1 . The Antarctic’s snow-white environment is going green and facing other unexpected threats.
Scientists say that as temperatures go up in the polar areas, invading(侵袭)plants and insects, including the flies, cause a major threat.
More and more of these invaders, in the form of larvae(幼虫)or seeds, are surviving in coastal areas around the South Pole, where the temperature has risen by almost 3℃ over the past five decades. Glaciers have melted, exposing more land which has been occupied by mosses that have been found to be growing more quickly and thickly than ever before—providing potential green homes for invaders.
“The common houseflies are a perfect example of the problem the Antarctic now faces from invading species,” said Dominic Hodgson of the British Antarctic Survey. “They arrive by ship, where they exist in kitchens. They now have an increasing chance of surviving in the Antarctic as it warms up, and that is a worry. Insects like the houseflies carry bacteria that could have a deadly effect on native life forms.”
The Antarctic has several native species of insects. Together with its native mosses, these are now under increased threat from three major sources: visiting scientists, increasing number of tourists and global warming. However, it is global warming that is the main driver of the “greening” of the Antarctic.
In the 2015-2016 travel season, more than 38,000 tourists visited the Antarctic. “These tourists are often very careful about not leaving waste. But they could carry seeds or larvae on their boots when they set foot on the Antarctic,” said Dominic.
More and more invading insects and plants have been found on the Antarctic and have required removal. “The insects and plants that are native to the Antarctic have survived there for thousands of years,” said Dominic. “We have to act now if we want to save the environment.”
1. What does the underlined word “mosses” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Houseflies. | B．Coastal areas. |
| C．A kind of plants. | D．A kind of animals. |
| A．They are native to the Antarctic. |
| B．They will die out because of the freezing weather. |
| C．They come to the Antarctic from nearby islands on their own. |
| D．They could severely influence the native species of the Antarctic. |
| A．The arrival of scientists. |
| B．The increasing number of visitors. |
| C．The rapid spread of native plants. |
| D．The rising temperature around the world. |
| A．The Antarctic Is Becoming Green and Energetic |
| B．Various Threats Are Putting the Antarctic at Risk |
| C．More and More Scientists Get to Explore the Antarctic |
| D．Global Warming Causes the Temperature in the Antarctic to Go Up |
2 . Imagine a new smartphone product. It works the same as any other smartphone, but when dropped, those cracks that appear after an annoying fall slowly begin to fade away, and the phone magically repairs itself、A team of researchers led by chemistry professor Takuzo Aida have found a way to create self-repairing plastics that can be used in smartphones, cars and other products. But their new plastics won’t only be used to create unbreakable products, but also help the fight against growing wastes harming the planet.
91% of plastic is non-recyclable and filling Earth with waste. The increasing plastic in landfills is a growing concern due to its negative environmental impact. In 2019 about only9% of plastics were recycled globally, leading Japanese scientists to seek to find plastic that can start its own formation or self-repair.
The self-repairing plastics are made by adding a tiny amount of a specialized substance into ordinary plastic to hold the monomers (单体) together by hydrogen bonds (氢键). When the new plastic is broken down by heat, instead of burning to waste, the hydrogen bonds mix and allow for the formation of special shaped monomers to create a foundation for more monomers to layer on and rebuild itself. The team found that their self-healing plastic was able to automatically repair at room temperature over an hour to regain its durability.
The team’s work suggests great prospects for the future of plastic. “The technique could lead to the development of a made-to-last plastic that does not need to be recycled,” lead professor Aida said at the conference, “and can one day be in products from smartphones to cars and even buildings.”
1. What is the special feature of the new plastics?| A．Hard to break. | B．Cheap to produce. |
| C．Good to health. | D．Easy to recycle. |
| A．Global warming. | B．Industrial needs. |
| C．Economic crisis. | D．Green awareness. |
| A．Its social effect. | B．Its main function. |
| C．Its working principle. | D．Its economic value. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Favorable. | C．Disapproving. | D．Unconcerned. |
3 . Meat is crucial for feeding the planet, leading scientists have said, as they warned it is not more environmentally-friendly to go vegan (素食).
