1 . 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.

2. What do we know about e-scooters in Paris?

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.

3. What is the author’s opinion of e-scooters?

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.

4. What is Stephen Gossling’s suggestion?

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.

2 . Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem harmless, and Europe's stock of these quick-cooking ovens give out as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found, and the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming frequently updated, owners are throwing many microwave after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwaves which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.

A study by the University of Manchester worked out the emissions of carbon dioxide-the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change - at every stage of microwaves, from production to waste disposal (处理). “It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment,” say the authors, who also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour to use appliances more efficiently. For example, electricity consumption by microwaves can be reduced by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.”

However,David Reay, professor of carbon management argues that,although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the emissions from microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the whole of the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of cooking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus,rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.

1. What is the finding of the new study?

A．The use of microwaves emits more CO₂ , than people think.

B．CO2 emissions pose a major threat to the environment.

C．The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health.

D．Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular.

2. Why are the sales of microwaves expected to rise?

A．They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances.

B．They take less time to cook than other appliances.

C．They are getting much easier to operate.

D．They are becoming more affordable.

3. What recommendation does the study by the University of Manchester make?

A．Cooking food of different varieties.

B．Eating less to cut energy consumption.

C．Improving microwave users' habits.

D．Using microwave ovens less frequently.

4. What does Professor David Reay think of the use of microwaves?

A．It plays a positive role in environmental protection.

B．It makes everyday cooking much more convenient.

C．It will become less popular in the coming decades.

D．It consumes more power than traditional cooking.

3 . “What's all this tree-planting for? " I was asked when I began writing about restoring(修复) a piece of land I had _________ in Somerset. The truth is, I just love trees. And I am not _________ “As I get older, all I really _________ is to plant trees ,” Prince Charles says in a BBC programme in which he is _________ in the wood he planted on the day Prince George was born.

We have inherited _________ and wonderful trees in our cities and villages. They were planted, or self-sown, years, even centuries ago. We take them for granted, _________ the creatures living among them, remain in ignorance of the _________ trees are doing us (cleaning the air, for example) and cut them down for _________. Yet we keep a feeling of _________ for them. This may account for the __________ the government faced in 2010 when it sought to sell off publicly owned woods, and for the wide support the Woodland Trust (a tree-protecting charity) __________.

Trees need __________, which is why I, a city-resident, bought my Somerset woodland in 1999. At that time, climate change was already well proved, __________ my hopes of planting long-lived oaks and pines gradually ________ anxiety about their chances. Tree diseases new to the UK, wind, drought and flood were all putting them at __________.

But I did not __________ things to move so fast. The woodland is good, and the new trees are growing like mad, but the creatures are __________. The rabbits have disappeared(due to some disease, perhaps?) and the owl has moved. The bees and butterflies are still there but in smaller ________. If this can happen in my wood that is __________ pesticides (杀虫剂)and herbicides (除草剂) , it surely indicates we need to give nature the chance to restore its own ________. Meanwhile, I love my wood, and tree-planting has also done wonders for restoring my balance between town and country.

1.

A．visited

B．purchased

C．allocated

D．returned

2.

A．rich

B．ashamed

C．alone

D．ready

3.

A．object to

B．give away

C．take up

D．long for

4.

A．filmed

B．stuck

C．commented

D．discovered

5.

A．sacred

B．delicate

C．mature

D．fragrant

6.

A．raise

B．observe

C．ignore

D．abuse

7.

A．honor

B．good

C．harm

D．justice

8.

A．development

B．entertainment

C．protection

D．restriction

9.

A．trust

B．sadness

C．betrayal

D．affection

10.

A．approval

B．opposition

C．survival

D．dilemma

11.

A．attracts

B．urges

C．requires

D．lacks

12.

A．space

B．support

C．company

D．nutrition

13.

A．since

B．for

C．yet

D．so

14.

A．caught up with

B．gave way to

C．broke away from

D．got rid of

15.

A．risk

B．a distance

C．ease

D．a loss

16.

A．pray

B．want

C．allow

D．expect

17.

A．in place

B．in order

C．in decline

D．in question

18.

A．sizes

B．numbers

C．places

D．spaces

19.

A．eager for

B．fit for

C．free of

D．full of

20.

A．friction

B．virtue

C．tension

D．balance

4 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1 个单词）或给出括号内单词的正确形式.

