1 . Ten years ago, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb was on a reporting trip about wildlife conservation. When he was shown around some new animal crossing structures near, Missoula, these new bridges and tunnels intrigued him. He was attracted by these beautiful human-built structures and inspired to write a book. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet has now been published.
Through expert interviews, in-depth research and convincing analysis, Goldfarh brings to life the deadly consequences our 40 million miles of roadways have had and are having on the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. A million animals are killed by cars each day in the US alone. Road salt pollutes lakes and rivers. And there's the barrier effect-the steady stream of traffic that prevents animals from migrating (迁徙) all together and finding habitats. Goldfarb writes that noise pollution is the most worrisome among all the road's ecological disasters. Both the engine noise and the tire noise greatly impact ecological environment.
Figures on deaths and disruptions (扰乱) are disheartening, but Goldfarb vividly describes how scientists are actively working on meaningful improvements to help animals and roads better coexist, such as wildlife crossings, from passages in Canada's Banff National Park to the famous Liberty Canyon Overpass in Los, Angeles. Another example is that in India, they built a new highway through a tiger reserve so that animals can come and go underneath the lifted freeway. Of course, that made the project more expensive, but it's ecologically the right thing to do.
Crossings is a truly important and landmark book on a subject whose full impacts continue to be disregarded or underestimated in considering conservation efforts. The book is a sympathetic, heart-warming guide to exploring the issues of wildlife survival and our own.
1. What does the underlined word “intrigued” in paragraph 1 mean?A.Confused. | B.Blocked. | C.Satisfied. | D.Interested. |
A.Road salt. | B.Roadkill. |
C.Vehicle noises. | D.Endless traffic stream. |
A.To bring shame on individual drivers. |
B.To stress the effect of roads on wildlife. |
C.To show humans' effort in animal protection. |
D.To explain the necessity of creating wild reserves. |
A.Vivid and touching. |
B.Pessimistic and sharp. |
C.Objective and critical. |
D.Abstract and humorous. |
2 . Gracing every continent of the Earth, wetlands are essential to the planet’s health, often compared to its vital organs, acting as arteries (动脉) that carry water and as kidneys that filter harmful substances.
Wetlands serve as protectors: they form protective barriers against tsunamis and absorb the excess rainfall. During the dry season in dry climates, wetlands release the stored water which helps delay the attack of drought and reduce water shortages. They also store vast quantities of carbon, helping ease climate change. Home to some of the most diverse and rich ecosystems, wetlands support one billion people. 40 percent of all plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands.
World Wetlands Day is observed each year on 2 February to increase people’s understanding of the importance of wetlands and raise awareness of the urgent need to protect the threatened natural treasure.
“We are proud to join in this celebration and recognize the unique and valuable ecosystem services provided by wetlands. We are committed to doing our part to conserve and protect wetlands, and we are calling on all of you to join us in this vital cause,” said UNCCD (The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw.
To date, nearly 90 percent of the world’s wetlands have been degraded or lost, with 35 percent in the last 50 years alone. That is why on this World Wetlands Day, UNCCD is joining the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands and other partners to highlight the examples of countries and communities making strides in wetland restoration.
As stressed by the UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw, successful wetland restoration requires a joint effort from governments, civil society and the private sector. Investments in science for technology innovation, infrastructure for effective management and financial mechanisms for project implementation (实施) can turn the tide toward a better future for wetlands.
1. How does the author present the current situation of wetlands in paragraph 5?A.By giving examples. | B.By listing figures. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By analyzing causes. |
A.Follow the trend. | B.Break the ice. | C.Run the risk. | D.Change the game. |
A.Wetland ecosystem. | B.Wetland restoration. | C.Wetland exploration. | D.Wetland biodiversity. |
3 . Small-scale fisheries supply many people with food. Almost all of those in this trade rely on gillnets (刺网) to trap fish. But gillnets trap other things, for example, endangered animals such as turtles; dangerous ones, such as Humboldt squid; and ones that are both endangered and dangerous, such as several types of sharks. Everyone involved would be better off if this did not happen.
Building on studies done both by himself and by others, to try to avoid the accidental netting of turtles, Jesse Senko, a marine-conservation biologist at Arizona State University, has been investigating the idea of fitting LEDs to nets to avoid netting other unwanted by-catch (误捕的鱼) without discouraging target animals. And, as he reports in Current Biology, it seems to work.
