Guided tours at the National Museum at South Kingston

Out of Hours Titano Tours

Book a tour with one of our knowledgeable tour guides to get up close to all the main characters in our world-famous Dinosaurs gallery. You’ll get to learn how dinosaurs were first discovered, how they adapted to life on Earth and why they’re so important to our science today.

13:00-14:00 Weekends only.

Behind the Lens Tour

Have you ever wondered why wildlife photography can be used to make a difference to the natural world? Join our hosts for a special tour of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition and discover the stories behind the photos. We will introduce you to some surprising stories as well as the impact that these photos have had on wildlife conservation efforts.

9:00-10:00 Wednesday & Friday.

Behind the Scenes Tour: Spirit Collection

Go behind the scenes with our science educators for a look at the Museum’s fascinating zoology collection preserved. As we explore some of the Darwin Centre’s 27 kilometers of shelves, you’ll encounter treasures hidden among the 22 million animal specimens (标本)housed here.

14:00-15:00 Monday closed.

History of the Natural History Museum Tour

With stories stretching from Waterhouse to Darwin, you’ll get to journey through time and discover more about how the incredible ‘Cathedral of Nature’ became world-famous. What’s more, once the tour is finished, you will have the opportunity to visit the whole Museum at your own pace, newly equipped with your behind-the-scenes knowledge.

14:00-15:00 Monday to Friday.

1. What can you do on Behind the Lens Tour?

A．Tell stories about nature.

B．Dig into wildlife photography.

C．Discover tips to take photos.

D．Join in a group to protect wildlife.

2. Which tour can you take if you go to the museum on Monday afternoon?

A．Out of Hours Titano Tours.

B．Behind the Lens Tour.

C．Behind the Scenes Tour: Spirit Collection.

D．History of the Natural History Museum Tour.

3. In what column of the museum website could you find the text?

A．Shop.	B．Join and Support.
C．What’s on.	D．Membership.

The students stand on a pier (码头) over the Harlem River in New York City. They stare down into the brown water. Their teacher, Mr. Rodman, pulls a long rope out of the river. Fastened to the end of the rope is a metal cage and inside are oysters (牡蛎). Taking turns, the students measure all the oysters, and then compare notes. The biggest oyster is over 2 inches long, much bigger than a healthy size for its age! They also measure the level of oxygen. As more oysters grow, the water should become clearer and hold more oxygen. Also, other animals should move in.

Oysters are soft-bodied animals, and share the underwater community with plants, fish, and other life. They are food for crabs and other animals. As new oysters grow, they attach their shells to older ones，forming big reefs with many small spaces where other animals live. Oysters eat algae (藻类). If algae grow too fast，they can decrease oxygen from the water-and even fish need oxygen to breathe!

But what happened to the oysters 100years ago in New York Harbor? Before then, lots of oysters lived in these waters. They were shipped to restaurants around the world. By the early 1900s, people were eating them faster than they could grow. Pollution was pouring into the waters. The harbor became seriously polluted. Since the 1970s, new laws have helped reduce poisonous waste. Some fish started to swim through again. But oysters were still missing-until recently.

The Billion Oyster Project began in 2014 to help bring oysters back to New York Harbor. The project has recruited (招募) more than 6,500 students at more than 100 middle schools and high schools to help grow, distribute, and study the oysters.

Finally, the students put the oysters back in the cage. Mr. Rodman lowers the cage into the river. In a few months, they will check the cage again. When the oysters are big enough, they will be moved to join a healthy reef in the middle of the harbor.

4. Why do students come to the pier over the Harlem River?

A．To do research.	B．To go fishing.
C．To buy oysters.	D．To clean up the river.

5. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．What oysters are like.	B．How oysters get fed.
C．Why algae grow fast.	D．What role oysters play.

6. What can we learn about oysters in New York Harbor?

A．People’s love of eating oysters boosted their numbers.

B．More oysters than before lived in waters in the 1900s.

C．Polluted water was partly to blame for the missing of oysters.

D．New laws in the 1970s were crucial to oysters’ recovery.

7. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Oysters Raised in New York Harbor

B．The Harlem River Polluted Heavily

C．Nature’s Helpful Crew Brought Back

D．Teacher Devoted to Wildlife Protection

Introduced species have a bad reputation. It has been believed that the species mix in a particular place should remain as unchanged as possible. But this is just an opinion. Other opinions are possible. A study published recently by Dov Sax of Brown University, thus asks how the benefits of introduced species might be better assessed, so that opinions can be more informed. Specifically, he identifies several aspects for that.

Initially, whether introduced species provide direct human advantage is taken into account. Dr. Sax and his colleagues ignored crops, since their benefits are obvious. But they included transplanted grass species that have gone wild，yet provide grazing(牧草)for domestic animals, and introduced forest trees that produce wood for construction.

Another factor is their possible benefit to the ecosystem into which the introduction has happened. Such introduction is sometimes made to reduce the risk of a localised species becoming extinct. Pyne’s ground plum(李子)，native to a handful of sites in the central basins of Tennessee but now transplanted to others, falls into this category.

The last value is experienced on an emotional rather than a practical level. Lots of people feel good about native wildlife, which is generally the main motive for its conservation. But that feel-good factor can extend to introduced species as well. Such value can cut both ways, however. For example, ring-necked parakeets, an Asian and African species, have been spreading through Britain for several decades. Some find them a colourful addition to the local wildlife, others a noisy competitor for native birds.

In light of their analysis, Dr. Sax and his team therefore suggest that researchers studying introduced species should in future create a clear distinction in their studies between changes that have happened and judgments about the value of those changes. In addition, when making those judgments, they should acknowledge all types of values, rather than focusing narrowly on one or two of them.

That done, many species will surely still be accused of possible damage. But others, badly thought of in the past, may not.

8. What is Dr. Sax’s study aimed to do?

A．Kecp track of introduced species.

B．Get introduced species fully understood.

C．Compare opinions on introduced species.

D．Identify consequences of introducing species.

9. Why was Pyne’s ground plum transplanted to other places?

A．To provide graze for local animals.

B．To produce wood for construction.

C．To build a new local ecosystem.

D．To save local species from dying out.

10. How do local people react to the introduction of ring-necked parakeets?

A．They don’t care about it.

B．They consider it acceptable.

C．They can’t put up with it.

D．They hold divided opinions on it.

11. What does Dr. Sax suggest to the future researchers?

A．Focusing on main values.

B．Evaluating evident changes.

C．Analyzing previous researches.

D．Presenting all-round assessments.

Several research groups have previously generated images from brain signals using AI models that require numerous data analysis. Now, Shinji Nishimoto and Yu Takagi at Osaka University in Japan have developed a much simpler approach by slightly adjusting Stable Diffusion, a popular text-to-image generator, allowing it to turn brain signals directly into pictures.

Shinji Nishimoto and Yu Takagi built two additional models to help make Stable Diffusion work with brain signals. The pair used data from four people obtained by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) (功能磁共振成像技术) to scan their brains while the four were viewing 10,000 pictures.

Using around 90 percent of the brain-imaging data, the pair then trained one model to make links between fMRI data from a brain region that processes visual signals and the images that people were viewing. They used the same dataset to train the other model to form links between text descriptions of the images and fMRI data from a brain region that processes the meaning of images. After training, these two models could translate brain-imaging data into forms that were directly fed into the Stable Diffusion model. It could then reconstruct around 1000 of the images people viewed with about 80% accuracy. This level of accuracy is similar to that previously achieved in a study that analysed the same data using a much more tedious approach, which involved more time and efforts.

However, the study only tested the approach on four people. “This approach requires huge fMRI machines”, says Sikun Lin at the University of California. “In future, more practical versions of the approach could allow people to make art or change images with their imagination, or add new elements to gameplay, but it is still a long way from daily use,” she says.

12. What do we know about Stable Diffusion?

A．It calls for more data analysis.

B．It was created to read brain signals.

C．It was launched by Japanese scientists.

D．It helps change brain signals into pictures.

13. What are the two models intended to do after training?

A．To process data.	B．To redraw images.
C．To scan human brains.	D．To match text descriptions.

14. What does the underlined word “tedious” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Simple.

B．Complicated.

C．Effective.

D．Convenient.

15. What does Sikun Lin say about this approach?

A．It is practical for daily use.

B．It has been widely used in art.

C．It will enrich people’s imagination.

D．It will be applied in a broad range.

The benefits of walking are many, but deciding how many miles to cover and how much time to spend walking each day is another matter.

Studies have shown that the average American takes between 3,000 and 4,000 steps daily doing everyday tings — about 1.5 to 2 miles.     16     But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises most adults to aim for 10,000 steps a day or about 5 miles. And the recommendation contributes to more positive health outcomes.

    17     You can measure your efforts in quantities of time instead. “As a walker, you should aim for at least 30 minutes per day, or a total of 150 minutes per week,” says Austin, a licensed psychotherapist. What’s more, if 30 minutes of walking is unrealistic for you to do all at once, then breaking it up into three short, 10-minute sessions.     18    

It may also be helpful to health to make walking a part of one’s daily routine. People can take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the other end of the lot and walk a further distance to a store’s entrance when shopping.     19     Then walk the rest of the way home. All these additional steps can be acquired creatively, beyond fixed walking time.

On top of such physical benefits, walking has been shown to improve sleep and mental health including mood and self-esteem.     20     Therefore, it is free and well accepted by the majority of people. If one is ready to improve overall levels of fitness, walking ticks all the right boxes.

A．Combine walking with everyday routine.

B．They will provide the same health benefits.

C．What if counting results by miles isn’t your thing?

D．Still, why not get off public transportation a stop early?

E．Walking sessions should be continuous to be beneficial.

F．That amount alone has been shown to lower one’s death risk.

G．Walking requires no special equipment, gym membership or training.

I’ve always been crazy about pandas. My drawers are full of panda T-shirts and my pencil case and purse both have pandas on them. So when I found out that my parents planned to take me on a trip to Chengdu, which is the place in China for _________ pandas, I couldn’t believe my ________

I immediately started doing my ________, and I found at the Dujiangyan panda base, I could actually volunteer to ________ with the pandas!

The volunteer. Program lasts all day and ________ cleaning the habitats and carving bamboo for pandas. The ________ of the day, though, came when we had the opportunity to ________ one of the pandas, twice! I gave sticks of bamboo to one giant panda, and it was absolutely ________ to spend time one-on-one with such a cute animal. Then we spent about an hour watching a documentary to ________ more about the base. It operates as a panda shelter, ________ pandas that have been injured to recover and get ready to go back into the ________ again. It also works on panda breeding to help ________ the panda population.   

It is hard work but enjoyable and ________. I came back from Chengdu with a few more things to add to my ________. Now I have a pair of panda slippers and every time I put them on, I think about my ________ day at the panda base.

21.

A．saving

B．seeing

C．training

D．releasing

22.

A．eyes

B．favour

C．luck

D．dream

23.

A．duty

B．job

C．homework

D．research

24.

A．work

B．live

C．learn

D．struggle

25.

A．features

B．intends

C．allows

D．includes

26.

A．goal

B．risk

C．highlight

D．end

27.

A．approach

B．feed

C．follow

D．check

28.

A．tense

B．awful

C．urgent

D．incredible

29.

A．forecast

B．explore

C．read

D．list

30.

A．helping

B．backing

C．promising

D．instructing

31.

A．base

B．reserve

C．wild

D．field

32.

A．double

B．control

C．balance

D．grow

33.

A．relaxing

B．amusing

C．memorable

D．flexible

34.

A．search

B．collection

C．hobby

D．gifts

35.

A．amazing

B．adventurous

C．challenging

D．comforting

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Dough (面团) sculpture, also known as dough flowers,     36    (date) back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220). Across north China     37     the folk art is widely spread, people take dough works as religious offerings and wedding gifts.

“The dough is made of wheatstarch (淀粉), glutinous rice flour and honey,” said Liu Zenghui, a dough sculpture inheritor in Binzhou, Shandong Province. Liu started to learn dough sculpture at an early age. His works center on     38     (hero) of ancient Chinese myths and classics. Each figure,     39     their shape, hair to the muscles and looks, is so vivid and eye-catching.

Watching Liu work is     40     visual delight. After he first shapes the colorful dough into a simple outline, it     41     (attach) to a small stick. With a knife, thread, and toothpicks, he then refines it and eventually creates a lifelike and visually     42     (strike) dough sculpture. “You can’t be too careful to control the knife, because once there is a wrong cut, you need to start all over again. Concentration is fundamental.” Liu said in his quiet workshop, which ensures minimal noise and     43     (disturb).

Also, Liu’ is glad to be invited     44     (give) lectures at schools. “Making the traditional art     45     (access) to children means not only fun but a way to keep it alive,” he said.

47. 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Zack joined our family two years ago. The first time I saw him in a caring center, he was sitting in a corner, lonely and nervous. When I got closer, he tried to avoid eye contact and forced a smile. I could read his struggles in his eyes. Indeed, Zack was different. He was a kid with inborn disorder that made it difficult to manage his anxiety. I gently put my arms around him. Unexpectedly, he responded by giving me a tighter hug. My heart melt. I couldn’t wait to drive Zack home immediately the adoption paper was done.

The life with us was new to Zack. Terrified of insects and always on alert(警戒的) for a storm rolling in, he remained housebound. One March afternoon, we held a family barbecue. Despite my best effort, Zack wouldn’t leave the house. I brought him a plate of food and he watched us from the window. I was upset that he couldn’t enjoy a few minutes of peace in the spring sun.

Anyway, Zack was a joy around, and we tried to meet all his special needs. We were worried that Zack was delayed at schoolwork and needed to attend a speech and language camp, but he refused to go.I begged, and finally bartered(交换).

“I’ll do it for a pet chicken,” he decided.

That’s when Valor, a hen with soft feathers, entered our lives in May. John, my husband, named her Valor, which meant “courage” in ancient English.

No one had expected how the chicken would make a difference, but it did. Once Valor arrived, Zack slowly began stepping out in order to be with her. In turn, we repaid her with treats of tomatoes and sunflower seeds. For some unknown reasons, Valor offered Zack peace and comfort and was content to keep him company wherever he went. To our excitement, Zack talked more and smiled often. He even turned to us with questions about raising pets, making John and me thrilled.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

In September, another barbecue came with more new friends.

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When I suggested introducing our new friends, amazingly, Zack stood up.

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