1 . Climate change disproportionately affects the world’s most vulnerable people, particularly poor rural communities that depend on the land for their livelihoods and coastal populations throughout the tropics. We have already seen a chain of tough suffering that results from extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, wildfires, and more.

For remedies, advocates and politicians have tended to look toward cuts in fossil-fuel use or technologies to capture carbon before it enters the atmosphere—both of which are crucial. But this focus has overshadowed the most powerful and cost-efficient carbon capture technology in the world. Recent research confirms that forests are absolutely essential in reducing climate change, thanks to their ability to absorb and isolate carbon. In fact, natural climate solutions such as conservation and restoration of forests, along with improvements in land management, can help us achieve 37 percent of our climate target of limiting warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, even though they currently receive only 2.5 percent of public climate financing.

Forests’ power to store carbon dioxide is staggering: one tree can store an average of about 48 pounds in one year. Intact(完整的)forests could take in the CO₂ emissions of some entire countries.

For this reason, policymakers and business leaders must create and enforce policies to prevent deforestation, foster, reforestation of degraded land, and promote the sustainable management of standing forests in the fight against climate change. Protecting the world’s forests ensures they can keep performing essential functions such as producing oxygen, filtering water and supporting biodiversity. Not only does the world’s entire population depend on forests to provide clean air, clean water, oxygen and medicines, but 1.6 billion people also rely on them directly for their livelihoods.

Unfortunately, a huge amount of forest continues to be converted into agricultural land to produce a handful of resource-intensive commodities - despite zero-deforestation commitments from companies and governments. So now is the time to increase forest protection and restoration. This action will also address a number of other pressing global issues. For example, in less developed, rural areas - especially in the tropics - community-based forest-management programs can forge pathways out of poverty. In the Peten region of Guatemala, for instance, community-managed forests boasted a near-zero deforestation rate from 2000 through 2013, as compared with 12 percent in nearby protected areas and buffer(缓冲)zones. These communities have built low-impact, sustainable forest-based businesses that have stimulated the economy of the region enough to fund the creation of local schools and health services. Their success is especially noticeable in a location where, outside these community-managed zones, deforestation rates have increased 20-fold.

1. Which of the following statements about natural climate solutions is true according to the passage?

A．They are the only effective strategies available to address the climate change.

B．They pale in comparison with the reduction in fossil-fuel use or technologies.

C．They can and should play a more important role in cutting carbon emissions.

D．They manage to limit warming to two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

2. The word “staggering” (Paragraph 3) is closest in meaning to “_________”.

A．documented	B．incredible
C．unsteady	D．negligible

3. Which of the following statements is the author most likely to agree with?

A．The policies to prevent deforestation have borne fruit.

B．Developed countries are hit the hardest by climate change.

C．Economic growth contributes a lot to reducing deforestation.

D．Some governments fail to keep their promises to preserve forests.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Keeping forests undamaged can go a long way toward saving the planet.

B．A high-tech climate fix is required to dramatically lessen global warming.

C．Governments should work together with businesses to stop deforestation.

D．Sustainable management of forests is crucial in powering regional development.

3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. respectively       B. vision                 C. rebounded       D. decoupling       E. respectably F. promoting          G. commitments       H. emitters          I. peak                 J. remaining            K. urgent

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Asean (东盟) region are estimated to increase in the same period, based on the latest Nationally determined contributions (NDC) targets up to 2030.

To keep the Paris Agreement temperature goal within reach, Dr Beni Suryadi, Centre for Energy Manager at the Asean Secretariat, stated that ASEAN needs to achieve     1    emissions as soon as possible after 2030 and net-zero GHG emissions as soon as possible after 2050.

However,     2    of the growth in GDP and energy-related CO2 emissions is observed only in a handful of the Asean member states.

“It is vital to reduce energy intensity through lower energy demand and further energy savings and to reduce emission intensity by     3    renewable energy expansion,” he said.

