1 . Bees are more than just honey-makers, They are essential pollinators (传粉者) that help maintain the balance of our ecosystems and the diversity of our crops. Bees are among the most diverse and plentiful insects on Earth, with over 20,000 species worldwide. They belong to the order Hymenoptera (膜翅目昆虫), which also includes wasps, ants, and sawflies.
Bees have evolved to feed on nectar (花蜜) and pollen from flowers, and in doing so, they transfer pollen from one flower to another, enabling fertilization (受精) and reproduction. This process, called pollination, is essential for the survival of many plants, especially those that produce fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables that we eat.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), bees and other pollinators affect 35% of global agricultural land, supporting the production of 87% of the leading food crops worldwide.
Pollination also enhances the quality and quantity of the crops, as well as their resistance to pests and diseases. Without bees and other pollinators, our food supply and our biodiversity would be at risk.
Unfortunately, bees are facing many threats, such as habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, diseases, and invasive species. The FAO estimates that 16.5％ of vertebrate (脊椎动物) pollinators and 40% of invertebrate pollinators, such as bees, are facing extinction. This could have serious consequences for our food security, our livelihoods, and our environment.
Therefore, it is important to protect the bees and their habitats, and to raise awareness about their role and value.
One way to appreciate and support the bees is to learn how to identify them and observe their behavior. You might be surprised by the diversity and beauty of the bees that visit your backyard, garden, or balcony.
1. Why are pollinators important?| A．They help the bees fertilize. | B．They keep the crops diverse. |
| C．They support the bees to make honey. | D．They protect insects such as wasps. |
| A．How pollination works. | B．How the flowers attract bees. |
| C．How the bees reproduce. | D．How the plants produce fruits. |
| A．Climate change. | B．Pesticide use. |
| C．Pollinators’ survival crisis. | D．Bees’ habitat loss. |
| A．A duty: Protect Bees’ Habitat | B．A Means: Observe Bees’ Behaviour |
| C．Bees: Maintainers of the Ecosystem | D．Bees: Consumers at the Top of the Food Chain |
2 . For some people, October is Octobear. On October 5, Katmai National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska kicked off Fat Bear Week, when fans compare before and after photos of bears to vote for the one they think has gained the most weight before they bed down for the long freezing winter. Bear 747, also known as “Bear Force One”, took the first-place spot with 68,105 votes. It weighed around 1,400 pounds.
Fat Bear Week started in 2014.At first it was just Fat Bear Tuesday. Mike Fitz, a former park keeper at Katmai, noticed that live webcams showing the bears generated a lot of online comments, so he let people vote for their favorite fat bear on the Internet. The one-day event attracted 1,700 votes. In 2015, it was extended to a week. Last year, nearly 800,000 people got involved, turning it into a global campaign.
The contest serves two main purposes. First, some of America’s national parks are in remote and undeveloped areas, which are difficult or costly to reach. Fat Bear Week brings Alaska’s wilderness to fans’ computer screens. “It’s not limited to the fortunate few who can go to the river anymore, ”Fitz said.
Second, Fat Bear Week brings attention to the bears and the ecosystems they live in. The 2,200 bears of Katmai are strong for feeding on some of the healthiest salmon(三文鱼)in the world, said Sara Wolman, a former park keeper. Salmon in the Pacific Northwest are suffering from overfishing, dam construction and warming rivers due to climate change. Luckily, Brooks River, which Katmai’s bears like to fish in, has been free from these threats so far.
Fat Bear Week has spread like viruses. Fans and creators say it’s because it shows a conservation success story. For one week, people don’t have to focus on climate change or habitat loss. “Maybe things aren’t super great all the time in the world,” said Felicia Jimenez, who is a current Katmai keeper. “But there are some really fat bears in Alaska.”