Right now， most people's attention is on the COVID﹣19 pandemic. In     1    way， this pandemic is also warning us to protect our planet Earth.

World Earth Day， the international movement aiming     2    protecting and improving Earth's environment， is celebrating its 50th anniversary on April 22. For Earth Day 2020， the theme is climate action.    3    （celebrate） this， the Earth Day Network organized the Great Global Clean﹣up event. The network hoped that this would be the largest volunteer event in history， with people from all over the world    4    （set） up events to remove billions of pieces of trash from green spaces， urban communities and waterways. But due to the current ban on public gatherings and lockdown measures in many affected countries， clean﹣up events     5    （postpone）.

That said， the occasion will still continue in a digital way. "    6    it be coronavirus or our global climate crisis， we cannot shut down.    7    ， we must shift our energies and efforts to new ways to mobilize （动员） the world to action. " said Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers.

While the event may not reach its originally     8    （plan） grandeur（宏大）， Earth Day 2020 could play a role in helping us sustain     9    （environment） friendly changes， such as practices like teleworking and video conferencing     10    have become more prevalent （普遍的） in this time.

5 . Are Food Miles Really Important?

A popular narrative with food is simple: “eating local” is one of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint. It seems quite reasonable intuitively, but how reliable is it? Well, it is indeed true that the food sector uses a lot of energy, contributing 20 to 30 percent of all greenhouse gases. But how much of this is directly connected to moving food around the globe from farm to fork? Perhaps less than you might think.

In one of the most comprehensive studies, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania have reported that the shipment of food around the world only contributes around 4 percent of global carbon emissions. The report is in line with much research from around the world, which suggests that transportation only generates between 4 to 6 percent of the food system’s carbon footprint. Many studies revealed that most emissions were actually generated from other aspects of food production, such as agriculture, processing and cooking. In fact, it is the end consumer that used by far the most energy. Transport? The least.

One UK government study found that tomatoes trucked hundreds of kilometers from sunny Spain had a carbon footprint that was less than a third of that of those grown in heated glasshouses in chilly UK. In contrast to the simple “local=more eco-friendly” narrative, the authors therefore concluded that: “A single indicator based on total food kilometers travelled would not be a valid indicator of sustainability.”

When it comes to our carbon footprint, transport methods vary enormously too. For example, as air freight produces more than 75 times more emissions than sea freight, shipping food to the UK all the way from South-East Asia would involve far less carbon than the same product popped on a short flight from Italy. In this context, the emissions that come from shipping food by air freight one mile, is equal to the emissions from shipping food for more than 9 miles by road, and 75 miles by sea, making the concept of distance as a direct indicator of emissions highly problematic.

So is eating local really a better option? It depends. There are many reasons why you might be choosing to do so, aside from environmental concerns. Indeed, there are many other ways to measure environmental impact other than carbon emissions. But when we look at the evidence, only one thing is clear: food miles alone really aren’t a good proxy(指标)for sustainability. In fact, sometimes they are incredibly misleading. While we can’t disregard them entirely, we should view them in the context of a suite of other factors, recognizing that they often make up a tiny fraction of food’s carbon impact.

1. The data mentioned in the second paragraph are used to ______ .

A．illustrate that “food miles” has nothing to do with carbon emissions

B．encourage readers to consume imported food without guilt

C．prove that blaming carbon emissions on “food miles” only is unwise

D．warn readers that food transport is to blame for global warming

2. The author is likely to agree that _______ .

A．eating local actually doesn’t help cut down on the carbon footprint of food

B．cutting transport distance always helps to cut down on food’s carbon footprint

C．food transport has more to do with carbon emissions than food processing does

D．food’s carbon footprint depends both on the distance and the method of transport

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards “food miles” as an indicator for sustainability?

A．neutral

B．serious

C．opposing

D．supportive

6 . 语法填空

Can We Eat Meat Without Damaging the Environment?

“I’ve eaten meat my whole life, but the more I learn about our planet, the more I question how we treat it,” says Liz Bonnin at the start of the BBC documentary Meat: A Threat To Our Planet?.

“Unless we do things very differently,” says Liz, “the impact the meat industry has    1    our environment is only going to get worse.    2    demand increases, so do greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. This leads to a very obvious question: should we just stop eating meat?” This question is often asked, and we can’t just use “yes” or “no” to answer it. I’d like to share with you my ideas on    3    to eat meat with the least environmental damage.

