1 . A professor at the University of South Florida recently published a paper she knew barely anyone would read. At least, not outside her field. The paper had to do with the impact of algae (海藻) blooms and depletion (退化) of coral reefs on the region’s tourism industry.

The work of completing the paper was glum, says Heather O’Leary. It involved tracking visitors’ reactions to the environment on social media. “Part of the data for months was just reading posts: dead fish, dead fish, dead fish,” she recalled. “We were really thinking every day about the Gulf of Mexico and the waters that surround us, about those risks, and the risks to our coastal economy.”

O’Leary wanted people to pay attention to her paper and raise their environmental awareness. But she couldn’t come up with any solutions. However, attending concerts at USF’s School of Music inspired and gladdened her. She reached out to its director of bands, Matthew McCutchen. “I’m studying climate change and what’s going down at the coral reefs,” he remembered her saying. “And I’ve got all this data from my paper and I’d like to know if there’s any way that we can turn it into music. So people can know about my paper.”

Indeed there was. Composition professor Paul Reller worked with students to map pitch, rhythm and duration to the data. It came alive, O’Leary said, in ways it simply couldn’t be done on a spreadsheet.

“My students were really excited to start thinking about how students from other majors, such as the music students, heard patterns that they did not normally hear in some of the repetitions,” she said. In this case, she said, the patterns revealed the economic impact of pollution on coastal Florida communities.

With music, she added, “you can start to sense with different parts of your mind and your body that there are patterns happening and that they’re important.” “The world is going to see more and more of these ‘wicked problems’, the ones that take multiple people with different types of training and background to solve.”

Now,a group of professors and students are working to bring together music and the environment in related projects, such as an augmented (增强的) reality experience based on this composition. The group wants to spread awareness about the algae blooms, data literacy (数据认知) and environmental protection.

1. What does the underlined word “glum” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Exciting.	B．Emotional.
C．Routine.	D．Miserable.

2. What favor did Heather ask Matthew to offer?

A．Turn her algae data into music.

B．Find some music about coral reefs.

C．Teach her some musical terms.

D．Compose songs regarding climate change.

3. What do patterns in Paul’s music reflect?

A．The different types of training.

B．The repetition of pitch and rhythm.

C．The threat of pollution on the costal economy.

D．The complex challenges of wicked problems.

4. What role did Heather think music plays?

A．Providing solutions to the algae problem.

B．Exposing more wicked problems to the public.

C．Showing the economic growth in coastal cities.

D．Helping people experience the problems better.

2 . In the vast desert plains of northwest Namibia, rhino (犀牛) trackers start a journey to monitor the desert-adapted black rhinos. These creatures, known for their poor eyesight, walk freely in this remote region.

Led by Sebulon Hoeb, the principal field office r of Save the Rhino Trust Namibia, the tracker carefully approach a grazing rhino named Matty 2. identified by his partner Ebson Mbunguha. Despite the windy conditions working in their favor, they maintain a safe distance, aware of the potential danger of encountering these massive animals.

Every day and night, devoted trackers and local community ranger s patrol (巡逻) the vast expanse of land, totaling 25, 000 square kilometers, where the desert-adapted black rhino thrives. Armed with extensive knowledge of the rhinos’ behaviors and characteristics, they carefully document their observations, contributing to conservation efforts and fighting poaching (偷猎), which remains a constant threat due to the high demand for rhino horns.

Despite challenges, Namibia’s community conservation model has succeeded in protecting the rhino population. By prioritizing the preservation of wildlife and ensuring local communities to benefit from their natural resources, Namibia has become a lighthouse of conservation efforts in Africa. Save the Rhino Trust, established in 1982, has played a vital role in this achievement, witnessing a remarkable recovery in the black rhino population.

The significance of community conservation is stressed by Namibia’s commitment to environmental protection, written in its constitution since gaining independence in 1990. With the establishment of shared conservancies covering over 20% of the country’s territory, Namibia has pioneered a sustainable approach that balances conservation with economic development.

For the rhino rangers who devote their lives to safeguarding these iconic creatures, the job is rewarding. Living under the vast southern sky, they bear weeks of tented living, braving the dangers of tracking rhinos on foot. Despite the challenges, their serious commitment ensures the continued survival of the desert-adapted black rhino, a testament to the power of community-driven conservation efforts in preserving Earth’s oldest mammals.

1. What is the primary role of the rhino trackers?

A．To relocate rhinos to other habitats.

B．To record the exact population of rhinos.

C．To offer rhinos food when necessary.

D．To learn about the current situation of rhinos.

