1 . A big strong bird flies high in the sky. It’s a bald eagle. Americans like to watch the beautiful bird. It is strong and free. They made it their national bird.
The bald eagle is not really bald. It has white feathers on its tail and head. The feathers on the rest of its body are brown. Bald eagles are large birds. A bald eagle weighs between 6 and 14 pounds (磅). Bald eagles’ bones (骨头) are empty inside. So their bones are light. That is why birds can fly. A bald eagle has long wings (翅膀) to help it fly high. Each wing can be seven or eight feet (英尺) long.
Bald eagles like eating fish. They have good eyes. When they fly over the water, they can see a fish a mile away. The eagle flies down and catch the fish with its feet. Bald eagles also eat some small animals. Rabbits and mice are the animals which they like to hunt (猎食).
Bald eagles build nests (巢) in the tallest trees they can find. The nest is a safe place for baby eagles to grow. The mother bald eagle lays one or three eggs each year. Both parents take care of the eggs. The parents take turns finding food and feeding the babies. After 12 weeks, the young eagles are ready to fly away.
Bald eagles often live near lakes and rivers where fish swim and tall trees grow. They also live near the sea. They can be found in most states in the United States. Hawaii is the only state that doesn’t have bald eagles. In Alaska and Canada, people can also see a large number of bald eagles.
Hunting and pollution made bald eagles in the United States in danger. The number of them decreased (减少) rapidly. The government made laws to protect them. Now, stopping hunting and cutting down pollution have allowed more and more bald eagles to come back.
Bald eagles are not only Americans’ national birds, but also human being’s good friends. Look up in the sky the next time, you might see one of the beautiful birds in the sky.
1. Paragraph 2 is mainly about ________.| A．what bald eagles look like | B．how bald eagles hunt |
| C．why bald eagles build nests | D．where bald eagles live |
| A．Hawaii | B．Alaska | C．Canada | D．Alabama |
| A．A bald eagle weighs between 6 and 14 kilos. | B．A bald eagle can see a fish several miles away. |
| C．Baby bald eagles will stay in nests for 12 weeks. | D．The number of bald eagles is still decreasing. |
(①＝Paragraph 1, ②＝Paragraph 2, ③＝ Paragraph 3…)
| A．①②；③④；⑤；⑥⑦ | B．①；②③④⑤；⑥；⑦ |
| C．①；②；③④⑤⑥；⑦ | D．①；②③；④⑤；⑥⑦ |
On March 9, 2023, Kiska, known as “the loneliest whale in the world,” died at 47. She had swum alone in her tank (玻璃缸) at a theme park in Canada for more than ten years.
Kiska was born in 1976. At the age of three, she was captured in Iceland along with a male (雄性的) whale named Keiko. They were soon transported (运输) to Canada. The pair lived together for a few years at a local theme park. In 1985, Keiko was sold to an aquarium (水族馆) in Mexico. He became famous for playing a leading role in the movie Free Willy in 1993. He was later released (释放) back to the ocean.
Kiska, however, wasn’t that lucky. She never got a chance to return home. During her time at the theme park, she gave birth to five babies. Sadly, all of them died before they turned seven years old. Kiska’s final tank mate was sent back to the United States in 2011. From then on, she was left alone. This earned (赢得) her the nickname “the world’s loneliest whale”.
Kiska’s death came four years after Canada banned (禁止) the practice of keeping whales in captivity (圈养地). However, there are still at least 55 captive whales across the world. What should we do with them?
1. Which is right according to the order of time?①Keiko was released back to the ocean.
②Keiko was sold to an aquarium in Mexico.
③Kiska and Keiko were transported to Canada.
④Kiska earned the nickname “the world’s loneliest whale”.
⑤Kiska’s final tank mate was sent back to the United States.
| A．④③②①⑤ | B．④①②⑤③ | C．③②①⑤④ | D．③②①④⑤ |
| A．caught | B．fed | C．shown | D．sold |
| A．Keiko was more famous than Kiska in the world. |
| B．Kiska was the whale which lived the longest in the world. |
| C．Kiska gave birth to five babies during her time at the theme park. |
| D．Canada banned the practice of keeping whales in captivity in 2019. |
| A．shame | B．worry | C．surprise | D．joy |
3 . Western people see the rabbit (兔子) as a sign of good luck. They believe a rabbit’s foot can bring good luck to its holder. This may go back to an old tradition. If teenage hunters (猎人) caught a rabbit, they could get the animal’s hind foot (后腿). It also welcomed them to manhood (成年).
Rabbits also show up in other areas of Western culture. In the book Alice in Wonderland, Alice follows a rabbit to get away from her world and start her adventure (冒险). There is the Easter Bunny, too. Rabbits are close to the idea of new life because they have lots of babies. The night before Easter, kids often make nests (窝) in their gardens for the Easter Bunny.
