1 . The number of fish caught just outside a recently expanded marine (海洋) protected area in Hawaii has risen. It is a sign that quadrupling (四倍) the size of the reserve in 2016 may have shored fish populations in the region.
When the Marine National Monument around Hawaii was enlarged to 1,510,000 square kilometers, marine conservationists around the world rejoiced.
Fishers may have felt differently, however, as fishing inside the area is not allowed. Yet by creating a space for dwindling tuna populations to recover, supporters argued, the reserve would benefit fisheries as well.
As populations inside the reserve boundaries steadily increased, they predicted, the fish would spill (溢出) over into the surrounding areas, increasing the amount of tuna available to catch.
Proving that is tricky, however, as tuna can’t be counted directly. Their numbers may rise or fall for a variety of reasons other than the expansion of a reserve. But the new study, published in Science this week, strongly suggests the number of fish caught just outside the MPA is higher now than it used to be.
Alan Friedlander, chief scientist for the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas project, calls the study a “very careful and strict test of spillover from marine protected areas.”
Importantly, says John Lynham, an environmental economist at the University of Hawaii and one of the study’s authors, the increase in tuna catches near the reserve held up even when looking at the average numbers caught by particular fishers. This shows the effect is not due to more effective crews now fishing local waters, he explains. To account for effort, catch numbers were divided by the ever-increasing number of fishing hooks in the area.
Lynham and colleagues found the catch per hook increased over the 10 years of the study. Fishers were catching on average six more yellowfin and five more bigeye tuna per year after the expansion than before.
“That last one, especially, was a surprise,” says Lynham, “because it is economically much more important, and there were fewer indications of an increase.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The rising number of fish caught is a sign of a well-reserved area. |
| B．Enlarge the size of reserve may contribute to the increasing of fish population. |
| C．The number of fish caught has risen to quadrupling (四倍) the size of that in 2016. |
| D．Fish catching outside the reserve does good to the expanded marine protected area. |
| A．They felt joyful. | B．They felt different. | C．They felt unpleasant. | D．They felt excited. |
| A．By figuring the average catch per hook in the area. |
| B．By summing up the catch of mare effective crews. |
| C．By looking at the numbers caught by particular fishers. |
| D．By detecting the number of tuna population in the surrounding area. |
| A．Tuna population embraces a boost | B．Marine Protected Areas Help Fisheries |
| C．Local fisheries hold a promising future | D．Tuna population can be counted scientifically |
2 . Despite years of drought and water-saving policies, Californians continue to put a lot of clean, drinkable water into yards to keep the greenery alive. Now, however, Southern California officials have carried out very strict limits on outdoor water use in response to a water shortage emergency. So you may need to find other ways to keep your plants from drying in the summer sun.
How about watering them with grey water instead of clean water? Grey water is the water from showers, bathtubs, washing machines — anything that’s not filled with human waste, food or poisonous chemicals. With the right measures, grey water can be fine for most plant life.
If you’re a typical Southern Californian, you’re throwing a lot of grey water into the sewer system. Every load of clothes you wash leads to roughly 15 to 40 gallons of it, depending on your washer’s design and efficiency. Over the course of a year, thousands of gallons of soapy water ran away. That’s enough to keep a number of trees and other plants happy. And if you’re really ambitious, you can build a system that carries all of your horned grey water to the roots of your grassland, thus making your non-native grass in your yard watered regularly.
Some critics, the Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment Bureau, see grey water recycling as environmentally risky, damaging public wastewater recycling efforts and uneconomic. However, other local agencies across the state, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, actively endorse grey water projects as a way to reduce water use. Supporters admit that the projects carry some risk and require great efforts, but insist that they can save clean water and help your plants.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．California is very rich in clean and drinkable water. |
| B．There is a lack of water-saving policies in California. |
| C．Outdoor water use in California will be strictly controlled. |
| D．Different ways to save water have been adopted in California. |
| A．To summarize the benefits of using grey water. |
| B．To provide reasons why grey water should be used. |
| C．To make a prediction about the future of grey water. |
| D．To introduce some new ways to save drinkable water. |
| A．Negative. | B．Indifferent. | C．Positive. | D．Objective. |
| A．Oppose. | B．Promote. | C．Abandon. | D．Recover. |
3 . Can plastic recycling reduce the import of oil? The United States Environmental Protection Agency says only seven percent of plastic waste in the United States is recycled each year. A new company in northern New York says it can increase that percentage. It also says it can help the United States reduce the amount of oil it imports.
The company has a machine called the “plastic-eating monster”. Every hour, thousands of kilograms of milk jugs, water bottles, and grocery bags are fed into the machine. The plastic waste comes from landfills across the United States.
