1 . When Tom Blake was a young boy, watching a jet (喷气式飞机) streak across the sky, he knew flying was what he wanted to do when he grew up.
After five years’ training, he finally
By this time Mr Blake had become increasingly
Yet with the COVID-19 pandemic grounding aircraft, Mr Blake decided to quit his flying
Giving up his dream job was a
Mr Blake is now a climate activist.
1.A.quitted | B.changed | C.completed | D.landed |
A.waiting | B.preparing | C.working | D.looking |
A.concerned about | B.puzzled at | C.engaged in | D.experienced in |
A.goal | B.conflict | C.solution | D.approach |
A.political | B.economical | C.environmental | D.technical |
A.regrets | B.debts | C.pressures | D.troubles |
A.schedule | B.dream | C.ambition | D.career |
A.discovering | B.selecting | C.searching | D.visiting |
A.salary | B.honor | C.award | D.fame |
A.accustomed to | B.faced with | C.addicted to | D.trapped in |
A.remove | B.ignore | C.meet | D.create |
A.issue | B.introduce | C.imagine | D.handle |
A.tough | B.wise | C.reasonable | D.positive |
A.saving | B.struggling | C.investing | D.contributing |
A.covered | B.stimulated | C.eased | D.driven |
China has set a new record for creating sustained high temperatures after the “artificial sun” ran five times
The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST),
The extreme heat
Scientists around the world have been trying for decades to develop nuclear fusion. They say it is the best way
“The recent operation lays
1. 你所在城市的一个环境问题。
2. 该环境问题产生的原因。
3. 解决该环境问题所采取的措施。
注意: 1. 词数80左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My name is Nassra, a second-year student at Tanzania Institute of Accountancy as well as an artist of 22 years old. My journey through art has led me to become
What we usually consider waste may be useful when we think about it in a different light. Discarded (丢弃的) or waste items provide plentiful but largely
In my hands, glass bottles, plastic bags, and other waste items that would otherwise end up
People
Spotted lanternflies (斑点灯笼蝇) are an invasive species. Since 2014, they have been seen all across the eastern United States. The insects are harmful to many plants, and can disturb entire ecosystems. State officials have urged people to kill spotted lanternflies wherever they see them.
When Joy saw the pests in her school courtyard, she thought she had to do something. “I’ve always wanted to take environmental action,” she says, “and show people that no one is ever too small to make a difference.”
So she started a club called Squash (压扁). Its mission is to kill spotted lanternflies around the school. More than 20 students have joined. At first, they trapped the pests in empty water bottles and then squashed them. In a single day, the club managed to kill more than a hundred spotted lanternflies.
Joy wanted to do more. With research, she discovered a plant called milkweed. It’s nutritious for pollinators (传粉昆虫) such as monarch butterflies but poisonous to spotted lanternflies. Joy thought that using milkweed along with the traps made specifically for spotted lanternflies would be a better way to kill them. The issue was that they didn’t have enough money to buy milkweed and the traps.
The kids were hoping to raise money for their school to address the big problem. Their goal was to raise $200, the cost of the equipment needed to kill spotted lanternflies around their school. They got part of the way there, with about $75. They decided to attract more fundraisers. “We discovered that if you find your voice,” Joy says, “you can do much more.”
In May, Joy and other students from Squash gathered in Columbus Park, in New York City. They set up a table with lemonade, cookies, and origami figures for sale. The money will be used to buy milkweed and the traps.
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。
To attract more attention, the students divided their work into various roles.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________As the day progressed, the students’ efforts paid off.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Let’s say you’re in the far future and you’re looking for evidence of previous civilizations. Where would you look? The first place would be in the rocks. Rocks keep time. Recently, the discovery of rocks made from plastic debris (碎片) in Brazil’s volcanic Trindade Island is sparking alarm. Melted plastic has become twisted with rocks on the island, which researchers say is evidence of humans growing influence over the Earth’s geological cycles.
Plastic rocks have been previously found in various parts of the world. Researchers documented plastiglomerates-rock, sand and other debris fused together by melted plastic-in Hawaii in 2014, for instance. Another human-made and plastic-based rock is pyroplastics. Described in 2019 from the shores of Cornwall in southwest Britain, pyroplastics form from burned plastic waste. In laboratory experiments with white or colored plastic pieces, if burned, the plastic melts and forms a gray or black mass. resembling at first glance a rocky pebble. According to geophysicist Douglas Jerolmack, “all around the world where there’s trash being openly burned in mass quantities, you can imagine there are even larger melted plastic deposits” where plastiglomerate could form.
