1 . Located in the Indian Ocean,the Maldives(马尔代夫) are among the most beautiful islands in the world,with white sandy beaches,clear water,and amazing coral reefs(珊瑚礁).The country depends on tourism,fishing,and shipping.But the rising sea level and the carbon pollution causing warming oceans are threatening(威胁) their existence.
The Maldives have asked for international help.They are a tiny country.The World Bank,the United States,the European Union,and many other groups have offered money to develop safeguards against climate change.
To protect the islands,the Maldives have built sea walls and increased the elevation(海拔) of important buildings and services such as the two international airports,which lie just 165 feet from the coastline.
They’re also building up islands such as the Hulhumale.The new island is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls.More than 40,000 people live there.The plan is to house 240,000,providing new opportunities for jobs.The goal is an excellent planned community with sustainable housing and buildings sensitive to the environment and needs of the people.
The government will move people living on smaller,lower-lying islands to the new built-up islands.The new islands offer free houses,new schools,health hospitals,fresh water,and waste treatment.Depending on tourism,the country hopes to build 50 more tourist islands.
“Climate change is happening,but we are not leaving the Maldives to the sea,” said Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim.The Maldives will protect their islands,people and tourism with new islands and ongoing island development against the rising sea level.
1. What do we fail to learn according to the passage?| A．The Maldives are a small country. |
| B．Many groups have helped the Maldives. |
| C．240,000 people live on the Hulhumale now. |
| D．The Hulhumale is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls. |
| A．The Maldives will be protected. |
| B．The Maldivians will leave all the islands. |
| C．The Maldives should give up tourism. |
| D．The Maldives will sink to the sea. |
| A．The Maldives and Their Tourism |
| B．The Maldives and Their Rising Sea Level |
| C．The Maldives and Their Climate Change |
| D．The Maldives and Their Fight Against the Rising Sea Level |
| A．Their tourism,fishing and shipping. |
| B．Their rising sea level and carbon pollution. |
| C．Their sandy white beaches and coral reefs. |
| D．Their distant islands and warming oceans. |
2 . Twelve years ago, a young traveler named Rhett Butler from San Francisco, California, visited the Sabah rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. In one area of the rainforest, he watched a bird flying through the trees. The beautiful sight left quite an impression on him. But weeks later, back home, Rhett Butler got the news that trees had been cut down for their wood in the area he visited.
That experience led Rhett Butler to begin writing a book about rainforests and threats (威胁) to their existence. But he did not publish the book. Instead, in 1999, he used his research for the book to create a website. The site is Mongabay.com. His purpose was to inform the public about tropical rainforests. But the subject quickly developed. As a former businessman, he became a respected writer of science and environmental stories.
The popularity of Mongabay.com attracted advertisers. Small ads on the site pay for its operations. Mongabay.com has grown and led to other sites. For example, there is a site for children which is called kids mongabay.com. Another one, WildMadagascar.org, is all about the island nation that Rhett Butler calls his favorite place.
To keep his website going, he travels around the world on several major trips each year. His working tools are a laptop computer, cameras and sometimes diving equipment. He often calls on experts for information. For example, he interviewed Alison Jolly, a top expert on lemurs (狐猴). He interviewed Rodney Jackson, a biologist who established the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
Stories like these have made Mongabay.com a favorite place on the Internet for researchers, students and teachers. In April, Time. Com. named it one of the fifteen top climate and environment websites in the world.
1. What’s the main idea of the passage?| A．Rhett Butler and His Website |
| B．Rainforest on Malaysian Borneo |
| C．How Rhett Butler Protected Rare Animals |
| D．How Rhett Butler Made His Website Popular |
| A．making websites earns more money than writing books |
| B．he was not prepared to publish his book |
| C．the book was not about rainforest protection |
| D．he wanted to use the information to create a website |
| A．It was set up in 1999. | B．It attracted many advertisers. |
| C．Two related websites grew from it. | D．Rhett Butler made a lot of money from it. |
| A．kept visiting the rainforest | B．traveled around and interviewed experts |
| C．raised rare snow leopards | D．made a great number of advertisements |
Are you worried about our earth? Do you want to do what you can to save it?
Turn off anything that uses electricity when not in use.
It's not just paper, plastic and glass that can be recycled — clothes can be, too.
You don't have to travel far to get what you need, and products don't have to travel far to get to you, either. Shop at farmers' markets and buy food that was produced as close to your home as possible. And when you're online shopping, try to find things that won't have to travel long distances.
Save water.If you don't let the water run when you're brushing your teeth and take showers instead of baths, you will be using less water and less energy — but you'll still be just as clean!
| A．Buy things nearby. |
| B．Think before you eat. |
| C．It's hard to know where to start. |
| D．Turn short jeans you've grown out of into shorts. |
| E．Also, don't wash dishes with the water running continuously. |
| F．This goes for lights, televisions, computers, printers, and so on. |
| G．Bring a reusable water bottle with you when travelling or at work. |
4 . Going green seems to be fad (时尚) for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can’t really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22,2011,we decided to be green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 different things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day a year, Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic (有机的) stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planets.