Prof. Geoff Simm, Director of Global Academy Agriculture and Food Security at the University of Edinburgh, said, “I think livestock (家畜) farmers do feel they are being demonized (妖魔化).” Often the argument is made that going vegan would minimize land use, but the modelling studies that have been done demonstrate that’s not the case. We feel that while livestock production has a range of economic, social and environmental costs and benefits, the costs have perhaps been receiving far more attention recently than some of the benefits. Meat has massive social benefits. It’s an important source of dietary protein, energy, highly bioavailable micronutrients (微量营养素), even small amounts of animal-sourced food have a really important effect on the development of children, in the developing world on their cognitive and physical development and they are really important.
Prof. Mike Coffey, from Scotland’s Rural College, added, “It’s completely unnecessary to go vegan. If everybody went vegan it would be devastating for the UK environment. Animals bred for food help boost biodiversity.”
Researchers are currently attempting to breed more environmentally friendly cattle, which grow faster and eat less, which could further reduce the sector’s carbon footprint by reducing the amount of methane (甲烷) released by cows.
Prof. Coffey said that the difference in methane emissions from best and worst cattle was about 30 percent and that if all UK farmers used the most efficient animals this could reduce carbon emissions by nearly a third. But Prof. Coffey said the next stage will be trying to measure the methane given off by different breeds of cattle to find which are the lowest emitters. Prof. Coffey said that soon shoppers could be able to check meat labels to find out how much environmental impact their food has had. He added, “My expectation is that at some point in the near future there will be product labels that relates to the efficiency or carbon impact of the food.”
Professor Andrea Wilson, also of Edinburgh University, said more research was needed into the impact of veganism (绝对素食主义). She added, “We know a lot about the livestock sector because people have looked at it. We actually know very little about the vegan sector. The danger is we demonize one and jump too quickly to the other.”
1. Why are livestock farmers being demonized?| A．Because livestock production has huge costs. |
| B．Because livestock meat contains harmful protein. |
| C．Because livestock need more land and emit polluting gases. |
| D．Because livestock meat negatively affect children’s development. |
| A．To state a fact. | B．To make a prediction. |
| C．To present a solution. | D．To explain a phenomenon. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Intolerant. | C．Indifferent. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Going vegan is not greener. | B．Consuming meat is harmful. |
| C．Raising cows is environmentally friendly. | D．Criticizing livestock farmers is not wise. |
4 . Many kinds of turtles (海龟) found in the Philippines are endangered. But now, the turtles have one less threat. Many people who used to collect their eggs to eat or to sell are now working to keep turtles safe.
Those people are called poachers (偷猎者). Now, however, protection organizations are teaching former poachers how to safely collect the eggs and protect them before they hatch (孵化). The people who do this are paid about 37 cents per egg. That is four times more than they would earn from selling them illegally.
One of the former poachers is Johnny Manlugay. “I’ve learned to love this work,” he said, adding that he did not know it was illegal to eat turtle eggs and their meat. He now collects the eggs carefully and brings them to a group called Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions (CURMA), which takes the eggs and puts them under the sand in a safe place. When the baby turtles hatch, they are directed to the water.
The turtles are called “pawikan” in the local language. They are at risk not only from poachers, but also climate change and habitat loss.
Carlos Tamayo is one of CURMA’s leaders. “We talked to the poachers, and it turned out poaching was just another means for them to earn a living,” he said. “They had no choice.”
Cabagbag is over 40 years old. His wife and seven-year-old son sometimes help him collect turtle eggs. Since October, they have taken over 1,000 eggs to CURMA. Cabagbag said that once he received training and learned that the turtles were endangered, he stopped poaching.
When the baby turtles hatch, many visitors come to watch them run down the beach and into the water. Cabagbag said seeing the turtles get safely into the water brings him a feeling of joy.
