1 . As most people know, in the last few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only weakened the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people.

Therefore, effective measures should be taken as soon as possible to stop its happening. So how should we deal with the frightening sandstorms?

Some experts offer practical advice as follows: For one thing, more money ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection in order to keep more water on the Earth. For another, government of all countries should make laws on environment protection. For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to lower the grade of its destruction and to improve the environment. As for some schools, education about sandstorms should be spread properly and timely to make more and more people attach great importance to this problem.

How people look forward to sunny days with soft wind touching their faces now and forever! The golden days can come back so long as we try our best to protect the natural environment from today on. And the fact is that what I expect is not just a dream. There are some sweet fruits from the early efforts.

1. What’s the first paragraph mainly about?

A．Bad influences sandstorms bring.

B．Ways to protect the environment.

C．The biggest cause of sandstorms.

D．The fast development of China.

2. How many ways to deal with sandstorms are mentioned by some experts?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

3. What can we infer from the text?

A．The damage sandstorms cause can never be avoided.

B．The author has confidence in fighting against sandstorms.

C．The author is unsure about the future of the environment.

D．The improvement of the environment is especially relaxing.

4. What will the author probably write about in the following part?

A．Why people should always carry on with dreams.

B．A bright world with no sandstorms anymore.

C．How to realize our dream to live a happy life.

D．Successful examples of stopping sandstorms.

2 . Seattle on Sunday became the first major US city to ban drinking straws(吸管), an environmentally friendly move that leaders hope will spark a nationwide conversation about small, everyday changes that people can make to protect the planet.

A decade ago, the city adopted a law requiring that all one-time-use food-service items be compostable(可分解的) or recyclable. But straws were exempted from that law because there were not many good alternatives. So the straws stayed, along with the environmental problems they cause.

Most plastic straws aren’t heavy enough to make it through industrial recycling sorters, and can ruin an otherwise good load of recycling. Or they end up getting blown out of trash cans and car windows and eventually wind up in the oceans, where they can hurt wildlife.

Strawless Ocean estimates that 71 percent of seabirds and 30 percent of turtles have some kind of plastic in their stomachs. The organization says plastic can increase the death rate of marine life by 50 percent.

Now customers at grocery stores, restaurants, food trucks, even institutional cafeterias have to find another way to get liquid into their mouths. Compostable paper straws are allowed under the ban. People who have a medical need to use a straw are not included. 

Failure to obey may result in a US$250 fine, although city leaders said that the purpose of the law is more about raising awareness. In September, 150 businesses participated in Strawless in Seattle, an attempt to reduce the use of plastic straws. In that month alone, Strawless Ocean estimates, 2.3 million plastic straws were removed from the city.

“When you get your iced drink, you’re going to get a straw. When you get your wine, you’re probably going to get a straw,” said Dune Ives, executive director of the Lonely Whale Foundation, which led the campaign. “Imagine a world where we could stop consuming 500 million straws a day, just in America!” the campaign says. “Imagine a world that is less dependent on plastic. That’s change we can start today!”

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

A．To make something out of the list.	B．To make something better than before.
C．To include something in a special list.	D．To forgive someone who makes mistakes.

2. What the problem may the drinking straws cause according to the passage?

A．They may make the trash cans dirty.	B．They may destroy American recycling system.
C．They may cause much ocean wildlife in danger.	D．They may cause many companies get fined.

3. What is the attitude of the public towards the ban?

A．Many people are in favor of it.	B．Many people pay no attention to it.
C．Some people are strongly against it.	D．Only the government workers agree with it.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Seattle becomes first major US city to ban straws.

B．Seattle successfully bans people from using straws.

C．Seattle has been working hard to protect the environment.

D．Imagine a world that is less dependent on plastic.

3 . There’s been a lot of talking about white-and-blue collar workers, and you may have even heard of gold collar workers, but lately a new color of collar is making its way into China’s urban vernacular(土话)—green. Green collars say no when work is life and life is work. They choose to get out of the fast lane(车道), and explore new ways of living “green”.

