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常考话题二 生态环保类
“人与自然和谐发展”是时代的主题，生态环保类阅读理解是历年高考命题的热点，这
类文章与学生的生活息息相关。通过对这些话题的学习和高考英语对这些话题的考查，可以
让学生多注意身边的人和事、关注社会环境、树立环保意识、学会与大自然和谐相处。因此，
考生应该了解生态环保类文章的以下特点：
动植物保护、环境保护、生态保护、自然灾害、环保生活方式、人与自然
话题内容
和谐发展。
命题 细节理解题、主旨大意题、观点态度题、词义猜测题等。
生态环保类说明文通常会开门见山表明作者的观点，并且通常使用比较新颖的词汇和长
难句，这类材料的命题点往往落在主旨大意题和细节理解题上。具体答题策略如下：
(2021·全国乙·C)
You’ve heard that plastic is polluting the oceans—between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter
ocean ecosystems every year.But does one plastic straw or cup really make a difference? Artist
Benjamin Von Wong wants you to know that it does.He builds massive sculptures out of plastic
garbage，forcing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.
At the beginning of the year，the artist built a piece called “Strawpocalypse”，a pair of
10-foot-tall plastic waves，frozen mid-crash.Made of 168,000 plastic straws collected from several
volunteer beach cleanups，the sculpture made its first appearance at the Estella Place shopping
center in Ho Chi Minh City，Vietnam.
Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled.Plastic straws are by no means the biggestsource(来源) of plastic pollution，but they’ve recently come under fire because most people
don’t need them to drink with and，because of their small size and weight，they cannot be
recycled.Every straw that’s part of Von Wong’s artwork likely came from a drink that someone
used for only a few minutes.Once the drink is gone，the straw will take centuries to disappear.
In a piece from 2018，Von Wong wanted to illustrate(说明) a specific statistic：Every 60
seconds，a truckload’s worth of plastic enters the ocean.For this work，titled “Truckload of
Plastic”，Von Wong and a group of volunteers collected more than 10,000 pieces of plastic，
which were then tied together to look like they’d been dumped(倾倒) from a truck all at once.
Von Wong hopes that his work will also help pressure big companies to reduce their plastic
footprint.
语篇解读 艺术家Benjamin Von Wong非常关注塑料污染的问题，他用回收的废旧塑料垃圾
创作巨型雕塑，以唤醒和提高人们的环保意识。
28．What are Von Wong’s artworks intended for?
A．Beautifying the city he lives in.
B．Introducing eco-friendly products.
C．Drawing public attention to plastic waste.
D．Reducing garbage on the beach.
答案 C
解析 推理判断题。根据第一段最后一句“He builds massive sculptures out of plastic
garbage，forcing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.”可知，
艺术家Von Wong制作雕塑的目的是迫使观众重新审视他们与一次性塑料制品的关系，即关
注塑料垃圾造成的问题。
29．Why does the author discuss plastic straws in paragraph 3?
A．To show the difficulty of their recycling.
B．To explain why they are useful.
C．To voice his views on modern art.
D．To find a substitute for them.
答案 A
解析 细节理解题。根据第三段的内容，尤其是其中的“Just 9% of global plastic waste is
recycled.Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source(来源) of plastic pollution...because of
their small size and weight，they cannot be recycled.”可知，全球仅有9%的塑料废弃物被回收
利用，而且作者特别说明了塑料吸管因为体积小和重量轻而无法被回收。由此可知，作者在
第三段讨论塑料吸管的问题是为了说明塑料吸管回收的困难。故选A。
30．What effect would “Truckload of Plastic” have on viewers?
A．Calming. B．Disturbing.C．Refreshing. D．Challenging.