Plastic pollution making its way into the formation of rocks suggests humans are having an effect on what was previously considered a natural occurrence, said Santos, who along with others is continuing research into plastic pollution on Trindade Island. “This is new and terrifying at the same time, because pollution has reached geology, ”Santos told Reuters. The finding of plastic rocks also suggests, some experts say, that a new geological epoch has begun: The Anthropocene epoch. Regardless of whether this represents a new epoch, Santos said, “the pollution, the garbage in the sea and the plastic dumped incorrectly in the oceans are becoming geological material preserved in the Earth’s geological records.”
The researchers are yet unsure of the environmental impacts of plastic rocks. Burned plastic can contain high concentrations of potentially toxic elements, like lead and chromium, derived from the pigments used to dye the plastic material. Buried in the ground, plastic has the potential to survive millions of years and even enter the geological record.
1. Why does the writer raise a question in the first paragraph?A.To introduce the text topic. | B.To test the readers’ knowledge. |
C.To present a study finding. | D.To raise the readers’ awareness. |
A.They are rarely seen in the rocks. |
B.They look like rocky pebbles if burned. |
C.They are white or coloured plastic pieces. |
D.The more trash is burnt, the more they will be. |
A.Plastic pollution has greatly changed the formation of rocks. |
B.The impacts that plastic rocks bring still need some further study. |
C.Geological materials preserve human’s irresponsible behaviour to environment. |
D.Buried plastic in the ground is unlikely to survive after entering the geological record. |
A.Plastic Rocks: The Root of the Environmental Impacts |
B.Plastic Rocks: The Geological Record of Human Development |
C.Plastic Rocks: The Markers We’re Laying Down in Deep Time |
D.Plastic Rocks: The New Geological Materials We’re Unsure of |
7 . Every year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, and people all around the world celebrate this day by taking part in environmental awareness activities and working towards raising awareness about important issues that our planet Earth is currently facing, like global warming and pollution.
Before the 1970s, there were almost no environmental laws and industries were allowed to dump their industrial waste and fumes anywhere in the world. A US Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson was concerned about the growing levels of pollution. So in the spring of 1970, Senator Nelson created Earth Day as a way to promote awareness about these issues in the US. His plan was successful, as 20 million Americans started a demonstration (示威游行) for Earth Day around the world. As a result, the US government started an agency called the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Over the next few years, the movement spread across the world and Earth Day became internationally recognized.
The theme of Earth Day 2021 is “restore our Earth”. The focus of this year’s theme is restoring Earth’s natural processes and ecosystems. Apart from that, the goal of this year’s Earth Day is to focus on taking green technologies and innovative (创新的) actions to restore the Earth’s natural ecosystem. More than stopping pollution and global warming, this year’s Earth Day focuses on reversing the damage caused to the Earth.
Despite strict environmental laws in many countries across the world, problems such as global warming, air pollution and climate change continue to threaten our planet. Many scientists around the world are warning us about the already irreversible problems that have been created by microplastics, oil spills and depletion (消耗) of the ozone layer. If the human race continues on the same path as before, the extinction of the human race is not too far off in the future. Earth Day seeks to help raise people’s awareness around the world about these issues and bring positive changes, so future generations stand a chance of living a safer life.
1. Which activity is suitable to celebrate Earth Day?A.Plastic waste collection. | B.A long-distance bicycle race. |
C.A lecture about human rights. | D.Medical research on cancers. |
A.The history of Earth Day. | B.The success of Gaylord Nelson. |
C.Environmental changes in the 1970s. | D.The establishment of environmental laws. |
A.It helps to slow down global warming. |
B.It aims to bring the Earth back to normal. |
C.It focuses on reducing individuals’ carbon footprint. |
D.It promotes the development of emerging industries. |
A.To predict the future of the Earth. |
B.To describe our terrible living environment. |
C.To state the progress in protecting the Earth. |
D.To increase people’s awareness of Earth Day. |
8 . When 62-year-old fisherman Kpana Charlie finished the day’s catch, he liked to settle into a wooden chair, thinking about his childhood. Back then, his life on Sierra Leone’s Nyangai Island seemed excellent. He spent endless hours playing with his friends on the island’s white beaches. Whenever he wanted to avoid having to do his housework, he could simply disappear into the forest that covered much of the island. He remembers as recently as ten years ago, it still measured some 2, 300 feet from end to end.
