1 . As environmental concerns continue to increase, many people are left wondering how they can balance the need to travel with the need to protect the planet. One particular dilemma that has received significant attention is air travel.
Air travel is known to be one of the most carbon-intensive forms of travel. According to a report by the European Environment Agency, aviation (航空) is responsible for around 3% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and that number is expected to grow in the coming years. In addition, aircraft contribute to other types of air pollution, such as particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.
For environmentalists who advocate for reducing our carbon footprint, this brings up a difficult question: should we avoid flying altogether?
On one hand, it’s easy to see why environmentalists would want to keep away from air travel. By doing so, they could dramatically reduce their carbon footprint and set an example for others. Additionally, some argue that air travel perpetuates (使永久) a culture of over-consumption, which is contradictory to environmental values.
However, there are also arguments in favor of air travel: For one, air travel enables people to experience different cultures, build relationships, and expand their knowledge in ways that might not be possible otherwise. It can also facilitate business trades and contribute to economic growth. Moreover, some experts believe that technological advancements could make air travel more sustainable in the future. For example, some airlines are experimenting with biofuels and electric planes, which could dramatically reduce the emissions associated with air travel.
So what’s the answer? Ultimately, it’s up to each individual to decide whether the benefits of air travel outweigh the environmental costs. However, there are steps that everyone can take to reduce their impact. For example, travelers can choose to fly less frequently, decide on direct flights, and offset (抵消) their emissions through programs like carbon offsetting. In the end, the key is to remain aware of the environmental impact of our choices and to make informed decisions based on our own values and priorities.
1. What’s the function of paragraph 2?| A．To clarify the effect of air travel. | B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To present an argument. | D．To describe various greenhouse gases. |
| A．It helps avoid economic problems. |
| B．It promotes globalization in some sense. |
| C．It will make biofuels popular in the near future. |
| D．It will accelerate the development of electric planes. |
| A．Approving. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Subjective. |
| A．Environmental concerns about air travel. | B．Whether we should travel by air or not. |
| C．How to reduce the pollution air travel causes. | D．The advantages and disadvantages of air travel. |
2 . Small-scale fisheries supply many people with food. Almost all of those in this trade rely on gillnets (刺网) to trap fish. But gillnets trap other things, for example, endangered animals such as turtles; dangerous ones, such as Humboldt squid; and ones that are both endangered and dangerous, such as several types of sharks. Everyone involved would be better off if this did not happen.
Building on studies done both by himself and by others, to try to avoid the accidental netting of turtles, Jesse Senko, a marine-conservation biologist at Arizona State University, has been investigating the idea of fitting LEDs (发光二极管) to nets to avoid netting other unwanted by-catch without discouraging target animals. And, as he reports in Current Biology, it seems to work.
Dr. Senko and his colleagues set up an experiment in the Gulf of Ulloa, in Mexico, in which they cooperated with local fisher folks to employ over 10,000 meters of net s that had had net s battery-powered waterproof green LEDs fitted onto them every ten meters. In half of the these, lights were lit. The other half were left unlit, as controls. Each lit net was paired with an unlit one, and the two were employed alongside one another at prime fishing locations. The fishers' target fish were large groupers. Dr. Senko was interested both in what else got caught and whether the lights decreased catches of the target species.
On the latter point, to his relief, they did not. On the former, the lit net s caught 95% fewer kilograms of shark-related species. In particular, several threatened species turned up less often in the lit than the unlit nets.
The advantage from the point of view of fisher folks was that they needed to spend a lot less time clearing these dangerous by-catches from their nets. And, crucially, the LEDs concerned are cheap, hard-wearing, and easy to fit. There are also plans to make them solar powered, for easy recharging. Here, then, is a conservation idea from which everyone wins.
1. What is the problem with gillnets?| A．They are costly to maintain. | B．They discourage target catches. |
| C．They need more time to be cleaned. | D．They trap unwanted by-catches. |
| A．The principle of the experiment. | B．The effect of the experiment. |
| C．The purpose of the experiment. | D．The process of the experiment. |
| A．The LEDs are easy to recharge. |
| B．Gillnets will soon be out of date. |
| C．Fitting LEDs to gillnets is a win-win idea. |
| D．Fisher folks benefit the most from the idea. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Hopeful. | C．Ambiguous. | D．Doubtful. |
3 . San Francisco’s waterfront (海滨) is on the National Register of Historic Places for good reason.
