1 . According to a research, more than 130 billion pounds of uneaten food go to waste in Laura’s county each year. That is about 30% of the yearly food supply (供应). It is a sad fact, especially when you consider how many families and homeless people are in hunger.
When Laura saw her school dining hall throw away food that was not eaten at all every day, she came up with an idea. She started a project to help her school dining hall to give away uneaten food to homeless shelters (避难所) in her community. In the past three years, the same protect has spread to other schools and some fast food restaurants throughout the city. The project is called Feed & Find, which has already fed thousands of people in her city.
How does it work? Through an app, Feed & Find matches local homeless shelters with school dining halls and restaurants that have uneaten food to provide. When dining halls or restaurants have uneaten food left, they can use the app to share the information about the food. A truck driver working for the project is then sent to pick it up and take it to a shelter.
Pretty cool, right? It’s not surprising that people in other cities have got in touch with Laura, to hoping that she could help develop similar projects for their communities.
Some people, however, dread the safety of the uneaten food. They think such food may not be clean enough. Still, this project is a clever way to help solve the problem of food waste and it helps those in need.
1. The numbers in Paragraph 1 tell us ________.| A．some people are poor | B．food waste is serious |
| C．the population is large | D．the research is interesting |
| A．her school dining hall | B．her family |
| C．a fast food restaurant | D．a homeless shelter |
| A．find a truck driver | B．visit their communities |
| C．give away food to them | D．help develop projects like hers |
| A．ways | B．secrets | C．worries | D．decisions |
2 . Back in the 1980s when monkeypox(猴痘)was still an extremely rare disease, scientists kept warning: Over time, the monkeypox outbreaks will increase. At that time, there were only about 50 monkeypox cases a year in West and Central Africa where people caught the disease mainly from direct contact with wild animals. Infection between humans was very limited. But in 2022, the world is facing the first international outbreak, with more than 5,000 cases reported in 44 countries within six months.
So how could the scientists know in the 1980s that monkeypox would grow in size and spread internationally?
Their warnings were based on the successful campaign against smallpox(天花), one of the deadliest diseases in human history, which killed up to 30% of the people infected. Thanks to a worldwide campaign, smallpox disappeared in the late 1970s. However, the end of smallpox opened the door for monkeypox to emerge.
Monkeypox, whose present version kills less than 1% of people infected, is closely related to smallpox. Having a smallpox infection-or a smallpox vaccine(疫苗)-offers really good protection against smallpox as well as monkeypox. Perhaps about 85% protection. But in the late 1970s, the world stopped vaccining people for smallpox. So over the past decades, human resistance to smallpox and monkeypox has dropped sharply.
“We’re actually at a point where our immunity against monkeypox is the lowest in thousands of years,” says Jo Walker of the Yale School of Public Health. Without some resistance against the disease, people are more likely to catch monkeypox from animals and spread it to someone else. So it is time that people who might come into contact with infected people were vaccined for monkeypox. Otherwise, it could become a permanent presence in the world, since every time there’s an outbreak the virus has a chance to figure out how to spread more quickly among people.
Indeed, this new outbreak in Europe may be a sign that the virus has changed-even if just a bit-and may be increasing its ability to spread among people.
1. What can be learned about monkeypox?| A．It can be more dangerous than smallpox. | B．It rarely spread from animals to humans. |
| C．The outbreaks were not serious in the 1980s. | D．Scientists are surprised by the present outbreaks. |
| A．The cause of the present outbreaks. | B．The disappearance of smallpox. |
| C．The potential danger of smallpox. | D．The treatment of monkeypox. |
| A．Kill all the infected wild animals. | B．Develop a special vaccine for treatment. |
| C．Lock down the infected countries. | D．Vaccine those in possible contact with the infected. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Worried. | C．Overjoyed. | D．Uncaring. |
For the past few years, several Internet buzzwords (流行语) have gone popular, “
“I still remember some 10 years ago, my weekends
Such a phenomenon is very common in our
4 . Many Chinese people used to greet each other with “Have you had your meal? “show to their friendliness. Recently, a new greeting has emerged in many Chinese cities, namely “Have you lost weight?”
In recent years, food-delivery services have been growing and Chinese people can easily get access to foods from all over the world. But people are paying more and more attention to their health. On food-delivery platforms, replacement meal and food labeled with “low calories” and “light food“ are becoming popular. More people are becoming familiar with various terms, such as “sugar cut-off” and “low calorie Fast Diet plan”.
As the quality of life for most has greatly improved over the past decades, most people no longer need to worry about whether they have enough food, but rather whether they have a healthy diet. According to statistics from global market research firm Euromonitor International, the global meal replacement market reached $66.16 billion in 2017, of which the Chinese market contributed about $8.45 billion. The figure is expected to double in 2022.
