1 . Dryland ecosystems cover about 40% of land on earth and support more than 2 billion people, and, once degraded, they are difficult to restore. One technique for restoring dryland ecosystems with native plants — direct seeding — is promising, but has many disadvantages.
“In degraded drylands only around 10% of directly sown seeds actually establish themselves,” says Frederick Dadzie, PhD candidate at UNSW. “And given that native seeds are expensive and often in low supply, this is full of problems.”
Since one of the potential issues of degraded drylands is an absence of native microorganisms(微生物)in the soil, the research team acquired native microorganisms from undisturbed sites and grew them. They then introduced them to soil that contained the seeds of native plants and planted them in degraded drylands.
They found that microorganisms were very beneficial for getting the plants established. especially at the earlier stages when the seeds were growing to seedlings(树苗). After that, the relationship was less clear.
“That microorganisms improve germination(发芽)in degraded habitats is good news for ecosystem restoration," says Mr. Dadzie. “And what’s better: this is a simple, two-step process that can be applied to restoring dryland ecosystems. First, combining the seeds and soil into pellets(小球), and second, providing those pellets with the microorganisms.”
“Not only are drylands valuable as food bowls for vast numbers of people, but they also provide other services,” says Mr. Dadzie. “Due to the vastness of drylands, they have the highest potential to absorb atmospheric carbon and therefore contribute substantially to climate change.”
While this study was conducted at a field site, the seedlings were provided with both shade and water. In the future, similar experiments should be repeated but under more naturalized conditions with environmentally determined sun and rain.
1. What does the underlined word “degraded” in Paragraph I mean?A.Changed. | B.Improved. | C.Worsened. | D.Simplified. |
A.It is simple and promising. | B.It is costly but practical. |
C.It is challenging but effective. | D.It is unproven and questionable. |
A.Its method is out of date. |
B.It was conducted in the laboratory. |
C.Further study in naturalized conditions is necessary. |
D.One type of native plant was involved in the whole process. |
A.The solution to climate change lies in drylands |
B.Microorganisms are the key to ecosystem restoration |
C.Scientists have improved the direct seeding technique |
D.Local microorganisms help native seeds take root in drylands |
2 . Lisa Gautier receives nearly a dozen parcels of human hair every day. With her San-Francisco-based non-profit organization Matter of Trust, Gautier turns donated hair into mats used to soak up oil spills on land, and booms(long tubes)used for spills at sea.
A standard way to clean up oil from land is to use mats made from polypropylene(聚丙烯). But polypropylene is a non-biodegradable plastic, and producing it ultimately means more drilling for oil. Hair, by contrast, is an environmentally friendly resource that can soak up around five times its weight in oil, according to Matter of Trust, and it is abundant.
Oil spills can pollute drinking water, endanger public health, harm plants and wildlife, and damage the economy. According to Gautier, the spills that hit the headlines only make up 5% of global oil pollution.
Megan Murray, an environmental biologist at the University of Technology Sydney, develops sustainable technologies to tackle oil spills. Her research indicates that as well as being biodegradable, human hair is often just as effective as polypropylene, and in some circumstances even better. “The hair mats are very beneficial to land spills,” says Murray but adds that when raw oil is spilled on beach sand, it is very difficult to absorb it using any of the materials she has tested. Another advantage of hair is that it costs less than conventional materials and is “globally available as a recycled material,” she says.
However, Murray cautions that hair mats are not a perfect solution, because they are single-use, and can only be dealt with by burning or by burying into soil which then isn’t suitable for growing food. She is now researching methods to extract the oil from a used hair mat, meaning both can be reused.
As the hair mat designs aren’t under patent, other groups have begun producing their own mats and booms. Gautier is pleased to see the movement growing. “Anyone can make a hair mat,” she says. “It creates green jobs, it cleans water, it reduces waste in landfill, and it’s promoting renewable resources.”
