2 . When we talk about protecting the environment and sustainability, we focus on factories and industries that produce cars, household objects, and materials used in production. However, the carbon footprint of the fast fashion industry is sizeable and should not be overlooked.

Fast fashion has seen quite the rise recently, with stores spreading far and wide all over the world. They mass-produce one collection after the other, always on trend, and always encouraging consumers to follow the said trend. However, what about the impact this kind of business model has on the environment?

The clothing industry is the second-highest polluter of water. Factories of fast fashion poured poisonous chemicals into clean water supplies because clothing production is a land-and water-intensive industry, responsible for 10% of all carbon release globally. Even after the clothes are produced in factories, they can still affect the environment. For example, polyester (涤纶) can release plastic microfibres into the water system, which contributes to the already existing plastic problem.

The fashion industry is indeed causing great harm to the environment; moreover, the clothes being made are not meant to last. In most cases, the quality is not there, and the clothes are only used a few times before being discarded. Before the rise of fast fashion, clothes were made to last and were not meant to have the high turnover that clothes have.

There are many designers who are committed to mass-producing their clothes in sustainable ways. Some big brands are also trying to make improvements in the materials they use and the mass-producing process, but big efforts are needed if we are going to see a change. What we as consumers can do is shop consciously and consider how the clothes have been made and whether we truly need that piece or not.

1. What can be inferred about fast fashion from the first two paragraphs?

A．It stresses offline sales.	B．It affects the environment seriously.
C．It is a sustainable industry worldwide.	D．It is popular among young consumers.

2. What is the impact of polyester mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．It makes clothing last long.	B．It reduces carbon footprint.
C．It results in water pollution.	D．It lowers the production cost.

3. What does the underlined word “discarded” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Thrown away.

B．Picked up.

C．Passed down.

D．Turned in.

4. What should consumers do to protect the environment according to the text?

A．Support big fashion brands.	B．Stop buying long-lasting clothes.
C．Think twice before shopping for clothes.	D．Change dressing styles frequently.

4 . James Rainey reads trees like most people read signposts. The senior ecologist is using a small hand camera to identify a lichen (地衣) that is surrounding the base of wild pines (松树) in a deep narrow valley on the west coast of Scotland. He is looking for ecological clues of species associated with the ancient Caledonian Forest, which once covered most of the Highlands.

Wild pines have been growing in Scotland continuously since the ice age, offering a globally unique ecosystem supporting rare wildlife. But now less than 2% of the original growth survives, with just 14 individual Caledonian pinewood sites now officially recognized. “To meet the demand for more wood, many wild pines in Highlands have been removed to make room for commercial forestry,” says Rainey. “This was often done in ancient woodlands and was really damaging to the remaining trees.”

But restoration is still possible, especially since some old trees still survive along with the ancient woodland soil and seedbank—seeds stored in the soil, which can grow once the heavy shade of commercial conifers (针叶树) is removed.

The ecological investigator uses three clues of evidence to discover where these pinewoods first stood. “First there’s the historical evidence, like old maps and texts. Then comes the landscape context: is the pine associated with planting around a big house, or is the setting more natural? And finally I use the ecological evidence: wild pine usually grow alongside old birch trees, which indicates ecological continuity,” explains Rainey.

Rainey has identified 23 pines in this area, all rooted in places least accessible. Their needles have been taken for genetic testing to confirm their family trees. “This would have been filled with trees but is now empty — these are the most critical areas in need of regeneration and we want the whole of the ancient woodlands to recover, not just the pines,” he said.

1. Why are the wild pines considered to be so significant?

A．They act as a signpost for the highland.	B．They are an indicator of an ancient forest.
C．They are an alternative to commercial forestry.	D．They provide a shelter for certain species of lichen.

2. What is essential for the restoration of ancient pinewoods?

A．The existence of ancient seeds.	B．The presence of commercial conifers.
C．The awareness of the forest protection.	D．The application of the advanced technology.

3. How does Rainey determine the original location of the pinewoods?

A．By locating big houses.	B．By consulting historians.
C．By referring to digital maps.	D．By making the most of surroundings.

4. What is the ultimate Rainey’s goal?

A．To confirm the genes of the pine.	B．To restore the old-growth woodlands.
C．To explore the unfrequented places.	D．To enrich the diversity of the wild pines.

