1 . The rechargeable lithium-ion (锂离子) battery market is worth more than ＄50 billion. Lithium-ion batteries, whose demand continues to go up day by day, are used in a wide range of electronic devices. They are made of four main components, and cathode (阴极) is one of them. The cathode’s active material type is what determines the capacity of a battery.

A recent study, led by Wang Yan, a material scientist of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, finds that lithium-ion batteries made with recycled cathodes work better than those with new cathodes.

“The battery industry is expected to grow sharply in the next decade. This high demand has led companies to go to extremes, like increasing deep-sea mining, to gain access to the minerals used in lithium-ion batteries,” Wang said. “Mining minerals will have environmental impacts. Recycling spent lithium-ion batteries offers a way out.”

But until now, the prospect of using recycled materials in lithium-ion batteries has some manufacturers (制造商) worrying that it could impact performance. Thus, lithium-ion batteries are still not widely recycled. Aware of decreasing resources and environmental impact, Wang and other researchers set out to find a way to make recycling lithium-ion batteries economically practical. Through experiments, they could recover more than 90% of the key metals from spent batteries. These recovered metals became the basis of the new recycled battery’s cathode’s active material.

In tests between Wang’s team’s recycled batteries and brand-new batteries of the same composition, the recycled batteries outperform the new ones in their ability to maintain capacity. It took 11,600 charge cycles for recycled cathode batteries to lose 30 percent of their original capacity. That was about 50 percent better than the 7,600 observed cycles for new cathode batteries, the team reported. Those thousands of extra cycles could translate into years of better battery performance, even after repeated use and recharging.

1. What can we learn about lithium-ion batteries from the first paragraph?

A．They are high in price.

B．They are in great demand.

C．They are limited in use.

D．They are simple in composition.

2. What does Wang mainly talk about in paragraph 3?

A．The target users of recycled batteries.

B．The ways to get minerals for batteries.

C．The major reasons for recycling batteries.

D．The complex process of recycling batteries.

3. What are the manufacturers concerned about?

A．Declining mineral resources.

B．Difficult recycling techniques.

C．Serious environmental problems.

D．Inefficient battery performance.

4. Which of the following details best supports the main idea of the text?

A．The battery industry is going to develop dramatically.

B．Recycling batteries reduces impact on the environment.

C．Scientists can recover key materials from spent batteries.

D．Recycled batteries outperform new ones in charging circles.

2 . One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is absolutely the case in Turkey where garbage collectors started collecting books that have been thrown away and ended up opening a library.

It started when garbage man Durson Ipek found a bag of abandoned books when he was working and then it snowballed from there. Ipek and other garbage men started gathering the books they found on the streets that were ready for landfills (垃圾填埋地) and as their collection started to grow, so did word of mouth. Soon, local residents started donating books directly. The library was initially available only to the garbage employees and their families to use but as the collection grew, so did public interest and the library was opened to the public in 2017.

“On the one hand, there were those who were leaving these books on the streets. On the other hand, others were looking for these books,” Ankaya mayor Alper Tasdelen told CNN. “We started to discuss the idea of creating a library from these books. When everyone supported it, this project happened.”

All the books that are found are sorted and checked for condition. If they pass, they go on the shelves. Today, the library has over 6,000 books that range from fiction to nonfiction and there’s a very popular children’s section that even has a collection of comic books. An entire section is devoted to scientific research and there are also books available in English and French. The collection has grown so large that the library loans books to schools and educational programs.

“Village school teachers from all over Turkey are requesting books,” Tasdelen told CNN. The government has to hire a full-time employee to manage the library.

This library is incredibly popular. It is frequently filled with the children of the city’s workers and students from nearby schools. There is a waiting room set up for readers and chess boards for the people who visit the library. You can even enjoy a cup of tea in the waiting room.

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

A．Declined quickly.

B．Grew slowly.

C．Developed rapidly.

D．Worsened steadily.

2. What does paragraph 4 mainly tell us about the library?

A．Its great popularity.	B．Its potential significance.
C．Its huge collection of books.	D．Its wide variety of readers.

3. Why did the government hire a full-time employee?

A．To raise people’s awareness of recycling.	B．To classify and check the donated books.
C．To expand the social influence of the library.	D．To meet the huge demand from rural teachers.

