Minqin, lying in the city of Wuwei in Gansu, is sandwiched between China’s third and fourth-largest deserts. It is one of the country’s main sources (来源) of sandstorms. In 2007, then 26-year-old Ma Junhe started Minqin’s first environmental protection volunteer program named Save Minqin after reading in a newspaper that his hometown was at risk of being covered by sand within 17 years. The program started with just 60 volunteers. Last year, more than 6,000 volunteers planted suosuo trees there, most of whom were aged between 18 and 30, also called GenZers.

Zhang Liwen, an 18-year-old girl from Xi’an, spent five days planting suosuo trees in Minqin. “This idea came from my wish to complete a meaningful coming-of-age ceremony, but now I find value in contributing (贡献) to society,” Zhang said. The vlogs shared by Zhang are lively and attractive. She filmed a group of young volunteers, including herself, planting trees with stylish sports sunglasses, enjoying local noodles in their tent, and dancing in the desert after work.

Li Xiuniang, from Heilongjiang province, also posted her volunteer work online. “This task isn’t just for Minqin; it’s for all of China,” she said.

Lee Ting-Hsuan, a 20-year-old student from Taiwan, is one of thousands of volunteers who travel to Minqin every year. Around 20 young volunteers from Macao also joined the program. “Through tree planting, we get a deeper understanding of Northwest China and its culture,” one of them said.

Since 2007, over 80,000 volunteers have joined this program and they have planted over 1.52 million trees, making a green promise in the yellow sands. Ma Junhe said, “GenZers are more confident in achieving their dreams. They really enjoy meaningful public activities, and help a lot by sharing their stories online, attracting more people to take action.”

1.1. What directly pushed Ma Junhe to set up the Save Minqin program?

A The fear of meeting sandstorms.

B The love of green mountains.

C The wish to attract more GenZers.

D The worry of losing his hometown.

解析：选D。细节理解题。解析：原文第一段 “after reading in a newspaper that his hometown was at risk of being covered by sand within 17 years”，他得知家乡有被黄沙吞噬的风险，出于对失去家乡的担忧创立项目。A、B 文中不是直接动因；吸引 Z 世代是项目后期结果，不是创办初衷，排除 ABC。

2.2. Why does the writer list the number of volunteers in the first paragraph?

A To prove that Minqin needs more and more volunteers.

B To show the rapid development of the volunteer program.

C To call on more volunteers to plant suosuo trees in Minqin.

D

解析：选B。写作意图题。解析：最初仅 60 名志愿者，去年超过 6000 人，用前后数字对比，体现志愿队伍规模扩大，项目发展迅速。A 文中没有表达 “还需要更多志愿者”；C 并非本段列数字的目的；D 没有老年人数据，不存在对比。

3.3. Zhang Liwen’s vlogs can attract more volunteers because the vlogs show ______.

A their contribution to our society

B the hardship of planting trees

C the colorful life of volunteering

D the comfortable life in Minqin

解析：选C。推理判断题。解析：第二段描写 vlog 内容：戴墨镜种树、帐篷吃面食、沙漠跳舞，展现多姿多彩的志愿生活。视频没有着重描写艰辛，也不是专门展示贡献；沙漠条件并不舒适。故选 C。

4.4. What might be the writer’s purpose of writing the passage?

A To show young people from Taiwan and Macao are active.

B To introduce the dangerous condition that Minqin is facing.

C To introduce different ways of encouraging people to plant trees.

D To show the strong volunteering willingness of Chinese GenZers.

解析：选D。主旨目的题。解析：全文列举大陆、台湾、澳门 Z 世代青年参与民勤治沙志愿，重点表现当代青年的志愿热情。A 只是局部例子；B 民勤困境是背景不是写作目的；C 文章没有介绍多种鼓励植树的手段。