Today, Nyangai is disappearing before his very eyes, covered by the endless sea. The forests are gone. And the land on which Charlie’s family home once stood, has long since disappeared beneath the waves.
In fact, the local government has responded to the sharp increase of sea level by building a concrete (混凝土制的) seawall along the length of the town. But in the many smaller coastal towns and villages in the area, there simply aren’t the resources. Then, the government made a project to protect some of the settlements by planting trees, but this has had limited success. With the population relying on woods for building and smoking-fish, few trees lived longer than the project, which ended in 2021.
Sierra Leone has been identified as one of the world’s most weak countries to the effects of climate change, despite having little influence on global CO2 emissions (排放). “Weak countries should be getting some support from wealthy nations to strengthen their climate defenses (防御),” says Gabriel Kpaka, the head of the country’s Meteorological Agency. “But we’re not really seeing that.”
With global sea level expected to rise by anywhere between 1 and 3 feet by the end of the century, along with an increase in extreme weather events, the experience of this West African island offers an understanding of the possible future of countless other low-lying areas around the world.
1. Why does the author tell Charlie’s story in paragraph 1?A.To describe his wonderful life at present. | B.To offer-readers-background information |
C.To call on local people to protect the seen | D.To attract more visitors to Nyangai Island. |
A.The reasons for the changes on the island. | B.The rich natural species in coastal areas. |
C.The measures taken to deal with rising sea level. | D.The way to build a concrete seawall on the island. |
A.Local government should build a stronger seawall. |
B.Local people on the island limit their CO2 emissions. |
C.Countries in low-lying areas work together for their rights. |
D.Rich countries should offer support about climate defenses. |
A.Concerned. | B.Doubtful. | C.Uncertain. | D.Positive. |
9 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.
Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.
Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”
Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.
Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”
Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”
1. What can we say about the new research?A.It started in 2013. | B.It is the first of its kind. |
C.It was carried out by AIS. | D.It covers the whole Atlantic. |
A.Rapid population growth. |
B.Rising global temperatures. |
C.The huge increase in shipping. |
D.The disappearance of marine life. |
A.Shipping plays an important role in the local economy. |
B.Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment. |
C.Noise pollution is closely related to human activity. |
D.Marine areas should be monitored more carefully. |
A.New waterways across the Atlantic |
B.The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic |
C.New research opens windows into life under the water |
D.Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping |
10 . Capybaras (水豚) are group animals, so they do not like being alone. In fact, leaving a capybara alone is not only uncomfortable for the animal, but it can be harmful to their physical health, as well as their mental happiness. Capybaras love to talk to each other throughout the day. Groups of capybaras spend their days sun bathing along the edge of rivers, where they enjoy swimming together in the water. They spend half of their lives in the water.
Since they spend so much time around water, it makes sense that capybaras would come into contact with different kinds of other animals who stop in for a drink. Capybaras are gentle and peaceful river animals who enjoy a short sleep along the water’s edge — and often do so with other animal species as well. You can find pictures all over the Internet of these lovely animals lying beside turtles, birds, ducks, rats, and even monkeys as they enjoy a nap by the water.
Capybaras are also known to be excellent and friendly taxis in the animal world. Birds and monkeys commonly stand on the back of a capybara for a ride as capybaras search for grass to eat. Sometimes capybaras even serve as boats for other animals, letting them sit on their heads as they swim through the water.
However, if you see a capybara lying on its side with a yellow-headed caracara (长腿秃鹰) on its body, don’t panic just yet. Most likely the copybara is enjoying a nice spa day. Birds often make friends with capybaras and provide a natural cleaning service, picking off insects that live in the capybara’s fur. It’s a relationship that benefits each other, since the yellow-headed caracara also gets to enjoy eating those tasty insects. Yet, such lovely capybaras are not free of human influences and even face extinction now.
1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us about capybaras?A.Their life habits. | B.Their survival skills. |
C.Their appearance. | D.Their risks in health. |
A.They search for food for birds and monkeys. |
B.They carry their food by riding on another animal. |
C.They allow other animals to stay on their backs or heads. |
D.They guide other animals to swim through the water as a driver. |
A.The caracara won’t attack you. |
B.The capybara won’t suffer any injury. |
C.The caracara may just take a short break. |
D.The capybara may be providing its cleaning service. |
A.Calls for protection. | B.Habits of caracaras. |
C.Benefits of extinction. | D.Threats from capybaras. |