4. What can be inferred about the library from the last paragraph?

A．It’s an excellent place to enjoy tea.	B．It’s crowded with readers every day.
C．It needs to improve its management.	D．It provides a very considerate service.

3 . This 3-mile stretch of sand and tide pools beneath a castle of 80-foot cliffs is a California tourism poster if there ever was one. Nothing disturbs the perfect, sunny view, except — once you’re aware of them — microplastic particles (颗粒). But you have to look close-on-your-hands-and-knees close-to see one. And once you do, you see another and another — so many that you may not think of this, or any beach, the same way again. These tiny preproduction plastic balls that manufacturers (生产商) melt down to form everything have been escaping factories, container ships, trains, trucks — and public notice — for decades.

The 2- to 3-millimeter, multicolored balls are a subset (子集) of microplastic-plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size. Microplastic particles accumulate where water takes them, and they’ve been found on shorelines of every continent.

Dr McReynolds is an environmental scientist who’s now joined a global movement studying their trail into the environment. Establishing a baseline count of the presence of microplastic particles — and, more broadly, any microplastics — is the focus of Dr McReynolds’ scientific study here. Charting the count, noting tide, current, and weather conditions will show if amounts are increasing, and perhaps at what rate and why. That knowledge, he says, can inform solutions to plastic pollution such as regulation of their use.

“What are you doing? Picking up trash?” asks a steady stream of beach walkers whenever Dr McReynolds’ crew walks onto the beach and sets up equipment. These are teachable moments for Dr McReynolds.

One recent morning he told some beach walkers how microplastic particles are believed to absorb toxic chemicals, and — because they resemble fish eggs — are eaten by fish and birds and enter the food chain. Almost right on time, a seagull hopped up to a plastic-coated photo of microplastic particles and hungrily pecked (啄食) at it.

Will his work help save the world? Dr McReynolds waves a finger at that idea, “I won’t ever use that word — I won’t save the world from this pollution problem. Preserve it, yes. We want to take care of it.”

1. What do we know about microplastic particles from paragraph 1?

A．They are too small to be seen.	B．They have been ignored for long.
C．They are products of plastic balls.	D．They can be made into almost everything.

2. What does Dr McReynolds focus on in his study?

A．Classifying plastic particles into subsets.	B．Finding solutions to plastic pollution.
C．Charting the tides and currents of oceans.	D．Creating a data collection for microplastics.

3. What does a seagull’s pecking at the picture prove?

A．The interesting teachable moments.	B．The spread of poisonous chemicals.
C．The harmful effect of microplastic particles.	D．The beauty of the photo of microplastic particles.

4. What does Dr McReynolds expect of his work?

A．To save the world.

B．To protect the earth.

C．To educate the public.

D．To provide solutions.

4 . A carbon capturing device, called Orca, began operating in Iceland in September. The machine was invented and made by a Swiss company called Climeworks. The name comes from the Icelandic word orka which means energy.

Orca can pull carbon dioxide out of the air and send it deep into the ground, where it is turned into stone. The device is made up of four sections which look like giant air conditioners stacked together. Each section contains 12 large fans that suck air from outside into steel compartments.

Inside, the air passes through a filter (过滤器) which gathers the carbon dioxide. It is then heated to a high temperature so the carbon dioxide can be collected from the filter. Then, the carbon dioxide is mixed with water and put deep in the ground into a type of rock called basalt. Basalt causes the carbon dioxide mixture to turn into stone after two or three years.

Orca is an experimental device. It was built to demonstrate that it is possible to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It can remove 4, 000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year. That’s about the same amount as the emissions produced by 850 cars in a year. In order to remove enough carbon dioxide to make a big difference to global warming, much larger devices like Orca would have to be built in many countries around the world.

Some environmental activists say governments should spend more time and money on reducing the amount of greenhouse gas we produce each year, instead of investing in carbon capture methods. But others say that, in order for countries to meet their goal of net zero emissions by 2050, they will need to do both: reduce new emissions and remove the carbon dioxide already in the air.

1. What’s the purpose of designing Orca?

A．To conserve energy.	B．To achieve zero emissions.
C．To protect natural resources.	D．To remove carbon dioxide in the air.

2. What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A．Orca.

B．The basalt.

C．The air.

D．Carbon dioxide.

3. How does Orca work?
a. Sucking the air.                     b. Collecting the carbon dioxide.
c. Mixing with water.              d. Filtering and heating.
e. Putting into the ground.

