1 . In 200 Years Cows May Be the Biggest Land Mammals (哺乳动物) on the Planet
Around 13,000 years ago North America had a wider variety of mammals than modern Africa. There were multiple horse species, camels and some now-extinct animals. And such
Scientists have long debated what caused all these large creatures to go extinct while many of the smaller ones
If the extinction trend continues, many more large mammals will soon disappear as well, as the primary threats from humans have
The average
This finding does not mean climate-related changes could not have
Smith says the lesson to be learned from the new findings is that our ancestors prepared us to be extremely skillful killers. “What’s
A.smart | B.massive | C.marine | D.ancient |
A.survived | B.shrank | C.escaped | D.returned |
A.hide away | B.bring up | C.break up | D.die out |
A.faded | B.restored | C.improved | D.expanded |
A.absolutely | B.predictably | C.exclusively | D.potentially |
A.weight | B.speed | C.size | D.appetite |
A.production | B.appearance | C.exploration | D.cruelty |
A.recorded | B.contemporary | C.evolutionary | D.conclusive |
A.link | B.contact | C.adaptation | D.distinction |
A.enlarged | B.stressed | C.impressed | D.dominated |
A.Moreover | B.Otherwise | C.Meanwhile | D.Rather |
A.species | B.hope | C.rule | D.threat |
A.grow | B.digest | C.withdraw | D.adapt |
A.instructive | B.tremendous | C.different | D.marvelous |
A.sponsors | B.creators | C.consumers | D.producers |
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
However,
“It is vital to reduce energy intensity through lower energy demand and further energy savings and to reduce emission intensity by
“Current policies need to be enhanced to achieve the NDC targets. The
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
“While we are grateful to learn that the economy is reviving and we see economic activities taking place everywhere, there is a(n)
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
He also noted that the electricity and transport sectors start out as and remain the biggest
“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,
“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.
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
Just 10 rivers are responsible for around 90% of all that plastic,
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
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,
“
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
The Ocean Cleanup’s goal is to tackle the thousand most polluted rivers within 5 years. Soon interceptors
“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.”
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
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
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
The rebuilding works took place while the building was
Sneakers (运动鞋) Made from Old Chewing Gum
Dutch fashion and shoe label Explicit Wear is hoping to solve one of life’s sticky situations—the annoyance of stepping in waste chewing gum on the pavement. The brand has partnered with local marketing organization Iamsterdam and sustainability firm Gumdrop
Chewing gum causes an incredibly serious ecological problem,
The waste gum will be put to good use to make stylish kicks,
Available for preorder now, the new Gumshoe sneakers—offered in both a bubblegum pink and a black/red colorway—
Nearly 2.2 pounds of gum
To help spread their sustainability message,
6 . 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 |
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. |
A.Paradise for Aquatic Life | B.Ocean is Under Threat |
C.the Irreversible Climate Change | D.Kelp (海藻) Can Help |
7 . 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.
The problem can be fixed, the report says.
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.
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. |
8 . For the longest time, the predominant description about renewable energy featured awkward technologies, high costs, and burdensome allowance. In the
But now that these technologies have come of age, a new story is being written. Around the world, businesses, governments, and households are taking advantage of more cost-effective low-carbon technologies.
As in any rapid transition, a full understanding of what is happening has
To be sure,
As the green transition comes of age, it will offer solutions to all of humanity’s energy needs, placing a clean, prosperous and secure low-carbon future well within reach. Yet even as we hug
A.license | B.absence | C.application | D.promotion |
A.invisible | B.unbelievable | C.inevitable | D.unaffordable |
A.Instead of | B.Owing to | C.In case of | D.According to |
A.resources | B.revolutions | C.prospects | D.priorities |
A.caught up with | B.compared with | C.taken place of | D.fallen behind |
A.relevant | B.inferior | C.synthetic | D.experimental |
A.mixture | B.caution | C.conflict | D.approval |
A.in case | B.so that | C.even though | D.the moment |
A.significance | B.invention | C.happiness | D.progress |
A.dramatically | B.economically | C.independently | D.equivalently |
A.interaction | B.modernization | C.motivation | D.transformation |
A.natural | B.potential | C.positive | D.original |
A.influence | B.optimism | C.estimation | D.extension |
A.starting | B.failing | C.emerging | D.continuing |
A.sustainable | B.traditional | C.available | D.industrial |
A. directly | B. conventional | C. sorted | D. sustainable | E. landfilling | F. supply |
G. dating | H. undoubtedly | I. viewed | J. packaging | K. cardboard |
Recycling can be defined as the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. It can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. The aim of recycling is to avoid
Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper, and
Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up from the roadside, then
In the strictest sense, recycling of a material would produce a fresh
Much of the difficulty in recycling comes from the fact that most products are not designed with recycling in mind. The concept of
10 . The lives of sea turtles begin on a beach when hatchlings crawl up out of their sandy nests and try to get to the sea as fast as they can. Those that aren’t eaten by killers on their way to the water swim out into the ocean until they find somewhere they can hide, eat and grow.
Ten to fifty years later, depending on the species, the sea turtles mate in shallow waters. Then the females return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs, and the cycle begins again.
SAVE ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES! Here’s how YOU can make a difference! 1. Only buy ethically harvested seafood. Seafood Watch. org's app will help you choose seafood providers who don't harm sea turtles. 2. Use reusable bags and water containers.Reduce your use of plastics and refuse to use plastic bags, disposable straws and water bottles. 3. Volunteer for beach clean-up activities. Help make our coastlines safer for sea turtles by removing harmful garbage like plastic bags and disposable straws. 4. Clear the beach of obstacles at night. Remove chairs and sandcastles and turn off any lights so sea turtles can more easily travel between their nests and the water. |
Turtles that successfully avoid the numerous threats to their existence can live up to 100 years. But predators, fishing nets and garbage are major problems, and only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings will reach adulthood. There are seven sea turtle species, and six of them are either threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Many organizations around the world are working hard to ensure that sea turtles will not disappear from our oceans.
1. After leaving their nests, how long will it be before the sea turtles are old enough to reproduce?A.Ten to fifty months, depending on environmental factors |
B.Six months, if they can survive that long in the open ocean |
C.One to five weeks, depending on how much they find to eat |
D.One to five decades, depending on the kind of sea turtle |
A.Water pollution that harms sea turtles |
B.Fishing industry practices that harm sea turtles |
C.Other animals that eat sea turtles |
D.Turtle overpopulation that makes food short |
A.It gives the turtles a clear path from their nests to the ocean. |
B.Tourists won’t trip on anything in the dark when they’re looking for turtles. |
C.Waste on the beach ruins the view at night. |
D.It makes it more difficult for killers to hunt the turtles. |