1 . The Great Barrier Reef in Queensland has suffered several mass bleaching events due to the impacts of climate change. The Australian government turned down a proposal for a new open-cut coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, considering environmental laws and the risk of “irreversible damage”. It was the first time the government had used its powers under environmental laws to reject a mine.

In turning down the project, Tanya Plibersek, the minister for the environment and water, cited significant potential environmental dangers to the reef, which is already heavily threatened by climate change.” The risk of pollution is real and the damage to the reef, once done, will never be repaired. “The project would have had unacceptable impacts on freshwater in the area and potentially on fragile seagrass meadows,” Plibersek said in a video posted on social media. She said that during the public consultation period, her department had received 9,000 public comments about the mine in just 10 business days.

The government has been under pressure from UNESCO to better protect the reef and in 2022, it pledged one billion Australian dollars for efforts to protect the fragile ecosystem, including climate adaptation measures and water quality programs. Last year, the Great Barrier Reef, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometers, experienced its sixth mass bleaching event, due to warming waters caused by climate change.

The government, elected in 2022, came to power promising stronger action on the climate in a country still heavily depending on fossil fuels. But its climate policies are rated “insufficient” by Climate Action Tracker, which found Australia is not on course to meet targets to limit warming to 1. 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The government has rejected calls from the country’s Green Party to turn down all new fossil fuel projects.

1. Which of the following can replace “irreversible” in paragraph 1?

A．Permanent.

B．Gradual.

C．Severe.

D．Significant.

2. Which statement would Plibersek probably agree with?

A．The reef is in good condition now.

B．9,000 people made good comments on the mining project.

C．The mining project has drawn the attention of the public.

D．The mining project has had bad effects on freshwater in the area.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Fossil fuels are not in demand in Australia.

B．The government has made effective climate policies.

C．The government failed to carry out its previous promises.

D．The Green Party reached an agreement with the government.

4. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．The Great Barrier Reef is faced with mass bleaching events.

B．Australia is on the way to protecting the Great Barrier Reef.

C．The Great Barrier Reef calls for help due to climate change.

D．Australia says “No” to a mine near the Great Barrier Reef.

2 . Coral creates reefs, structures in the ocean that support entire ecosystems. However, climate change is threatening the existence of such reefs. The Great Barrier Reef has suffered four bleaching events in the last seven years.

Coral bleaching happens when extreme temperatures and sunlight force corals to release algae living in their tissue. This causes them to lose their color and turn white. The experience greatly weakens the coral and can kill them.

Scientists working on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have successfully tested a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae — the very young form of the small ocean animal.

The science project in Australia involves freezing and storing coral larvae to use later for rewilding. A new material called “cryomesh” is helping the scientists in the effort. Coral is frozen using a special method called cryogenics. This permits the young animals to be stored until they can be unfrozen and placed in the wild. The process currently requires high-tech equipment including lasers and is costly. But, the team in Australia says cryomesh can do a better job of saving the coral and for much less money. The mesh technology helps to store coral larvae at-196 degrees Celsius.

The scientists used the cryomesh to freeze Great Barrier Reef coral larvae at the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, or AIMS. Workers collected the coral during the animal’s brief yearly reproductive period.

Mary Hagedorn, Senior Research Scientist at Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute explained, “If we can secure the biodiversity of coral...then we’ll have tools for the future to really help restore the reefs.” She added, “...this technology for coral reefs in the future is a real game-changer.”

The cryomesh had been tested earlier on smaller and larger kinds of Hawaian corals. A test on the larger failed. Tests are continuing with larger-size Great Barrier Reef coral. The tests involve scientists from four organizations. Together they are part of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.

1. What’s the passage mainly about?

A．A comparison of two experiments.	B．A new method for restoring coral reefs.
C．The Great Barrier Reef under great threat.	D．Scientists’ joint efforts to support the ecosystem.

2. What’s the advantage of cyomesh over cryogenics?

A．It is easier to store.	B．It is less expensive.
C．It freezes larvae faster.	D．It is environmentally friendly.

3. What’s Mary Hagedorn’s point in paragraph 6?

A．People can do more about the biodiversity of corals.

B．The scientists barely have tools to help the reefs restore.

C．The cryomesh technology has changed the corals’ situation.

D．The mesh technology will play a vital role in restoring the reefs.

4. What can we infer about the cryomesh technology?

A．Tests on larger corals are more important.

B．It is going to be applied widely to more corals.

C．Only scientists of AIMS are involved in the tests.