1. What do we know about polypropylene according to the passage?A.It is environmentally friendly. |
B.People need more oil to produce it. |
C.It can soak up around five times its weight in oil. |
D.People seldom use mats made from it to clean up oil from land. |
A.Hair mats do no harm to soil after being burnt. |
B.People spend more to make hair mats than conventional materials. |
C.The effect of hair mats on terrestrial(陆地上的)spills is not very good. |
D.Hair mats are not a perfect solution because they can’t be recycled now. |
A.Most oil-spill events have received widespread media coverage. |
B.Lisa Gautier donated her hair to soak up oil spills on land and at sea. |
C.Megan Murray goes all out to make the hair mats and the oil extracted from them reused. |
D.There are many other materials used to treat oil spills on beach sand besides hair. |
A.Human Hair Is Being Used to Clean Up Oil Spills |
B.A Perfect Recycled Material—Human Hair |
C.Take Action to Make Hair Mats And Booms |
D.How to Tackle Oil Spills |
3 . People are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Purchasing property that is environmentally responsible is a good investment for those who are
If everything goes according to plan, Dockside Green will be a
Energy efficiency is one of the
Planners of eco-communities such as Dockside Green must take the
Dockside residents will be encouraged to take advantage of a mini transport system and buy into the community’s car share program. Finally, plans are underway for a high-tech heating system that will use
Dockside residents will
A.ashamed of | B.concerned about | C.connected with | D.proud of |
A.scene | B.memory | C.focus | D.diet |
A.harmonious | B.digital | C.crowded | D.self-sufficient |
A.put aside | B.belong to | C.consist of | D.make up |
A.natural | B.mixed | C.historic | D.fancy |
A.animals | B.pesticides | C.consumers | D.conferences |
A.top | B.embarrassing | C.global | D.questionable |
A.convenience | B.advantage | C.protection | D.impact |
A.for fear that | B.so that | C.because | D.although |
A.However | B.In particular | C.Therefore | D.In addition |
A.image | B.future | C.label | D.decoration |
A.emissions | B.accidents | C.unemployment | D.crime |
A.traditional | B.man-made | C.renewable | D.enough |
A.result from | B.refer to | C.contribute to | D.benefit from |
A.desirable | B.reliable | C.recyclable | D.imaginary |
4 . Climate experts have warned about the many ways a warming planet can negatively affect human health.
One long-held prediction that appears to be coming true — according to the results of a study recently published in Nature Scientific Reports — is how climate change might enhance
Vibrio vulnificus (创伤弧菌) flourishes in salty or brackish waters above 68℉. Infections are currently rare in the U.S., but that’s likely to change. Using 30 years of data on infections, scientists at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. found that Vibrio vulnificusis
“We’re seeing the core
Based on the latest data on how much the world’s water and air temperatures will rise, the scientists predict that by 2081, Vibrio vulnificus infections could reach every state along the U.S. East Coast. Currently, only about 80 cases are reported in the U.S. each year; by 2081, that could go up to over three-fold, the authors say.
Such a proliferation could have serious health consequences. Vibrio vulnificus kills approximately 20% of the healthy people it infects, and 50% of those with weakened immune systems. There is little evidence that antibiotics can
Warming sea temperatures aren’t the only reasons behind the rise of Vibrio vulnificus. Hotter air also draws more people to the coasts and bays, bringing them into closer contact with the bacteria.
“The bacteria are part of the natural marine environment, so I don’t think we can
To alert people to the growing threat,
Vbrio vulnificus is so
Lake says the expansion of Vibrio vulnificus is concerning for public health since the bacteria are now invading waters closer to heavily
A.Even if | B.Except when | C.The instant | D.In case |
A.numbers | B.ranges | C.coverages | D.concentrations |
A.failure | B.fatality | C.survival | D.acid |
A.ranging | B.varying | C.expanding | D.shifting |
A.distribution | B.launch | C.community | D.sample |
A.principle | B.lead | C.principal | D.hit |
A.boost | B.accelerate | C.contain | D.remove |
A.harms | B.damages | C.injuries | D.wounds |
A.relieve | B.dissolve | C.resolve | D.erase |
A.conscience | B.awareness | C.panic | D.alert |
A.monitoring | B.processing | C.managing | D.delivering |
A.sensible | B.vital | C.vulnerable | D.sensitive |
A.populated | B.dense | C.paralleled | D.bordered |
A.reaction | B.interaction | C.intervention | D.relativity |
A.rather than | B.except for | C.such as | D.other than |
5 . Used electronics are piing up fast: they are filling up landfills with dangerous pieces of waste. Some e-waste is relatively large, such as air conditioners; other e-waste is more unnoticed, such as smart labels that contain disposable batteries and other equipment.
