1 . In the eyes of many environmentalists, the world appears to be getting worse. They believe, the natural resources are running out and the air and water are becoming ever more polluted. But if we check the facts, things look different. Energy has become more abundant, not less so. Fewer people are starving. What seems to cause this gap between perception and reality?
One factor is the prejudice in scientific research. Scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems. That may be wise policy, but it will also create an impression that there are more potential problems than actually exist.
Secondly, environmental groups seek attention from the mass media. They also need to get continuous financial support. Understandably, perhaps, they sometimes exaggerate (夸大) their arguments. In 1997, for example, the World Wide Fund for Nature issued a statement titled: “Two thirds of the world’s forests lost forever”. The truth turns out to be near 20%.
The media can add to confusion too. People tend to be more curious about bad news than good. Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants. That, however, can lead to significant misinterpretations. For example, when a natural disaster happens, the media usually highlights the negative parts, giving more attention to the disaster’s details and what happens afterward. This flood of bad news can make people think that such events are more frequent or serious than they actually are. Consequently, people may develop a sense of insecurity, despite statistically low probabilities of similar events happening to them.
Another factor is people’s poor perception. People worry that vaccines can cause severe side effects or long-term health problems. Despite extensive scientific evidence demonstrating their safety and effectiveness, some individuals remain hesitant due to unfounded fears.
It is crucial that we look at the facts if we want to make the best possible decisions for the future. It may be costly to be overly optimistic – but more costly still to be too pessimistic.
1. What aspect of scientific research does the writer worry about in paragraph 2?| A．The need to produce results. | B．The selection of research areas. |
| C．The lack of financial support. | D．The desire to solve research problem. |
| A．To show how influential the mass media can be. |
| B．To show how effective environmental groups can be. |
| C．To show how the mass media can help groups raise funds. |
| D．To show how environmental groups overstate their claims. |
| A．educate readers | B．mislead readers |
| C．meet readers’ expectations | D．encourage readers’ feedback |
| A．Making decisions based on reality. | B．Balancing optimism and pessimism. |
| C．Being optimistic to avoid costly mistakes. | D．Addressing the environmental crisis gradually. |
When Peter Sänger and Liang Wu got together, it
Their invention, the CityTree, acts as an air purifier, an interesting
The CityTree combines
The German green-tech start-up is now funded by the European Commission. A CityTree network of 15 brand new units will be set up and tested in a
3 . Fast fashion has been on the rise since the early 2000s.
●100 billion pieces of clothing are produced each year. To keep up with changing fashions, a large amount of clothing is produced every year — 100 billion pieces to be exact.
●
●Fast, cheap clothes mean poor working conditions for workers. Fast fashion is made by factory workers in developing countries. Often working conditions are poor:
As consumers (消费者), we can all play our part in reducing the environmental influence of the fashion industry. We should take care of our clothes to make sure that they last as long as possible.
| A．That’s almost 12 pieces for every human being on the planet. |
| B．There are low pay, poor safety rules, and long working hours. |
| C．Fast fashion has made new fashionable clothes more affordable. |
| D．The fashion industry uses a lot of water, about 93 billion m³ every year. |
| E．Where possible, we can repair our clothes instead of buying new clothes. |
| F．The fashion industry has become the second largest polluter of clean water. |
| G．Consumers keep buying and throwing away clothes and create unnecessary waste. |
4 . When glaciers melt, they leave behind infertile (贫瘠的) landscapes. But a new study found that within just three years, such exposed land was restored by llamas (美洲驼), whose activity enriched the soil and promoted plant growth. By the foot of Peru’s melting Uruashraju glacier, researchers partnered with local farmers to farm llamas on four specific plots. For three days a month from 2019 to 2022, the llamas grazed (吃青草) the plots, fertilizing them with waste and spreading seeds from droppings.
As is the case worldwide, glaciers are disappearing in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca mountains at an alarming rate. And as the ice melts, nearby ecosystems wither: They lose access to summertime supplies of freshwater and sometimes encounter harmful acidic minerals in rocks once covered by the glaciers.