答案 B
解析 推理判断题。根据第四段的内容可知，Truckload of Plastic这一作品直观展现了塑料
污染的严重性，会令人不安，故选B。
31．Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A．Artists’ Opinions on Plastic Safety
B．Media Interest in Contemporary Art
C．Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies
D．Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures
答案 D
解析 标题归纳题。通览全文可知，作者主要讲述了艺术家Von Wong用塑料垃圾制作雕塑
以唤起人们对环保问题的关注，因此最佳标题为D。
A
(2022·广东茂名一模)
The Amazon rainforest is as undisturbed a place as most people can imagine，but even
there，the effects of a changing climate are playing out.Now，research suggests that many of the
region’s most sensitive bird species are starting to evolve in response to warming.
Birds are often considered sentinel(哨兵)species—meaning that they indicate the overall
health of an ecosystem—so scientists are particularly interested in how they’re responding to
climate change.In general，the news has not been good.For instance，a 2019 report by the
National Audubon Society found that more than two-thirds of North America’s bird species will
be in danger of extinction by 2100 if warming trends continue on their current course.
For the new study，researchers collected the biggest dataset so far on the Amazon’s resident
birds，representing 77 non-migratory species and lasting the 40 years from 1979 to 2019.During
the study period，the average temperature in the region rose，while the amount of rainfall
declined，making for a hotter，dryer climate overall.According to the report on November 12 in
the journal Science Advances,36 species have lost substantial weight，as much as 2 percent of
their body weight per decade since 1980.Meanwhile，all the species showed some decrease in
average body mass，while a third grew longer wings.
Because of the study’s long time series and large sample sizes，the authors were able to
show the morphological(形态学的)effects of climate change on resident birds.However，the
researchers themselves are unsure and wonder what advantage the wing length changes give the
birds，but suppose smaller birds may have an easier time keeping cool.In general，smaller
animals have a larger rate of surface area to body size，so they dissipate more heat faster than abigger animal.Less available food，such as fruit or insects，in dryer weather might lead to smaller
body size.
1．Why are scientists fond of doing research on birds?
A．They have small body sizes.
B．They are sensitive to hot weather.
C．They live in an undisturbed rainforest.
D．They are ecological balance indicators.
答案 D
解析 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句可知，科学家喜欢研究鸟是因为鸟是生态系统平衡的
指标。故选D。
2．What can we learn from the new study?
A．A third of species have been extinct for a decade.
B．36 species lost 2% of their body weight every year.
C．Two-thirds of species showed a considerable decrease in weight.
D．About 26 species responded to climate change with longer wings.
答案 D
解析 推理判断题。根据第三段中“representing 77 non-migratory species”以及“while a
third grew longer wings”可知，大约26种鸟类长出较长的翅膀来应对气候变化。故选D。
3．What does the underlined word “dissipate” in the last paragraph mean?
A．Put off. B．Give off.
C．Put away. D．Give away.
答案 B
解析 词义猜测题。根据最后一段中“...smaller birds may have an easier time keeping cool.In
general，smaller animals have a larger rate of surface area to body size”可知较小动物的表面积
相对于自身整体而言较大，因此散发热量就更多更快，所以更容易保持凉爽，dissipate的意
思是“散发”，与Give off(散发)的词义一致。故选B。
4．What would probably the researchers further study?
A．Why it is easier for smaller animals to keep cool.
B．What effects the wing length changes have on birds.
C．Why the Amazonian birds have lost substantial weight.
D．Whether bird species in North America will be extinct in 2100.
答案 B
解析 推理判断题。根据最后一段第二句(然而，研究者们自己也不确信，想知道鸟的翅膀
长度变化对鸟有什么好处)可知，研究者将进一步研究鸟的翅膀长度变化对鸟有什么影响。故选B。
B
(2022·湖南长沙雅礼中学一模)
The over 48,000 orange trees in Seville，Spain，not only fill the city’s air with the pleasant
smell of orange blossoms in spring，but they also produce over 16,500 tons of fruit every
winter.Though that makes the capital of southern Spain’s Andalusia region Europe’s top orange-
producing city，the fruit is too sour to be consumed fresh.While some of the produce is used to
make orange jam and an alcoholic drink，most of it ends up in Seville’s landfills(填埋场)．
However，that may change soon thanks to a clever idea to use the oranges to produce clean energy.