Eat grass-fed meat

We actually need to eat more grass-fed meat, mainly beef and lamb. University of Oxford Professor Myles Allen has recalculated the amount of CH₄ emissions from ruminants(反刍动物). The inference from this new research is that we don’t have to stop    4    （eat）grass-fed cattle or sheep. Instead of demonizing(妖魔化)them, we need to differentiate between the animals that are part of the problem --- namely intensively produced(集中生产的)poultry, pork and dairy products, and    5    that are part of the solution --- namely grass-fed ruminants. At the root of the climate change problem is our fossil fuel(化石燃料)consumption, this is where we need to take    6    （urgent紧急的,急迫的）action.

Consider    7    your meat comes from

There are responsible ways of eating meat. You can begin with knowing the farm your animal came from and what kind of life the animal    8    （lead）.The EU’s organic standard for livestock(牲畜), for instance, requires that a farm hold no more than two cows per hectare of land. In the UK, there is labeling available too,    9    will tell you if a meat’s been pasture-raised(牧场放养).

It’s important to ensure pastures are well-managed and not over-grazed(过度放牧). It’s almost possible to eat meat and be environmentally and socially conscious,    10    what we can do at least is to try not to buy meat that is mass-produced.

7 . The January fashion show, called Future Fashion, exemplified how far green design has come. Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with sustainable fabrics for the first time. Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.

The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges. Scott Hahn, a cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to find. “Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren’t comparable materials that can just replace what you’re doing and what your customers are used to,” he says. For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once woven into a dress. But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents.

Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support. Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable. It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago. This week Wal-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material. “Main-stream is about to occur,” says Hahn.

Some analysts are less sure. Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that eco-fashion exists, up from 6% four years ago. Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer. When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied, “Not that I’m aware of.” Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isn’t too expensive.” By her own admission, green just isn’t yet on her mind. But thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers—one day it will be.

1. What is said about Future Fashion?

A．It inspired leading designers to start going green.

B．It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.

C．It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized.

D．It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable.

2. According to Scott Hahn, one big challenge to designers who will go organic is that ________.

A．much more time is needed to finish a dress using sustainable materials

B．they have to create new brands for clothes made of organic materials

C．customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organic materials

D．quality organic replacements for synthetics are not readily available

3. We learn from Paragraph 3 that designers who undertake green fashion ________.

A．can attend various trade shows for free

B．are readily recognized by the fashion world

C．can buy organic cotton at favorable prices

D．are gaining more and more support

4. What is Natalie Hormilla’s attitude toward eco-fashion?

A．She doesn’t seem to care about it.

B．She doesn’t think it is sustainable.

C．She is doubtful of its practical value.

D．She is opposed to the idea very much.

8 . “When we first rescued Ovi, he was bleeding from a cut on his leg and we realized his flight feathers were gone, as well as him being really dirty,” El Oud told The Dodo. “We later discovered he had a fever.” They brought the pelican(鹈鹕) back to shore, and El Oud researched how to care for the bird. With the help of the wildlife rehabilitation group Lebanese Wildlife, they were able to nurse Ovi back to health.

El Oud trained Ovi through positive reinforcement so he could better care for him and Ovi quickly caught on. “When he acted well, I’d give him a fish, and when he didn't I'd just ignore it,” El Oud said. “In less than a day, he became a very friendly bird toward me. [He’s a] very intelligent animal.”

Unfortunately, without his flight feathers, most likely clipped by wildlife traffickers, Ovi could no longer make it long distances. Luckily, he was already in the perfect place to get his strength back.

El Oud’s father, Ali, is the manager at the seaside restaurant Abou Mounir Fishery in Beirut, Lebanon. Ali knew Ovi would be safe at the marina, where the family is friendly with all the locals and fishermen. Soon, protecting and caring for Ovi became a community effort. El Oud fed Ovi around the marina until the pelican learned where the fish were coming from and became the restaurant’s best customer.

Now, Ovi waddles into the bustling café to get a snack multiple times a day. “Essentially, what he does is hang out down from the restaurant and does whatever he wants,” El Oud said. “But sometimes if he's hungry and wants food, he comes up by himself because he realized that's where the food is coming from.”