2. What can be learned about the rhinos in Namibia?

A．They favor windy conditions.	B．They will go extinct.
C．They are easy to approach.	D．They can be violent.

3. Which best describes the conservation efforts in Namibia?

A．Limited.

B．Fruitful.

C．Inconsistent.

D．Unnoticed.

4. What’s the text mainly about?

A．The community-driven rhino conservation efforts.

B．The challenges facing rhino trackers in Namibia.

C．The history of rhino poaching in Africa.

D．The dangerous situation of rhinos.

3 . In the late 19th century Yellowstone became the first great National Park, described as America’s “best idea.” But the park was devastating for the Native Americans who had lived or hunted within their borders and who were displaced.

The U. S. has taken one small step to compensate by returning the National Bison Range to its Native owners as a first step. Next, at the 2021 UN Biodiversity Conference, the government should ensure new conservation plans support Indigenous (本土的) and local communities for their conservation achievements.

In 2016 biologist Edward responded to the biodiversity crisis by calling for half of Earth to be left to wilderness, birthing the“30×30”campaign to protect 30 percent of Earth’s land and sea surface by 2030. Backed by many scientists, major conservation organizations, the target is likely to be adopted by the CBD.

Critics argue that the “30×30” initiative, aimed at conservation, could become a tool for exploitation (剥削). They claim it may unjustly burden those least responsible for environmental issues like climate change and biodiversity loss. There’s concern that powerful entities could use the proposal as an excuse for seizing land from disadvantaged groups. Indigenous territories, which host 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity, are particularly at risk of being targeted in the name of protection. Tragically, the very communities that bravely protect nature against exploitation could face displacement, with estimates suggesting up to 300 million people could lose their homes.

There is a way to do global conservation right. Indigenous communities are as good as or better than governments at protecting biodiversity and already conserve a quarter of Earth’s land surface. The CBD needs to ensure that they get secure rights to their territories, as well as the resources to defend them.

The National Park could lead the way in this effort by helping rescue nature and its most passionate defenders from the militarized (军事化) conservation model it pioneered one and a half centuries ago. That is a crucial step toward a relief for the incredible life forms that share our planet, as well as their Indigenous guardians.

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

A．innovative

B．beneficial

C．promising

D．disastrous

2. Which of the following is true about the“30×30”campaign?

A．A biologist’s advocate to conserve nature.

B．CBD’s ambition to empower Indigenes.

C．The compensation made by the United States.

D．An excuse to seize land from dominant groups.

3. What is an ideal way to handle global conservation?

A．Precautions against reducing Pygmy people to poverty and misery.

B．Relying on the governments to displace locals from their homeland.

C．Militarized conservation model pioneered by the United Sates.

D．Returning the land in the care of the Indigenous communities.

4. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Conservation or Modernization?

B．Where Is the Next Yellowstone?

C．Protect Biodiversity’s Protectors.

D．Government as Nature’s Guardian.

4 . Scientists flew over more than 200 landfills across 18 states from 2018 to 2022, claiming it to be the largest measurement-based survey of America’s landfills. Their results revealed that average methane emissions (排放) were much higher than those officially reported, according to a new study published in the journal Science.

Methane — an invisible gas with over 80 times more warming power than CO₂ in the near term — is produced by various sources, the biggest of which are oil, gas and agriculture. Landfills tend to be a less well-known methane source, but they also have a huge impact, estimated at around 20% of global human-caused methane emissions. Landfills produce methane when organic wastes such as foods, paper and wood decompose without oxygen, creating the perfect environment for methane-producing bacteria.

Most landfills in the US are required to measure methane emissions four times a year through walking surveys using handheld sensors. However, those types of measurements are really not designed to do anything about emissions, but rather just detect methane “hotspots”, as people tend to avoid areas that are unsafe to walk through, and where garbage is actively being dumped.

The results of the new study show current reporting systems, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), are missing large methane sources. Average methane emission rates from landfills were 1.4 times higher than those being reported to the GHGRP. The study also found landfill methane emissions were generally much more persistent (挥发慢的) than those from oil and gas production, with 60% lasting for multiple months or even years.

The rapid reduction of methane is one of the most effective ways to slow climate change because of its powerful short-term planet-heating impact. Yet most methane policies in the US target the oil and gas industry. “If we’re going to hit our climate targets, reductions in methane emissions can’t come from oil and gas alone,” said Daniel Cusworth, lead author of the report.

1. What can be learned about methane from paragraph 2?

A．It is a colored gas.

B．It is mostly produced in landfills.

C．It has less warming power than CO2.

D．It can be produced from a variety of sources.

