| historic, evidence, claim, predict, result from, on a grand scale, get rid of, at risk from, cruel, be home to |
2 . The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on Earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(稀树草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.
It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbrushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| C．The effect of African elephants’ search for food. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
| A．Fixing the time. |
| B．Worsening the state. |
| C．Improving the quality. |
| D．Deciding the conditions. |
| A．They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B．They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C．They are home to many endangered animals. |
| D．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
| A．The African elephant is the largest animal on Earth. |
| B．African elephants have 300 pounds of plants every day, including small trees and underbrushes. |
| C．The African elephant is in a way the builder of the environment like other land animals. |
| D．If the African elephant disappears, the whole ecosystem won’t be affected. |
3 . Are we aware in protecting the environment?
There are many organisations, at a local, national and international level devoted to the environmental protection. Together they form the Green Movement.
Whenever a habitat is threatened (威胁) by industry or development, the Green Movement takes the side of the environment. These groups already enjoy considerable public support.
Encourage organic (有机的) farming.
Farming without chemicals is known as organic farming. In several countries, organic produce has become very popular. Because no chemicals are used to grow the food, there are none to enter the human food chain.
Save the rainforest.
In developing countries, action is finally being taken to save the rainforests. In Africa, the Ivory Coast recently banned all timber exports. In Central America, the government of Panama made it illegal to cut down any tree more than five years old.
It is difficult to persuade poor people in developing countries of the importance of saving the forests. They need more food and want to use the land to grow crops on. What matters is not just our enjoyment of nature, but the future of life on Earth.
| A．But their most important work is education. |
| B．Is there anything we can do about it? |
| C．Why are people determined to take actions? |
| D．Join the Green Movement. |
| E．Such actions show great determination. |
| F．Found organisations to protect our environment. |
| G．In addition, people think it will save the environment. |
4 . It’s important to learn how we can protect the environment.Here are 5R rules for us.
Reduce.If you want to reduce waste, you should use things more wisely.
Reuse.You should always think of reusing things before throwing them away. For example,
Recycle. Bottles, cans and paper can easily be recycled. By doing so we can save lots of time and money. For example,
Recover.
Repair.If one of the legs of your table is broken, you should repair it. If you want to buy something newer and better, it is better for you to sell the old table, or
Learn the rules to protect our environment. Let’s try our best to make the earth cleaner and more beautiful.
| A．Trees are planted every year |
| B．don’t throw it away if you can use it |
| C．give it to people who can use it after repairing it |
| D．A large number of trees are being cut down to make paper |
| E．When you buy a box of apples，there may be a few rotten ones |
| F．coke cans are sent to a factory，where they are smashed flat and melted |
| G．give the clothes you do not use or the ones which are too small to the poor |
5 . Located in the Indian Ocean,the Maldives(马尔代夫) are among the most beautiful islands in the world,with white sandy beaches,clear water,and amazing coral reefs(珊瑚礁).The country depends on tourism,fishing,and shipping.But the rising sea level and the carbon pollution causing warming oceans are threatening(威胁) their existence.
The Maldives have asked for international help.They are a tiny country.The World Bank,the United States,the European Union,and many other groups have offered money to develop safeguards against climate change.
To protect the islands,the Maldives have built sea walls and increased the elevation(海拔) of important buildings and services such as the two international airports,which lie just 165 feet from the coastline.
They’re also building up islands such as the Hulhumale.The new island is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls.More than 40,000 people live there.The plan is to house 240,000,providing new opportunities for jobs.The goal is an excellent planned community with sustainable housing and buildings sensitive to the environment and needs of the people.
The government will move people living on smaller,lower-lying islands to the new built-up islands.The new islands offer free houses,new schools,health hospitals,fresh water,and waste treatment.Depending on tourism,the country hopes to build 50 more tourist islands.
“Climate change is happening,but we are not leaving the Maldives to the sea,” said Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim.The Maldives will protect their islands,people and tourism with new islands and ongoing island development against the rising sea level.
1. What do we fail to learn according to the passage?| A．The Maldives are a small country. |
| B．Many groups have helped the Maldives. |
| C．240,000 people live on the Hulhumale now. |
| D．The Hulhumale is surrounded by 9-foot sea walls. |
| A．The Maldives will be protected. |
| B．The Maldivians will leave all the islands. |
| C．The Maldives should give up tourism. |
| D．The Maldives will sink to the sea. |
| A．The Maldives and Their Tourism |
| B．The Maldives and Their Rising Sea Level |
| C．The Maldives and Their Climate Change |
| D．The Maldives and Their Fight Against the Rising Sea Level |
| A．Their tourism,fishing and shipping. |
| B．Their rising sea level and carbon pollution. |
| C．Their sandy white beaches and coral reefs. |
| D．Their distant islands and warming oceans. |
On my way home from work yesterday, I
I understand that, but in this case it’s
I really believe we should do away with packaging completely. There is
In the last few years,environmental disasters
About the size of Japan, the Great Barrier Reef even can
9 . Striking footage (镜头) recorded for National Geographic shows a dying polar bear struggling to find food on a land without ice or snow. The poor creature can be seen dragging its bony frame (骨架) across the rough land and searching for food in a bin.
Paul Nicken, the photographer who shot the heart-breaking footage, says the sight reduced him to tears. “We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks,” he said. They found the dying creature on Canada’s Baffin Island—an area that has seen an extreme reduction in sea ice because of global warming.
Nicken says that had he stepped in, it would only have deepened the situation. Instead, he filmed the bear’s slow, painful death and posted it to social media to serve as visual proof of the impact of climate change. “When scientists say bears are going extinct, I want people to realise what it looks like. Bears are going to starve to death,” said Nicken.“This is what a starving bear looks like.”
Polar bears are only native to the Arctic region and are one of the many casualties (伤亡) of climate change. They rely on the Arctic ice to hunt seals and are becoming increasingly threatened as the ice melts away.
The World Wildlife Fund(WWF) predicted back in 2002 that polar bears may face extinction for losing habitat. There are an estimated 25,000 bears left in the wild and most experts agree that unless climate change is controlled, they will all be dead within the next 100 years. “The simple truth is this—if the Earth continues to warm, we will lose bears and the entire polar ecosystem. This large male bear was not old, and he certainly died within hours or days in that situation,” Nicken wrote on Instagram. But there are solutions. We must begin putting the Earth—our home—first.
1. What can people see in the striking footage?| A．A starving polar bear. | B．Some dying creature. |
| C．A crying photographer. | D．The reduction of sea water. |
| A．To raise people’s awareness of climate change. | B．To get a prize in photography competition. |
| C．To attract readers’ interest in bears. | D．To raise money for bear protection. |
| A．The polar bears that are left can be found in Canada. |
| B．They were hunting seals when taken photos of. |
| C．The WWF has done a lot to protect them. |
| D．Melting ice is a huge threat to their life. |
| A．The unknown diseases increased polar bears’ deaths. |
| B．The whole bear ecosystem will suffer a heavy loss. |
| C．The destruction of forest affected the ecosystem. |
| D．The polar bear will be extinct in this century. |
Fishing is one of the most
The damage done by overfishing goes
Overfishing is closely tied to bycatch — the catch of unwanted sea life while fishing for a specific species. This, too, is a serious marine (海洋的) threat that
Billions of people rely on fish for protein, and fishing is the main livelihood for millions of people