Its beautiful old landmarks, like the Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge, have been seen in many books, TV shows and movies—from the stories and novels of Jack London to the 1970s TV series The Streets of San Francisco. The future of San Francisco’s waterfront, however, isn’t safe.
In 2016, the National Trust for Historic Preservation put part of the city’s shoreline on its list of the U. S.’s most endangered historic places, in part because of the threat of sea level rise. The waterfront landmarks of many cities are under increasing threat from floods and rising sea levels brought on by human-driven climate change. St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy and the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles face similar challenges to San Francisco.
“The whole issue of climate change and historic preservation intersects (交织) right at the waterfront,” said Elaine Forbes, director of the Port of San Francisco. As she watched the boats come and go on a sunny afternoon, Forbes said, “Sea level rise hasn’t historically been as much of a threat to San Francisco as major earthquakes.” However, that’s changed. Parts of the main road that runs along the waterfront have flooded from heavy rains in recent years. The state estimates (预估) the water could rise up to about two and a half feet above its present level by 2060, and possibly up to seven feet by the turn of the century.
Now, San Francisco is considering measures to save its historic shoreline. But the growing magnitude and frequency of the climate-related threats, the high costs and effort needed in saving heritage sites, and competing ideas about what’s worth saving and what isn’t, can make it hard for cities to know what to do first.
1. What is San Francisco’s waterfront famous for?| A．Old landmarks. | B．Famous beaches. |
| C．Beautiful bridges. | D．Comfortable climate. |
| A．The loss of public support. | B．The threat from rising sea levels. |
| C．The influence of tourist activities. | D．The competition from other cities. |
| A．To give an example of existing threats. | B．To stress the seriousness of sea level rise. |
| C．To compare different types of natural disasters. | D．To show the difficulty in the waterfront protection. |
| A．Heritage sites are in ruins. | B．Threats have been removed. |
| C．The shoreline has been flooded. | D．Solutions are under consideration. |
From the adorable pandas in Sichuan to the playful Pallas’s cats in Inner Mongolia, photographer Xie Jianguo has committed himself to documenting China’s rare and endangered animals,
Xie’s passion for
During his shooting process, Xie
With the aim of preserving the natural beauty of China
5 . 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. |
| A．The abundance of native tree species. | B．Public concern about the environment. |
| C．The active participation of students. | D．Support from local organizations. |
| A．Proud. | B．Regretful. | C．Grateful. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．A model. | B．A reminder. | C．A resource. | D．A witness. |
6 . During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, there was a lot of talk about the environmental efforts taken. Athletes slept on beds made from recycled cardboard. The medals were produced out of old appliances such as smartphones and laptops. Over 90% of Japanese cities, towns and villages participated in the two-year effort to collect recycled materials to produce 5000 medals. Eighty tons of small electrical devices were collected to make this project successful.
With the 2024 Olympics Games underway in Paris, new environmental efforts are coming into play. Observers will sit on chairs made of plastic recycled from local bins. This decision was made due to a lack of unused raw materials to make new seats, so the eco-construction firm Le Pave turned to make the seats out of waste. Around 11,000 seats will be made from recycled materials.
The plastic collection for Paris 2024 has been carried out in the region’s schools, and over five million coloured bottle caps have been recovered. Moreover, 80% of the 100 tons of recycled plastic needed to make the seats come from the yellow bins collections. This is all part of the Paris 2024 “zero waste” strategy to limit single-use plastic usage and encourage a circular economy.
The Olympic Games organizers are planning to make the Paris 2024 Games the greenest Olympic Games yet. They intend to employ a carbon-neutral approach that will lessen the climate impact of the Games by predicting, avoiding, reducing and balancing emissions and encouraging others to get involved. The Summer Games have emitted 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions in previous years. The Paris 2024 Games has set a carbon budget of 1.5 million tons which includes the emissions from construction, transportation and operations of the Games.
These plans are ambitious but are achievable. If Paris 2024 successfully reduces emissions and promotes a circular economy, it might set the standard for future Olympic and Paralympic Games, regardless of where they are held.