2. Why does the author mention “hotspots” in paragraph 3?

A．To show walking surveys are not necessarily reliable.

B．To discuss advantages and disadvantages of handheld sensors.

C．To stress the value of measuring methane emissions in landfills.

D．To explain what workers at most landfills do in the United States.

3. Which statement will Daniel Cusworth probably agree with?

A．It is impossible to slow climate change in the short term.

B．Methane emissions from landfills should be taken seriously.

C．Little impact is made by methane emissions from the oil industry.

D．The US government should not limit the development of agriculture.

4. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A review of modern landfills.	B．A guidebook to cooking food.
C．An introduction to a gas industry.	D．An article on environmental protection.

5 . Following a sustainable diet, also known as a “planetary health diet”, includes whole grains, fruits, nuts, green vegetables, and olive oil, can be a win-win for your health and the planet, according to a new research.

The new research conducted by scientists from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health has revealed that people who eat more environmentally sustainable food have a 25percent lower risk of mortality (死亡) compared to those with a less sustainable diet, like eggs, the red and processed meat. The findings show that the participants with a good planetary health diet had a reduced risk of all causes of death measured in the study.

The study involved over 100,000 participants in the USA, with a 30-year check-up period. According to Linh Bui, the PhD candidate at Harvard, the research team integrated data on the health outcomes of specific foods and their environment al impact, creating a Planetary Health Diet Index (指数), and gave the participants scores based on their diets. Using this, they assessed the relationship between the scores and the participants’ health outcomes. “The results confirmed our previous hypothesis (假设) that a higher Planetary Health Diet score was associated with a lower risk of death,” said Bui. The people with the highest Planetary Health Index scores had a 25per cent lower overall risk of death than those with the lowest scores.

The environmental impact of the foods was evaluated by factors such as water use, land use, package, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers hope that the eco-index can be used as a simple tool for policy makers and public health services to improve human health and tackle the climate crisis.

However, they acknowledge that the index does not take into account certain challenges that people may have in following a sustainable diet, such as health conditions of the subjects and what cultures they come from. They hope that further research will address these barriers,   as well as relationships between foods and diseases tailored to particular countries.

1. What did the new research find about a sustainable diet?

A．It is a double-edged sword.

B．It can reduce the risk of death.

C．It is mainly composed of greens.

D．It is less friendly to the environment.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The approaches adopted in the study.

B．New confirmation about the results.

C．Supporting evidence for the theory.

D．Potential benefits of the research.

3. How was the environmental impact of the foods determined?

A．By analyzing their elements.	B．By measuring their nutrition.
C．By examining their packaging.	D．By assessing their eco-footprint.

4. What might further research aim to deal with?

A．Individual preferences.

B．Prospective food access.

C．Culture-based healthy food.

D．Sustainable food alternatives.

6 . If you’re aiming to cut back on meat and you want to build muscle strength, you’re not alone. Now, a new study finds that swapping red and processed meat for plant protein a few times a week leads to better health and lowers carbon emission.

“We found that there was an increase in life expectancy of approximately nine months linked to 50% reduction of red meat consumption,” says Olivia Auclair. “When it comes to diet changes to improve health and climate, we don’t need to go to major extremes or completely wipe out foods from our diet.”

But sudden changes can be jarring. For a long time Kyle Backlund had been in the habit of eating meat at many meals, and when he cut back, he felt a drop in his energy level and experienced some tiredness and weakness. When he realized he needed to increase his protein intake, his wife Stephany Marreel — who does most of the cooking and also eats a plant-based diet — found a solution by adding tofu, vegetables, and grains. Kyle says he is now feeling good on his plant-focused diet.

People can get all the protein and nutrients they need from a plant-based diet as long as they do a little planning, says Dr. Christopher Gardner, a food scientist. “If someone is consuming a reasonable variety, meeting protein needs from plant sources is no problem,” Gardner says.

There’s an environmental argument for shifting diet as well, Gardner says. Livestock (家畜) require lots of land and water. Beef production requires 20 times more land and produces 20 times more greenhouse gas emissions, per gram of protein, compared to beans. If people in the U.S. swapped beef for beans, this one switch alone could get the U.S. about halfway to its greenhouse gas reduction goals.

1. What should you do to improve health and climate according to Olivia Auclair?

A．Change your meat-based diet a little.	B．Give up red meat in your meals.
C．Become a devoted plant-protein lover.	D．Take up proper ways of cooking.

2. What does the underlined word “jarring” in the third paragraph probably mean?

A．Admirable.

B．Upsetting.