“Current policies need to be enhanced to achieve the NDC targets. The     4    under the NDCs will provide Asean with a better perspective of the need for a more ambitious course of action on mitigation（缓解） in the future. Ambitious energy policies can significantly reduce GHG emission and helps our     5    towards low carbon economies and climate resilient nations.”

Earlier in his presentation, Dr Beni highlighted, “a brief record-breaking drop in climate change – causing carbon emissions during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. However, nowadays we continue to hear the news and read reports that say that global emissions have already     6    to near pre-pandemic levels”.

“While we are grateful to learn that the economy is reviving and we see economic activities taking place everywhere, there is a(n)     7    need for us to limit the growth of emissions. Global GHG emissions continue to rise, at a time when they need to be rapidly falling.”

At the global level, he said, “It is recorded that almost three-quarters of the GHG emissions come from energy use; almost one-fifth from agriculture and land use; and the     8    eight per cent from industry and waste”.

He also noted that the electricity and transport sectors start out as and remain the biggest     9    of GHGs and air pollution in Asean.

“If the Asean member states do what is needed to fully achieve their own national energy efficiency and renewable energy targets, as well as their climate commitments, Asean’s total energy- related GHG emissions in 2040 will be 3,002 MtCO2-eq, 28 per cent lower than in the baseline scenario.

“Power generation remains the largest sectoral contributor, accounting for about 40 per cent and 46 per cent of total GHG emissions from energy in 2025 and 2040,     10    .

“Furthermore, if Asean fulfilled its regional aspirational targets on the energy efficiency and renewable energy, Asean will be able to reduce GHG emissions more sharply to only 2,264 Mt CO2-eq in 2040,” he said.

4 . 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.

Boyan Slat, a Dutch inventor is cleaning the world’s most polluted rivers in an effort to save the oceans. He has made it his mission    1    (remove) plastic from the oceans. His organization, The Ocean Cleanup, has successfully started to clean the pollution that has been circling in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But millions more tons of plastic enter the oceans every year, almost all of it     2     (flow) from rivers.

Just 10 rivers are responsible for around 90% of all that plastic,     3    a 2017 study from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research. “So     4    we focus on the worst rivers, we believe we can really have the fastest and most cost-effective way to close the tap and prevent more plastic from reaching the oceans in the first place,” Slat said.

The Ocean Cleanup is effectively using floating trash collectors called “Interceptors”. These solar-powered, autonomous systems use the rivers’ currents to guide the trash onto a conveyor belt that carry the waste to     5     (await) bins.

The first interceptor went to work in Jakarta, Indonesia, to pull plastic from a waterway called the Cengkareng drain. A second interceptor began collecting trash flowing down the Klang river in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On the other side of the world,     6    Interceptor has recently started removing river pollution near the mouth of the Rio Ozama in the Dominican Republic.

“    7    the river is polluted, the fish die. Every year there are less fish,” Luis Peguero, a local fisherman, explained. When Peguero is lucky enough to reel in (收线拉起) a catch, it     8    not be safe for his family to eat. “You find stuff in the fish, especially the catfish. Trash, bottle lids, even a shoe. The fish can’t survive this,” said Peguero. To him, the modern trash-collecting catamaran (双体船) is a peculiar but welcome sight.

The Ocean Cleanup is working with the local governments and communities to help retrieve (取回) the plastic the Interceptors collect. “By stopping plastic in rivers, we hope to not only address the big global plastic pollution issue, but also really help make life better for the people    9    live near these problematic rivers,” said Slat.

The Ocean Cleanup’s goal is to tackle the thousand most polluted rivers within 5 years. Soon interceptors     10     (head) to Vietnam, Thailand, Jamaica and Los Angeles County in the United States.

“We are getting out tons of plastic every single day,” Slat said. “We accept that we won’t deliver magic in one go. But we’re doing this, step by step.”

5 . Directions: Fill in each blanks with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. alternatives   B. behavioural   C. completion   D. consideration   E. met F. modernizing   G. occupied   H. powering   I. schemes   J. specify   K. thorough

Carbon Impact

De-carboning existing housing will require households to stop burning fossil fuels and wood to power and heat their homes. If the UK’s current energy demand could be     1     by renewable, carbon-free energy, then there would be no problem. However, the infrastructure (基础建设) is not yet in place to do so and will not be by 2050.

