1 . Solar farms offer one way to meet the world’s decarbonization targets, but they could also be used to deal with another of the planet’s big problems: loss of biodiversity. The approach is starting to take off. Residents of Barnsdale, for example, will soon play host to a new solar farm lined with grass field of wildflowers and native grasses, which Banks Group, the developer, says will promote pollinating insects.
The idea comes from the combination of two long-term trends: declining numbers of pollinating insects and the growing amount of land distributed to solar farms. According to the Center for Biological Diversity in Arizona, more than 40 percent of insect pollinators globally are listed as “highly threatened”—an issue that could seriously threaten food security. Meanwhile, solar-energy competence has been increasing. Matthew O’Neal, a scientist at Iowa State University, would like to see more solar developers seize this opportunity.
The benefits of such projects don’t stop at the insects. Research from Yale’s Center for Business and the Environment indicates that pollinator-friendly solar farms can raise crop output on nearby farmland, increase the recharging of groundwater and reduce soil erosion. In 2018, a US Department of Energy study found that if all existing and planned solar facilities near soybean and cranberry crops included pollinator home and increased output by just one percent, annual crop values could rise by US $1.75 million, US $4 million and US $233,000, respectively.
“Farmers could identify unprofitable areas, such as poor, highly erodible lands, as candidates for a pollinator-friendly solar farm. There’s the potential to increase their net income with pollinator motivation projects,” says O’Neal.
With enough forward thinking, these studies show, clean energy can provide new environmental opportunities. “We’re at a turning point with energy production and we’re seeing more opportunities to provide extra benefits that wouldn’t have been considered with older methods of energy generation,” says O’Neal. “You never heard of a coal mine planning pollinator conservation.”
1. What can be an additional function of solar farms according to paragraph 1?A.Adding the amount of farmland. | B.Addressing the decline of biodiversity. |
C.Improving the solar-energy competence. | D.Increasing the amount of profitable areas. |
A.Reduce the size of their farms. |
B.Live away from pollinator-friendly solar farms. |
C.Grow their crops near areas rich in groundwater. |
D.Make full use of soil erosion areas to make extra profits. |
A.Supportive. | B.Conservative. | C.Skeptical. | D.Uncertain. |
A.Solar Power Is Starting to Take Off |
B.Solar Energy Will Be in Urgent Need |
C.Solar Farms Can Deal with the Loss of Biodiversity |
D.Solar Farms Need to Expand the Amount of Farmland |
During the just-ended Spring Festival holiday, former fisherman Wang Chaosheng kept
Living in Sinan county in Southwest China’s Guizhou province,
Wujiang River
“I used to catch fish, and now I keep fish. I’m still doing my job,” Wang said.
The 18-hectare construction site of the Huashan section of Wuhan Metro Line 19 is situated near an ecological reserve. Efforts had to be made
When Hua
However, months
4 . One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is absolutely the case in Turkey where garbage collectors started collecting books that have been thrown away and ended up opening a library.
It started when garbage man Durson Ipek found a bag of abandoned books when he was working and then it snowballed from there. Ipek and other garbage men started gathering the books they found on the streets that were ready for landfills (垃圾填埋地) and as their collection started to grow, so did word of mouth. Soon, local residents started donating books directly. The library was initially available only to the garbage employees and their families to use but as the collection grew, so did public interest and the library was opened to the public in 2017.
“On the one hand, there were those who were leaving these books on the streets. On the other hand, others were looking for these books,” Ankaya mayor Alper Tasdelen told CNN. “We started to discuss the idea of creating a library from these books. When everyone supported it, this project happened.”
All the books that are found are sorted and checked for condition. If they pass, they go on the shelves. Today, the library has over 6,000 books that range from fiction to nonfiction and there’s a very popular children’s section that even has a collection of comic books. An entire section is devoted to scientific research and there are also books available in English and French. The collection has grown so large that the library loans books to schools and educational programs.
“Village school teachers from all over Turkey are requesting books,” Tasdelen told CNN. The government has to hire a full-time employee to manage the library.
This library is incredibly popular. It is frequently filled with the children of the city’s workers and students from nearby schools. There is a waiting room set up for readers and chess boards for the people who visit the library. You can even enjoy a cup of tea in the waiting room.
