1 . The future in energy production is here. And some of the materials used to supply the energy may surprise you! Companies have developed a way to turn plant wastes and other garbage into fuel. It has been called one of the most promising technologies in energy. And the process is expected to become more common this year.
The American-based company Fiberight is taking the lead in this new form of energy production. Truck loads of garbage are sent to Fiberight’s test plant in southern Virginia. Old vegetables, cardboard boxes and other wastes become something much more valuable through the work done at the factory. 50% of this material is going to be processed for the change of biofuel such as ethanol（乙醇）.
Ethanol makes up about 10 percent of America’s fuel supply. Nearly all of it comes from corn, the food known as maize in some countries. Critics say this creates competition between food and fuel, and raises food prices. Environmentalists say farmers are using more land to plant corn crops. They also say farmers are using more fertilizers and products for killing insects. They say this creates more pollution.
This year, several other fuel production plants are expected to start making ethanol from the cellulose（纤维素） in corn stalks, wheat straw and other plant materials. However, making cellulosic ethanol turned out to be harder than expected. We know how to do that in a lab. The main problem is doing that in a continuous way, cost-effectively on a large scale. Besides, our cars may limit how much the industry can grow. Even if we can begin to produce this cost-effectively, we need to be able to consume it as well. Only a few models of automobiles can operate on high-ethanol fuel. Without more of them, there is only so much gas from garbage that will sell.
1. What is the advantage of this energy production?| A．Using advanced technology. |
| B．Producing energy in large quantities. |
| C．Making energy from some waste. |
| D．Making energy easily and cheaply |
| A．oil | B．electricity | C．gas | D．biofuel |
| A．The need of growing corn for ethanol. |
| B．The amount of ethanol needed in America. |
| C．The disadvantages of ethanol made from corn |
| D．Pollution caused by making ethanol from corn. |
| A．It is impossible to make this energy on a large scale. |
| B．It is difficult to produce this energy out of laboratory. |
| C．Few fuel production plants are interested in making it. |
| D．There is a long way to go before it is widely produced. |
2 . For animals that spend most of their lives in the high trees, gaps in the forest might as well be the Grand Canyon. These gaps are especially hard on gibbons (长臂猴); although larger males can leap across some gaps, females and the young can be cut off from food, companions, and even potential mates. Now, a new study suggests a couple of strong ropes could really help bridge the gap.
Gibbons are at risk of extinction across Southeast Asia, largely because of habitat loss. With about 30 individuals left, the Hainan gibbon is considered the rarest primate (灵长类) on Earth. All of these animals live on the Hainan Baw angling National Nature Reserve. In July 2014, a typhoon caused landslides across the reserve, creating gaps in the forest that were difficult for these primates to cross.
To help reconnect the habitats, professional tree climbers set up an artificial “bridge” made of two mountaineering-grade ropes across a 15-meter-wide valley. Nearly 6 months later, the gibbons started to use the bridge to cross the gap, researchers report today in Scientific Reports. The team documented 52 crossings of a group of eight gibbons, with most walking along one rope while holding on to the second rope for support, which the scientists named “handrail”. The gibbons also shimmied underneath the ropes using all arms and legs to the opposite side.
Conservationists previously built artificial bridges to help other species such as the Bornean orangutan and the Javan slow loris. But this is the first example of the rare Hainan gibbon using them. The rope bridges could be a short-term solution to reconnect disjointed (脱节的) habitats, the researchers argue. Combined with efforts to provide enough natural forest cover.
1. Why were rope bridges constructed according to the text？| A．To aid all gibbons to cross gaps. |
| B．To increase gibbons’ habitats. |
| C．To save gibbons from being endangered. |
| D．To provide food and company for gibbons. |
| A．Rarely are gibbons seen for the population decline. |
| B．Habitat loss was to blame for gibbons’ dying out. |
| C．Gibbons couldn’t cross gaps caused by a typhoon. |
| D．The natural disaster may have posed a threat to gibbons. |
| A．Lifted. | B．Grabbed. | C．Swung. | D．Spread. |
| A．The reasons for gibbons’ dying out | B．The importance of saving gibbons |
| C．The measures to save gibbons | D．The solution to gibbons’ habitat loss |
3 . To understand the effect of ice melting (融化) around the world we first have to understand what an ice sheet actually is. Covering 5.4 million square miles in Antarctica (南极洲) and 656,000 square miles in Greenland, an ice sheet is actually a huge land of ice from the Ice Age. These sheets form in areas where snow that falls in winter does not melt entirely over the summer. This ice, home to different species of animals, is now melting at a rate that cannot support the life it currently holds.