Llamas may help count er some of these effects. Their transformation of the land, as seen in the new study, could reduce rock weathering and help the soil hold onto more dampness, thus limiting the acidic runoff that can poison farmers’ crops. Such pollution is one reason why local farmers partnered with the researchers. The animals’ behavior could one day even generate new grasslands as soil quality improves.
The idea that animal grazing may positively impact a landscape is not new. Nor is rewilding, the push to bring key species back to their native ecosystems, unique to the Cordillera Blanca mountains. In Finland, for example, the Indigenous Sami are working to reintroduce reindeer in deforested land, potentially restoring it. But the size and speed of the changes the llamas helped bring about surprised the researchers. From 2021 to 2022, the average amount of plant cover in the llama plots grew from about 9 percent to nearly 14 percent—faster than it did in four control plots. The research underscores the valuable roles animals play in shaping landscapes, says ecologist Kelsey Reider of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., “The animals themselves are doing a lot.”
1. What did the new study find?| A．Llamas could help improve ecology. | B．Llamas needed to be exposed to soil. |
| C．Llamas might survive poor situation. | D．Llamas were able to stop ice melting. |
| A．Expand. | B．Arise. | C．Integrate. | D．Worsen. |
| A．Because they longed to be more learned. |
| B．Because they profited from the research. |
| C．Because they wanted to keep llamas away. |
| D．Because they failed to know llamas’ behavior. |
| A．Llamas restore the forest in Finland. | B．Wildlife helps a lot in restoring nature. |
| C．The idea of rewilding isn’t common. | D．The research should collect more data. |
5 . For the past 13 years, Martin Burrows has been working as a long-distance truck driver. Spending up to five nights a week on the road can be a lonely business, leaving him with plenty of time to notice his surroundings. “I kept seeing more rubbish everywhere and it was getting on my nerves. I decided I had to do something about it,” he says. One day, he stopped his vehicle, took out a trash bag and started picking up the garbage. The satisfaction after clearing a small area was remarkable.
Before his time on the road, Burrows spent over two decades in the military as a vehicle driver. His service saw him stationed throughout Europe and also on tours in Afghanistan. After returning to civilian life, he was diagnosed with PTSD (创伤后应激障碍) and had a mental health crisis in 2017. His involvement in fundraising for Help for Heroes led him to meet a man who used model-building as a distraction from PTSD. Burrows realized that his act of roadside cleanup had a similar calming effect on his mental well-being.
By 2019, Burrows had begun using his free time on the road to regularly clean up garbage. A passerby encouraged him to set up a Facebook group, which he called Truckers Cleaning Up Britain. “I was worried I’d be the laughing stock of my town for putting videos and photos up of me cleaning but people started to join,” he says. “I was amazed. The local council stepped in and gave me litter-picking supplies and we’re up to almost 3,000 members now.”
Since truckers are so often on the move, the Facebook page acts as a means of raising awareness rather than a platform for organizing cleanups. Burrows expressed his intention to continue the cleanup efforts as long as his physical condition allowed, as he still found joy in the process.
