1 . The number of giraffes is becoming smaller across Africa, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. The total population has dropped by 40 percent in the last 15 years. Surprisingly, even scientists haven’t given much attention to giraffes. We are learning more about their ecology(生态), but what we know is still way behind what we know about other species. “It’s a silent extinction,” said Dr. Julian Fennessy, a wildlife scientist.

“The main reason for the smaller number of giraffes is their loss of living places,” said Fennessy, “as an increasing part of land is used for farming. But hunting also has a big influence.” “You might wonder why hunters would focus on giraffes. First of all, once a giraffe is brought down, there is lots of meat with a small amount of effort. Besides, there is another thing encouraging the hunting. In Tanzania, Fennessy says, the latest word on the street is that eating giraffe meat could cure AIDS. Fresh giraffe heads and bones can be sold at prices of up to $140 per piece.

Another widespread misconception about giraffes is that they are everywhere. Look at kids’ books which are full of giraffes. They are always in zoo collections. They can be seen easily, so you don’t think we have to worry about them. But the truth is that they are in danger of extinction. There is a lack of right and true data.

Fennessy and other researchers are now pulling together the data needed to improve the situation of the entire giraffe species and all nine subspecies(亚种). The information will be used to change the giraffe’s listing on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list, which now lists the species as of “least concern” but two subspecies as “endangered”. “It’s a lot of work to gather the necessary information,” Fennessy says. “And several other giraffe subspecies will be recommended for endangered listings next year or the year after.” He hopes that the world will finally start to take notice of how endangered these beloved animals have become.

1. By saying “It’s a silent extinction”, Fennessy tells us that ________.

A．giraffes are unpopular in Africa

B．the giraffes is always silent in daily life

C．the ecology of Africa needs more attention

D．the extinction happens without enough attention

2. The misconception in Paragraph 3 can be corrected by ________.

A．preventing illegal hunting in Africa

B．rewriting kids’ books about giraffes

C．providing reliable data about giraffes

D．spreading scientific knowledge of AIDS

3. The final purpose of Fennessy’s great efforts is to ________.

A．collect more information about giraffes

B．raise public awareness of protecting giraffes

C．prove giraffes will disappear in the next few years

D．work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature

2 . The new garbage sorting regulation has taken effect in Shanghai starting July 1. Many citizens are still confused about the classification of the four different types of trash. Thankfully, authorities have released an official guideline to clarify the new rules.

The guideline, published by the Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau, provides a rather clear definition on the four kinds of waste: recyclable waste, hazardous (有害的) waste, household food waste and residual (剩余的) waste.

Hazardous waste, as the name suggests, includes assorted poisonous materials like used batteries, light bulbs, out-of-date medicines, paint and pesticides.

Household food waste, which is translated to “wet trash” in Chinese，refers to food leftovers, rotten food, pet food, fruit peels, remains of TCM herbs (中药) and flowers.

Paper, plastic, glass, metal and textiles (纺织品) are counted as recyclable waste.

The definition of residual waste is a little confusing. Anything that is not listed above belongs in this category.

As specific as the new guideline is, residents still have a hard time sorting trash correctly and are finding it challenging to memorize them all. For instance, both plastic bottles and bubble tea or coffee cups are plastic materials. However, the former falls to the category of recyclable waste and the latter belongs to residual waste. To save the hassle, some netizens have come up with their own ways to sort trash.

“We should do this from a pig’s angle,” commented one netizen. “Those edible (可食用的) for pigs are household food waste. Those even pigs don’t want to eat are residual waste. If a pig consumes something and dies of it, then something must be hazardous waste. Those which can be sold and the money we gain can be used to purchase pigs are recyclable waste.” The new regulation has gone into effect on July 1. Those who do not sort their trash properly will be fined RMB200.

1. What do the old thrown-away sweaters belong to?

A．Residual waste.	B．Hazardous waste.
C．Recyclable waste.	D．Household food waste.

2. What does “wet trash” have in common?

A．They are completely wet.	B．They all come from plants.
C．They can give off bad smell.	D．They can break up easily.

3. What is the tone of the netizen?

A．Humorous.	B．Serious.
C．Delightful.	D．Uncertain.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Shanghai bans four sorts of garbage.

B．Shanghai launches garbage sorting enforcement.

C．Citizens in Shanghai still question garbage sorting.

D．Citizens in Shanghai welcome the garbage sorting policy.

3 . By the end of the century，if not sooner，the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate，according to a new study.

At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms，these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue，depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas，while reducing it in other spots，leading to changes in the ocean's appearance.

Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface，where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die，they bury carbon in the deep ocean，an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth，since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow，but also nutrients.

Stephanie Dutkiewicz，a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science，built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters，such as those of the Arctic，a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton，and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ”she said，“but the type of phytoplankton is changing. ”

1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?

A．The various patterns at the ocean surface.

B．The cause of the changes in ocean colour.

C．The way light reflects off marine organisms.

D．The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.

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

A．Sensitive.	B．Beneficial
C．Significant	D．Unnoticeable

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.

B．Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes

C．Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate

D．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage？

A．To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes

B．To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain

C．To explain the effects of climate change on oceans

D．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton

4 . Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?

In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It    1    (be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it    2    (actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of    3    most outstanding（杰出的）examples of environmental cleanup.

But the river wasn’t changed in a few days    4    even a few months. It took years of work     5    (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is    6    (clean) than ever.

Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit    7    is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don’t know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don’t you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?

While there are    8    (amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the    9    (change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be     10    (patience).