【推荐1】Female seals don’t change their spots, according to a new study by University of Alberta biologists. In fact, individual differences in boldness remain consistent over time. The study is among the first to examine boldness in wild marine mammals in the field of animal personality. Animal personality influences many ecological processes, like how individuals interact with other species or respond to changing environmental conditions.

Researchers studied female seals on Sable Island, home to the world’s largest grey seal colony. Over a period from 2008 to 2016, biologist Christi Bubac and a field team led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada measured boldness responses in the female seals when defending their young.

“During the breeding season, we saw that females tend to behave consistently, not only between years, but also within the lactation period of a given year,” explained Bubac, lead author and PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences studying with wildlife geneticist David Colman. “This provides an example of animal personality, with consistent individual differences observed over time.”

Bubac also examined how reproductive success is related to a seal’s boldness or shyness. Rey seals nurse for 16 to 18 days, so mother seals have a very short window to get baby seals as fat as they can. During this time, baby seals triple in body mass. Body mass is a good predictor of reproductive success because it indicates the puppies’ chances of survival. “On average, we found that bolder females stop feeding those that are two kilograms heavier, compared with the shyest females, improving their chances of surviving the first year of life,” said Bubac.

These results present some very interesting biological questions, explained Coltman, professor of biology. “This research shows that young grey seal moms that are bold tend to stop feeding larger puppies compared with shy moms. However, older grey seals also tend to be bolder. If bolder animals have bigger pups and live longer, why does variation in boldness remain? Why be shy?”

1. What is the purpose of the study of seals?

A．To test their effects on ecological processes.

B．To study how seals interact with each other.

C．To check how the environment affects mammals.

D．To examine marine mammals’ personality difference.

2. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A．Animals have remained their personality since they were born.

B．Female seals behave more boldly in the lactation period.

C．Seals’ boldness responses remain the same over time.

D．The study on seals’ personality has been very mature.

3. Which of the following may Christi Bubac agree with?

A．Bolder female seals adjust the nursing time to their babies’ weight.

B．Mother seals tend to get babies as slim as possible.

C．It usually takes mother seals 20 days to nurse.

D．Bolder female seals feed less than shy ones.

4. Where are we most likely to read the text?

A．In a travel guide.

B．In a textbook.

C．In a magazine.

D．In an art gallery.

【推荐2】The Amazing Penguin Rescue

In the summer of 2016, the ship MV Treasure sunk, creating an oil spill. Thirteen hundred tons of fuel oil were flowing right in the middle of the African Penguins’ habitat. Soon the oil covered about 20,000 penguins. Without swift help, the seabirds would have no chance of survival. Volunteers were showing up by the thousands and I also took part in what was the largest animal rescue operation ever.

A warehouse was turned into a rescue center near the habitat and hundreds of pools were built to hold about 100 oiled birds each. When walking into the center, I couldn’t believe my ears. I had expected to walk into a chorus of honking and squawking(尖声叫). Instead, the center sounded like a library. The penguins were dead silent. My heart ached for the painful birds. Cleaning them all seemed like an impossible task. But we had to carry on like doctors in an emergency room. There was no time for doubt. Cleaning oil off a penguin wasn’t easy. Even with more than 12,500 volunteers, it took a month to bathe all 20,000 birds at the center.

While volunteers were busy bathing the oiled penguins, another crisis(危机) was developing. Oil from the spill had started moving north. Tens of thousands of penguins were in the oil’s path. But we already had our hands full with 20,000 recovering birds. If any more birds were oiled, we wouldn’t have enough resources to save them.

One researcher came up with an idea: What if the penguins were temporarily moved out of harm’s way? Experts decided to have a try. Volunteers rounded up the penguins and released them 500 miles away. The hope was that by the time the seabirds swam home, the oil would be gone. The plan worked! Another 20,000 penguins were saved.

The entire penguin rescue took about three months. More than 90% of the oiled penguins were successfully returned to the wild. Looking back on the rescue, I am still amazed by the work of the volunteers. What I could hardly believe was that we accomplished an impossible task.

