06 人与自然之环境保护
Passage 1
19-20 高三上·山东淄博·阶段练习）On November 7, Lewis Pugh completed a one-
kilometer swim in the freezing waters of King Edward Cove, off South Georgia in Antarctica. He
was wearing only his swimming glasses, cap and Speedo !
Pugh is an advocate for our oceans and seas, working to protect these ecosystems with their
large diversity of marine life. When asked why he doesn't wear a wetsuit(防寒泳衣), Pugh says, "I
ask world leaders to do everything they can to protect our oceans. Sometimes the steps they need
to take are difficult and unpopular. If I'm asking them to be courageous, I must also be. Swimming
in a wetsuit would not send the right message."
It took Pugh about 19 minutes to complete the one-kilometer swim in Antarctica where the
water averaged about 1.6 degrees Celsius. He says that his body can only tolerate about 20
minutes in the freezing waters before it starts shutting down. As he swims, his body temperature
steadily drops, which in turn causes his muscle control to drop, slowing him down. When he is
done with his swim, his support team rushes him to a hot shower and it takes almost an hour for
his body temperature to return to normal.
Doctors and Pugh caution that one must receive months of training to swim in such cold
waters. Even expert swimmers who are unused to freezing water can drown within minutes
because of the physical shock experienced by the body. Pugh says he trained for six months before
this swim.
This is not the first time that Pugh has swum in dangerous conditions. In 2007, he swam one
kilometer in the North Pole to draw attention to the melting Arctic ice due to climate change. In
2015, he swam in the Bay of Whales in Antarctica's Ross Sea as part of his successful campaign to
help set up a marine reserve there.
1．Why did Lewis Pugh swim without a wetsuits ?
A．To show his bravery.
B．To swim faster.
C．To build up his body.
D．To have overnight fame.2．What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to'?
A．His body temperature.
B．His body
C．The water.
D．The water temperature.
3．What's Pugh's advice about swimming in freezing waters?
A．One should be expert at swimming.
B．One must be used to long-distance swimming.
C．One should be ready to take on challenges.
D．One must be adequately prepared for it.
4．What may be the best title for the text?
A．Lewis Pugh: achieving the impossible
B．How to survive a swim in cold waters
C．Lewis Pugh: swimming for a cause
D．How to prepare for extreme swimming
Passage 2
（2020·浙江·高考真题）Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is road testing a new way to keep winter
roads ice-free – by spreading on them cheese brine, the salty liquid used to make soft cheese, like
mozzarella.
Wisconsin, also called "America's Dairyland," is famous for its cheese. The state produced
2.8 billion pounds of cheese last year! As a result, there was a lot of leftover cheese brine.
Disposing of(处置)the brine can be expensive. So what should cheese makers do with the waste?
Normally, towns use rock salt to de-ice streets. The salt lowers waters' freezing point,
causing ice to melt(融化). But using cheese brine could help both cheese producers and cities save
money, while keeping roads safe. Cheese brine has salt in it, which, like the rock salt, helps lower
water's freezing point.
In addition to saving money, cheese brine could also be a more environment-friendly
option. Many people suspect that all the rock salt used every winter is harming the environment.
Rock salt is made of sodium chloride, the sane con-pound (化合物)in ordinary table salt.Sounds harmless, right? But while you probably add only a small amount of salt to your food,
road crews spread about 20 million tons of salt on U.S. Roads every year!
The chemical washes off roads and goes into the ground. There it can pollute drinking
water, harm plants. and eat away soil. By spreading cheese brine on streets before adding a layer
of rock salt, Milwaukee may be able to cut its rock salt use by 30 percent.
Cheese brine has a downside too – a shell similar to that of bad milk. "I don't really mind
it," Emil Norby told Modern Farmer magazine. He works for one of Wisconsin's county highway
commissions and came up with the idea of using cheese brine. "Our roads smell like Wisconsin!"
he said.
5．Why can cheese brine help keep winter roads ice-free?
A．It is soft. B．It contains salt. C．It is warm. D．It has milk in it.
6．What is a benefit of using cheese urine on roads?
A．Improving air quality. B．Increasing sales of rock salt.
C．Reducing water pollution. D．Saving the cheese industry.
7．Milwaukee's new way to de-ice streets may be an example of_______________.
