Australia is no stranger to wildfires. The country’s weather patterns create heat and dryness, which fuel occasional bushfires in a natural cycle. However, one that started last September continues to burn, and it may not be natural at all. Scientists say that man-made climate change has played a role in the fire’s creation and duration.
Peter Gleick, a US climate scientist, told Time, “the extent, the severity, and the intensity of these fires wouldn’t have been so bad without the fingerprints of climate change.”
According to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, the country’s temperatures have risen by more than one degree Celsius since 1920. The spring of 2019 was Australia’s driest in 120 years. In December, the country saw its hottest day ever, with an average temperature of 41.9℃.
“Due to enhanced (过度的) evaporation（蒸发）in warmer temperatures, the vegetation and the soils dry out more quickly,” Stefan Rahmstorf, a lead author of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fourth Assessment Report, told Time.
Worse still, researchers at the UK Bureau of Meteorology believe that wildfires like this might become “normal conditions” in the future, according to the BBC. They looked at 57 research papers published since 2013, which examined the relationship between climate change and the risk of wildfires. They found that the link between the two has already been observed in many parts of the world, including the western US, Canada, southern Europe, and even Scandinavia and Siberia.
“These are impacts we are seeing for one degree of global climate change. The impact will get worse if we don’t do what it takes to make the world’s climate stable,” Corinne Le Quere, a professor from the University of East Anglia in the UK, told the BBC. “What we are seeing in Australia is not the ‘new normal’. It’s a transition(过渡)to worse impacts.”
1.What was the wildfire starting last September related to according to scientists？
A.Air pollution. B.Human activities.
C.Environment changes. D.Natural cycle.
2.What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 2 mean?
A.The meaning of climate change B.The influence of climate change
C.The control of climate change D.The possibility of climate change
3.What happened with the temperature rising in Australia?
A.Plants stayed as lively as usual.
B.Australia never suffered a hot day.
C.The plants and the soils became dry faster.
D.Every season became the driest in the year.
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.We might see more wildlife.
B.We were to see less disasters.
C.It could be impossible to see wildfires.
D.It would be more difficult to prevent wildfires.
VOLUNTEERS WANTED
Frankston Beach Patrol Volunteer
Location: Frankston
Beach Patrol volunteers meet twice a month for a 1-hour clean-up, removing litter from Frankston’s beaches for collection by Frankston City Council. Please contact our partner organisation Impact Volunteering for more information and to discuss this opportunity further either over the phone or in person. Phone 03 9770 6492.
Volunteer Book Lovers & Tutors
Location: Maidstone
We are looking for enthusiastic and community-minded people to assist us in our new reading club for primary students, in particular those with reading challenges. As a book lover, you will understand how reading can make a difference. For more information, please call 314 576 3993.
Event Assistant Needed
Location: Boondall
Come and support one or all four days of the National Boccia (硬地滚球) Battle Championships, held at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Boondall. Join all the fun and excitement of this sport, learn a new skill, make new friends while helping the event run smoothly. Please call Susan Solakovic HR, 07 3253 3333.
Clothing and Toy Sorter
Location: Lisarow
Prepare sorted goods for display and sale including pricing where appropriate; willing to take all store duties. This opportunity comes to you via Volunteering Central Coast. Please ring 02 4329 7122 to make a booking for a telephone or face-to-face interview.
1.What do Beach Patrol volunteers usually do?
A.Pick up rubbish on the beach.
B.Meet at the beach once a week.
C.Visit Frankston City Council in person.
D.Provide beach information over the phone.
2.Which place offers opportunities to help students?
A.Frankston. B.Maidstone.
C.Lisarow. D.Boondall.
3.Which number can you call if you’re interested in selling things?
A.03 9770 6492. B.314 576 3993.
C.07 3253 3333. D.02 4329 7122.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Old Man Donovan was a mean man who hated children. He threw rocks at them and even shot at them with a shotgun. At least that’s what we had heard.
His small farm bordered our neighborhood where my younger sister, Leigh Ann, and I lived when we were growing up. His farm was long, narrow, and quaint. It held two treasures. One was his beautiful fruit.
There were many varieties of fruit: pears, apples, and lots more I just can't think of. The fruit naturally drew the children to his land. It made them into thieves. But my sister and I didn't dare to take his fruit because of the horrible rumors we had heard about Old Man Donovan.
One summer day, we were playing in a nearby field. It was time to head back home. My sister and I were feeling very daring that day. There was a short cut to our house that went through the Donovan farm. We thought he wouldn't be able to see us run across his property around the luscious fruit trees. We were almost through the farm when we heard, "Hey, girl!" in a gruff, low voice. We stopped dead in our tracks! There we were, face to face with Old Man Donovan. Our knees were shaking. We had visions of rocks pounding our bodies and bullets piercing our hearts.
"Come here," he said, reaching up to one of his apple trees. Still shaking, we went over to him. He held out several ripe, juicy, red apples. "Take these home,” he commanded. We took the apples with surprised hearts and ran all the way home. Of course, Leigh Ann and I ate the apples.
As time went on, we often went through Old Man Donovan's farm, and he kept on giving us more luscious fruit. One day, we stopped by to see him when he was on his front porch. We talked to him for hours. While he was talking, we realized that we had found the other hidden treasure: the sweet, kind heart hidden behind his gruff voice. Soon, he was one of our favorite people to talk to. Unfortunately, his family never seemed to enjoy our company. They never smiled or welcomed us in.
Paragraph 1:
Every summer, we would visit Mr. Donovan and talk to him.
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Paragraph 2:
The next winter, word got around that Old Man Donovan had died.
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假定你是李华，你的英国朋友 Edward 正在学习汉语，希望你推荐一个适合他学习汉语的网站。请你根据以下内容，给他写一封电子邮件。
1. 推荐网站：www.edchinese.com；
2. 网站内容：
(1)中文情景对话、中国风俗、中文电影、中文歌曲、成语和唐诗等；
(2)有在线教师答疑解惑。
注意：1.词数 80 左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Edward，
I'm more than pleased to know that you are learning Chinese.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours，
Li Hua
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1 个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
As we all know, there are many kinds of pollution all over the world, air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution and so on. Although we can't save the world in a short time, we can take some measures to protect 1.. For example, we can prevent people throwing litter; we can sort the rubbish in the community; we can drive less and produce less carbon dioxide.
2. (actual), there is a new recycling program at our school, which aims to help us create 3.better environment. The recycling we've planned is simply a three-part program: sorting, collecting and delivering. The first part — sorting is also the 4. (hard) one. Most people don't like taking the time to do the 5. (separate) of the rubbish and this is usually why most recycling 6. (program) fail. However, we have reasons 7. (believe) that our words will work. From now on, instead of seeing the usual black rubbish cans all over the school, you 8. (see) three different colors of rubbish cans. Pink cans are for paper, blue cans for bottles, and white ones for all other waste. After the rubbish 9. (sort), it needs to be collected and then taken 10. different rubbish recycling centers.
I enjoy feeding birds in my garden. About three years ago, a baby chipmunk (花栗鼠) which I named Chip came to this festive display. Over that summer, I watched it _______ . The next summer, the chipmunk was back, and I wondered whether it would _______ me to feed it by hand or let me pet it. Before Chip would approach, I'd _______ its favorite food, bend down and keep very _______. I'd leave my open hand _______， unmoving, so the animal would know I wouldn't _______it. I continued doing this for a few weeks.
_______， late in that second summer, Chip did show more trust. One day as I _______a seed with my fingertips, it approached and _______took the seed into its mouth. It never bit my fingers.
I was happy that Chip and I had made a(n) ________of trust.
After about two months of this ________，I went further. With my index finger, I ________ its back once gently. I'm not even sure Chip felt it, but it didn't ________. I then moved my two fingers slowly and gently over it. ________， Chip stayed calm, eating seeds, before running quickly back into the bush.
Today, the chipmunk comes out of hiding when I call its name, and lets me ________its soft, silky body.
A friend once mentioned that after she ________a dog, she noticed that her high blood pressure had approached ________without medication, and she became calmer and could handle stress better. I think I, too, feel ________from my interactions with Chip.
I've also developed a greater ________for nature and its creatures and the opportunity to observe, protect and save wildlife. Most of all, I am amazed by the ________ of a tiny chipmunk to meet me halfway in trust.
1.A.eat B.grow C.play D.jump
2.A.praise B.beg C.inspire D.trust
3.A.put off B.put up C.put down D.hang up
4.A.anxious B.excited C.still D.curious
5.A.in public B.in place C.in return D.in turn
6.A.grab B.remove C.bite D.throw
7.A.Initially B.Unusually C.Obviously D.Finally
8.A.found B.planted C.offered D.produced
9.A.cautiously B.aggressively C.comfortably D.confidently
10.A.promise B.breakthrough C.introduction D.experience
11.A.education B.discovery C.routine D.resolution
12.A.knocked B.brushed C.rocked D.touched
13.A.run away B.rush out C.give away D.turn up
14.A.However B.Again C.So D.Therefore
15.A.admire B.support C.pet D.lift
16.A.walked B.adopted C.abandoned D.lost
17.A.safety B.original C.logic D.normal
18.A.calmer B.faster. C.quieter D.easier
19.A.sympathy B.motivation C.mercy D.respect
20.A.capacity B.contribution C.memory D.comfort
