1 . We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices(装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.

To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.

As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones. "The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window.

So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.

1. What does the author think of new devices?

A．They are environment-friendly.	B．They are no better than the old.
C．They cost more to use at home.	D．They go out of style quickly.

2. Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?

A．To reduce the cost of minerals.

B．To test the life cycle of a product.

C．To update consumers on new technology.

D．To find out electricity consumption of the devices.

3. Which of the following uses the least energy?

A．The box-set TV.	B．The tablet.
C．The LCD TV.	D．The desktop computer.

4. What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?

A．Stop using them.	B．Take them apart.
C．Upgrade them.	D．Recycle them.

3 . Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution for two of their country’s persistent problems: garbage and poverty. It’s called the Chip Bag Project. As a student and_________she is asking local snack lovers a_________: Rather than throw empty chip bags_________into the trash,_________them! Then she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.

Chip_________drop off their empty bags at two_________: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they sanitize (清洁) the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice them open,_________them flat, and iron them together. They_________fillings to line the insides.

It takes about four hours to_________a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, depending on whether they’re single-serve or family__________. The__________is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof, lightweight, and easy to carry around,” Oleita told theNews.

Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has__________more than 800, 000 chip bags and,__________last December, created 110 sleeping bags.

Sure, it would be__________to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But the project is only half the__________for Oleita whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago with the hope of attaining a better life — and her fellow volunteers. “We are dedicated to making an impact not only__________but environmentally,” she says.

And, of course, there’s the symbolism of recycling bags that would__________land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It’s a powerful__________that environmental__________and poverty often go hand in hand. As Oleita toldlocalnews. com,“I think it’s time to show__________between all of these issues.”

1.

A．instructor

B．helper

C．environmentalist

D．tailor

2.

A．criterion

B．qualification

C．question

D．favor

3.

A．lightly

B．deliberately

C．occasionally

D．indirectly

4.

A．sell

B．empty

C．clean

D．donate

5.

A．producers

B．eaters

C．sponsors

D．buyers

6.

A．dustbins

B．locations

C．bags

D．streets

7.

A．lead

B．lie

C．lay

D．print

8.

A．check

B．need

C．reach

D．use

9.

A．sew

B．design

C．offer

D．discover

10.

A．member

B．size

C．mission

D．debt

11.

A．result

B．relief

C．method

D．produce

12.

A．made

B．decorated

C．accumulated

D．charged

13.

A．in terms of

B．regardless of

C．instead of

D．as of

14.

A．busier

B．simpler

C．heavier

D．smaller

15.

A．goal

B．stage

C．procedure

D．chance

16.

A．objectively

B．politically

C．socially

D．secretly

17.

A．moreover

B．otherwise

C．instead

D．besides

18.

A．report

B．blame

C．reminder

D．solution

19.

A．problems

B．groups

C．regulations

D．protection

20.

A．divisions

B．similarities

C．messages

D．connections

4 . Old problem，new approaches

While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life，global warming will continue for some decades after CO₂ emissions (排放) peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today，we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.

When it comes to adaptation，it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard，but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least，the US National Climate Assessment says that：“There is no ‘one­size fits all’ adaptation.” Nevertheless，there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.

Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways，especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His not­for­profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries，schools，and health clinics，and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity(连接) to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level：his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds to prevent starvation during the wet season.

Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man. The loss of glaciers (冰川) there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel's inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200，000m³ of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel's ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting.

Increasing Earth's reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.

In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life­giving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its list of “100 ideas to save the planet”．

More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce, or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we've lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it's a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.

Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others.

1. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies ________．

A．adaptation is an ever­changing process

B．the cost of adaptation varies with time

C．global warming affects adaptation forms

D．adaptation to climate change is challenging

2. What is special with regard to Rezwan's project?

A．The project receives government support.

B．Different organizations work with each other.

C．His organization makes the best of a bad situation.

D．The project connects flooded roads and highways.

3. What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming?

A．Storing ice for future use.