A．a, d, b, c, e

B．a, c, d, b, e

C．a, d, c, b, e

D．a, b, c, d, e

4. Why are some environmentalists not in favor?

A．Reducing emissions is more important.

B．It might result in new pollution.

C．The technology is not mature.

D．It doesn’t work efficiently.

5 . More than 80 percent of global heat is absorbed by the ocean, which has a massive capacity to store and give off heat. High sea-surface temperatures are causing long-term damage to coral reefs (珊瑚礁). Corals are dying. The IPCC (政府间气候变化专门委员会) projects that up to 90 percent of coral reefs could disappear if global warming reaches 1.5℃. Another reason corals are in trouble is because of ocean acidification. Higher carbon dioxide levels have shift ed the chemistry of the ocean, making it more acidic, and corals and sea creatures have trouble growing in acidic conditions.

When ocean water warms, it expands in volume. This is a major cause of the rise in sea levels, along with the water added to the ocean by the melting of land-based glaciers (冰川). The sea level has risen by an average of 20 centimeters since the late 19th century, and the research by scientists studying the last 25 years of satellite data found that the ocean water is rising faster and faster. If it continues at its current rate, the rise in sea level by 2100 will be more than double the current estimates. Sea level rise leads to the destruction of coastal wetlands, flooding and damage to water ecosystems.

Temperature and precipitation (沉淀) are key elements of climate. A warmer climate means that more water rises from both the land and ocean, and a warmer atmosphere holds more of that water. Scientists have noticed that there are more heavy rainfall events. Additionally, higher water temperature in streams, lakes, and rivers lead to lower levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, which impacts the survival and populations of fish and other sea life.

Especially troubling are the extreme weather events that are happening more often around the world. Hurricanes are ramping up in intensity, particularly in North Atlantic. The year 2017 was a busy one for Atlantic hurricanes. Meanwhile, in the western United States, the state of California has had record-setting drought conditions, which began in 2012.

1. What does the author intend to tell us in Paragraph 1?

A．Global warming has little damage to the land.	B．Ocean acidification affects the sea temperature.
C．Coral reefs are in danger of disappearing.	D．Corals and sea creatures need critical surroundings.

2. What can be known from Paragraph 2?

A．Sea level rise has positive effect on sea animals.

B．By 2100 the sea level will rise 20 centimeters.

C．Global heating is the direct cause of wetlands destruction.

D．The rise of sea level is beyond our imagination.

3. What does the underlined part “ramping up” in last paragraph mean?

A．Increasing.

B．Failing.

C．Appearing.

D．Changing.

4. Which is the suitable title for the text?

A．High Sea-surface Temperatures to Creatures	B．Global Warming, What Damages It Causes
C．Ways to Stop High Sea-surface Temperatures	D．Extreme Weather Events and Global Warming

6 . Traditionally, profiting from forests often meant capitalizing on timber (木材)——choosing commercial timber. Yet increasingly, there is an understanding that it’s of greater significance to keep trees standing than cut them down for financial profit. Money is not everything. We have to recognize real and lasting value is from natural resources. But money is a fact of life.

Good news is that we can expect entire natural woodland is left undamaged and still provides a revenue (收益) stream. Leaving woodland complete does not necessarily mean that we do not touch it at all. Conservation work may involve building back biodiversity or the removal of foreign plant species.

A healthy woodland system can provide a range of yields (产物). Besides eatable yields——top fruit, berries, and food crops, it produces substances for chemical use. The non-timber forest products provided by natural ecosystems will vary significantly depending on where they are. But there’re almost always ways to explore to acquire revenue.

A project in the U.K. shows woodland is also a draw for visitors. It engages a community who creates a sustainable area of woodland. The sale of handmade wooden items and non-timber forest products is involved. But the community largely obtains revenue by opening up parts of the natural woodland to the public with an adventure playground and outdoor recreational activities on the site. It also offers courses on nest building, special wildlife events and more. The project is thought to have great uniqueness. In terms of revenue, it centers round the existing natural land; the yields woodland can provide become side products.

Recreational activities, tours, and classes are just the commencement. A rich and biodiverse woodland can be an ecosystem that draws in people looking for a beautiful place to stay. Woodland has great value in ecological and social terms. And when you nurse it, it could also add to the income from your land.