C．Meaningful.

D．Rewarding.

3. How can one meet his protein needs while following a plant-based diet?

A．By exercising more.	B．By consuming less red meat.
C．By eating various foods.	D．By having whole grain.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Cattle are the main source of greenhouse gases.

B．Americans are reducing greenhouse gas emission.

C．Shifting diet can be beneficial to the planet.

D．Bean production requires lots of land and water.

7 . When 12-year-old Erica Fernandez volunteered to help clean up the beach in her new hometown, Oxnard, California, she could barely speak English. She was just a kid helping 20 adults take care of the beach. She and her family had recently arrived in California from a small town in Mexico.

Erica started going door to door in her mainly Spanish-speaking farmworker community. “I always loved the ocean,” she says, “so it made me really sad to see this beautiful beach full of trash. That’s why I decided to help.”

Erica cared too much to stay silent. Having grown up in a tiny town in the Mexican state of Michoacán, she had a strong motivation to care for nature. “We grew our own food and raised our own animals. Taking care of nature was part of survival.” She wanted to bring that same spirit to her new life in California.

As her English improved, she talked to kids in her high school about what was going on. “I didn’t know if they would listen to me. My English wasn’t good and I was only sixteen,” she says. As she nervously approached the microphone, she was informed that time was running out. One minute and thirty seconds was all she had. “I couldn’t give my prepared speech, so I just spoke from my heart.”

The result was electrifying. When Erica was finished, people stood up and broke into applause. One of the teachers said, “I’m very moved by your words, Erica. When I was your age, I was playing video games.”

Only the second person in her family to go to college, Erica wants to become an environmental lawyer so she can fight for the environment and for the rights of communities. She wants other young people to speak out when they see something wrong, even if they feel shy about it at first. “We are the future. The future is ours.”

1. Why did the author mention Erica’s words in Paragraph 2?

A．To show gratitude to her action.	B．To advocate learning from her.
C．To clarify the reason for her help.	D．To think highly of her devotion.

2. According to the passage, what can we learn about Erica?

A．She was the only college student in her family.

B．She volunteered to clean up the garbage on Spanish beaches.

C．She spent her childhood in a small town in Mexico.

D．She couldn’t speak either English or Spanish in California.

3. What do we know about Erica’s speech?

A．The device disturbed her performance.

B．The audience was greatly encouraged.

C．It affected people’s attitude to playing games.

D．Erica expressed her inner thoughts fluently.

4. From which is this text most probably taken?

A．A geography textbook.	B．A health report.
C．A scientific website.	D．An environmental magazine.

8 . On Friday, students around the world will walk out of their classrooms and gather in joint protests to highlight the global crisis created by climate change. The goal? To get elected officials and industry leaders to actually act to stop the coming disaster.

Climate change poses a terrible threat to humanity, and politicians aren’t doing enough to find solutions, protest organizers wrote on the Global Climate Strike website. Greenhouse gas emissions (排放) are a primary driver of global warming, but leaders have been irresolute about abandoning fossil fuels, even as global temperatures continue to climb.

Strikes and protests by students in more than 2,500 locations aim to show that the younger generations won’t stand easily by while their future — and their planet — hang in the balance. The strike follows a summer of extreme weather linked to climate change: strange global heat waves, wildfires and ice loss from glaciers (冰川). In July, three studies found that the global climate is changing more quickly than it has in the past 2,000 years.

Sixteen-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is currently visiting New York City, is one of the strike’s key organizers. Thunberg will speak at a Friday demonstration at Foley Square there at 12 p. m. local time, after which protesters will march to Battery Park. Thunberg will also address the UN Climate Action Summit on September 23. The emergency meeting is being organized so that world leaders can present “concrete, realistic plans” for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with the goal of reaching zero emissions by 2050, according to a UN statement.

Thousands of protests are planned for Friday — just three days prior to the summit—and collectively, they will be the biggest climate action in history.

1. Why will students gather together?

A．To make their voice heard by leaders.

B．To call on moves to protect the earth.

C．To celebrate the newly elected officials.

D．To organize a big protest for civil rights.

2. What does the underlined word “irresolute” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Hesitant.

B．Concerned.

C．Decisive.

D．Thoughtful.

3. What is the goal of the September 23 meeting?

A．Electing new leaders of the summit.

B．Reorganizing the UN department.

C．Reaching zero emissions by 2050.

D．Protecting the whole human beings.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Global Students Mobilize for Climate Action

B．Why Not Join the Students for a New Planet?