Dr. Senko and his team set up an experiment in the Gulf of Ulloa, in Mexico, in which they cooperated with local fishermen to employ over 10,000 meters of nets that had had nets battery-powered waterproof green LEDs fixed onto them every ten meters. Half of these lights were lit. The other half were left unlit, as controls. Each lit net was paired with an unlit one, and the two were used alongside one another at major fishing locations. The fishers’ target fish were large groupers (石斑鱼). Dr. Senko was interested both in what else got caught and whether the lights decreased catches of the target species.
On the latter point, to his relief, they did not. On the former, the lit net s caught 95% fewer kilograms of shark-related species. In particular, several threatened species turned up less often in the lit than the unlit nets.
The advantage from the point of view of fishermen was that they needed to spend a lot less time clearing these dangerous by-catches from their nets. And, crucially, the LEDs concerned are cheap, hard-wearing, and easy to fix. There are also plans to make them solar powered, for easy recharging. Here, then, is an environmental-protection idea from which everyone wins.
1. What is the problem with gillnets?A.They are costly to maintain. | B.They trap unwanted by-catches. |
C.They discourage target catches. | D.They only trap dangerous species. |
A.The principle of the experiment. | B.The results of the experiment. |
C.The purpose of the experiment | D.The process of the experiment. |
A.Fixing LEDs to gillnets is a win-win idea. |
B.Fishermen benefit the most from the idea. |
C.The Lit-net catches more threatened species. |
D.The LED-net just catches less target species. |
A.Critical. | B.Unclear. | C.Hopeful. | D.Doubtful. |
角色:你是Mary。
任务:(1) 与Tom谈论关于气候变化相关活动的话题;
(2) 根据谈话内容回答问题。
(一)听对话,补全句子。
1. Our club will have an
2. It is not a very
(二)请先根据中文提示将3个问句补充完整,然后听录音的回答,记录重要信息。
3. 你是何时开始关注气候变化的?
4. 你最初采取什么措施应对气候变化?
5. 青少年如何参与环保活动?
How can
(三)现在请根据前面所听到信息,完成题目的回答,每空不超过3个词。
6. How long has Tom been taking part in their club activities?
—For
7. What can new participants do in the club activities?
—They can watch some
8. Who inspired Tom to pay attention to climate change?
—His
9. What fact did Tom’s childhood environmental books mainly talk about?
—There was an increasing threat to
10. What does Tom think is the best way to participate in climate change activities?
—Devoting yourself to
5 . When it comes to going green, intention can be easier than action. Case in point: you decide to buy a T-shirt made from 100% organic cotton. But that green label doesn’t tell the whole story—like the fact that even organic cotton requires more than 10,000 L of water to grow enough fibre for one T-shirt. Or the possibility that the T-shirt may have been dyed (染色) using harmful industrial chemicals. If you knew all that, would you still consider the T-shirt green? Would you still buy it?
It’s a hard question to answer. That’s because the global economy development is beyond our ability to comprehend the consequences—for ourselves and the planet. We are not prepared to understand the increasing impact of industrial chemicals on our children’s health or the climate. And we lack the data to understand the full impact of what we choose.
But what if we could calculate the full lifetime effect of our actions on the earth and on our bodies? Not just carbon footprints but social and biological footprints as well? What if we could think ecologically? That’s what psychologist Daniel Goleman describes in his forthcoming book, Ecological Intelligence. He compiles (汇编) the environmental and biological impact of our every decision and delivers that information to consumers in a user-friendly way. That’s thinking ecologically—understanding the global environmental consequences of our local choices.
Ecological intelligence is ultimately about more than what we buy. It’s also about our ability to accept that we live in a closely connected world with limited resources. Goleman highlights the Tibetan community of Sher, where for thousands of years, villagers have survived severe conditions by carefully protecting every resource available to them. The Tibetans think ecologically because they have no other choice. Neither do we. “We once had the luxury to ignore our impacts,” says Goleman. “Not any more.”
