1 . In films and TV shows, police officers study fingerprints to catch bad guys. Now, conservationists (people who work to protect animals and the environment) are using a similar method to deal with the illegal overfishing of sharks.
Overfishing is when too many of a particular type of fish are caught, putting that species in danger. Many sharks are killed because of a high demand — and high price — for their fins. In some countries they are used to make shark fin soup, which some people believe is good for health. Around 100 species of sharks are protected by CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which is an agreement between 184 countries that protects wildlife that is sold.
CITES has teams of people who visit ports and fish factories to look for evidence of protected species being illegally caught and sold. The idea is to punish those responsible and stop it happening, but finding evidence is difficult and can take a long time. Often, fish are sold before teams arrive and if a fish is cut up ready for sale, it’s hard to tell which species it was.
Scientists have come up with a process that studies “fish dust” — tiny traces of fish that get left on the floor at ports and factories, even after the fish have gone. Using a process called metabarcoding, they examine the DNA in it and can tell if the DNA is from a protected species. The scientists tested the method in Indonesia, where many sharks are caught and sold. They studied dust from seven sites and found evidence of 61 shark species — more than 80% of them CITES-protected. Dr. Andhika Prasetyo, the scientist who led the research, hopes the new method could soon be helping to protect endangered sea life.
1. What is the purpose of CITES?| A．To protect wildlife in the trade | B．To study the behavior of sharks. |
| C．To offer medical treatment to wildlife. | D．To stop overfishing in dangerous waters. |
| A．Observing endangered sharks up close. | B．Dealing with international problems. |
| C．Working with local fish factories. | D．Finding timely and effective evidence. |
| A．It has met the need for shark research. | B．It has begun to show promising results. |
| C．It has raised doubts in the fishing industry. | D．It has been introduced to different countries. |
| A．CITES: what it can tell us | B．DNA uncovers shark secrets |
| C．DNA tests could save sharks | D．The silent guardian of the sea: CITES |
2 . Not much happens in the sleepy village of Colaton Raleigh, where almost half of the residents are retired, so local walkers were horrified when they discovered 100 ancient beech trees were cut down.
Residents in the east Devon community are saddened by the loss of the beloved trees, which were cut down by a government agency without consulting the community or council. They were located in a special conservation area and site of special scientific interest, and were home to lots of local plants and animals.
An application was made by a local landowner to the Forestry Commission, a branch of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It would not comment on individual cases, but said all decisions were taken in line with its standards. Alan Pearce, a local tree manager, said, “It certainly ought to be a fairly wide consultation because it’s part of our heritage. Once they’re gone you’re talking about 200 years to regrow. The stumps (树桩) look, nearly all of them, perfectly sound and solid. I can’t see they can say they were diseased or dying. We’re meant to be planting trees, not felling (砍) them.”
He said people were “absolutely horrified”, with one walker in tears over the felling, which he suggested may have been taken to improve grassland in the nearby field.
Resident Fiona Carroll said, “Many people walk in this area as it is part of a large expanse of heathland and they are at a loss as to why this has been allowed to happen. These were valuable landscape and wildlife trees situated along an extensive ancient Devon bank. The roots had grown into large supporting structures giving many a distinctive look.”
Ewan Macdonald, a research fellow at the University of Oxford, who studies how people engage with the environment, said he was not surprised the felling had caused such an emotional reaction because of the way people connected with trees. He said, “It highlights how intrinsically (内在地) bound up things like trees, the environment and conservation are with our culture.”
1. What happened in Colaton Raleigh?| A．Half of its residents retired from their jobs. |
| B．A government agency felled 100 ancient beech trees. |
| C．The Forestry Commission made an application to cut down trees. |
| D．The felling of the trees was done to improve their living conditions. |
| A．The trees were cut down because of disease. |
| B．The local council didn’t approve of the application. |
| C．The local residents are eager to protect the environment. |
| D．The trees were cut down without consulting local villagers. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposed. | C．Indifferent. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Protecting trees is protecting our culture. |
| B．The felling of trees doesn’t cause emotional reactions. |
| C．The environment, conservation, and trees are closely linked to our culture. |
| D．People’s engagement with the environment has no influence on their emotions. |
3 . As a committed citizen, I would never exchange the industrial style of my home city of Wolverhampton, UK, for a view of rolling hills and valleys, let alone rainforests or mountain peaks. For me, the glories of untamed nature feel a planet away.
