Scientists and marine biologists(海洋生物学家) had something to celebrate last week when two lost humpback whales(座头鲸) returned to the Pacific Ocean. Delta and Dawn — a mother and a baby — had circled the Sacramento Bay area for two weeks before going back to the ocean.

＂We all shouted loudly like ‘Yay’!＂said Jim Oswald, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Center. ＂It’s been really exciting.＂

The humpback whales were last spotted on May 29 near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. Scientists are sure that the whales swam into open water during the evening of May 29 or early the next morning, since there have been no further sightings of the whales. Even so, boats were sent out to look for them, just in case the whales made another wrong turn.

Officials spent two weeks trying to get the whales to turn back towards the ocean. Biologists played recordings of whale-feeding as well as unfamiliar sounds to try to make the whales head back to the Pacific Ocean.

However, Delta and Dawn gave scientists an unexpected chance to study humpback whales in the wild. Scientists were able to gather sound recordings and watch their behaviors. This is especially exciting because humpback whales are an endangered species. What’s more, scientists don’t usually have the chance to observe (观察) them in their natural habitat.

＂All those things are very hard to get,＂ said Oswald,＂So what we are doing is filling up the knowledge blank on humpback whales in the wild. ＂ Scientists should be able to use this information to help other lost whales in the future.

1. Jim Oswald was very happy because____________.

A．the whales traveled to Sacramento Bay

B．he found the lost humpback whales

C．the scientists held a great celebration

D．the whales returned to the Pacific Ocean

2. In order to make the whales go back to the ocean, the biologists____________.

A．fed them with other animals	B．swam into open water
C．played music for them	D．played strange sounds to them

3. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Looking for the Lost Whales	B．Helping the Lost Whales
C．The Lost Whales Returned	D．Two Whales Were Lost

Cao Zhawa has been planting trees for most of his life. He lives and works in the heart of Mu Us Sandyland, an area in the southwest part of Inner Mongolia.

In 1958, when he was just 16 years old, Cao started planting trees. Cao’s trees now cover an area of more than 1.3 million square meters. Cao’s forest is worth an estimated 10 million yuan and can produce 100,000 kilograms oxygen, enough to sustain a full-grown adult for nearly a year.

Mu Us Sandyland is one of the places in China most affected by erosion(侵蚀) and desertification. The amount of annual rainfall ranges from 150 to 300 millimeters, while evaporation(蒸发) between 2,000 and 3,000 millimeters. Cao recalls that his growing-up was troubled by sandstorms. This was one of the factors that motivated Cao to join and stay on the tree-planting program.

Popularly known as the “Green Great Wall”, the project, which is set for completion in 2050, would be a 4, 800-kilometer greenbelt of trees and shrubs(灌木) protecting the area from strong winds and preventing soil erosion. Since the start of the Three-North Shelter Forest Program, millions of people have joined in and become a vital part of the plan.

However, the tree-planters face a host of challenges, with watering the most difficult among them. “When I was young, the level of groundwater was high,” said Cao, “But with less rain, the trees are hard to plant and keep alive.”

Planting trees has also become harder for Cao as he ages. However, he doesn’t want to leave the forest in the care of his children, and he insists the land belongs to the government. “When I die, I just want to be buried under the trees,” Cao said. “Then I will be with them forever.”

4. By listing the figures in Paragraph 2, the author wants to ________.

A．show Cao has had a hard life	B．praise Cao for his contribution
C．tell us how much oxygen an adult needs	D．make it clear that Cao has made a fortune

5. Why did Cao make up his mind to plant trees?

A．Evaporation in his hometown was serious.	B．He had no other ways to earn a living.
C．He found it a pleasure to plant trees.	D．Sandstorms kept striking his hometown.

6. What does Cao Zhawa most care about?

A．His health.	B．His wealth.
C．Forest ownership(所有权)	D．Children’s future.

7. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．An Elder in the Desert	B．A Life Devoted to Planting Trees
C．Mu Us Sandyland Requires Forest	D．Cao Zhawa—a Peasant with a Great Dream

You get on an almost-empty bus, but the next passenger decides to ignore all the empty seats to sit right next to you. While you are waiting in line at the supermarket, the next
customer stands just behind you shouting into his phone.
These are attacks of the personal space invaders(侵略者). Though preferences for personal space differ from culture to culture, we Britons do love our independence and personal space.
As the British customs website Debrett has said, as a British person, somebody standing too close may make you “focus less on what somebody is saying than on how close they are to you”. Simple acts like putting an arm around someone you don’t know that well may seem friendly in China, but they can make us very uncomfortable. The ediplomat.com website explains: “The British are not back slappers (拍打者) or touchers and generally do not show affection (喜欢) in public.”
Being a British person around people from other countries can therefore be full of problems. People from many European countries such as France and Spain kiss each other on the cheek when they meet, yet to us this seems too friendly and “touchy-feely”.
Simple matters like how close others stand can be problems to Britons who want to keep their own personal space. Giving advice on how to behave around a British person, Debrett’s says that “if you can feel the warmth of their worried breath upon your face, then you’re standing too close”.
So, are British people unfriendly? No. The ediplomat.com website explains that we are not as “indifferent” as we may seem, but “very friendly and helpful to foreigners”. However, we do have different ideas about our own space to many people from other countries. Just let us know if you’re going to come any closer than arm’s length, and you’ll be fine!
8. What is the article mainly about?

A．How to make friends with British people.

B．Some tips on British table manners.

C．Ways in which British people show affection.

D．British people’s preference for personal space.

9. If you were meeting a British person for the first time, it would be polite of you to ______, according to the article.

A．kiss him/her on the cheek

B．put an arm around him/her

C．keep an arm’s length away from him/her

D．slap his/her back or shake his/her hands

10. The underlined word “indifferent” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A．cold	B．modest
C．gentlemanlike	D．independent

11. What can we conclude from the article?

A．British people like to sit next to others on empty buses.

B．British people are helpful, although they may not appear to be.

C．British people do not like staying with other Europeans.

D．British people are happy to show affection in public.

Plans to bring wild tigers back to their original home , their historical range(历史分布范围） in the Ili­Balkhash region, have been announced by Kazakhstan( 哈萨克斯坦 )   and an agreement with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to conduct a tiger reintroduction program has been signed . “It will not only bring wild tigers back to their original home, but also protect the unique ecosystem of the Ili­Balkhash region，” said Askar Myrzakhmetov, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

If successful, Kazakhstan will be the first country in the world to bring wild tigers back to an entire region where they have died out for nearly half a century. Tiger reintroduction projects have only been achieved within national borders and in areas that are considered current tiger habitats . Kazakhstan's tiger reintroduction program is unique and it badly requires the restoration of a vast forest that is part of the wild tiger's historical range.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, wild tigers have lost over 90 per cent of their historical range. Wild tigers have completely disappeared from the region since the late 1940s, due to the loss of habitat. To prepare for the return of wild tigers, on 1st January 2018 Kazakhstan will set up a new nature reserve in the southwestern Ili­Balkhash, in order to restore the unique forest habitat. This will include the protection of existing wildlife, and reintroducing important prey ( 猎物 ), such as the endangered wild Bactrian deer（中亚红鹿).

Restoring tigers will also help protect Lake Balkhash and prevent it from repeating the fate of the Aral Sea, formerly the world's fourth largest lake and now 10 percent of its original size. “The hard work remains ahead of us. We have to spare no effort to make this region ready for tigers and involve all the relevant people to make this happen. That means dealing with illegal activities, having these people who govern parks be well­trained and equipped, increasing prey populations and involving local communities，” said Ekaterina Vorobyeva, Director of the WWF program.

12. What is Askar Myrzakhmetov's attitude toward the tiger reintroduction program?

A．Doubtful.	B．Favorable.
C．Concerned.	D．Disapproving.

13. What made the wild tigers disappear in the Ili­Balkhash region?

A．The increasing loss of prey.	B．The evolution of the species.
C．The lack of natural living places.	D．The serious environmental pollution.

14. Which measure may be taken for the reintroduction of tigers?

A．Regulating human activities.	B．Limiting the number of prey.
C．Building a reserve for tigers only.	D．Training tigers to be more adaptable.

15. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Efforts to restore forests in Kazakhstan

B．Bringing tigers back home to Kazakhstan

C．Attempts to handle illegal activities effectively

D．Preventing tigers disappearing in Kazakhstan

Urban Wildlife

Cities are diverse ecosystems. In addition to visitors from the wild, a large number of species share our urban areas. As our cities spread, we need to think about what it is like for other species to have human neighbors.

Cities are built for humans.     16    For example, most city parks are kept neat and tidy so that humans will find them beautiful. But when we cut grass or plant flowers, we destroy natural habitats.