1. Why did Bear 747 become the winner of Fat Bear Week in southern Alaska?| A．It gained the most pounds. | B．It was the heaviest. |
| C．It presented the best photos. | D．It was the most famous. |
| A．To show the popularity of fat bears. | B．To review the history of the event. |
| C．To praise Mike Fitz for his work. | D．To explain the role of live webcams. |
| A．They bring tourists to the park. | B．They face a population decline. |
| C．They remain difficult to be seen. | D．They have a stable food source. |
| A．Fat Bear Week: Conservation Is Joyful | B．Brown Bears; Winter Survival Is Crucial |
| C．Bear 747: A Fat Yet Healthy Champion | D．Katmai’s Bears: A Special Beauty Contest |
3 . In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — a suggested safe threshold (阈值，界限) — carbon neutrality by mid-21st century is essential. This target is also laid down in the Paris agreement signed by 195 countries, including the EU, which aims to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and to undertake rapid reductions.
Carbon neutrality means having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. Removing carbon oxide from the atmosphere and then storing it is known as carbon sequestration (碳封存). In order to achieve net zero emissions, all worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will have to be counterbalanced (抵消) by carbon sequestration.
Carbon sink is any system that absorbs more carbon than it emits. The main natural carbon sinks are soil, forests and oceans. According to estimates, natural sinks remove between 9.5 and 11 Gt of CO2 per year. Annual global CO2 emissions reached 38.0 Gt in 2019. Moreover, no artificial carbon sinks are able to remove carbon from the atmosphere on the necessary scale to fight global warming at present. The carbon stored in natural sinks such as forests is released into the atmosphere through forest fires, changes in land use or logging. This is why it is essential to reduce carbon emissions in order to reach climate neutrality.
Another way to reduce emissions and to pursue carbon neutrality is to offset (补偿) emissions made in one sector by reducing them somewhere else. This can be done through investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency or other clean, low-carbon technologies.
The European Union is committed to achieving the carbon neutrality by 2050. Under the Green Deal it aims to become the first continent that removes as many CO2 emissions as it produces by 2050. On 7 October 2020, the European Parliament backed climate neutrality by 2050 and a 60% emission reduction target by 2030 compared to 1990 levels — more than Commission’s proposal of 55%.
In addition, members called for all EU countries individually to become climate neutral and insisted that after 2050, more CO2 should be removed from atmosphere than is emitted. Also, all direct or indirect subsidies (补贴) to fossil fuels should be canceled by 2025 at the latest.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To present a fact. |
| C．To explain an agreement. | D．To define a concept. |
| A．There will be no carbon emission. |
| B．The carbon emission will reach its peak. |
| C．The temperature will rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius. |
| D．The amount of production of CO2 will equal its removal. |
| A．Because they release more CO2 than they take in. |
| B．Because man-made ones couldn’t replace natural ones. |
| C．Because there aren’t enough of them. |
| D．Because people are destroying them. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Ambitious. |
4 . Hardscaping refers to non-organic features of a landscape such as pathways, driveways, walls, steps, and other human-made structures. The three Rs, which are common to many sustainability efforts, apply to hardscaping: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Reduce Runoff
You can reduce rainwater runoff by using permeable (可渗透的) materials that allow rainwater to get into the soil below.
Use Recycled Materials
Consider using materials that are recycled from reclaimed (再生的) concrete, glass, or other construction materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill.
Support Local Wildlife
With careful planning and action, you can enjoy the convenience brought by hardscaping and at the same time be considerate to the environment and local wildlife.
| A．Those materials are seemingly useless. |
| B．All these are essential to a healthy ecosystem. |
| C．They aren’t suitable for all landscapes, however. |
| D．Don’t forget there are creatures living under the top soil. |
| E．You can get such things from many landscaping suppliers. |
| F．Rainwater is an important source of our underground water. |
| G．Add “support local wildlife”, and you’re ready for sustainable hardscaping. |
5 . Slowness has been a sweeping trend in sustainability. Slow food celebrates local produce and traditional cooking methods; slow fashion is made with a focus on people and the planet. You may have even heard of the slow city, a campaign to restore local cultures and turn cities back to their natural environments.
