Trees are useful to man in three very important ways: they provide him with wood and other products; they give him shade; they help to prevent drought and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. To make money from the trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had.
Two-thousand years ago, a rich and powerful country cut down-its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire. It gained the empire, but since the trees were cut down, its soil became hard and poor. When the empire fell to pieces, the home county found itself faced by floods and hunger.
Even where a government realizes the importance of an enough supply of trees, it is difficult for it to let the villagers see this. The villagers want wood to cook their food with, and they can earn money by selling wood to the townsmen. They are usually too lazy or too careless to plant and look after new trees. So, unless the government has a good system of control or can educate the villagers, the forests will not get protected. This does not only mean that the villagers’ sons and grandsons will have fewer trees. The results are even more serious. Where there are trees, their roots break the soil up, allowing the rain to sink in, which makes the soil stick together and prevents it being washed away easily. Where there are no tree, the rainfall son hard ground and flows away on the surface, causing floods and carrying away with it the rich top-soil, in which crops grow so well. When all the top-soil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.
1. Why do men cut down trees in large numbers in many places? (No more than 10 words)2. What happened to the soil after trees were cut down in the rich and powerful country? (No more than 5 words)
3. What should the government do to protect the trees? (No more than 15 words)
4. What does the underlined phrase “sink in” in the last paragraph mean in English? (No more than 5 words)
5. Do you think it is important to protect trees? Why do you think so? (No more than 20 words)
2 . As we enjoy the summer ocean waves along the beaches, we may think nervously about Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and the great fear that sharks inspire in us.
Yet we are happy to see global efforts to protect the declining number of sharks. The world has realized that we need the species, like sharks, to keep a balanced ecosystem. Sharks, in particular, are “in” these days. Thanks to good public policy and famous stars such as Jackie Chan and Ang Lee, killing sharks for fin soup is no longer cool.
The demand for shark fins has been rising for decades, threatening sharks with extinction (灭绝)—up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins. But we have started to reverse the trend, particularly in many areas of the United States and overseas where restaurants once proudly provided delicious shark fins on the menu.
In California, a ban on the sale and possession of shark fin soup has gone into effect this year through the efforts of Wild Aid and other organizations. Overseas marketing and public efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years. These efforts all show signs of success, on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins.
Actually, stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the buying and selling of wildlife products. These products come from hunting elephants, tigers and rhinos, besides killing marine life. Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys, killing animals is big business. The hunting of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury (奢侈的) goods has become a fall-scale war. The decrease of African elephant populations is alarming. Together with international partners, the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for high-end products that rely on killing animals.
1. Why do people begin to make efforts to protect the declining number of sharks? (No more than 15 words)2. What’s the main reason for killing sharks? (No more than 10 Words)
3. Who helped California decide to ban the sale and possession of shark fin soup? (No more than 5 Words)
4. What does the underlined word “reverse” in Paragraph 3 mean? (1 word)
5. In your opinion, what’s the best way to stop killing animals? (No more than 20 words)
3 . If you’re a fan of fast fashion, your choices may be narrowing in the near future.
At the end of 2020, fast-fashion giant H&M said it would close 350 stores worldwide. Recently, Spanish fashion giant Inditex announced that it would close all its Bershka, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius stores in China. It all indicates that fast fashion is slowing down, noted the website Fast Company.
A major reason is the shift in the mindset (心态) of consumers. Millennials, those who were born in the 1980s or 1990s, are now the largest consumer group. Unlike their predecessors (前人), millennials are more financially stable,and thus low-priced fast fashion is not their priority. According to The South China Morning Post, more people are starting to care about quality and the stories behind a product.
Another factor is the growing concern over the fashion industry’s effect on the environment. As The New York Times noted, the fashion industry is one of the largest polluters of clean water and three-fifths of clothes produced in a year end up in landfill (垃圾场). As there is more awareness of the climate crisis, younger people are pursuing more eco-friendly choices.
Molly, 22, is one of them. Before she went to college, she used to frequent fast-fashion shops like Forever 21 and H&M. But after taking a class that focused Fast fashion slows down on the environmental impact of clothing production, her preference changed. Now, she tries to shop in a way that is both sustainable (可持续的) and affordable: She shops second-hand. “My friend showed me how easy it was to be thrifty (节约的) and I developed a new personal style that focused less on trends but on basics that don’t go out of style.” she told MTV News.
In order to survive in the competitive market, many fast-fashion brands are making changes as well. For example, Inditex said that the company plans for all of its clothes to be sustainable by 2025.
“Sustainability is a never-ending task in which everyone here is involved.” said Pablo Isla, CEO of Inditex.
1. Why is fast fashion unpopular among millennials?| A．Millennials follow former generations’ style. |
| B．Millennials prefer cheaper clothes. |
| C．Millennials attach more importance to quality. |
| D．Millennials like brands with a long history. |
| A．Unsold clothes are a threat to the environment. |
| B．Low-quality fashion products don’t last long. |
| C．Climate change should be blamed on the fashion industry. |
| D．More people prefer eco-friendly fashion products. |
| A．She likes thrifty brands. |
| B．She buys used clothes. |
| C．She prefers trendy clothes. |
| D．She buys only necessary clothes. |
| A．how competition is becoming more fierce in the fashion industry |
| B．how sustainability has become the top priority for most fashion brands |
| C．how the fast-fashion industry is suffering a big loss |
| D．how a major company can change their products to fit the market |
| A．Promising. | B．Hopeless. | C．Unclear. | D．Unpredictable. |
Julie, an Australian housewife in Brisbane is one such example. Even though autumn is approaching Australia's Brisbane in April, one can still watch colorful blooming (盛开的) flowers in Julie's little garden, as she tells that in her community,“Each of us has a beautiful yard. The whole community, from children to elderly people, takes care of the environment as if they are taking care of their own garden.”
“Gardening is the most popular club in our community,” she says. “A lot of retired people don't just regularly organize gardening lectures, but also personally visit families in the community to provide gardening training. So you can see that flowers continue to blossom(开花) in our gardens throughout the year.”
Talking about her people's sense of caring for the environment, Julie says when people in the community take along their dog, they always carry a garbage bag to deal with the dog's waste. “In our community, you will never experience the embarrassment of stepping on the dirty waste while you are walking on the grass,” says Julie with a smile. “Taking care of the dog's waste can also help to develop children's sense of responsibility!”
As to protecting water resources, the Australian government has made strict rules for families. Julie says, “We certainly would not use tap water to water the flowers!” She says almost every family in her community has a huge tank used to store rainwater, which is later used as the resource of all outdoor water use, including car washing and watering the garden. This year, they also asked people to connect the water tank with their toilets.
1. From the first three paragraphs we learn that_______.
| A．gardening is popular in most parts of Australia |
| B．April is a great time for people to enjoy flowers |
| C．Julie's community has a deep sense of caring for nature |
| D．it's not easy to keep a garden without proper training |
| A．Families are taught how to take care of their gardens. |
| B．Gardening lessons are often given by professors. |
| C．The local government provides free gardening training. |
| D．There is enough rainwater to water the flowers regularly. |
| A．She finds it embarrassing to walk on the grass. |
| B．She once stepped on a dog's waste. |
| C．She is quite in favor of raising a dog. |
| D．She takes pride in her community. |
| A．rainwater is not the best resource |
| B．her community makes full use of resources |
| C．her community owns a public tank |
| D．it is not necessary to water flowers very often |
| A．How Australians save resources |
| B．Love nature, the Australian way |
| C．How Australians lead their life |
| D．Protect nature, a must of life |
