2015-2019全国各地英语阅读理解生态环保类（原卷版）
(2019北京卷D)
By the end of the century，if not sooner，the world's oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate，according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物)called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms，these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue，depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas，while reducing it in other spots，leading to changes in the ocean's appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface，where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die，they bury carbon in the deep ocean，an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth，since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow，but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz，a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science，built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters，such as those of the Arctic，a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton，and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ”she said，“but the type of phytoplankton is changing. ”
42. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?
A. The various patterns at the ocean surface.
B. The cause of the changes in ocean colour.
C. The way light reflects off marine organisms.
D. The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.
43. What does the underlined word“vulnerable”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Sensitive. B. Beneficial C. Significant D. Unnoticeable
44. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.
B. Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes
C. Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate
D. Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.
45. What is the main purpose of the passage？
A. To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes
B. To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain
C. To explain the effects of climate change on oceans
D. To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton
（2019天津卷C）
How does an ecosystem（生态系统）work？What makes the populations of different species the way they are？Why are there so many flies and so few wolves？To find an answer，scientists have built mathematical models of food webs，noting who eats whom and how much each one eats.
With such models，scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs，for instance，consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator（掠食动物）always eats huge numbers of a single prey（猎物），the two species are strongly linked；when a predator lives on various species，they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species，it can survive the extinction（灭绝）of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare，the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction.
Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable，where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s，scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species---including species they did not directly attack.
And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean，we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale，while on land，we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance.
Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally，the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key，scientists says because once ecosystems pass their tipping point（临界点），it is remarkably difficult for them to return.
46. What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs？
A. The living habits of species in food webs.
B. The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems.
C. The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems.
D. The differences between weak and strong links in food webs.
47. A strong link is found between two species when a predator______
A. has a wide food choice B. can easily find new prey
C. sticks to one prey species D. can quickly move to another place
48. What will happen if the populations of top predators in a food web greatly decline？
A. The prey species they directly attack will die out.
B. The species they indirectly attack will turn into top predators.
C. The living environment of other species will remain unchanged.
D. The populations of other species will experience unexpected changes.
49. What conclusion can be drawn from the examples in Paragraph 4？
A. Uncontrolled human activities greatly upset ecosystems.
B. Rapid economic development threatens animal habitats.
C. Species of commercial value dominate other species.
D. Industrial activities help keep food webs stable.
50. How does an early-warning system help us maintain the ecological balance？
A. By getting illegal practices under control.
B. By stopping us from killing large predators.
C. By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal.
D. By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action.
（2019浙江卷C）
California has lost half its big trees since the 1930s, according to a study to be published Tuesday and climate change seems to be a major factor(因素).
The number of trees larger than two feet across has declined by 50 percent on more than 46, 000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was spared or unaffected, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high country, the number of big trees has fallen by more than 55 percent; in parts of southern California the decline was nearly 75 percent.
Many factors contributed to the decline, said Patrick Mclntyre, an ecologist who was the lead author of the study. Woodcutters targeted big trees. Housing development pushed into the woods. Aggressive wildfire control has left California forests crowded with small trees that compete with big trees for resources(资源).
But in comparing a study of California forests done in the 1920s and 1930s with another one between 2001 and 2010, Mclntyre and his colleagues documented a widespread death of big trees that was evident even in wildlands protected from woodcutting or development.
The loss of big trees was greatest in areas where trees had suffered the greatest water shortage. The researchers figured out water stress with a computer model that calculated how much water trees were getting in comparison with how much they needed, taking into account such things as rainfall, air temperature, dampness of soil, and the timing of snowmelt(融雪).
Since the 1930s, Mclntyre said, the biggest factors driving up water stress in the state have been rising temperatures, which cause trees to lose more water to the air, and earlier snowmelt, which reduces the water supply available to trees during the dry season.
27. What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A. The seriousness of big-tree loss in California.
B. The increasing variety of California big trees.
C. The distribution of big trees in California forests.
D. The influence of farming on big trees in California.
28. Which of the following is well-intentioned but may be bad for big trees?
A. Ecological studies of forests. B. Banning woodcutting.
C. Limiting housing development. D. Fire control measures.
29. What is a major cause of the water shortage according to Mclntyre?
A. Inadequate snowmelt. B. A longer dry season.
C. A warmer climate. D. Dampness of the air.
30. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. California's Forests: Where Have All the Big Trees Gone?
B. Cutting of Big Trees to Be Prohibited in California Soon
C. Why Are the Big Trees Important to California Forests?
D. Patrick Mclntyre: Grow More Big Trees in California
（2018全国Ⅰ卷D） ? ??
We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices (装置) well after they go out of style. That's bad news for the environment – and our wallets – as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things. ? ??To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life – from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation. Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007. ??? As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones."The Living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kid's room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices-we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TV's with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions(排放) more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window. ??? So what's the solution(解决方案)?The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one fun_ction, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tables instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.
32.What does the author think of new devices?
A.?They are environment-friendly.???????????????????????B.?They are no better than the old. C.?They cost more to use at home.?????????????????????D.?They go out of style quickly.
33.Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?
A.?To reduce the cost of minerals.???????????????????????B.?To test the life cycle of a product. C.?To update consumers on new technology.????????D.?To find out electricity consumption of the devices.
34.Which of the following uses the least energy?
A.?The box-set TV.????????????B.?The tablet.????????????C.?The LCD TV.????????????D.?The desktop computer.
35.What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?
A.?Stop using them.???????????B.?Take them apart.???????????C.?Upgrade them.???????????D.?Recycle them.
（2018北京卷）
Plastic-Eating Worms
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.
Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms’ chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass — apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms’ stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017.
Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms’ ability to break down their everyday food — beeswax — also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂
Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team’s findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process — not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂
43. What can we learn about the worms in the study?
A. They take plastics as their everyday food.
B. They are newly evolved creatures.
C. They can consume plastics.
D. They wind up in landfills.
44. According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .
A. identify other means of the breakdown
B. find out the source of the enzyme
C. confirm the research findings
D. increase the breakdown speed
45. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .
A. help to raise worms
B. help make plastic bags
C. be used to clean the oceans
D. be produced in factories in future
46. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To explain a study method on worms.
B. To introduce the diet of a special worm.
C. To present a way to break down plastics.
D. To propose new means to keep eco-balance.
（2018浙江卷B）
Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of?Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台) . The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like?Stein?to?make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers?to?purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy?to?produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly?to?look at, they represent a small percentage of all?garbage?on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy?to?make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don't dispute（质疑） these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers?to?use the same reusable bags for years.
