1 . If you look at the dynamic “Global Temperatures” map on NASA’s website, you can see the historic temperature change over time across the planet as the timeline goes from 1880 to the modern day. By 2019, the entire planet is in red, orange, and yellow colors, indicating temperatures much higher than the historical average in every country and human inhabitance.
If the timeline went to 2023, the map would look even worse. That’s because the summer of 2023 was the hottest ever, according to ocean monitors. July was the hottest month in recorded history. Next July could be worse. Unless we do something quickly, we face dealing with more and more dangerous and expensive natural disasters in the future.
Forest fires sent smoke from Canada across the North American continent, causing New York City to have the worst air quality in its recorded history. Heavy rainstorms fell on Vermont and the Northeastern United States in just a couple of days in the middle of July, which exceeded the amount that area would usually receive in two months and caused extreme damage to homes and businesses. Around the same time, flash flooding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — north of Philadelphia — killed nearly a dozen people.
Erich Fischer, a researcher specializing in climate studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is concerned that natural disasters could get much worse in the future—and in ways we cannot predict. He called for a “strike for climate justice,” which actually took place on Sept. 15, 2023. “The strategy needs to be twofold (双重的) . We need to decrease carbon emissions as much as realistically possible. That is already happening with people using electric cars and other green technologies. At the same time, we also need to find ways to predict the risk of natural disasters ahead of time,” said Erich Fischer.
1. Why does the writer mention the data on NASA’s website in paragraph 1?| A．To explain a concept. | B．To introduce a topic. |
| C．To provide a solution. | D．To make a prediction. |
| A．The severity of natural disasters. | B．The worst air quality in New York City. |
| C．The extreme damage by flash flooding. | D．The cause of the forests fires in Canada. |
| A．He advocated a twofold strategy. |
| B．He suggested forbidding carbon emissions. |
| C．He required people to use more electric cars. |
| D．He emphasized the awareness of climate changes. |
| A．The Hottest Month in History | B．Natural Disasters in the World |
| C．Extreme Weather Could Get Worse | D．Green Technology Would be Needed |
2 . New Mexico is famed for roasted green chillies with a distinctive smoky flavour, but it comes at a cost — producers in the state typically use propane (丙烷) as fuel, releasing an estimated 7,800 tonnes of CO2 a year. Ken Armijo at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) wanted to see if he could match the flavour without the need for fossil fuels.
Armijo, whose family owns a chilli farm, works with solar concentrators at NSTTF, normally used for experiments boiling liquid to produce electricity, or simulating (模拟) the effect of re-entry on materials used in spacecraft. The facility uses rings of mirrors to focus sunlight on a 60-metre tower at the centre. He improved a traditional chilli roaster and loaded it with 10 kilograms of chillies before placing it in the tower to roast at 480°C.
A group of green chilli connoisseurs (品鉴师) blind-tasted the solar-roasted version alongside the traditional variety and rated them higher for both flavour and smell. Armijo says infrared (红外线的) imaging showed solar heating produced a more even distribution (分布) of heat with fewer hotspots. “Solar-roasted chillies appeared to have a much cleaner taste because the localised heat from propane roasting can cause localised burning,” says Armijo.
Although this test took place at a research facility, Armijo says the cost of solar concentrators is dropping and it could be possible to use technology developed at Sandia to build small solar concentrators at low cost. These could produce the high temperatures needed for roasting chillies and other foods.
Armijo is eager to try the technique with other foodstuffs, including cocoa and coffee beans, which are grown in lower-income countries and could be solar roasted.
Pete Schwartz at California Polytechnic State University, who has been exploring solar cooking for many years, said that he was not sure “whether solar concentrators will catch on in lower-income countries, where he has seen many solar projects fail due to lack of training and technical support.”
Armijo says he has been approached by at least 15 companies and is in discussions on ways to commercialise the technology. He is seeking extra funding from the US Department of Energy and other organisations to pursue small solar concentrators for food processing.
1. Why did Armijo roast green chillies using solar concentrators?| A．To increase profits. | B．To create a new recipe. |
| C．To reduce air pollution. | D．To improve chillies’ taste. |
| A．They are lower in production cost. |
| B．They work with higher efficiency. |
| C．They spread heat more equally. |
| D．They are easier to operate. |
| A．Favourable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．It has been adopted by some companies. |
| B．It is on its way to the market. |
| C．It has been officially recognised. |
| D．It is in need of technical support. |
3 . According to the American Chemistry Council, in 2018 in the United States, 27million tons of plastic ended up in landfills compared lo just 3.1 million tons that were recycled. Worldwide the numbers are similarly bad, with just 9% of plastic being recycled according to a recent OFCD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development)report. The statistics are even worse for certain types of pastie. For example, out of 80,000 lens of polystyrene containers generated in the United States, a negligible amount(less than 5,000 tons) was recycled.