1. The African penguins were in danger because of ________.

A．a knock by a ship	B．a change of habitats
C．a spill of oil	D．a lack of help

2. When walking into the rescue center, the author felt ________.

A．ambitious

B．shocked

C．hopeless

D．inspired

3. The crisis was ended by ________.

A．moving the penguins from home	B．cleaning the polluted habitat
C．asking more volunteers to help	D．stopping the flow of the oil

4. The author mainly intends to tell us that ________.

A．we should unite to make the earth pollution-free

B．where there is a will there is a way

C．the future of wildlife is in our hands

D．many hands make great work

【推荐3】Could your next pet be a goat? New research suggests that these farm animals try to communicate with people in the same way that dogs and horses do. In a series of experiments, researchers found that when the animals had a problem that they couldn’t solve alone，the goats would gaze at a person for help. The research also shows that goats will change their actions according to a person’s behavior.

Goats were the first domesticated（驯化为）livestock species, about 10,000 years ago, according to Alan McElligott. “From our earlier research, we already know that goats are smarter than people think, but these results show how they can communicate and interact with people even though they were not domesticated as pets or working animals，” McElligott said in a statement.

To test the goats’ communication skills, the researchers trained the animals to remove the lid from a box to receive a reward. The reward was then made inaccessible（得不到的，不能接近的）, and the goats’ reactions toward the experimenters—who were either facing the goats or had turned away—were recorded. The researchers found that the goats would gaze at the forward-facing person more often, and for longer periods of time. Sometimes, the goats would also approach the forward-facing person before returning to the box.

“Goats gaze at humans in the same way as dogs when asking for a treat that is out of reach，” study researcher Christian Nawroth said in the same statement. “Our results provide strong evidence for communication directed at humans in a species that was domesticated mainly for agricultural product, and goats show similarities with animals bred to become pets or working animals，such as dogs and horses.”

The authors said that they hope the study will help people to better understand domesticated animals like goats, dogs and horses, and how they interact with humans.

1. The underlined word “they” in the first paragraph refers to        .

A．the researchers	B．the horses
C．the goats	D．the dogs

2. What did the goats do after they couldn’t receive the reward?

A．They refused to remove the lid.

B．They stared at the experimenters.

C．They turned away.

D．They returned to the box quickly.

3. What is the aim of the research?

A．To study the habits of animals in order to understand their feelings.

B．To raise more domesticated animals like goats, dogs and horses.

C．To show the similarity between goats and dogs.

D．To make people better understand domesticated animals.

【推荐1】I wanted a change of pace, a break from routine. The past few years found me working long hours at my marketing job while my husband, Steven, put in equally full days as a physics tutor. We were both burned out from the constant boredom.

Vacation experiences at first glance seem a little difficult for us. How do you find comfort in an ever-changing environment? And I, someone who enjoys more planned fun, had to adapt.

But I was surprised at how easily I was able to adapt to a new mode of operation, a more relaxed version of myself who wasn’t worried where we’d park and sleep each night. The fact that we both became so accustomed to sleeping in the back of a cargo van is another surprise we experienced on this journey. The van was our main transportation and, with a full-size bed in the back, it also provided us with a bit of comfort that made us continue. At first, every sound outside was foreign, and we both took longer to fall-and stay-asleep. But, after a couple of weeks into van life, we let the sounds fade into soft background music.

Over the course of our seven- month trip, one of our big goals was to come away from each park with one spectacular image. That shared goal placed us on the same team: It brought us together, even more than before, gave us more to talk about, and encouraged us to motivate each other along the way.

By this point, you’re probably wondering how we paid for all of this, or maybe you’re assuming we come from wealthy backgrounds. The truth is, we actually managed this entire adventure on a middle-class budget. Steven did part-time remote work about 10 hours per week for his employer from the road. I ended up finding some temporary jobs through the trip. We also continued our photography business, setting up an online shop to sell our landscapes.

We only visited some parks in the 48 states. And the experience would still be worth every penny. It is really a chance to lose and find ourselves in our nation’s park lands.

1. Why did the author want to change?

A．Because she wanted a rest from daily routine.

B．Because she was interested in travelling.

C．Because she fell ill with long working hours.

D．Because she didn't like her marketing job.

2. What did the author think of the vacation before the journey?

A．Exciting.	B．Helpful.
C．Doubtful.	D．Boring.

3. What can we infer from the last but one paragraph?

A．The couple visited 48 states during the trip.

B．The couple tried different jobs to maintain their trip.

C．The husband worked harder than the wife.

D．The couple came from a middle-class family.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Introducing a couple’s daily life.

B．Sharing a couple’s travel experience.

C．Showing the importance of traveling.

D．Advising some travel plans to readers.

【推荐2】A little girl, dressed as a dinosaur, provides interesting commentary (现场解说) while snowboarding in a cute video, which has become popular and is melting people’s hearts.