24. What has Steven Stein been hired to do?
A. Help increase grocery sales. B. Recycle the waste material.
C. Stop things falling off trucks. D. Argue for the use of plastic bags.
25. What does the word “headwinds”in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Bans on plastic bags. B. Effects of city development.
C. Headaches caused by garbage. D. Plastic bags hung in trees.
26. What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?
A. They are quite expensive. B. Replacing them can be difficult.
C. They are less strong than plastic bags. D. Producing them requires more energy.
27. What is the best title for the text?
A. Plastic, Paper or Neither
B. Industry, Pollution and Environment
C. Recycle or Throw Away
D. Garbage Collection and Waste Control
（2017全国III卷C）
After years of heated debate, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Fourteen wolves were caught in Canada and transported to the park. By last year, the Yellowstone wolf population had grown to more than 170 wolves.
Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and much of the continental United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had practically disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around.
The disappearance of the wolves had many unexpected results. Deer and elk populations — major food sources (来源) for the wolf — grew rapidly. These animals consumed large amounts of vegetation (植被), which reduced plant diversity in the park. In the absence of wolves, coyote populations also grew quickly. The coyotes killed a large percentage of the park’s red foxes, and completely drove away the park’s beavers.
As early as 1966, biologists asked the government to consider reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park. They hoped that wolves would be able to control the elk and coyote problems. Many farmers opposed the plan because they feared that wolves would kill their farm animals or pets.
The government spent nearly 30 years coming up with a plan to reintroduce the wolvers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully monitors and manages the wolf packs in Yellowstone. Today, the debate continues over how well the gray wolf is fitting in at Yellowstone. Elk, deer, and coyote populations are down, while beavers and red foxes have made a comeback. The Yellowstone wolf project has been a valuable experiment to help biologists decide whether to reintroduce wolves to other parts of the country as well.
28. What is the text mainly about?
A. Wildlife research in the United States.
B. Plant diversity in the Yellowstone area.
C. The conflict between farmers and gray wolves.
D. The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park.
29. What does the underlined word ＂displaced＂ in paragraph 2 mean?
A. Tested. B. Separated.
C. Forced out. D. Tracked down.
30. What did the disappearance of gray wolves bring about?
A. Damage to local ecology. B. A decline in the park’s income.
C. Preservation of vegetation. D. An increase in the variety of animals.
31. What is the author’s attitude towards the Yellowstone wolf project?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive.
C. Disapproving. D. Uncaring.
（2017江苏卷D）
Old Problem, New Approaches
While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life, global warming will continue for some decades after CO2 emissions（排放）peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today, we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.
When it comes to adaptation, it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard, but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least, the US National Climate Assessment says that: ＂There is no ‘one-size fits all’ adaptation.＂ Nevertheless, there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.
Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways, especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His not-for-profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries, schools, and health clinics, and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity（连体） to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level: his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds prevent starvation during the wet season.
Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man. The loss of glaciers(冰川) there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel’s inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200, 000 m3 of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel’s ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting.
Increasing Earth’s reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.
In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its of "100 ideas to save the planet＂.
More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce, or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we’ve lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it’s a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.
Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others.
65. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies ____________.
A. adaptation is an ever-changing process
B. the cost of adaptation varies with time
C. global warming affects adaptation forms
D. adaptation to climate change is challenging
66. What is special with regard to Rezwan’s project?
A. The project receives government support.
B. Different organizations work with each other.
C. His organization makes the best of a bad situation.
D. The project connects flooded roads and highways.
67. What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming?
A. Storing ice for future use.
B. Protecting the glaciers from melting.
C. Changing the irrigation time.
D. Postponing the melting of the glaciers.
68. What do we learn from the Peru example?
A. White paint is usually safe for buildings.
B. The global warming tread cannot be stopped.
C. This country is heating up too quickly.
D. Sunlight reflection may relieve global warming.
69. According to the author, polluting industries should ____________.
A. adapt to carbon pollution
B. plant highly profitable crops
C. leave carbon emission alone
D. fight against carbon pollution
70. What’s the author’s preferred solution to global warming?
A. Setting up a new standard.
B. Reducing carbon emission.
C. Adapting to climate change.
D. Monitoring polluting industries.
（2016北京卷C）
California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
63. California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________.
A. are active at night
B. had to be bred in the wild
C. are found only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
64. Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
65. According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________.
A. makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood
D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds
66. This passage shows that _________.
A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B. Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering
C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
(2016上海卷B）
Is there link between humans and climate change or not? This question was first studied in the early 1900s. Since then, many scientists have thought that our actions do make a difference. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol explained our role in the Earth’s changing atmosphere and set international limits for gas emissions(排放) from 2008 to 2012. Some countries have decided to continue these reductions until 2020. More recently, the Paris Agreement, stuck by nearly 200 countries, also aims to limit global warming. But just now how much warmer it will get depends on how deeply countries cut carbon emissions.
3.5℃
This is how much temperatures would rise by 2100 even if nations live up to the initial Paris promises to reduce carbon emissions; this rise could still put coastal cities under water and drive over half of all species to extinction.
2℃
To meet this minimum goal, the Agreement requires countries to tighten emissions targets every five years. Even this increase could sink some islands, worse drought(干旱) and drive a decline of up to a third in the number of species.
1.5℃
This is the most ambitious goal for temperature rise set by the Paris Agreement, after a push by low-lying island nations like Kiribati, which say limiting temperature rise to 1.5℃ could save them from sinking.
0.8℃
This is how much temperatures have risen since the industrial age began, putting us 40% of the way to the 2℃ point.
0℃
The baseline here is average global temperature before the start of the industrial age.
70. It can be concluded from paragraph 1 that _______.
A. the problem of global warming will have been quite solved by 2020
B. gas emissions have been effectively reduced in developed countries
C. the Paris Agreements is more influential than the Kyoto Protocol
D. humans have made continuous efforts to slow down global warming
71. If nations could only keep the initial promises of the Paris Agreement, what would happen by the year 2100?
A. The human population would increase by one third.
B. Little over 50% of all species would still exist.
C. Nations would not need to tighten their emissions targets.
D. The Agreement’s minimum goal would not be reached.
72. If those island nations not far above sea level are to survive, the maximum temperature rise, since the start of the industrial age, should be_______.
A. 0.8℃ B. 1.5℃ C. 2℃ D. 3.5℃
(2016江苏卷C)
El Nifio, a Spanish term for “the Christ child”, was named by South American fisherman who noticed that the global weather pattern, which happens every two to seven years, reduced the amount of fishes caught around Christmas. El Nifio sees warm water, collected over several years in the western Pacific, flow back eastwards when winds that normally blow westwards weaken, or sometimes the other way round.