John Bordynuik runs the company, called JBI Inc. Mr. Bordynuik has invented a new process of turning plastic into fuel. First, many different kinds of unwashed plastics are melted together. Mr. Bordynuik uses a special chemical to turn the fluid into a vapor. This reduces the plastic to its most basic elements. “Plastics are just long hydrocarbon chains. What we’re doing is re-forming them into links and chains that we want so they have a high fuel value.” Eight percent of the recycled plastic is used to run the system. Independent testers say eighty-six percent of what goes in comes out as fuel.
JBI produces several thousand liters of fuel a day. It creates different grades of fuel for different industries. It sells the fuel for up to one hundred dollars a barrel(桶). Each barrel costs about ten dollars to produce. John Bordynuik believes plastics will become an important source of fuel for the United States. He says this will reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil and reduce the amount of plastic waste in its landfills.
Scientists say plastic-to-oil technology is still new and developing. They say it is not yet known if the process is environmentally friendly. And some question whether turning plastic into oil can even be considered “recycling”. Carson Maxted says because there is a lot of plastic waste and a great demand for oil, JBI’s recycling technology may create great changes in both industries. “So they’re getting value from something that would otherwise go to the landfill, things that wouldn’t be accepted into a recycling plant.”
1. What are Paragraphs 2 and 3 mainly about?| A．The formation of JBI. |
| B．The way to melt plastic. |
| C．The process of turning plastic into fuel. |
| D．The process of inventing the plastic-eating monster. |
| A．Critical. | B．Positive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Plastic-to-oil technology can reduce plastic waste. |
| B．Plastic-to-oil technology is getting value from the landfill. |
| C．Plastic-to-oil technology is considered to be recycling. |
| D．Plastic-to-oil technology is regarded as environmentally friendly. |
| A．By listing facts. | B．By analyzing causes. |
| C．By making comparison. | D．By providing an example. |
4 . Germany’s top court has ruled that parts of the country’s 2019 climate (气候) action law must be changed because they don’t do a good job of protecting young people. The result is a big victory for the nine young people who started the law suing (诉讼).
The court suing stresses an important part of the climate change: The change will impact greatly on young people far more than the adults. That’s because the effects of earth warming will become more serious over time. As young people become adults, they’ll be left to deal with many problems that today’s adults have ignored. The government’s failure to plan carefully was putting their future lives in danger.
In 2019, Germany passed a new law, promising that the country would be carbon neutral (碳中和) by 2050. The law made a detailed plan of action until 2030. But the law didn’t have any specific rules or plans for climate actions that would be taken between 2031 and 2050.
Last Thursday, the judges of Germany’s highest court agreed with the young people. They said that not taking climate action made the basic rights of young people to a good future in danger.
The young people had challenged the government’s law in four specific areas. The judges didn’t agree with all of the challenges. But having the court support even a part of their case is seen as a big victory. Neubauer is one of the young people who sued. She works with the climate action group Fridays For Future. Ms. Neubauer said, “Climate protection is our basic right. This is a huge win for the climate movement. It changes a lot.”
The court has given the German government until the end of 2022 to fix the law. The climate law will now need to have a much more detailed plan for the actions that will be taken after 2030 to cut Germany’s pollution, allowing it to become carbon neutral by 2050. Germany’s government has said that it will quickly begin working to make the needed changes.
1. Why did the nine young people sue the Germany government?| A．They faced a higher rate of losing jobs. |
| B．The government refused their law suing. |
| C．The local court ruled against the climate law. |
| D．They weren’t satisfied with the climate action law. |
| A．The adults nowadays are put under pressure. |
| B．The climate change will influence the young. |
| C．Earth warming is becoming out of control. |
| D．Humans feel uncertain about the future. |
| A．Improve the present law. |
| B．Win people’s wide support. |
| C．Take strict punishment measures. |
| D．Achieve carbon neutral in advance. |
| A．Business. | B．Health. |
| C．Education. | D．Environment. |
5 . As educators across the globe look to improve students outcomes, a new trend is beginning to take root. Equipped with the knowledge that indoor plants improve general health and well-being, living green walls, like those created by GSky Plant Systems,Inc., are bringing life to educational spaces.
This fall, to help enrich student learning, GSky completed the installation(安装) of a Versa Wall for the new Biomedical Sciences and Engineering(BSE) facility at Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, Maryland. “The living wall is meant to almost appear as an extension of the east courtyard exterior(外面的) environment flowing into the building,”said Christopher Case, Project Engineer for Gilbane Building Company.
As the educational model continues its shift toward a science, technology, engineering, art and math(STEAM) curriculum, Educators are looking for more hands-on learning opportunities. Green walls provide teachers with a new way to put STEAM principles into the curriculum.
