1 . John “Charlie” Veron-widely known as “the Godfather of Coral Reef (珊瑚礁)”-is a celebrated expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world’s coral species and has spent the past 45 years diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. But now the 73-year-old is raising the alarm about its future. The Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders, is 2, 300 kilometers long and is the only living organism that can be seen from space. It is considered a World Treasure Site due to its biodiversity (生物多样性)with 30 species of whales, dolphins and sharks. Within the reef itself, there are also a number of tiny organisms and fishes.
However, its health is threatened. After the recent mass bleaching (白化)events, Veron dived in many areas of the Great Barrier Reef to see the damage for himself. “I was seeing and feeling it and it was absolutely shocking, ” he says.
Veron says the mass bleaching events in the past few years-and the possibility of losing one of nature’s greatest treasures-were a wake-up call for the world in the wider battle against climate change, which, together with the rising sea temperature, is considered the greatest threats to the reef.
Fortunately, earlier this year, the Australian government announced nearly 400 million dollars in new funding towards scientific projects designed to help the reef.
There has been criticism in Australia about the slow process for the funding. “It won’t be wasted, though,”Veron says. “As scientists will be able to create a sort of seed bank to protect the species until the climate is good enough to rebuild the reef. What the scientists hope to do is to help nature along a bit after the big carbon dioxide increase is over and it starts to come down.”
1. Why is the Great Barrier Reef considered a treasure site?A.It is a natural wonder. |
B.It can be seen from space. |
C.It has a rich variety of species. |
D.It is home to a great many fishes. |
A.Climate change is threatening biodiversity. |
B.The Great Barrier Reef is in danger of extinction. |
C.Scientists have found major factors in the reef’s blenching. |
D.Veron has made great contributions to environmental protection. |
A.Uncaring. | B.Doubtful. | C.Uncertain. | D.Positive. |
A.A news report. | B.A travel guide. |
C.A research plan. | D.A journal entry. |
2 . Do you know how much India struggles to gather the waste plastic water bottles? According to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report from 2012, India generates 15, 000 tonnes of plastics a day, of which the gathered ones only achieve 60%. The trashed-but-not-gathered plastic waste leads to land and water pollution. posing serious threat to the environment.
After seeing that, Ankur Chawla, a drink expert, undertook research to find a solution, after which he realised the biggest problem the country faced was disposing of plastic waste. To address it, he wanted to come up with a solution where they do not add to the problem of waste. Fortunately, Ankur was not alone. He met Bhrigu Seth who was into green farming. Both of them found that they shared a common goal and it didn’t take long for them to draft a plan of action. It is estimated that over 90 percent of aluminium(铝) drink cans in India are recycled. Instead, 70 percent of the cans are manufactured through recycled waste. After going through challenges at hand, the pair made up their minds.
Before taking the next step. both co-founders visited five-star hotels and took samples of water in aluminium cans, asking them whether they would give it a shot if something like that comes in the market. The pair received an overwhelmingly positive response. They then determined to launch Responsible Whatr, natural spring water drink packed in an aluminium can to solve the problem of waste plastic water bottles.
As one of India’s first natural spring water drink, Responsible Whatr offered an environmentally friendly and endlessly recyclable aluminium can. It’s a non-alcoholic drink that was launched with a vision for an eco-friendly future and an agenda to reduce single-use plastic pollution.
Going forward, Ankur and Bhrigu aim to cooperate with airports and ecommerce gates which would help them in directly reaching the homes of high networth individuals (HNIs). They also plan to tie up with corporate firms and cinema halls and join hands with NGOs that are fighting for the conservation of beaches and oceans.
1. What inspired Ankur to conduct his research?A.Plastics remained the major bottle material. |
B.Uncollected plastics caused severe pollution. |
C.Plastics accounted for most of the daily waste. |
D.The amount of plastic waste was beyond control. |
A.Creating a new packaging design. | B.Developing an alternative to plastics. |
C.Launching a rubbish sorting program. | D.Increasing the recycling of plastic cans. |
A.Removing plastic pollution. | B.Promoting aluminium cans. |
C.Advertising non-alcoholic drinks. | D.Advocating a sustainable approach. |
A.By cooperating with NHIs. | B.By introducing new products. |
C.By targeting profitable NGOs. | D.By establishing diverse channels. |
3 . Leila Taheri used to go to the Welsh Harp wetland as a schoolgirl. At that time, the 160-hectare nature
In August, 2020, 37-year-old Taheri
A strong
Taheri’s efforts
A.camp | B.port | C.wonderland | D.reserve |
A.definitely | B.eventually | C.frequently | D.absolutely |
A.rediscovered | B.reflected | C.rebuilt | D.registered |
A.attracted | B.embarrassed | C.excited | D.shocked |
A.doubling | B.dropping | C.disappearing | D.recovering |
A.shame | B.doubt | C.desire | D.fear |
A.invited | B.promised | C.ordered | D.taught |
A.provided | B.replaced | C.spotted | D.collected |
A.Due to | B.Apart from | C.As for | D.Instead of |
A.block | B.tailor | C.design | D.preserve |
A.permitting | B.saving | C.sparing | D.taking |
A.went out | B.ran out | C.paid off | D.took off |
A.aware | B.demanding | C.anxious | D.generous |
A.advance | B.difference | C.decision | D.response |
A.straight | B.alone | C.fast | D.still |
1.参赛对象;
2.比赛情况;
3.比赛意义。
注意:
1.写作词数应为80 左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
An English Speech Contest on Ocean Exploration
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . An impressive invention made by a 17-year-old teenager, called Anna Du, is helping to clean up small pieces of plastic from the ocean.
