The 1975 film Jaws was a great success,
2 . The endangered pandas in Qinling Mountains might face a new threat: the loss of their food—bamboo, which makes up 99% of their meals.
Adult pandas spend most part of the day eating bamboo and have to take in at least 40 pounds a day to stay healthy. However, a new study published in Nature and Climate Change warned that they may soon find their food gone because most of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains might disappear by the end of the century as a result of rising temperature worldwide.
A team made up of researchers from Michigan State University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has studied the effects of climate change on the bamboo in Qinling Mountains. They have found that bamboo is very sensitive to climate changes. “80% to 100% of the bamboo would be gone if the average temperature increases 3.5 degrees worldwide by the end of the century.” said Liu Jianguo, one of the reports’ authors. He added, “This is how much the temperature would rise by 2100 even if all countries will keep their promises in the Paris Agreement. But you know what is happening around the world.”
In recent years, China has been trying its best to protect the endangered pandas by setting up more and bigger natural reserves. “But it is far from being enough and the endangered pandas need cooperation from the rest of the world, because their future is not just in the hands of the Chinese,” said Shirley Martin from World Wildlife Fund.
The Qinling Mountains are home to about 360 pandas. That is about a quarter of the China’s wild panda population. In addition, about 435 are living in research centers and zoos in China.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．Pandas have already eaten 99% of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains. |
| B．Pandas in Qinling Mountains are just threatened by the loss of food. |
| C．Lots of the bamboo in Qinling Mountains will possibly disappear. |
| D．Qinling Mountains cannot provide enough bamboo for the pandas. |
| A．The changes of temperature is sensitive to bamboo. |
| B．China needs more help from World wildlife Fund. |
| C．China is making great efforts to protect the pandas. |
| D．It is difficult to control the temperature rise within 3.5 degrees. |
| A．About 1,500. | B．About 720. | C．About 360. | D．About 1,900. |
| A．Necessity to Change Pandas’ Food | B．A New Threat Faced by the Pandas |
| C．The Disappearance of Bamboo | D．Efforts Made to Save Pandas |
The 21st century is dominated by more technology-oriented inventions than before. The 20th century
Technology is advancing fast. Social media at present acts as one of the leading 64.
Mobile phones will play a greater role
Global warming will become an even
National Tree-Planting Day
March 12th is China’s annual National Tree-Planting Day. On this day, millions of Chinese, from all
First
set in order to inspire people’s passions
China’s Tree-Planting Day could date back to a
In February 1979, the 5th National People’s Congress of People’s Republic of China made
5 . Would you like to do something to help make our city a better place to live in? Why not take part in “Clean & Green weekend”? Join us, and you can make new friends and help protect the environment at the same time.
Park Life
Do you like playing and relaxing in the park with your friends? If so, why not take the chance to come with us and tidy up the park when you go? To add some fun, there is a gift for the person who collects the most rubbish! Meet us at the south entrance to Taohe Park at 9 a. m. next Saturday if you want to join in.
The Air You Breathe
A great way to make the air we breathe cleaner is by planting lots of trees! It is a fact that trees slowly filter (过滤) a lot of pollutants (污染物) from the air. So come and help us plant some new ones in Fenhe Park at 2 p. m. next Sunday.
War on Graffiti (涂鸦)
Some people think graffiti is cool. Well, it is not! The best way to stop buildings from becoming totally covered in ugly graffiti is to fix it as soon as possible. And that is exactly what we are going to do. We are repainting the school walls from 1 p. m. on Saturday. You don’t have to bring any tools, just remember to wear some old clothes!
1. The main purpose of “Clean & Green Weekend” is to ________.| A．make our city more beautiful | B．offer the chance to have fun |
| C．help students meet old friends | D．have a nice weekend |
| A．By tidying the park. | B．By planting trees. |
| C．By repainting the school walls. | D．By protecting the environment. |
| A．draw pictures well | B．bring some tools with us |
| C．wear some old clothes | D．wear some new clothes |
6 . Rainforests are home to all sorts of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush (灌木丛) in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 kinds of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.
Rainforests are the lungs (肺) of the planet—storing carbon dioxide (CO2) and producing oxygen (O2). Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own living; the tall trees make a canopy (树冠层) of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, serious dry heat from the sun and strong winds.
Amazingly, the trees’ leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants’ way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To live in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually very clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.
They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can produce 75% of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal—and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain—your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won’t keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity (湿气) of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.
1. What can we learn about rainforests from Paragraph 1?| A．They produce oxygen. | B．They cover a large area. |
| C．They provide food for animals. | D．They are rich in wildlife. |
| A．mixed | B．clear | C．organized | D．dead |
| A．The Law of the Rainforest | B．Life-Giving Rainforests |
| C．Animals in the Amazon | D．Weather in Rainforests |
7 . The idea of turning recycled plastic bottles into clothing is not new. During the last five years, a large number of clothing companies, businesses and environmental organizations have started turning plastics into fabric to deal with plastic pollution. But there’s a problem with this method. Research now shows that microfibers could be the biggest source of plastic in the sea.
Dr. Mark Browne in Santa Barbara, California, has been studying plastic pollution and microfibers for 10 years now. He explains that every time synthetic clothes go into a washing machine, a large number of plastic fibers fall off. Most washing machines can’t collect these microfibers. So every time the water gets out of a washing machine, microfibers are entering the sewers and finally end up in the sea.