1. Western people see the rabbit as a sign of ________.| A．bad luck | B．good luck | C．being brave | D．being ill |
| A．Some money. | B．A big house. | C．The rabbit’s head. | D．The rabbit’s hind foot. |
| A．Because they have lots of babies. | B．Because they don’t have any babies. |
| C．Because they run fast. | D．Because they have two long ears. |
| A．nests | B．meals | C．clothes | D．nothing |
4 . Dolphins live in oceans all over the world. There are more than 30 kinds of these beautiful dolphins in the world. Some of them live in small groups. There are no more than a few dolphins in these groups. Others live in very large groups of 10,000 or more dolphins. Dolphins use loud noises to communicate with other members. They can swim very fast—up to 24 miles every hour.
Dolphins enjoy staying with people. They often swim near the boats. There are even stories of dolphins saving swimmers in trouble.
1. How many kinds of beautiful dolphins are there in the world?| A．More than 20. | B．More than 30. | C．More than 40. | D．More than 50. |
| A．sometimes help | B．are all afraid of | C．always stay away from | D．are dangerous to |
| A．By singing. | B．By talking with people. | C．By swimming. | D．By making loud noises. |
| A．They can swim up to 12 miles every hour. |
| B．They can swim up to 24 miles every hour. |
| C．They can swim up to 24 kilometers every hour. |
| D．They can swim up to 24 miles every day. |
5 . Last Sunday, Eric, a student, made a survey (调查) about the favorite animals of his classmates.
name | age | like | don’t like | why |
Rick | 11 | snakes | scary, exciting | |
Lisa | 13 | elephants | boring, too big | |
Victor | koalas | interesting | ||
most students | dogs | friendly |
1. When did Eric make the survey?
| A．Last Monday. | B．Last Sunday. | C．Last Thursday. | D．Last Tuesday. |
| A．Snakes. | B．Elephants. | C．Koalas. | D．Cats. |
| A．Rick. | B．Lisa. | C．Victor. | D．Eric. |
The giant panda Hua Hua, a national darling, attracted 264,000 visitors to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, which was the second most popular place during the May Day in 2023.
He Hua (also called Hua Hua) will soon be three years old. She has won the hearts of the visitors because she is sweet-tempered (性格温顺的) and unable to climb trees. What’s more, she is different from other giant pandas because of her white fur. For the reasons above, some of the visitors went to see her several times to stay with Hua Hua a little longer, some of them even expressed the wish of taking care of her if possible.
As more and more people become interested in pandas, the giant panda craze has swept across the world. During the May Day, visitors were crazy to buy things related to pandas. The sales have let the media call it “giant panda economy”. The last giant panda to cause a rush (引起追捧热潮) was the mascot (吉祥物) for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Bing DwenDwen, which was created according to the image of a giant panda. More than 1.4million toy mascots were sold during the games.
Behind the “giant panda craze” is also Chinese government’s help with better development of the giant panda habitats (栖息地). So the wild population of giant pandas in China has increased from 1,114 in the 1970s to 1,864 now.
1. Is He Hua 3 years old now?2. Why is He Hua so popular among the visitors?
3. According to the passage, what causes the “giant panda craze”?
4. If you have a chance to take care of Hua Hua, will you accept it? Why or why not?
7 . Nearly 700,000 people have taken part in the world’s largest wildlife survey, helping to count the numbers of wild birds in the UK. The Big Garden Birdwatch is organised every year by a charity called the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It is a chance for people to record the birds that visit their garden, balcony, or local green space. The survey gives the RSPB a snapshot of how different types of birds are doing, and whether their populations are going up or down.
This year more than 11 million birds were counted. The house sparrow was the most commonly-seen garden bird, with more than 1.7 million recorded sightings. However, despite hitting the top spot, its numbers are lower than in 2021.
There was a rise in green finch numbers, which gives hope that the species may be recovering from a big drop in population over the last 30 years, mainly caused by disease. The survey also showed that numbers of jay, a colourful member of the crow family, have increased by 73% compared to 2021.
Almost 60,000 schoolchildren took part in the survey, which involved spending an hour in nature counting different types of birds. Wood pigeons were the most commonly spotted by schools, with an average of eight seen by the schools that took part. Blackbirds came a close second.
The Big Garden Birdwatch bas been running since 1979, providing valuable information on the welfare of the UK’s wild birds for the last 43 years. The RSPB’s chief executive officer, Robecca Speight, said, “It’s been brilliant to see so many people taking part this year, taking time out to watch and reconnect with birds.” she added. “Spring is amazing. Spring sees the return of nature’s biggest music festival, the dawn chorus. Open your back door, a window or simply step outside and listen.”