Many of these creatures rely on ice sheets as land for resting, hunting and protection, yet as the size decreases, they are forced out of their homeland in search of other land on which to live. Often this means journeys to search for food and an imbalanced ecosystem happens when different species are forced together onto the coast.
Since the 1990s, the deer population has dropped by 56 per cent—climate change has caused warmer temperatures over winter setting off rainfall instead of snow, which freezes more quickly underfoot and makes it harder to walk and search for food. In the summer, frozen layers of land melts and releases trapped diseases which bring death to animals. A similar situation has fallen on the polar bears who suffered a 40 per cent population loss between 2001—2010.
Quite apart from these problems, the threat of sea levels rising if the ice caps were to disappear is approaching. If the Greenland Ice Sheet melted, the sea level would rise around six meters, and if the Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, sea levels would rise by around 20 feet. As a matter of fact, sea levels have risen about eight inches since 1880, three of which we’ve gained over the last 25 years. This seemingly small amount has already caused dangerous flooding, loss of farmland and more deadly storms.
While we’re still a long way from losing the ice sheets all together, we’ve already lost too much and if we don’t take climate change seriously now, we will certainly hit the point of no return.
1. What is an ice sheet according to the passage?| A．It is an area where ice never melts in summer. |
| B．It is a land of ice that covers all Greenland. |
| C．It is a large area of ice that exists for centuries. |
| D．It is an ice world for animals to live on. |
| A．It makes it easier to travel to other land. |
| B．It increases the population of sea animals. |
| C．It makes their surroundings more comfortable. |
| D．It causes hunger and illness among animals. |
| A．Ice sheet will soon disappear from the Earth. |
| B．Sea levels are rising faster in recent years. |
| C．Greenland will be the first to lose all its ice. |
| D．All natural disasters happen due to sea level rise. |
| A．Effect of Melting Ice Sheets | B．Ice, Sea and Animals |
| C．Greenland and Antarctica | D．Changes of Sea Levels |
| A. neighbouring；B. concerned；C. complete；D. earnest；E. fats F. maintenance；G. notably；H. operations；I. regularly；J. specifics；K. shift |
A good grilling
As they reopen after lockdown, many restaurants are firing up their barbecues. Diners appreciate food grilled over glowing charcoal embers, but the
The researchers tested a commercial grill,
The researchers are investigating which extraction systems best protect all the people
Meanwhile, Dr Aleysa’s team have come up with their own solution: a new kind of grill, which they reckon can cut pollutants by 90%. Dr Aleysa is reluctant to go into
An industrial partner is keen to put the grill into production. It could go on sale by the middle of next year. It will cost a bit more than a standard grill, says Dr Aleysa. But he believes that would be offset by lower
5 . China is expected to restructure its industry and energy mix during the 14th Five-Year Plan period（2021-2025）to lay a solid foundation for peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030, a climate change expert has said.
The best possible situation is that China will achieve zero growth in coal consumption during the period, and see usage peak and begin to decline by 2025, according to He Jiankun, deputy director of China's national expert committee on climate change.
During the period, China should promote the development of the digital, high-tech and modern services industries, while the expansion of high energy-consuming industries such as the steel and chemical industries should be controlled, said the expert.
That is because China is still in the industrialization and urbanization stage and requires significant infrastructure construction, He added, noting that a large portion of carbon emissions in China are created during the building process rather than being a result of the people's consumption needs.
The adjustment and upgrading of the industrial structure will be promoted so that energy consumption per unit of GDP will drop rapidly and total energy consumption growth will be controlled, He said.
China has announced that it will make efforts to bring carbon dioxide emissions to a peak before 2030 and become carbon neutral(中和)before 2060.
The carbon emissions target means a nationwide peak by the deadline, but at the regional level, the progress will surely be staggered given differences in resources and economic development stages, said He, stressing the need to take a diverse and inclusive approach that coordinates(协调)emission cuts with development.
Relatively developed regions in east China are expected to be among the first to reach a peak as they take the lead in economic transformation, and another group of front-runners will be from the country's renewable energy-rich southwest, said He.