B．Protecting the glaciers from melting.

C．Changing the irrigation time.

D．Postponing the melting of the glaciers.

4. What do we learn from the Peru example?

A．White paint is usually safe for buildings.

B．The global warming trend cannot be stopped.

C．This country is heating up too quickly.

D．Sunlight reflection may relieve global warming.

5. According to the author, polluting industries should ________．

A．adapt to carbon pollution

B．plant highly profitable crops

C．leave carbon emission alone

D．fight against carbon pollution

6. What's the author's preferred solution to global warming?

A．Setting up a new standard.

B．Reducing carbon emission.

C．Adapting to climate change.

D．Monitoring polluting industries.

5 . Some of the greatest problems we face today are concerned with the gradual destruction of our environment. Brown clouds; wildlife ____; polluted water. These ____ all seem so huge. So my family does what we can. We take cloth bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don’t have to ____.

But does it do any good?

I recently learned something about flamingos (火烈鸟). These beautiful birds gather in     ___ groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when the time ____ for migration, a few flamingos start the process by taking off from the lake. But ____ of the others seem to notice, so the tiny group returns.

However, the next day they ____ again. This time a few more struggle along with them, but the vast majority still ____ no attention, so these pioneers come back.

The ____ continues for several more days. Every time a few more birds join in but, _____ the thousands of others still take no ____, the great migration plan is once again ____.

Then one day something ____. The same small group of birds takes wing and a tiny number more join in, just as before. And this time their total number, though still quite ____, is enough to tip the balance. As one, the whole group takes flight and the migration ____. What a ____ sight it must be – thousands of flamingos taking to the sky at once!

A few can make a ____. It’s true that all of the great problems of the world have been solved because of the ____ efforts of a few.

If you believe in a cause (事业), don’t ____! Others will someday take notice and together we will ____ even our greatest problems.

1.

A．protection

B．extinction

C．migration

D．separation

2.

A．questions

B．costs

C．examples

D．problems

3.

A．drive

B．run

C．cycle

D．stand

4.

A．tiny

B．different

C．huge

D．similar

5.

A．comes

B．passes

C．varies

D．moves

6.

A．all

B．any

C．none

D．most

7.

A．gather

B．try

C．sing

D．appear

8.

A．attract

B．require

C．escape

D．pay

9.

A．plan

B．trend

C．activity

D．movement

10.

A．since

B．though

C．unless

D．while

11.

A．responsibility

B．notice

C．chance

D．measure

12.

A．put off

B．cut off

C．carried out

D．worked out

13.

A．approaches

B．works

C．changes

D．disappears

14.

A．significant

B．reasonable

C．adequate

D．small

15.

A．continues

B．delays

C．finishes

D．begins

16.

A．familiar

B．strange

C．magnificent

D．unrealistic

17.

A．point

B．decision

C．difference

D．mistake

18.

A．useless

B．tireless

C．extra

D．special

19.

A．give up

B．give in

C．give away

D．give out

20.

A．identify

B．understand

C．predict

D．solve

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Lin Shuiqing: Good morning, everyone. First I am talking to you today about the way vast areas of the world are damaged by chemical waste. Many places have been destroyed and many plants and animals     1    (die). Other types of waste flow into our water,     2     (kill) river and sea life.

Much sea life is being destroyed by fishing boats as well. These boats catch large numbers of fish without    3     (give) them time to lay eggs. This will result    4    a smaller number of fish left for us to eat in the future.

Qian Liwei: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Ms Lin. That was    5    interesting speech. It is clear that you are very concerned about the present situation of our environment. When people think of    6    (factory), they think of clouds of dirty smoke or of pipes pouring chemical waste into rivers. People often have this belief     7    development is bad for the environment. What I’m here to say is that       8     (work) with many environmental consultants, I know that a healthy environment and development should be    9    ( possibly) at the same time. What we need are better laws    10     (preserve) the environment and still allow our country to grow.