D．More experiments are needed to prove its efficiency.

3 . When the monthly electricity bill came home, parents always couldn’t believe their eyes, as the amount was much more than needed.     1     Here are some tips for parents to educate their children on how to save energy.

Switch off the lights. Assign one day in a week for a “turn off” practice, for a few hours. Tell the kids the significance of using less electricity and how it impacts the environment.     2    

Use energy-efficient transportation. When parents and their children are out on vacation, have a cycling outing. When the whole family rides bicycles together, it not only serves as a great bonding exercise, but it also teaches the children about eco-friendly transportation options.     3    

Play a game.     4     Engage them in a game instead. Ask the little ones to walk around the house with pen and paper, and make a note of all the equipment that consumes energy. Let them suggest what measures can be taken within the home to reduce consumption of electricity and go green. Parents can stick small notes near these appliances to give them interesting information on conservation.

    5     Create a theatre-like experience at home on a Sunday and gather everyone in the family, especially the kids, to watch an informative film about environmental issues or climate change. If parents have slightly older children, they can discuss the film and ask them what they think.

A．Watch an environmental film.

B．Talk with children about their opinions.

C．Play some games related to environmental protection.

D．Lecturing kids about environmental issues won’t help.

E．It makes them aware of the environmental effect of cars.

F．Light up some candles and play a board game to keep the children occupied.

G．So parents should urge their children to take up environment -friendly projects.

4 . John “Charlie” Veron-widely known as “the Godfather of Coral Reef (珊瑚礁)”-is a celebrated expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world’s coral species and has spent the past 45 years diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. But now the 73-year-old is raising the alarm about its future. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders, is 2, 300 kilometers long and is the only living organism that can be seen from space. It is considered a World Treasure Site due to its biodiversity (生物多样性)with 30 species of whales, dolphins and sharks. Within the reef itself, there are also a number of tiny organisms and fishes.

However, its health is threatened. After the recent mass bleaching (白化)events, Veron dived in many areas of the Great Barrier Reef to see the damage for himself. “I was seeing and feeling it and it was absolutely shocking, ” he says.

Veron says the mass bleaching events in the past few years-and the possibility of losing one of nature’s greatest treasures-were a wake-up call for the world in the wider battle against climate change, which, together with the rising sea temperature, is considered the greatest threats to the reef.

Fortunately, earlier this year, the Australian government announced nearly 400 million dollars in new funding towards scientific projects designed to help the reef.

There has been criticism in Australia about the slow process for the funding. “It won’t be wasted, though,”Veron says. “As scientists will be able to create a sort of seed bank to protect the species until the climate is good enough to rebuild the reef. What the scientists hope to do is to help nature along a bit after the big carbon dioxide increase is over and it starts to come down.”

1. Why is the Great Barrier Reef considered a treasure site?

A．It is a natural wonder.

B．It can be seen from space.

C．It has a rich variety of species.

D．It is home to a great many fishes.

2. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Climate change is threatening biodiversity.

B．The Great Barrier Reef is in danger of extinction.

C．Scientists have found major factors in the reef’s blenching.

D．Veron has made great contributions to environmental protection.

3. What's Veron's attitude to the future of the reef according to the last paragraph?

A．Uncaring.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncertain.

D．Positive.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A travel guide.
C．A research plan.	D．A journal entry.

5 .

Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier has been in the spotlight in recent years, as scientists have undertaken a multi-part international project to study the vast glacier from all angles. The urgency comes from observations and analyses showing that the amount of ice flowing from Thwaites — and contributing to sea level rise — has doubled in the past three decades. Scientists think the glacier could witness even more dramatic changes in the near future.

This image pair demonstrates the changes that have occurred since the start of this century. The first image shows the glacier's floating ice tongue on December 2,2001. The second image shows the glacier on December 28, 2019. Both images show the glacier where it exits the land in West Antarctica and stretches over the Amundsen Sea as thick floating ice. Ice that originates on land can raise sea level if it is delivered to the ocean at a faster rate than it is being replaced inland by snowfall. The flow speed of Thwaites has been increasing, while inland snowfall has not changed significantly.

In the past ten years, the tongue has continued to break and separate from the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf. By the time the 2019 image was acquired, the main tongue had declined greatly, and the ocean in front of Thwaites had become filled with floating ice.

