1 . The world’s animal populations have decreased by more than two-thirds since 1970, according to a recent research from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The London group provided information on 32,000 wildlife populations which included more than 5,000 species. The researchers found that population sizes had reduced by 69 percent on average. They said the loss of forests, human exploitation (开发) of the environment, pollution, and climate change were great causes of the loss. Land-use change is still the biggest threat (威胁) to wildlife. However, the researchers added, “if we cannot limit warming to 1.5℃, climate change is likely to become the primary cause of biodiversity (生物多样性) loss in the coming years.”
Wildlife populations in Latin American and the Caribbean Sea area were greatly affected. The research showed a 94 percent drop in those areas in over 50 years. Wildlife populations in river and lake habitats decreased the most. Freshwater populations have reduced by an average of 83 percent since 1970. For example, one population of pink river dolphins in the Amazon River area of Brazil fell by 65 percent between 1994 and 2016.
These findings are a red flag that warns of a larger system failure on the horizon. Even one species’ population reduction can affect other species, eventually impacting the ecosystem’s (生态系统) ability to function. Humans depend on a stable climate, predictable weather patterns, and productive farmland and fisheries to thrive (蓬勃发展), but the current trends are severe enough to threaten many life-sustaining systems.
Our future depends on reversing (扭转) the loss of nature just as much as it depends on addressing climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other. Everyone has a role in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments. If nothing changes, animal populations will undoubtedly continue to fall, driving wildlife to extinction and threatening the wholeness of the ecosystems on which we all depend.
1. Which may be the main cause of the decrease of the wildlife populations in the future?A.Illegal hunting. | B.Global warming. |
C.Land-use change. | D.Environmental pollution. |
A.By listing data. | B.By telling a story. |
C.By referring to a concept. | D.By analyzing the causes. |
A.Because the reduction of species will impact the ecosystem. |
B.Because humans will be the biggest threat to the wildlife. |
C.Because the increase of species’ population will threaten human beings. |
D.Because the humans have been expecting to thrive. |
A.Animals. | B.Animal protection organizations. |
C.Research teams. | D.Human beings. |
1. 列举学生的不良行为习惯(迟到、乱扔垃圾、缺失礼仪等);2. 好习惯的重要性;3. 发出倡议。
注意:1. 写作词数应为80左右;2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear students,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Students’ Union
1.水的重要性;2. 浪费的现象;3. 倡议的内容。
注意:1.词数80左右;2.可适当增加细节使行文流畅。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
内容包括:
1.你身边的环境问题;
2.相应的解决办法。
注意:1.词数80左右;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ar Horqin Grassland Nomadic System in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, listed on the list of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the United Nations,
The
For example, since 2015, under the guidance of the local government of Ar Horqin Banner, the number of sheep and goats in the nomadic system
6 . A new study by the Zoological Society of London has found that nearly one in five of the world’s 10,000 species of reptiles (爬行动物) are threatened with extinction. The study, which has been printed in the journal Biological Conservation, was carried out by more than 200 experts who assessed the risk of extinction of 1,500 reptiles selected at random from around the globe.
The primary author of the paper, Monika Bohm, explained to the Zoological Society:” Reptiles are often associated with extreme habitats and tough environmental conditions, so it is easy to assume that they will be fine in our changing world. “However, that’s far from the truth:” Many species are very high specialized in terms of habitat use and the climatic conditions they require for day to day functioning, “Bohm said.” This makes them particularly sensitive to environmental changes. “The paper highlights three critically endangered species in its research, including the jungle runner lizard Ameiva vittata, which has only ever been spotted in the Cochabamba region of the Bolivian jungle—an area under threat from the growth of agriculture and logging. The two most recent searches for the species have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile in Haiti, six of the nine species of Anolis lizard in the country risk extinction due to increasing deforestation (毁林).
Also at risk are freshwater turtles, with 50% of all species at risk of extinction from hunting; turtle parts are in high demand as ingredients in traditional medicine. According to the study 30% of freshwater reptile species are also in danger of completely disappearing.
Reptiles have a long evolutionary history: snakes, lizards, crocodiles and tuataras first appeared on earth around 300 million years ago. They are an important part of many ecosystems. ”This is a very important step towards assessing the conservation status of reptiles globally, “Philip Bowles from the IUCN Species Survival Commission said in response to the study.” Tackling the identified habitat loss is key conservation priorities in order to transfer declines in these reptiles.”
1. How many species of reptiles are endangered?A.1,000. | B.1,500. | C.2,000. | D.5,000. |
A.Environmental changes cause species variation. |
B.More trees are being cut down in the Bolivian jungle. |
C.Reptiles can easily adapt to extreme habitats and climate. |
D.Species extinction results from tough environment conditions. |
A.Because local people hunt them for fun. | B.Because their parts have medical value. |
C.Because they struggle to survive in the wild. | D.Because they can be cooking ingredients. |
A.To reduce habitat destruction. | B.To increase the harvest of forest trees. |
C.To assess the current conditions of reptiles. | D.To further the study on the evolutionary history. |
7 . Addy Barrett, an 11-year-old girl from Maryland, the US, is a regular visitor to the zoo, and never gets tired of watching gorillas (大猩猩). “I really fell in love with these smart animals after reading a book about them,” Addy said. “I also learned they were being killed for unnecessary reasons. And I knew I needed to do something.”