A．barking up the wrong tree B．putting the cart before the horse
C．robbing Peter to pay Paul D．killing two birds with one stone
Passage 3
（21-22高二下·江苏徐州·期末）A selection of wildlife sculpture made out of recycled
rubbish is being displayed a tan exhibition at the barley gallery in Not ting ham shire, England,
until 24 July. The sculptures have been created by Nottinghamshire-based artist Michelle Jones
who has been working with recycled materials to over 20 years.
Fly-tipping--illegally dumping rubbish or littering in a public place — was on the increase
during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Jones told the BBC, “Nottinghamshire Wildlife
Trust showed me some of the materials that were found on their nature reserves-a washing
machine, rusty bike, car tyres.” She decided to create wildlife sculpture out of these materials to
encourage people to think about the damage fly-tipping can do to the environment
and wildlife. Her three-dimensional art works included recycled items such as skis, a gas mask,
and washing machine parts.Jones often draws inspiration from the “beauty of the natural world” and said that the large
model of the white-tailed bumblebee(大黄蜂) was inspired by the many hours she spent on her
garden during the pandemic. Another sculpture, a bearded vulture(秃鹫 ), was inspired by the
sighting of one such bird in the Peak District in July 2020. This was only the second time it had
been spotted in the UK.
Using rubbish found in rivers, such as plastic bottles, tennis balls, footwear and toys, Jones
created a large wave sculpture to highlight the problem of littering.
Jones says that through her sculptured she draws attention to environmental issue in an
attractive and humorous way. Her work has a humour and warmth that makes people smile,
making people think twice about what waste is and the value of materials, as well as the impact of
over-consumption on the environment and its wildlife.
8．What is the purpose of this exhibition?
A．To raise money for the wildlife trust. B．To blame rubbish dumping.
C．To promote environmental protection. D．To show ways of recycling.
9．What is the inspiration behind the sculpture displayed at this exhibition?
A．The problem of illegal littering. B．The familiarity with used materials.
C．The beauty of the natural world. D．The suggestion from a wildlife trust.
10．Which of the following best described Jones’s works?
A．Useless but beautiful. B．Attractive and natural.
C．Dirty but enlightening. D．Humorous and meaningful.
11．Which column is this passage probably taken from?
A．News. B．Health. C．Entertainment. D．Advertisements,
Passage 4
（21-22高三上·湖南长沙·阶段练习）The 67-year-old Shandong Province native, Ge
Yuxiu, has lived in Qinghai Province for 51 years. For almost half that time, he has been on the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where he has devoted his life to photographing and protecting wild
animals.
Despite serious heart trouble, Ge is determined to stay on the high-altitude Plateau and
continue to do something to help protect wildlife in the area.Ge's enthusiasm for photography grew after his photo of soldiers reading news written on a
blackboard was published in Qinghai Daily in 1979. He probably would never have turned to
photographing wild animals without a visit to Bird Island in Qinghai Lake in 1995, after he had
retired from the army and had begun working in the financial sector.
Covering less than half a square kilometer, the island is home to over 100,000 migratory
birds. "I became addicted to the bird kingdom," Ge said, adding that he has so far visited the
island more than 200 times to take photos.
He never expected that his attraction to the island would tie his destiny with Przewalski's
gazelle (普氏原羚), a relatively small, slender antelope endemic (特有的) to China. Ge went to
the island in late 1997 to take photos of swans when he saw seven yellowish-brown animals
running across the grass-lands, in a line. On hearing one of his companions shouting "Przewalski's
gazelle", he took out his camera and took photos of them. He was later told by wildlife
conservation experts that he had captured the world's first image of this kind of antelope.
"I was so excited to hear that," he said. His excitement, however, soon gave way to anxiety
after he learned about the animal's endangered status. Only found around Qinghai Lake, there
were just 300 of them surviving in the wild at the time. The incident became a turning point in
Ge's photography career, as he decided to devote his efforts to saving the gazelle and other
endangered animals. He often spent time in the wild observing the gazelle and occasionally visited
local herdsmen to learn what they knew about the animal.
Thanks to joint efforts, the population of Przewalski's gazelle has now increased to about
2,700.
12．What are Ge's photos mainly about?
A．Rare plants. B．Wild animals.
C．Beautiful scenery. D．Extreme weather.
13．Ge became more enthusiastic about photography after ________.
A．he arrived at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
B．he visited Bird Island in Qinghai Lake
C．one of his photos was published in Qinghai Daily
D．he learned about the wild animals' endangered status
14．Which of the following words can best describe Ge?