Since the carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets were set, local governments have engaged in making plans at the provincial and city level, the expert said.
He urged local authorities to "suppress the impulse" to expand capacity in energy-intensive heavy and chemical industries, and speed up the formation of a green, low-carbon circular industrial system.
1. What are the two goals of 2030 and 2060 respectively?| A．Peak carbon emission and achieve carbon neutrality. |
| B．Suppress the impulse to expand and boost the green system |
| C．Adjust the industrial structure and upgrade the structure |
| D．Relieve poverty and achieve the whole nation's well-being. |
| A．speed up in efficiency | B．influence positively | C．perform slowly | D．vary in time |
| A．China will promote low-carbon industries. | B．China will improve its industrial structure. |
| C．China will control the development of heavy industry | D．China will put emission cuts first in its development. |
| A．Fashion | B．Reader's Digest | C．China Daily | D．Science Magazine |
6 . 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. |
7 . A Green and Level Field
Since the EU launched its emissions trading system in 2005, industries have followed divergent greenhouse-gas trajectories. The power sector has cut them by half. Among cement and steelmakers, which got free allowances for four-fifths of their exhausts to stop the shift of production abroad, they have barely budged.
ICIS, a research firm, predicts that by 2030 CBAM-covered companies will receive 145m fewer tonnes of annual allowances than they would have done. That adds up to about €12bn（$14.2n）a year, or 2% of the newly covered sectors’ sales. Four-fifths of the burden will fall on steel and cement.
Heavy industry may pass the costs of CBAM to EU firms that use the carbon-intensive inputs.
Some trade groups are responding by lobbying lawmakers. With some success: in March the European Parliament passed a non-binding vote to keep the free allowances. Others will hedge by buying extra allowances when carbon prices are low, as power companies now do routinely.
Decarbonisation is costly. Making cement with a third less carbon adds some 15% to the cost. Arcelor Mittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker and one of Europe’s largest emitters, expects to invest an extra $10bn to cut carbon by 2030. That could raise its capital spending by a third.
| A．The commission estimates this impact to be modest, with a slight dip in employment. |
| B．If Europe’s steel mills must pay for the carbon they spew, so will their Chinese rivals selling to the EU. |
| C．But the firm also expects governments to cough up a similar amount. |
| D．A few are reacting as the plan intended: by trying to decarbonise. |
| E．The reaction. however. has been mixed with many firms griping about increased import of cement due to the lack of compensation. |
| F．The European Commission wants to end this handout. |
It was a pleasant morning. Meena was leaning out of her window and feeding the birds. The roads were empty because of COVID-19 lockdown. Just then a strong blow of wind came and Meena saw something flying in the air from distance. “Is it a kite?” Meena thought. As it came closer, Meena saw that it was a mask.
Curious to know where the mask came from, she ran to catch the mask and finally ran to the beach nearby. The mask fell into the sea water. As Meena looked around, she saw many masks floating in the sea and lying on the beach. She wondered where they came from.
Suddenly Meena heard a low voice nearby so helpless as if crying out for someone for help. She went closer to the voice – it was a huge turtle from the sea, with something stuck into his mouth. Apparently the turtle was choking (噎住) and in great pain. Meena moved closer to him, without wasting any time pulling it out of his mouth – it was a mask! The turtle finally recovered from the pain and seemed to express relief from his eyes as if to say “thank you” for her kindness.
Meena was sad to see so many masks thrown around. Just then she saw a man dumping rubbish here, with many single-use masks poured out. “Stop!” she screamed. “Please don’t throw the waste here. The turtle might swallow the mask again and fall sick!” The man stopped at once. He was sorry for his actions and decided to help clean the beach. He called a few people from the village to help them clean it. In no time the beach was free of rubbish.
Meena was happy and couldn’t wait to go home and tell her mother about it. Her mother was very proud of her, and told her the importance of throwing single-use masks into a rubbish bin so that animals wouldn’t swallow them. Yet Meena was still worried. She didn’t want the turtles to fall sick again due to people’s ignorance.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Shouldn’t I stop wearing a mask?” asked Meena.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next day Meena and her mother gave out their homemade cloth masks around the village.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1.活动背景及经过；
2.活动的心得体会。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Lucas,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
10 . 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. |