Despite healthier diets, many people believe, to lose weight, exercise is also of vital importance. Besides training in the gym, many people choose to take fitness equipment home. Over the past two years, the online consumption of fitness equipment has increased significantly, particularly among women who attach great importance to body management. Many people even like to run marathons. In China’s major cities, holding marathons has become a fashion. 1,828 marathons were held nation-wide in 2019, with 7.12 million participants.
According to Wang Hufeng, a professor at the Renmin University of China, health is a major issue of concern for the Chinese people and health is becoming a huge industry. “Health is an important indicator of a state’s soft power, and the improvement of overall health conditions can have a positive impact on economic development,” Wang said.
1. What can we know about the change of people’s greeting?| A．People become friendlier to others. | B．People care less about their meals. |
| C．People show more health concern. | D．People prefer a more direct manner. |
| A．Food trading in China is expected to grow in 2022. |
| B．Chinese people are changing their food choice greatly. |
| C．Chinese people are more willing to spend on food. |
| D．China has greater purchasing power in food. |
| A．People’s enthusiasm about exercise. | B．Advances in fitness equipment. |
| C．Women’s preference for sports. | D．The popularity of marathon. |
| A．China’s economy depends on health industry. | B．Food safety should be stressed in the future. |
| C．Government should develop health care industry. | D．Health plays an important role in society. |
5 . There are few places on Earth that humans haven’t messed up. Now even Antarctica, the only continent with no permanent human inhabitants, is being altered by us. A study found that the increasing human presence in Antarctica is causing more snow melt-bad news for a frozen world already battling the effects of human-caused global warming.
Black carbon, the dark, dusty pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels has settled in locations where tourists and researchers spend a lot of time, scientists found. Even the smallest amount of the dark pollutant can have a significant impact on melting because of its very low reflectiveness: things that are light in color, like snow, reflect the sun's energy and stay cool; things that are dark, like black carbon, absorb the sun's energy and warm up.
“The snow albedo (反射率) effect is one of the largest uncertainties in regional and global climate modeling right now,” Alia Khan, a snow and ice scientist at Western Washington University, told CNN. “That’s one of the motivations for the study, to quantify the impact of black carbon on regional snowmelt, which is important for quantifying the role of black carbon in the global loss of snow and ice.”
“Antarctica is sitting there pretty much silently all year. But, if it weren’t there, in the state that it is meant to be, the balance that we have in the climate system will no longer be,” Marilyn Raphael, a geography professor said. “Antarctica’s sea ice is also important to maintain a balance in atmospheric circulation,” he added. As waters get warmer, some Antarctic creatures are finding their homes more and more unlivable.
“Everything we do has consequences,” Raphael said. “We need to educate ourselves about those consequences, especially in systems that we know relatively little about. We have to be careful that we don’t upset the climate balance.”
1. Why can the smallest amount of black carbon have huge impact on melting?| A．It is highly reflective. | B．Its dark colour absorbs heat. |
| C．It produces vast energy. | D．It causes much pollution. |
| A．To measure the impact of black carbon on melting. |
| B．To quantify the cost of battling against climate change. |
| C．To remove the uncertainties of global warming effects. |
| D．To urge people to pay more attention to melting problem. |
| A．The change caused by Antarctic melting. | B．The methods to stop Antarctic ice melting. |
| C．The significance of Antarctic being in its state. | D．The sufferings Antarctic creatures are experiencing. |
| A．Reduce tourist numbers. | B．Face the consequences. |
| C．Acquire professional education. | D．Stop disturbing the climate. |
6 . There are a lot of wild camels in Australia. Although they don’t appear to be as destructive as other introduced species because they eat trees and plants that our native Australian animals don’t eat, in the last few years the Australian Camel population has been increasing at a fairly alarming rate and becoming a bit of a problem.
We didn’t see them that often where we grew up unless we went further into Queensland or South Australia. When we did see them it was always a bit of a thrill for us kids because it was somewhat of a novelty.
The suggestion of bringing camels to Australia was first made in 1837, 49 years after Europeans arrived in Australia. The importing of camels into Australia began in the mid 1800s to open up the desert areas of Central and Western Australia. They were handled and cared for by Muslim cameleers that came from countries like Egypt, Turkey and northern India. The cameleers were called Afghans or “Ghans” even though most of them were not Afghans. The name stuck to a part of the railroad track that links Port Augusta in South Australia to Darwin in the Northern Territory.
In a famous 176-kilometre race, between Bourke and Wanaaring in New South Wales a camel was beaten by a horse but the horse died the next day while the camel was ridden back to the starting point.
By the 1920s there were about 20, 000 domesticated camels in Australia, but with the arrival of motor and rail transport in the 1930s people no longer needed their camels and a lot of them were abandoned in the bush.
Australian Camels are now exported live to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries where disease-free camels are considered a delicacy. Australian Camels are also exported to Arab Camel racing stables as breeding stock. The United States also imports them to use in tourist attractions. There are over 40 farms providing rides in Australia now.