1. What initially caused Burrows to pick up roadside garbage?| A．He wanted to kill time by picking up litter. |
| B．He aimed to raise fund for soldiers with PTSD. |
| C．He felt annoyed to see the increasing rubbish. |
| D．He received the assignment from his employer. |
| A．It resulted in his embarrassment. | B．It increased his sense of isolation. |
| C．It worsened his stress and anxiety. | D．It brought him comfort and relief. |
| A．He feared being teased for his action. |
| B．He was lacking in advanced cleanup tools. |
| C．He was unsure about the group’s development. |
| D．He worried about the local council’s disapproval. |
| A．A Joyful Volunteer Experience | B．A Trucker’s Cleanup Initiative |
| C．A Fighting Hero against PTSD | D．A Platform for Environmentalists |
6 . Joseph Dituri hasn’t seen the sun for days. The biomedical engineer has been underwater, with the goal of spending 100 days there in the name of
The submerged stay, if
During the project, Dituri is attempting to
Beyond research, the project is also a chance to promote ocean
“
| A．reputation | B．freedom | C．science | D．entertainment |
| A．publish | B．conduct | C．advertise | D．review |
| A．necessary | B．convenient | C．accessible | D．successful |
| A．forecast | B．document | C．imagine | D．relieve |
| A．extended | B．busy | C．early | D．essential |
| A．informed | B．persuaded | C．monitored | D．satisfied |
| A．sensitive | B．subjected | C．familiar | D．restricted |
| A．remember | B．realize | C．suppose | D．admit |
| A．cautiously | B．intentionally | C．fearlessly | D．groundlessly |
| A．costs | B．difference | C．practicality | D．benefits |
| A．make for | B．hold over | C．refer to | D．depend on |
| A．conservation | B．expansion | C．tourism | D．transport |
| A．dampen | B．express | C．stimulate | D．appreciate |
| A．Now that | B．In case | C．Provided that | D．Even if |
| A．win | B．burden | C．shame | D．lesson |
7 . For some people, October is Octobear. On October 5, Katmai National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska kicked off Fat Bear Week, when fans compare before and after photos of bears to vote for the one they think has gained the most weight before they bed down for the long freezing winter. Bear 747, also known as “Bear Force One”, took the first-place spot with 68,105 votes. It weighed around 1,400 pounds.
Fat Bear Week started in 2014.At first it was just Fat Bear Tuesday. Mike Fitz, a former park keeper at Katmai, noticed that live webcams showing the bears generated a lot of online comments, so he let people vote for their favorite fat bear on the Internet. The one-day event attracted 1,700 votes. In 2015, it was extended to a week. Last year, nearly 800,000 people got involved, turning it into a global campaign.
The contest serves two main purposes. First, some of America’s national parks are in remote and undeveloped areas, which are difficult or costly to reach. Fat Bear Week brings Alaska’s wilderness to fans’ computer screens. “It’s not limited to the fortunate few who can go to the river anymore, ”Fitz said.
Second, Fat Bear Week brings attention to the bears and the ecosystems they live in. The 2,200 bears of Katmai are strong for feeding on some of the healthiest salmon(三文鱼)in the world, said Sara Wolman, a former park keeper. Salmon in the Pacific Northwest are suffering from overfishing, dam construction and warming rivers due to climate change. Luckily, Brooks River, which Katmai’s bears like to fish in, has been free from these threats so far.
Fat Bear Week has spread like viruses. Fans and creators say it’s because it shows a conservation success story. For one week, people don’t have to focus on climate change or habitat loss. “Maybe things aren’t super great all the time in the world,” said Felicia Jimenez, who is a current Katmai keeper. “But there are some really fat bears in Alaska.”
1. Why did Bear 747 become the winner of Fat Bear Week in southern Alaska?| A．It gained the most pounds. | B．It was the heaviest. |
| C．It presented the best photos. | D．It was the most famous. |
| A．To show the popularity of fat bears. | B．To review the history of the event. |
| C．To praise Mike Fitz for his work. | D．To explain the role of live webcams. |
| A．They bring tourists to the park. | B．They face a population decline. |
| C．They remain difficult to be seen. | D．They have a stable food source. |
| A．Fat Bear Week: Conservation Is Joyful | B．Brown Bears; Winter Survival Is Crucial |
| C．Bear 747: A Fat Yet Healthy Champion | D．Katmai’s Bears: A Special Beauty Contest |
8 . The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by S02 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must care about the rise in pollution at the same time.
1. Why is our world becoming much smaller?| A．Thanks to the development of science. |
| B．Because of the rise in pollution. |
| C．Because the earth is being polluted day and night. |
| D．Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year. |
| A．Rubbish. | B．Water pollution. |
| C．Air pollution. | D．Noise pollution. |
| A．Because it’s bad for all living things in the world. |
| B．Because it makes much noise. |
| C．Because it has made our rivers and lakes dirty. |
| D．Because it makes us become angry more easily. |
| A．Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
| B．The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
| C．The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
| D．If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of S02. |
9 . Four Homes Built Using Everyday Objects
Can newspapers and bottles be used as building materials? The answer is yes.
