1 . The earthworm is widely distributed, with 4000 species in the world and more than 300 species in China, where they are in demand as fishing bait, livestock feed, and components of traditional medicine. Known as “ecosystem engineers,” earthworms also play a vital role in the biogeochemical cycle. They can affect the biological, chemical, and physical processes of the ecosystem. In recent years, poachers in China have started using soil electrocution to capture earthworms, putting earthworm populations and ecosystems at risk. In February, China banned the practice.

In the past, earthworms in China were captured manually, which limited the number that could be caught in a short amount of time and did not threaten the earthworm population or the soil ecosystem. In contrast, applying electric current to the soil can catch about 150 kg of earthworms in a day. Removing earthworms at this scale threatens the species with local extinction and robs the targeted ecosystem of the benefits they provide.

This capture method threatens other species as well. The electric current may kill or harm soil organisms beyond earthworms. The changes could disrupt the food cycle or birds, arthropods, and mammals that depend on earthworms as a food source. The sharp decrease of earthworms in the soil may also affect soil fertility and productivity, reducing crop yields.

Electric earthworm capture has quickly become widespread, because earthworms are not included on the list of protected wild animals in China. There have been few legal punishments for using the approach, despite the damage it causes. In February, the Chinese government took a step to ban electric capture of earthworms and other activities that damage the soil ecosystem. However, the financial benefits of large-scale earthworm poaching may provide poachers with an motivation to continue using electric capture despite the ban. To carry out the ban effectively, China should pass laws that specify how poachers will be punished if they continue to use soil electrocution.

1. What does the author want to convey in the first paragraph?

A．The earthworm is found everywhere.	B．The earthworm is used as fishing bait.
C．The earthworm is captured.	D．The earthworm is endangered.

2. Why does the author mention “manual capture” and “electric capture”?

A．To give an example	B．To explain a capture method
C．To clarify a concept	D．To make a comparison

3. Why do poacher keep using electric capture?

A．Because they want to get a lot of money.	B．Because they like electric capture.
C．Because they ignore the ban.	D．Because they hate earthworms.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．China Bans Electric Capture of Earthworms

B．Electric Earthworm Capture Became Widespread

C．Earthworms Play a Vital Role in the Ecosystem

D．Earthworms Are Captured by Soil Electrocution

2 . 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。

NASA has got some good news for us. The world is a     1    (green) place today than it was 20 years ago. How does this happen? Well, it appears China and India are leading the change.

NASA researchers compared satellite data (卫星数据) from the mid-1990s to today. They found that global green leaf area     2    (increase) by five percent since the early 2000s. That’s about the same area as the entire Amazon rainforest. At first, the researchers were unsure     3     caused the large increase in greening around the planet.

After further     4     (investigate), they found that greening was mostly located in China and India. China and India have the world’s biggest populations. In the past, they     5     (consider) to have overexploited land, water and other resources for economic growth. But now, the two countries are responsible     6    the largest greening of the planet in the past two decades.

China has carried out programs     7     (protect) and expand forests. These programs were developed to reduce the     8    (effect) of soil erosion(水土流失), air pollution and climate change. India continues to break world records in tree planting.     9     was reported that 800,000 Indians planted 50 million trees in one day in 2016. However, the researchers warned that we should not be content with     10     situation. The gain in global greenness does not offset (抵消) the losses.

3 . Our world’s forests are becoming isolated and broken. In fact, today we have only two remaining continuous forests systems in the world—the Amazon and the Congo. The rest of the world’s forests are becoming separated-kind of like islands.

Why should that concern most of us city dwellers? It turns out that forests affect us in ways more than we can see and experience. If you had your breakfast this morning, blew your nose on a tissue, switched on a light or are reading this article, you have one thing to thank for—the world’s forests and the products they supply us. Forest products are used by us in our daily lives either directly or indirectly. Think of paper and wood—your school textbook, newspaper your parents read, or the furniture you are sitting on. Even for our medicines and cosmetics we depend on forest products.

But that is only one way of looking at it. In another sense, forests are habitats for diverse plant and animal species; many people around the world depend on forests for their livelihood. Forests give us our rivers, help maintain the water cycle, act as a carbon sink and help prevent soil erosion.

For all that forests provide us, humans are using its resources faster than the forests can regain themselves, so much so that we are losing them fast—too fast for our own good! Forests today make up 30% of the land area of the world. But just in the last 50 years, more than one half of the world forests are gone. It is believed that forest areas, about half the size of Singapore, are being lost every day!

Forests don’t disappear in a day. It is gradually eroded (侵蚀) away. The biggest cause is roads and man-made developments, as well as natural events such as wildfires. Did you know that when an area of a forest gets broken-up by artificial barriers, these areas tend to lose about 50% of all their species within a couple of decades?

The areas that are exposed by the disappearing forests now begin to experience extreme temperature, pressure and wind. Now add to it, invasive species that destroy the habitat.

It is in our hands to do something about it. If government officials and local populations can work together to reconnect the mini forests by planting linking trees, it may not be too late to preserve what we already have.

1. Paragraph 2 is mainly about ______.

A．main causes of forest loss	B．benefits of forests in our life
C．different kinds of forest products	D．waste of forest products in life

2. The forests can ________.

A．provide habitats only for humans	B．help speed up soil erosion
C．be preserved by planting linking trees	D．disappear on earth all of a sudden

3. What might be the most serious result of isolated forests?

A．The blowing of strong wind.	B．The coming of invasive species.
C．The natural wildfires.	D．The disappearance of species.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．The Forests Meet with Wildfires

B．The Earth Has Many Mini-Forests

C．The Forests Are in Great Danger

D．The Earth Suffers from the Loss of Its Species

4 . 你参加的英语学习社团将组织一次有关野生动物保护的宣传活动，请你写一份通知。内容包括：
1. 活动时间和形式；
2. 野生动物面临的严峻形势；
3. 号召同学们保护野生动物。
注意: 1. 词数100左右；
2. 首句已为你写出。

Our club is going to hold a campaign to protect wild animals.

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