Ovi has become something of a mascot for the restaurant, but the family hopes he   can also become a symbol of how to properly interact with wildlife. “Everyone here takes care of him. He’s become the symbol of this place,” Ali El Oud told The National. “Hopefully, he won’t become domestic and will migrate again. We want him to have a life that a pelican should have.”

1. Which can be defined as positive reinforcement according to the text?

A．Jack passed the English exam and he didn’t need to help do housework.

B．Jack passed the English exam and he was rewarded with a bike.

C．Jack failed in the English exam and he had to help do housework.

D．Jack failed in the English exam and he wouldn’t get a bike.

2. Who might be to blame for Ovi’s loss of feathers according to the text?

A．Drug traffickers.	B．Wildlife dealers.
C．Wildlife activists.	D．Locals and fishermen.

3. What is people’s attitude towards Ovi at the marina?

A．Negative.	B．Curious.
C．Indifferent.	D．Supportive.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Ovi may end up in the wild.

B．Ovi is afraid of people.

C．Ali El wants to keep Ovi as a pet.

D．Ovi is always hungry.

9 . All Ric O Barry wanted was to stop the dolphin-killing, so he headed to this seaside Japanese town, Taiji. The American activist, who is the star of a new award-winning documentary that portrays the dolphin-killing here, got an unwelcome reception when he showed up here this week for the start of the annual hunt.

His movie, The Cove (海豚湾), directed by National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, was released in the United States a month ago but has not yet to come out in Japan.

Scenes in the film, some of which were shot secretly, show fishermen banging on metal poles stuck in the water to create a wall of sound that scares the dolphins, which have supersensitive sonar (声呐系统) , and sends them fleeing into a cove.

There, the fishermen sometimes pick a few to be sold for aquarium shows, for as much as $150, 000. They kill the others, spearing the animals repeatedly until the water turns red. The meat from one dolphin is worth about 50, 000 yen, and is sold at supermarkets across Japan.

Greenpeace and other groups have tried to stop the hunt for years. Activists hope The Cove will bring the issue to more people internationally, and eventually in Japan.

Already, the Australian town of Broome dropped its 28-year sister-city relationship with Taiji last month, partly because of the movie.

“Some regions have a tradition of eating dolphin meat,” said fisheries official Toshinori Uoya. “Dolphin-killing may be negative for our international image, but it is not something orders can stop.”

The town government in Taiji, which has made whales and dolphins its trademark, refused to comment about The Cove, or the growing international criticism against dolphin-killing.

Many in Taiji take the dolphin hunt for granted as part of everyday life. They are defensive about The Cove, seeing themselves as powerless victims of overseas pressure to end a simple and honest way of making a living.

1. Viewers can learn from The Cove ________.

A．the beautiful Japanese seaside town Taiji

B．the advanced techniques to catch dolphins

C．the sale of dolphin meat around the world

D．the cruel and bloody dolphin-killing

2. What is the response to The Cove on the Japanese side?

A．Japanese officials decided to ban dolphin-killing.

B．The town government in Taiji kept silent on criticism.

C．Taiji broke up with its western sister-city Broome.

D．Most Japanese people were against eating dolphin meat.

3. What does the underlined word “defensive” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Protecting themselves against criticism.

B．Making the determination to change.

C．Attacking those against dolphin-killing.

D．Feeling guilty for killing dolphins.

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A．The Cove has not influenced Japan’s international image.

B．The Cove has brought international attention to dolphin-killing.

C．Taiji’s dolphin-killing industry has been seriously damaged.

D．Many people in Japan have seen The Cove in the cinema.

10 . Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.

Perhaps that explains why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg was so popular. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets of some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities through the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.

So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”

Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible”.

A critical eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.

1. According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics” ?

A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”.

B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet.

C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities.

D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment.

2. Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg’s books?

A．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world.

B．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests.

C．The author convinces people to seek comforting worldviews.

D．Industry-funded media present confusing information.

3. The author mentioned the review in Nature in order to ________.

A．find fault with Lomborg’s book	B．voice a different opinion
C．challenge the authority of the media	D．point out the value of scientific views

4. What is the author's main purpose in writing the passage?

A．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media.

B．To warn the public of the danger of half-blindness with reviews.

C．To show special interests of some big business.

D．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye.