1 . Paper is one of our oldest, simplest and most important inventions. But it also presents a danger to the world in two significant ways. First, the making of paper requires the loss of millions of trees each year. Between 2001 and 2019, the world lost 386 million hectares of forest. Of the trees that were cut down, 42% went to paper production. And worldwide use of paper is expected to double in the next 40 years. Clearly, the planet cannot sustain such a high rate of forest loss.
The second great problem with paper is what happens once it is no longer useful. A huge quantity of wastepaper ends up in dumps and landfills (垃圾填埋场), where it can produce harmful gases. Paper in landfills leads to the release (释放) of methane, a gas that is a significant contributor in global warming.
One simple solution can greatly reduce both of these problems: paper recycling. Paper is mainly made from cellulose (纤维素), which makes up the cell walls of trees and many other plants. Because of its structure, cellulose can be used repeatedly in papermaking. So far, trees are the only source of cellulose that can fill the massive demand for paper products. Therefore, recycling paper is simply one of the best ways to save trees.
Thanks to advances in processing, recycled paper isn’t the dull-colored stuff many of us are familiar with any more. It now can offer the same print performance as non-recycled paper.
Effective recycling requires a consistent effort. The way to begin is with education and understanding. Once enough people realize the need for recycling, more effective recycling systems can be carried out. The massive loss of trees affects everybody on earth. Everyone should do their part to recycle paper and encourage government and industries to do the same.
1. What does the author want to express in paragraph 1?| A．Consequences resulting from forest loss. |
| B．The significance of paper in daily life. |
| C．The disadvantages of current paper production. |
| D．The severe situation caused by papermaking. |
| A．It releases smelly gases. | B．It results in global climate change. |
| C．It pollutes the nearby land. | D．It may lead to fire accidents. |
| A．It produces cellulose to make more paper. | B．The structure of cellulose makes it possible. |
| C．The color of recycled paper is different. | D．It produces cellulose without using trees. |
| A．To introduce paper recycling technology. | B．To stress the threat of global warming. |
| C．To appeal to people to recycle paper. | D．To describe the considerable need for paper. |
2 . On a sunny afternoon, Andreas Fath climbed out of a river in Paducah. A small crowd was on hand to witness his setting a new world record. This man had just finished swimming the entire length of the Tennessee River—1,049 kilometers. And he did it in just 34 days!
As a chemist from Hochshule Furtwangen University, the 52-year-old man had taken on this swim for science. His primary goal was not to get his name into Guinness World Records. What really drove this swim was a desire to make people aware of the seriousness of water pollution.
Fath’s crew included his family. Martin Knoll, who helped organize Fath’s swim, also took par t. Knoll is an environmental scientist at the University of the South. He describes this swim as a vehicle for getting people interested in water quality and how we pollute water without realizing it.
It took Fath 34 days to swim the river’s length. Along the way, his crew took measurements of the water’s temperature and pH. They also recorded weather and the speed of the river’s currents (涌流). As for the Tennessee River, they collected daily water samples. A small plastic device attached to one leg of Fath’s wet suit sampled the chemical pollutants (污染物) through which he swam. Finally, Fath’s goal is to use such data to know what on earth results in water pollution. Then he wants to find ways to keep those chemicals out of the water.
Back in Germany, Fath and his students have finished examining their data. They plan to publish their findings soon. Identifying materials that hide in the river isn’t only important for the animals that live there. “It’s also a way to protect human health,” says Fath.
1. What was the main purpose of Andreas Fath’s long swim?| A．To make history. | B．To set a new world record. |
| C．To bring attention to water pollution. | D．To provide inspiration for scientific research. |
| A．It was tiring. | B．It was painful. | C．It was interesting. | D．It was meaningful. |
| A．To identify the sources of pollution. | B．To learn a lot more about the currents. |
| C．To know chemicals’ effects on water. | D．To get pollutants removed from the water. |
| A．Analyze the collected data. | B．Get the findings published. |
| C．Study how to improve health. | D．Identify materials in other rivers. |
3 . Jane Goodall, the well-known scientist, is starting Trees for Jane on Tuesday, joining a global campaign to fight climate change by planting a trillion trees by 2030.
