1 . Poaching (偷猎) is a major cause of decline for elephants, with a total decrease to about 415,000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The research team found that poaching occurred more frequently in Central Africa and near the Mozambique-Tanzania border. In recent years, Garamba National Park, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw more than 860 elephants die at the hands of poachers, and Selous Game Reserve, in Tanzania, more than 750. Researchers discovered that the household wealth of those surrounding areas was relatively low and they hold a mid-level health.

Researchers said, “Illegal killings are driven by criminal networks who recruit poachers rather than by opportunistic hunters. When a lot of Africa’s national parks were established, people were often forced to be evicted from the land that was now designated a protected area. Local people who had been lived on hunting suddenly became described as poachers.”

“People living within about five miles of wildlife protected area in Tanzania also reported losing up to half their income. A local survey showed the destruction of their crops by elephants and killings of their livestock by lions.” Someone added, “If you’re closest to the park, you really do suffer more cost than benefit of the protected area.”

Researchers also noted, “When local communities enjoy the benefits of conservation, it will reduce incentives (诱因) to poach. When governments ensure that local communities are not subject to carrying the burden of the costs associated with this wildlife, they will have more access to income-generating opportunities that can help to lift communities out of poverty.”

Conservationists have to think creatively, carrying out strategies such as reducing demand in ivory-consuming countries, improving educational standards and medical facilities, and increasing support for wildlife rangers. “When we are looking to protect wildlife, we can’t do that without thinking about the well-being of people,” researchers said.

1. What do the numbers in Paragraph 2 imply?

A．Elephants mainly appear in Africa.

B．Poachers have found the track of elephants.

C．Elephants living in the protected area are facing a decline.

D．Hundreds of elephants in Africa die at the hands of poachers.

2. What does the underlined phrase “be evicted from” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Leave.

B．Return.

C．Wander.

D．Seek.

3. Which of the following statement is NOT true about poaching?

A．Elephants poaching is likely driven by need, not greed.

B．Household wealth of people in the protected area is relatively high.

C．Wildlife protection and people’s well-being should go hand in hand.

D．People living close to the wildlife reserve lose nearly half their income.

4. Where is this passage most probably taken from?

A．A health column.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A geographic magazine.	D．A news story.

2 . “In the past, there’d be ringing of the church bells during a national emergency. They should be ringing now.” says Hamish McKenzie－a bell-ringer, boat-builder, extreme recycler and climate change activist. “Climate change is the greatest danger we face. In 100 years’ time, maybe less, it will be unlikely for people to live there because of rising water levels and the likelihood of hurricanes.” he tells Amanda Jones, the reporter from New York Times, gesturing over to the bank just feet from his boat.

Hamish McKenzie lives with his wife on his floating houseboat in Shorehame-on-Sea. Now 63, he’s turned recycling into an art and has created lots of houseboats out of old vehicles and things from junkyards and farms. He and his wife live on Verda－a mixture of and old coach and a 1928 Portsmouth-Gosport ship, which Hamish rescued from the muddy seabed. He lists another houseboat, named Dodge, on Airbnb to fund his lifestyle. His idea of walking lightly on the planet extends into every area of life. Apart from his laptop and piano, almost everything seems to have been recycled－from the microwave letterbox to tractor tire windows. “I buy my clothes from charity shops and regard meat as a treat. We’re living off vast amounts of seasonal local vegetables from small shops.”

“Sadly, there are no groceries left in Shoreham. They have been ruined by cars and out-of-town supermarkets. I hate the scenery of 30,000 cars at the end of my road. An average car weighs around 1.2 tons, but how much does a passenger weigh? Petrol engines are only 30% efficient.”

Hamish gets around by bicycle and often says, “Many people feel powerless about what is happening all over the world and even stop watching the news. But we have to think about what we can do for the community. Everyone can take action and do their bit.”

1. Why is Hamish called a bell-ringer?

A．He recalls the ringing of church bells during an emergency.

B．He draws attention to the danger of climate emergency.

C．He extends recycling into every area of his life.

D．He knows people feel powerless about what’s happening.

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Hamish has become an artist in designing boats.

B．Hamish recycles all the things on his houseboat.

C．Hamish intends his simple lifestyle to do less harm to the earth.

D．Hamish has some meat as a treat regularly.

3. What does Hamish think of cars?

A．They drive groceries out of town.

B．They have become a local scenery.

C．They shouldn’t be designed that heavy.

D．They are a such waste of energy.

4. What is attitude of Hamish towards future of the world?

A．Concerned and responsible.	B．Fearful and powerless.
C．Sensitive and optimistic.	D．Satisfied and hopeful.

4 . The history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings. To a large extent (程度), the physical form and the habits of the earth’s vegetation and its animal life have been shaped by the environment. Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight (轻微的). Only in the present century has one species—man got significant power to change the nature of his world.