1. What do people increasingly think about forest conservation?

A．It is difficult to carry out.

B．It means making full use of timber.

C．It outweighs financial development.

D．It should centre on building back biodiversity.

2. Why is the project considered unique?

A．It makes woodland itself the main product.

B．It focuses on protecting natural land.

C．It aims to promote ecotourism.

D．It provides educational experiences.

3. What does the underlined word “commencement” mean in the last paragraph?

A．Intention.

B．Wish.

C．Exception.

D．Beginning.

4. Which is a suitable title for the text?

A．Woodland Brings Profit While Staying Complete

B．A Project Creates Sustainable Woodland

C．Forest Conservation Has Been a Top Priority

D．Non-timber Products Help Gain More Revenue

7 . Leave-No-Trace Camping

For those of us who love spending time in the great outdoors, wild spaces are very special. These are places we visit to recharge, or to fill our hearts with natural beauty.    1    If you feel this way, then you’re the perfect person to promote and practice Leave-No-Trace camping.

Its principles are to treat the wilderness the way a decent visitor would and leave everything just as you found it, with no evidence that you passed through.    2    That’s because your visit makes a minimal impact on the environment.

You can carry out these ideals in a number of ways. Begin by packing out all your litter. Whenever you go camping, take an empty trash bag with you and put all garbage into the bag. In addition, try not to damage vegetation.    3    Wherever you go, think about what your heavy shoes or boots are doing to the plants underneath and try to keep damage to a minimum.

It’s also important that you should not take things away from the wilderness. Rocks, plants, flowers and seashells are all part of the natural landscape.    4    Plus, many animals find homes and food in abandoned shells and flower-heads, and these are things they would miss if you collected them.

Leave-No-Trace camping is about being respectful and thoughtful. It’s about honoring the natural world and the creatures that live in it. If you love seeing an untouched mountain stream or a lovely field of wildflowers, then you’ve already taken the first step.    5    

A．This means not stepping into a wild animal’s space.

B．This is also called “low impact” or “no impact” camping.

C．Once taken away, they won’t be there for others to enjoy.

D．An increasing number of people take up camping in the wilderness.

E．When you put up your tent, try to find a place that’s already bare of plants.

F．We hate to see them littered with rubbish or any reminders of previous visitors.

G．Follow these basic practices and you can be models of the Leave-No-Trace philosophy.

8 . Supermarkets, conservationists and farming groups have shown their concerns about pollution of the Wye, one of the UK’s longest rivers. “The pollution pressures upon the Wye are unacceptable and there was strong enthusiasm for cooperative action to resolve the problem.” said Craig Bennett, head of the Wildlife Trusts.

The pollution referred largely to runoff of the nutrient-rich waste matter produced by the 20 million-plus chickens near the river.

Bennett said: “We discussed how, if the Wye were a school or a hospital, we would be calling for it to be placed into ‘special measures’. We agreed the same level of urgency must be applied.”

Increasing concern led the local government to hold a discussion in May, when they promised to publish a plan for the Wye by the autumn. However, the local government’s push on the river was marred in June when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a Wye video showing sea otters (海獺) rather than the river’s local European otters. The pollution of the Wye was not mentioned at all.

In July Bennett hosted a Wye round table in Powys, Wales, bringing together local groups, the Environment Agency, the chicken produce Avara Foodsr, regional branches of the National Farmers Union and local authorities. They agreed on a plan that included cutting the nutrient pollution “through a reduction in animal numbers” and other measures.

Bennett also wrote to Julie James, the Welsh Climate Change Minister, who said, “I share your concern for the health of the River Wye and other Welsh rivers.”

A supermarket chain said they are committed to protecting the river and engaging with their chicken suppliers to tackle water pollution. They have detailed management plans to make sure their suppliers are farming with care for the environment. A government spokesman said: “We are offering a wide range of support to farmers to speed up their transition to more sustainable practices and help protect this important site.”

1. Why does Bennett compare the Wye with a school or a hospital?

A．To call for urgent measures.	B．To stress the impacts of the river.
C．To show the importance of the river.	D．To urge people to protect the environment.

2. What is the probable meaning of the underlined word “marred” in Paragraph 4?

A．Destroyed.

B．Boosted

C．Perfected.

D．Emphasized.

