A few months ago, a strange thing happened in my life. I heard a strange sound outside the window every night. I was scared and didn’t know what to do. I thought there might be a thief standing outside the window that was closed. I asked my parents to see what it was. But they didn’t find anything. They thought it might be the wind. But I didn’t think so.
That lasted for a few days. I couldn’t sleep well. Sometimes I even couldn’t fall asleep. One day, I bought a flashlight(手电筒) in a market. At midnight, as soon as I heard the strange sound, I jumped out of my bed with the flashlight. I saw a black cat jumping up and down near the window. He might want to make friends with my pet cat, but he couldn’t get into my house.
Do you think it is strange? Have you ever had this kind of experience in your life?
1. What happened to the writer a few months ago?（不超过 12 个词）2. What did the writer find in fact made the sound at night?（不超过 15 个词）
3. What might the black cat want to do according to the writer?（不超过 13 个词）
2 . Police officer Dennis was recently patrolling (巡逻) the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Suddenly, he found four men fighting. As he approached, one of the men tried fleeing, but failed. The police horse tracked down the suspect and arrested him.
“He thought he was going to get away,” Dennis said. “But you can't outrun these horses.”
In Newark and cities across the country, retired racehorses are finding new careers fighting crime. The horses are helping departments with various types of police work. Horses have helped patrol parking lots and schools. They have patrolled city streets. They have chased down criminals.
Police officers say retired racehorses make perfect additions to their departments for several reasons.The 1,200-pound horses are effective crime-fighting forces. The mounted (骑马的) police officers used them to arrest thieves. The animals’ natural intelligence helps as well. Horses can be easily trained to perform duties connected with fighting crime. In addition to being intelligent, horses are generally calm animals.The horse must also be able to follow six commands—walk, stop, stand, back up, side left, and side right. If a horse does not meet his department’s needs, it is returned.
Most of the horses came from Jennifer Nagle’s rescue group. The group has found homes for more than 2,000 horses since it was started 20 years ago. However, today’s troubled economy has made the job of Nagle’s group more challenging. Caring for a horse can cost a great deal of money. According to Nagle, the number of horses in need of new homes has multiplied in recent months. Owners used to call her group and offer one horse for adoption. Now, some inquire about finding homes for five or six retired racehorses.
The adoption of horses by police departments is a win-win for all. The horses enjoy new homes and companions (同伴). Police departments feel closer to people in the community.
“The kids love the horses. A 3-year-old even walked up and petted his police horse.”
The animals also have the ability to ease possibly upsetting situations. Another child who had gotten lost during a shopping trip could not find his parents. The police let the child pet the animal until the boy's parents were located. The child wiped away his tears. He just thought the horse was the greatest thing in the world.
1. The police horse helped Dennis catch the suspect, didn't it?2. Which phrase in the first paragraph has the same meaning as “run after” ?
3. When was Jennifer Nagle’s rescue group started?
4. Why does Nagle’s group face more challenges?
5. What can police horses do for the kids?
6. What makes retired racehorses perfect addition to the police departments? ( List at least 3 advantages)
3 . 仙人掌（Cactus）是耐干旱和炎热的植物，对在种植方面的新手来说，是个比较理想的选择，你知道怎么种仙人掌吗？请仔细阅读以下短文，将图片与相应的文字相匹配，并完成第5题。
| 1.Take a cutting from a healthy cactus. You can grow new cacti from it. Choose a cutting that is rich and healthy. Carefully cut it from the mother plant. | A.  |
| 2.Lay the cutting down flat and leave it for about two days. This will give the wound time to form a callous (茧). or the cutting will likely rot (腐烂). | B.  |
| 3.Plant the cutting in the soil (土壤). Push the cutting in just deep enough so that it will stand up on its own. Use your hands to put some soil around it. | C.  |
| 4.Keep the cutting in a bright location. Provide the cactus with water. but not too much. Leave the cutting in this location for a month or two. until new growth starts to appear. | D. |
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5. Who do you think could mostly have shared the above passage in the blog?
| A．Gardeners. | B．Musicians. | C．Doctors. | D．Businessmen. |
4 . China and Western countries may have different cultural beliefs about certain animals, but when it comes to pigs, we have somehow reached an agreement-that pigs are ugly, lazy, stupid and shameless.
Just look at the expressions and phrases in our languages. In Chinese, we have the likes of “Boiling a dead pig”, and “A pig looking in the mirror is still a pig”. And in English, there are expressions such as “Eating like a pig” and “Sweating (流汗) like a pig”. None of them have to do with praise. But the truth is that pigs do have some finer qualities. Long ago, science proved (证明) that pigs aren't stupid at all. According to an article in 2017 in the International Journal of Comparative Psychology (国际比较心理学杂志), pigs are similar to dogs and chimpanzees. They like to play. They have good long-term memories. And they know the difference between those who treat them well and those who don’t.
There are lovable pig characters in cartoons. Peppa Pig, for example, has now become one of the most popular cartoons in 180 countries. The four members in the cartoon's pig family teach children from all around the world about love, friendship, and the value of family. And in China,the adventures of McDull has been in films since 2001. A little pig always fails but he never gives up. Perhaps these are the qualities (品质) of pigs to keep in mind when we spend the Year of the Pig-their intelligence (聪明), cuteness and patience.
1. How do people in China and western countries like pigs?___________________________________________________________________
2. Do the sayings in China and England about pigs have to do with praise?
___________________________________________________________________
3. According to this passage, which animals are similar to pigs ?
___________________________________________________________________
4. Why has the cartoon, Peppa Pig, become one of the most popular cartoons in 180 countries?
___________________________________________________________________
5. What qualities do pigs have ?
___________________________________________________________________
Wood’s cycad is a striking plant, tall with a green crown and bright orange cones. Found in a Zululand forest in 1895, it is the only cycad of its kind, and a male. “The loneliest plant in the world, right here,” a guide tells visitors touring the Durban Botanic Gardens in South Africa. Without a female it will never reproduce, though measures have been taken to make clones of it.
Cycads date from the time of the dinosaurs. But some of the kinds might not be around much longer. They are the world’s most threatened plant group. South Africa’s cycads, most of which are found nowhere else in the world, are especially endangered. All cycads are dioecious（雌雄异株的）, so that seed production is no longer possible with the rarest of the species. And surprisingly, it is those who love the cycad most that pose the biggest danger—collectors who want exotic varieties for their private gardens. Slow-growing adult cycads, some hundreds of years old, sell for tens of thousands of dollars. “People see them as a status symbol,” says the senior gardener Phakamani Xaba. In fact, 25 of South Africa’s 38 cycad species are threatened with extinction. Two of the world’s cycad species have been wiped out in the wild since 2003. With wild stocks diminishing, thieves have turned to breaking into protected gardens and reserves.
To prevent theft, plants have been fitted with microchips, but thieves use X-ray scanners to find them and hack them out. Rare cycads are now sprayed with special invisible paint. Scientists are testing radio frequency identification tags on cycads that could send out alerts.
The major difficulty in stopping the illegal trade is the fact that leaves removed for transport, it is difficult to distinguish the trunk of an endangered species from one that is legal to sell. A DNA database, using gene sequences, is being tested to help with identification.
Xaba says it is probably too late to save some cycad species. He feels sad that collectors are almost never caught. For extreme collectors, rarity only makes a cycad more desirable.
Fortunately, some governments have been aware of the problem. Take South Africa as an example, strict regulations on the illegal trade of rare cycads are being implemented.
根据短文，在下面表格中填入恰当的内容完成摘记，每空不超过三个单词。
| Cycads: The | |
| A typical | Wood’s cycad has only one |
| Present situation | •The number of the wild cycads is •Two cycad species have died out and twenty-five are at risk of extinction. |
of the situation | •Cycads are dioecious, which makes it hard for the rare ones to fertilize. •Cycads face the serious problem of |
| Difficulty in conservation | |
of conservation | •Scientists use technologies to save cycads such as putting •Governments make special |
In some parts of the world，they're called muskegs or moors. In the United States，you probably know them as swamps or bogs. But no matter what they're called，wetlands（湿地；沼泽地）have one thing in common around the world—they're very important to plants，animals and the environment. Thousands of kinds of plants and animals，including many on the endangered animal list，depend on wetlands for a living. Some animals live in or near wetlands all year long. Others，like migrating birds（候鸟），stop by wetlands to feed and rest on their journey.
Wetlands are very important to people，too. They hold water that could cause floods（洪水）.During dry times，they slowly let water run back into rivers. Plants that grow in wetlands help cut down on pollution. That helps to keep our drinking water clean.
Many wetlands in the United States have been used to build shopping malls，roads and homes.
It's said that about 243 km2 of wetlands are lost in the United States every year. Without wetlands，rivers dry up and streets become flooded. That also creates big problems for animals that can't live anywhere else.
May is American Wetlands Month. It's the perfect time to remind people to save wetlands.
1. What are wetlands called in the USA？2. Why are wetlands important to migrating birds？
3. How do wetlands protect people from floods？
4. What will happen to animals without wetlands？
5. When do people in the USA celebrate the importance of wetlands？
At eighty-six, Grandpa was still a good gardener, so I always watched for his earliest blooms. I was especially interested in flowers that year because I was planning to look after my own yard and hoped to get Grandpa’s advice.
It was right after the first rush of purple violets that spring that Grandpa had a stroke. It left him without speech and with no movement on his left side. The whole family took turns to spend many hours by his side. Some days his eyes were eloquent—listening carefully and laughing at our reported troubles. As for his inability to care for himself, he didn’t show any painful feelings. There was always a gentle smile on his face. There were days, too, when he slept most of the time, fighting with his coming death.