Thwaites pours about 50 billion tons of ice into the ocean each year. That amount is nothing to sneeze at. But for the time being, it's “still a relatively small amount of sea-level rise,” said Ted Scambos, a scientist at the University of Colorado. “What the satellites are showing us is a glacier coming apart," said Ted Scambos.” Every few years a new area seems to be letting go and speeding. Like taffy being stretched out, this glacier is being drawn into the ocean.”

1. What makes Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier a focus of attention?

A．Scientists' effort to protect it	B．The rising sea level.
C．Change in floating ice quantity.	D．The charm of its vast body.

2. What does paragraph 2 function as?

A．An example.

B．An explanation.

C．A conclusion.

D．A summary.

3. How does Ted feel about the future of the glacier?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Confused.

C．Uncertain.

D．Worried.

4. In which section of a website can this text be found?

A．Energy Frontier.	B．Earth Observatory.
C．Climate Action.	D．Space Exploration.

6 . Hunger and malnutrition still exist in the world. Luckily, there are exciting, creative solutions to solving the extra food coming from restaurants, grocery stores, and farmers.     1    

On June 7, 2022, Spain adopted a draft bill on leftovers. Food businesses will have to submit their plans to reduce food waste.     2     Restaurants will soon be required to provide containers for customers to take home their leftovers. Although this may seem like normal practice, in Spain, this is not the custom. With this upcoming law, diners can request their leftovers to be wrapped in recycled packaging for no extra cost.     3     Supermarkets will also be asked to donate their unsold food to food banks and neighborhood organizations.

    4     It can help reduce greenhouse gasses, ensure there is more food for the hungry, and save money in an economic depression. It may also heal nature as there’ll be less demand to destroy forest to grow crops and raise livestock. This, in turn, could reduce the usage of water and decrease pollution in the agricultural sector.

Along with France and Italy, Spain is paving the way for other countries to address this global issue. Spain hopes to enforce these new laws by 2023 and is also developing an awareness program to educate the consumer. Much food waste also comes from within the household.     5     Hence, teaching children about food waste is a big step towards making the world a better, less hungry place.

A．As the proverb goes, “Charity begins at home.”

B．If restaurants fail to do this, they could be fined.

C．Joint efforts are needed to deal with this global issue.

D．As a famous saying goes, “One good turn deserves another.”

E．Reducing food waste is of great significance in a hungry world.

F．Instead of being thrown out, unused food will soon be repurposed.

G．This new bill will impress upon the public a new attitude towards food waste.

8 . Every day people board planes,get on trains and ready themselves for an adventure. But what about the deep sea? Although it covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface,we hardly stop to think of it as a tourist destination. However, the travel industry has made great advancement in creating aquatic(水中的) hotspots.

From the luxury to the relatively modest,underwater resorts have been popping up in recent years. For those with a truly adventurous spirit and some money to spend,you can even rent your own submarine. Staffed with a captain,a personal chef and a butler(管家),Oliver’s Travels’ submarine,the Lovers Deep,is a unique getaway. For those looking for a slightly different experience,there is Jules'Undersea Lodge in Florida,US,named after Jules Verne,the author of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Other sectors of the emerging underwater tourism industry have brought a bit of art to the deep sea. According to the BBC,“there's a move to combine underwater tourism with art tourism to attract a new kind of traveler." Underwater museums and exhibits like the Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park in Grenada and Australia's Museum of Underwater Art allow visitors to see incredible sculptures in a truly magnificent atmosphere. Underwater archaeological(考古的)sites have also become popular destinations, such as the ones in Turkey, where people can visit sunken cities.

Exploring Earth's bodies of water has brought more awareness to the importance of protecting oceans and the animal life that calls them home. British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor,whose artwork can be seen in multiple underwater attractions around the world, feels this is key. “Most people just see the surface of the ocean and it is hard to think of something so plain and enormous as fragile. We don't regard our oceans as sacred(神圣的)and we should.”

1. What does the underlined expression "popping up" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Appearing suddenly.	B．Changing constantly.
C．Working properly.	D．Moving unexpectedly.

2. Why does the author mention underwater museums and exhibits in Paragraph 3?

A．To prove the power of art.

B．To explain a new travel rule.

C．To introduce a new travel trend.

D．To recommend popular destinations.

3. What is the author's attitude towards underwater tourism?

A．Neutral.	B．Supportive.
C．Cautious.	D．Disapproving.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Enormous resources are there for exploration in the ocean.

B．Underwater vacation has brought huge commercial benefits.

C．Artists consider it tough to protect underwater environment.

D．Underwater travel has a positive effect on ocean protection.

