1 . Tips for Green Travel with Kids
Traveling doesn’t mean letting go of all the eco-friendly choices we work so hard to achieve in our daily life. Here are a few tips for green travel with kids:
Booking nonstop flights whenever possible will reduce carbon emissions (碳排放).
Whether you’re flying or driving, it’s easy when traveling to pull into fast food restaurants for snacks.
Reusable water bottles are easy to bring along whenever you travel. At the airport, keep your reusable bottles empty until you have passed through the security (安检).
| A．Too much carbon emissions seriously pollute the environment |
| B．But you can pack healthy food before starting off |
| C．In this way, you can save water and energy |
| D．Fill them up on the other side of the security checkpoint |
| E．Security check is a necessary part of each trip |
| F．Save energy by turning off the hotel room lights when you head out for the day |
| G．If the closest local airport doesn’t have nonstop flights to a certain place |
2 . There are more than 7 billion people on Earth. Imagine what will happen if each of us decides to do one thing — no matter how small — to protect wildlife every day. Even little actions can have a major influence when we all do something.
Raise an animal
From wild animals to wild places, there’s a choice for everyone.
Do some volunteer work
Speak up and join
Share your concern for wildlife protection with your family. Tell your friends how they can help. Ask everyone you know to do what they can to stop wildlife trafficking (非法交易).
Find new ways to use things you already own. If you can’t reuse them, recycle. The Minnesota Zoo encourages customers to recycle mobile phones to cut down a need for the mineral coltan (钶钽铁矿), which is mined from lowland gorillas’ living places.
| A．Develop a habit of recycling |
| B．Try to encourage others to do it |
| C．Whether you’re into protecting natural living places or preventing wildlife trafficking |
| D．If you don’t have money to give |
| E．Get together with classmates to raise an animal from a wildlife organization |
| F．Here are ways you can make a difference |
| G．If you are busy with your work or studying |
3 . Ninety-seven percent of Earth’s water is ocean. No blue, no green. If you think the ocean isn’t important, imagine Earth without it. Fifty years ago, when I began exploring the ocean, no one realized that we human being could do anything to harm the ocean.
For me, as a woman scientist, it all began in 1953 when I first tried diving. In 1979, by using a submersible, I had a chance to reach the ocean floor which was six miles offshore and 1,250 feet down. Since then, I’ve used about 30 kinds of submarines. We need new deep-diving submersible. We need to see the undersea mountains and understand life in the deep sea. Exploring and protecting the wild ocean is my big wish.
What’s worrying us is that an ice free Arctic Ocean may happen in this century. That’s bad news for the polar bears. Additional CO2 is not only driving global warming, but also changing ocean chemistry, making the sea more acidic. That’s bad news for coral reefs and oxygen-producing plankton(浮游生物). Actually, nearly half of the coral reefs have disappeared. We’re putting hundreds of millions of tons of plastic and other rubbish into the sea. We’re blocking the ocean, poisoning the planet’s circulatory system. Most of the turtles, sharks, tunas and whales are way down in numbers. All of these are part of our life support system.
Health to the ocean means health for us. I wish we would use all means—films, explorations, the web, new submarines—and campaign to stimulate public support for ocean protected areas. My wish is a big wish, but if we can make it happen, it can truly save and restore the ocean, the blue heart of the planet. For the children of today, for tomorrow’s children: as never again, now is the time.
1. Why does the writer say “No blue, no green.” in the first paragraph?| A．To tell us the colors of the earth. | B．To refer to the ocean and the land. |
| C．To show the importance of ocean. | D．To encourage us to explore the ocean. |
| A．Make joint efforts. | B．Save life support system. |
| C．Encourage children to take action. | D．Explore the ocean by new technology. |
| A．Negative. | B．Concerned. | C．Uncertain. | D．Indifferent. |
4 . A young Dutch inventor is widening his effort to cleanup floating (浮动的) plastic from the Pacific Ocean. He has developed a floating device (设备) to trap plastic waste moving into rivers before it reaches the oceans.
Boyan Slat was just 18 years old when he invented a system for catching waste in the ocean. He also founded an environmental group called “The Ocean Cleanup”. Its purpose is to develop the system. Last year, Slat showed the next step: a floating device which is called Interceptor. It removes plastic out of rivers. The device is powered by energy from the sun. “The 1,000 rivers are responsible for about 80% of plastic going into the world’s oceans,” said Slat. Three of the machines have already been used. Each machine costs about $775, 660, but the cost might drop as production increases.