Plastic Bottle Village, Bocas del Toro
One man’s trash (垃圾) is another man’s treasure. Truer words could not describe Robert Bezeau’s project which began in 2012. After collecting tens of thousands of bottles, Bezeau recruited (招收) a team of locals to construct a building using the unwanted materials.
The Bottle Houses, Cape Egmont, Prince Edward Island
The Bottle Houses on Prince Edward Island, Canada, are the creation of Edouard T Arsenault and his daughter Rejeanne. The father and daughter began construction in 1980 and opened the house to the public in 1981.
Earthship Biotecture, Taos, New Mexico
Michael Reynolds built his first Earthship when he was 23 years old. Started out with empty bottles. the Earthship is sustainable and easy to build. Earthship Biotecture offers nightly stays. Self-guided tours are also available (可获得的).
The Paper House, Rockport, Massachusetts
When Elis F. Stenman built his summer home in 1922, he turned to paper for materials. The design has proven to be quite durable (耐用的), as it’s still standing nearly 100 years later. The home has been open to visitors since the 1930s, and only began charging 10 cents per person in 1942 when it became a museum. Today visitors can experience the Paper House for themselves for $2 for adults and $1 for children.
1. When was the Plastic Bottle Village built?| A．In 1981. | B．In 2021. | C．In 2012. | D．In 1922. |
| A．In an Earthship. | B．In the Paper House. |
| C．In the Bottle Houses. | D．In Plastic Bottle Village. |
| A．$11. | B．$10. | C．$12. | D．$20. |
10 . Isatou Ceesay was born in 1972 in a small village in Gambia Africa. As a teenager, Ceesay was forced to drop out of school because of poverty. She carried some goods with many girls like her to sell in the market to raise herself. At that time, the plastic bags, being strong and light, became popular in Gambia. The problem was that people did not reuse the bags and simply threw them behind their homes. Over time, the houses were surrounded by trash.
Ceesay lived in such an environment for many years. She kept learning from the surrounding environment and planned to take action to change. In 1997, she started a recycling movement called One Plastic Bag in Gambia. She educated women in Gambia to recycle plastic waste into income for themselves. In the beginning, the movement had a mission to educate their village colleagues about the need to reuse garbage and recycle plastic waste, rather than letting the garbage increase behind their homes.
Over time, the movement became big and able to support and provide income for women around. It was also able to greatly reduce plastic waste in Gambia. But the work of collecting trash turned to be taxing. During the rainy season, plastic waste became wet and difficult to take, and after that it still took patience to dry it before it could be processed.
Ceesay said, “As a habit, people are used to pouring their garbage behind their houses, and because it is not visible, they forget it. But the bad effects again knock on your door very quickly-dirty air, various diseases and so on. Of course, if one man’s house is clean but his neighbor’s is not, then the man is also not healthy.”
For 17 years, Ceesay has contributed to one of the most important problems about the plastic waste. In 2012, she got the TIAW Difference Maker Award in Washington, D.C., United States. Her story was written into a book, which inspires many others to join or become makers of change in their own communities.
1. What can be learned about young Ceesay from Paragraph 1?| A．She gave up the chance of going to school. |
| B．She had many friends good at doing business. |
| C．She sold strong and light plastic bags to support herself |
| D．She lived in an environment heavily polluted by plastic waste. |
| A．It aimed to make full use of natural resources to get rich. |
| B．It was hard to carry on because of the shortage of workers. |
| C．It benefited both people’s economic situation and the environment. |
| D．It taught the villagers to replace plastic bags with handmade ones. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Pleasant. | C．Dangerous. | D．Successful. |
| A．Bad habits are hard to remove once formed. |
| B．Garbage problems contribute greatly to climate change. |
| C．Valuing the relationship between neighbors is important. |
| D．Dealing with plastic waste is a shared responsibility in communities. |