9 . An increasingly popular way of eating called reducetarianism may sound like a new weight loss trend. But that’s not the goal; instead, reducetarianism is about cutting down the amount of meat you eat and making small changes that are healthy for you and the planet. “But the vast majority don’t want to go vegan”, says Brian Kateman, co-founder of the Reducetarian Foundation. So he has a simple message for us: “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.” Compared with a vegetarian, reducetarians take a more flexible approach that acknowledges challenges of giving up meat entirely but still limits meat when possible.

The opposite side of eating less meat is eating more plant foods. Animal products often replace fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, leading to lack of nutrients from them. A more plant-based diet can help lower the risk of health problems including heart disease, colon cancer, and obesity. And research shows the climate toll from raising plant-based foods is less than that caused by animal-based foods. This is largely because it takes much more land, water, and other resources to produce a pound of meat than plant protein, says Dana Ellis, a dietitian.

The type of meat you buy matters too. Grass-fed meat—from animals raised without antibiotics (抗生素)—tend to be the more sustainable options. By grazing, cows encourage grass growth and nutrient turnover in the soil, which may help offset cattle’s climate impact, according to a study published in 2021.

Looking for local produce that requires no air transport and cutting down the food waste are also significant aspects of being a reducetarian. The message of reducetarianism is that you don’t have to be perfect to help yourself and the planet by making small changes in how you eat and shop for food. And that’s something we all can accomplish.

1. What does reducetarianism refer to?

A．A novel weight loss trend.	B．A healthy diet with little meat.
C．An idea of accepting imperfection.	D．An approach to being a vegetarian.

2. Why should eating more plant foods be encouraged?

A．It helps to free people from diseases.

B．It guarantees all the nutrients needed.

C．It allows people to obtain more protein.

D．It causes less damage to the environment.

3. Who is more likely to be a reducetarian according to the passage?

A．A meat lover	B．A cow raiser.
C．A keen environmentalist.	D．A devoted vegetarian.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from the last paragraph?

A．Local produce can offer more nutrition.

B．Reducetarianism is something imperfect.

C．Any amount of food waste should be avoided.

D．Small changes in diet better man and the earth.

10 . Here in the middle of London, something extraordinary is going on. You can hear a loud and unmistakable sound of bees doing what they do best: making honey.

What’s more, they’re performing their magic, not in the leafy acres of nearby park, but up on the balcony of St Ermin’s Hotel. Whereas most urban residences would do their best to keep sting-bearing insects as far away from guests as possible, this hotel opens its doors to the capital’s bees. The person who tends this “Bee Hotel” is Camilla Goddard. “In the long run, bees are amazing creatures to work with. You can’t help admiring the way they operate. They really do put the good of the community first,” she says.

As well as providing an enjoyable pastime, modern beekeeping is becoming increasingly critical. According to the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), 70 different UK crops depend on bees for pollination (授粉). Without bees to provide pollination, one-third of all our food wouldn’t survive. During the Second World War, Winston Churchill was a firm supporter of bees and made sure they got extra supplies to carry on with their pollination work, even as the German army dropped their bombs.

“Bees are in danger of disappearing from our environment,” warns Tim Lovett of the BBKA. Today, bee numbers are down by 50 per cent. Using more and more land, agricultural industry reduces spots where bees can live. Crop-protecting pesticides have also led to high death rate of bees. Another blow was an Asian species that first arrived in Devon and then spread across the country. It settled on the bees and not only weakened their immune system but caused their wings to deform (变畸形) so that flying became impossible.

Anxious about the decline of beekeeping, the BBKA has produced a school information pack entitled “Bees in the Curriculum”. Once the children have been around bees for a while, they understand the service that bees provide for us, rather than seeing them as the source of stings.

1. What do we know about Camilla Goddard?

A．She has never got bee stings herself.

B．She tries to make her guests bee-free.

C．She admires the way in which bees live.

D．She owns a bee hotel in a London suburb.

2. Why is Winston Churchill mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To criticize the cruelty of war.

B．To change the role of bees in the war.

C．To highlight the value of bee pollination.

D．To awaken the consciousness of saving crops.

3. Which is a direct cause of the reduction of bee habitats?

A．Modern agriculture.	B．Foreign species invasion.
C．Hunting from humans.	D．Crop-protecting pesticides.

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

A．The number of bees is decreasing sharply

B．Modern beekeeping is ensuring our future

C．Bee Hotel is changing bees’ fate in the UK

D．Children are educated about the value of bees