1. What is one of the ways of the organizations to protect turtles?| A．Teaching former poachers to collect and protect turtle eggs. |
| B．Getting the locals to receive more education. |
| C．Encouraging the locals to develop tourism. |
| D．Helping raise the locals’ earnings. |
| A．He helps place the eggs under the sand. |
| B．He encouraged his family to collect the eggs. |
| C．He has taken more than 1,000 eggs from CURMA. |
| D．He once lacked the awareness of protecting turtles. |
| A．Poachers. | B．Climate change. | C．Ocean pollution. | D．Habitat loss. |
| A．Turtles Are at Risk from Climate Change |
| B．Former Turtle Poachers Are Now Protectors |
| C．Turtle Population in the Philippines Is Changing |
| D．CURMA Is Offering Training of Turtle Protection to Farmers |
5 . Overlooking the Davis—Gant Varsity Soccer Field, a bed of overturned soil waits for further development. In a few years, this area will become a natural habitat and a playground for animals and residents. This peaceful area didn’t appear naturally, but through planning and action taken by Catlin Gabel’s Tiny Forest project launched by teacher Patrick Walsh.
Forests typically take hundreds of years to mature, with four stages of growth. “Tiny forests flatten out time through the planting of all four layers (层),” Walsh explained. The end result is a fast-growing, native forest in about 20 years. Over 600 plants from 43 species will be planted in the tiny forest, the first one in Oregon.
Walsh was inspired to build a tiny forest after hearing about this idea, which emerged in Japan and has taken hold in North America. He shared his vision with seniors in his class. The seniors researched tiny forests and made a proposal resulting in Clean Water Services donating 60 trees and $5,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Armed with these resources, Walsh and the students started working. “Something I didn’t really expect was the outpouring of students’ enthusiasm. Seeing students from all grades volunteered to contribute to the ‘dirty work’ really blew me away,” Walsh said.
Senior Megan Cover has been at the school since the first grade. “I’ll graduate after working on this project, which is surely sad, but it’s really rewarding and great to be a part of this project and to do my bit. We’re creating this educational space for many young kids,” Cover said.
Walsh summed up his goal of the project, which is to build a place where students can enjoy and learn about nature. “The forest will obviously not solve climate change, but it will deserve the efforts if the kids think about climate change and remember the importance of reforestation and trees when they look outside at the forest.”
1. What is special about tiny forests?| A．They originated in North America. | B．They are usually planted in schools. |
| C．They contain various types of trees. | D．They become mature in a shorter time. |
| A．The abundance of native tree species. | B．Public concern about the environment. |
| C．The active participation of students. | D．Support from local organizations. |
| A．Proud. | B．Regretful. | C．Grateful. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．A model. | B．A reminder. | C．A resource. | D．A witness. |
6 . Mount Qomolangma, meaning “Holy Mother” in Tibetan, is the world’s highest mountain above sea level. No wonder most people consider climbing to its top as one of their biggest achievements. More than 4, 000 climbers, ranging from 13 to 80 years old, have managed to reach the top. Three people from the Sherpa community hold the current record at 21 times each!
You may be surprised at these numbers but that’s just the start of it. Last year, cleanup crews collected as much as 8. 4 tons of garbage from Mount Qomolangma’s North Base Camp in Tibet at 5,150 meters. And in the regions below that level, more than 335 tons of waste was collected. What a sad fact it is that the highest mountain in the world is turning into the highest mountain of trash!
To reverse the trend, the Chinese government recently announced that it had closed the North Base Camp to tourists. From now on, ordinary tourists will only be able to travel as far as Rongbuk Monastery, about 5, 000 meters above sea level. No more than 300 climbers with special permits will be allowed to climb Qomolangma each year. They are supposed to follow stricter rules, including carrying all their waste out with them and only climbing in spring.
Despite these tough measures, it is clear that tourism has caused enormous damage to the natural environment. Mount Qomolangma is not alone. Some popular parks around the world are also struggling to preserve their environments and keep up with increased tourism. Yellowstone National Park in the U.S. has long been troubled by the overflowing trash piles. Joshua Tree National Park suffered a wave of vandalism (破坏), with graffiti sprayed on rocks and ancient trees destroyed. In order to protect the environment, the National Park Service had no choice but to close the park temporarily.