Robert Garlow of Yakima, Washington, shared the Instagram video last week featuring his daughter, 4-year-old Aubrin Sage, enjoying a wonderful snowboarding. Garlow said in his video that he decided to capture Aubrin’s commentary to catch a glimpse into her thought process while snowboarding.

Robert Garlow has been documenting his kids since their birth and he is always interested in trying to include their voices and thought process when they are hiking, playing, biking and so on. According to her dad, Aubrin has been snowboarding since 2018, when she was 18 months old. Snowboarding together has created some of their best memories as a family.

Garlow said he was making sure he was capturing as many special memories as he could on their winter adventures, even the ones he didn’t expect. Garlow, wrote that “My goal is to make every time out a positive experience so that she asks to come back. I want her love of snowboarding to come from within her, not applied by us.”

Snowboarding has taught Aubrin many lessons already, Garlow said, “She’s learned how to deal with adversity (逆境) whether that be bad weather, personal discomfort or frustration and maintain a positive attitude through it.” Garlow wrote, “She’s spent a lot of time outside in the mountains during the winter so not many situations in life trial her. She’s become brave and confident and capable of problem solving.”

He added, “She’s also an old soul, seemingly wise beyond her years. She’s always surprising us with her intelligence, thoughts and curiosity.”

1. Why did Garlow decide to capture his daughter’s commentary?

A．To entertain the audience.

B．To observe her thinking process.

C．To train her to snowboard skillfully.

D．To get her to become popular through video.

2. What can we know about Aubrin from paragraph 3?

A．She is fond of taking videos.

B．Her family all love snowboarding.

C．She has a talent for snowboarding.

D．She skateboards to create memories for her family.

3. What does Aubrin learn from skateboarding?

A．Why snowboarding is useful.	B．How to address problems.
C．What to do in the future.	D．What is important in life.

4. Which of the following can best describe Aubrin?

A．Gifted and intelligent.	B．Caring and energetic.
C．Ambitious and enthusiastic.	D．Sensible and lovely.

【推荐3】In the 1940s, Lena Horne was the first African­American in Hollywood to sign a long­term contract with a major movie studio. Her deal with MGM stated that she would never play the role of a servant. During this period, African­American actors were mostly limited to playing servants or African natives.

But this refusal also limited her movie career. Horne was generally only offered the role of a nightclub singer. Her characters did not interact with white characters in these movies. This way, her part could be cut from the version of the movie that played in Southern States.

Lena Horne later wrote that the movie producers did not make her into a servant, but they did not make her into anything else, either. Lena Horne once said that World War Two helped make her a star. She was popular with both black and white servicemen. She sang on army radio programs and traveled to perform for the troops. During one event, she noted that German prisoners of war were permitted to sit closer to the stage than black soldiers. These experiences led to Lena Horne's work in the Civil Rights Movement.

She protested racial separation at the hotels where she performed. She took action so that she and her musicians would be permitted to stay in those hotels. Black musicians at the time generally stayed in black neighborhoods. Lena Horne also sang at civil rights gatherings. She took part in the March on Washington protest in 1963. It was during this event that Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Lena Horne performed in a strong and expressive way. One expert said she was not warm and amiable like white female singers at the time. Instead, she was a fierce black woman.

1. Lena Horne refused to play the role of a servant probably because she thought playing such a role ________.

A．would make her homesick	B．wouldn't make her famous
C．meant she wasn't treated fairly	D．wouldn't help her make money

2. When Lena Horne saw how German prisoners and black soldiers were seated, how did she most probably feel?

A．Angry.

B．Satisfied.

C．Interested.

D．Moved.

3. Paragraph 4 mainly tells about Lena Horne's ________.

A．hope for a bright future	B．effort she put into music
C．effort against racial separation	D．relationship with Martin Luther King

4. What does the underlined word “amiable” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Ugly.

B．Boring.

C．Brave.

D．Friendly.

【推荐1】The McDonnells lived in a small brick house in Larchmont, a suburb of New York City. Jim was foreman of mail carriers at the post office where he had worked for 25 years. Married in 1960, he and Anne were childless.

On the evening of the eleventh anniversary of their marriage, carrying out the garbage, Jim McDonnell slipped on ice-coated steps, and struck his head. A few days later, driving to work, he lost control of the car, hit a telephone pole, and banged his forehead against the windshield. The following day he fell off the stairs, and again he banged his head. Found unconscious, he was hospitalized for three days with a cerebral concussion(脑震荡). One day in the same month, Jim borrowed a friend’s station wagon and drove to Kennedy Airport to pick up Anne’s brother and family. When he returned the borrowed car at 10 p.m., he was unaware that the wallet containing his identification had slipped out of his pocket onto the floor of the station wagon. After that, he was never seen again.

