1 . Mountain regions are not just playgrounds for the richer citizens on the planet, however. The disappearing snows of Mount Kilimanjaro are a worrying sign that nowhere is safe from the adverse effects of human actions. The United Nations has identified three main areas that need to be addressed to ensure the future safety of the world’s mountains. These are: the protection of mountain ecosystems, the encouragement of peace and stability in mountain regions, and assistance for mountain people to maintain their ways of life.
From the busy cities of India to the farmlands of California, more than half the world’s population is dependent on mountains for their fresh water supply. Global warming, deforestation, mining and heavy farming seriously damage breakable mountain ecosystems and put vital fresh water sources at risk.
Mountain regions host a large proportion of the world’s wars. From Afghanistan to the Balkans and the Andes to many parts of Africa, territorial(领土的) and drug related conflicts have damaging effects on the local environment and the lives of the local people. Fighting makes essential tasks such as farming impossible. Land mines make large areas of potential farming ground unusable. Also schools, roads, bridges and other important infrastructure(基础设施) are left in ruins.
Mountain people are among the poorest, least represented groups on the earth. They face many hardships and each day can be, “a test of survival”. Damage to mountain ecosystems worsens their situation and leaves them even more unprotected to disease and ‘natural’ disasters such as floods and landslides. It’s been recommended that forest profit should be reinvested in mountain communities and the people living there should be given a stronger political voice. Their fate is in many ways directly connected with that of people living at sea level.
There is an old motto for visitors to the countryside which advises them to leave nothing but footprints. It is still as relevant today as it always was. Unfortunately, the size of our footprints seems to be getting larger.
1. What the writer discussed in the previous sections is most probably about .| A．mountain ecosystems | B．mountain regions |
| C．mountain people | D．mountain sports |
| A．direct | B．harmful |
| C．positive | D．powerful |
| A．inadequate supply of fresh water | B．impossible farming |
| C．mountain people’s poor living condition | D．ruined infrastructure |
| A．Mountain people have enough political voice to protect themselves. |
| B．More money should be raised to establish mountain communities. |
| C．Worsened ecosystems put mountain people’s lives under threat. |
| D．Visitors to mountains have left nothing but large footprints. |
Is Climate Change Consuming Your Favorite Foods?
Due to climate change, the world’s endangered lists are no longer just for animals. We may not only need to adapt ourselves to living in a warmer world but a
As the increased amount of carbon dioxide in the air linked to global warming
Whether or not you try to limit yourself
Rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns are reported to have been threatening coffee plantations in South America, Africa, Asia, and Hawaii. The result? Significant cuts in coffee yield.
According to organizations like Australia's Climate Institute, half of the present coffee-producing areas
With temperatures continuously rising, oceans are absorbing some of the heat and undergoing warming of their own,
And how about that satisfying “crack” which you get when you are eating crabs and lobsters? It could be silenced
Even worse is the possibility
| A．Beijing was the most polluted city. |
| B．The air quality index reading for Xi’an reached 500. |
| C．The AQI for Xingtai in Hebei Province was 491. |
| D．Emergency measures against air pollution have not been taken. |
| A．About 100 cities. | B．About 50 cities. |
| C．About 500 cities. | D．About 20 cities. |
| A．Limiting government vehicle use. |
| B．Putting off all construction. |
| C．Asking polluters to apologize for their action. |
| D．Reducing the emissions from power companies. |
4 . The Paris climate agreement finalised in December last year indicated a new era for climate action. For the first time, the world’s nations agreed to keep global warming well below 2℃.
This is vital for climate-vulnerable nations. Fewer than 4% of countries are responsible for more than half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. In a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, we reveal just how deep this injustice runs.
Developed nations such as Australia, the United States, Canada, and European countries are essentially climate “free-riders”: causing the majority of the problems through high greenhouse gas emissions, while paying few of the costs such as climate changes impact on food and water. In other words, a few countries are benefiting enormously from the consumption of fossil fuels, while at the same time contributing disproportionately to the global burden of climate change.
On the other hand, there are many “forced riders”, who are suffering from the climate change impacts despite having scarcely contributed to the problem. Many of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, the majority of which are African or small island states, produce a very small quantity of emissions. This is much like a non-smoker getting cancer from second-hand smoke, while the heavy smoker is fortunate enough to smoke in good health.
The Paris agreement has been widely considered as a positive step forward in addressing climate change for all, although the details on addressing “climate justice” can be best described as incomplete.
The goal of keeping global temperature rise “well below” 2℃ deserves to be praised but the emissions reduction promises submitted by countries leading up to the Paris talks are very unlikely to deliver on this.
More than $100 billion in funding has been put on the table for supporting developing nations to reduce emissions. However, the agreement specifies that there is no formal distinction between developed and developing nations in their responsibility to cut emissions, effectively ignoring historical emissions. There is also very little detail on who will provide the funds or, importantly, who is responsible for their provision. Securing these funds and establishing who is responsible for raising them will also be vital for the future of climate-vulnerable countries.
The most climate-vulnerable countries in the world have contributed very little to creating the global disease from which they now suffer the most. There must urgently be a meaningful mobilization of the policies outlined in the agreement if we are to achieve national emissions reductions while helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change.
And it is clearly up to the current generation of leaders from high-emitting nations to decide whether they want to be remembered as climate change tyrants (暴君) or pioneers.
1. The author is critical of the Paris climate agreement because ________.| A．it is unfair to those climate-vulnerable nations |
| B．it aims to keep temperature rise below 2℃ only |
| C．it is beneficial to only fewer than 4% of countries |
| D．it burdens developed countries with the full responsibility |
| A．They needn’t worry about the food and water they consume. |
| B．They are better able to cope with the global climate change. |
| C．They hardly pay anything for the problems they have caused. |
| D．They are free from the greenhouse effects affecting “forced riders”. |
| A．It will motivate all nations to reduce carbon emissions. |
| B．There is no final agreement on where it will come from. |
| C．There is no clarification of how the money will be spent. |
| D．It will effectively reduce greenhouse emissions worldwide. |
| A．Encouraging high-emitting nations to take the initiative. |
| B．Calling on all the nations concerned to make joint efforts. |
| C．Pushing the current world leaders to come to a consensus. |
| D．Putting in effect the policies in the agreement at once. |
一家服装店的橱窗外，两只狐狸在对话：
——爸爸快看，妈妈在对我笑呐！
——走吧儿子，有人过来了。
请简要描述这幅图片，并就其传达的信息和意义谈谈你的看法。
.
.
.
.
.
.
In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources（资源）：land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.There are two main reasons for this. Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However，fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
1. Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they
| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere |
| B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world |
| C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6℃ |
| D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
| A．We will lose much more than we can gain. |
| B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests. |
| C．People have a strong desire for resources. |
| D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests. |
| A．we can get enough resources without rainforests |
| B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests |
| C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land |
| D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
| A．How to Save Rainforests |
| B．How to Protect Nature |
| C．Rainforests and the Environment |
| D．Rainforests and Medical Development |