In 2011, Browne wrote a paper stating that a single piece of synthetic(合成的) clothing can produce more than 1, 900 fibers per wash. Browne collected samples from seawater and freshwater sites around the world, and used a special way to examine each sample. He discovered that every single water sample contained microfibers.
This is bad news for a number of reasons. Plastic can cause harm to sea life when eaten. Studies have also shown that plastic can absorb other pollutants.
Based on this evidence, it may seem surprising that companies and organizations have chosen to turn plastic waste into clothing as an environmental “solution.” Even though the science has been around for a while, Browne explains that he's had a difficult time getting companies to listen. When he asked well-known clothing companies to support Benign by Design-his research project that seeks to get clothes that have a bad effect on humans and the environment out of the market, Browne didn’t get a satisfying answer. Only one women’s clothing company, Eileen Fisher, offered Browne funding.
1. What has happened during the past five years?| A．Fabric has become much stronger. | B．Plastic pollution has been less serious. |
| C．Many plastic bottles have been reused. | D．Microfibers have been greatly improved. |
| A．It is adding microfibers to the clothes. |
| B．It is worsening environmental problems. |
| C．It is making synthetic clothes last longer. |
| D．It is doing great damage to washing machines. |
| A．It has achieved great success. | B．It hasn’t got anything done. |
| C．It is known to very few people. | D．It is facing some difficulties. |
| A．It’s important to learn to recycle |
| B．It’s never easy to solve pollution problems |
| C．Recycled plastic clothing: solution or pollution? |
| D．Are human beings moving forward or backward? |
Today, I made a trip to observe Tibetan antelopes. I was struck by their beauty when I watched them moving slowly across the green grass. Also I was reminded
My guide Zhaxi told me
There is a long way to go to protect wildlife. Only when we learn to exist in harmony with nature can we stop
9 . Sarah Toumi, a young girl growing up in France, had a dream of becoming a leader who could make a positive impact on the world. Her desire to help others was awakened when she accompanied her Tunisian father to his hometown in the eastern part of Tunisia during vacations. During her time there, she organized homework clubs and activities for children. Toumi personally witnessed the negative effects of desertification (沙漠化). She realized that within 10 years, wealthy farmers had become worse off. Toumi was determined to stop the progression of the Sahara Desert. Due to a decrease in average rainfall and an increase in severe droughts (干旱), nearly 75% of Tunisia’s agricultural lands are currently at risk of desertification.
Toumi understood the need for a change in farming practices. She firmly believed that even small plots of land could bring significant returns if farmers were willing to adapt. This adaptation involved planting sustainable crops, using advanced water treatment technologies, and using natural products and fertilizers (肥料) instead of chemical alternatives.
In 2012, Toumi took a decisive step towards realizing her dream of fighting desertification. She moved to Tunisia and set up a program called Acacias for All, with the aim of putting her sustainable farming ideas into action. “I want to show young people in the countryside that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living without water.”
By September 2016, over 130,000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with a survival rate of 60% reported by farmers. Toumi estimates that around 3 million acacia trees are required to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She plans to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the coming years, Toumi aims to promote the program to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?| A．They made her decide to leave the country. | B．They helped her better understand her father. |
| C．They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. | D．They inspired her to take action to help others. |
| A．Cold weather. | B．Soil pollution. | C．Low rainfall. | D．Forest damage. |
| A．To ensure access to primary education for children. |
| B．To promote the protection of agricultural land. |
| C．To create job opportunities for young people. |
| D．To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
| A．Determined and helpful. | B．Considerate and calm. |
| C．Wealthy and academic. | D．Thankful and flexible. |
10 . Latin America’s first renewable fuel-powered, trash-trapping wheel is cleaning one of Panama’s dirtiest rivers. A local environmental group led the effort.
The wheel is powered by water and sun energy. It pulls waste out of the Juan Diaz River. Most of the waste comes from the capital area of Panama City, where about 2 million people live. Thousands of kilograms of rubbish flow down the river into the ocean each year.
Robert Getman is the leader of the project. “Cleaning beaches is good,” he said, “but it is more effective and cheaper to trap rubbish in rivers because when it reaches the ocean, the environmental and economic cost becomes too high.”
The environmental group Marea Verde created the wheel, which is named Wanda Diaz, in late September. By the middle of October, Wanda had gathered 28. 6 cubic meters of plastic bottles from the water.
The Juan Diaz River is one of the most polluted in Panama. Waste systems in the area are poor, and land development is not well supervised. The river also passes through Panama City, one of Central America’s largest cities.
Over five years, Marea Verde projects have slowed the spread of rubbish along Panama’s rivers and coastline. Earlier, the group introduced its “Barrier or Trash”technology, a floating device. It caught more than 100 metric tons of waste in the Matias Hernandez River between 2019 and 2020.
“We want to raise awareness that we can prevent the death of this very important river,”said Marea Verde member Sandy Watemberg. She expressed her hope that the wheel will help. But she also pointed to the need for those who use single-use plastics to rethink their behavior. “The most important thing is to achieve a change in habits,” she said.
1. What makes the wheel the first of its kind?| A．Its size. | B．Its power. | C．Its shape. | D．Its color. |
| A．We’d better remove rubbish before it enters the sea. |
| B．We should clean beaches so as not to pollute the sea. |
| C．It’s cheap for humans to clean up the ocean. |
| D．It’s better to leave waste in the sea than in the river. |
| A．Supposed. | B．Protected. | C．Accepted. | D．Controlled. |
| A．Support the project. | B．Use single-use plastics more. |
| C．Change their habits. | D．Realize the danger the river is in. |
