3 . “Eco-mermaid” Merle Liivand wove a remarkable story with her attachment to the ocean. On March 7, she ________ her own world record by swimming a full marathon’s distance with a single fin (鳍) in Biscayne Bay, Florida. When Merle Liivand was a child, she had health problems, and began swimming to help her lungs get ________ . In one training session, she nearly ended up swallowing (吞下) some ________that was floating (漂浮) in the sea.

That ________ made her think of all the sea animals who faced ________ pollution every day. She decided to work to make people more aware of plastic pollution. Inspired by sea creatures, she began swimming with a special single swimming fin ________ both of her feet. This single fin allows her to swim by ________ both of her legs together. She believes swimming with it ________“a bigger message”.

Since 2022, she’s broken records, swimming vast distances — first in California, then in Florida, and this time swimming the________of a full marathon. Despite challenges like jellyfish (水母) stings, she ________ collecting trash along her route. Her dedication extends beyond records; it’s about community and global ________.

During her ________, a friend kayaked (划皮划艇) alongside, providing food and water and collecting the trash she ________. By the end of her marathon, the kayak held three bags full of trash. Liivand’s actions aim to ________a bigger goal: it’s not just about achievements, but about making a ________ impact on the world.

1.

A．planned

B．kept

C．broke

D．prepared

2.

A．stronger

B．cleaner

C．lighter

D．cooler

3.

A．water

B．plastic

C．sand

D．metal

4.

A．situation

B．cleanup

C．disaster

D．experience

5.

A．different

B．visible

C．similar

D．challenging

6.

A．attached to

B．referred to

C．applied to

D．devoted to

7.

A．connecting

B．removing

C．kicking

D．wiping

8.

A．hides

B．marks

C．finds

D．carries

9.

A．depth

B．length

C．width

D．height

10.

A．continued

B．relaxed

C．faced

D．paused

11.

A．accomplishment

B．betterment

C．management

D．agreement

12.

A．training

B．adventure

C．travel

D．marathon

13.

A．gathered

B．shared

C．sorted

D．pushed

14.

A．miss

B．review

C．break

D．reach

15.

A．various

B．lasting

C．positive

D．side

4 . Every year about 40,000 people attempt to climb Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. They ______ with them lots of waste. The ______ might damage the beauty of the place. The glaciers (冰川) are disappearing, changing the face of Kilimanjaro.

Hearing these stories, I’m ______ about the place — other destinations are described as “purer” natural experiences.

However, I soon ______ that much has changed since the days of disturbing reports of ______ among tons of rubbish. I find a ______ mountain, with toilets at camps and along the paths. The environmental challenges are ______ but the efforts made by the Tanzania National Park Authority seem to be ______.

The best of a Kilimanjaro ______, in my opinion, isn’t reaching the top. Mountains are ______ as spiritual places by many cultures. This view is especially evident on Kilimanjaro as ______ go through five ecosystems within a few kilometers. At the base is a rainforest. It ends suddenly at 3, 000 meters, ______ lands of low growing plants. Further up, the weather ______ — low clouds envelop the mountainsides, which are covered with thick grass. I counted twelve shades of green from where I stand. Above 4, 000 meters is the highland desert: gravel (砾石), stones and rocks. ______ you climb into an arctic-like zone with permanent (永久的) snow and the glaciers that may soon disappear.

Does Kilimanjaro deserve its reputation as a crowded mountain with lines of tourists ______ the atmosphere of peace? I found the opposite to be true.

1.

A．keep

B．leave

C．connect

D．bring

2.

A．stories

B．buildings

C．crowds

D．reporters

3.

A．silent

B．doubtful

C．serious

D．crazy

4.

A．discover

B．argue

C．decide

D．admit

5.

A．equipment

B．grass

C．camps

D．stones

6.

A．clean

B．quiet

C．tall

D．faraway

7.

A．new

B．special

C．significant

D．necessary

8.

A．taking over

B．spreading out

C．carrying on

D．paying off

9.

A．atmosphere

B．experience

C．experiment

D．sight

10.

A．regarded

B．observed

C．explored

D．studied

11.

A．adventurers

B．climbers

C．natives

D．officials

12.

A．holding on to

B．going back to

C．setting out to

D．giving way to

13.

A．changes

B．clears

C．improves

D．permits

14.

A．Obviously

B．Seemingly

C．Absolutely

D．Finally

15.

A．keeping

B．ruining

C．replacing

D．creating

5 . The suburb I live in backs on to a large nature reserve. One morning I saw a koala (考拉) sitting in a palm tree in my front yard. I phoned around to ask what I could _________ this koala, but no one wanted to know. I ended up _________ the koala out of my tree and we crossed the road _________ for him to return to the nature reserve.

I’ve always been befriending animals. As a young kid I used to pick up lizard eggs and _________ them. It stimulated my interest as to why there wasn’t anyone wanting to come and _________this koala in my tree. After that, I signed up for all the _________I could find.

Once I had accreditation (合格证 ), I volunteered with the RSPCA in 2019, rehabilitating (使康复) wildlife. I was an ambulance driver, _________ overnight rescues. We rescued hundreds of animals and _________ more.