Slow design developed from the larger slow movement. Although the term was only recently introduced, the idea of thoughtful design looks back to a time when buildings and furniture were made with great craftsmanship (手艺) and by hand-before the mass-produced throwaway furniture took over. You can think of the term “slow” as a celebration of timelessness: both the timelessness of a piece and the timelessness of the relationship between that piece and its owner.
One example of slow design today is what’s been dubbed the brown furniture revival (复兴). Brown furniture refers to the heavy wooden furnishings that were popular in your grandparents’ day but suddenly fell out of style at the turn of the century. Brown furniture is often associated with dark woods, such as trees like mahogany, walnut, and teak, that take decades to reach maturity and true craftsmanship to transform into functional pieces.
Today’s furniture industry is dominated by the $13.1 billion-and-growing global ready-to-assemble(RTA) furniture market. RTA furniture is usually constructed from low-quality fiberboard, which lasts a small part of traditional furniture’s lifespan (寿命).The weight of furniture landfilled in 2018 was 9. 7 million tons, 4. 5 times what was landfilled in 1960.
In a less direct way, the idea of timelessness also lends itself to a lower environmental impact. Besides their demonstrated physical durability, slow materials and design are meant to outlive trends and never be thrown out simply because they’re out of style.
As second-hand shopping becomes more appealing to today’s young generation-because of its low environmental impact and affordability-the brown furniture of yesteryear is making a comeback.
1. Why is the first paragraph written?| A．To explain a new term. |
| B．To present the topic of the text. |
| C．To provide background information. |
| D．To highlight the importance of slowness. |
| A．Known as. |
| B．Mistaken for. |
| C．Compared to. |
| D．Connected with. |
| A．It is out of date. |
| B．It has a long lifespan. |
| C．It is heavy and expensive. |
| D．It has bad effects on the environment. |
| A．Grandparents are buying new furniture. |
| B．The brown furniture will soon be mass-produced. |
| C．The young generation favors second-hand shopping. |
| D．Materials for slow design furniture are more available. |
6 . Natalie and Callie, both 13 years old, started raising monarch butterflies for fun in 2020.
But after realizing the monarchs were an endangered species, their
They learned that the population of monarch butterflies had
So the girls teamed up with a national nonprofit group to plant a native garden
The team has won the Silver Award for their
| A．dream | B．hobby | C．career | D．decision |
| A．doubled | B．aged | C．declined | D．exploded |
| A．management | B．assessment | C．selection | D．destruction |
| A．relied on | B．kept off | C．broke down | D．gave away |
| A．partly | B．secretly | C．rarely | D．specially |
| A．attracted | B．protected | C．monitored | D．trapped |
| A．employ | B．educate | C．force | D．limit |
| A．meant | B．cost | C．changed | D．hurt |
| A．dry | B．medical | C．healthy | D．wild |
| A．pleasing | B．light | C．long | D．disappointing |
| A．project | B．concept | C．schedule | D．assignment |
| A．concerned | B．connected | C．finished | D．occupied |
| A．chemicals | B．time | C．funds | D．energy |
| A．quoted | B．continued | C．replied | D．commented |
| A．donations | B．support | C．patience | D．efforts |
7 . King Canute couldn’t stop the ocean’s tide from rolling in — can Africa hold back the desert? That’s certainly what the continent is trying to do with its proposed “Great Green Wall”, 8,000 km worth of trees that officials hope will stop the advancement of the Sahara desert, which has been rapidly expanding southward.
The project aims to plant 100 million hectares of trees by 2030 across the entire width of Africa. The initiative is a decade in, and around 15% completed, and there have already been benefits for many communities and wildlife. It’s bringing life back to the continent’s degraded landscapes, providing not only food security and jobs but a reason to stay for the millions who live along its path.
Efforts will be concentrated along the Sahel, a region in Africa that lies between the Sahara in the north and the more tropical savanna in the south. Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, The Gambia, Guinea Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal all form the Sahel region, where there are up to 50 million people who still live as nomads(游牧民), depending on cattle to sustain their livelihoods. It’s one of the poorest places on the planet: a region of hunger, conflict, and low job prospects, made even harder by the ongoing drought.