As we can see, the natural environment can be destroyed by human activities in less than five minutes, but it might take hundreds of years to recover. Now it’s time for ordinary tourists to leave “Holy Mother” alone and wait for her to restore her beauty.
1. Why are the figures listed about Qomolangma in paragraph 2?| A．To describe it is extremely vast and high. |
| B．To show it is difficult to collect trash there. |
| C．To indicate it is a popular tourist attraction. |
| D．To illustrate it is suffering serious pollution. |
| A．Fit with. | B．Follow up. | C．Turn around. | D．Speed up. |
| A．Developing its tourism. | B．Reducing human activities. |
| C．Forbidding any entry in spring. | D．Building more base camps. |
| A．Environment. | B．Society. | C．Tourism. | D．Education. |
7 . A worldwide shift from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric vehicles could significantly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that humans emit to the atmosphere. But current strategies for vehicle electrification (电气化) can also shift some pollution to communities already suffering under higher economic, health and environmental burdens, researchers warn.
California, which leads the United States by a mile when it comes to EV adoption, offers a window into this evolving problem. The state is aggressively seeking to reduce its carbon footprint and has made substantial increases in wind and solar power generation as well as in the promotion of electric vehicle purchases. One tool the state has used is the California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, or CVRP, which kicked off in 2010 and offers consumers money back for the purchase of new EVs.
Now, an analysis of the CVRP’s impact on the state’s air quality from 2010 to 2021 reveals both good and bad news, researchers report May 3 in PLOS Climate.
The good news is that the CVRP is responsible for making a dent in the state’s overall CO2 emissions, reducing them by about 280,000 metric tons per year on average. The bad news is that the most disadvantaged communities in the state didn’t see the same overall improvement in air quality. Those communities in fact saw an increase in one type of air pollution, tiny particulates known as PM2.5. That increase may be indirectly related to putting more EVs on the road. Although electric vehicles themselves don’t produce PM2.5 from their tailpipes, increased electricity generation, if it’s not fossil fuel-free, can. Renewable resources, including rooftop solar cells, supplied about half of California’s electricity in 2022. But natural gas-fired power plants still provide a large part of the state’s power.
“Electric vehicles are often incorrectly referred to as ‘zero-emission vehicles’, but they’re only as clean as the underlying electric grid (电网) from which the energy is sourced,” Mejía-Duwan says. The most disadvantaged 25 percent of the state’s communities also contain 50 percent of the power plants, the team found.
1. What do we know from paragraph 2?| A．California takes the lead in environmental protection. |
| B．Wind and solar power generation has dominated California. |
| C．California’s carbon footprint has been reduced as planned. |
| D．The launch of CVRP is intended to promote electric vehicle purchases. |
| A．adjustment. | B．shift. | C．reduction. | D．increase |
| A．Putting more EVs on the road. | B．Increased electricity generation. |
| C．Warming climate. | D．Increased rooftop solar cells. |
| A．Zero emission for EVs can’t be ensured nowadays. |
| B．‘Zero emission’ isn’t good enough to describe EVs. |
| C．EVs, with no zero emission, shouldn’t be advocated. |
| D．EVs have a promising future as zero emission vehicles. |
8 . United Kingdom officials are on a mission to limit the region’s impact on global warming and climate change. As part of a large-scale approach to fulfilling this goal, there’s one area of focus that sticks out: cows.
In March, the government launched its Net Zero Growth Plan, an initiative to limit reliance on fossil fuels, which significantly influences global temperature rise. One of the approaches is a focus on agricultural emissions, officials explained in their plan that they are expecting products effective in reducing greenhouse gas to enter the market in 2025 to help.
Agriculture and other land-use emissions make up about 11% of the U.K.’s net greenhouse gas emissions, officials said. “Livestock (particularly cattle) currently make up the largest share of these emissions,” the Net Zero Growth Plan says. Experts say these emissions from livestock are mostly from cow burps (打嗝).