A．Honest and silent. B．Calm and generous.C．Persistent and responsible. D．Outspoken and positive.
15．What can be the best title for the text?
A．A photography lover B．A brave soldier
C．A devoted researcher D．A wildlife guardian
Passage 5
（22-23高三上·辽宁葫芦岛·阶段练习）These days, there’s a green version of just about
everything. There are cars that run on electricity and alternative fuels, houses that are powered by
solar energy and wind farms seemingly popping up on every open space from California to coastal
Japan. Even drones (无人机) ate getting in on the action. The unmanned air vehicles are also
being put to environmental uses around the globe.
The eye in the sky that they provide helps researchers better understand what’s going on
with the natural world in which we live. For environmentalists and earth scientists, the flying
machines can be sent way up in the air to record sweeping footage of a large area to track the
impact of things like climate change, migration and the acts of cutting down and burning forest
trees, which can be done without having to buy a helicopter, rent a plane or tape a video camera to
a bird.
Sure, there’s plenty of satellite footage already out there, but drones let researchers
accurately position the data set that they want to get a quicker, closer look at the area that they’re
looking to monitor. In 2013, for example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) sent a drone into the Turrialba Volcano in Costa Rica to gather data about its emissions.
The temperature, ash height and gas concentration information collected during the mission
helped earth scientists determine which way the volcanic and potentially poisonous gas erupting
from the volcano was moving and take steps to limit its environmental impact.
Similarly, Arctic researchers are using drones to help study temperature change and the
melting of glaciers. They use drones equipped with infrared (红外线的) cameras to sweep into
places that they may otherwise not be able to reach to monitor and collect data on the melting ice.
The same flying machines may also eventually be used to transport other data collection tools into
the wild.
16．How does the author lead in the topic of the text?A．By giving examples. B．By listing data.
C．By drawing a distinction. D．By making assumptions.
17．What mainly makes drones used to better watch nature?
A．The high safety.
B．The huge space.
C．The recovery capability after damage.
D．The ability to collect data at a high altitude.
18．What do the last two paragraphs mainly tell us about drones?
A．Their production steps.
B．Their practical functions.
C．Their potential impacts on the atmosphere.
D．Their data set for motoring the environment.
19．Which is a suitable title for the text?
A．Drones: Poisonous B．Drones: Eco-friendly
C．Drones: Limited D．Drones: Adaptable
Passage 6
（22-23高三上·山东济南·期中）A tree-planting initiative in Kenya has seen over 30,000
trees being planted. The Green Generation Initiative is a Kenyan charity that has been planting
trees to counter climate change and the reduction in forest in the East African nation since 2016.
Founded by climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti when she was fifteen years old, the initiative’s
primary focus is on developing young climate activists through environmental education in
schools and addressing food insecurity in the region through planting fruit trees. Since its
foundation, over 30,000 trees have been planted in Kenya, while thousands of school children
have not just planted trees but adopted them to ensure that young people learn the importance of
acting as a guardian over the health of the environment. The trees have recorded a survival rate of
over 98 percent, as they remain tended to from young trees to maturity.
Speaking to world leaders at the recent United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow
(COP26), Elizabeth issued a serious warning on the threat of climate change. Over two million of
Kenyans are facing climate related starvation. In 2025, half of the world’s population will befacing water shortage. The climate crisis will displace 80 million people in sub-Saharan Africa
alone.
Elizabeth said, “I have been doing what I can. Inspired by the great Wangari Maathai, I
founded a tree growing initiative that enhances food security for young Kenyans.” So far, they
have grown 30,000 fruit trees to maturity, providing desperately needed nutrition for thousands of
children. “Every day we see that when we look after the trees, they look after us. We are the adults
on this Earth right now, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the children have food and
water,” she added.
20．What is the initiative intended for?
A．Making policies. B．Raising money.
C．Educating adults. D．Fighting climate change.
21．What crisis are Kenyans encountering at present?
A．Hunger. B．Sickness C．Water shortage. D．Economic risks.
22．What has been achieved since 2016?
A．3,000 trees have been planted.
B．Green awareness has been raised.
C．80 million people have been saved.
D．School education has been guaranteed.
23．Which of the following can best describe Elizabeth Wathuti?
A．Friendly and talented. B．Caring and responsible.
C．Honest and determined. D．Ambitious and humorous.
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