1. What were the 2020 Olympics medals made from?| A．Raw metal. | B．Recycled cardboard. |
| C．Reused plastic. | D．Used electronic devices. |
| A．To stop carbon emissions. | B．To make seats for athletes. |
| C．To collect coloured bottle caps. | D．To restrict single-use plastic usage. |
| A．Limitation to single-use plastics. | B．Reduction of carbon emissions. |
| C．Promotion of recycling in school. | D．Encouragement of a circular economy. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
7 . There was a time when a trip to the supermarket in the United States often ended with a seemingly simple question from the cashier, “Paper or plastic?” Well, which type of bag would you choose?
While both types of bags have some influence on the environment, it has long been supposed that paper bags are better. They are made from a renewable source, are broken down easily, burn without giving off thick smoke and can be recycled. However, the producing process behind paper bags uses more energy than that of plastic ones. How can this be true?
Studies show that paper bag production requires four times as much energy as plastic bag production. And the amount of water used to make them is twenty times larger. Besides, the influence on forests is very serious. It takes about fourteen million trees to produce ten billion paper bags, which happen to be the number of bags used in the United States yearly. In terms of recycling, the idea that paper bags are more environment-friendly than plastic ones can be quickly discarded. Research shows it requires about 98% less energy to recycle plastic than it does to recycle paper.
Even though paper bags might be more harmful than plastic ones, plastic still seems to be considered as the more harmful of the two by governments. In Ireland, for example, a tax has been introduced to discourage the use of plastic bags. People have to pay 22 cents for every plastic bag, and as a result, their use has dropped quickly.
There’s no doubt that it makes more sense to reuse these bags. However, we don’t seem to be doing that at present. That may be because they fall apart quickly. If so, cloth bags are a better choice, but still, their production also has a bad influence on the environment. So what to do? How should we answer the question of “Paper or plastic?” It seems that we first need to ask ourselves one more general question: “What can I do to help the environment?”
1. Why does the author ask the question at the end of paragraph 1?| A．To express the author’s doubts. |
| B．To tell readers how to save money. |
| C．To show the kindness of the cashier. |
| D．To introduce the point for discussion to arouse readers’ interest. |
| A．need more water to produce | B．require less energy to recycle |
| C．have less influence on forests | D．take more time to break down |
| A．Shared. | B．Discussed. | C．Given up. | D．Put forward. |
| A．Paper or cloth? | B．A new bag or your own one? |
| C．Paper or plastic? | D．A small bag or big one? |
There is no doubt
So far, the burning of more and more fossil fuels
In the world today, there are about a billion cars traveling on the roads and each of these cars
Car Free Day is a holiday that originated in France and it falls
The best way to celebrate this holiday is by leaving your car parked in your driveway or your garage on this day. Instead of
In the little village of Meadowbrook, surrounded with rolling hills, lived two curious and adventurous twins, Sarah and Sam. At the age of twelve, the inseparable twins were always seeking new adventures.
One morning, Miss Harper, their favorite community service teacher, was introducing community volunteer work. Sam suddenly caught sight of the hill behind the schoolyard and was instantly inspired with the idea of climbing to the top.
“Sarah, ”whispered Sam, “Wouldn’t it be splendid if we climbed to the top of that hill today?It’s said to hold breathtaking views of our beloved village. ”
Hearing that, Sarah’s face lit up with excitement, her heart filled with eagemess. “Oh, Sam, that sounds great!But we promise Papa and Mama we will save our pocket money and not spend a single penny unnecessarily. ”With determination in their hearts, the twins worked out a plan. They decided to bring homemade snacks and refreshing drinks from their own kitchen, ensuring they wouldn’t spend a penny.
The twins set off on their journey, their backpacks filled with sandwiches, cookies, and bottles filled with cool, clear water from the village well. As they walked along the path, they noticed colorful trash scattered (散落) about, which ruined the natural beauty surrounding them.
A brilliant idea flashed into Sarah’s mind. “Why don’t we pick up the litter along the way?We could clean up our beloved countryside and maybe even earn a few coins by recycling the materials. ”
Excited by the idea, the twins eagerly collected the scattered items. As they reached the foot of the hill, their bags heavy with the collected waste, they came across a recycling center. With excitement, they exchanged their findings for shiny coins. With newfound treasures in their pockets, they climbed up the hill.
When they reached the top, they were greeted by a breathtaking view of their village. “It’s so beautiful!”Sam burst out,” We must share our adventure with Miss Harper and our classmates!”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The next morning, Sarah and Sam returned to school, eager to meet Miss Harper.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The following weekend, the entire class started to clean up their beloved village.
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