C．Organize a Climate Talk for the Only Earth

D．A New Strike Will Be Staged Worldwide

9 . More than 30 years ago, Jadav Payeng started planting trees on a barren sandbar (贫瘠的沙洲) near his birthplace in India’s Assam region. That day, the then-16-year-old noticed many snakes washed up on the sandbar after a flood. They were dying due to heat exposure at a rapid rate. “How can I help them?” Then he had an idea: Trees can provide shade for them!

Jadav lives on an island, Majuli, which is in the middle of the Brahmaputra River. It begins at the base of the Himalayas, at the meeting of a fan of rivers that drain (流走) snowmelt. At one time, villages upstream had redirected the river, creating more forceful currents around the island and carrying away the soil, thus damaging the natural habitats of its wildlife. As a consequence, much of the island became barren sand, and an entire community was at risk of being displaced.

Jadav also noticed that nobody was doing anything about it besides watching their part of the world disappear. So, he started to put his idea into action — every day, one or two or three at a time. He took notes of how they grew, harvested their seeds, grew saplings (树苗) in his hut and planted before going off to work.

Now that once-barren sandbar is a 1,360-acre forest, home to many animals: deer, Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros and even a group of 100 elephants that visit every year. There are now native grasses that have taken root in the shade and varieties of native trees grown from seeds that have washed ashore. But most importantly, the island that is also home to a few hundred people is holding its own against the bad weather. Standing beside one of the first trees he planted 30 years ago, Jadav tells us: “It’s a little thing, something anyone can do.”

1. What was Jadav’s original aim to plant trees?

A．To save the snakes from heat exposure.	B．To protect the snakes from extinction.
C．To produce materials to stop flooding.	D．To use the leaves to create more shades.

2. What primarily made Majuli a barren island?

A．Villagers’ ignorance of ecology.	B．Villagers’ redirecting the river.
C．The extreme weather conditions.	D．Loss of wildlife’s natural habitats.

3. Which of the following can best describe Jadav?

A．Frank and learned.	B．Subjective yet reliable.
C．Determined and careful.	D．Smart but hot-tempered.

4. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．What the forest means to the wildlife.	B．How ecology benefits the human kind.
C．How Jadav feels about his simple deeds.	D．What difference Jadav’s efforts have made.

10 . Not much happens in the sleepy village of Colaton Raleigh, where almost half of the residents are retired, so local walkers were horrified when they discovered 100 ancient beech trees were cut down.

Residents in the east Devon community are saddened by the loss of the beloved trees, which were cut down by a government agency without consulting the community or council. They were located in a special conservation area and site of special scientific interest, and were home to lots of local plants and animals.

An application was made by a local landowner to the Forestry Commission, a branch of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It would not comment on individual cases, but said all decisions were taken in line with its standards. Alan Pearce, a local tree manager, said, “It certainly ought to be a fairly wide consultation because it’s part of our heritage. Once they’re gone you’re talking about 200 years to regrow. The stumps (树桩) look, nearly all of them, perfectly sound and solid. I can’t see they can say they were diseased or dying. We’re meant to be planting trees, not felling (砍) them.”

He said people were “absolutely horrified”, with one walker in tears over the felling, which he suggested may have been taken to improve grassland in the nearby field.

Resident Fiona Carroll said, “Many people walk in this area as it is part of a large expanse of heathland and they are at a loss as to why this has been allowed to happen. These were valuable landscape and wildlife trees situated along an extensive ancient Devon bank. The roots had grown into large supporting structures giving many a distinctive look.”

Ewan Macdonald, a research fellow at the University of Oxford, who studies how people engage with the environment, said he was not surprised the felling had caused such an emotional reaction because of the way people connected with trees. He said, “It highlights how intrinsically (内在地) bound up things like trees, the environment and conservation are with our culture.”

1. What happened in Colaton Raleigh?

A．Half of its residents retired from their jobs.

B．A government agency felled 100 ancient beech trees.

C．The Forestry Commission made an application to cut down trees.

D．The felling of the trees was done to improve their living conditions.

2. What can we know from the text?

A．The trees were cut down because of disease.

B．The local council didn’t approve of the application.

C．The local residents are eager to protect the environment.

D．The trees were cut down without consulting local villagers.

3. What’s Alan Pearce’s attitude to felling the trees?

A．Supportive.

B．Opposed.

C．Indifferent.

D．Doubtful.

4. Which of the following may Ewan Macdonald probably agree with?

A．Protecting trees is protecting our culture.

B．The felling of trees doesn’t cause emotional reactions.

C．The environment, conservation, and trees are closely linked to our culture.

D．People’s engagement with the environment has no influence on their emotions.