3 . It was a turtle that changed Victoria Cairns, a headteacher from Derbyshire. She was ________ in Bali underwater when she saw one of the island’s famous ________ . It approached towards her in the crystal clear water, and she was ________ at first — until she saw the plastic bag in its mouth. She just thought the human was having a destroying ________ on the environment.

She set up anti-litter social media account to ________ awareness of the damage caused by ________ pollution. She regularly picks litter around her neighborhood. “She’s done amazing work keeping the area clean, tidy and beautiful,” says her friend.

Cairns keeps a litter picker in her car, and will frequently ________ on the way back from work to clean something up. When running, Cairns carries a portable litter picker in her backpack, and ________ rubbish on her cool-down walk.

“Some people don’t ________ things. There’s no value in a plastic bag, so they ________ it away, not into the bin but on the earth somewhere. It means they are doing it when people aren’t ________ , as they know it’s unacceptable.”

When she collects plastic bottles and carrier bags, it feels like a small act of care: this bag will not end up ________ a turtle’s mouth. It is a(an) ________ small act in the scheme of things, but it’s something.

Cairns makes a   ________ to her surroundings. She has been litter picking in the ________ near her house. “It’s so beautiful. You get a different perspective being on the water.” she says.

1.

A．skiing

B．running

C．diving

D．jogging

2.

A．sharks

B．turtles

C．whales

D．dolphins

3.

A．delighted

B．frightened

C．embarrassed

D．disappointed

4.

A．protection

B．impact

C．attack

D．dependence

5.

A．risk

B．learn

C．raise

D．lessen

6.

A．air

B．noise

C．water

D．plastic

7.

A．cheer up

B．give away

C．pull over

D．break down

8.

A．throws away

B．picks up

C．puts up

D．sorts out

9.

A．value

B．change

C．protect

D．store

10.

A．put

B．blow

C．take

D．throw

11.

A．working

B．thinking

C．noticing

D．wandering

12.

A．in

B．from

C．as

D．on

13.

A．frankly

B．extremely

C．anxiously

D．cautiously

14.

A．move

B．choice

C．decision

D．difference

15.

A．river

B．mountain

C．bus

D．forest

4 . Overlooking the Davis—Gant Varsity Soccer Field, a bed of overturned soil waits for further development. In a few years, this area will become a natural habitat and a playground for animals and residents. This peaceful area didn’t appear naturally, but through planning and action taken by Catlin Gabel’s Tiny Forest project launched by teacher Patrick Walsh.

Forests typically take hundreds of years to mature, with four stages of growth. “Tiny forests flatten out time through the planting of all four layers (层),” Walsh explained. The end result is a fast-growing, native forest in about 20 years. Over 600 plants from 43 species will be planted in the tiny forest, the first one in Oregon.

Walsh was inspired to build a tiny forest after hearing about this idea, which emerged in Japan and has taken hold in North America. He shared his vision with seniors in his class. The seniors researched tiny forests and made a proposal resulting in Clean Water Services donating 60 trees and $5,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Armed with these resources, Walsh and the students started working. “Something I didn’t really expect was the outpouring of students’ enthusiasm. Seeing students from all grades volunteered to contribute to the ‘dirty work’ really blew me away,” Walsh said.

Senior Megan Cover has been at the school since the first grade. “I’ll graduate after working on this project, which is surely sad, but it’s really rewarding and great to be a part of this project and to do my bit. We’re creating this educational space for many young kids,” Cover said.

Walsh summed up his goal of the project, which is to build a place where students can enjoy and learn about nature. “The forest will obviously not solve climate change, but it will deserve the efforts if the kids think about climate change and remember the importance of reforestation and trees when they look outside at the forest.”

1. What is special about tiny forests?

A．They originated in North America.	B．They are usually planted in schools.
C．They contain various types of trees.	D．They become mature in a shorter time.

2. What surprised Walsh in the process of planting the tiny forest?

A．The abundance of native tree species.	B．Public concern about the environment.
C．The active participation of students.	D．Support from local organizations.

3. How does Megan Cover feel about the project?

A．Proud.

B．Regretful.

C．Grateful.

D．Disappointed.

4. What does Walsh want the forest to function as for the students?

A．A model.

B．A reminder.

C．A resource.

D．A witness.