5 . In the global effort to protect biodiversity, Mexico has been at the forefront. In particular, for more than 30 years. Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) has promoted research, compiled information on the biodiversity of Mexico and elsewhere, and connected academia, government, and society to guide decision-making. Unfortunately, last month, the Mexican government announced its intention to reduce CONABIO from a multi-ministry federal government agency to a branch within the environment ministry. This will rid CONABIO of its independent voice, credibility, and influence on national and international policy.

CONABIO was created in 1992, which aimed to promote international cooperation on environmental issues of the 21st century. Since then, CONAB1O has digitized tens of millions of records in national and foreign collections and has processed satellite data on vegetation cover and wildfires. It is not only a data base but a model for best practices in biodiversity management. All information is publicly available online, and contributors decide when the information they provide will be made public. In the past 5 years, CONABIO had an average of 1000 users per week, and it was consulted at least once per day by health, agriculture, environment, foreign affairs, and government agencies from Mexico and other countries. CONABIO has become a world-sought reference on how to effectively compile useful information and make specific policy for the benefit of the population and biodiversity.

The proposed change for CONABIO will likely eliminate the support it provides for the sustainable management, use, and conservation of biodiversity for Mexico and the world. Given that Mexico is home to 10% to 12%of the world’s species, there is much at risk. CONABIO is already very cost-efficient, and its capacity to influence political decisions depends directly on its multi-ministerial character. Burying the agency is a path to put it to an end.

Should this move become effective, it would be the end of the many essential benefits that CONABIO provides to address the environmental crises that threaten the future of all life on Earth. It is time for Mexico’s scientists, Mexico’s population, and the world to speak out against destroying this valuable institution.

1. What may happen to CONABIO according to paragraph 1?

A．It may be charged.	B．It may be dismissed.
C．It may be investigated.	D．It may be downgraded.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about concerning CONABIO?

A．Its original purpose.	B．Its bright prospect.
C．Its great contributions.	D．Its awkward situation.

3. What does the underlined word “eliminate” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Remove.

B．Improve.

C．Obtain,

D．Ignore.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Promote Mexico’s Biodiversity	B．Stand Up for CONABIO
C．Stick to Sustainable Biodiversity	D．Improve the Fame of CONABIO

6 . Chaudhary weaves (编织) together lengths of rope and grass collected from the nearby riverbank in her village, skillfully shaping the materials into a gift box while instructing a group of women to follow suit.

The ropes being used were once the lifeline for mountain climbers tackling Nepal’s mountains and were then cast away. Diverse measures to remove such discarded materials have rocketed since 2019, when the government launched Clean Mountain Campaign.Around 140,000 tons of waste were collected on Mt. Everest alone, which were handled accordingly, either securely buried or recycled.

Some waste is now finding fresh life, transformed by skilled hands like Chaudhary’s into items to sell, thanks to an initiative led by Acharya, an owner of a waste processing business and an advocate for sustainable waste management. She has been working with the cleaning campaign, aiming at mountains like Mt. Everest.

“Metal waste goes through the recycling process, but we weren’t capable of recycling these ropes and cooking gas cans,” Acharya says. It didn’t occur to her that the waste which couldn’t be recycled could be reused until she met Rai at an art exhibition and a solution emerged.

Rai, a businessman dealing in craftworks, helped connect Acharya with Chaudhary and her team of craftswomen in hopes of unlocking the economic value of the mountain waste. With flexible hours, the project gives the craftswomen an opportunity to earn money even as they maintain their household responsibilities.

“While this seems insignificant compared to waste in the mountains, it’s a start. We can’t supply sufficient raw material with waste sorting and cleaning processes taking plenty of time and money,” Acharya says, desperate to expand the program to involve more women and treat more waste. But progress has been slow. “We need investment to mechanize the cleaning and processing of waste in the initial phase to provide the crafting team with enough materials to meet their demand,” she adds.

1. What were the ropes mentioned in paragraph 2 initially intended as?

A．Tools for tying up weeds.	B．Villagers’ basic necessities of life.
C．Raw materials tor unique artworks.	D．Life-saving devices for mountaineers.

2. What inspired Acharya’s resolution of non-recyclable waste?

A．A journey to the rural area.	B．An encounter with a trader.
C．Information from a product launch.	D．Attendance at an academic conference.

3. What does Acharya expect to do based on the last paragraph?

A．Train more senior technicians.	B．Obtain a better reputation.
C．Drop waste washing procedures.	D．Bring in advanced equipment.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Chaudhary: An Eco-Minded Folk Artist

B．Nepali Women Are Turning Garbage into Crafts

C．Clean Mountain Campaign Has Already Taken Effect

D．A Headache: Mt. Everest Is Heavily Littered with Waste

7 . We breathe, eat and drink tiny particles of plastic. But are these in the body harmless. dangerous or somewhere in between? A small study published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine raises more questions than it answers about how these hits might affect the heart.