Wilderness with Simon Reeve, a four-part BBC travel documentary, aims to fill this gap. Reeve and his crew seek out corners of our rapidly urbanizing globe so far relatively untouched by humanity.
Travelling across rainforests and ice fields, deserts and oceans, including the Pacific Ocean’s Coral Triangle, and Patagonia, they reveal the pressures there and how we might protect them from us.
Travel programmes have a rather worrying relationship with conservation, predicated as they are on “selling” a destination. When it comes to the places least influenced by humans, I realize that travelogues can lead to mass tourism and damage.
Happily, based on its first episode (集), Wilderness with Simon Reeve seems more about finding a balance between “right” and “wrong” kinds of tourism. In this episode, we visit the Congo basin, home to the world’s second-largest tropical forest, which stretches for more than 2 million square kilometers across central Africa. The three-week journey begins along the Republic of the Congo’s Motaba river in search of the Baku, hunter-gatherers who live in the jungle. After an old-fashioned knees-up to welcome Reeve, several young Baku men agree to take a camera as they climb 20 metres into the top of the tree. One man puts his arm into a beehive (蜂箱) and collects the honey.
This is just one example of the extraordinary nature in the Congo rainforest. For me, it showed the joy and surprise I felt learning about this region and its people, who aren’t treated as guardians of mysterious knowledge, but as an adaptable, responsible community moving with the times.
All told, the first episode is informative and entertaining. I still have reservations about the impact of such travel shows on conservation, but the series makes a strong case that the first step to preserving an ecosystem is to see its value.
1. What does the underlined word “untamed” in Paragraph I probably mean?| A．Wild. | B．Unpredictable. | C．Distinctive. | D．Complex. |
| A．To promote tourism in remote areas. |
| B．To encourage people to move to urban areas. |
| C．To show the beauty of rainforests and ice fields. |
| D．To raise awareness about the value of untouched nature. |
| A．Friendly but poor. | B．Honest and generous. |
| C．Curious but backward. | D．Adaptable and trustworthy. |
| A．An introduction to a book. | B．A review of a travel documentary. |
| C．A guidebook to a tourist destination. | D．An essay on influence of mass tourism. |
4 . Improper disposal of electronic devices can lead to negative impacts on the environment. So if you are in possession of an “old electronics” box or merely an old iPhone, consider recycling as an option. Here are some organizations worth checking out.
EcoATM
EcoATM is an automated kiosk that collects your unwanted cellphones and tablets and gives you cash for them. You'll find them by the checkout lines at various grocery store chains. It accepts devices from any era or in any condition, and offers anywhere between a few bucks to a few hundred dollars in return.
Best Buy
Best Buy offers a simple, straightforward recycling program. You can take your old phone to any of its retail stores and it'll take care of the entire recycling process for you. Best Buy will even give you a gift card for the value of the device you give them.
Call2Recycle
Call2Recycle is one of the largest recycling programs in the United States. The company collects used smartphones and batteries and has them either recycled or refurbished (翻新) for future use. It partners with various retailers to provide recycling services in stores like Lowe’s, The Home Depot and other smaller businesses.
Eco Cell
Eco Cell takes a unique approach to recycling phones. The program collects used smartphones and other gadgets for recycling through local zoos and other wildlife organizations. It then gives what it makes from recycling or refurbishing the devices back to those organizations in order to continue their work.