The weather effects both good and bad, are felt in many places. Rich countries gain more from powerful Nifio, on balance, than they lose. A study found that a strong Nifio in 1997 helped American’s economy grow by 15 billion, partly because of better agricultural harvest, farmers in the Midwest gained from extra rain. The total rise in agricultural in rich countries in growth than the fall in poor ones.
But in Indonesia extremely dry forests are in flames. A multi-year drought (干旱）in south-east Brazil is becoming worse. Though heavy rains brought about by El Nino may relieve the drought in California, they are likely to cause surface flooding and other disasters.
The most recent powerful Nino, in 1997-98, killed around 21,000 people and caused damage worth $36 billion around the globe. But such Ninos come with months of warning, and so much is known about how they happen that governments can prepare. According to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), however, just 12% of disaster-relief funding in the past two decades has gone on reducing risks in advance, rather than recovery and rebuilding afterwards. This is despite evidence that a dollar spent on risk-reduction saves at least two on reconstruction.
Simple improvements to infrastructure (基础设施）can reduce the spread of disease. Better sewers (下水道）make it less likely that heavy rain is followed by an outbreak of the disease of bad stomach. Stronger bridges mean villages are less likely to be left without food and medicine after floods. According to a paper in 2011 by Mr Hsiang and co-authors, civil conflict is related to El Nino’s harmful effects—and the poorer the country, the stronger the link. Though the relationship may not be causal, helping divided communities to prepare for disasters would at least reduce the risk that those disasters are followed by killing and wounding people. Since the poorest are least likely to make up for their losses from disasters linked to El Nino, reducing their losses needs to be the priority.
61. What can we learn about El Nino in Paragraph 1?
A.It is named after a South American fisherman.
B.It takes place almost every year all over the world.
C.It forces fishermen to stop catching fish around Christmas.
D.It sees the changes of water flow direction in the ocean.
62. What may El Ninos bring about to the countries affected?
A.Agricultural harvests in rich countries fall.
B.Droughts become more harmful than floods.
C.Rich countries’ gains are greater than their losses.
D.Poor countries suffer less from droughts economically.
63. The data provided by ODI in Paragraph 4 suggest that_________.
A.more investment should go to risk reduction
B. governments of poor countries need more aid
C. victims of El Nino deserve more compensation
D. recovery and reconstruction should come first
64. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To introduce El Nino and its origin. B. To explain the consequences of El Nino.
C. To show ways of fighting against El Nino. D.To urge people to prepare for El Nino.
(2015全国II卷C)
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot "greener" toward the environment. "We didn't know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it," says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement. Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. "The understanding has increased many, many times," says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.
According to US government reports, emissions (排放) from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 million tons. The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of "green thinking" has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty-five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it's hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. "Until we do that, nothing else will change!" says Bruce Anderson.
28.According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about_________.
A. the social movement B. recycling techniques
C. environmental problems D .the importance of Earth Day
29.Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
A. The grass-roots level. B. The business circle.
C. Government officials. D. University professors.
30.What have Americans achieved in environmental protection?
A. They have cut car emissions to the lowest.
B. They have settled their environmental problems.
C. They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities.
D. They have reduced pollution through effective measures.
31.What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph?
A. Education. B. Planning.
C. Green living. D.CO reduction.
2015-2019全国各地英语阅读理解生态环保类（解析版）
(2019北京卷D)
By the end of the century，if not sooner，the world's oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate，according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物)called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms，these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue，depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas，while reducing it in other spots，leading to changes in the ocean's appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface，where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die，they bury carbon in the deep ocean，an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth，since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow，but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz，a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science，built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters，such as those of the Arctic，a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton，and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ”she said，“but the type of phytoplankton is changing. ”
42. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?
A. The various patterns at the ocean surface.
B. The cause of the changes in ocean colour.
C. The way light reflects off marine organisms.
D. The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.
43. What does the underlined word“vulnerable”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Sensitive. B. Beneficial C. Significant D. Unnoticeable
44. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.
B. Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes
C. Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate
D. Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.
45. What is the main purpose of the passage？
A. To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes
B. To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain
C. To explain the effects of climate change on oceans
D. To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton
【答案】42. B 43. A 44. D 45. C
【语篇解读】本文为说明文。一项最新研究表明，由于气候变暖，世界海洋将会变得更蓝、更绿。这一现象是因为一种叫做浮游植物的微小海洋微生物，因为光线反射的作用，它们在海洋表面形成了五颜六色的图案。但是浮游植物很容易受到海洋变暖趋势的影响，气候变暖会改变海洋的主要特征，并影响浮游植物的生长。
【语篇解读】本文为说明文。一项最新研究表明，由于气候变暖，世界海洋将会变得更蓝、更绿。这一现象是因为一种叫做浮游植物的微小海洋微生物，因为光线反射的作用，它们在海洋表面形成了五颜六色的图案。但是浮游植物很容易受到海洋变暖趋势的影响，气候变暖会改变海洋的主要特征，并影响浮游植物的生长。
42主旨大意题。根据第一段讲述可知，到本世纪末， 由于气候变暖，如果不尽快的话，世界上的海洋将会变得更蓝、更绿。结合第二段讲述浮游植物，在光线的作用下在海洋表面形成了五颜六色的图案。海洋的颜色从绿色到蓝色不等，这取决于海洋的类型和浮游植物浓度。由此可推断出这两段主要叙述了海洋生物是海洋颜色变化的原因。故答案选B。
43猜测词义题。根据划线词后的“Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunshine and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.”可知，气候变暖会改变海洋的主要特征，并会影响浮游植物的生长。由此可判断“But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend”可知，浮游植物很容易受到海洋变暖趋势的影响。可知A项正确。
44推理判断题。根据第四段可推断，浮游植物的生长条件更加成熟，浮游动植物就更多了，这些水域会变得更绿了。故答案选D。
45主旨大意题。第一段提出到本世纪末。一项新的研究表明，由于气候变暖，如果不尽快的话，世界上的海洋将会变得更蓝、更绿。可知本文主要解释气候变化对海洋及其植物的影响。故答案选C。
（2019天津卷C）
How does an ecosystem（生态系统）work？What makes the populations of different species the way they are？Why are there so many flies and so few wolves？To find an answer，scientists have built mathematical models of food webs，noting who eats whom and how much each one eats.
With such models，scientists have found out some key principles operating in food webs. Most food webs，for instance，consist of many weak links rather than a few strong ones. When a predator（掠食动物）always eats huge numbers of a single prey（猎物），the two species are strongly linked；when a predator lives on various species，they are weakly linked. Food webs may be dominated by many weak links because that arrangement is more stable over the long term. If a predator can eat several species，it can survive the extinction（灭绝）of one of them. And if a predator can move on to another species that is easier to find when a prey species becomes rare，the switch allows the original prey to recover. The weak links may thus keep species from driving one another to extinction.
Mathematical models have also revealed that food webs may be unstable，where small changes of top predators can lead to big effects throughout entire ecosystems. In the 1960s，scientists proposed that predators at the top of a food web had a surprising amount of control over the size of populations of other species---including species they did not directly attack.
And unplanned human activities have proved the idea of top-down control by top predators to be true. In the ocean，we fished for top predators such as cod on an industrial scale，while on land，we killed off large predators such as wolves. These actions have greatly affected the ecological balance.
Scientists have built an early-warning system based on mathematical models. Ideally，the system would tell us when to adapt human activities that are pushing an ecosystem toward a breakdown or would even allow us to pull an ecosystem back from the borderline. Prevention is key，scientists says because once ecosystems pass their tipping point（临界点），it is remarkably difficult for them to return.
46. What have scientists discovered with the help of mathematical models of food webs？
A. The living habits of species in food webs.
B. The rules governing food webs of the ecosystems.
C. The approaches to studying the species in the ecosystems.
D. The differences between weak and strong links in food webs.
47. A strong link is found between two species when a predator______
A. has a wide food choice B. can easily find new prey
C. sticks to one prey species D. can quickly move to another place
48. What will happen if the populations of top predators in a food web greatly decline？
A. The prey species they directly attack will die out.
B. The species they indirectly attack will turn into top predators.
C. The living environment of other species will remain unchanged.
D. The populations of other species will experience unexpected changes.
49. What conclusion can be drawn from the examples in Paragraph 4？
A. Uncontrolled human activities greatly upset ecosystems.
B. Rapid economic development threatens animal habitats.
C. Species of commercial value dominate other species.
D. Industrial activities help keep food webs stable.
50. How does an early-warning system help us maintain the ecological balance？
A. By getting illegal practices under control.
B. By stopping us from killing large predators.
C. By bringing the broken-down ecosystems back to normal.
D. By signaling the urgent need for taking preventive action.
【答案】46. B 47. C 48. D 49. A 50. D
【语篇解读】这是一篇说明文。本文介绍了借助食物网的数学模型，科学家们发现了一些在食物网运营的关键原则。科学家们说;因为一个生态系统越过了它的临界点，它们很难再回来。该系统将告诉我们何时适应人类活动，这些活动正将生态系统推向崩溃，或者甚至允许我们将生态系统从边缘拉回来，预防是关键。
46细节理解题。根据第一段第四句可知，借助食物网的数学模型，科学家们发现了食物网中的一些关键原则。故选B。
47细节理解题。根据第一段的When a predator(掠食动物) always eats huge numbers of a single prey(猎物)，the two species are strongly linked可知，当捕食者总是吃大量的单一猎物，这两个物种是紧密相连的。故选C。
48推理判断题。根据第二段可知，处于食物网顶端的食肉动物对它们没有直接攻击的其他物种的种群数量有着惊人的控制，由此可推断出，如果食物链顶级食肉动物的数量大大下降，其他物种的种群将经历意想不到的变化。故选D。
49推理判断题。根据第四段可知，人类过度的活动会将生态系统推向崩溃，由此可推断出，不受控制的人类活动极大地破坏了生态系统。故选A。
50细节理解题。根据最后一段可知，早期变暖系统发出紧急需要采取预防行动的信号帮助我们维持生态平衡。故选D。
（2019浙江卷C）
California has lost half its big trees since the 1930s, according to a study to be published Tuesday and climate change seems to be a major factor(因素).
The number of trees larger than two feet across has declined by 50 percent on more than 46, 000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was spared or unaffected, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high country, the number of big trees has fallen by more than 55 percent; in parts of southern California the decline was nearly 75 percent.
Many factors contributed to the decline, said Patrick Mclntyre, an ecologist who was the lead author of the study. Woodcutters targeted big trees. Housing development pushed into the woods. Aggressive wildfire control has left California forests crowded with small trees that compete with big trees for resources(资源).
But in comparing a study of California forests done in the 1920s and 1930s with another one between 2001 and 2010, Mclntyre and his colleagues documented a widespread death of big trees that was evident even in wildlands protected from woodcutting or development.
The loss of big trees was greatest in areas where trees had suffered the greatest water shortage. The researchers figured out water stress with a computer model that calculated how much water trees were getting in comparison with how much they needed, taking into account such things as rainfall, air temperature, dampness of soil, and the timing of snowmelt(融雪).
Since the 1930s, Mclntyre said, the biggest factors driving up water stress in the state have been rising temperatures, which cause trees to lose more water to the air, and earlier snowmelt, which reduces the water supply available to trees during the dry season.
27. What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A. The seriousness of big-tree loss in California.
B. The increasing variety of California big trees.
C. The distribution of big trees in California forests.
D. The influence of farming on big trees in California.
28. Which of the following is well-intentioned but may be bad for big trees?
A. Ecological studies of forests. B. Banning woodcutting.
C. Limiting housing development. D. Fire control measures.
29. What is a major cause of the water shortage according to Mclntyre?
A. Inadequate snowmelt. B. A longer dry season.
C. A warmer climate. D. Dampness of the air.
30. What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. California's Forests: Where Have All the Big Trees Gone?
B. Cutting of Big Trees to Be Prohibited in California Soon
C. Why Are the Big Trees Important to California Forests?
D. Patrick Mclntyre: Grow More Big Trees in California
【答案】27. A 28. D 29. C 30. A
【语篇解读】本文为说明文，根据一项研究表明，自20世纪30年代以来，加州已经失去了一半的大树，气候变化似乎是其主要因素。
27主旨大意题。在第二段中，作者用具体数据说明了大树损失在各个地区的严重程度，没有任何地区幸免或不受影响，故选A。
28推理判断题。根据第三段最后一句可知，野火控制在控制了森林大火的同时，使得加利福尼亚的森林里挤满了小树，它们与大树争夺资源，这对大树产生了不利的影响，故选D。
29细节理解题。根据最后一段the biggest factors driving up water stress in the state have been rising temperatures, …, and earlier snowmelt, …可知，造成加州水资源短缺的最大因素是气温的上升，以及较早的融雪，故选C。
30主旨大意题。通读全文可知，自20世纪30年代以来，加州已经失去了一半的大树，文章分析了引起该现象的几个主要因素。全文围绕“加州森林的大树都去哪儿了”话题展开，故选项A符合题意。
（2018全国卷ⅠD） ? ??
We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices (装置) well after they go out of style. That's bad news for the environment – and our wallets – as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things. ? ?? To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life – from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation. Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007. ??? As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones."The Living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kid's room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices-we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TV's with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions(排放) more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window. ??? So what's the solution(解决方案)?The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one fun_ction, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tables instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.
32.What does the author think of new devices?
A.?They are environment-friendly.??????????????????????? B.?They are no better than the old. C.?They cost more to use at home.????????????????????? D.?They go out of style quickly.
33.Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?
A.?To reduce the cost of minerals.??????????????????????? B.?To test the life cycle of a product. C.?To update consumers on new technology.???????? D.?To find out electricity consumption of the devices.
34.Which of the following uses the least energy?
A.?The box-set TV.????????????B.?The tablet.???????????? C.?The LCD TV.????????????D.?The desktop computer.
35.What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?
A.?Stop using them.???????????B.?Take them apart.???????C.?Upgrade them.???????????D.?Recycle them.
【答案】32.A 33. D 34. B 35.A
【语篇解读】这是一篇科普环保类说明文阅读。文章介绍了人们继续使用一些老旧电器对环境的坏处，这不仅增加能源的消耗，而且也不利于环保，因此作者建议及时更新那些过时的电子设备。 32.A ?推理判断。根据第1段最后一句可知“这些过时的装置比新装置消耗更多的能量，因而判断新装置消耗的能量少，所以环保。”，故答案选A。
33.D ?细节理解。根据第2段第一句To figure out how much power these devices are using, …为了查明这些装置的电消耗量。故答案选D。
34.B ?细节理解。由整个文章的最后一句可知在tablets(平板电脑)而不是电视和台式电脑上观看娱乐节目能够减少44%的能源消耗。故平板电脑使用最少的能源，故答案选B。
35.A ?细节理解题。根据最后一段第二句及最后一句可知，研究者们探索用新电器代替旧产品，结果发现新的装置能够减少44%的能源消耗。故选A。
（2018北京卷）
Plastic-Eating Worms
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.
Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms’ chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass — apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms’ stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biology in 2017.
Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms’ ability to break down their everyday food — beeswax — also allows them to break down plastic. ＂Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, ＂she explains, ＂The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. ＂
Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team’s findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process — not simply ＂millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic.＂
43. What can we learn about the worms in the study?
A. They take plastics as their everyday food.
B. They are newly evolved creatures.
C. They can consume plastics.
D. They wind up in landfills.
44. According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .
A. identify other means of the breakdown
B. find out the source of the enzyme
C. confirm the research findings
D. increase the breakdown speed
45. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .
A. help to raise worms
B. help make plastic bags
C. be used to clean the oceans
D. be produced in factories in future
46. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To explain a study method on worms.
B. To introduce the diet of a special worm.
C. To present a way to break down plastics.
D. To propose new means to keep eco-balance.
【语篇解读】这是一篇说明文，介绍吃塑料的虫子的工作原理及应用设想。
43.细节理解。根据第二段第二句，the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams可知这些虫子吃塑料，故答案选C。
44.细节理解。根据第四段，找到the next step出现在倒数第二句The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown，可知，下一步将是确定这种分解的原因，即找到酶的来源，故答案为B。
45.推理判断。根据最后一段的最后一句可知，她期望把化学物质用于某种工业生产中，而不是仅仅把虫子扔到塑料上，故答案为D。
46.主旨大意。通过文章标题Plastic-Eating Worms以及首尾段落的理解，可知全文在介绍虫子与塑料的降解之间的关系，所以C项：介绍一种分解塑料的方法，即“吃塑料的虫子”是本文的中心，故答案为C。
（2018浙江卷B）
Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks. His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he’s an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter, including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road. What is even more interesting is that one of?Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bags.
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year. So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts(收银台) . The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles. Eyeing these headwinds, plastic-bag makers are hiring scientists like?Stein?to?make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume.
Among the bag makers' argument: many cities with bans still allow shoppers?to?purchase paper bags, which are easily recycled but require more energy?to?produce and transport. And while plastic bags may be ugly?to?look at, they represent a small percentage of all?garbage?on the ground today.
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement: reusable shopping bags. The stronger a reusable bag is, the longer its life and the more plastic-bag use it cancels out. However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy?to?make. One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic.
Environmentalists don't dispute（质疑） these points. They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers?to?use the same reusable bags for years.
24. What has Steven Stein been hired to do?
A. Help increase grocery sales. B. Recycle the waste material.
C. Stop things falling off trucks. D. Argue for the use of plastic bags.
25. What does the word “headwinds”in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Bans on plastic bags. B. Effects of city development.
C. Headaches caused by garbage. D. Plastic bags hung in trees.
26. What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic-bag makers?
A. They are quite expensive. B. Replacing them can be difficult.
C. They are less strong than plastic bags. D. Producing them requires more energy.
27. What is the best title for the text?
A. Plastic, Paper or Neither
B. Industry, Pollution and Environment
C. Recycle or Throw Away
D. Garbage Collection and Waste Control
【语篇解读】文章分析了几种购物袋的使用情况，塑料袋造成了环境问题，尽管纸袋容易回收，但生产和运输需要更多的能源，希望消费者使用耐用可重复使用的袋子。
24．D细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句和第二段最后一句可知，塑料袋生产商雇用Steven Stein是为了证明他们的产品并不像大多数人想象的那样对地球有害，是对塑料袋被禁用的解释和争论。故选D。
25.A 词义猜测题。上句The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California, including Los Angeles.介绍在许多美国大城市塑料袋被禁用，看到这种现状，headwinds“逆风”，此处指塑料袋被禁用的现状，即Bans on plastic bags，故选A。
26.D 细节理解题。根据第四段However, longer-lasting reusable bags often require more energy?to?make.可知塑料袋生产商认为生产耐用且能重复使用的袋子需要更多的能量，故选D。
27.A 标题归纳题。文章讲述了使用塑料袋造成的环境问题，纸袋容易回收，但生产和运输需要更多的能源，希望消费者使用耐用可重复使用的袋子。对这三种方式进行了对比，故答案选A。
（2017全国III卷C）
After years of heated debate, gray wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Fourteen wolves were caught in Canada and transported to the park. By last year, the Yellowstone wolf population had grown to more than 170 wolves.