At a science conference held in December, experts estimated that the wall could have far-reaching influence on weather patterns. Climate models presented at the American Geophysical Union’s autumn conference forecast that the finished wall could increase rainfall fourfold in the Sahel and lower average summer temperatures over most of northern Africa. However, the hottest sections of the desert may become even hotter, increasing by up to 1.5 °C.
The wall may seem like a moonshot, but all the best ideas usually are. As Thomas Sankara, former president of Burkina Faso said in 1985, “You cannot carry out fundamental change without a certain degree of madness...The courage to turn your back on the traditional methods, the courage to invent the future.”
1. What’s the purpose of the “Great Green Wall”?| A．To protect the original landscapes. |
| B．To bring more wildlife to this region. |
| C．To increase the varieties of local plants. |
| D．To stop the Sahara desert from expanding. |
| A．It is in the centre of the Sahara. |
| B．It is home to 50 million cattle. |
| C．It provides a lot of job opportunities. |
| D．It consists of many poor countries. |
| A．Free of drought in Africa. |
| B．More rainfall in the Sahel. |
| C．Lower temperatures all year round. |
| D．Cooler weather in the hottest areas. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Uncaring. | C．Critical. | D．Ambiguous. |
8 . Facebook announced today that it exceeded ( 超越) one of its biggest environmental goals: it managed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent in 2020. It had previously promised to cut planet-heating emissions by 75 percent. The company said that it had also achieved its goal of “net zero emissions”.
Facebook also announced that it had achieved another goal: it now purchases enough renewable energy to cover 100 percent of its global operations, which includes its offices and data centers. But that doesn’t mean that all of its operations are actually powered by renewables like solar and wind energy—at least not yet.
Renewable energy is on the rise, but most electricity grids (电网) still rely on fossil fuels. When companies can’t purchase enough renewable energy from utilities because there isn’t enough supply, they buy renewable energy certificates that signal that the company invested in renewable energy projects somewhere. Those projects can be located anywhere, and certificates have been sold for so cheap that experts say they don’t really lead to more renewable energy production. Facebook also relies on renewable energy certificates, but it focuses on signing long-term contracts to support the construction of new solar and wind developments in the same places where it operates. I’s invested in 63 new renewable energy projects located on the same electrical grids as its data centers.
Facebook has recently also tried to limit misinformation about climate change on its platform. Last year, it launched a “Climate Science Information Center” in some countries. In the UK this year, it started adding a label to some posts about climate change that redirect people to its information center.It all comes on the heels of criticism from activists and policymakers over how misinformation about climate change festered on the site, including one famous case of Facebook reversing(撤销) a “false” rating that its fact -checkers gave based on inaccurate information.
1. W hat achievement did Facebook gain recently?| A．It totally used solar and wind energy for its operations. |
| B．It cut down its climate pollution more than planned. |
| C．It reached its goal of zero greenhouse gas emissions. |
| D．It invested a new renewable energy project. |
| A．They pay little attention to it. |
| B．They have become bored with it. |
| C．They think it is a waste of money. |
| D．They think it brings little actual benefit. |
| A．Recognized. | B．Exchanged. | C．Worsened. | D．Decreased. |
| A．Facebook hit several key climate goals |
| B．Take action to prevent climate change |
| C．Renewable energy is mankind’s hope |
| D．Say no to greenhouse gas emissions |
China’s research icebreaker Xuelong,
Snow Eagle 601, China’s first fixedwing aircraft for polar flight, on Thursday night also departed from the Antarctic after
Xuelong,
Sixteen members of the Kunlun team
The Zhongshan team completed tasks including installation of and tests for LiDAR, drilling of ice bedrock, atmospheric sounding
As the summer expedition team at Zhongshan left, 19 members would stay for winter expeditions.
Also