Known as project-based learning, this method allows instructors to develop educational opportunities for students to interact with a green wall. Michael McCullough, Michael Martin and Mollika Sajady, in their article, “Implementing(实施) Green Walls in school，”explain the benefits of project-based learning：“The project-based learning allows students to construct meaning and knowledge based on direct experience，interacting with their environment.” In turn, students are encouraged to use critical thinking to develop ways to maintain a green wall, once again, bring them back to the natural world, in spite of being indoors.
The benefits of green walls don't end at better test scores and increased learning opportunities. Because stress levels often run high in schools, green walls naturally help reduce that stress and anxiety. Plus, the addition of greenery in schools decreases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to a reduction in headaches, dizziness, and tiredness,---all of which contribute to students’ ability to focus.
To increase productivity while beautifying a space, Georgetown University also chose a GSky Versa Wall for a student center in one of their residence halls, New South. The 828- square- foot vertical garden is filled with 5000 plants, allowing students to breathe easy.
So, no matter the location or learning style, GSky’s green walls are proving to be a critical element in creating a positive educational experience for students, big and small.
1. What did Christopher say about the living wall?| A．It extends as far as the east countryyard. |
| B．It appears as if it's constantly moving. |
| C．It beautifies the country yard exterior environment. |
| D．It brings the outdoor environment into the building. |
| A．They are beneficial to the students’ studies. |
| B．They still need further improving. |
| C．They might replace some STEAM courses. |
| D．They work well in improving general health. |
| A．To complain about the wrong location of GSky's green walls. |
| B．To display possible learning opportunities at universities. |
| C．To show GSky's green walls’ functions. |
| D．To explain a new trend among universities. |
| A．New environmentally friendly measures. |
| B．The unexpected fast development of GSky. |
| C．Living green walls in educational institutions. |
| D．The connection between knowledge and plants. |
6 . Back in Brisbane, Australia, for the Christmas break, I found myself in a public transport dead zone. Bikeless, 7 kilometers from where I was meeting friends and unwilling to get a taxi, I decided to borrow an electric scooter. The trip took far longer than it would have by bike, mainly because of a major spill halfway there. A rock, hit at speed, is a terrible thing: weeks later, I still had the red knees of a primary schooler.
E-scooters have appeared in Brisbane like a rash. In the UK, they are legal only on private land, but the Department for Transport is discussing how to regulate them on public roads and pathways, with the potential for legalisation later this year.
Other cities that have e-scooter rental programs have had teething problems. In Paris, mayor Anne Hidalgo described the situation last year as messy. She has announced that the city is reducing its number of e-scooters to 15,000 and plans to create laws banning them from pavements (人行道). France has put into force laws limiting e-scooter speeds to 25 kilometres per hour.
Similar to dockless (无桩的) hire bicycles, e-scooters are parked on pavements and people leave them up trees or throw them into rivers. Rough handling shortens their lifetime, which is bad for both profitability and the environment. Analysis suggests that the average e-scooter’s lifetime is just three months.
I think e-scooters are an essential part of the effort to make city transport greener. They are seen as a solution to the “last mile” problem — a potential way to reduce transport jam by rapidly getting someone to their final destination. Cars can take up 28 times the space of a person riding a bicycle.
As far as the environmental effect goes, recent research suggests that e-scooters are not as green as walking or cycling, but they are still better than cars. And despite numerous reports of serious accidents, scooting is about as safe as cycling.
Stephen Gossling at Lund University in Sweden has suggested we build car-free “micromobility” streets, where cyclists, pedestrians (行人) and e-scooters could share the road. He thinks this will reduce accident risks and invite more vulnerable (易受伤害的) traffic participants, such as children, to become active transport users.
If more e-scooters mean fewer cars on roads, an improvement in local air quality is also a likely outcome. When 20 kilometers of roads in central London closed for World Car-Free Day last September, a temporary air quality monitor in Regent Street reportedly registered a 60% drop in nitrogen dioxide.
1. What does the underlined part “a major spill” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．A serious fall. | B．A sudden illness. |
| C．A legal defense. | D．A terrible breakdown. |
| A．They are illegal on pavements. | B．They are already out of fashion. |
| C．They are facing more restrictions. | D．They are more common on private land. |
| A．They are not as safe as cycling. |
| B．They stand up to rough handling. |
| C．They are as green as cycling or walking. |
| D．They play a big role in the “last mile” problem. |
| A．To set up more care-free days. |
| B．To invite more cyclists to use e-scooters. |
| C．To get vulnerable pedestrians off the road. |
| D．To separate cars from e-scooters on the road. |
7 . On numerous drives with my mom through my childhood, she would suddenly pull over the car to examine a flower by the side of the road or rescue a beetle from danger while I, in my late teens and early twenties, sat impatiently in the car.