The smart solution is to reduce the energy demand of homes. This energy demand includes the energy needed to heat (or cool) a home and that required for a home to run, such as     2     appliances.

Architects can have a big impact on energy demand through improving the performance of the building envelope by increasing insulation (绝缘) and airtightness. We can also work with building services engineers to     3     renewable energy generation (生成) technology and ensure that building services and appliances are running efficiently. Smart technologies can also help households control energy use. Gas boilers and cookers will need to be replaced with electric     4     such as heat pumps and conduction hobs. Some community renewable generation     5     will be needed. Household     6     changes will be useful too, for example not having windows open while the heating is on. Rebuilding houses will not be a one-size-fits-all approach. Strategies for individual homes or building types will be required and     7     analysis of a home’s performance and its occupant’s habits will be needed. This was the first step of our R20 project, a rebuilding of 9/10 Stock Orchard Street reducing the energy demand of the building, 20 years after its     8    

The rebuilding works took place while the building was     9    . For all existing housing, careful     10     will be needed regarding health and safety and people’s wellbeing. Furthermore, households will need to learn how their rebuilt home works to use it successfully.

7 . John F. Kennedy said, “We’re tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch — we’re going back from whence we came.” This quote is more poignant than you might think. We are inevitably linked to the ocean: All life on Earth originates from its depths — and it is crucial for our future, too.

Covering about 71 percent of Earth’s surface, the ocean is instrumental in the processes that keep us alive. Whilst the rainforests may be referred to as “the lungs of the planet,” it is actually the ocean that provides 50 to 80 percent of the oxygen we breathe. Through a “conveyor belt” action, it helps regulate Earth’s climate by transporting heat away from the equator (赤道), towards the poles to cool. The ocean also proves itself essential in the fight against climate change. It absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide (CO2) than our atmosphere — or rather, it is not the ocean itself…but what lives within it.

Many forms of aquatic life naturally absorb and hold carbon. From microscopic phytoplankton (浮游生物) to gigantic whales, life of all shapes and sizes play a part in feeding these carbon sinks (areas that absorb more CO2 than they release). Perhaps one of the most incredible forms is the humble seagrass.

Across the globe, there are more than 70 different species of seagrass. It grows in the vast underwater meadows of 159 countries on six continents, covering 300,000 square kilometers — barely occupying 0.2 percent of the seafloor. This is where the super seagrass comes into its own: It absorbs ten percent of the ocean’s carbon each year and captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.

Seagrass constructs its leaves and roots through the use of carbon, which it gains from water through the process of photosynthesis (光合作用) — and it holds on to this carbon even after its death. Dead plant material slowly decomposes on the ocean floor, which means that the carbon stored within it ends up getting buried under the seabed.

It is ironic that such an effective natural solution to climate change is itself under threat from climate change, as temperatures rise and more violent storms destroy seagrass beds. Pollution, the long-term development of coastlines, and unregulated fishing have all played additional roles in its decline.

Experts say that reversing the decline of seagrass will take an international effort. Fortunately, restoration missions are already underway. The Ocean Conservation Trust, for example, has opened a seagrass cultivation lab. Here, seagrass is grown in batches, using seed-bearing shoots that have been hand-picked by divers. In April 2021, 2,200 bags of these seedlings were planted on the seabed of Plymouth Sound, England. They are expected to flourish into a meadow the size of six football pitches.

Could seagrass be one of the Earth’s great survivors that will end up saving us all? As with most things, only time will tell.

1. What does the underlined word “instrumental” in the second paragraph mean?

A．important

B．alarming

C．consequential

D．mechanical

2. Which of the following statements shows the role seagrass plays in absorbing carbon after its death?

A．The carbon is taken in through photosynthesis by seagrass’s roots and leaves.