The trial program is being launched by the city’s council and park department in cooperation
with Emasesa，Seville’s water supply and sanitation(卫生) division.Juice from 38.6 tons of
oranges will be left to ferment(发酵) in a specialized facility.The methane(甲烷) released from the
fermented liquid will be captured and used to drive a generator to produce clean power.The
officials estimate the test run will produce about 1,500 kWh of energy—enough to run one of
Emasesa’s water purification plants.To ensure there is no waste，the orange skins，peels，and
flesh will be used as fertilizer.
“It’s not just about saving money.The oranges are a problem for the city，and we’re
producing added value from waste，” said Benigno Lopez，head of Emasesa’s environmental
department.
If successful，by 2023，the city hopes to recycle all the oranges and add the electricity
produced back into its power transmission network.In trial runs，one ton of oranges produced 50
kWh of clean energy—enough to cover the daily electricity needs of five homes.The project team
estimates that if all the fruit is recycled，it will produce enough energy to power as many as 73,000
residences.
“This project will help us to reach our targets for reducing emissions ，energy self-
sufficiency，and the circular economy，” Juan Espadas Cejas，mayor of Seville，said in the
press conference announcing the trial scheme.
语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文。西班牙城市塞维利亚的冬季是橙色的季节，但是当地近 16
500吨的橙子大部分都作为垃圾被掩埋。然而，这一现象即将改变，这些无用的橙子将被用
来生产清洁能源。
5．What do we know about oranges in Seville from the first paragraph?
A．They are usually picked in spring.
B．They are mostly used to make jams and juice.
C．They are not recommended to be eaten fresh.
D．They make Seville the world’s top orange-producing city.
答案 C解析 细节理解题。根据第一段第二句可知，塞维利亚的橙子太酸了，不建议新鲜食用。故
选C。
6．What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A．Different uses of oranges.
B．How to produce power from juice.
C．An introduction to the trial program.
D．Why the trial program was put forward.
答案 C
解析 段落大意题。根据第二段可知，本段主要介绍了这一试验方案。故选C。
7．What can we infer from the passage?
A．Seville hasn’t carried out the trial program yet.
B．The electricity produced will be used to purify water.
C．The electricity produced will go to Seville’s power plants.
D．Seville may need to recycle 14,600 tons of oranges to power 73,000 homes.
答案 D
解析 推理判断题。根据第四段第二、三句可知，一吨橙子产生的清洁能源足够满足五个家
庭的日常用电需要。那么73 000个家庭则需要14 600吨橙子。故选D。
8．What is the best title for the text?
A．Seville Is Turning Waste into Wealth
B．Seville Is Seeking Market for Oranges
C．Seville Is Contributing to Global Warming
D．Seville Is Dealing with the Electricity Shortage
答案 A
解析 标题归纳题。根据第一段最后一句及全文可知，文章主要介绍西班牙城市塞维利亚利
用本将都作为垃圾被掩埋的橙子来生产清洁能源。故选A。
强化练(十三) 生态环保类说明文
A
(2022·河北石家庄二中质检)
When it comes to becoming eco-conscious，many people choose to start with something
simple：recycling.But it’s not as simple as everyone seems to believe.
Indeed，the desire for some people to recycle can lead to ill-informed decisions about what
can and cannot be recycled，and non-recyclable objects are accidentally put into the recycling
bin.The practice is what is known as wishcycling.Wishcycling boils down to the idea that just about anything can be recycled，and that if you
put it into a recycling bin，those who are responsible for it will find a way to recycle it.This is
obviously not true，because，despite everything that you’ve been told by the media，not
everything is recyclable.
Small non-recyclable objects that are attached to recyclables are generally acceptable.For
example，glue and tape attached to paper will be removed in the recycling process without any
trouble.But improperly recycling broken eyeglasses，plastic shopping bags，food waste and
greasy(油渍) pizza boxes could cause problems to the recycling process.