Living green doesn’t mean someone is working as an environmentalist, biologist or scientist. Instead it is more of a lifestyle choice. A typical green collar is well educated like a white-collar but physically tough like a blue-collar, likely born in the 70s or 80s of the last century and living in one of China’s big cities, with a monthly income well above 5,000 yuan(about US $700).

The life of a green collar may go something like this: Turn off the mobile phone after work, eat only healthy food rich in vitamins, go on hikes every weekend, and like to help the underprivileged.

Green collars even have their own club. In Beijing, the Green Collar Club is for people who share a “be happy, healthy and helpful” spirit. The club often holds charity parties and uses the donations for environmental protection and poverty relief(摆脱贫困) projects in China.

“They are successful in their careers, but do not miss the pleasures in life. They have a lot of money, but do not fall slave to it.” said Zuo Shiguang, one of the founding members of the club.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Differences between white-and-blue collars and green collars.

B．The increasing awareness(意识) of environmental protection.

C．New trends of life in China’s big cities.

D．The lifestyle of green collars.

2. Green collars are living green because               .

A．they have a large income to use

B．they spend a lot of money and time in the open air

C．they don’t want to live an unhealthy life

D．they devote themselves to(致力于) environmental protection

3. Green collars will               after work.

A．prefer to be left alone	B．think nothing about work any more
C．have fun with old friends	D．do a lot of extra work at home

4. What’s Zuo Shiguang’s attitude towards green collars?

A．appreciative.	B．doubtful(怀疑的).
C．negative(否定的).	D．worried.

5 . We all know that forests-especially rainforests-absorb carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen that all living things depend on. It’s no wonder that they have been named the lungs of the planet. Today, after the big fires in the Amazon, Alaska, Greenland, and even Siberia, it’s very clear that we need to grow a forest that is fireproof. That’s not an impossible dream. We can grow seaweed forests that are fireproof because they are underwater.

Seaweed can store carbon and help reduce the influence of global warming. Now, seaweed is being farmed in small ocean farms to be used for food, medicines, and beauty products. If seaweed can be grown on a large scale(大规模地), it could help to fight against global warming.

“Seaweed is finally having its moment in the spotlight,” said Halley Froehlich, a scientist at the University of California. She is the lead author of a new study published in Current Biology. The study shows that large-scale seaweed farming could be used to cancel out land-based carbon emissions and it mapped the areas of the oceans where seaweed could be grown.

Now, only 3.8 percent of the US waters off the coast of California are being used to grow seaweed but that is just 0.065 of the ocean that can be farmed. In fact, 48 square kilometers of the world’s oceans can be used for seaweed farming.

For seaweed farms to be part of the global solution, they will have to be much larger. To create underwater forests, seaweed would have to be grown, harvested and then sunk into the deep ocean so that the trapped carbon could be buried for years to come.

While it sounds like a good plan on paper, “The technology doesn’t yet exist” to keep seaweed in the deep ocean, said Froehlich. “Hopefully this paper encourages conversation among engineers and economists about what it would take for the actual tools to be put in place.”

1. What makes people put forward the idea of growing seaweed forests?

A．The burning of forests.

B．Seaweed’s economic and medical value.

C．Uncontrollable carbon dioxide emissions.

D．Their long-lasting dream of underwater exploration.

2. Why can seaweed be used to fight against global warming?

A．It doesn’t burn.	B．It doesn’t pollute.
C．It can take in carbon.	D．It can break down plastics.

3. What does the underlined part “having its moment in the spotlight”in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Breaking silence.	B．Taking a bad turn.
C．Drawing people’s attention.	D．Making room for other products.

4. What does Frochlich say about the idea of growing seaweed forests in the last paragraph?

A．It has a long way to go.	B．It has been put into practice.
C．It needs lots of money to carry out.	D．It needs enough evidence to support.

6 . Yosemite is a national park in California. It is very beautiful and big. The park includes more than 760,000 acres in the California Mountains. Most of the park is wilderness.

The part of Yosemite that everyone likes is Yosemite Valley. It is a tiny valley that is 7 miles long and less than 1 mile wide. It has tall rock walls and streams that splash down in waterfalls. More than two million visitors come to the valley each year.