6 . Where did the idea of “white bikes” come from? In the 1960s, a group of cycling fans came up with an idea. They believed that it would be better for everybody if cars weren’t allowed in the city centre and only bicycles were. They were hopeful that this would help to save energy, reduce pollution and provide free public transport. The group painted hundreds of bicycles white and placed them in many areas around Amsterdam for people to use. Anyone was allowed to take them and use them for short journeys. People would leave the bike in the place where they finished their journey, so that someone else could then take it and use it from there. Soon after, however, problems came up and the “white bikes” all disappeared — thieves stole them all in a matter of weeks!

Why did the group come up with the idea of “white bikes”?

A．To ensure traffic safety.	B．To reduce transport costs.
C．To encourage physical activity.	D．To promote green transport.

7 . Coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are a unique ocean ecosystem consisting of rocky structures mainly formed by coral animals and some other ocean life. Despite only covering 0.2 percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs support at least 25 percent of marine species, as well as providing food and economic security for hundreds of millions of people.

However, coral reefs across the world are under threat. Warmer oceans can cause the coral bleaching(漂白). It happens when the corals lose colored algae(海藻) living in their bodies and turn completely white. Without the algae, the corals lose their main food source and can die. In addition, as oceans become more acidic(酸性的) from absorbing CO₂, corals in acidic conditions become weak in forming reefs.

In 2021, the United Nations reported a 14 percent loss of corals across the world largely from rising sea temperatures in the previous 13 years. Australia declared mass bleaching events in 2022 across large parts of the Great Barrier Reef, four times since 2016. Data from the Philippines showed higher than usual ocean temperatures between 2015 and 2017 had caused a serious three-year bleaching events in reefs across the planet.

Scientists have been cooperating to see how coral reefs can be protected. Thankfully, they find those coral reefs in the hot parts of the globe are the worst affected. They contain corals with better heat resistance. So their research focus on finding genes(基因) for heat tolerance so that they can be passed on to future generations. Biologists also mix corals that are more resilient to higher temperatures with those that are not and the resulting generation has a better chance of survival.

Ultimately, scientists add that without a serious reduction in greenhouse gas, 99 percent of the world’s coral reefs will be gone by the end of the century. There is a limit to how quickly corals can adapt warm climate, but if temperatures rise rapidly, then extinction is certain.

1. Which is the main threat to coral reefs?

A．Declining ocean acidification.	B．Loss of colored algae.
C．Increasing sea temperatures.	D．Lack of food source.

2. What do we know from paragraph 3?

A．No actions are taken to protect coral reefs.	B．Coral bleaching is the worst in Australia.
C．Coral reefs have grown rapidly for years.	D．Coral reefs receive impacts globally.

3. What can be the basic way to protect coral reefs?

A．Lowering emission.	B．Transplanting them to the hot parts.
C．Relying on genes science.	D．Limiting their spread.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．Where Are Coral Reefs Spread?	B．How Can Coral Reefs Survive?
C．Coral Reefs, A New Threat To Ocean Life	D．Coral Reefs, A Busy Underwater Community

10 . After years of heated debate, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Fourteen wolves were caught in Canada and transported to the park. By last year, the Yellowstone wolf population had grown to more than 170 wolves.

Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and much of the continental United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had practically disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around.

The disappearance of the wolves had many unexpected results. Deer and elk populations — major food sources (来源) for the wolf — grew rapidly. These animals consumed large amounts of vegetation (植被), which reduced plant diversity in the park. In the absence of wolves, coyote populations also grew quickly. The coyotes killed a large percentage of the park’s red foxes, and completely drove away the park’s beavers.

As early as 1966, biologists asked the government to consider reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park. They hoped that wolves would be able to control the elk and coyote problems. Many farmers opposed the plan because they feared that wolves would kill their farm animals or pets.

The government spent nearly 30 years coming up with a plan to reintroduce the wolvers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully monitors and manages the wolf packs in Yellowstone. Today, the debate continues over how well the gray wolf is fitting in at Yellowstone. Elk, deer, and coyote populations are down, while beavers and red foxes have made a comeback. The Yellowstone wolf project has been a valuable experiment to help biologists decide whether to reintroduce wolves to other parts of the country as well.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Wildlife research in the United States.

B．Plant diversity in the Yellowstone area.

C．The conflict between farmers and gray wolves.

D．The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park.

2. What did the disappearance of gray wolves bring about?

A．Damage to local ecology.

B．Preservation of vegetation.

C．A decline in the park’s income.

D．An increase in the variety of animals.

3. What is the author’s attitude towards the Yellowstone wolf project?

A．Doubtful.

B．Uncaring.

C．Positive.

D．Disapproving.