1. What does the underlined word “snowballed” in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Declined quickly. | B.Grew slowly. | C.Developed rapidly. | D.Worsened steadily. |
A.Its great popularity. | B.Its potential significance. |
C.Its huge collection of books. | D.Its wide variety of readers. |
A.To raise people’s awareness of recycling. | B.To classify and check the donated books. |
C.To expand the social influence of the library. | D.To meet the huge demand from rural teachers. |
A.It’s an excellent place to enjoy tea. | B.It’s crowded with readers every day. |
C.It needs to improve its management. | D.It provides a very considerate service. |
The African penguin is expected to go extinct in the wild in just over a decade, given its current population decline. The main reason is a lack of food caused by disturbance to ocean conditions from global heating and
6 . A carbon capturing device, called Orca, began operating in Iceland in September. The machine was invented and made by a Swiss company called Climeworks. The name comes from the Icelandic word orka which means energy.
Orca can pull carbon dioxide out of the air and send it deep into the ground, where it is turned into stone. The device is made up of four sections which look like giant air conditioners stacked together. Each section contains 12 large fans that suck air from outside into steel compartments.
Inside, the air passes through a filter (过滤器) which gathers the carbon dioxide. It is then heated to a high temperature so the carbon dioxide can be collected from the filter. Then, the carbon dioxide is mixed with water and put deep in the ground into a type of rock called basalt. Basalt causes the carbon dioxide mixture to turn into stone after two or three years.
Orca is an experimental device. It was built to demonstrate that it is possible to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It can remove 4, 000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year. That’s about the same amount as the emissions produced by 850 cars in a year. In order to remove enough carbon dioxide to make a big difference to global warming, much larger devices like Orca would have to be built in many countries around the world.
Some environmental activists say governments should spend more time and money on reducing the amount of greenhouse gas we produce each year, instead of investing in carbon capture methods. But others say that, in order for countries to meet their goal of net zero emissions by 2050, they will need to do both: reduce new emissions and remove the carbon dioxide already in the air.
1. What’s the purpose of designing Orca?A.To conserve energy. | B.To achieve zero emissions. |
C.To protect natural resources. | D.To remove carbon dioxide in the air. |
A.Orca. | B.The basalt. | C.The air. | D.Carbon dioxide. |
a. Sucking the air. b. Collecting the carbon dioxide.
c. Mixing with water. d. Filtering and heating.
e. Putting into the ground.
A.a, d, b, c, e | B.a, c, d, b, e | C.a, d, c, b, e | D.a, b, c, d, e |
A.Reducing emissions is more important. |
B.It might result in new pollution. |
C.The technology is not mature. |
D.It doesn’t work efficiently. |
7 . Don’t Get Lost in the Term of Eco-tourism
Given that tourism produces harmful emissions, the term “green travel” can seem contradictory. Green travel will not solve the climate crisis, but knowing what to look for can allow you to make choices that do less harm and more good if you do choose to travel.
Don’t get hung up on the terms.
The key to better understanding and identifying sustainable travel options is recognizing that it’s actually actions—not words—that matter. Definitions can vary from person to person.
Ask questions.
Before you book a tour or hotel, prepare questions. For example: Do they support the local economy? Are they ensuring the preservation of the natural environment?
You don’t have to plan a responsible travel and the ever-changing term alone. Contact organizations that provide training, accreditation and transparent standards. You can also join responsible travel communities on social media, where you can ask questions, share resources and learn alongside other travelers who share your values.
Start now.
You can’t do everything at once right away. Decide what you can do. Maybe it’s contributing to a conservation or community project.
A.Lean on and learn from others. |
B.Find an operator who shares your personal values. |
C.But it’s the truth behind the term that really matters. |
D.Ask what the local government can provide you with. |
E.Search for the answers such as data and policies on a company’s website. |
F.Here are some expert tips on how to understand the vocabulary of green travel. |
G.Maybe it’s immersing yourself in one destination rather than rushing around to see three. |
8 . There are few places on Earth that humans haven’t messed up. Now even Antarctica, the only continent with no permanent human inhabitants, is being altered by us. A study found that the increasing human presence in Antarctica is causing more snow melt-bad news for a frozen world already battling the effects of human-caused global warming.
Black carbon, the dark, dusty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels has settled in locations where tourists and researchers spend a lot of time, scientists found. Even the smallest amount of the dark pollutant can have a significant impact on melting because of its very low reflectiveness: things that are light in color, like snow, reflect the sun's energy and stay cool; things that are dark, like black carbon, absorb the sun's energy and warm up.