1. What might be the best title for the passage?| A．Going Green. | B．Protecting the Planet. |
| C．Keeping Open-Minded | D．Celebrating Our Green Year. |
| A．they were expected to follow the green fad |
| B．they didn’t know how to educate other people |
| C．they were unwilling to reduce their energy |
| D．they needed to perform unusual green tasks |
| A．They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. |
| B．They ignore others’ ungreen behavior. |
| C．They chose better chemical cleaners. |
| D．They sold their home-made food. |
| A．The government will give support to the green people. |
| B．The couple may continue their project in the future. |
| C．Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas. |
| D．Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. |
5 . You may not think it very much—a used ice cream tub on the beach, a cigarette butt in the sand. But these little pieces of litter amount to around 8.8 million tons of trash in the world’s oceans, poisoning and choking sealife, according to figures from the World Wildlife Foundation.
Now, in a set of images titled The Price Of Convenience by Waters has shown the destructive effects casual littering has on creatures. In one image called “Your convenience is their extinction”, a sea turtle’s shell is hollowed out and filled with banana skins, soda cans, and other debris.
“It is shocking the amount of trash in the oceans,” Waters, 23, said, describing his project in which he has begun a campaign to the WWF. “When you leave litter on the beach we are treating the ocean like a trash can. When you throw trash over the side of a boat, you’re treating the ocean like a trash can. And when you leave litter at a beach festival or party, it’s the same. Obviously it would be impossible to clean the oceans but I felt I had to try something.”
The turning point came as he visited Malaysia with his girlfriend last year. To his surprise, he reached the shore to find piles of trash. It was beautiful, the smell of the air, of the ocean. He had a strong feeling for it after he started researching trash in the ocean. A few months later, he came across the video of a sea turtle in obvious agony with a drinking straw stuck up its nostrils. That video inspired the first of Waters’ three images. “Sea turtles are such gentle creatures. I felt sick watching that video. Trash left on a beach by humans caused so much pain and suffering. These animals don’t have voices so we’ve got to speak up for them,” he added.
Waters has not yet received a response from WWF regarding his images. For now, he says, he is inspired to develop more and more campaigns that raise awareness of environmental concerns.
1. What does the author want to tell us with the figure from WWF?| A．How seriously the ocean has been polluted. | B．When people can take their actions. |
| C．What measures people should take. | D．Where people should throw the rubbish. |
| A．Seawater. | B．Creatures. | C．Rubbish. | D．Fruits. |
| A．Excited. | B．Anxious. | C．Shocked. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The used ice cream tub. | B．The cigarette butt. |
| C．The banana skin. | D．The drinking straw. |
REDUCING WATER POLLUTION IN THE LI RIVER
The beautiful Li River and its amazing surrounding scenery is one of the most wellknown tourist destinations in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It attracts millions of domestic and foreign visitors each year. However, its reputation as a top destination has had negative effects on the river’s water quality. This report looks at the problem of water pollution and some actions that have been taken to deal with it．Previously, water quality in the Li River had suffered greatly from an increasing volume of tourists, many of whom frequently threw garbage into the river. Many tour boats contributed to the problem too.
Kitchens on board were using lots of oil, which was often thrown into the water. The growth in tourism also meant the local population rose rapidly,as well as the number of commercial and industrial enterprises. Water pollution levels increased, with more household and commercial waste ending up in the river. In order to feed more people,more chemicals were used to increase crop production. These chemicals led to severe water quality issues,causing a decrease in the number of fish species. Local officials were concerned that the pollution was damaging the natural environment and felt that urgent steps should be taken to restore the river's original beauty.
A comprehensive initiative was started, with a number of measures that addressed the issues. The construction of waste water treatment facilities improved the water quality and water conservation.The collection and transport of household waste was also improved.Dozens of polluting enterprises were closed or moved. The local government set up strict regulations regarding further industrial development. New rules were also introduced regarding tour boat routes and garbage disposal methods. Furthermore, the local authorities began to use the media to spread environmental awareness and encourage greater use of clean energy. At the same time, they started to carry out inspections regularly and fine tourist organisations for abuse. With these measures,it is believed that the beauty of the Li River will be preserved for generations to come．
In addition,the ambitious “Water Ten Plan” is also now tackling water pollution across the country. Other initiatives,such as the “River Chief System”, hold senior officials responsible for reducing water pollution. With such campaigns in effect, China’s waterways are heading towards a clean and sustainable future.1. What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The beauty of the Li River. |
| B．What some tourists did led to the water pollution. |
| C．Some measures to reduce water pollution in the Li River. |
| D．The ways to increase crop production. |
| A．Some tourists didn’t care about the Li River. |
| B．What have caused water pollution in the Li River? |
| C．Some tourists threw garbage into the Li River. |
| D．The local population rose rapidly. |
| A．The chemicals have caused a decrease in the number of fish species. |
| B．The reputation of the Li River has a negative effect on the river’s water quality. |
| C．The media has a good effect on encouraging greater use of clean energy. |
| D．The local government did nothing to protect the water quality in Li River. |
| A．people can do nothing to reduce water pollution in Li River |
| B．tourists are not allowed to visit the Li River |
| C．the local authorities never inspect the Li River |
| D．some measures have been taken to reduce water pollution in the Li River |
7 . Your next car might drive itself. After years of trials on city streets, driverless vehicles are now nearing the production phase. Last month, a driverless bus began carrying passengers through Lyon, France. Most in the automobile industry think self-driving vehicles will be on the road by 2020 or before.