Since they were used, the machines have been doing very well, collecting the plastic bottles and all the rubbish in the rivers. According to Slat, it is necessary to close “the tap”, which means preventing more plastic from reaching the ocean in the first place. He wanted to clean them all in the next five years. “This is not going to be easy, but if we do get this done, we could truly make our oceans again, ”said Slat.
The device is designed to be safe in rivers. Its nose is shaped to change directions to keep it away from larger floating things. It works by guiding plastic waste into an opening in the front of the device. The waste is then carried inside the machine where it is dropped into containers. The devices ends a text message to local operators that can come and empty it when it is full.
1. What do we know about Interceptor?| A．It needs solar power to work. | B．It is mainly used in the oceans. |
| C．It is being under test. | D．It can help sort waste. |
| A．The waste. | B．The oceans. |
| C．The machines. | D．The rivers. |
| A．To ensure the device’s safety. | B．To send operators text messages. |
| C．To empty the waste. | D．To serve as containers. |
| A．A novel. | B．A magazine. |
| C．A diary. | D．A guidebook. |
5 . The air is thin and we have to rest several times on the shore hike from camp. To our left, snow-covered mountains disappear into clouds that seem almost close enough to touch. On the plain in front of us, we can just make out a herd of graceful animals. This is why we stay here.
Tibetan antelopes live mainly on the plains of Tibet. Watching them move slowly across the green grass, I'm struck by their beauty. I'm also reminded of the danger they are in. They are being hunted illegally for their valuable fur.
My guide is Zhaxi, a villager from Changtang. He works at the Changtang National Nature Reserve. The reserve is a safe place for the animals and plants of northwestern Tibet. To Zhaxi, protecting the wildlife is a way of life. “We're not trying to save the animals,” he says. “Actually, we're trying to save ourselves.”
In the 1980s and 1990s the population of Tibetan antelopes dropped by more than 50 percent. Hunters were shooting antelopes to make money. Their living places were becoming smaller as new roads and railways were built.
In order to save Tibetan antelopes, the Chinese government placed them under national protection. Zhaxi and volunteers watched over the antelopes day and night to keep them safe from attacks. Bridges and gates were added to let the antelopes move easily and keep them safe from cars and trains.
The measures were effective. The antelope population has recovered and in June 2015, the Tibetan antelope was removed from the endangered species list. The government, however, does not intend to stop the protection program since the threat to the Tibetan antelope has not yet disappeared. Only when we learn to exist in harmony with nature can we stop being a threat to wildlife and to our planet.
1. What can we learn from Zhaxi's words in paragraph 3?| A．Protecting the animals can make money. | B．Protecting the animals is protecting ourselves. |
| C．He is not fond of protecting the animals. | D．The reserve is only safe for wild animals. |
| A．Why hunters hunt Tibetan antelopes. | B．Why antelopes' living places changed. |
| C．Why antelopes' number dropped greatly. | D．Why the 1980s and the 1990s are unusual. |
| A．Deleted. | B．Changed. | C．Migrated. | D．Recognized. |
| A．They will be over-populated. |
| B．They will be a threat to man and other wildlife. |
| C．They will be on the endangered species list again. |
| D．They will be in harmony with nature and humans. |
6 . Ever wonder why there are so many people polluting the earth? Ever say to yourself： Hey, I wish that I could do more to help the environment? Have you ever thought about trying to help the earth but never really did it? Well, here are some pretty easy and skillful ideas for that green - earth desire inside you.
●Turn off your computer. By leaving it on all day you are creating more CO2 than a regular passenger would, driving to and from work in one day.
● Ride your bike or carpool (合用汽车).Obviously, you are creating less CO2 which will help the ozone(臭氧).
● Make a garden. Even simply grow some plants in your kitchen, which will help produce more oxygen while eating up some of that evil CO2.
● Buy local groceries. It creates less impact on the environment. Besides, you're supporting your local farmers.
● Recycle. You had to see this coming. But you have no idea how much you are helping the environment by simply reusing a water bottle instead of buying a huge pack at the store.
● Don't run the water while brushing. It saves you money and helps the water resources.
● Open the curtains. Natural light is much prettier and it will keep the energy usage down.
● Rechargeable batteries. You have no idea how much it takes to get rid of batteries. Do yourself a favor. Save some money and some energy.
1. If you don't want to create more CO2, you may_______.| A．turn off your computer or open the curtains |
| B．turn off your computer or ride your bike or carpool |
| C．make a garden or open the curtains |
| D．use rechargeable batteries or make a garden |
| A．Main body. | B．Argument. |
| C．Lead - in. | D．Conclusion. |
| A．the importance of environmental protection |
| B．some ways about how to prevent pollution |
| C．some suggestions about how to save energy |
| D．some suggestions about environmental protection |
7 . A four-year-old boy who was crazy about collecting rubbish has finally fulfilled his dream of being a cleaner. Riley McCourt has admired the local rubbish collectors for ages, spending his days picking up waste on his street and wheeling bins (垃圾桶) to the side of the road to help out his neighbors. He loves cleaning and binning waste. His favorite chore is to empty the rubbish from the chip shop his mum runs. Two weeks ago, however, a disaster struck: Riley accidentally knocked over one of the bins and was accused of causing trouble.
Someone posted in the local Facebook group that Riley had put rubbish in the street, clearly unaware of his love for keeping the streets clean. Thankfully his innocence was quickly proven, and his local council decided to make his dreams come true by allowing him to work alongside the cleaners for a day.
Riley joined the waste collection crew on Wednesday, chatting with the team, helping with the recycling, and riding in the waste collection vehicles. He even got his own jacket. Riley's mum, Toni McCourt, said, “He loves the bins and trucks.” Riley's favorite day is definitely bin day. He goes round collecting the rubbish up on the street. The cleaners all know him when they spot him. He goes outside as soon as he sees them come round. He helps his neighbors put their bins out for collection.
Riley clearly made a good impression during his first day on the job, as community services manager Jane Carrol said she was very pleased with his enthusiasm for the role. Jane said, “Riley is clearly a keen recycler and who knows, when he is older I'm sure he would make an excellent member of the team here. It was a pleasure for the team to show him around the vehicles.”
1. What is Riley's dream?| A．To prove his innocence. |
| B．To collect much rubbish. |
| C．To work as a real cleaner. |
| D．To work in his mother's shop. |
| A．He was wronged by someone. |
| B．He was knocked over by a bin. |
| C．He had an accident in the shop. |
| D．He forgot to empty the rubbish. |
| A．People go out to celebrate it. |
| B．The cleaners collect the bins. |
| C．People help Riley collect rubbish. |
| D．The cleaners collect rubbish in the bins. |
| A．It is dangerous to do so on the street. |
| B．It is good for the community to follow him. |
| C．It is worthwhile to give Riley high remarks. |
| D．It is unnecessary for such a little boy to do so. |
8 . Wasting things is a nightmare (噩梦) for the environment, especially food waste, which does double harm to the environment. A plenty of resources go into the food and the food system also produces lots of greenhouse gases and pollution.
In our homes, restaurants, and food shops, 17 percent of all our food is thrown away—that’s about a sixth of all of the food we have. If you add on the food lost in production, about a third of all food produced never reaches a mouth. At the same time, nearly 700 million people were affected by hunger in 2019, while 3 billion still struggle to afford healthy food. It is mostly households that are to blame: 11 percent of the food ends up in the trash of our homes, compared to a mere 5 and 2 percent from stores and restaurants.
The reasons why food goes to waste are probably familiar to you: dinner party leftovers that never get eaten, food going bad before you cook it, or simply confusion over sell-by and use-by dates that leads to totally fine food ending up in the garbage.
The UN aims to cut food waste in half at the consumer and sale levels by late 2022. Luckily, there’s actually a lot we can do as individuals and governments can make policies to help people and the environment a lot. For individuals, something important is being more thoughtful and prepared when going to the grocery store. Make a list of meals you want to cook, and then only buy fresh produce that you will 100 percent be eating in the next few days. In social aspect, improving education on how to preserve food and understand tricky labels (标签), encouraging food recycling and pushing companies to sell smaller quantities of healthy, fresh food for one or two people could all play a helpful role in bringing down the massive pile of eatable waste.
1. Which of the following contributes most to food waste?| A．Food shops. | B．Restaurants. | C．Households. | D．Food production. |
| A．People eat less than before. | B．The food price is low. |
| C．Food spoils easily during the summer. | D．People are confused about the shelf life of food. |
| A．Grocery stores should supply limited food. |
| B．People should raise their awareness of food conservation. |
| C．Everyone should consume as little food as possible. |
| D．Governments should distribute food resources fairly. |
| A．Health. | B．Fashion. | C．Environment. | D．Science. |
9 . Across the globe, we've developed a coffee addiction, and we've become addicted to single-use cups: 600 billion disposable cups are produced and sold annually. But there's a growing push to cut this down.