B．The carbon gets buried together with the decomposed plant material.

C．The carbon is eaten by various forms of aquatic life that feed on the dead plants.

D．The remaining carbon is cultivated in an artificial lab to convert to seagrass.

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Paradise for Aquatic Life	B．Ocean is Under Threat
C．the Irreversible Climate Change	D．Kelp (海藻) Can Help

8 . U.N. Report Warns Nature Crisis

A new U.N. report focuses on the negative effects of human activity on nature. It says one million plant and animal species on land, in the seas and in the sky are now in danger of extinction.

    1     It draws on the work of 450 scientists from dozens of countries. The Earth has always suffered from human activity, it says. However, these scratches (划伤) have become deep scars (伤疤) over the past 50 years. Species are going extinct several hundred times faster than the average rate during the past ten million years. It’s something that has never happened before in human history.

    2     Since 1970, the human population has doubled. The global economy has grown by four times. To feed, clothe and give energy to this fast-changing world, lots of forests have been cut down. Between 1980 and 2000, one million square kilometers of tropical (热带的) forest were lost. Furthermore, hunting, overfishing and pollution have also been killing species in great numbers.

The problem can be fixed, the report says.     3     The amount of land and sea that is under protection needs to increase rapidly. The report suggests governments move away from using GDP as a key measure of development. Long-term effects must be considered, too.

Professor Eduardo Brondizio of Indiana University is an author of the report. He says, “We all know what needs to be done. The knowledge is there.     4    ”

A．However, this requires considerable changes.

B．Over 120 wildlife species are facing extinction.

C．The 1,800-page report took three years to finish.

D．The report listed several causes for the situation.

E．There just needs to be a greater will to take action.

F．The report also finds that global goals for protecting nature cannot be met.

9 . Are you worried about the planet and tired of waiting around for things to change? Go ahead and take a closer look at the various options available to volunteer for the environment!

Sustainable Agriculture If you decide to volunteer for a sustainable agriculture project, you’ll definitely learn some interesting sustainable farming techniques. You will be learning these techniques from locals or teaching them to the local farmers so they can implement these techniques on their own. Best Places to Volunteer: Central or South Africa, India, Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Marine Conservation Volunteers for marine conservation should naturally be attracted to water. It’s important that you don’t fear diving and have a strong interest in learning to dive during your stay. While volunteering, your task as a volunteer will be to help research, maintain and grow the unique marine biology. Best Places to Volunteer: The Bahamas, Cuba, Peru, South Africa, Indonesia, Spain and Italy.

Nature Conservation Conservation projects are dedicated to protecting the natural environment of a specific location. Tasks here may vary greatly depending on the program but it will require volunteers to study the environment and learn about the local wildlife species. You’ll be monitoring the environment and retrieving data while taking action to preserve the local species of fauna and flora. Best Places to Volunteer: Madagascar, the Maldives, South Africa, New Zealand and Russia.

Renewable Energy and Water Projects focused on energy and water create ways for communities to access sustainable energy and water sources. These programs are dedicated to designing system improvements and creating a sustainable supply of energy and water. It’s important for conservation volunteers to evaluate the needs of the community and implement actions to solve these issues. Best Places to Volunteer: Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, India and Cameroon.

Requirements: With so many subcategories and such a wide array of organizations, the required skill set will vary for each program. English is the main language on all projects so it’s important that conservation volunteers have a good understanding of English. For projects in South America, you will find it helpful to have a basic knowledge of Spanish.

1. If you want to volunteer for three projects in the same country, which country is the best choice?

A．Peru.

B．Indonesia.

C．South Africa.

D．India.

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Volunteers can learn farming techniques by implementing these techniques on their own.

B．Volunteers need to study the environment and perform the same natural conservation tasks.

C．Volunteers should assess the requirements of the community before implementing actions.

D．Volunteers can sign up for marine conservation project even if they are afraid of the water.

3. What is required in common to be a volunteer in any of the above programs?

A．Farming techniques.	B．Marine biology.
C．Data retrieving.	D．The English language.