During the past quarter century this power has not only become increasingly great but it has changed in character. The most alarming of all man’s assaults (侵犯) upon the environment is the contamination (污染) of air, earth, rivers, and sea with dangerous and even deadly materials. This pollution is for the most part irrecoverable. In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the wicked partners of radiation (辐射) in changing the very nature of the world, the very nature of its life.

It took hundreds of millions of years to produce the life that now lives on the earth. Given time not in years but in millennia (千年), life adjusted and a balance has been reached. But in the modern world there is no time.

I don’t mean that chemical insecticides (杀虫剂) must never be used. However, we have to admit that we have put poisonous and biologically harmful chemicals indiscriminately (恣意地) into the hands of persons largely or wholly ignorant of their possible harm. We have forced enormous numbers of people to contact these poisons, without their permission and often without their knowledge. We admit, furthermore, that we have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect on soil, water, wildlife, and man himself. Future generations are unlikely to forgive our lack of concern for the integrity (完好无损) of the natural world that supports all life.

1. What does the underlined word “modified” in the first paragraph mean?

A．destroy

B．change

C．explore

D．maintain

2. Which of the following does the least harm to the environment?

A．chemicals

B．radiation

C．insecticides

D．vegetation

3. According to the text, what can we learn about the environment?

A．Chemicals must not be used for the sake of the environment.

B．The environment is greatly affected by vegetation and animals.

C．The future generations are likely to lack concern for the environment.

D．The pollution of the environment is largely due to irresponsible humans.

4. What will the following paragraph probably talk about?

A．What humans should do with chemicals for future generations.

B．How the environment affects the living things on the earth.

C．What kind of chemicals are less harmful to the environment.

D．How we humans make the best of chemicals to save the earth.

5 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. categorise B. creation C. good D. innovative E. maximum F. packed G. pedestrianise H. processing I. shape J. short-lived K. transformation

All Change in Curitiba!

Like many other major world cities, Curitiba in southern Brazil has had to deal with issues such as pollution, poverty, and limited public funding. However, the architect and three-times mayor of the city, Jaime Lerner, has introduced some     1     solutions.

As part of his ‘Master Plan’, Lerner hoped to make the city more environmentally friendly. He initiated a recycling scheme. In return for delivering recyclable rubbish to specified     2     points, residents receive a bag of vegetables or bus tickets. As a result, Curitiba now has one of the highest recycling rates in the world. Lerner also ordered the     3     of 26 urban parks. As well as preventing pollution, these control flooding.

Lerner did not win over all the city’s residents immediately, however. When his plans to     4     part of the centre were passed, local businesses were up in arms, fearing a reduction in profits. Realising he needed to act quickly, Lerner had the     5     of six blocks completed within three days. When a group of motorists attempted to drive through the new pedestrian area, Lerner arranged for local primary schools to hold a painting workshop on the streets. The drivers were forced to turn back. Luckily for Lerner, this rebellion was     6    . The increase in profit rapidly persuaded shop owners to change their minds.

Lerner’s determination helped     7     the Curitiba of today. The average income per capita has risen from a level that was below the Brazilian average in the 1970s to 66% above the average, and surveys indicate high levels of resident satisfaction.

So, is it all just one big success story? In some respects, Curitiba may have been too successful for its own    8    . People and businesses have come to the city, which now has more than 1.8 million residents. This has put the city under enormous stress. Forty years ago, buses transported 54,000 passengers a day. Now the number is 2.3 million. According to some experts, the transport system has reached its     9     efficiency capacity. Following a rise in complaints about the noisy and     10     buses, the service is in decline.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When was World Environment Day established?

A．In 1972.

B．In 1974.

C．In 1987.

2. Where were the first international celebrations of World Environment Day held?

A．In England.

B．In the United States.

C．In Kenya.

3. What was the first theme of World Environment Day?

A．One Earth One Family.

B．Only One Earth.

C．For Life on Earth.

4. What can we learn about World Environment Day?

A．It is celebrated each year on July 5.

B．Tree planting is the main activity.

C．International environmental conventions are signed during it.

7 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank

Uber Eats pilots reusable container scheme

From today (Tuesday 18 April, 2023) Uber Eats customers in Central London will be given the option to order their takeaway in reusable containers and easily return them in an attempt     1     (address) single use packaging.

    2     (Bring) together various businesses, the project will test and measure how localized doorstep at-home collections of reusable packaging can increase the adoption rate of a reuse system and improve convenience. The system has been developed to make     3     as easy and convenient as possible for people to take part. When placing their orders, Uber Eats customers can choose to receive their food in reusable packaging. Once they’ve enjoyed their meals,     4     they need to do is to scan a QR code, select a day for collection, give the containers a simple rinse and await collection. All collections are low or no emissions,     5     (make) by deliverymen using bikes, electric cars or vans.