“It’s these small batteries that are big problems,” says University of California, Irvine, public health scientist Dele Ogunseitan, who is a green technology researcher and adviser for major tech companies and was not involved in developing the battery. “Nobody really pays attention to where they end up.” Researchers at the Cellulose & Wood Materials Laboratory at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology are working to address this problem. Their new paper describes a water-activated paper battery developed from environmentally friendly materials that could eventually present a sustainable alternative to the more harmful batteries common in low-power devices.
The paper battery has the same key components as standard batteries but packages them differently. Like a typical chemical battery, it has a positively charged side and a negatively charged side. A traditional battery’s components are covered in plastic and metal; in the new battery, however, the positively and negatively charged sides are inks printed onto the front and back of a piece of paper. That paper is filled with salt, which dissolves (溶解) when the paper becomes wet. When the paper is dry, the battery is shelf-stable. Once the paper is wet, the battery starts working within 20 seconds. The new battery’s operating performance declines as the paper dries. When the scientists rewet the paper during testing, the battery regained function and lasted an hour before beginning to dry out again.
That future may not be so far off. It is hard to predict a time line for manufacturing such items at scale, but the head of the study says he is in contact with potential industry partners and believes these batteries could make their way into products within the next two to five years.
1. Why is e-waste mentioned in paragraph 1?A.To introduce the topic. | B.To give people warning. |
C.To show the seriousness of it. | D.To call on people to take action. |
A.Objective. | B.Carefree. | C.Indifferent. | D.Concerned. |
A.The difference between the paper battery and the traditional battery. |
B.The working principle of the paper battery. |
C.The problem of the paper battery. |
D.The advantage of the paper battery. |
A.Paper battery: Is it far off? |
B.Paper can work wonders. |
C.Paper battery: A creative way to reduce e-waste. |
D.Let’s work together to fight e-waste. |
Helen and her family moved to a new location in the city. Helen was excited because most of her friends lived in the same street.
It was the first morning in their new house. She woke up early that day and went out on her balcony (阳台). She was expecting wonderful, lovely birds and beautiful greenery with fresh air, but instead it was the complete opposite. There was garbage right outside their front gate. There were no trees and instead of the sweet chirping (鸟叫声) of birds, there were annoying g traffic noises. Helen was angry. “What is this? Why can’t someone do anything about it?” she thought. She went inside the living room. She sat at the dining table, thinking about what she could do about the pollution in her locality.
The next day at school, she went into her class and asked loudly, “Who’s fed up with stinking garbage?” This caught many students’ attention. “Who’s fed up with air pollution and the diseases spread by it?” This time many students answered, “Me!” Helen smiled and then said, “We must clean our surroundings. So help me get rid of the garbage. Help me pick it up! That’s the best thing we can do. We will all go to other classes and ask if they want to join us. I am sure as long as we work together, our community will become a better place!”
In the break time, they all went to other classes, and by the end of the school day, Helen had gathered almost 25 students ready to help her. The day before cleaning, the students took out their pocket money and bought garbage bags, masks and gloves.
注意:1. 续写词数应为120左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
The big day came and the students gathered at the school gate.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon the headmaster knew what the students did.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the little village of Meadowbrook, surrounded with rolling hills, lived two curious and adventurous twins, Sarah and Sam. At the age of twelve, the inseparable twins were always seeking new adventures.
One morning, Miss Harper, their favorite community service teacher, was introducing community volunteer work. Sam suddenly caught sight of the hill behind the schoolyard and was instantly inspired with the idea of climbing to the top.
“Sarah, ”whispered Sam, “Wouldn’t it be splendid if we climbed to the top of that hill today?It’s said to hold breathtaking views of our beloved village. ”
Hearing that, Sarah’s face lit up with excitement, her heart filled with eagemess. “Oh, Sam, that sounds great!But we promise Papa and Mama we will save our pocket money and not spend a single penny unnecessarily. ”With determination in their hearts, the twins worked out a plan. They decided to bring homemade snacks and refreshing drinks from their own kitchen, ensuring they wouldn’t spend a penny.
The twins set off on their journey, their backpacks filled with sandwiches, cookies, and bottles filled with cool, clear water from the village well. As they walked along the path, they noticed colorful trash scattered (散落) about, which ruined the natural beauty surrounding them.