1. Why is it hard for us to decide whether a T-shirt is green or not?A.The green label tells lies. | B.We lack enough knowledge. |
C.The economy grows too slowly. | D.We are misled by false data. |
A.Increase carbon footprints. | B.Give up regular consumption. |
C.Develop ecological thinking. | D.Deliver information to customers. |
A.By searching for new resources. | B.By living on plentiful resources. |
C.By distributing resources reasonably. | D.By treasuring their resources seriously. |
A.To instruct manufacturers how to go green. |
B.To introduce and advocate ecological intelligence. |
C.To warn people of the dangers of ecological crisis. |
D.To illustrate the origin of ecological intelligence. |
dominant maximum expansion release policy resolve trend undergo decline investment |
The fast shift toward clean energy technologies means global greenhouse gas emissions may fall in 2024. Recent analysis from the International Energy Agency (IEA), based on the public
A growing number of major economies have already passed their period of
A peak in global emissions is cause for optimism — but it is far from
7 . Sargassum is a kind of floating seaweed (海草) that has been growing in size every year. It looks pretty in the ocean. However, sargassum can almost completely block out sunlight. Important kinds of seagrass suffer when light is blocked by seaweed. As sargassum piles up on beaches, it makes it hard for mother sea turtles to lay eggs, and nearly impossible for baby turtles to return to the sea.
So much sargassum piles up on beaches, and it breaks down slowly, giving out a bad smell like rotten eggs. “Even when governments clear the seaweed from beaches, they face problems of getting rid of it. Heavy machines can put turtle nests in danger. Some people have thought about using sargassum as a fertilizer (肥料), but it contains harmful heavy metals. So far, removing these harmful metal s costs too much to make it worth doing,” said the scientist Steven Kelley.
Sargassum grows faster in warming oceans, so climate change is definitely part of the problem. But scientists believe the unusual growth of the seawood is also caused by huge quantities of fertilizers washed into the ocean from farmlands.
Scientists and students are working hard to figure out how to deal with sargassum. Some suggest using sargassum as a building material, or possibly a fuel. One unusual solution is to drop it deep in the sea by using robots. Sargassum takes in huge amounts of carbon dioxide (二氧化碳) as it grows. Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is one important part of fighting the climate crisis. Sargassum could deal with this carbon dioxide in the deep ocean. Scientists are still testing this idea to see if it will work.
For now, scientists say the quickest solution is to stop filling the ocean with fertilizers. It is wise for farmers to change the way they farm. Moreover, the seaweed’s growth can have serious effects on islands that depend heavily on tourism and fishing. Island communities play a role in cleaning up the seaweed and promoting responsible tourism. At the same time, officials have to work towards changing policies to solve the issues.
1. What can we know about sargassum according to the first paragraph?A.It affects the ecosystem negatively. |
B.It adds to the variety of life in the ocean. |
C.It causes a shortage of food for sea animals. |
D.It creates a good living environment for seagrass. |
A.Reusing metal s from sargassum is a wise choice. |
B.Fertilizers can help sargarrum break down quickly. |
C.Dealing with sargassum safely is challenging work. |
D.Practical ways have been developed to remove sargassum. |
A.By spreading sargassum widely to increase sunlight. |
B.By changing sargassum into a renewable energy source. |
C.By employing sargassum as a cleaner for ocean pollution. |
D.By making use of sargassum’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. |
A.Public attempts to recycle seaside sargassum. |
B.The change in sargassum’s living environment. |
C.Challenges and approaches concerning sargassum. |
D.The influence of sargassum’s growth on climate change. |
Earth Day was founded in 1970 as a day of education about environmental problems, and Earth Day 2020
Denis Hayes, a young activist who had served as student president at Stanford University,
The first Earth Day was effective at raising
9 . Shop Sustainably
If you have to name one thing that contributes most to your ecological footprints, you may say the energy you use at home, or your car’s emissions.
●
●Avoid unnecessary packing. Buy loose fruit and vegetables instead of pre-packaged produce, and avoid products that contain multiple single packages or double packaging, like grain in a box and a bag. Consider switching from tea bags and coffee pods to tea leaves and ground coffee.
●Go organic when you can. In addition to the benefit organic farming has to insect biodiversity, it’s also considered more sustainable and better for the environment.
●Buy seasonal and native products.
A.Take reusable grocery bags. |
B.Select single-use plastic bags. |
C.It supports local farmers and food producers. |
D.You can also refill your own containers with loose-packed food. |
E.When buying organic products, look for those officially certified. |
F.But it’s what we eat that accounts for up to 60% of our personal demand. |
G.You’ll find it convenient whenever you buy tea or coffee in the supermarket. |
1、环境的现状;
2、为保护环境中学生可以做写什么;
3、倡议大家行动起来。
注意:1.写作词数为100左右。2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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