One ranger (守护人) says the number of visitors is more than the land can handle. The valley has 4,500 camping spots. It has a hotel that can hold 4, 000 families. This is still not enough to handle all of the visitors. The valley has grown so big that it has a lot of traffic and crime.

A worker says the park is trying to keep the beauty of the park and let everyone visit. Some areas have been fenced off from people and planted with seeds to try to keep them beautiful.

A former worker thinks Yosemite should get more money to take better care of the park. He would also like to teach people what the park service is trying to do.

Some people are trying to save Yosemite Valley. A plan has been made to get rid of some buildings. There will be fewer cars allowed inside the park. More buses will help get people around.

1. According to the passage, which of the following should be rid of?

A．Some of the trees.	B．Some of the water.
C．Some of the families.	D．Some of the buildings.

2. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Yosemite is a national park located in the California desert.

B．Some people think the amount of visitors is more than the land can handle.

C．The valley has 4, 500 parking spots and some hotels.

D．Most of Yosemite park is full of traffic and crime.

3. There are parts of the park that are closed ________.

A．so some visitors can stay there alone	B．in order to supply an area for camping
C．so visitors can go fishing and barbecuing	D．and workers will plant seeds

4. The passage mainly tells us ________.

A．Yosemite is a beautiful national park	B．Yosemite is faced with a new problem
C．Yosemite is wilderness	D．Yosemite attracts a great many visitors each year

7 . It is the year 3000. I come to a place where I can’t see any water, plants or animals but black clouds in the sky and sand everywhere. It’s very dry so I drink some water that I carry with me. A native sees what I do and asks “What is it?” I pour some water and tell him it’s called water. “Oh, I’m so lucky that I can see water!” the man shouts in an excited voice. “You have never seen water? But how can you live without water?” I ask.

“Harry, get up, it is 7 o'clock, or you will be late!” a voice comes to my ears. “Oh! What a strange dream I dreamed just now!”

In class, I always think of that dream. And I also think of the fresh air, clean water, blue sky, green plants and animals in our world nowadays. How beautiful our life is!

But in order to make more money, people have built more and more factories. These factories send out waste smoke and water with chemicals which are harmful to the environment. The pollution is becoming worse and worse, and as a result, some animals and plants die out. With the development of agriculture, farmers spray aerosol (喷雾) and fertilizer, which also pollute the water and air. In the street the cars and buses are sending out heavy smoke which pollutes the air badly. Even tourism is harmful to the environment. When some tourists travel somewhere, they throw the plastic bags and rubbish onto the ground.

These behaviors are polluting the environment and the environment will become the greatest problem of the world. We shouldn’t pollute the environment any more. Otherwise more and more animals and plants will disappear. And maybe my dream will come true in the future.

1. In the place I come to, I can’t see      .

A．plants	B．man
C．clouds	D．sand.

2. From the passage we can infer Harry is the name of      .

A．a dog	B．one of the author’s friends
C．the author’s sister	D．the author

3. The author       the environment of the future.

A．is satisfied with	B．is worried about
C．is angry about	D．has an optimistic attitudes towards

4. From the passage, we can conclude _______ is the cause of the polluted environment.

A．cars and buses	B．fertilizer
C．tourism	D．man

8 . 83-year-old Antonio Vicente has spent the last four decades of his life fighting against the current. As Brazilian landowners cut down rainforests to make room for profitable (盈利的) plantations and cattle grazing grounds, he struggled to bring the thick jungles of his childhood back to life.

In 1973 Antonio took up the challenge of restoring the forest on a 31-hectare piece of land that had been destroyed for cattle grazing. Ironically enough, he bought the land in Brazil's Sao Paulo region, using credits （贷款）that the military government was giving out to promote deforestation (砍伐森林) and agricultural technology. But Antonio didn't use the money to promote the national agriculture but wanted to revive the forest.

"You are stupid. Planting trees is a waste of land. You won't have income. If it’s full of trees, you won't have room for cows or crops," Antonio's neighbors told him. But he knew the damage caused by deforestation was far greater than financial profit. Antonio had grown up on a rural farm, and watched his father and the other villagers cut down forests at the owners’ orders, either for charcoal production or to clear land for grazing cattle. He had watched the ancient water sources dry up and people struggling to survive.