While walking along her local beaches in Massachusetts, the young student began collecting waste plastic bags and bottles. But what she noticed was a large number of tiny pieces of plastic or microplastics that were impossible to pick up. At just 12 years old, Du set out to solve the problem. After testing a few prototypes(原型)in her backyard, she invented a remotely operated vehicle that uses the infrared camera(红外摄像机)to detect microplastics on the ocean floor. More recently, Du has also created a simulation(模拟)model that uses artificial intelligence to predict where microplastics are located.
Du’s robot invention has earned her awards at top science fairs in the US, and she’s now a nationally recognized advocate for microplastic awareness and pollution prevention. “When I first started doing science fairs, I had no idea that a young girl without lots of money and just a little advanced engineering knowledge could make a difference in the world. I’ve learned that I truly love working on a problem that’s so much larger than me,” Du said.
Du has also released a new book to help spread the word not only about the dangers of microplastics but also about the ways to relieve the problem. Titled Microplastics &Me, the book follows Du’s own story of how she went from worrying about the environment to designing award-winning solutions. Writing for kids her own age, the young girl alerts her readers to the threat of microplastic pollution and urges them to care about the environment. The book hopes to encourage young students to get into science, technology, engineering and math(STEM)subjects and to inspire a new generation of inventors and engineers. What’s more, Du has even raised more than $7,000 to distribute the book free to kids and libraries in high-need communities.
1. What inspired Du to make the invention?A.There was too much rubbish along the beaches. | B.The plastics were too small to collect by hand. |
C.The sea was polluted seriously. | D.She was interested in AI. |
A.She has a spirit of challenge. | B.She is too poor to make a difference. |
C.She doesn’t study hard in engineering. | D.She wins international recognition. |
A.Innovation. | B.Voice. | C.Culture. | D.Art. |
A.To inspire readers to share their stories. |
B.To raise the awareness of microplastics pollution. |
C.To encourage high schools to offer STEM subjects. |
D.To collect money for kids in high-need communities. |
Today, giant pandas are one of the world's most well-known animals. And they are
The idea of the WWF's logo(标志)
Aware of the need for a recognisable symbol that would break through all language barriers(障碍), WWF's founders agreed that the big, furry bear with her special black and white coat would make a great logo. The first sketches(草图) were done by the British environmentalist and
Based on these, Sir Peter Scott, one of WWF's founders, drew
The panda has since become a symbol not just for WWF,
7 . Researchers in Australia have identified enzymes (酶) in the body of certain beetle larvae (甲虫幼虫) that can degrade or break down plastic. In a study published in Microbial Genomics, they write that these “superworms” could help reduce plastic waste in the future.
“Superworms are like mini recycling plants, cutting up the polysyrene (聚苯乙烯) with their mouths and then feeding it to the bacteria in their stomach,” said Chris Rinke from the University of Queensland in Australia. “The breakdown products from this reaction can then be used by other microbes to create high-value chemicals.”
In the study, scientists divided beetle larvae into three groups, feeding one group wheat bran, one polystyrene and one nothing. Over three weeks, they monitored their growth. “We found that superworms fed a diet of just polystyrene not only survived, but even had marginal weight gains,” said Rinke. “This suggests the worms can get energy from the polystyrene, most likely with the help of their stomach bacteria.”
On the other hand, the plastic-fed worms gained much less weight and were overall much less healthy than the bran-fed ones, though better off than the starvation group. After three weeks, some larvae were also set aside to grow into beetles, according to the study. About 93% of the bran-fed larvae formed adult worms, while about 67% of the plastic-fed larvae and 10% of the starved larvae formed adult worms.
The researchers investigated the superworm’s stomach bacteria to find the specific enzymes linked to plastic degradation, writes Fionna M. D. Samuels for Scientific American. The enzyme that degrades the polystyrene appears to live with the stomach bacteria, not the worm itself.
Polystyrene is one of the most common plastics used today. But it’s not very chemically reactive, and breaking it down with industrial recycling methods takes high heat. So, researchers have been looking for plastic-degrading enzymes and bacteria for years.