The study involved 257 people who had surgery to clear blocked blood vessels in their necks. Using two methods, researchers found evidence of plastics-mostly invisible nanoplastics — in 150 patients and no evidence of plastics in 107 patients. They followed these people for three years. During that time, 30 or 20% of those with plastics had a heart attack, stroke or died from any cause, compared to 8 or about 8% of those with no evidence of plastics.

The researchers also found more evidence of inflammation (炎症) in the people with the plastic bits in their blood vessels. Inflammation is the body’s response to injury and is thought to raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

“I hope that the alarming message will raise the consciousness of citizens, especially governments, to finally become aware of the importance of the health of our planet.” said Dr. Raffaele Marfella of the University of Campania in Italy.

Nevertheless, the study was very small and looked only at people with narrowed arteries (动脉), who were already at risk for heart attack and stroke. The patients with the plastics had more heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol (胆固醇) than the patients without plastics. They were more likely to be men and more likely to be smokers. The researchers tried to adjust for these risk factors during their statistical analysis, but they may have missed important differences between the groups that could account for the results. This kind of study cannot prove that the plastics caused their problems.

“More research is needed and it is the first report suggesting a connection between microplastics and nanoplastics with disease in humans,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan of Boston College. Other scientists have found plastic bits in the lungs, liver, blood, and breast milk, “It does not prove cause and effect, but it suggests cause and effect,” he said, “And it needs urgently to be either confirmed or disproven (反驳) by other studies done by other investigators in other populations.”

1. What did the study find about the plastics in blood?

A．They are visible and detectable.	B．They may raise the risk of serious injuries.
C．They need to be removed by surgery.	D．They may account for a higher rate of heart attacks.

2. What did Raffaele Marfella suggest?

A．Immediate action should be taken by government.

B．Alarming message should be spread widely and quickly.

C．The awareness of the harm of plastic bits should be enhanced.

D．Joint efforts must be made to keep healthy physically and mentally.

3. What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about regarding the study?

A．Limitations.

B．Advantages.

C．Causes.

D．Effects.

4. What did Dr. Philip Landrigan think of the study?

A．Helpful but unrealistic.	B．Pioneering but impractical.
C．Distinctive but unnecessary.	D．Suggestive but inconclusive.

8 . Scientists have determined that July 2023 was the hottest month on record and that the Earth’s average surface temperature is the highest it’s been in at least 120,000 years.

There’s no shortage of advice for people in hotter-than-normal regions. They can wear a sun hat or stay in the shade (阴凉处). And when all else fails, go inside and turn the air conditioning on.

But wild creatures can’t enjoy the cool air indoors. Many people assume that wild species must have some ways of dealing with these unusually high temperatures. However, most of them can’t. If their body temperatures go too high or too low, they will die. So in addition to finding food and avoiding enemies, every wild creature must continually engage in an ongoing exchange of energy with their environments to ensure survival.

Birds do this by getting out of the direct sun, sitting still, and breathing shallow breaths. In short, they do nothing but breathe in the shade. This behavior is usually successful because it enables most birds to survive most of the very hot days. But it wrecks their schedule. Many birds no longer have enough time in their days to find enough food to remain healthy, especially the extra food needed to raise their young.

It’s not only birds that are suffering from heat, nor is it only land species: animals in the ocean are also suffering. The largest analysis (分析) of coral reef (珊瑚礁) health found that 14% of the world’s coral reefs had been lost in the previous decade due to heat. Another recent study predicts (预测) that over 99% of coral reefs will experience heat that they cannot recover from if the global average temperature increases by just 1.5 degrees Celsius, which, unless we massively reduce our carbon emissions, is likely to happen in the next decades.

Heat is damaging ecosystems everywhere, and we’re just in the early stages of climate breakdown. Humans are highly adaptable. The vast majority of wild species, however, can’t simply pack up and go someplace else. By continuing to pollute the atmosphere, we’re damaging their worlds and pushing ever-greater numbers of them into extinction.

1. How do wild species differ from humans in handling rising heat?

A．They can migrate to cooler environments.	B．They are better at cooperating with each other.
C．They have limited methods for adapting to it.	D．They are more resistant to heat-related health issues.

2. What does the underlined word “wrecks” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Represents.

B．Disturbs.

C．Adopts.