One day, I thought why not _________ my own rescue group focusing on my backyard? I purchased a two-acre property and built enclosures on it to __________ injured animals. Last year, I planted 300 eucalyptus trees (桉树), with seven varieties to __________ the koalas.

I cut the leaves of the eucalyptus trees for the koalas to eat and look after the __________ wildlife at our centre. If they recover, they are __________ back to where they come from.

As a kid I would never have imagined doing this. I feel like I’m the __________ girl on the planet that I get to do what I love. I believe it’s my __________.

After Japan discharged nuclear wastewater, people are terribly worried about more animals, especially marine animals. Any animal has the right to survive and the Earth is our common home. Please care for our animal friends.

1.

A．learn from

B．do about

C．require of

D．save for

2.

A．kicking

B．shooting

C．coaching

D．blowing

3.

A．together

B．illegally

C．angrily

D．guiltily

4.

A．roll

B．sell

C．break

D．hatch

5.

A．rescue

B．admire

C．purchase

D．identify

6.

A．courses

B．races

C．fairs

D．shows

7.

A．watching

B．recording

C．attending

D．assessing

8.

A．made out

B．ran across

C．gave up

D．cared for

9.

A．leave

B．start

C．dismiss

D．advertise

10.

A．house

B．hunt

C．train

D．amuse

11.

A．confuse

B．direct

C．feed

D．test

12.

A．aggressive

B．hungry

C．deserted

D．injured

13.

A．sold

B．released

C．thrown

D．dragged

14.

A．quietest

B．greediest

C．noisiest

D．luckiest

15.

A．guess

B．calling

C．treat

D．fault

7 . When Tom Blake was a young boy, watching a jet (喷气式飞机) streak across the sky, he knew flying was what he wanted to do when he grew up.

After five years’ training, he finally ________ his dream job in his late twenties — working as an airline pilot. But in 2019, the travel firm he was ________ for collapsed.

By this time Mr Blake had become increasingly ________ the growing threat of climate change, and the aviation industry’s carbon emissions. “I had an uncomfortable________,” he says. “I was really eager to get involved in ________ protest groups, but I knew it would be career suicide, and I had a lot of ________. It would be easier to return to the industry and pay them off.”

Yet with the COVID-19 pandemic grounding aircraft, Mr Blake decided to quit his flying ________ for good. “I prefer flying and ________ interesting destinations, and earning a decent ________.” says Mr Blake. “But when we are ________ the climate and ecological emergency, how could I possibly ________ my needs? We need to think about how to ________ the biggest threat to humanity.”

Giving up his dream job was a ________ decision, he says. “Financially I’ve been really ________ . It’s been challenging.” But he adds, “Taking action has ________ my anxiety.”

Mr Blake is now a climate activist.

1.

A．quitted

B．changed

C．completed

D．landed

2.

A．waiting

B．preparing

C．working

D．looking

3.

A．concerned about

B．puzzled at

C．engaged in

D．experienced in

4.

A．goal

B．conflict

C．solution

D．approach

5.

A．political

B．economical

C．environmental

D．technical

6.

A．regrets

B．debts

C．pressures

D．troubles

7.

A．schedule

B．dream

C．ambition

D．career

8.

A．discovering

B．selecting

C．searching

D．visiting

9.

A．salary

B．honor

C．award

D．fame

10.

A．accustomed to

B．faced with

C．addicted to

D．trapped in

11.

A．remove

B．ignore

C．meet

D．create

12.

A．issue

B．introduce

C．imagine

D．handle

13.

A．tough

B．wise

C．reasonable

D．positive

14.

A．saving

B．struggling

C．investing

D．contributing

15.

A．covered

B．stimulated

C．eased

D．driven

8 . The East African country of Kenya has been at the forefront of the global war on plastic since 2017, when officials banned plastic bags. In June 2020, the government intensified the efforts with a ban on single-use plastics in protected areas. Unfortunately, the measures have _________ made any impact. Hundreds of tons of industrial and consumer polymer (聚合物) waste continue to get _________ into landfills daily. However, if 29-year-old Nzambi Matee has her way, the unpleasant plastic heaps will soon be transformed into colourful bricks.

The material engineer’s search to find a(n) _________ solution to control plastic pollution began in 2017. She quit her job as a data analyst at a local chemical factory and set up a small lab in her mother’s backyard. It took her nine months to produce the first brick and even longer to _________ a partner to help build the machinery to make them. But the determined eco-entrepreneur was confident in her idea and did not give up.

She says, “I wanted to use my education in applied physics and material engineering to do something about the problem of plastic waste pollution. But I was very _________ that the solution had to be practical, sustainable, and affordable. The best way to do this was by _________ the waste into the construction and finding the most efficient and affordable material to build homes.”

Her company, Gjenge Makers, now hires 112 people and produces over 1,500 bricks a day. The pavers (铺路材料) are made using a mix of plastic products that cannot be reprocessed or recycled. The polymer is obtained _________ from factories or picked by hired locals from Nairobi’s largest landfill, Dandora.