The trial will run for six months and will be managed by Again, which operates a network of packaging cleaning facilities     6     the reusable packaging will be cleaned and processed before being returned to the restaurants. Various promotions     7     (test) throughout the trial to measure opt-in rate and return rate. “This pilot aims to make reusable packing     8     (accessible) for customers and restaurants alike,” says Matthew Price, Uber Eats General Manager. “By integrating the reuse option     9     a delivery app used by many households and by offering doorstep collections, we hope to see a significant increase in the use of reusable takeaway packaging. The trial will help create     10     better understanding of what works and what doesn’t at a local level, and hopefully lead to wider roll out of this reuse system across more businesses and areas.”

8 . Most old, disused airports are usually torn down to make way for shiny new developments, although at huge cost, but not Tegel airport, in Berlin, Germany. The deserted 580 acres will be turned into an eco-friendly living neighborhood land, in Tegel Project that officials hope will become the blueprint for future disused airports.

After the airport was closed down a number of years ago, following the building of a newer and modern version nearby, developers began dreaming up the ambitious 5 million square meter Tegel Project. Those behind the project hope it will address housing shortages, pollution and other ban living problems. It will provide at least 5,000 homes for more than 10,000 people.

The entire project is all about being energy-efficient: vertical gardens (垂直花园) on apartment blocks, which is one way to keep buildings cool without costly air conditioning. Every rooftop is also going to be fitted with solar panels which will provide electricity. Sponge City technology, such as rain gardens, will help the city absorb as much water as possible.

Although turning an airport into a neighborhood isn’t common, it’s not the first time it’s happened. When Denver’s main airport moved to a new location, developers made the most out of the old airport and converted the space into a residential community with important locations like hospitals, schools, and supermarkets easily reached on foot.

Next to the new development in Germany’s former Tegel airport will be a commercial zone. The Urban Technology Republic is aimed at tech companies that will be encouraged to open offices in the development, as well as a large city park that will stretch across half of the urban tech space. There will also be a campus for the Berliner Hochschule fur Technik University. Construction is due to begin in 2023, with the first areas opening by 2027.

1. Why did developers come up with Tegel Project?

A．To make room for city gardens.	B．To help solve rural living problems.
C．To reuse Tegel airport in a green way.	D．To set a good example for future cities.

2. What can we infer from the text?

A．Tegel Project has proven costly.

B．Vertical gardens are built on the rooftop.

C．A city park will be the center of the Tegel airport.

D．The practice of using old airport has been tried before.

3. What does the underlined word “converted” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Transformed.

B．Carried.

C．Slid.

D．Divided.

4. What is the suitable title for the text?

A．Less Is More	B．Trash Can Be Treasure
C．Technology Makes a Difference	D．Human and Nature Live in Peace

9 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Japan Releases Nuclear Wastewater into the Pacific. How Worried Should We Be?

Japan has started releasing wastewater into the ocean. But this isn’t the kind of wastewater     1     flows from city streets into stormwater drains. It’s treated nuclear wastewater used to cool damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant,     2     (strike) by an earthquake over a decade ago.

Since the accident, over 1.3 million tons of nuclear wastewater     3     (collect), treated, and stored in a tank farm at the plant. That storage space is about to run out, the Japanese government says, leaving no choice other than     4     (begin) dumping the wastewater into the Pacific.

Japan’s discharge plan involves incrementally (递增地) releasing it over the next three decades, although some experts say it could take longer, given the amount still     5     (produce). Some of Japan’s neighbors are criticizing the plan as unilateral and dangerous. On May 15, South Korea’s opposition leader ridiculed Japanese leaders’ claims that the water is safe enough to drink: “    6     it is safe enough to drink, they should use it as drinking water.”

Now, American scientists are raising concerns that marine life and ocean currents could carry harmful radioactive isotopes (同位素) —also called radionuclides—    7     the entire Pacific Ocean.

“It’s a trans-boundary and trans-generational event,” says Robert Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory at the University of Hawaii. “    8     released into the ocean off of Fukushima is not going to stay in one place.”

The radionuclides could be carried by ocean currents, especially the cross-Pacific Kuroshio current. Marine animals that migrate great distances could spread them too. No     9    (worrying) as carriers, Richmond says, are phytoplankton—free-floating organisms that are the basis of the food chain for all marine life and can capture radionuclides from the Fukushima cooling water. When swallowed, those isotopes may “accumulate in a variety of fish, marine mammals, and humans.”

Richmond and Buesseler say that     10     they’ve been allowed access to much of the same data as the IAEA, they remain suspicious. “The root of this problem is that they are moving already with a plan that has not yet shown that it will work,” Buesseler says. “They’re saying, ‘We can make it work. We’ll treat it as many times as it takes.’ If you want to put a nickname on this plan, it’s ‘trust us; we’ll take care of it.’”