U.K. officials put out a call in August for agriculture experts to provide information on how to make burp blockers (阻断剂) to reduce emissions, such as seaweeds, essential oils, and organic acids.” More than 200 people responded to the call, including NGOs, farmers and businesses.
“I don’t think we know enough yet about the impact those burp blockers will have on the efficiency of reducing emissions,” said Tom Bradshaw, deputy president of the U.K.’s National Farmers’ Union, “but it’s something that we have to investigate to try and reduce emissions from cow burps.”
And it appears as though this emphasis on cow burps is only one small part of the U.K. government’s plans, which aim to provide support to stimulate farm productivity, innovation, research and development.
Hundreds of farmers have joined the plan’s implementation. The website for the plan says, “It will help achieve our ambitious targets for the environment and climate, playing our role in tackling these huge, global challenges.”
1. What is the purpose of Net Zero Growth Plan?| A．To help United Kingdom rely less on fossil fuel. |
| B．To design a balanced diet for cows on UK farms. |
| C．To support farmers to stimulate farm production. |
| D．To promote products emitting less greenhouse gases. |
| A．Agriculture contributes most to climate change. |
| B．The impact of agricultural emission is underestimated. |
| C．Cows make up the largest share of UK livestock population. |
| D．The largest share of agricultural emission comes from cow burps. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Favorable. | D．Pessimistic. |
| A．UK’s Fight against Carbon Emission |
| B．Cow Burps, Not Cars, Are the Real Problem |
| C．Burp by Burp. Fighting Emissions from Cows |
| D．UK Farmers Call for Support from Government |
9 . Young Alison Teal never rode in a pushchair or played on a swing on the playground.
Between journeys they would return home to quiet part of the Big Island of Hawaii. Her front yard was the ocean, and her friends were dolphins.
Along with sharing her mission with her Instagram followers, the conservationist gave a TED talk on her discover.
| A．How did Alison become a filmmaker? |
| B．What was their way of playing catch? |
| C．She launched a line of recycled surfboards. |
| D．At an early age, she began exploring the world. |
| E．Therefore, they approached her whenever she was in the water. |
| F．She was mostly home-schooled as the family traveled the globe. |
| G．But what shocked her was the amount of rubbish that washed up on the shore. |
10 . Plastic is low-cost and long-lasting. It is not easily degraded(降解) because natural degradation processes can’t deal with its chemical components(成分). It takes in other ocean-present harmful substances. These chemical and dangerous components are gradually got into the atmosphere with additives such as color, which turns out to be really harmful when the plastic breaks down.
The design and development of new plastic products was sped up after World War II. Life without plastic seemed impossible in the modern age. But even though plastic was quite convenient, the dark side of it was seen as people began to enjoy the throw-away community. Many plastic products, such as plastic bags, have a lifetime of a few minutes to hours. However, they’ll stay in the environment for hundreds of years. We are destroying the very world that nurtured us.
Just 9% of plastic has been recycled and 12% burnt after production rose in the 1950s, which leave s about 79% of the 8.3 billion tons produced sitting in landfills(垃圾填埋场) or damaging our fields, oceans, and waterways. And each year the plastic ends up as contaminants. So to beat plastic pollution, we need to work together.
While plastic burning reduces the amount of waste dumped into oceans and lands, harmful gases are still produced, which also leads to greenhouse gases. However, if we make a firm decision and use modern waste management methods, we will be able to create a safe and healthy world. It is high time that we as responsible global citizens, took on the duty of protecting our environment and made great effort in saving our mother earth, instead of just leaving everything to our government. So, ladies and gentlemen, let’s make a promise to successfully deal with plastic waste and protect our world from all possible risks.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The harm of plastic. | B．The convenience of plastic. |
| C．The protection of plastic. | D．The use of plastic. |
| A．Happy. | B．Worried. | C．Excited. | D．Relaxed. |
| A．Things that cause pollution. | B．Things that produce plastic. |
| C．Things that cost money. | D．Things that help people. |
| A．A short story. | B．A speech. | C．A newspaper. | D．A notice. |
