1 . An international group of electronic music composers is taking beats from the dance club to jungles and forests and back, all to help save nature’s greatest singers. A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean is a new album that includes the sounds of endangered birds. The album will come out next month, whose proceeds will go directly towards efforts to save birds.
The whole project was born out of this idea of trying to combine birdsong, electronic music and conservation. A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean was organized by activist, music producer, Robin Perkins. He invited artists from each of the endangered birds ‘homelands to build their own songs around the birds’ songs. There are contributions from ten artists in eight different countries.
First single Black Catbird was created by The Garifuna Collective, from Belize. Al Obando, guitarist and producer of the group, always took in national parks and viewed birds when on the road with the band. “There are no trails, and there are no signs there to tell you about what you’re seeing,” Obando says. “So we’re trying to do something for the birds and nature tourism.”
Another musician who responded to Robin’s call is Tamara Montenegro, an artist from Nicaragua. She was shocked to hear of the serious situation of the Guardabarranco after being approached: “This beautiful creature I grew up adoring also faced the influence of the systematic human activities”. In response, she created a song inspired by this bird and the challenges it faces to live naturally.
The new album is the second edition, following on from A Guide to the Birdsong of South America, produced by Robin in 2015. That first album has raised, to date, over $15,000 benefitting conservation projects in South America. As with the first album, all of the money from the sales of the new album will support specific organizations, including Birds Caribbean.
1. What does the underlined word “proceeds” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Profits. | B．Budgets. | C．Challenges. | D．Effects. |
| A．He created a hit single himself. |
| B．He was fond of observing birds. |
| C．He was the organizer of the new album. |
| D．He did a lot for birds in South America. |
| A．It was friendly to humans. |
| B．It was living in bad conditions. |
| C．It was beautiful in appearance. |
| D．It was facing challenges from other birds. |
| A．To collect money for a project. |
| B．To popularize electronic music. |
| C．To recommend some famous artists. |
| D．To introduce a new album of electronic music. |
2 . Researchers have known for decades that orcas (逆戟鲸) across the North Pacific have harmful pollutants in their system.
Now, a new study reveals orcas in the western North Atlantic, including those in the Arctic, are significantly more polluted than animals in the east — a finding that “shocked” study leader Anaïs Remili, a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University in Montreal. The research strongly points to their diet playing a major role in the level of pollutants, rather than their location.
The study looked at the presence of persistent organic pollutants, or toxic chemicals that degrade slowly and accumulate in the body, in the blubber (鲸脂) of orcas across the North Atlantic. These pollutants, relics of industrial and agricultural processes, “have a tendency to bind to fat,” says Remili, whose study was published in October in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. These chemicals weaken orcas’ immune systems, disrupt their endocrine (内分泌) function, prevent growth and brain development, and even interfere with reproduction.
Pollutants increase as they move up through the food chain, and the orcas that consume top predators — for example, those that primarily eat other marine mammals rather than fish—are most polluted. Thanks to their high body fat and position as apex (最高点) predators, orcas are some of “the most contaminated animals on the planet,” Remili says.
Her earlier research showed that eastern North Atlantic orcas primarily feed on herring (鲱鱼); mid-North Atlantic orcas feed on seals and mackerel (鲭鱼); and western North Atlantic orcas feed on baleen whales, porpoises (海豚) and seals.
It makes sense that western North Atlantic orcas would have higher pollutants, due to their diet, but “you would expect less contaminants overall in the Arctic compared to industrialized areas,” such as off the east coast of North America, Remili says.
“We’ve really come to learn that you are what you eat,” says Peter Ross, senior scientist and healthy waters program director at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation in British Columbia, who wasn’t involved in the study. “The top of the food chain, as illustrated by these long-lived killer whales, is extremely easy to hurt.”
1. What can we know according to Anaïs Remili’s study?| A．The polluted orcas in the Eastern Atlantic are in the lead. |
| B．The orcas’ immune system is influenced negatively by chemicals. |
| C．The blubber of orcas is easy to break down and accumulate in the body. |
| D．Orcas’ location is more important than their diet in the level of pollutants. |
| A．Those feeding on fish. | B．Those feeding on marine plants. |
| C．Those feeding on predators. | D．Those feeding on marine mammals. |
| A．Orcas’ tastes vary from place to place. | B．Orcas can be particular about food. |
| C．Orcas are fond of fish and shrimps. | D．Orcas can only be found in the Atlantic. |
| A．Orcas’ diet resulted in more pollutants. | B．The marine food chain needs to be protected. |
| C．Peter Ross participated in the study unwillingly. | D．Pollutants found in the Arctic orcas are not the most. |
3 . During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, there was a lot of talk about the environmental efforts taken. Athletes slept on beds made from recycled cardboard. The medals were produced out of old appliances such as smartphones and laptops. Over 90% of Japanese cities, towns and villages participated in the two-year effort to collect recycled materials to produce 5000 medals. Eighty tons of small electrical devices were collected to make this project successful.