1. What do EcoATM and Best Buy have in common?| A．They are based in grocery stores. |
| B．They offer a reward for recycling. |
| C．They collect various kinds of devices. |
| D．They refurbish recycled items. |
| A．Call2Recycle | B．Eco Cell | C．Best Buy | D．EcoATM |
| A．The variety of items it recycles. |
| B．Its marketing strategies. |
| C．Its pricing policies and structures. |
| D．Its dedication to preserving wildlife. |
1. 节能必要性；
2. 具体做法；
3. 词数80字左右。
Save energy in the home
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In a small community located at a suburb of Exeter, a disheartening issue had been troubling the neighborhood for years. The once pleasant surroundings were ruined by piles of waste that seemed to multiply with each passing day. Residents were growing tired of the worsening environment, leading many to abandon their homes in search of cleaner neighborhoods. It was in this terrible situation that two young students, Emma and Mia, decided to take matters into their own hands.
Emma and Mia were classmates and best friends from Phillips Exeter Academy, both passionate about environmental preservation and deeply concerned about the pollution crisis their community was facing. Witnessing more and more neighbors’ leaving, they knew they couldn’t stand by any longer. Determined to bring about a change, they undertook a mission that would soon catch the attention of the entire community.
Their journey began with thorough research and planning. The two girls searched carefully on the Internet for information on environmental initiatives and connected with local environmentalists. They organized meetings with residents to understand the issues at hand, collecting data on the types of waste, the sources, and the areas most affected. Armed with this knowledge, Emma and Mia worked out a comprehensive plan and announced it to ask for opinions from the residents. Surprisingly it was strongly supported.
Their strategy was twofold. First, they initiated a waste classification and recycling program. They distributed recycling bins(回收箱) to every household and educated the community about the importance of responsible waste management. Soon, the streets began to show signs of improvement as the volume of garbage inappropriately thrown away decreased gradually.
The second part of their plan was more ambitious. Emma and Mia gathered volunteers from their school and the neighborhood to take part in a massive clean-up campaign. Armed with gloves and trash(垃圾)bags, they began systematically clearing the waste from the streets, parks, and even the local bodies of water. Their firm commitment and hard work inspired others to join the cause.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式作答。
Half a year later, the changes were significant.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emma and Mia received recognition and honors for their work.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. By 2020, where should trash sorting happen?
| A．In all major cities of China. |
| B．Only in Zhejiang province. |
| C．In Ms. Chu’s neighborhood. |
| A．Trash collector. | B．Reporter. | C．Politician. |
| A．Door-to-door training. | B．Free trash cans. | C．Plastic trash bags. |
| A．He will call a volunteer. |
| B．He will see a name on the bag. |
| C．He will scan the bag with a phone. |
8 . In 1999, Giuliana Furci, founder and founding director of the Fungi (真菌) Foundation, developed a deep interest in fungi. They were everywhere, and the 20-year-old took particular joy in the variety of mushrooms: small and button-shaped; tall and umbrella-like; round with red caps topped with white flakes. Some were commonly found in people’s diets, for they were rich in nutrients such as vitamin, fiber, minerals and protein.
But Furci also quickly realized that these fungi went largely ignored in Chile, where there were few guidebooks and an almost total lack of policies and resources to protect them from over-harvesting and other human activities. Determined to correct this, Furci wrote a field guide and set up the Fungi Foundation—a nonprofit dedicated to fungi conservation. In her guide, special attention went to the role of fungi in the ecosystem.
“Life on the planet wouldn’t exist without fungi,” said Greg Mueller, a mushroom conservation expert. “Because of their relationship with forests and trees, we can’t survive without fungi. In terms of the health of the planet, they’re incredibly important to humans and the overall ecosystem.” Fungi can break down plants and animals, thus cycling nutrients and increasing their availability in the soil. They are also important contributors to the soil carbon stock through the same process. What’s more, fungi have been found to help degrade (降解) various pollutants, such as plastic. And mycelium (菌丝体), which is the root structure of mushrooms, is now being used to replace unsustainable materials, such as plastic and animal-based products.
Because of these, exploration of fungi was expanded at a faster pace. However, some were already listed as critically endangered. In 2010, Furci took an even bigger step—with other environmental nonprofits, she put forward a proposal for the government to systematically assess how large new developments such as housing, dams, and highways affect fungi. In 2012, a law was passed and Chile became the first country in the world to protect fungi by law.