Further research will still need to be done to figure out how to employ these worms, bacteria and enzymes in recycling facilities.
1. What does Chris Rinke compare superworms to?A.Small plants. | B.Beetle larvae. | C.Stomach bacteria. | D.High-value chemicals. |
A.Few. | B.Tiny. | C.Obvious. | D.Normal. |
A.The damage of plastic to life. |
B.Possible causes of plastic pollution. |
C.Researchers’ efforts over the years to recycle plastic. |
D.The necessity of finding out a way to degrade plastic. |
A.To report a new way to recycle plastic. | B.To call on people to reduce plastic waste. |
C.To explain how larvae can degrade plastic. | D.To introduce the findings of a new research. |
8 . France has changed the rules in its grocery stores and marketplaces. Starting on January 1, 2022, most fresh fruits and vegetables can no longer be packaged for salern plastic.
Under the new law, more than 30 types of fruits and vegetables must now be sold in materials that can be recycled. Potatoes, tomatoes, apples and carrots are some of the items included in the list. Plastic will still be allowed for packs that are over 1.5 kilograms. Smaller items such as raspberries and cherry tomatoes can still be sold in plastic for now, but the country plans to ban (禁止) all single-use plastic packaging for whole fruits and vegetables by 2026.
This ban on plastic packaging is part of a broader effort by France to control plastic waste across a range of sectors. Other efforts include preventing restaurants from including plastic toys in children’s meals, newspapers and magazines from being delivered in plastic, and tea bags being sold in plastic packages. Furthermore, public locations must provide water refill stations to disincentivize the use of single-use water bottles.
It’s believed that 37% of fresh fruits and vegetables are wrapped in plastic in France. The government says the new ban will stop one billion pieces of plastic from being used each year.
Not everyone is happy with the change. François Roch, president of the French fruit sellers’ federation, told Reuters, “Selling loose produce is complicated (复杂的) as many customers touch the fruit and people do not want their fruit to be touched by other customers.”
The ban will likely require a change in habits Shoppers will probably have to take their own reusable bags to fill and weigh. It will be interesting to see how France deals with the complications that come with selling loose produce, and whether other countries follow suit, once a precedent (先例) has been set.
1. What’s the purpose of the new ban?A.To reduce plastic waste. | B.To control overspending. |
C.To recycle plastic products. | D.To fight over-packaging. |
A.Ignore. | B.Measure. | C.Increase. | D.Discourage. |
A.Relaxed. | B.Dissatisfied. | C.Surprised. | D.Interested. |
A.More attention to a healthy lifestyle. | B.A change in customers’ shopping habits. |
C.Fewer tips to stores and supermarkets. | D.A drop in the sale of fruits and vegetables. |
9 . As awareness of climate change grows, so does the desire to do something about it. One way to gain a quantifiable (可量化的) understanding of the impacts of our actions, for good and bad, is through what is known as a carbon footprint. While the concept is gaining traction, it is not always fully understood.
According to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at Lancaster University in the UK and author of The Carbon Footprint of Everything, a carbon footprint is “the sum total of all the greenhouse gas emissions that had to take place in order for a product to be produced or for an activity to take place.”
What steps a person can take to reduce their personal footprint depends on the kind of lifestyle they presently live, and the same actions are not equally effective for everyone. Berners-Lee notes that, “for some people, flying may be 10 percent of their footprint, for some people it’s zero, and for some it’s such a huge number that it should be the only thing they should be thinking about.”
It isn’t easy to calculate a carbon footprint. The earliest such calculator is thought to have appeared in 2004 as part of the “Beyond Petroleum” campaign of oil giant BP, which makes observers criticize the pressure to reduce personal carbon footprints as an indication that climate change is not the fault of an oil giant, but that of individuals.
“I would say personal carbon footprint calculators are a useful tool to assess the impact of your immediate actions.” Berners-Lee says. “But what’s much more important than your personal carbon footprint is your climate shadow, which aims to paint a picture of the full sum of one’s choices and the impact they have on the planet. For example, how you vote, where you work, how you invest your money, and how much you talk about climate change.”
1. What does the underlined word “traction” in paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Control. | B.Insight. | C.Attention. | D.Power. |
A.By presenting a fact. | B.By giving suggestions. |
C.By clarifying a concept. | D.By making a comparison. |
A.Unclear. | B.Favorable. | C.Tolerant. | D.Disapproving. |
A.Tools are more important than choices. |
B.Climate shadow covers a broad range of actions. |
C.Calculating carbon footprint is the most effective. |
D.Only individuals are responsible for climate change. |
World Olive Tree Day takes place on 26 November every year. It
The olive tree, especially the olive branch, holds an important place
Protecting and growing the olive tree is
World Olive Tree Day is set up
There is much to learn, share and celebrate on World Olive Tree Day, and UNESCO encourages everyone to participate in