With the 2024 Olympics Games underway in Paris, new environmental efforts are coming into play. Observers will sit on chairs made of plastic recycled from local bins. This decision was made due to a lack of unused raw materials to make new seats, so the eco-construction firm Le Pave turned to make the seats out of waste. Around 11,000 seats will be made from recycled materials.
The plastic collection for Paris 2024 has been carried out in the region’s schools, and over five million coloured bottle caps have been recovered. Moreover, 80% of the 100 tons of recycled plastic needed to make the seats come from the yellow bins collections. This is all part of the Paris 2024 “zero waste” strategy to limit single-use plastic usage and encourage a circular economy.
The Olympic Games organizers are planning to make the Paris 2024 Games the greenest Olympic Games yet. They intend to employ a carbon-neutral approach that will lessen the climate impact of the Games by predicting, avoiding, reducing and balancing emissions and encouraging others to get involved. The Summer Games have emitted 3.6 million tons of carbon emissions in previous years. The Paris 2024 Games has set a carbon budget of 1.5 million tons which includes the emissions from construction, transportation and operations of the Games.
These plans are ambitious but are achievable. If Paris 2024 successfully reduces emissions and promotes a circular economy, it might set the standard for future Olympic and Paralympic Games, regardless of where they are held.
1. What were the 2020 Olympics medals made from?| A．Raw metal. | B．Recycled cardboard. |
| C．Reused plastic. | D．Used electronic devices. |
| A．To stop carbon emissions. | B．To make seats for athletes. |
| C．To collect coloured bottle caps. | D．To restrict single-use plastic usage. |
| A．Limitation to single-use plastics. | B．Reduction of carbon emissions. |
| C．Promotion of recycling in school. | D．Encouragement of a circular economy. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
4 . Over the past few years, as architects and city planners have confronted the tragedy of our planet losing species at rates never seen in human history, many have started designing more greenery into urban areas, creating tidy plots of grass with non-native flowers. But European designers Hougaard and Qual find it problematic. These green spaces don’t actually encourage wildlife to grow. To counter that, the designers created outdoor furniture that would be beautiful to look at, but also allow bugs, birds, and wildflowers to thrive, nurturing biodiversity in cities and rewilding urban spaces.
The natural world tends to appear messy, chaotic, with plants and animals interacting with each other. Bacteria, plants, and insects thrive in rotting logs. Birds and bees create homes in dead, hollow tree trunks. Weeds and flowers grow in wild patches of grass. People consider this as messy and dirty, trying to get rid of them in cities despite the fact that even though wildlife appears chaotic, there is often method in the madness.
Qual had this in mind when creating a large, leaf-shaped insect hotel to be placed on a flower bed. The structure contains wooden blocks with different size of holes for different insect species. Hougaard created a metal log bench with an empty space in the middle to provide a habitat for creatures. He also created planting containers without a base, which are placed right on top of the soil and filled with different materials to provide a place for insects, reptiles, and small animals to hide and find food. They can also interact with earthworms and other creatures in the soil underneath, creating a thriving ecosystem.
Will people actually want to be so close to bugs, snakes, and nesting birds? The designers acknowledge that modern humans have been trained to stay away from such creatures. But these structures keep animals contained, while allowing people to observe and appreciate them safely. And ultimately, humans need to become much more comfortable living alongside wildlife.
1. What do Hougaard and Qaul notice about creating tidy grass plots in urban areas?| A．It encourages the growth of wildlife. |
| B．It keeps a more balanced ecosystem. |
| C．It doesn’t increase species diversity. |
| D．It doesn’t damage the habitat of species. |
| A．To describe the peace of nature. |
| B．To describe the law of the jungle. |
| C．To show the need for rewilding urban areas. |
| D．To introduce the design basis of “outdoor furniture”. |
| A．The concept of order and messiness. |
| B．The goal to keep cities organized. |
| C．The plan to design more greenery. |
| D．The tragedy of losing species |
| A．He is also a designer of insect hotels. |
| B．He is in support of Hougaard and Qual’s idea. |
| C．He is a strong advocate for a chaotic lifestyle. |
| D．He is against keeping animals caged. |
5 . Known as the birthplace of hip-hop, the South Bronx in New York City is a global center for music and art. However, it also suffers from poverty and pollution. Heavy trucks deliver unwanted construction waste to sorting stations, which then transfer waste to distant landfills.
Just graduating from college and working for an environmental group, Omar started to think about redirecting waste to those in need. He wondered, “Instead of destroying things like old doors, why not make this business a ‘cooperative’, which means people who work in the business own it and share the profits?”