1. What can we learn about Furci from the first two paragraphs?| A．She enjoyed collecting mushrooms. |
| B．She was fond of cooking mushrooms. |
| C．She worried about the situation of fungi. |
| D．She had a habit of writing field guidebooks. |
| A．The life on earth without fungi. |
| B．The importance of fungi on earth. |
| C．The relations between trees and fungi. |
| D．The practical uses of fungi in the future. |
| A．By writing free instructions on plants. |
| B．By starting a non-profit ecotourism company. |
| C．By raising awareness of the importance of fungi. |
| D．By passing laws to ban over-harvesting mushrooms. |
| A．Ground-breaking. | B．Debatable. |
| C．Romantic. | D．Unmatched. |
9 . China has seen great achievements in proving the environment and green development over the past 70 years. Solid efforts have been made to fight pollution and continuously improve the environment.
As President Xi Jinping has said, clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets.
A series of campaigns have been carried out by the central government to improve the environment.
In Kubuqi, a desert in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Elion has greened 600,00 hectares of land and helped lift more than 102,000 people out of poverty through the development of solar energy and tourism, as well as planting herbs for traditional Chinese medicine.
In addition, the group’s techniques have also been used in many ecological programs, including the Yangtze River Ecological Park and the Qilian Mountain National Park.
“
| A．Pollution is getting worse and worse nowadays. |
| B．Desertification was a serious problem in the 1990s. |
| C．Once the environment get better, we will live a happier life. |
| D．Another example of the campaign is the Elion Resources Group. |
| E．We will come up with new ways to improve our ability to control the sand. |
| F．For example, in 1998, China started the Natural Forest Protection Program. |
| G．Efforts to create “green” areas have played an important role in the country’s fight against desertification. |
10 . There are two distinctive types of electric buses making their way along Nanjing Xi Lu, one of Shanghai’s busiest roads. The first is a fleet of blue trolleybuses that serve bus route number 20, a line set up by a British-run transport company in 1928. They use poles to receive electricity from wires overhead and have kept the route running in this way for nearly a century. But while the historic electric buses are a reminder of Europe’s past technological innovation, the new buses traveling alongside them are symbols of China’s contemporary net-zero ambition. These modern electric buses powered by lithium batteries (锂电池) , were introduced in Shanghai in 2014. They offer a smoother ride, especially during starts and stops. Widely used across China, these buses are key to the country’s EV transition and are influencing the global shift towards green transportation.
The most recent data available shows that China in 2018 was still the second largest source of carbon dioxide emissions in the global transport sector, responsible for 11%, and behind only the United States, which accounted for 21%. After around two decades of government support, China now boasts the world’s largest market for e-buses, making up more than 95% of global stock. At the end of 2022, China’s Ministry of Transport announced that more than three-quarters (77% or 542, 600) of all urban buses in the country were new energy vehicles. The speed of this transition was remarkable.
So far, however, the Chinese cities with the most successful e-bus introduction — such as Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai — all have moderate weather and are relatively flat. To take its e-bus campaign to the next level, China faces challenges. For one thing, it is difficult to bring fleets to cities such as Hong Kong, which — like London — have double-deckers. These two-storeyed vehicles are “very hard” to electrify, because they are heavier, use more energy, and so need bigger batteries, reducing the number of passengers they can carry. Cold weather is a problem, too, as it can make a battery’s charging time longer and its range shorter. The reason China has not achieved 100% electrification for its buses is its northern regions, which have cold winters, says Xue Lulu, a transportation expert at the World Resources Institute China.
1. How does the author describe the two types of electric buses in the first paragraph?| A．By contrasting their historical significance and technological advancements. |
| B．By highlighting their roles in protecting the environment and lasting use. |
| C．By focusing merely on their technical details and performance. |
| D．By explaining their operational challenges and requirements. |
| A．The global impact of carbon dioxide emissions. |
| B．The progress of China in reducing CO2 emissions. |
| C．The different emission levels of China and the USA. |
| D．The need for more government support in e-bus market. |
| A．Poor winter weather conditions. | B．Lack of transportation experts. |
| C．Short charging time of the battery. | D．Heavier and bigger bus bodies. |
| A．Worklife. | B．Culture. | C．Travel. | D．Earth. |
