Section A: Banked Cloze
Directions: Questions 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.
UN Report on Nature's Destruction
The United Nations issued a report last week warning that humans are destroying nature at such a rate that life on Earth is at risk. When the report came out, it naturally (26) ______ headlines. But obviously it didn’t hijack the news agenda in the manner of a major terrorist attack or (27) ______ of war. The report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is clear on what's at (28) ______ and what needs to change.
IPBES chair Robert Watson says the “(29) ______ evidence” presents an “ominous (凶兆的) picture”. “The health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is (30) ______ more rapidly than ever,” Robert Watson said. “We are (31) ______ the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.” The report says it's not too late if we make “transformative change”—fundamental, system-wide reorganization—at every level from local to global, and we need to focus on how to make that happen.
First, don't indulge in despair, because despair leads to inertia and doing nothing means certain (32) ______. Every action to save nature will improve our collective and personal futures and the only way to respond to a threat of this scale is with (33) ______ action rooted in headstrong optimism. Second, we need relentless focus, just like when paramedics (救护人员) arrive on a scene and use the concept of triage (伤员鉴别分类) to ensure the most (34) ______ cases get treated first. Saving the natural world needs that kind of thinking. We don't have the (35) ______ to do everything at once. We need to make hard choices.
Answers & Explanations (答案与解析)
Section A: Banked Cloze
26. G (grabbed)。解析：空格作句子的谓语，位于主语 `it` 和宾语 `headlines` 之间，描述过去发生的动作，需要动词过去式。`grab headlines` 是固定搭配，意为“抢占头条/登上头条”。句意：当报告发布时，它自然“抢占”了头条。因此填入 grabbed。
27. B (declaration)。解析：空格在介词短语 `of war` 之前，由 `or` 与前面的名词短语 `major terrorist attack` 并列，需要名词。`declaration of war` 意为“宣战”。句意：但显然，它并没有像重大恐怖袭击或“宣战”那样霸占新闻议程。因此填入 declaration。
28. M (stake)。解析：空格在介词 `at` 之后，构成固定搭配。`at stake` 意为“处于危险中，在紧要关头”。前文提到生活在地球上的生命处于危险中（at risk），这里进一步说明报告清晰地指出了什么正“处于危险中”。因此填入 stake。
29. K (overwhelming)。解析：空格在定冠词 `the` 和名词 `evidence` 之间，需要形容词。句意：沃森说，“压倒性的/势不可挡的”证据呈现出一幅凶兆的图景。`overwhelming` 意为“压倒性的”。因此填入 overwhelming。
30. C (deteriorating)。解析：空格在系动词 `is` 之后，且由后文的 `more rapidly than ever` (比以往任何时候都快) 可知，这里描述的是一个正在发生的变化，需要现在分词构成现在进行时。主语是 `health of ecosystems`，此处指生态系统的健康正在迅速“恶化”。`deteriorating` 意为“恶化”。因此填入 deteriorating。
31. F (eroding)。解析：空格在 `We are` 之后，需要现在分词构成现在进行时，与前面的 `deteriorating` 呼应。句意：我们正在“侵蚀/削弱”全球经济、生计、粮食安全……的根基。`eroding` 意为“侵蚀”。因此填入 eroding。
32. E (disaster)。解析：空格在形容词 `certain` 之后，需要名词。前文说“绝望导致停滞，什么都不做意味着必然的……”。结合文章主题，什么都不做会导致必然的“灾难”。`disaster` 意为“灾难”。因此填入 disaster。
33. D (determined)。解析：空格在介词 `with` 之后，名词 `action` 之前，需要形容词修饰 action。且后文修饰语是 `rooted in headstrong optimism` (扎根于坚定的乐观主义)，所以这里需要一种积极、果断的行动。`determined` 意为“坚定的，决定的”。因此填入 determined。
34. O (urgent)。解析：空格在最高级标志 `the most` 和名词 `cases` (病例，情况) 之间，需要形容词。前文提到救护人员使用“伤员鉴别分类”概念，其目的是确保最“紧急的”病例先得到治疗。`urgent` 意为“紧急的”。因此填入 urgent。
35. A (capacity)。解析：空格在定冠词 `the` 和不定式 `to do everything` 之间，需要名词。句意：我们没有“能力/余力”一次做所有的事情，我们需要做出艰难的选择。`capacity` 意为“能力”。因此填入 capacity。
【核心搭配与亮点句型】
grab headlines：抢占头条，上新闻（naturally grabbed headlines）
declaration of war：宣战（declaration of war）
at stake：在紧要关头，处于危险中（clear on what's at stake）
overwhelming evidence：压倒性的证据（the "overwhelming evidence" presents an ominous picture）
indulge in：沉溺于（don't indulge in despair）
rooted in：扎根于，来源于（action rooted in headstrong optimism）