With only some donkeys and a few hired workers Antonio brought back the forest to his land. What started out as a weekend hobby soon became a permanent way of life. Antonio often recalls spending days and nights in his young jungle, surrounded by rats and foxes, and eating banana for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

As the forest grew, the water returned, and Antonio says that there are now over 20 water sources on his land that were no longer there when he bought it. Then the animals started making a home there. Today, the forest is alive with sounds of birds and insects living there, and more species are settling in every year.

1. The credits given by the government should have been used to_______.

A．encourage agriculture	B．recover the forest
C．plant trees	D．produce coal

2. What was the neighbors’ attitude toward Antonio’s practice?

A．Positive.	B．Hopeful.
C．Discouraged.	D．Favorable.

3. What caused water sources to dry up in Antonia’s village?

A．People’s wasting water.	B．Destroying the forest.
C．Crops’ overusing water.	D．Raising too many cows.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Antonio’s hard work has paid off.	B．Antonio has made big profits.
C．Antonio’s forest has become a zoo.	D．Antonio is living with animals.

9 . 阅读理解。
We already know the fastest,least expensive way to slow down climate change:use less energy.With a little effort,and not much money,most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets.
Not long ago,my wife,PJ,and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change.Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago,and that the consequences(后果)could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emission(排放)of carbon dioxide(CO₂)and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere.
We decided to try an experiment.For one month we recorded our personal emission of CO₂.We wanted to see how much we could cut back,so we went on a strict diet.The average US household produces about 150 pounds of CO₂ a day by doing common things like turning on air conditioning or driving cars.That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average,mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses.But how much should we try to reduce?
For an answer,I checked with Tim Flannery,author of The Weather Makers:How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth.In his book,he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emission to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points,such as the melting(融化) of the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica.“To stay below that point,we need to reduce CO₂ emission by 80 percent,”he said.
Good advice,I thought.I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind.We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock.I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened.We should not let this happen again.It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary.
1. Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?

A．To take special kinds of food.

B．To respond to climate change.

C．To lose weight.

D．To improve their health.

2. The underlined words“tipping points”most probably refer to “ ”.

A．freezing points	B．burning points
C．melting points	D．boiling points

3. According to the passage,Tim Flannery .

A．made deep cuts in his personal emission of CO2

B．wrote a book about the climate changes

C．succeeded in reducing CO2 emission by 80 percent

D．was an author popular among readers

4. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．Saving Energy Starts at Home

B．Changing Our Habits Begins at Work

C．Changing Climate Sounds Reasonable

D．Reducing Emission of CO2 Proves Difficult

10 . The problem of global warming has caused a lot of people to try their best to protect the environment. Unluckily, there are still many people who think it is hard to go green. In fact, it is very easy to be green in our daily life.

You can make a great start by learning to recycle (回收利用). While this looks really simple, there are many people who still throw glass bottles into their common garbage. Almost all cities offer a recycling bin (垃圾箱) for these items. If you put them in the recycling bin instead of throwing them away, you will be on the path to save the earth.

One good thing to recycle is newspaper. But there are still some people who just put their newspaper in the garbage when they finish reading it. As we know, there are many other things we can do with an old newspaper. For example, we can use it to clean our windows.

Another thing that could help you to start to live green is to begin walking a bit more. Many people think nothing of getting in their car and driving one mile to get drinks at the local store. If you walk to the store, not only can it take less time, because you won’t have to try to find a parking place, but you will be saving money on gas and helping to protect the environment. If you wish to save even more on gas, take the opportunity to car pool (拼车) each time you can, which has become popular in many countries.

There really are many means by which people can start living green. They only have to make some changes in their lifestyle to improve our environment.

1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To advise people to learn to live green.

B．To express worries about global warming.

C．To show the importance of living green.

D．To tell readers that many people are living green.

2. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A．. Driving can cause trouble sometimes.

B．Newspaper is being recycled by some people.

C．Car pooling is not allowed in some countries

D．Many people can’t recycle glass bottles properly.

3. What is the best title for the text?

A．Going green is much simpler than we think

B．Why do we need to live a green life?

C．Global warming is becoming worse

D．What is causing global warming?