So what really happened to Anne’s husband? During his walk home, Jim had indeed blacked out(昏厥), losing all ability to remember who he was and where he lived. What happened then is unclear. The next thing he knew was that he was in downtown Philadelphia, a city he had never visited before. Seeing signs advertising the services of a James Peters, a real estate broker, Jim adopted James Peters as his own name. He had no past; his only reality was the present. James Peters got a Social Security card, which could be obtained at that time without showing a birth certificate, and took a job in a health club. He next worked at a cancer research institute, cleaning out animal cages. He also got a nightshift job at the P&P luncheonette, where he became well known for his omelets, as well as his courtesy and good humor.

About a month before Christmas 1985, colleagues noticed that Jim had grown unusually quiet and depressed. Something seemed to be turning in his mind. On December 22, Jim had fallen and banged his head. The next day at work he seemed distracted, and late that afternoon he had fallen again, striking his head. On December 24, he awoke feeling confused, yet delighted. After almost 15 years, he knew who he was! He was James A. McDonnell, Jr., of Larchmont, New York. His wife’s name was Anne.

Anne had just returned home from Christmas Mass, where she lit candles and prayed for Jim. A light snow was falling, and she was in a hurry to leave for Christmas dinner at her sister’s before the roads grew slick. Then the doorbell rang. "Oh my," she thought, "this is not a good time for a visitor." Anne opened the door — and saw a man with a full white beard. Immediately she recognized Jim. She couldn’t speak.

To Jim, Anne looked a little older, but prettier too. His heart overflowed.

“Hello, Anne,” he said.

1. In which year did James A. McDonnell get missing?

A．1960

B．1965

C．1971

D．1985

2. Which CANNOT explain the sentence "He had no past" in Paragraph 3?

A．He had no Social Security Card before he got lost.

B．He lost his memory after his blacking out.

C．He lost his wallet containing his identification.

D．He went to a completely strange city.

3. How did Jim feel on seeing his wife, Anne, 15 years later?

A．scared

B．funny

C．moved

D．anxious

4. What would be the best sentence following the last sentence of this passage?

A．"Jim," her breath came in bursts, "Is it true?"

B．"Yes," she seemed puzzled, "And you are looking for…"

C．"Well, Jim," her voice in delight, "Long time."

D．"Come on in," said Anne, "I'm expecting you."

【推荐3】Last Friday, a new couple decided that instead of hosting their friends and family for a traditional feast reception, they would feed the victims from an earthquake-stricken area. Michael and Linda stood behind large food trucks distributing meals to 4,000 homeless people for their wedding reception on the border town of Kilis.

The idea came from the bridegroom's father, Ted, who volunteers for a Turkish relief organization. For the past few years, the organization has distributed daily meals to thousands of people who've suffered from natural disasters. He approached a representative of the organization and suggested that the family cover part of the costs of feeding them for the day.

Then he told his son, who was surprised by the suggestion, but soon won over. When he told that to the bride, she was really shocked but finally accepted because in southeastern Turkey there is a real culture of sharing with people in need. They love to share their food, their table and everything they have. And afterwards she was quite amazed about it. So, they arrived at the distribution center on Thursday to spend the day serving food and taking photographs with their grateful recipients (接受者).

That evening, the newly married couple were still pleased with their decision to quit a personal celebration for one with a greater good. “It's like sharing a dinner with your friends and family who have this kind of thing on a daily basis or sharing something with people who don't even have the most basic things,” Michael said. “Hopefully, this will also give the start for other wedding dinners to be held here with our brothers and sisters in need.”

1. How did the couple celebrate their wedding?

A．They treated their guests to a big dinner.	B．They paid all for feeding victims of the day.
C．They took photos of the grateful victims.	D．They spent the day with the victims in Kilis.

2. Why did so many people crowd in Kilis?

A．To help distribute free daily meals.	B．To escape the damaging earthquake.
C．To attend Michael and Linda's wedding.	D．To rescue the victims from the earthquake.

3. What does the underlined word “approached” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．consulted with	B．moved towards
C．came across	D．took in

4. We can learn from the text that ________.

A．Ted was a representative of the organization

B．Linda adapted the suggestion when she heard it

C．Kilis is a place which lies in southeastern Turkey

D．Linda doubted if any new couples would follow him