Now, researchers at the University of Queensland have found that a species of worm with an appetite for polystyrene could be the key to plastic recycling on a mass scale. They discovered that the Zophobas morio also called “super-worm” can eat through polystyrene, thanks to a bacterial enzyme (酶) in its “Stomach”. Dr. Chris Rilke and his team from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience fed super-worms different diets over a three-week period, with some given polystyrene, some outer skin of grain separated from the flour, and others pul on a fasling diet.
“We found the super-worms fed a dict of just polystyrene not only survived, but even had slight weight gains,” Dr. Rilke said. “This suggests the worms can get energy from the polypropylene,most likely with the help of their internal micro-organisms. They are like mini recycling plants, tearing up the polystyrene with their mouths and then feeding it to the bacteria in their ‘stomach’. ”
Co-author of the research, PhD candidate Jiarui Sun, said they aimed to grow the bacteria in the lab and further test their ability to break down polystyrene. “We can then look into how we can upgrade this process lo a level required for an entire recycling plant,” Ms. Sun said.
1. Which of the following best describe the current plastic recycling?| A．Inefficient. | B．Unpredictable. |
| C．Inconsistent. | D．Unconventional. |
| A．Turning polystyrene into energy. |
| B．Feeding the bacteria in the mouth. |
| C．Eating through any type of plastic. |
| D．Gaining weight on a fasting dict. |
| A．By testing different abilities of the bacteria. |
| B．By experimenting with large-scale production. |
| C．By establishing a modern recycling factory. |
| D．By growing and breaking down the worm. |
| A．The severity of plastic pollution. |
| B．The future of recycling industry. |
| C．Super-worm’s commercial success. |
| D．Super-worm’s ability to digest plastic. |
4 . Imagine a world without insects. It might sound good at first without creepy-crawly bugs and annoying flies in your apartment. However, the consequences would be disastrous.
The number of insects has dropped by more than half in the past decades, according to British biologist Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse. As insects make up most of the known species on this planet, this data is not good news.
Insects are indeed on the path to extinction, according to the first global scientific review of insect population decline, which was published in the journal Biological Conservation in January 2019. The researchers say intensive agriculture has been the main cause of the decline. Pesticides (杀虫剂), in particular, destroy insect habitats. Urbanization and climate change are also significant factors. “Unless we convert our ways of producing food, insects will go down the path of extinction in a few decades.”
What would happen to Earth without insects? It’s almost impossible to predict, but the consequences would be far—reaching. We need insects to pollinate (授粉) crops, recycle plant and animal material, keep the soil healthy and much more. Without insects, many animals would have nothing to eat, and the predators (捕食者) of those animals would go hungry as well. The ecosystem would be thrown off balance.
“If insect species losses cannot be halted, this will have catastrophic consequences for both the planet’s ecosystems and for the survival of mankind,” said Sanchez-Bayo, one of the authors of the review. The first step to halt this process is “to engender a society that values the natural world, both for what it does for us and for its own sake”, Sanchez—Bayo suggests. “The obvious place to start is with our children, encouraging environmental awareness from an early age.”
1. What’s people’s general impression of insects?| A．Quite unpleasant. | B．Very interesting. |
| C．Extremely helpful. | D．Unexpectedly disastrous. |
| A．Change. | B．Abandon. | C．Expand. | D．Simplify. |
| A．Insects ensure the earth’s diversity. |
| B．Insects maintain the earth ecosystem. |
| C．Insects make the soil dry and healthy. |
| D．Insects help slow down climate change. |
| A．Exploit nature in a gentle way. |
| B．Change our way of producing food. |
| C．Educate younger generation to be aware of it. |
| D．Provide insects with enough habitats and food. |
5 . We use a huge amount of single-use plastic each year-we buy one million plastic bottles each minute around the world.Plastic waste,a material that can take centuries or more to disappear, is causing great damage to the planet.However,plastic waste produced in many countries typically ends up in open, uncontrolled landfills(垃圾填埋池），most of which finally enters the ocean either by wind or through waterways.
Now,Nzambi Matee,a 29-year-old woman from Nairobi,Kenya,is dealing with this global, crisis by recycling bags,containers, and other waste products into bricks(砖头）used for construction projects.Before founding her company -Gjenge Makers,Matee worked as an oil-industry engineer.After seeing plastic waste along Nairobi's streets,she decided to quit her job and built a small lab,testing sand and plastic combinations(结合）Matee managed to study in the materials lab at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she in the end developed a machine that produces the new bricks.
Made from a combination of plastic and sand,the bricks have a melting point higher than 350℃ and can be used for a longer time than traditional bricks. Matee and her team gain much of the raw product from factories and recyclers, and sometimes it's free, which allows the company to reduce the price point on the product and make it more affordable for schools and homeowners.
“There is waste that recyclers cannot deal with anymore. That is what we get,”Matee said. Her factory produces 1,500 bricks each day,made from a mix of different kinds of plastic.These are polyethylene(聚乙烯）used for milk bottles,sandwich bags, and ropes. But she does not work with polyethylene terephthalate or PET,commonly used for plastic bottles,which can be made into the same form easily again and again.