    17    When a bridge in Austin, Texas was repaired, engineers added small gaps running along the length of its bottom. This made a good home for bats, and soon the bridge was the home of

thousands of bats.     18     Now, they have come to value their winged neighbors. The bats are a tourist attraction, and they eat lots of bugs every night.

There are also structures built with the aim of bringing wildlife into the city. The Beijing Olympic Forest Park is a good example. The park used native plants and created open, natural spaces for wildlife. The result is a zone in Beijing with over 160 species of birds. In many ways, the park is the opposite of a zoo.     19    

If we learn to share our space, we can become better neighbors to the wildlife around us.     20     Our own future will be endangered too.

A．They are built to protect birds.

B．Our actions sometimes help other species.

C．If we do not, more species will become extinct.

D．They do not always provide suitable habitats for wildlife.

E．Instead of being kept in cages, wildlife can move about freely.

F．At first, people were afraid of the bats and tried to get rid of them.

G．They would sit on it and their droppings would fall into the water.

My two sons are both grown-ups now. They are 32 and 27 years old this year. Yet they both still have the mind of children. Autism(自闭症) has limited their _____ growth and they still need to be looked after all the time. When I was a boy, the term used for people like my sons was Mentally Retarded. By the time I was an adult the term had _____ to Mentally Handicapped. _____, this was switched again to Mentally Challenged. _____ of these terms truly defined(定义) them, however.

These days the _____ term is Special Needs. I like this one better than the older ones, because it is more _____. My sons do have special needs but they also have special gifts. My oldest boy may only be able to _____ certain things. But when he _____ people by name, there is a catching happiness in his mood and manner. He always _____ love and hugs far more freely than I do. My youngest boy is ______ in his own world most of the time. But he also has an ______ to laugh and enjoy life. Often after he finishes crying, his happiness will immediately return. My two Special Needs sons have ______ me more about how to live and how to love than I could have ever learnt on my own.

The fact is that all of us in life have special needs. All of us also have special gifts. It is up to us to ______ our gifts. It is up to us to meet the needs of each other. And it is up to us to ______ each other with kindness and love. Remember, we are all one ______ here. We are all children of the same world.

21.

A．fundamental

B．mental

C．personal

D．physical

22.

A．added

B．occurred

C．referred

D．switched

23.

A．Later

B．Lately

C．Still

D．Eventually

24.

A．All

B．Both

C．Neither

D．None

25.

A．first

B．last

C．newest

D．closest

26.

A．attractive

B．accurate

C．admirable

D．artificial

27.

A．talk about

B．bring about

C．argue about

D．hear about

28.

A．confirms

B．consults

C．cheers

D．greets

29.

A．gives up

B．gives in

C．gives out

D．gives off

30.

A．left

B．lost

C．trapped

D．surrounded

31.

A．ability

B．atmosphere

C．expression

D．instruction

32.

A．impressed

B．inspired

C．terrified

D．taught

33.

A．gather

B．harvest

C．share

D．form

34.

A．treat

B．forgive

C．appreciate

D．remind

35.

A．village

B．family

C．team

D．league

47. 阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇 60 词左右的内容概要。

Nowadays, most citizens especially those who live in the metropolis(大都市), have to face the traffic jam everyday, which has become one of the major problems in the city.

There are many reasons for traffic jams. At first, because of the fact that the vehicles keep giving off harmful gases during traffic jams, the earth is becoming warmer and warmer. In addition, there is no doubt that traffic jams will affect the effectiveness of work because people have to spend much more time on the way to offices than necessary, and their work will be delayed. Apart from this, traffic jams might give rise to more traffic accident, which becomes a great danger to people's life.

Traffic jams are the result of the cars. Why? Personally I think the first reason may be the remoteness(遥远) of people's workplaces. As a result, people have to choose a tool rather than walking to work. Being flexible and relatively convenient, private cars become very attractive choices. What’s more, owning a private car, especially   in some developing countries, is a symbol of wealth and high social positions. In some developed countries it is also the symbol of independence and maturity( 成 熟 ). Anyway, owning and driving private cars are regarded by many people as basic human rights.

Undoubtedly, traffic jams must be dealt with properly. In my view, spending more money on public transportation systems may be an effective means. Needless to say, policies which encourage people to put these systems to full use, for example, giving certain subsidies( 补 贴 ), are necessary. In the meantime, measures to restrict(限制) the use of private cars, such as improving the taxes on cars or petrol should be taken.

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