The objects in the recycling bin are typically sorted by machines at recycling centers，not
people.These complex machines are designed to separate plastics，paper，and other recyclables.If
something is thrown into the bin that shouldn’t be there，it could end up damaging the
machine，which means the recycling center could lose time and money every time people decide
to wishcycle.Sometimes，a non-recyclable object is able to sneak(溜)past these sorting machines.If
this happens，the non-recyclable object ends up in a load of recyclables that will be sold for the
recycling center to make a profit.However，having just one non-recyclable thing mixed in can
pollute the entire load of recyclables，which has to be thrown away.
So what you as a consumer need to do is make your own recycling practice most
functional.The best way is to educate yourself.There are certain general rules when it comes to
recycling that everyone should know.
1．What do we know about wishcycling?
A．It is misled by the media.
B．It leads to a better ecology.
C．It is related to ill intentions.
D．It comes from people’s hope.
答案 D
解析 推理判断题。根据第二段和第三段第一句可知，wishcycling是指人们不考虑东西是
否可以回收，按照自己的意愿进行回收。故选D。
2．Which of the following can be put into the recycling bin according to the passage?
A．Paper with glue on it.
B．Oily pizza boxes.
C．Plastic shopping bags.
D．Left-over food.
答案 A
解析 细节理解题。根据第四段第一、二句可知，粘有胶水的纸是可以放到可回收垃圾桶的。
故选A。3．What is paragraph 5 about?
A．The problems from wishcycling.
B．The need to update the machines.
C．The reasons for making less profit.
D．The objects unsuitable for recycling.
答案 A
解析 段落大意题。根据本段的主要内容可知，本段主要介绍了 wishcycling给回收中心带
来的一些问题。故选A。
4．What might be talked about in the paragraph that follows?
A．Reducing waste. B．Making rules.
C．Recycling properly. D．Consuming wisely.
答案 C
解析 推理判断题。结合上文讲述wishcycling带来的一些问题和最后一段最后一句可推知，
下文可能会介绍如何进行正确的回收。故选C。
B
(2022·山东潍坊二模)
It’s a simple yet effective message that appeals，and leads to a satisfying way of motivating
us to promote environmentalism in our own way.
Born in Nairobi，Lesein Mutunkei is in his late teens，and his Trees4Goals is the means with
which he intends to make the world greener.It unites two of his self-declared passions in life：love
of the outdoors，with his love of football.Lesein enjoyed walking in the forest，but recognised his
country was experiencing a serious loss of tree cover.Between 2001 and 2020，Kenya lost an
estimated 11% of trees，releasing as many as 176 million tons of CO .
2
In a blog post for WWF Kenya，Lesein revealed that，once he started the Trees4Goals
initiative，he originally planned to plant one tree per goal.By 2020，he wanted to take his efforts
even further.What started as one tree planted per goal mushroomed into 11 trees planted per
goal.Explaining the reasoning behind expanding the tree-planting，he said，“It represents team
effort in football and the contribution by my team.I have managed to hit the 1,000th tree milestone
in the last two years.”
While it’s something of an own goal to destroy the forests and jungles providing enormous
biodiversity ， innovative initiatives like Trees4Goals are an assured way to score an
environmentalist hat-trick.Football is popular.It cuts through cultural barriers irrespective of the
country it is played in.By increasing the trees planted per goal ，with more such initiatives
springing up，even more will be grown.
Like a seed，best ideas start small and change into something that can become far larger than
anticipated.While Lesein continues planting 11 trees per goal，Kenyan government is aiming toensure the planting of 1.8 billion trees to reach 10% forest coverage.The science behind is clear：if
900 million hectares are devoted to half a trillion trees，the world can offset(抵消) half of all
carbon released since 1960.
语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了肯尼亚的一个少年开创了一个项目
Trees4Goals，目的是提高肯尼亚的森林覆盖率。
5．What gave Lesein the idea of launching the project?
A．Release of too much CO .
2
B．Dream of motivating others.
C．Passion for sports and nature.
D．Habit of exercising in the woods.
答案 C
解析 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句可知，正是对于足球和户外的热爱，才使他开创了这
个项目。故选C。
6．What did Lesein do in 2020?