Goodall made it clear that planting is just one part of Trees for Jane. “The key is protecting existing forest because those big trees have already stored CO2,” she said in a National Geographic interview. Donations to Trees for Jane will support local groups working to stop destroying trees. And those who plant are asked to agree to care for the trees and monitor them until they’re mature(成熟的).
Of course, tree planting is not a substitute for reducing emissions (排放), said Susan Cook-Patton, senior forest restoration scientist for The Nature Conservancy. “The most important action is to reduce fossil fuel emissions. However, even if we rapidly reduce emissions, we’re still going to need to remove carbon from the atmosphere to prevent catastrophic warming. That’s why carbon removal approaches like re-growing trees remain important.”
Some tree-planting efforts have come under fire from some scientists as being ineffective since many programs don’t plant native species, essentially creating tree farms, not helping forests. And Cook-Patton’s message is clear, “Plant the right trees, in the right places, in the right way.” This means planting native trees where they historically lived.
Goodall said this agrees with the goal of Trees for Jane. She, noting that Trees for Jane encourages people to plant trees themselves or donate to support global efforts, said her love for trees dates back to her childhood. Nearly eight decades later, she is working tirelessly and selflessly to share the gift of trees with the entire world, for the good of the planet.
1. What is the most vital measure to reduce emissions?| A．Stop cutting down trees. | B．cut down on fossil fuel emissions. |
| C．Remove carbon from the atmosphere. | D．Plant more trees. |
| A．Be criticized for. | B．Be burned under a tree. |
| C．Win the support of. | D．Argue violently. |
| A．Determined | B．Optimistic | C．Humorous | D．Considerate |
1. 写信目的
2. 个人优势
3. 希望获准
参考词汇：大自然保护协会the Nature Conservancy，招募recruit
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir or Madam,
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
5 . There are many wetlands（湿地） in China and some of them have become the world’s important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng，Jiangsu Province. They are home for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world’s largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve（自然保护区) is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there. There are not many red-crowned cranes in the world, but every winter you can see some in the Red-crowned Cranes Nature Reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.
The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine，too. They are really good places for wildlife（野生生物）. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.
Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the important of wetlands and wildlife. Every year，on February 2nd，many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.
1. Usually the weather in the wetlands is ________.| A．hot | B．pleasant | C．cold | D．dry |
| A．April 22 | B．June 25 | C．February 2 | D．March 22 |
| A．they are home for wildlife | B．they can prevent flood |
| C．they can offer food to the animals and birds | D．all of the above |
| A．China’s Wetlands Have All Entered the World’s List |
| B．Wetlands—Home for Wildlife and Human Beings |
| C．Special Animals in the Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands |
| D．Wetlands—Valuable Recourses（珍贵资源）of Land on the Earth |
1. 活动目的；2. 活动内容；3.活动意义。
注意: 1.词数100左右；
2.适当增加内容，使行文流畅。
A Volunteer Labor
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7 . Nature is all about relationships: the interconnected links between the living and lifeless, and how they harmonize beautifully into a whole that might not be immediately apparent to us humans, as the complexities of the world sometimes escape the grasp of our relatively short-sighted understanding. Perhaps that's why the urgency of the climate crisis and other environ-mental issues don't truly hit home for some; because that important data is presented in a dry, factual way that doesn't touch the deeper parts of our collective soul, in a way that would move us to realize what is being lost.
Clare Celeste is an environmentally-minded artist creating artworks that aim to highlight the precious biodiversity of the planet. Using paper that is complexly cut and then hand-assembled piece by piece, Celeste forms imaginary landscapes of plants and animals that are folded or pressed between glass.
Growing up in Brazil, Celeste says that her earliest childhood memories were of green, tropical ecosystems slowly being eaten up by the rapid expansion of nearby cities.
Celeste said, “When I made a series of combinations, I realized that many of the species in the illustrations had already gone extinct. Humans have wiped out 68 percent of all our planet's biodiversity since 1970, so working with old illustrations can be very heartbreaking as much of the diversity in these beautiful old illustrations has been wiped out by human activities.”
Celeste explains some of the motivations behind this series of paper works: “I wanted to convey the beauty of our planet's plants and animals, while also introducing a more architectural or human-made element with the geometric (几何图形的) patterns. Having grown up in Brazil, I was surrounded by dense urban spaces that often had rich jungle growth just wanting to break through the concrete architecture. I suggest we go back to our love: our love of nature, of our children, of future generations. Because when we love something deeply, we are required to act—to save it when it is threatened.”