Gray wolves once were seen here and there in the Yellowstone area and much of the continental United States, but they were gradually displaced by human development. By the 1920s, wolves had practically disappeared from the Yellowstone area. They went farther north into the deep forests of Canada, where there were fewer humans around.
The disappearance of the wolves had many unexpected results. Deer and elk populations — major food sources (来源) for the wolf — grew rapidly. These animals consumed large amounts of vegetation (植被), which reduced plant diversity in the park. In the absence of wolves, coyote populations also grew quickly. The coyotes killed a large percentage of the park’s red foxes, and completely drove away the park’s beavers.
As early as 1966, biologists asked the government to consider reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone Park. They hoped that wolves would be able to control the elk and coyote problems. Many farmers opposed the plan because they feared that wolves would kill their farm animals or pets.
The government spent nearly 30 years coming up with a plan to reintroduce the wolvers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carefully monitors and manages the wolf packs in Yellowstone. Today, the debate continues over how well the gray wolf is fitting in at Yellowstone. Elk, deer, and coyote populations are down, while beavers and red foxes have made a comeback. The Yellowstone wolf project has been a valuable experiment to help biologists decide whether to reintroduce wolves to other parts of the country as well.
28. What is the text mainly about?
A. Wildlife research in the United States.
B. Plant diversity in the Yellowstone area.
C. The conflict between farmers and gray wolves.
D. The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park.
29. What does the underlined word ＂displaced＂ in paragraph 2 mean?
A. Tested. B. Separated.
C. Forced out. D. Tracked down.
30. What did the disappearance of gray wolves bring about?
A. Damage to local ecology. B. A decline in the park’s income.
C. Preservation of vegetation. D. An increase in the variety of animals.
31. What is the author’s attitude towards the Yellowstone wolf project?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive.
C. Disapproving. D. Uncaring.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇有关生态平衡的说明文，介绍了美国黄石公园重新引进灰狼的事情。人类活动的影响使灰狼的数量逐渐减少，鹿群数量逐渐增加，从而导致植被被大量破坏。
28.D主旨大意题。文章开门见山提出黄石公园引进灰狼的举措，然后在下文中详细介绍其原因以及带来的良好的转机，由此判断出中心话题是美国黄石公园对灰狼的引进。故答案选D。
29.C词义猜词题。根据本段后两句可知，因为人类的发展，侵占了灰狼的领域，灰狼逐渐向北迁徙，由此推断灰狼被人类排挤走了。故答案选C。
30. A细节理解题。根据第三段内容可知，灰狼的减少造成了鹿群的增多，从而植被遭到了破坏；而且红狐和海狸也不断减少，由此推断灰狼的消失引起了当地生态的破坏。故答案选A
31. B推理判断题。根据文章最后一句可知，作者认为引进灰狼的项目是很有价值的实验，是很值得推广的。故答案选B
（2017·江苏卷D）
Old Problem, New Approaches
While clean energy is increasingly used in our daily life, global warming will continue for some decades after CO2 emissions（排放）peak. So even if emissions were to begin to decrease today, we would still face the challenge of adapting to climate change. Here I will stress some smarter and more creative examples of climate adaptation.
When it comes to adaptation, it is important to understand that climate change is a process. We are therefore not talking about adapting to a new standard, but to a constantly shifting set of conditions. This is why, in part at least, the US National Climate Assessment says that: ＂There is no ‘one-size fits all’ adaptation.＂ Nevertheless, there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost.
Around the world, people are adapting in surprising ways, especially in some poor countries. Floods have become more damaging in Bangladesh in recent decades. Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster. His not-for-profit organization runs 100 river boats that serve as floating libraries, schools, and health clinics, and are equipped with solar panels and other communicating facilities. Rezwan is creating floating connectivity（连体） to replace flooded roads and highways. But he is also working at a far more fundamental level: his staff show people how to make floating gardens and fish ponds prevent starvation during the wet season.
Elsewhere in Asia even more astonishing actions are being taken. Chewang Norphel lives in a mountainous region in India, where he is known as the Ice Man. The loss of glaciers(冰川) there due to global warming represents an enormous threat to agriculture. Without the glaciers, water will arrive in the rivers at times when it can damage crops. Norphel’s inspiration came from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. His fields of ice supply perfectly timed irrigation(灌溉) water. Having created nine such ice reserves, Norphel calculates that he has stored about 200, 000 m3 of water. Climate change is a continuing process, so Norphel’s ice reserves will not last forever. Warming will overtake them. But he is providing a few years during which the farmers will, perhaps, be able to find other means of adapting.
Increasing Earth’s reflectiveness can cool the planet. In southern Spain the sudden increase of greenhouses (which reflect light back to space) has changed the warming trend locally, and actually cooled the region. While Spain as a whole is heating up quickly, temperatures near the greenhouses have decreased. This example should act as an inspiration for all cities. By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.
In Peru, local farmers around a mountain with a glacier that has already fallen victim to climate change have begun painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice. The outcome is still far from clear. But the World Bank has included the project on its of "100 ideas to save the planet＂.
More ordinary forms of adaptation are happening everywhere. A friend of mine owns an area of land in western Victoria. Over five generations the land has been too wet for cropping. But during the past decade declining rainfall has allowed him to plant highly profitable crops. Farmers in many countries are also adapting like this—either by growing new produce, or by growing the same things differently. This is common sense. But some suggestions for adapting are not. When the polluting industries argue that we’ve lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it’s a nonsense designed to make the case for business as usual.
Human beings will continue to adapt to the changing climate in both ordinary and astonishing ways. But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution. After all, if we adapt in that way, we may avoid the need to change in so many others.