1. What problem with camels in Australia is mentioned?| A．They carry disease. |
| B．They hurt people sometimes. |
| C．The number of them is growing rapidly. |
| D．Some native animals are threatened by them. |
| A．To keep the balance of nature. |
| B．To develop the desert areas. |
| C．To satisfy kids’ curiosity. |
| D．To create new jobs. |
| A．The disappearance of bushes. |
| B．The spread of a serious disease. |
| C．The introduction of other animals. |
| D．The availability of modern vehicles. |
| A．The history of Australian Camels. |
| B．What Australian Camels are used for. |
| C．The advantages of Australian Camels. |
| D．Why Australian Camels are popular abroad. |
7 . People today are not unfamiliar with term such as "going eco-friendly" and "sustainable lifestyle". However, there exists a group of sceptics（怀疑论者）who believe that going eco-friendly is merely a fad（一时的风尚）. I disagree with this viewpoint, Going eco-friendly is not merely a fad and it does, in fact, change the beliefs and attitudes of people.
The long-term presence of environmental organisations shows the efforts that people have made towards going eco-friendly. Organisations such as World Wildlife Fund advocate people to go eco-friendly. The high involvement of the organisations and the participants is thus a strong indicator that going eco-friendly is not merely a fad but a trend that can last decades.
Another strong indicator is the emergence of sustainable products in many industries, such as organic produce and electric vehicles. The consumer demand, coupled with eco-conscious（环保意识的）businesses, is behind the sharp increase in such products. This shows a shift in the beliefs and attitudes of people towards adopting a sustainable lifestyle. Thus, it seems quite certain that going eco-friendly is not merely a fad.
While some people who broadcast their eco-friendly practices are criticised for just hoping to project an eco-conscious image, there are a number of celebrities who have been practising the zero-waste lifestyle for years. For those who do so for years, and not mere days or months, it is indeed a commitment that can only come with a true change in beliefs and attitudes towards caring for the earth.
The call to save the earth looks set to stay. With the development of technology and the appearance of many platforms advocating going green, people are more willing to change their beliefs and attitudes when they can learn about and appreciate the positive impact of the work of different environmental organisations and individuals. It is hoped that these effects will go a long way in ensuring that our planet will remain a suitable place to live in.
1. Why does the author mention World Wildlife Fund?| A．To appreciate its environmental efforts. |
| B．To encourage people to go eco-friendly. |
| C．To evidence the universal recognition of going green. |
| D．To highlight the difficulty in changing people's attitudes. |
| A．Sudden disappearance. | B．Sharp increase. |
| C．Gradual development. | D．Limited application. |
| A．It may discourage people from sustainable lifestyle. |
| B．It may boost the business of organic produce. |
| C．It will be used to project an eco-conscious image. |
| D．It will promote environmental awareness. |
| A．To prove going eco-friendly a lasting trend. |
| B．To popularize the eco-friendly products. |
| C．To offer strategies to go eco-friendly. |
| D．To advertise for eco-friendly platforms. |
8 . If you use social media to chase away loneliness, a new study suggests you’re going against the gain.
We may have heard a lot about the benefits of interacting with others online, but the findings of a study conducted by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists show a direct relationship between social media usage and feelings of isolation (隔绝). In short, the more time you spend on social media, the lonelier you may feel.
With increased interaction on a large number of apps that allow for endless virtual connectivity, loneliness seems like the last problem frequent social media users would face, but according to the leader of the study Brain Primack, it has the exact opposite effect.
“Mental health problems and social isolation are at widespread levels among young adults nowadays,” Primack said, “We are naturally social creature, but modem life tends to separate us instead of bringing us together. While it may seem that social media presents opportunities to fill the social void (空隙), I think this study suggests that it may not be the solution people were hoping for.”
Primack and his team examined the social media habits of 1,787 U.S. adults aged 19 to 32 via a questionnaire that asked about the time and frequency they spent on the most popular social media platforms. Eventually, they determined that young adults who are constantly logging into social media reported more feelings of isolation than those with less social media usage. Frequent exposure to unrealistic descriptions on social media instead of face-to-face social interactions may give people the impression that others are living happier, more connected lives, and this may users feel more socially isolated in comparison.
1. What does the underlined phrase “going against the grain” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Doing it all wrong. | B．On the way to success. |
| C．Taking a risk. | D．Making a difference. |
| A．By providing explanations. | B．By collecting data online. |
| C．By doing a survey. | D．By describing their own experiences. |
| A．You will feel happier if you spend more time online. |
| B．Interaction online is not the solution to social isolation. |
| C．Virtual connectivity is best way to fill the social void. |
| D．Popular social media platforms can bring people together. |
| A．New study on social media usage has been published. |
| B．Face-to-face social interactions are on the way out. |
| C．Social media does users more harm than good. |
| D．Social media might make loneliness worse. |
