1 . China has announced (宣布) its first group of five national parks to protect some endangered (濒危) animals.
a
| Name: Sanjiangyuan National Park Location: in Qinghai Province Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(青藏高原), Sanjiangyuan is home to hundreds of wild animals. The Sanjiangyuan area is also called China’s water tower. |
b
| Name: Wuyi Mountain National Park Location: in Fujian and Jiangxi provinces The park has the most complete, most typical (典型的), and largest area of the native forest. It is known as the birds’ fun park, the kingdom of snakes and the world of insects. |
c
| Name: Giant Panda National Park (大熊猫国家公园) Location: in Sichuan, Shaanxi (陕西) and Gansu provinces The park holds more than 70% of China’s wild giant pandas. Besides“the national treasures”of China, the park is also home to some highly protected animals, including the snub-nosed monkeys (金丝猴). |
d
| Name: Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (东北虎豹国家公园) Location:in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces It is the biggest area of wild northeast China tigers and Amur leopards (阿穆尔豹) in China. The high-tech monitoring system (监控系统) in the park can provide real-time protection for these wild animals. |
e
| Name:Hainan Tropical (热带雨林) Rainforest National Park Location: in Hainan Province The park covers less than 0.046% of the country’s land, yet it is home to almost 20% of the country’s amphibians (两栖动物) and 38.6% of China’s birds, which are native (本土物种) to the island. |
1. Watch the parks a-e with two topics: ❶The park lies in one province; ❷The park lies in-more than one province. Which of the following is RIGHT?
| A．❶——ace; ❷——bd. | B．❶—ae; ❷——bcd. | C．❶—be; ❷—acd. |
| A．Snub-nosed monkeys. | B．Snow leopards. | C．Amphibians. |
| A．Man and society. | B．Man and nature. | C．Man and self. |
Giant pandas a
The giant panda is a national treasure (国宝) of our country. The country chooses some giant pandas and sends t
In 2023, over 10 giant pandas finished their work and came b
W
In English, “as dead as dodo” means someone or something is totally, unquestionably dead. But the dodo, stubby (矮，胖的) bird that has been extinct (灭绝的) for hundreds of years, may not be dead anymore!
US company Colossal Biosciences said it would try to bring the dodo back to life. The bird used to live on the island of Mauritius (毛里求斯) in the Indian Ocean until the 17th century.
The place to bring back the dodo would be Mauritius. Ben Lamm, the co-founder of the company told The Guardian. Bringing back dodos into the ecosystem (生态系统) of the island, instead of being a newcomer to somewhere else, is thought to bring benefits to the plants and animals that already live there.
The company has found the genetic code (基因序列) of the extinct animals from their dead bodies. It will change the DNA of currently living animals to make them close to the animal of the past. The Nicobar pigeon (尼可巴鸠) will be used as the genetic base for the dodo, according to MIT Technology Review.
The company also plans for other extinct animals, such as the mammoth (猛犸象). They believe that mammoths introduced to the Arctic (北极) could help with climate change as they turn the wet tundra (苔原) into sunlight-reflecting dry grasslands by eating the grass, according to The New Yorker.
However, some people don’t like the idea. With a third of all bird species in decline (减少), protecting today’s species is needed more than focusing on animals of the past, said BBC Science Focus.
1. If “as dead as a dodo” is used to describe someone’s phone, it means the phone is ______.| A．lost | B．out of power | C．nice and fancy | D．hard to use |
| A．Because the island is set as a research place for new species. |
| B．Because dodos won’t have natural enemies on the island. |
| C．Because they used to live there and may benefit the ecosystem. |
| D．Because the island has the best ecosystem in the world. |
| A．By changing the closest bird’s DNA to make it similar to the dodo’s. |
| B．By producing dodos with DNA from their dead bodies. |
| C．By combining dodos’ DNA with mammoths’ DNA. |
| D．By changing the dead dodos’ DNA to make them reborn. |
| A．the number of bird species has dropped much faster than other species |
| B．focusing on endangered animals is more important than extinct ones |
| C．bringing extinct animals back to life is meaningful for today’s species |
| D．it is impossible to bring extinct animals back to life exactly as they were |
4 . Do you know the lovely elephant Dumbo with big ears in the Disney’s film? Now, the elephant is on the red list of endangered animals, especially the Asian elephants
The base covers (覆盖) three towns across 670 km. More than 38,000 banana trees grow well in the base. Workers also built salty ponds (盐池) for the elephants. In the base, the elephants can enjoy delicious food, and they can
In late August this year, scientists did lots of
Elephant family is one of the most
| A．in | B．on | C．at | D．for |
| A．asked for | B．thought of | C．taken away | D．set up |
| A．such as | B．except for | C．because of | D．along with |
| A．more | B．fewer | C．smaller | D．larger |
| A．just | B．also | C．still | D．only |
| A．research | B．reports | C．training | D．exercise |
| A．eat | B．walk | C．sleep | D．run |
| A．looking at | B．looking after | C．looking up | D．looking for |
| A．interesting | B．important | C．exciting | D．beautiful |
| A．feed | B．improve | C．develop | D．protect |
5 . Takahiro Takauji’s connection to giant pandas began in 2011 when the two Chinese pandas RiRi and Shin Shin arrived in Tokyo in February. One day in August, he decided to see the pair. This casual decision changed his life.