The collected plastic is _________ with sand, heated at very high temperatures, and compressed into bricks that vary in colour and thickness. The resulting product is stronger, lighter, and about 30 percent cheaper than concrete bricks.

Matee, who was recently recognized as one of the Young Champions of the Earth 2020 — the United Nations’ highest environmental _________ — is far from done. Her dream is to reduce the mountain of trash in Dandora to just a hill by increasing production and expanding her offerings. She says, “The more we recycle the plastic, the more we produce affordable housing, and the more we create __________ for the youth.”

1.

A．barely

B．nearly

C．mildly

D．equally

2.

A．leaked

B．turned

C．loaded

D．dumped

3.

A．personal

B．orderly

C．feasible

D．adjustable

4.

A．remind

B．convince

C．assure

D．direct

5.

A．clear

B．fair

C．bold

D．mature

6.

A．enclosing

B．distributing

C．channelling

D．reversing

7.

A．distantly

B．openly

C．secretly

D．directly

8.

A．replaced

B．mixed

C．equipped

D．fixed

9.

A．level

B．grant

C．diploma

D．honour

10.

A．employment

B．experiment

C．entertainment

D．investment

9 . Molai grew up in a tiny village in India. The village lay near some wetlands which became his second _______. He learned the value and beauty of _______ there from a very young age. 

When he was 16, Molai began to notice something _______ happening around his home. A flood had hit the area earlier that year and the _______ it caused had driven away a number of birds._______, the number of snakes had declined as well. He _______ that it was because there weren’t enough trees to protect them from the _______. The solution, of course, was to plant trees so the animals could seek _______ during the daytime. He turned to the _______ department for help but was told that nothing would grow there. However, Molai went looking on his own and ________ a nearby island where he began to plant trees.

________ young plants in the dry season was ________ for a lone boy. Molai built at the ________ of each sapling (幼树) a bamboo platform, where he placed earthen pots with small holes to ________ rainwater. The water would then drip (滴落) on the plants below.

Molai ________ to plant trees for the next 37 years. His efforts have resulted in 1,360 acres of naturally-grown land that has become home to many plants and animals.

1.

A．dream

B．job

C．home

D．choice

2.

A．nature

B．youth

C．culture

D．knowledge

3.

A．precious

B．interesting

C．disturbing

D．awkward

4.

A．waste

B．tension

C．pain

D．damage

5.

A．Besides

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Otherwise

6.

A．agreed

B．realized

C．remembered

D．predicted

7.

A．noise

B．heat

C．disease

D．dust

8.

A．directions

B．partners

C．help

D．shelter

9.

A．labor

B．police

C．forest

D．finance

10.

A．rebuilt

B．discovered

C．left

D．managed

11.

A．Decorating

B．Observing

C．Watering

D．Guarding

12.

A．tough

B．illegal

C．fantastic

D．beneficial

13.

A．back

B．top

C．foot

D．side

14.

A．cool

B．make

C．purify

D．collect

15.

A．returned

B．learned

C．failed

D．continued

10 . Damon Carson calls himself a matchmaker (媒人) of the never-ending waste of American society, trying not to pair people with people, but things with people.

In the late 1990s, Carson was on break from business school in Vail, Colorado, when he ______ the vast world of waste. He began ______ creating a secondhand store that would sell old ______ and keep them out of being ______. As a result, in 2010, his company, Repurposed Materials ______.

For nearly ten years, his company, Repurposed Materials, has not been looking to ______ the waste he gets—breaking it down to make something new —but rather finding new homes for thrown-away goods in their original ______.

Carson, a husband and father of three adult children, is far from ______. Frugal (节俭) is how he describes himself. The clothes he’s wearing all came from a(n)______ shop; his truck was bought with 290, 000 kilometers driven.

“Why break something down, why melt something down, if it still has ______?” he asks. An old oil-field pipe might be melted down and turned into a car bumper, but it still takes an amount of ______ to finish the complete change. Why not leave it as a steel pipe? Why not turn it into a ______ post (杆、柱) on a farm? The only cost is ______.

American industrial facilities create and ______ about 7.6 billion tons of unwanted industrial materials every year. For the moment, Carson’s unique business finds new ______ for millions of kilograms of industrial waste every year.

1.

A．created

B．consumed

C．discovered

D．used

2.

A．thinking about

B．protesting against

C．objecting to

D．complaining of

3.

A．animals

B．materials

C．wine

D．antiques

4.

A．eaten

B．killed

C．wasted

D．drunk

5.

A．boomed

B．broke

C．failed

D．appeared

6.

A．sell

B．donate

C．abandon

D．recycle

7.

A．areas

B．forms

C．factories

D．ways

8.

A．young

B．wealthy

C．generous

D．wasteful

9.

A．charity

B．online

C．brand

D．chain

10.

A．cost

B．strength

C．value

D．shape

11.

A．power

B．water

C．courage

D．time

12.

A．wood

B．plastics

C．bamboo

D．fence

13.

A．purchase

B．transport

C．design

D．manufacture

14.

A．destroy

B．distribute

C．throw

D．replace

15.

A．lives

B．colors

C．companions

D．surfaces