65. The underlined part in Paragraph 2 implies ____________.
A. adaptation is an ever-changing process
B. the cost of adaptation varies with time
C. global warming affects adaptation forms
D. adaptation to climate change is challenging
66. What is special with regard to Rezwan’s project?
A. The project receives government support.
B. Different organizations work with each other.
C. His organization makes the best of a bad situation.
D. The project connects flooded roads and highways.
67. What did the Ice Man do to reduce the effect of global warming?
A. Storing ice for future use.
B. Protecting the glaciers from melting.
C. Changing the irrigation time.
D. Postponing the melting of the glaciers.
68. What do we learn from the Peru example?
A. White paint is usually safe for buildings.
B. The global warming tread cannot be stopped.
C. This country is heating up too quickly.
D. Sunlight reflection may relieve global warming.
69. According to the author, polluting industries should ____________.
A. adapt to carbon pollution
B. plant highly profitable crops
C. leave carbon emission alone
D. fight against carbon pollution
70. What’s the author’s preferred solution to global warming?
A. Setting up a new standard.
B. Reducing carbon emission.
C. Adapting to climate change.
D. Monitoring polluting industries.
【语篇解读】文章关注的是我们熟悉的话题——气候变暖，不同的是，文章给出了一些应对气候变暖的新途径。
65.A推理判断题。one-size fit all意为“通用的，万全之策”，句意：不存在通用的适应性方法。下句Nevertheless表转折，再根据“there are some actions that offer much and carry little risk or cost”可知，没有放之四海而皆准的方法，即适应是需要根据情况不断做出调整，而非一成不变的。故答案选A。
66. C 细节理解题。根据第四段“Mohammed Rezwan saw opportunity where others saw only disaster.”可知，Rezwan会从危机中看到机遇，会充分利用现有条件。故答案选C。
67. A 细节理解题。根据第五段“Norphel’s inspiration come from seeing the waste of water over winter, when it was not needed. He directed the wasted water into shallow basins where it froze, and was stored until the spring. ”可知，把冰川融化后的水储存起来以备不时之需，是减少气候变暖危害的方法之一。故答案选A。
68. D 推理判断题。根据倒数第四段“By painting buildings white, cities may slow down the warming process.”和倒数第三段“painting the entire mountain peak white in the hope that the added reflectiveness will restore the life-giving ice”可知，将墙壁涂成白色是利用了光的反射原理，这样可以缓解气候变暖。故答案选D。
69. D 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段“When the polluting industries argue that we’ve lost the battle to control carbon pollution and have no choice but to adapt, it’s a nonsense”可知，作者不赞成“我们已经在与碳污染的斗争中失败了”这样的说法，说明作者建议污染企业行动起来。故答案选D。
70. B推理判断题。根据最后一段“But the most sensible form of adaptation is surely to adapt our energy systems to emit less carbon pollution.”可知，作者认为，最合理的方法仍然是减少二氧化碳的排放。故答案选B。
（2016·北京卷C）
California Condor’s Shocking Recovery
California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
63. California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________.
A. are active at night
B. had to be bred in the wild
C. are found only in California
D. almost died out in the 1980s
64. Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.
A. blocking condors’ journey home
B. big killers of California condors
C. rest places for condors at night
D. used to keep condors away
65. According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________.
A. makes condors too nervous to fly
B. has little effect on condors’ kidneys
C. can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood
D. makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds
66. This passage shows that _________.
A. the average survival time of condors is satisfactory
B. Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering
C. the efforts to protect condors have brought good results
D. researchers have found the final answers to the problem
【语篇解读】加州兀鹰是北美最大的鸟类，翼展可达3米。20世纪80年代，由于触电和铅中毒，加州兀鹰几乎绝迹。现在，正通过电击和药物治疗拯救加州兀鹰。
63.D推理判断题。根据第三段“As they go in to rest for the night”排除A；根据第二段“In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖)”可知，condors一直生活在野外，排除B；根据第二段“more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico”可知，不止加利福尼亚州有condors，排除C，故选D。
64.B细节理解题。根据第三段“Electrical lines have been killing them off...Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.”可知，兀鹰不知道停在电线上翅膀同时触到两根及两根以上电线会触电身亡，它们经常停在电线上休息，结果，很多兀鹰被电死了，故选B。
64.B 细节理解题。根据第三段“Electrical lines have been killing them off...Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.”可知，兀鹰不知道停在电线上翅膀同时触到两根及两根以上电线会触电身亡，它们经常停在电线上休息，结果，很多兀鹰被电死了，故选B。
65.D推理判断题。根据“This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death”可知，摄入大量铅会刺激兀鹰的神经系统，影响它们的生育能力，导致肾衰竭和死亡，故选D。
66.C推理判断题。根据“just under eight years”可知，在野外生存的兀鹰的平均寿命太短，排除A；根据“Although these measures are not effective forever”可知，目前采用的措施并不能永远有效，排除D；根据第六段“They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them.”可知，Rideout团队的研究兴趣在于怎样挽救这一濒危物种，排除B。故选C。
(2016·上海卷B）
Is there link between humans and climate change or not? This question was first studied in the early 1900s. Since then, many scientists have thought that our actions do make a difference. In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol explained our role in the Earth’s changing atmosphere and set international limits for gas emissions(排放) from 2008 to 2012. Some countries have decided to continue these reductions until 2020. More recently, the Paris Agreement, stuck by nearly 200 countries, also aims to limit global warming. But just now how much warmer it will get depends on how deeply countries cut carbon emissions.
3.5℃
This is how much temperatures would rise by 2100 even if nations live up to the initial Paris promises to reduce carbon emissions; this rise could still put coastal cities under water and drive over half of all species to extinction.
2℃
To meet this minimum goal, the Agreement requires countries to tighten emissions targets every five years. Even this increase could sink some islands, worse drought(干旱) and drive a decline of up to a third in the number of species.
1.5℃
This is the most ambitious goal for temperature rise set by the Paris Agreement, after a push by low-lying island nations like Kiribati, which say limiting temperature rise to 1.5℃ could save them from sinking.
0.8℃
This is how much temperatures have risen since the industrial age began, putting us 40% of the way to the 2℃ point.
0℃
The baseline here is average global temperature before the start of the industrial age.
70. It can be concluded from paragraph 1 that _______.
A. the problem of global warming will have been quite solved by 2020
B. gas emissions have been effectively reduced in developed countries
C. the Paris Agreements is more influential than the Kyoto Protocol
D. humans have made continuous efforts to slow down global warming
71. If nations could only keep the initial promises of the Paris Agreement, what would happen by the year 2100?
A. The human population would increase by one third.
B. Little over 50% of all species would still exist.
C. Nations would not need to tighten their emissions targets.
D. The Agreement’s minimum goal would not be reached.
72. If those island nations not far above sea level are to survive, the maximum temperature rise, since the start of the industrial age, should be_______.
A. 0.8℃ B. 1.5℃ C. 2℃ D. 3.5℃
【答案】70.?D .?71.D??? 72.?B???