A month later, Takauji created the website Mainichi Panda, or Panda Every Day. On the website, he showed photos of giant pandas he took at Ueno Zoo. Since then, he’s been visiting the zoo nearly every day to take photos of giant pandas, except for the time when it is closed and his daughter’s birthdays.
To get more photos of giant pandas, a typical Ueno Zoo trip for Takauji means joining the queue（队列）three or four times outside the panda house, and waiting for at least 40 minutes each time. However, in his eyes, it is worth the wait, although the visit usually lasts only two or three minutes.
Now Takauji is known as “Mr. Panda” for his great love for the animal. “Through taking photos of giant pandas, I’ve made lots of friends and become healthier. It’s also because of giant pandas that I have learned more about China,” the 44-year-old said. “I feel happy when I see giant pandas. As long as there are giant pandas at Ueno Zoo, I’ll continue to take pictures of them and share the joy with more people.”
1. What does the underlined word “decision” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Going to China. | B．Sharing some photos. |
| C．Visiting the giant pandas. | D．Creating a website. |
| A．February | B．March | C．August | D．September |
| A．patient | B．strict | C．brave | D．kind-hearted |
| A．Takauji visits Ueno Zoo almost every day. |
| B．Takauji has seen giant pandas at zoos around the world. |
| C．Takauji has kept taking photos ofgiant pandas for about 12 years. |
| D．Takauji has changed a lot since he began taking photos of giant pandas. |
6 . The blue whale (鲸) is the largest animal alive today. And one of these whales has been caught making a big journey through the South Pacific. The whale was first recorded near the Galapagos Islands, west of Costa Rica. Years later, that same whale was photographed off the coast of Chile in South America, a new study reports. The two places are separated by about 5,200 kilometers. That means the whale, nicknamed Isabella, swam farther than the distance between New York and Los Angeles.
Blue whales are found in all the world’s oceans but live in deep waters. So there are few places where they can be found easily. What’s more, they were nearly driven by whaling a century ago. Populations are increasing. But because there are so few of the animals, they are still considered endangered.
One blue whale may look like any other to the untrained eye. But each animal has special spots (斑点). “We use those spots as the fingerprints of blue whales,” Torres Florez says. To make the comparison job easier, scientists focus on the area around a whale’s dorsal fin (鳍), which is on its back. “Comparing those spots we are able to tell if a whale is the same whale we saw in different places or if the same whale is seen during different years in the same place,” he says.
Isabella is probably not the only blue whale to travel so far, the researchers say. Members of her population likely migrate regularly from Chile to the Galapagos. In summer months, Torres Florez notes, waters in the far southern Pacific are loaded with krill, but that food disappears in winter. That’s when the whales travel north to warm, tropical (热带的) waters near the Galapagos. There, instead of feeding, the whales produce babies. Scientists don’t yet know why whales prefer to produce babies in tropical locations. But the ocean there may be warmer and calmer and have fewer killer whales that would feed on baby blue whales, Torres Florez says.
1. What can we infer about blue whales in Paragraph 2?| A．They are no longer at the risk of dying out. |
| B．It’s difficult for scientists to study them. |
| C．They can’t live well in a new environment. |
| D．It is common for people to see them worldwide. |
| A．How to study blue whales. |
| B．The spots of blue whales. |
| C．How to find out the exact blue whale. |
| D．The habits and lifestyle of blue whales. |
| A．演变 | B．分离 | C．迁徙 | D．繁殖 |
| A．there is enough food for baby blue whales |
| B．they don’t have enemies there |
| C．it’s easy for them to find a mate there |
| D．it’s easy for baby blue whales to remain alive there |
| A．Traditional Custom. |
| B．Job Wanted. |
| C．School Life. |
| D．Nature. |
On March 16, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington began a six-month celebration of the 50th anniversary of the arrival of two giant pandas, celebrating the close cooperation(合作) between China and the US in panda exchanges and protection.