Omar decided to start his business. He handed out flyers (小传单) along the truck-jammed, waste-filled streets to find individuals with similar ideas and interests to join him. Eventually, Omar found four workers and secured a warehouse. They reached out to relevant people, offering to remove items from construction sites for free. Soon, their warehouse was filled with donated materials, including 80 new toilets, unwanted doors, theater seats, and even a giant popcorn machine.
A few years ago, Omar started his first cooperative devoted to reusing construction waste. The cooperative began selling construction supplies at reasonable prices to neighborhood builders and home owners. With support from city officials, Omar began developing a new training program to equip local residents with the necessary skills for environmentally impact jobs.
Omar said, “Think about a wooden door that you’ve just bought. In order to produce that, someone had to cut down trees. In order to ship it across the country, someone had to pump oil out of the ground. You can avoid all that if you buy a good used door. And at the same time, you can reduce pollution, save money, and create jobs in communities like the South Bronx.”
Omar even had the image of a future with a whole network of green cooperative businesses in the area, which would work together to reuse different kinds of construction materials. “If you have a use for something,” Omar said, “it’s no longer waste.”
1. What do we know about the South Bronx in paragraph 1?| A．It is free from poverty. |
| B．It pays little attention to art. |
| C．It suffers from a lack of landfills. |
| D．It faces the problem of waste pollution. |
| A．To seek for minds alike. |
| B．To search for new materials. |
| C．To build a warehouse for waste. |
| D．To find repairmen for old doors. |
| A．Modest and cautious. | B．Wealthy and intelligent. |
| C．Humorous and generous. | D．Creative and hardworking. |
| A．Omar — A Successful Builder |
| B．Waste — A Way to Get Business |
| C．Old Doors — Useful Recyclable Resources |
| D．The South Bronx — The Best-known Construction Site |
6 . As a young girl growing up in France, Sarah Toumi dreamed of becoming a leader who could make the world a better place. Her passion to help others was awakened when, from the age of nine, she accompanied her Tunisian father to his birthplace in the east of the country during holidays. There she organized homework clubs and activities for children.
Toumi witnessed first-hand the destructive effect of desertification (沙漠化). “Within 10 years rich farmers became worse off, and in 10 years from now they will be poor. I wanted to stop the Sahara Desert in its tracks.” A decrease in average rainfall and an increase in the severity of droughts have led to an estimated 75 percent of Tunisia’s agricultural lands being threatened by desertification.
Toumi recognized that farming practices needed to change. She is confident that small land areas can bring large returns if farmers are able to adapt by planting sustainable crops, using new technologies for water treatment and focusing on natural products and fertilizers rather than chemicals.
In 2012, Toumi consolidated (巩固) her dream of fighting the desert. She moved to Tunisia, and set up a programme named Acacias for All to put her sustainable farming philosophy (理念) into action. “I want to show young people in rural areas that they can create opportunities where they are. Nobody is better able to understand the impact of desertification and climate change than somebody who is living with no access to water.”
By September 2016, more than 130, 000 acacia trees had been planted on 20 pilot farms, with farmers recording a 60 percent survival rate. Toumi estimates that some 3 million acacia trees are needed to protect Tunisia’s farmland. She expects to plant 1 million trees by 2018. In the next couple of years, Toumi hopes to extend the programme to Algeria and Morocco.
1. How did Toumi’s holiday trips to Tunisia influence her?| A．They made her decide to leave the country. |
| B．They helped her better understand her father. |
| C．They aroused her enthusiasm for helping others. |
| D．They destroyed her dream of being a teacher. |
| A．Low rainfall. | B．Soil pollution. | C．Cold weather. | D．Forest damage. |
| A．To create job opportunities for young people. |
| B．To help the children obtain a basic education. |
| C．To persuade the farmers not to use fertilizers. |
| D．To promote the protection of their farmland. |
| A．Saving Water in Tunisia | B．Holding back the Sahara |
| C．Planting Trees of Native Species | D．Fighting Poverty in North Africa |
7 . Heat waves are becoming more common in parts of the United States — and that means more people running their air conditioners for longer. But those air conditioners can make the problem worse, giving off greenhouse gases as they work that contribute heavily to climate change.
SkyCool Systems is trying to break that cycle, using technology that promises to offer buildings an alternative means to cool down in a similar way to how the planet cools itself. “Our planet naturally cools itself by sending heat out in the form of infrared light (红外线) or radiation,” said Eli Goldstein, SkyCool’s cofounder and CEO. “We do this through rooftop panels, which look like solar panels but actually do the opposite, reflecting 97% of the sunlight that hits them and cooling the surface below,” said Goldstein.
SkyCool’s model involves fixing a network of pipes below those panels. These pipes are filled with water, which is kept cool by the panels and then flows into an air conditioning system. This process is designed to take pressure off the system’s cooling mechanism. And because the panels cool naturally and don’t need external power to function, it helps the entire system use less electricity.