1. The Big Garden Birdwatch is held every year to ________.| A．make a survey on the world’s wildlife |
| B．develop family relationship in the UK |
| C．learn the present situation of UK’s wild birds |
| D．encourage people to take photos of the wild birds |
| A．It is usually spotted by schoolchildren. |
| B．Its number decreases compared to last year. |
| C．It is the most commonly-seen bird in the world. |
| D．It is a colourful member of the crow family. |
| A．birds are easily watched and reconnected in spring |
| B．the connection between people and nature becomes closer |
| C．spring is the best time for music festival s outdoors |
| D．RSPB are becoming less popular among people |
| A．To instruct how to watch the birds. |
| B．To describe different kinds of birds. |
| C．To argue for the protection of wild birds. |
| D．To introduce a bird counting activity in the UK. |
| A．Objective | B．Disapproving. | C．Positive. | D．Unclear. |
8 . African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are a little larger than their Asian cousins and you can tell from their larger ears that they are African elephants. Africa is quite a hot place. Animals always have their own ways to keep cool. The ears of elephants are like fans and they can help keep these large animals cool, but sometimes the African heat (热) is too much. Therefore elephants also do other activities to keep themselves cooler. For example, elephants like water and enjoy showering by sucking (吮吸) water into their trunks and spraying (喷洒) it all over themselves.
An elephant’s trunk is a long nose. They use their trunks to smell, breathe, drink, and grab (抓取) things. African elephants have two features (特征) like fingers on the end of their trunk. So the elephants can use them to grab small things.
Elephants eat roots, grasses and fruit. An adult elephant can eat up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) of food in one day. These hungry animals do not sleep much, and they walk to far places when they look for a lot of food so that they can keep up their large bodies.
It is difficult to survive (存 活) for elephants. Because some people like ivories (象牙), they killed many elephants. For keeping elephants from being killed, we need to avoid (避免) buying ivories.
1. How can we tell an African elephant from an Asian elephant? We can tell by its ________.| A．trunk | B．body | C．ears | D．ivories |
| A．Use the ears to cover their heads. |
| B．Drink too much water. |
| C．Suck water into trunks and spray it over their bodies. |
| D．Swim in the rivers or ponds. |
| A．look for water |
| B．look for other animals |
| C．look for Asian elephants |
| D．look for food |
| A．The Largest Animals on Earth |
| B．African Elephants |
| C．The Ivories of Elephants |
| D．Elephants Are in Danger |
9 . Dolphins (海豚) are my favorite animals because they are smart and friendly. They live in the ocean. Dolphins have some amazing abilities (能力).
One thing about dolphins is their communication (交流) skills. They can communicate with each other in many ways. They can also understand and respond to human commands (对人类命令作出反应). Dolphins are quick learners. Another thing about dolphins is their swimming ability. They are excellent swimmers and can swim at high speeds. They can also jump up and down, which is always fun to watch.
Dolphins are social animals and live in groups. They take care of each other and work together to find food. They are also known to help humans (人类) in need. There are many stories of dolphins guiding lost swimmers or protecting them from danger.
I hope one day I can see dolphins up close. They are smart, friendly, and bring so much joy to people around the world.
Dolphins are truly amazing animals, and I will always admire them.
1. Where do the dolphins live?| A．In the river. | B．In the ocean. | C．In the lake. | D．In the pool. |
| A．dolphins are not smart | B．dolphins are smart |
| C．dolphins can’t swim | D．dolphins are slow learners |
| A．boring | B．unhappy | C．fun | D．sad |
| A．take care of | B．laugh at | C．fight | D．eat |
10 . On the side of the road in the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve (可可西里自然保护区) in Qinghai, you might see a fat wolf (狼). It wags the tail (摇尾巴) in front of the passing cars, hoping to get a meal.
However, the wolf was skin and bones a few months ago. It’s said that the old hungry wolf had to leave other wolves because it was not good at hunting (catching animals for food). But that all changed after a passing driver gave it some snacks to eat and put a video of it online. It made the wolf very popular, and a lot of people came to the reserve to provide it with food.
After that, the wolf started asking passing drivers for snacks. The snacks are high in sugar and salt. The wolf gets fatter and the change makes it look like a pet dog. Later, more wolves joined it.
People care about wild (野生的) animals, but their acts of feeding wild animals can be bad for both animals and themselves. It is hard for people to know if wild animals may hurt them or not, so it is better not to get close to wild animals.
1. What does the underlined part “skin and bones” probably mean?| A．Thin and weak (虚弱的). | B．Fat and strong. |
| C．Tired and dirty. | D．Healthy and happy. |
| A．It’s interesting. | B．It’s dangerous. | C．It’s difficult. | D．It’s necessary. |
| A．A popular fat wild wolf in the reserve. | B．Wild wolves are in danger now. |
| C．Wolves are popular animals online. | D．A wolf brings much fun to people. |
(①=Para. 1)
| A．①②|③|④ | B．①|②③|④ | C．①②|③④ | D．①|②③④ |