“The snow albedo (反射率) effect is one of the largest uncertainties in regional and global climate modeling right now,” Alia Khan, a snow and ice scientist at Western Washington University, told CNN. “That’s one of the motivations for the study, to quantify the impact of black carbon on regional snowmelt, which is important for quantifying the role of black carbon in the global loss of snow and ice.”
“Antarctica is sitting there pretty much silently all year. But, if it weren’t there, in the state that it is meant to be, the balance that we have in the climate system will no longer be,” Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor said. “Antarctica’s sea ice is also important to maintain a balance in atmospheric circulation,” he added. As waters get warmer, some Antarctic creatures are finding their homes more and more unlivable.
“Everything we do has consequences,” Raphael said. “We need to educate ourselves about those consequences, especially in systems that we know relatively little about. We have to be careful that we don’t upset the climate balance.”
1. Why can the smallest amount of black carbon have huge impact on melting?A.It is highly reflective. | B.Its dark colour absorbs heat. |
C.It produces vast energy. | D.It causes much pollution. |
A.To measure the impact of black carbon on melting. |
B.To quantify the cost of battling against climate change. |
C.To remove the uncertainties of global warming effects. |
D.To urge people to pay more attention to melting problem. |
A.The change caused by Antarctic melting. | B.The methods to stop Antarctic ice melting. |
C.The significance of Antarctic being in its state. | D.The sufferings Antarctic creatures are experiencing. |
A.Reduce tourist numbers. | B.Face the consequences. |
C.Acquire professional education. | D.Stop disturbing the climate. |
9 . Should We Create More National Parks to Save Endangered Animals?
Don’t you find it worrying that more and more species of animals are in real danger of becoming extinct?
In addition, national parks protect animals from the danger of being hunted. A major reason why many species are endangered is that these animals are killed by hunters. They hunt animals to make money.
On the other hand, some people fight against the creation of national parks because they consider it is wrong to interfere with nature. They believe that wild animals are happier living in their natural environment.
All in all, these disadvantages are far less important than the benefits of national parks.
A.To begin with, animals are important to humans. |
B.Some hunters even hunt animals simply for sport. |
C.I personally believe that we must save these animals. |
D.These parks allow animals to live in a safe environment. |
E.Firstly, national parks protect these animals’ natural environment. |
F.They say though the animals may face danger, they enjoy a free life. |
G.There is a heated discussion about whether to create more national parks. |
10 .
Endangered Species Youth Art Contest
2023 Contest Now Open!
Join us for our 6th annual Endangered Species Youth Art Contest! In celebration of Endangered Species Day (May 19, 2023), Roger Williams Park Zoo is accepting art entries from local K-12 grade students in the New England area showing threatened and endangered species. Together we hope to raise awareness about the importance of saving endangered species and their wild habitats.
Winners will be formally announced by May 2023.
Rules & Art Submission Instructions:
▲All entries are to be submitted electronically. Web form will be made available beginning February 1,2023.
▲Students’ artworks must be original. Computer-produced images will NOTbe judged.
▲All artworks must be about threatened/endangered species.
▲Each art entry must also include a short explanation (3-5 sentences) as to why saving your chosen species from extinction is important.
Deadline: Entries must be received by Sunday, April 2,2023. Late entries will not be judged.
2023 Art Contest Prizes
GRAND PRIZE(Judges Choice)
▲One Family RWPZoo membership (a S149 value; or extra year added to current Zoo membership)
▲An adopt-an-animal package of your choice
▲One $100 gift card
GRADE CATEGORY WINNERS (Grades K-2, Grades 3-12)
Each grade-winner shall receive:
★Six General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo
★One $25 gift card
HONORABLE MENTIONS (Grades K-2,Grades 3-12)
Each grade-honorable mention shall receive:
·Four General daytime admission tickets to RWPZoo
·An award certificate
All winning artworks will be highlighted on the Zoo’s website and social media pages, and in the Zoo’s summer WILD Magazine issue.
1. How can you submit your artwork?A.By sending it in an envelope. |
B.By turning it in on the website. |
C.By handing it to the zoo in person. |
D.By having it delivered to the judges. |
A.The habitats of threatened and endangered species. |
B.The relationship between humans and endangered species. |
C.The measures to protect endangered species. |
D.The reason of protecting your targeted species. |
A.A choice to adopt an animal. |
B.A S25 worth of gift card to the zoo. |
C.An exhibition of the artwork all year round. |
D.Six tickets to RWPZoo for general daily time admission. |