D．Meets.

3. What does the author want to show by mentioning coral reefs?

A．Land species are more easily affected by heat.

B．Heat can cause serious trouble for different wildlife.

C．Coral reefs are of great value to coastal communities.

D．Underwater creatures have adopted ways to control heatwaves.

4. What does the last paragraph imply?

A．Wildlife can adapt quickly to various environments.

B．Wild species have more natural enemies to deal with.

C．Ecosystems may naturally recover from heat damage.

D．Immediate action is required to protect ecosystems.

9 . Do you know cultivated meat? Typically, making this sort of meat starts with cells from domestic animals. The cells are grown in bioreactors full of nutrient-rich liquid, and then harvested, and eventually become products such as steak or chicken. In a homely kitchen of Eat Just, a startup, a slice of such meat was fried and then served with peppers. The first mouthful of it was extraordinary because the meat was grown in a lab, rather than on an animal. Meanwhile, it was also dull, because the texture, taste, look and smell of the meat was almost identical to that of chicken.

In June, Eat Just and Upside Foods became the first two companies to win regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat in America. A handful of other firms are trying to bring cultivated meat to market. But the hope is fading owing to continued high costs and troubles with mass production.

The UN reports meat and dairy production already accounts for 12% of humanity’s greenhouse-gas emissions, Demand for meat is skyrocketing among the growing middle classes of Africa and Asia. Lab-grown meat could help meet that demand without the world breaking its carbon budget. By contrast, two-fifths of Americans claim to restrict their meat consumption either for ethical(伦理的) reasons or environmental ones. Lab-grown meat may seem less ethically worrisome than eating animals. And the early success of plant-based meat alternatives gave investors hope. Beyond Meat, one such firm, went public in 2019, and saw its value shoot to $14 billion.

Though lab-grown meat offers an alternative to farm-grown meat, questions have been raised about how climate-friendly it can be. A study published earlier this year found that in some circumstances cultivated meat could be more polluting than the conventional stuff because the bioreactor is in great need of power to control its temperature. Consequently, only if renewable energy is used in the production process will cultivated meat cut the carbon footprint of the meat industry.

Whether this effort can make lab-grown meat attractive and cheap enough to attract consumers remains to be seen.

1. What does the author focus on concerning cultivated meat in paragraph 1?

A．Its characteristics.	B．Its health benefits.
C．Its cooking methods.	D．Its similarities to artificial meat.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．Most Americans skip meat.

B．Asians prefer lab-grown meat.

C．Beyond Meat is facing financial collapse.

D．Lab-grown meat may have a vast consumer market.

3. In which aspect does the cultivated-meat industry damage the environment?

A．Poisonous chemical leaks.	B．Land occupation.
C．Grecnhouse-gas emissions.	D．Water consumption.

4. What’s the author’s attitude to lab-grown meat?

A．Opposed.

B．Favorable.

C．Uncaring.

D．Reserved.

10 . 读后续写

The Araguaia River is one of the biggest rivers in Brazil. It is home to thousands of animals. River dolphins swim and play in the water, and there are many different colored fish.

In one town, a 13-year-old boy named Rhenan walks along the river every day. But looking at the river makes him worry because there is rubbish everywhere. He sees plastic bottles, old clothing, and empty food packages. The water looks dark and ugly.

One day Rhenan asked about the dirty river at school. “You wouldn’t want rubbish in your house,” said his teacher. “Think about the poor animals!” For days, Rhenan couldn’t stop thinking about the river. It doesn’t seem right to him that this big and powerful river is filled with rubbish. “It’s hurting the animals in my area,” he thought. “And it’s also hurting the families who live here.” Then Rhenan had an idea.

The next morning, Rhenan talked to his mother about his plan for the river. He wanted to go around his town and ask for everyone’s help. Maybe if they all worked together, they could clean up the river!

Rhenan’s mother loved his idea. “I believe the most important thing for you, Rhenan, is learning how to change things that you care about. That will stay with you forever.” She said. She told him she would help him along the way.

The next day, Rhenan went to the police department and next to the office of the Mayor (市长). He visited offices, businesses, and other schools. Soon he had a very big group of people who like his idea! They all decided to meet at the river the following week. On the day of the river clean-up, Rhenan was excited—but he was also nervous. What if no one showed up? But when he and his mother arrived, there were almost a hundred people there, including many of Rhenan’s friends.       

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。
Over the whole day, they all worked together to clean up the rubbish.
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At the end of the day, everyone started to cheer.
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