A Grocery Outlet store in California, which has been using SkyCool’s system since last year, says it saw a marked drop in its electrical bills. Jesus Valenzuela, the store manager, estimates that the panels have saved his store roughly $3,000 a month.
But perhaps the biggest barrier to making the technology ubiquitous (无处不在的) is its relatively high cost. Increasing production could help bring the cost down, Goldstein said, particularly for developing countries in Asia and Africa where SkyCool hopes to eventually expand. For now, the company is focused on commercial applications of the technology, though it hopes to start setting up panels on the roofs of individual homes. “We’re just excited to be able to use this new technology for good,” Goldstein said.
1. How did Goldstein explain the way their rooftop panels work?| A．By citing an expert’s words. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By analyzing cause and effect. | D．By describing the process in detail. |
| A．To store cold water to help cool the panels. |
| B．To help ease the water pressure of the air conditioning. |
| C．To power the panels by making use of flowing water. |
| D．To feed cold water into the air conditioning system. |
| A．It’s pretty effective. | B．It has increased sales for his store. |
| C．It will go out of style quickly. | D．It will cost too much to set up. |
| A．It’ll bring in a good profit for the company. | B．It’ll gain popularity in developed countries. |
| C．It’ll take the place of air conditioners. | D．It’ll be accessible to common households. |
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a shocking finding about the air we breathe. It has found that almost everyone on Earth breathes unhealthy air. The WHO made
The WHO said its report highlighted the need to move away from fossil fuels. It asked governments to do more
9 . My husband and I always wanted to go to the Caribbean but didn’t know much about the islands or how we were going to afford it. By chance, a friend of ours in Australia mentioned “pet sitting” and that it is something you can do all over the world.
We quickly created an account on a pet sitting website and began searching for options. There were only a couple of sits available in that part of the world, but we tried our luck, sent a request, and to our surprise, landed a three-month job in Grenada, so our year was going to be taken up with Caribbean pet sits.
Inspired by a Canadian couple, we decided to start our own travel blog. We began by writing about The British Virgin Islands, highlighting the beautiful beaches. However, for every photo album of a beautiful beach, there were 10 photos of trash (垃圾). It was hard to ignore the plastic pollution issue, especially on such primitive and remote beaches. So, we began to share photos of the trash we saw and how much we could pick upon our daily dog walks.
The more we looked into plastic pollution, the more we realized the severity of the global plastic pollution. From that point, we used our platform to create awareness and highlight ways to say no to plastic and travel plastic-free. We changed our daily routines, our way of living, and even our diets to accommodate more organic foods and little to no plastic packaging.
It’s been over three years now and we continue to do what we can. This journey has led us to some amazing places, working with great brands and even organizing a country-wide beach clean-up campaign in Grenada.
Our aim now is to keep on going. We love connecting with like-minded people. It’s been amazing few years that was sparked by a conversation about pet sitting. Who would have guessed?
1. Why did the author do pet sitting?| A．To cover travel expenses. | B．To raise fund. |
| C．To conserve the environment. | D．To shoot beautiful beaches. |
| A．Pet sitting is a new sort of occupation. |
| B．The Caribbean is a perfect travel destination. |
| C．Travel blog is a superb way to gain popularity. |
| D．Actions should be taken to fight plastic pollution. |
| A．Challenging. | B．Significant. | C．Adventurous. | D．Unbearable. |
| A．Shifting Lifestyles by Pet Sitting | B．Address Global Environment Pollution |
| C．Unexpected Gains from Pet Sitting Travel | D．The availability of Pet Sitting in the Caribbean |
10 . Jenifer now lives in Detroit, USA. She thinks she may have a partial solution for two of the country’s big problems: garbage and
Chip-eaters
Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected over 800,000 chip bags and, as to last December,
Sure, it would be
Of course, there’s the symbolism of recycling bags that would
| A．food | B．pollution | C．poverty | D．education |
| A．lovers | B．producers | C．deliverers | D．salesmen |
| A．sell | B．store | C．hold | D．donate |
| A．drop off | B．take away | C．get in | D．break up |
| A．parents | B．helpers | C．classmates | D．buyers |
| A．make | B．fill | C．decorate | D．move |
| A．result | B．order | C．need | D．requirement |
| A．distributed | B．created | C．delivered | D．fixed |
| A．worse | B．slower | C．simpler | D．harder |
| A．lesson | B．time | C．way | D．goal |
| A．permanently | B．spiritually | C．economically | D．environmentally |
| A．never | B．otherwise | C．even | D．still |
| A．campers | B．strangers | C．homeless | D．seniors |
| A．belief | B．reminder | C．rule | D．assumption |
| A．value | B．research | C．perfect | D．show |