【语篇解读】本文介绍了人们一直努力减少温室气体的排放，并设立了到2100年我们应该达成的目标以及达成目标要符合的条件。
70.D?推理判断题。根据文章第一段三至六句“Since then many scientists have thought that our actions do make a difference. In 1997 the Kyoto ......stuck by nearly 200 countries also aims to limit global warming.”可知自从20世纪早期开始人类就一直在努力减少温室气体的排放，希望能减缓全球变暖的趋势。故选D。
71.D 推理判断题。根据文章第二段This is how much temperatures would rise by 2100 even if nations live up to the initial Paris promises to reduce carbon emissions;可知如果各国的气体排放能够符合巴黎协议的要求，到2100年气温会比现在高三度。而根据第三段To meet this minimum goal可知最小的目标是上升两度。也就是说即使各国的气体排放能够符合巴黎协议的要求，也达不到最小的目标。故选D。
72.B 细节理解题。根据第四段1.5℃ This is the most ambitious goal for temperature rise set by the Paris Agreement, after a push by low-lying island nations like Kiribati, which say limiting temperature rise to 1.5℃ could save them from sinking.可知对于那些低海拔的国家来说温度上升不超过1.5度，就可以避免他们被淹没。故选B。
(2016·江苏卷C)
El Nifio, a Spanish term for “the Christ child”, was named by South American fisherman who noticed that the global weather pattern, which happens every two to seven years, reduced the amount of fishes caught around Christmas. El Nifio sees warm water, collected over several years in the western Pacific, flow back eastwards when winds that normally blow westwards weaken, or sometimes the other way round.
The weather effects both good and bad, are felt in many places. Rich countries gain more from powerful Nifio, on balance, than they lose. A study found that a strong Nifio in 1997 helped American’s economy grow by 15 billion, partly because of better agricultural harvest, farmers in the Midwest gained from extra rain. The total rise in agricultural in rich countries in growth than the fall in poor ones.
But in Indonesia extremely dry forests are in flames. A multi-year drought (干旱）in south-east Brazil is becoming worse. Though heavy rains brought about by El Nino may relieve the drought in California, they are likely to cause surface flooding and other disasters.
The most recent powerful Nino, in 1997-98, killed around 21,000 people and caused damage worth $36 billion around the globe. But such Ninos come with months of warning, and so much is known about how they happen that governments can prepare. According to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), however, just 12% of disaster-relief funding in the past two decades has gone on reducing risks in advance, rather than recovery and rebuilding afterwards. This is despite evidence that a dollar spent on risk-reduction saves at least two on reconstruction.
Simple improvements to infrastructure (基础设施）can reduce the spread of disease. Better sewers (下水道）make it less likely that heavy rain is followed by an outbreak of the disease of bad stomach. Stronger bridges mean villages are less likely to be left without food and medicine after floods. According to a paper in 2011 by Mr Hsiang and co-authors, civil conflict is related to El Nino’s harmful effects—and the poorer the country, the stronger the link. Though the relationship may not be causal, helping divided communities to prepare for disasters would at least reduce the risk that those disasters are followed by killing and wounding people. Since the poorest are least likely to make up for their losses from disasters linked to El Nino, reducing their losses needs to be the priority.
61. What can we learn about El Nino in Paragraph 1?
A.It is named after a South American fisherman.
B.It takes place almost every year all over the world.
C.It forces fishermen to stop catching fish around Christmas.
D.It sees the changes of water flow direction in the ocean.
62. What may El Ninos bring about to the countries affected?
A.Agricultural harvests in rich countries fall.
B.Droughts become more harmful than floods.
C.Rich countries’ gains are greater than their losses.
D.Poor countries suffer less from droughts economically.
63. The data provided by ODI in Paragraph 4 suggest that_________.
A.more investment should go to risk reduction
B. governments of poor countries need more aid
C. victims of El Nino deserve more compensation
D. recovery and reconstruction should come first
64. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To introduce El Nino and its origin. B. To explain the consequences of El Nino.
C. To show ways of fighting against El Nino. D.To urge people to prepare for El Nino.
【答案】61.D 62.C 63.A 64.D
【语篇解读】本文介绍了厄尔尼诺现象对地球的影响，并告诉我们政府应该做更多的投资防止厄尔尼诺的危害而不是再出想问题以后再进行重新补救和恢复。
61.D 细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句El Nifio sees warm water, collected over several years in the western Pacific, flow back eastwards when winds that normally blow westwards weaken, or sometimes the other way round.可知厄尔尼诺现象见证了海洋中水流方向的变化。故选D。
62.C 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句Rich countries gain more from powerful Nifio, on balance, than they lose. 可知富有国家从厄尔尼诺现象中得到的好处要大于所得到的坏处。接着第三句中列举了1997年的厄尔尼诺给美国经济带来的好处，故选C。
63.A 推理判断题。根据第四段第三句According to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), however, just 12% of disaster-relief funding in the past two decades has gone on reducing risks in advance, rather than recovery and rebuilding afterwards.根据ODI的观点，为应对厄尔尼诺政府应该做更多的投资预防厄尔尼诺现象的危害而不是在出现问题以后再进行重新补救和恢复。故选A。
64.D 目的意图题。本文主要介绍了厄尔尼诺现象对地球的影响，并告诉我们诺政府应该做更多的投资预防厄尔尼诺的危害而不是在出现问题以后再进行重新补救和恢复。再根据最后一句“Since the poorest are least likely to make up for their losses from disasters linked to El Nino, reducing their losses needs to be the priority.”各国政府要把减少损失放在优先位置，也就是说我们要做到未雨绸缪。故答案选D。
(2015全国II卷C)
Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot "greener" toward the environment. "We didn't know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it," says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement. Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. "The understanding has increased many, many times," says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.
According to US government reports, emissions (排放) from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 million tons. The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of "green thinking" has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty-five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it's hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. "Until we do that, nothing else will change!" says Bruce Anderson.
28.According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about_________.
A. the social movement B. recycling techniques
C. environmental problems D .the importance of Earth Day
29.Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
A. The grass-roots level. B. The business circle.
C. Government officials. D. University professors.
30.What have Americans achieved in environmental protection?
A. They have cut car emissions to the lowest.
B. They have settled their environmental problems.
C. They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities.
D. They have reduced pollution through effective measures.
31.What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph?
A. Education. B. Planning.
C. Green living. D.CO reduction.
【语篇解读】这是一篇说明文，介绍环保意识在美国从无到有，逐渐增强，环保教育势在必行。
28.C 细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“We didn’t know at that time that there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it, ”says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA. ”可知，在此之前人们都没有意识到环境问题。故选 C。
29.A 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句“Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement.”可知，数以百万计的“草根”群体才是践行环保的主力军。故选A。
30.A 【解析】考查推理判断。依据第二段后半部分推断，美国政府多管齐下，污染问题大为缓解。A项错在lowest, B项错在have settled, C项错在forty。
32.A 【解析】考查推理判断。根据最后一段内容“Today , it’s hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program .” 推断，，重视教育好下一代是进行环保工作的重要任务。故选A环保意识教育至关重要。