The plastic waste is mixed with sand,heated and then pressed into bricks, which are sold at different prices,depending on thickness and colour.
1. What does Paragraph 1 mainly focus on?| A．The ways of finding single-use plastics. |
| B．Our dependence on single-use plastics. |
| C．The wide spread use of plastic products. |
| D．Our irresponsible behavior in using plastics. |
| A．Her job as an oil-industry engineer. |
| B．Her determination to go to university. |
| C．Her awareness of plastic waste problems. |
| D．Her research project in the university lab. |
| A．They take less time to make. |
| B．They bear much more weight. |
| C．They stay in good condition longer. |
| D．They change their colors more easily. |
| A．They are easy to recycle. |
| B．They are few in number. |
| C．They are mixed with sand. |
| D．They are difficult to deal with. |
6 . Global food demand will double by 2050, according to a new projection, and the farming techniques used to meet that unprecedented(空前的) demand will significantly determine how severe the impact is on the environment, researchers said.
The study researchers warned that meeting the demand for food would clear more land, increase nitrogen(氮) use and significantly add to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
“Agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions could double by 2050 if current trends in global food production continue,” study researcher David Tilman, of the University of Minnesota, said in a statement. “This would be a major problem, since global agriculture already accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions.”
The researchers studied various ways in which the increasing food demand could be mentioned. They found that the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach would be for more food producers to adopt the nitrogen-efficient “intensive” farming method, which involves the heavy use of labor and the production of more crops per acre.
This approach was shown to be more effective than the “extensive” farming currently practiced by many poor nations, a method that includes clearing more new land to produce more food.
Different farming methods produce significantly different yields, the researchers found — in 2005, the crop yields for the wealthiest nations were more than 300 percent higher than what the poorest nations produced.
According to their analysis of the effects of extensive farming, if poorer nations continue using this method, by 2050 they will have cleared an area larger than the United States, about 2.5 billion acres. However, if wealthy nations help poorer nations to improve food yields by incorporating(吸收) intensive farming practices, that number could be reduced to half a billion acres.
The researchers stress that the environmental effects of meeting future food demand depend on how global agriculture expands and develops.
“Our analyses show that we can save most of the Earth’s remaining ecosystems by helping the poorer nations of the world feed themselves,” Tilman said.
1. What is the best title of this passage?| A．The World Will Need Double Food by 2050 |
| B．Man Will Face the Risk of Lacking Food in the Future |
| C．Future Farmers Hold Environment’s Fate in Their Hands |
| D．Different Farming Methods Produce Significantly Different Yields |
| A．very cost-effective |
| B．to produce more crops per acre |
| C．at cost of more new land to produce more food |
| D．very environmentally friendly |
| A．poorer nations mainly use the intensive farming |
| B．wealthy nations mainly use the extensive farming |
| C．the intensive farming needs less food producers |
| D．the extensive farming has a worse effect on ecosystems |
| A．poorer nations |
| B．the effects of extensive farming |
| C．wealthy nations |
| D．future food demand |
7 . Darrell Blatchley, a marine biologist and environmentalist based in the Philippine city of Davao, received a call from the Philippines, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (渔业与水产资源局) early Friday morning reporting a death of a young whale.
When the necropsy (尸检) was performed, Blatchley told NPR, he was not prepared for the amount of plastic they found in the whale’s stomach. “It was full of plastic nothing but nonstop plastic.” he said “It was filled to the point that its stomach was as hard as a baseball.” That means that this animal has been suffering not for days or weeks but for months or even a year or more,” Blatchley added.
Blatchley is the founder and owner of the D’Bone Collector Museum, a natural history museum in Davao. In the coming days, the museum will display all the items found in the whale’s system. Blatchley and his team work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and other organizations to assist in rescue and recovery of marine animals.
“Within the last 10 years, we have recovered 61 whales and dolphins just within the Davao Gulf,” he said. “Of them, 57 have died due to man whether they took plastic or fishing nets or other waste, or gotten caught in pollution — and four were pregnant.”
Blatchley said he hoped that the latest incident would launch the issue of plastic pollution in the Philippines and across the globe. “If we keep going this way, it will be more uncommon to see an animal die of natural causes than it is to see an animal die of plastic,” he said.
1. What can be inferred from the second paragraph?| A．The whale was starved to death. |
| B．Blatchley was shocked at what he found. |
| C．The dead whale must have swallowed a baseball. |
| D．Blatchley didn’t make preparations for the necropsy. |
| A．Waste collected from the ocean. |
| B．The whole system of the whale. |
| C．Things found in the whale’s body. |
| D．Many different tools of whaling. |
| A．Uncommon. | B．Worrying. | C．Inspiring. | D．Mild. |
| A．A Whale Found Dead of Plastic |
| B．Stand Up for Protecting Whales |
| C．Plastic Threatening Our Existence |
| D．Natural Death or Merciless Murder |