7 . Tiny microbes(微生物) are at the heart of a new agricultural technique to manage harmful greenhouse gas. Scientists have discovered how microbes can be used to turn carbon dioxide into soil-enriching limestone(石灰石), with the help of a type of tree that grows in tropical areas, such as West Africa.

Researchers have found that when the Iroko tree is grown in dry, acidic soil and treated with a combination of natural fungi(霉菌) and other bacteria, not only does the tree grow well, it also produces the mineral limestone in the soil around its root.

The Iroko tree makes a mineral by combining Ca from the earth with CO₂ from the atmosphere. The bacteria then create the conditions under which this mineral turns into limestone. The discovery offers a new way to lock carbon into the soil, keeping it out of the atmosphere. In addition to storing carbon in the trees’ leaves and in the form of limestone, the mineral in the soil makes it more suitable for agriculture.

The discovery could lead to reforestation(重新造林) projects in tropical countries, and help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in the developing world. It has already been used in West Africa and is being tested in Bolivia, Haiti and India.

The findings were made in a three-year project involving researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, Granada, Lausanne and Delft University of Technology. The project examined several microbiological methods of locking CO₂ as limestone, and the Iroko-bacteria way showed best results. Work was funded by the European Commission under the Future&Emerging Technologies(FET) scheme.

Dr Bryne Ngwenya of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, who led the research, said:“By taking advantage of this natural limestone-producing process, we have a low-tech, safe, readily employed and easily operating way to lock carbon out of the atmosphere, while improving farming conditions in tropical countries.”

1. The passage is mainly introducing ________.

A．some useful natural fungi and bacteria

B．a new way to deal with greenhouse gas

C．a newly-found tree in West Africa

D．the soil-enriching limestone created by scientists

2. Which of the following is True about tiny microbes?

A．Most tiny microbes like living in dry, acidic soil.

B．CO2 can be broken down by natural fungi and bacteria.

C．The more greenhouse gas is, the more active tiny microbes become.

D．Tiny microbes get along well with the Iroko tree in special soil.

3. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 probably refer to?

A．Carbon dioxide.

B．Carbon.

C．Soil.

D．Limestone.

4. According to the passage, what can we infer?

A．The action of the tiny microbes can increase the oxygen in the earth.

B．Researchers have done the experiment on trees in Africa for three years.

C．Researchers tend to use natural power to solve their problem.

D．West Africa is one of the most polluted areas all over the world.

5. According to the passage, the Iroko-bacteria method ________.

A．can be used to improve the farming land

B．can save a lot of seriously destroyed woods

C．has been popularized in Bolivia, Haiti and India

D．should be spread all around the world in the future

8 . 假设你是学生会主席李华，在“世界地球日”到来之际，请你以学生会的名义向校英语广播站发送一份以“保护地球，从我做起”为主题的倡议信。内容包括：
1.为什么我们需要保护地球；
2.我们应该如何保护地球。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . Hailing from Sweden, “plogging” is a fitness craze that sees participants pick up plastic litter while jogging adding a virtuous, environmentally driven element to the sport. Plogging appears to have started around 2016, but is now going global, due to increasing awareness and __ over plastic levels in the ocean.

The appeal of plogging is its __—all you need is running gear and a bin bag, and the feeling of getting fit while supporting a good cause. By adding regular squats(蹲) to pick up junk and carrying __ to jogging. we can assume the health benefits are increased.

Running and good causes have always gone __ — just think of all the fundraising marathon runners do. But there couldn’t be a more on-trend way of keeping fit than plogging.

Anything that’s getting people out in nature and connecting __ with their environment is a good thing, says Lizzie Carr, an environmentalist who helped set up Plastic Patrol, a nationwide campaign to __ our inland waterways of plastic pollution. There’s been a real __ in the public mindset around plastics, helped by things like Blue Planet highlighting how disastrous the crisis is,” she says.

We need to keep momentum high and the pressure up, and empower people through __ like plogging and Plastic Patrol.