A brilliant idea flashed into Sarah’s mind. “Why don’t we pick up the litter along the way?We could clean up our beloved countryside and maybe even earn a few coins by recycling the materials. ”
Excited by the idea, the twins eagerly collected the scattered items. As they reached the foot of the hill, their bags heavy with the collected waste, they came across a recycling center. With excitement, they exchanged their findings for shiny coins. With newfound treasures in their pockets, they climbed up the hill.
When they reached the top, they were greeted by a breathtaking view of their village. “It’s so beautiful!”Sam burst out,” We must share our adventure with Miss Harper and our classmates!”
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。
The next morning, Sarah and Sam returned to school, eager to meet Miss Harper.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The following weekend, the entire class started to clean up their beloved village.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and
A recent study showed that two
Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products
The
A.part | B.lack | C.lots | D.varieties |
A.applied to | B.contributed to | C.exposed to | D.devoted to |
A.possibility | B.chance | C.result | D.effect |
A.Therefore | B.Furthermore | C.Similarly | D.However |
A.After | B.Though | C.Before | D.Unless |
A.reused | B.safe | C.friendly | D.returned |
A.of | B.on | C.from | D.out of |
A.rhyme | B.way | C.section | D.branch |
A.carry | B.take | C.include | D.make |
A.advantage | B.technique | C.point | D.attraction |
A.concern | B.hope | C.care | D.plan |
A.what | B.how | C.whether | D.when |
A.saying | B.trust | C.attitude | D.fashion |
A.pressure | B.pleasure | C.discussion | D.interest |
A.enlarging | B.sharing | C.cleaning | D.improving |
9 . A satellite is about to demonstrate a new way of capturing space junk with magnets for the first time. With the frequency of space launches dramatically increasing in recent years, the potential for a disastrous collision above Earth is continually growing. Now, Japanese orbital clean-up company Astroscale is testing a potential solution.
The firm’s End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration mission is scheduled to lift off on 20 March aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. It consists of two spacecraft: a smaller “client” satellite and a larger “servicer” satellite, or “chaser”. The smaller satellite is equipped with a magnetic (磁力的) plate which allows the chaser to dock with it.
The two stacked spacecraft will perform three tests once in orbit, each of which will involve the servicer satellite releasing and then recapturing the client satellite. The first test will be the simplest, with the client satellite drifting a short distance away and then being recaptured. In the second test, the servicer satellite will set the client satellite tumbling before catching up with it and matching its motion to grab it.
Finally, if those two tests go well, the chaser will live up to its name by letting the client satellite float a few hundred metres away before finding it and attaching to it. All of these tests will be performed autonomously, with little to no human input once they are set in motion.
“These kinds of demonstrations have never been done before in space — they are very different to, say, an astronaut controlling a robotic arm on the International Space Station,” says Jason Forshaw at Astroscale UK. “This is more of an autonomous mission.” At the end of the tests, both spacecraft will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
If companies wanted to use this capability, they would have to attach a magnetic plate to their satellites so they could be captured later. Because of the growing space garbage problem, many countries now require firms to have a way to bring back their satellites once they run out of fuel or fail, so this could be a fairly simple likely plan, Forshaw says. Right now, each chaser can only nab one satellite, but Astroscale is working on a version that could drag three or four out of orbit at once.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “dock with” in Paragraph 2?A.Join together. | B.Keep up with. |
C.Deal with. | D.Crash. |
A.Because they can earn large profits from it. |
B.Because the frequency of space launches are dramatically increasing. |
C.Because of the growing space waste problem. |
D.Because Astroscale has found a new method of capturing the space garbage. |
A.An astronaut controls a robotic arm on the International Space to capture the “client” satellite. |
B.Through a magnetic plate remotely controlled by humans on the ground to catch the “client” satellite. |
C.Tumbling to match the motion of “client” satellite the drag three or four satellites out of its orbit into atmosphere. |
D.Finding the “client” satellite and attaching to it with a magnetic plate automatically. |
A.people will burn the space junk up in Earth’s atmosphere in the future. |
B.the demonstration mission will be divided into three phases. |
C.These kinds of demonstrations have never been done before. |
D.Japan and Russia will conduct space debris cleanup experiment together. |
1.活动目的;
2.你的建议;
3.发出倡议。
注意:1.词数80词左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Boys and girls,
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The Student Union