Driverless cars will at first be huddled with human-driven cars. But the first places where they will become dominant（占支配地位的）are dense urban areas-precisely the spots most damaged by the automobile age. Many advanced cities are already reducing the role of human-driven cars. Driverless cars will quicken that process and will bring us great benefits.
Driverless cars will reduce accidents by around 90 percent. That's big-the annual death toll on the world's roads is about 1.2 million a year. Pollution and carbon emissions will drop, because urban driverless cars will be electric. The old, otherwise they would stay at home most of the time and the disabled and teenagers will suddenly gain mobility.
On the other hand, driverless cars will bring catastrophe（灾难）.The best thing about the automobile age is that it employs tens of millions of people to make, market, insure and drive vehicles. Over the next 20 years, most men who now drive trucks, taxis and buses will see their jobs reduced. Carmakers are especially scared. A few cars in the future might be made by tech companies such as Apple, Baidu and Google. Imaging the impact on Germany, where the automotive sector is the largest industry.
Dramatic change is coming, and driverless cars could arrive by 2020. But governments have hardly begun thinking about it. Only 6 percent of the biggest US cities have factored them into their long-term planning.
A decade ago anyone hardly saw the smartphone coming. It has brought an epidemic of mass addiction. Let's hope we do a better job of handling the driverless car.
1. The underlined words "be huddled with "in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by "________".| A．show up with | B．exist together with |
| C．get rid of | D．take the place of |
| A．Driverless cars reduce the number of human-driven cars. |
| B．Driverless cars will be powered by electricity. |
| C．Driverless cars save fuel by driving themselves. |
| D．Driverless cars will reduce too many accidents. |
| A．They will not hit the road until 2020. |
| B．They will only be used in urban areas. |
| C．They will not cause any road accident. |
| D．They aren't still seriously taken by governments. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Negative. |
| C．Objective. | D．Worried. |
We already know the fastest,least expensive way to slow down climate change:use less energy.With a little effort,and not much money,most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago,my wife,PJ,and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change.Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago,and that the consequences(后果)could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emission(排放)of carbon dioxide(CO2)and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.
We decided to try an experiment.For one month we recorded our personal emission of CO2.We wanted to see how much we could cut back,so we went on a strict diet.The average US household produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common things like turning on air conditioning or driving cars.That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average,mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses.But how much should we try to reduce?
For an answer,I checked with Tim Flannery,author of The Weather Makers:How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.In his book,he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emission to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points,such as the melting(融化) of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica.“To stay below that point,we need to reduce CO2 emission by 80 percent,”he said.
Good advice,I thought.I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind.We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock.I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened.We should not let this happen again.It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.
1. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
| A．To take special kinds of food. |
| B．To respond to climate change. |
| C．To lose weight. |
| D．To improve their health. |
| A．freezing points | B．burning points |
| C．melting points | D．boiling points |
| A．made deep cuts in his personal emission of CO2 |
| B．wrote a book about the climate changes |
| C．succeeded in reducing CO2 emission by 80 percent |
| D．was an author popular among readers |
| A．Saving Energy Starts at Home |
| B．Changing Our Habits Begins at Work |
| C．Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable |
| D．Reducing Emission of CO2 Proves Difficult |
9 . Ecotourism
Ecotourism, which is considered as a kind of responsible tourism, is typically defined as travel to places where special and unusual plants, animals and cultural heritages are the main attractions.
Ecotourism is developing at great speed. According to a recent report by the World Tourism Organization, ecotourism in recent years has enjoyed an annual growth of about 5% worldwide.
If you love communing with nature, conserving the environment or improving the lives of people then ecotourism is an excellent way to see new and exciting places.
Ecotourism has been gaining increasing recognition and popularity mainly for the relaxing, natural and vivid experience it offers to tourists. People are attracted to nature and long to be close to it. However, a conflict between nature and human beings is unavoidable.
| A．The definition of ecotourism is beyond words. |
| B．It takes ecology and culture into consideration. |
| C．You may not be very familiar with ‘‘ecotourism’’. |
| D．More than 80 activities have been listed for ecotourism. |
| E．People can have great fun enjoying nature through ecotourism. |
| F．Big cities are still the major places that attract tourists in our society today. |
| G．How to protect natural resources while taking advantage of them is of great importance. |