In 1972, president Richard Nixon and first lady Pat Nixon made a historic visit to China. The first lady went to the Beijing Zoo to visit pandas on their second day in China. At a dinner before they left China, Premier Zhou Enlai told Pat Nixon that China would present the US with two pandas, which made her very surprised and happy.
The first pandas from China in the US, Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, arrived at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo on April 16 of that year. They lived there for more than 20 years. Their arrival not only brought warmth and joy to tens of millions of Americans, but also launched(使开始) the US-China giant panda program.
Now only one panda couple, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang, and their baby, Xiao Qi Ji, live at the zoo. The couple’s other three babies, Tai Shan, Bao Bao and Bei Bei, have returned to China.
Brandie Smith, director of the national zoo, recalls that the males Bei Bei and Xiao Qi Ji are more outgoing than their brother Tai Shan. “I met these pandas. I still remember the moments all of the babies were born here. I really love working with the giant pandas,” she says. “I also enjoy working with those Chinese colleagues(同事). Working with them to share knowledge about pandas, their habitat and their culture is really a wonderful experience for me.”
1. Which of the following is TRUE?| A．President Richard Nixon visited pandas on their first day in China. |
| B．The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the arrival of two giant pandas lasts for half a year. |
| C．Now there are only 2 pandas in the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. |
| D．President Richard Nixon was very angry about the arrival of the two pandas. |
| A．Tian Tian and Mei Xiang | B．Bei Bei and Xiao Qi Ji |
| C．Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing | D．Bao Bao and Bei Bei |
| A．Culture. | B．Health. | C．Tourism. | D．Animals. |
| A．Celebrate 50 Years of Giant Pandas | B．Pandas’ Family Tree in Smithsonian |
| C．The US-China Giant Panda Program | D．Giant Pandas Return to China |
8 . Humpback whales (座头鲸) live in every sea. They can weigh as much as ninety thousand pounds. That’s as heavy as thirty cars. These whales can live fifty years. Scientists can tell a whale’s age by looking its ears.
The most surprising thing is that male (雄性) humpback whales sing songs! Their songs start with a hum (嗡嗡声). The sound becomes louder and might last up to 20 minutes. You can hear whale songs 20 miles away. If you go underwater, you could hear the sounds from 100 miles away. Scientists don’t know why the whales sing. Some think they are trying to keep touch with others. But many people say the whale songs bring them joy.
Whales sometimes catch food in groups. Humpback whales join up underwater. When they come upon a group of fish, one whale swims in a circle. Then, it blows a lot of bubbles (气泡). The bubbles cause the fish to swim to the surface. Then, the whales swim up and quickly eat a big meal.
Being huge does not keep these whales to live safe. The sea has become less safe for humpback whales to live in the past thirty years. Ships give out oil in the sea, which can make the whales sick. People also throw rubbish in the sea. It is hard for the whales to swim away from oil and rubbish. Humpback whales need help from both scientists and common people.
In order to protect them better, scientists are studying these whales and their songs. Besides, they’ve got good reasons for keeping whales safe. Today, the humpback whales and their environment are protected by law.
1. What’s the biggest surprise about male humpback whales?| A．They can live fifty years. |
| B．They are as heavy as thirty cars. |
| C．They can sing songs. |
| D．Their ears can show their ages. |
a. Whales swim up and eat fish quickly.
b. Humpback whales come together underwater.
c. One whale swims in a circle when they meet fish.
d. Bubbles blown by whales cause fish to swim to the surface.
| A．bdac. | B．dabc. | C．bdca. | D．bcda. |
| A．Scientists have found the reason why the whales sing. |
| B．Male humpback whales make loud sounds within 20 minutes. |
| C．Humpback whales can catch food alone because of being huge. |
| D．The number of humpback whales became less in the past thirty years. |
| A．Humpback whales have many abilities. |
| B．Humpback whales have an interesting way of catching food. |
| C．Humpback whales need help from both scientists and common people. |
| D．Humpback whales are a kind of special animal and we should protect them. |