Here's the problem with disposable coffee cups: The thin, waxy, plastic coating inside makes it tricky to recycle or compost them. So, they most go into a landfill （垃圾填埋场）. More than that, it takes a lot of energy and resources to make them. Starbucks and McDonald's are trying to develop a disposable coffee cup that can be both recyclable and compostable. But that's easier said than done. The coffee giants have been dangling a million dollars to anybody who can crack the code.
The Rolling Stones are also thinking about the sustainable cups. If you see the Stones in concert this summer and go to get a drink, there may be no single-use plastic cup for you. The bands approached Michael Martin, who has produced a bunch of big Earth Day concerts, asking for help to eliminate plastic waste. He came up with a simple solution.
"When you come up to get your first beverage（饮料）, you put down a $3 deposit, you get a really high-quality Rolling Stones-branded cup," says Martin. "You use it throughout the night, and at the end of the event you can turn your cup in and get your $3 back or you can keep your cup." If you return the heavier plastic cup at the end of the show, it gets washed and used again. Or recycled.
But this idea — returning and reusing a cup — this is not that complicated. So why is this just being tried now? "That's a really good question," says Martin. "In America, we're a throwaway society, and so we're hoping we'll be able to wake people up and change things." He's starting with rock concerts because artists have a pretty powerful platform. I mean, if Mick Jagger tells his fans to stop abusing the planet, who's going to say no to that?
1. Why is there a growing push to cut single-use cups down?| A．Because too many people are coffee addicts. |
| B．Because disposable cups are hard to recycle and compost. |
| C．Because it takes a lot of energy and resources to recycle them. |
| D．Because Starbucks and McDonald's are dangling a million dollars. |
| A．develop a cup. | B．set up a recycling company. |
| C．find the password. | D．tackle the problem. |
| A．People will wash the cups at the end of the show. |
| B．People hand in the cup and get 3-dollar reward. |
| C．People can own the cup by paying 3 dollars. |
| D．People must pay 3 dollars and return the cup. |
| A．Artists have a great impact. |
| B．Martin is giving a rock concert. |
| C．Mick Jagger' fans are abusing the planet. |
| D．Mick Jagger' fans never disagree with him. |
10 . Modeste Traore has lived his whole life near Lake Wegnia, in the Sahel area of Mali. The lake’s fish have provided him with a way to earn money to support his extended family. How-ever, because he can’t catch enough fish to feed his family, he now raises farm animals. But as temperatures rise, evaporation increases, making the body of water shrinks. Studies have linked rising temperatures on Earth’s surface to climate change.
The lake is shrinking, so are the chances of his children becoming fishermen. “If things go on like this, I don’t think our children can become fishermen like us. They will have to choose other jobs,” the 56-year-old Traore said. “During the rainy season, there is a lot of water but as soon as it’s over, there is no water left in the lake. We are fishermen. I don’t think our children will be,” he said.
Lake Wegnia is in the Sahel region of Koulikoro, around 120 kilometers north of Mali’s capital, Bamako. Some 12,000 people, including fishermen and farmers, depend on it for food, water and employment. But the lake has shrunk by 20 percent since 2017.
The UN expects temperatures there to increase 1.5 times higher than the average increase worldwide. UN officials note that the flooding and a severe lack of rainfall can cause problems in the Sahel: Food insecurity, the fight over farmland and the fast population growth can lead to conflict.
Aid group is leading the Eco-Lac Wegnia project. The group is working to improve water management and fight the effects of global warming. Moussa Savagodo is Eco-Lac Wegnia’s local representative. He says that failing to make changes quickly can mean the lake will disappear completely in less than 5 years.
People in the rural areas Wegnia and Kononi-Sirakoro have planted 56,000 trees in the past two years. And they are better controlling their water by building stone barriers to help the soil keep the rain that does fall. The progress and international official support are not enough for them, however. More and more people are turning to other agriculture.
1. How did Traore work to support his family in the past?| A．By fishing. | B．By raising farm animals. |
| C．By taking charge of the lake. | D．By working as an environmentalist. |
| A．A lot of farmland will form. |
| B．The rainy season will end early. |
| C．Many fishermen will flee their homes. |
| D．The later generation will change their careers. |
| A．Drought and flood will directly cause conflict. |
| B．Reducing population is a way to protect the lake. |
| C．Water management makes no difference to the lake. |
| D．The rise in temperature will cause water resource problems. |
| A．The local officials. | B．The Aid group members. |
| C．The villagers. | D．The representatives. |