3. What is agreed on at the round table?

A．Making a careful plan.	B．Reducing animal numbers.
C．Arousing people’s awareness.	D．Asking the government for money.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Sea Otters Are under Attack for Possible Pollution

B．Cooperated Efforts Are Made to Protect the Wye

C．People Are Having More Environmental Awareness

D．More Measures Should Be Taken to Prevent Air Pollution

9 . A future where insects make up a large part of the world’s diet is on the horizon. Despite the unpleasant nature of such cuisine, insects have been considered a delicacy in some parts of world for centuries. Their being low-fat and high-protein makes them a perfect choice for reducing hunger.     1    

Animal protein from livestock (家畜), such as cows, chicken and pigs, takes up 80 percent of the entire world’s farmland, despite only making up less than one-fifth of calories consumed globally.    2    Thus it would support a variety of biodiversity as nature intended.

Insects such as grasshoppers, meal worms and crickets are packed full of protein with much higher vitamin levels than pork or beef.    3    Greenhouse gas emissions through this process are also very little, with insect waste making excellent fertilizer (肥料) for agricultural soil.

It seems that insects are an ideal solution for many issues the world today is faced with.    4    Urban areas of Asia, Europe and North America are most likely to associate insects with dirt instead of as a tasty meal.

Times are changing. The European Union last year declared that meal worms were safe for human consumption. Cricket protein powder is also increasing greatly in popularity, with Canada rapidly becoming the largest market for the product.

    5    As we explore our solar system, efficient means of producing animal based-proteins will become vital. None are more efficient space-wise than insects. And the colonies of the future could well find themselves enjoying fried crickets with a pint of beer while watching the Martian sunset.

A．They also have a host of environmental benefits.

B．Insects reproduce quickly and have high growth rates.

C．Unlike agriculture, insects produce far fewer greenhouse gases.

D．They require little space, water and technology to raise compared to livestock.

E．However, making them a delicious cuisine can be a challenge in several cultures.

F．By freeing up livestock space, huge expanses of land could be returned to nature.

G．A future where insects will become invaluable to space exploration is also upcoming.

10 . On September 29, 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service declared it would be removing 23 species from its Endangered Species Act, including the ivory-billed woodpecker, various Hawaiian birds and freshwater fish, not because they had been pulled back from the edge of extinction, but because the USFWS believed these species would never recover, and were most likely extinct, therefore not requiring protection.

In April, 195 countries are getting together in China for a UN conference to discuss global agreements to protect nature and biodiversity, with the hope of finalizing an agreement to safeguard plants, animals, and ecosystems. However, the new strain (毒株) of Covid-19, Omicron, has potentially thrown the plans into a mess, and negotiators may switch to online talks if travel restrictions to China are put in place again.

“We can't go another four months without any progress” said Georgina Chandler, senior international policy officer at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Conservationists are urging the talks to go ahead —   online if necessary — as the biodiversity crisis shows no sign of slowing up.

“Nature loss has not gone away and threatens both human lives and the global economy,” said Lin Li, director of global policy at the organization. “With one million species currently in danger of extinction, delaying action is not an option.”

Improving conservation and management of natural areas, such as oceans, forests, and wildernesses is crucial to safeguarding the ecosystems on which humans depend. However, forests are still being devastated, often for farming or commercial use. As trees absorb about a third of planet-warming emissions produced worldwide, stopping deforestation is key. At COP26 in Glasgow last November, world leaders plan to invest $19 billion in public and private funds to protect and restore global forests.

It’s easy to feel disheartened by the disappointing news, but the only way to stop more species suffering the same fate is to pay attention and take actions.

1. Why would the 23 species be removed from the Act?

A．Because they are less endangered.

B．Because they have already died out.

C．Because more fund is in need to protect them.

D．Because nothing can save them from extinction.

2. What do Georgina Chandler and Lin Li urge to do?

A．Take immediate actions.

B．Put off the conference.

C．Have online talks.

D．Improve global economy.

3. What does the underlined word “devastated” mean in the fifth paragraph?

A．Abandoned.

B．Destroyed.

C．Rearranged.

D．Disturbed.

4. What does the author intend to do by writing the text?

A．To explain why some species have disappeared.

B．To recommend ways to protect and restore forests.

C．To describe the present situation of global ecosystem.

D．To call for attention and action against biodiversity crisis.