A．He created a blog for WWF.
B．He multiplied his commitment.
C．He planted one tree for each goal.
D．He extended his work to other teams.
答案 B
解析 细节理解题。根据第三段第二、三句可知，他加大了自己的投入，从踢进一个球就种
植一棵树迅速增加到踢进一个球就种植十一棵树。故选B。
7．What do the underlined words “own goal” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A．Aim that is intended to achieve.
B．Action that harms one’s own interests.
C．Pursuit toward which effort is directed.
D．Goal that is scored for the opposing team.
答案 B
解析 词义猜测题。根据画线单词下文“to destroy the forests and jungles providing enormous
biodiversity”和常识可知，破坏森林和丛林是危害自然、损害自己和他人的行为。B项与
“own goal”意思相一致。故选B。
8．What can we learn from Lesein’s story?
A．United，we win.
B．No pains，no gains.
C．Love me，love my dog.
D．Small deeds，big difference.答案 D
解析 推理判断题。根据第一段以及最后一段可推断，文章主要表达的是从小事做起，往往
能带来大的影响。故选D。
C
In 2007，the African Union announced an ambitious project—to plant the Great Green
Wall(GGW)，a band of trees that would stretch the length of the Sahel.
The GGW is an ecological restoration project designed by African people for African
people.Heavy rains，droughts，wildfires and landslides have all become common throughout the
world.But nowhere is quite like the Sahel.In this huge African region ，climate change has
materialized in a dramatic manner.In some cases，the severe conditions have left people with no
option other than to migrate elsewhere to survive.It was with all of this in mind that the
extraordinary，but heavily debated project was first put forward.
Fourteen years have passed since the initiative formally kicked off.The stated goal was to
create a 15-kilometre-wide,8,000-kilometre-long green belt of trees and other plants that，by
2030，would span(跨越) the entire width of the Sahel，from Senegal to Djibouti.Overall,100
million hectares(公顷) of land would be restored by 2030.Once completed，it was announced，the
wall could end up capturing(俘获) 250 million tonnes of carbon dioxide，while its creation and
upkeep could create ten million jobs in rural areas.
Looking at the project as a whole，there’s still a long way to go.According to a status report
by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification，about four million hectares of degraded land
have been restored.This means that progress towards the 100 million hectares target stands at just
four per cent.
“When we started restoring the soil，we realized the area at risk was much wider than we
initially thought，” explains Elvis Paul Tangem，the African Union’s GGW coordinator.“We
had few funds to push the initiative as much as we wanted to.There was skepticism among
investors，who didn’t understand the project，but also among the African states themselves，
which needed time to figure out if the GGW was a priority.”
语篇解读 本文是一篇说明文。文章讲述了非洲的GGW计划，阐明了原因以及预期收益，
还补充说明了这一计划由于各方面的困难进展缓慢。
9．What is the purpose of the GGW project?
A．To improve local ecology.
B．To develop rural economy.
C．To predict climate patterns.
D．To strengthen regional ties.
答案 A解析 细节理解题。根据第二段可知，GGW计划的目的是应对非洲多变的气候，改善当地
生态。故选A。
10．What do the statistics in paragraph 3 show of the initiative?
A．The service period.
B．The total budget.
C．The targeted groups.
D．The expected benefits.
答案 D
解析 推理判断题。根据第三段可推断，这些数字表明了GGW计划的预期收益。故选D。
11．How does Elvis Paul Tangem feel about the project?
A．Skeptical. B．Worried.
C．Confident. D．Satisfied.
答案 B
解析 推理判断题。根据最后一段可推断，埃尔维斯·保罗·坦吉姆对这项计划感到担忧。故
选B。
12．What message does the author intend to convey in the text?
A．African countries should stand together.
B．The progress of the GGW project is slow.
C．Fighting climate change is our top priority.
D．Natural disasters are worse than we thought.
答案 B
解析 写作意图题。根据倒数第二段可推断，作者通过这篇文章想要传递的信息是GGW计
划进展缓慢。故选B。