Though Mother's Day follows Earth Day, for me, they have always been related to each other. My mom has been ''green'' since she became concerned about the environment. Part of this habit was born of thrift(节俭). Like her mother and her grandmother before her, mom saves glass jars, empty cheese containers and reuses her plastic bags.
Mom creates a kind of harmonious relationship with wildlife in her yard. She knows to pick the apples on her trees a little early to avoid the bears and that if she leaves the bird feeders out at night, it is likely that they will be knocked down by a family of raccoons(浣熊). Spiders that make their way into the house and are caught in juice glasses will be set loose in the garden.
I try to teach my children that looking out for the environment starts with being aware of the environment. On busy streets, we look for dandelions(蒲公英)to fly in the wind; we say hello to neighborhood cats and pick up plastic cups and paper bags. This teaching comes easily, I realize, because I was taught so well by example. Mom didn’t need to lecture; she didn't need to beat a drum to change the world. She simply slowed down enough to enjoy living in it and with that joy came mercy and an instinct(直觉)for protection.
I am slowing down and it isn't because of the weight of my nearly forty years on the planet, it is just out of my concern for the planet itself. I've begun to save glass jars and reuse packing envelopes. I pause in my daily tasks to watch the squirrels race each other in the trees above my house.
Last summer, I planted tomatoes in my yard. With the heat of August around me, I enjoyed my tomatoes while sitting on my low wall. I immediately wanted to share with my mom.
1. Why does the author say Earth Day is connected with Mother's Day?| A．Because Mother's Day falls shortly after Earth Day. |
| B．To stress that all the older women are environmentalists. |
| C．To stress how much her mother cares about the environment. |
| D．Because her mother asks her to be kind to nature on Mother’s Day. |
| A．Picking dandelions on busy streets. | B．Rescuing a beetle from some danger. |
| C．Setting a caught spider free in the garden. | D．Saving glass jars and empty cheese containers. |
| A．the author's mother is very impatient with her children |
| B．The author's mother knows how to live in harmony with nature |
| C．the author's mother knows how to keep the wildlife off her yard |
| D．the author's mother used to lecture her to protect the environment |
| A．doubtful—critical—positive | B．approving—doubtful—negative |
| C．understanding—critical—approving | D．negative—understanding—approving |
8 . In a partnership with the 5 Gyres Institute, Trash Free Maryland took to the Chesapeake Bay in November to study the presence of micropiastics in the water. Setting out from Deale, Md., the research team collected seven samples by dragging a trawl (拖网) for an hour at a time. The trawl was fitted with a cone-shaped (锥形的) net, whose holes measure 330 microns (微米) wide, about the width of two to three strands of human hair. Water flows through the main opening and the fine mesh (网眼) of net ensures anything suspended in the water is trapped behind.
In seven samples, the net picked up algae (海藻) trash, foam and plastic. According to the 5 Gyres Institute representative, the first sample collected contained almost 10 times the amount of plastic than would be collected in a typical ocean sample. The plastic found in the Chesapeake Bay samples included bits of bags, sheeting, fishing line and microbeads, which are small plastic scrubbers found in face wash, toothpaste and cleaning products. Microbeads in particular are a major source of microplastics pollution worldwide. They are small enough to bypass water treatment systems’ filters (过滤器) and end up in waterways. Scientists warn that chemicals and toxins (毒素) absorbed by microbeads and other microplastics could be passed on to organisms who mistake them for food and eat them, and could then be passed up higher and higher on the food chain, eventually reaching humans.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The description of the trawl. |
| B．The basic data of the water samples. |
| C．The process of collecting water samples. |
| D．The introduction of Trash Free Maryland. |
| A．Bits of bags. | B．Chemicals. |
| C．Microbeads. | D．Micropiastics. |
| A．By analyzing the data. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By giving some examples. | D．By referring to scientists views. |
| A．To explain some new scientific terms to people. |
| B．To let people learn more about plastics pollution. |
| C．To urge governments to make environmental laws. |
| D．To tell people some new findings in scientific research. |
好处：减少二氧化碳的排放，有利于缓解全球变暖；
具体建议：随手关掉不用的电器，如电灯、电视和电脑；
步行或骑自行车出行；如果路程远，乘坐公交车
购物时尽量使用环保布袋，不用一次性塑料袋。
大家都行动起来，我们就能与环境和谐共处。
注意： 词数不少于100；可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：二氧化碳排放 carbon dioxide emissions；一次性塑料袋disposable plastic bags
Nowadays,it is becoming common to lead a low-carbon lifestyle._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