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．People are connected with each other. |
| B．People find data on nature boring to study. |
| C．People can't solve the climate crisis on their own. |
| D．People don't fully understand environmental issues. |
| A．Cities were rich in green plants. |
| B．Buildings were decorated with plants. |
| C．Urbanization destroyed the local biodiversity. |
| D．Nature was a mixture of natural artworks. |
| A．Most species die without adapting to environment. |
| B．Humans feel painful at the loss of species. |
| C．Her paper cuts represent the extinction of species. |
| D．Human activities have severely damaged biodiversity. |
| A．The desire to protect the biodiversity. |
| B．The desire for a good childhood memory. |
| C．The idea of imagining landscapes. |
| D．The hope of preserving natural beauty. |
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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9 . Royal Dutch Shell is launching a $ 300 million forestry program, at a time when an increasing number of oil companies are putting money in carbon offset (碳补偿) plans to meet climate goals. The company will spend the money over the next three years on projects to store carbon, including large forests in the Netherlands and Spain, and will start offering motorists the option of purchasing carbon offsets when they buy petrol at the pump.
The executives of the company explained that these carbon offset projects were a new business opportunity for Shell, as well as a way to meet its climate targets. “We believe that over time we will be building a business, because these carbon credits will become more valuable as carbon becomes more limited,” they said. Shell recently decided to cut its net carbon footprint by 2-3 percent in five years, which includes emissions from the products it sells. The company plans to produce carbon credits from the forestry projects, then sell these credits on to customers buying its oil and gas products , or apply the credits to its own operations to lower its carbon footprint.
Plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and restoring forests and other natural areas is considered one of the simplest ways to store carbon. However, the voluntary market for carbon credits based on forestry projects has its critics, as projects in developing countries can be hard to monitor. Shell's move has also been criticized by some environmentalists. They worried that there was a risk of “green wash” when companies invested in forestry projects. “There is an entire debate about whether forestry projects truly reduce emissions or not,” they said, pointing out that planting in one area could cause deforestation(滥伐森林) to another.
Shell said it would rely on the third party to ensure its forest program to meet the Voluntary Carbon Standard and strict biodiversity requirements. Mark Lewis, head of climate change investment research at BNP Paribas, said," Planting trees to offset emissions, as far as it goes, is a step in the right direction.
1. What is popular among oil companies these days?| A．Studying climate changes. | B．Launching forestry programs. |
| C．Selling carbon credits. | D．Working out carbon offset plans. |
| A．By quitting the emissions of its products. |
| B．By commercializing carbon credits it produces. |
| C．By limiting the oil used by other companies. |
| D．By reducing its carbon footprint sharply. |
| A．Discount. | B．Cheat. | C．Decline. | D．Change. |
| A．They sharply reduce emissions. | B．They will fail in developing countries. |
| C．They require broader monitoring. | D．They contribute to deforestation. |
10 . Jimmy likes to follow rubbish trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce rubbish, including things that fall off rubbish trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of Jimmy's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many and up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them in supermarkets. The bags are not allowed in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Seeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like Jimmy to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag bakers' arguments: many cities with bans still allow shoppers to buy paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at, they make up a small percentage of all rubbish on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aid at the product that has appeared as its replacement; reusable shopping bags. The stronger are usable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, long-lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the earth than plastic.
Environmentalists don't question these points.They hope paper bags will be banned someday, too. They want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years.
1. What has Jimmy been hired to do?| A．Argue for the use of plastic bags. | B．Recycle plastic shopping bags. |
| C．Stop things falling off trucks. | D．Help increase sales in supermarkets. |
| A．Plastic bags ending up in tree branches. | B．Bans on plastic bags. |
| C．Environmental damage done by plastic bags. | D．Too many plastic shopping bags in use. |
| A．Their less frequent use. | B．Their unpleasant appearance. |
| C．More energy consumption. | D．Their longer life cycle. |
| A．Industry, Pollution and environment | B．Rubbish collection and Waste Control |
| C．Recycle or Throw Away | D．Plastic, Paper or neither |
