentioned, “I started No Waste Living because I wanted to show our achievement s and lead by example.”

Although the family occasionally faces criticism, Louise remains determined. She said, “The main point of contention(争论) for people regarding new waste rules is having to drive their waste to a recycling center, which adds to their already busy lives. However, in the long run, you will create more space in your home, save money, and spend less time dealing with garbage cans.”

1. How did the couple start their waste reduction journey?

A．By replacing small soaps with large ones.	B．By using a small amount of bath cream.
C．By using unpackaged soap bars.	D．By recycling soft plastics and batteries.

2. Why did the couple found No Waste Living?

A．To bring eco-products to market.	B．To inspire others to follow in their footsteps.
C．To treat recyclable waste from the neighborhood.	D．To answer the call of their subscribers.

3. Why do some people dislike new waste rules?

A．They mean more work to deal with garbage.

B．They increase the cost of garbage collection.

C．They establish a set time for waste management.

D．They limit the daily amount of garbage for collection.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A business - minded couple.	B．The “less poisonous home” concept.
C．The global trend in recycling.	D．A planet- friendly lifestyle.

10 . If you’re looking for something fun to do, pack a picnic dinner and take your family or friends to a beautiful place to eat. However, there’s a wrong trend to view picnics as an excuse to transport food in single-use plastic containers. Sure, it means the cleanup is easy at the moment, but it just puts it off to a later point, when it takes the form of volunteer cleanups and landfill management.     1     What follows is advice on how to pack such a picnic.

●Use food containers smartly

Using reusable containers is the easiest way to reduce waste.     2     For example, to reduce packaging, you can take along things like a loaf of bread, a whole watermelon, whole vegetables, a knife and a board to cut your food when you’re ready to eat. It doesn’t all have to be done and sealed (密封) before you leave the house.

●Choose real cutlery (餐具)

Using washable dishes and cutlery for a picnic does not require much more work than single-use ones.

You’d have to carry the waste out anyway in a trash bag, so why not pack your dirty plates and cutlery into a bag and put them in the dishwasher at home?     3    

●Think about the drinks

Forget the single-use, single-serve drink bottles.     4     Fill a large thermos (保温瓶) or personal water bottles with water, juice or lemonade at home. Compared with a single-use plastic cup, they have the added advantage of keeping your drinks colder for longer.

●Put cloth bags to good use

Cloth bags are amazing. I use them for so much more than just buying food at the store. They’re perfect for packing sandwiches, dried or whole fruit, and other snack foods. You can use them to pack glasses or plates to prevent breaking. They can also work as a napkin, tea towel, or trash bag if needed.     5    

A．Be sure to add a few to your picnic basket.

B．There are some healthy dishes you can make or buy.

C．To avoid this, a plastic-free picnic can be a brilliant idea.

D．If you’re worried about breaking, take some light camping plates.

E．Instead, just bring along a cloth tablecloth to spread on the ground.

F．These create a huge amount of waste, which can be easily avoided.

G．In addition, keep in mind that you don’t have to pre-pack everything.