Addy is now working to save her favorite animals. She has sold T-shirts and home-made cookies to raise money, and she hosts a party about the gorilla yearly.
Addy asked Meredith Bastian, a zookeeper, about the challenges that wild gorillas are facing and that many people ignore. Bastian said it’s because of habitat loss, climate change and the spread of disease. But there is also the problem of mining. “Some mines in Congo, Africa destroy gorillas’ habitats and make their living conditions worse,” Bastian told Addy.
Addy decided to start the Gorilla Heroes project. She has held fundraisers (筹款活动) hoping to start a conversation on the risks to gorillas. The animals, which are native to Central Africa, are endangered. There are fewer than 900 mountain gorillas and about 100,000 western lowland gorillas in the world. So far, Gorilla Heroes has raised more than $11,000. Addy was recently named a winner of the 2019 Gloria Barton Prize for Young Heroes for her work.
Addy hopes to get close to a gorilla in the wild, but she can’t because she is too young. So for now Addy is sticking to raising money for gorillas.
1. What can we learn about Addy?A.She seldom goes to the zoo. | B.She works hard to save gorillas. |
C.She writes books about gorillas. | D.She volunteers for a zoo project. |
A.The importance of wild gorillas. |
B.The measures for protecting wild gorillas. |
C.The pleasant environment for wild gorillas. |
D.The reasons for wild gorillas becoming endangered. |
A.It is quite dangerous. | B.It includes many professions. |
C.It is well recognized. | D.It has made a difference worldwide. |
A.Proud and childlike. | B.Able and generous. |
C.Talkative and interesting. | D.Easy-going and humorous. |
8 . New discoveries and technological breakthroughs are made every year. Yet, as the information industry moves forward, many people in society are looking back to their roots in terms of the way they eat. A “locavore” movement has emerged in the United States. The movement supports eating foods grown locally and sustainably, rather than prepackaged foods shipped from other parts of the world.
Experts hold that eating local has many merits, and is expected to become a trend featuring sustainability. Erin Barnett is the director of Local Harvest, a company that aims to help connect people to farms in their area. By eating local, she argues, people have a better and more personal understanding of the impact their food consumption has on the rest of the world. “There is a way of connecting the point, where eating locally is an act that raises our awareness of sustainable living,” Barnett says.
The United States’ agricultural output is one of the highest in the world, says Timothy Beach, a professor of geography and geoscience at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. “There’s just no other place on Earth where the amount of input is so productive,” Beach says of American agriculture. “Nobody can cut off the food we need.”
However, the US food system is not sustainable because of its dependency on fossil (化石) fuels, says Beach. Equipment used on “extremely productive” farms is quickly consuming Earth’s natural resources, particularly oil. Additionally, the production of agricultural supplements (补充剂),such as fertilizer, uses large amounts of energy.
The world has used close to half of the global oil supply, Beach says, and the second half will be consumed at an even faster rate because of the growing population and economic development. Although many businesses are experimenting with wind, solar, and biofuel, Beach says there’s nothing that we see on the horizon that can replace it. “There is no way on Earth we are using fossil fuels sustainably. Then we have to reconsider the impact of eating local,” he says.
1. What is the special focus of the “locavore” movement?A.The development of information society. | B.The emergence of new discoveries. |
C.The localization and sustainability of food. | D.The globalization of eating styles. |
A.Agricultural companies have the responsibility to help farmers. |
B.Raising the awareness of sustainability is an urgent issue currently. |
C.Eating locally can quickly increase the growth of the local economy. |
D.The diversity of things can greatly enrich the lives of local people. |
A.The agricultural weaknesses of the US. | B.The benefits of fossil fuels. |
C.The most productive equipment on farms. | D.The consumption of local food. |
A.The population is growing too fast. | B.Global economy develops rapidly. |
C.Eating locally can’t be accepted. | D.No suitable energy can replace oil. |
Twin giant pandas have been born at a breeding (繁殖) center in southwestern China,
The male and female baby pandas, born on Tuesday at the Qinling Panda Research Center in Shaanxi Province, are the second pair of twins born to
Chinese researchers for years have been working
The efforts have paid off, with some captive-bred pandas being released into the wild. The population of wild pandas
10 . The first time ever I realized that plastic was a serious matter for our planet was during a road trip in Western Australia, almost 12 years ago.
We
This was just one of the many experiences I’ve lived that made me more
Our trip to Borneo was another life-changing
Besides, we were also
Facing this global issue
A.stayed | B.visited | C.worked | D.stopped |
A.land | B.ocean | C.district | D.supermarket |
A.threw | B.picked | C.dropped | D.carried |
A.sure | B.proud | C.concerned | D.comfortable |
A.travel | B.deliver | C.remove | D.play |
A.story | B.growth | C.experience | D.suffering |
A.free | B.cheap | C.valuable | D.safe |
A.failed | B.managed | C.hesitated | D.happened |
A.firmly | B.violently | C.deeply | D.dramatically |
A.action | B.project | C.schedule | D.protection |
A.dry up | B.tie up | C.clean up | D.take up |
A.washed | B.proved | C.rushed | D.injured |
A.on purpose | B.for sure | C.by mistake | D.in person |
A.confusion | B.determination | C.frustration | D.satisfaction |
A.make | B.do | C.achieve | D.find |