The plastic Patrol app allows users to __ plastic anywhere in the world by collecting discarded items, photographing them and __ to the app, giving us a better knowledge of what sorts of plastic and which brands are being thrown out. “I’d urge all ploggers to get involved,” adds Carr.

Plogging isn’t the first fitness trend to combine running with a good cause, Here are some of our favourites:

Good Gym

Its idea is simple: go for a run, visit an elderly person, have a chat and some tea, and run back.

__ among the elderly is a growing problem in the UK. With over 10,000 runs so far, __, Good Gym is finding a solution.

Guide Running

Guide runners volunteer their time to helping blind people get __. By linking themselves together, the __ —impaired individual can feel safe while both work of a sweat.

___for the Homeless

Start-up Stuart Delivery and the Church Housing Trust collaborated last year in bringing clothing and healthy food to the homeless. Deliveries are mostly made by bike, so those who deliver keep fit while helping rough sleepers(无家可归者).

1.

A．satisfaction

B．hesitation

C．fear

D．control

2.

A．complexity

B．simplicity

C．instrument

D．expense

3.

A．substance

B．responsibility

C．value

D．weight

4.

A．one on one

B．head to toe

C．hand in hand

D．on and off

5.

A．positively

B．neutrally

C．objectively

D．fairly

6.

A．accuse

B．rid

C．assure

D．rob

7.

A．shift

B．interest

C．aid

D．delight

8.

A．motives

B．performances

C．exercises

D．initiatives

9.

A．eliminate

B．map

C．seek

D．degrade

10.

A．leading

B．devoting

C．ending

D．uploading

11.

A．Disappointment

B．Tiredness

C．Sickness

D．Loneliness

12.

A．therefore

B．moreover

C．however

D．instead

13.

A．excited

B．ready

C．active

D．smart

14.

A．visually

B．audibly

C．visibly

D．sensibly

15.

A．Running

B．Plogging

C．Driving

D．Cycling

10 . A project in Gambia is empowering women and reducing dangerous waste at the same time.

The   Waste   Innovation   Center,   funded   by the   European   Union’s   Global   Climate   Change Alliance，shows women in the Brikama area how to recycle waste into useful materials and products, which they can then sell in local markets.

Wood-like waste is recycled into charcoal (木炭)，for example，which can be used to supersede firewood and reduce the number of trees that are cut down for firewood. Food waste is recycled into compost(混合肥料）to function as environmentally friendly fertilizers and plastic is turned into many useful things.

Supported by WasteAid UK and the Gambia Women’s Initiative (GWI), among others, the project provides women with skills they can use to become self-sufficient (自给自足的). Women learning at the center come from five communities, and some of them travel as far as 12 miles to learn these important skills that will provide them with an income, according to The Guardian.

Isatou Ceesay, who now leads the GWI，highlighted the need to focus on economic equality in her country, telling The Guardian, “In terms of education, women are the ones who are always behind. Boys are chosen to go to school. When we conduct our training, we find women can do a lot，but don’t know who they are, or how to implement (实施）things. ”

According to the World Health Organization’s Country Cooperation Strategy 2008—2013 report, the main environmental issue facing Gambia is poor waste management in urban areas.

Ndey Sireng Bakurin, executive director of the National Environment Agency, has voiced concern over health and environmental risks, such as water pollution, the increase of insects as well as flooding that occur as a result of poor waste management.

1. What does the Waste Innovation Center try to do?

A．Develop local markets in Brikama.

B．Teach women how to invent new things.

C．Keep women away from dangerous waste.

D．Help women in Brikama benefit from waste.

2. What does the underlined word “supersede” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Replace.	B．Transform.
C．Burn.	D．Reserve.

3. From what Isatou Ceesay said we can learn that women in Gambia___.

A．don’t learn new things fast

B．aren’t interested in education

C．really hope for economic equality

D．are not fairly treated in the country

4. What is the writer’s purpose of writing the last paragraph?

A．To summarize the previous paragraphs.

B．To provide some advice for the readers.

C．To add some background information.

D．To introduce a new topic for discussion.