As some months passed, I helped look after the garden with Grandpa’s eyes. Each time I was with him, I gave him a garden report. He listened, holding my hand with the sure strength and calmness he had always had.
Grandpa’s illness held him through the spring and on, week by week, through summer. As I waited and watched in the garden and by Grandpa’s side, I found some quiet truths. I realized Grandpa loved flowers that always bloomed. But I also noticed he left plenty of room for the sunlight to come in. Not every corner of his garden was constantly in bloom, but there was always a treasured surprise somewhere.
I came to see, too, that Grandpa’s garden mirrored his life. He was a hard-working worker who knew the law of the harvest. But along with his hard work, Grandpa knew how to enjoy each season, and each change. Few flowers last from April to November—some of the most beautiful bloom for only a month at most. To really enjoy garden, you have to plant rows of flowers, each in its own season. Even when it is time in winter—few flowers bloom, there is still sunshine to enjoy.
It was the end of August when Grandpa died. I cut some flowers in Grandpa’s garden for him. We all felt how much Grandpa would have liked that.
The October after Grandpa’s death, I planted different flowers in the garden. Each bloom was a love sent to Grandpa and a promise of spring.
1. The underlined word “stroke” in Paragraph 2 probably means an illness that can make people ________.| A．easy to forget things quickly | B．unable to see things clearly |
| C．unable to talk or move the body | D．have a high fever and cough |
| A．The writer was not interested in flowers at all. |
| B．Many flowers can last from April to November. |
| C．Grandpa felt sorry and painful about his illness. |
| D．We can enjoy the garden of each season even in winter. |
| A．Grandpa’s Home | B．Grandpa’s Life |
| C．Grandpa’s Illness | D．Grandpa’s Garden |
White-furred animals are in danger of dying out. Climate (天气) change is causing a fall in snow cover, leaving them exposed (暴露的), a new study suggests.
Scientists in Poland have been following the worrying case of the white-coated weasel (白鼬), which sheds (褪去) its brown covering in the winter for a milky coat in order to blend easily into its icy environment.
But researchers have discovered that between 1997 and 2007 the number of days with snow cover was from 80 to 40 in Bialowieza Forest, Poland. It means that the little animals are caught out in a completely unsuitable environment, where they can be caught by foxes and crows. Scientists found that on days when there was little winter snow cover. The number of white-coated weasels they managed to catch fell to as low as 20 percent of the total. It meant that the rest had been killed.
The problem is likely to affect other white-furred animals such as the Arctic fox when the snow cover increasingly gives way to a landscape (风景) of greens and browns.
In the near future white weasels may disappear completely from many areas of Northern Europe and America. They will either be replaced by brown ones or they will evolve (进化).
Researchers also carried out tests using toys of brown and white-coated weasels to see if the colors were actually making a difference to predators (捕食者). They found lots of animals had come near to the white toys, but none had shown interest in the brown toys.
The researchers are hopeful the animals will learn to adapt (适应), but say they cannot rule out the animals disappearing completely.
1. 写出划线单词them指代的内容。2. 回答问题：Why does the weasel change its brown covering into white when winter comes?
3. 根据短文内容填空，第(1)题不超过3个词，第(2)题限填1词。
(1) White-furred animals are in danger of dying out because of
(2) In Bialowieza Forest, the number of days with snow cover reduced (减少) by
4. 选出划线短语rule out的意思。
| A．give up | B．imagine | C．control |
9 . Why are some animals popular while others are so unpopular? In the natural world, every animal has its place and purpose. However, people do not always realize it. For example, it’s a common misunderstanding that snakes are dangerous and will attack (攻击) humans for no reason. In fact, almost all snakes prefer to run away or hide A they’re attacked first.
Snakes aren’t the only animals that are misunderstood. People think that cockroaches (蟑螂) are dirty and like to hide in dark places. In fact, cockroaches usually clean themselves as much as cats do. They prefer to live in clean places. They have to hide wherever they can make sure to live. Luckily, they are very hard to die out. They were here on the planet B humans appeared, and they’ll probably be here after we’re gone!
Wasps (黄蜂) also have a bad fame. Many people hate wasps because they believe that wasps sting (叮) humans at a moment’s notice. Actually, most wasps don’t sting at all. Those that do sting are generally protecting their young, or reacting to humans who shout or wave their hands at the wasps.
Should we care about these misunderstood animals? Yes, we should! Every animal species plays an important role in the ecosystem (生态系统). Some help control other pest populations. Some are useful for medical research. Even misunderstood animals are necessary, because in many ways they’re good to humans.
1. Fill in each blank with one word. (根据对文章的理解，A、B处各填一词) A2. What do people think of cockroaches? （请根据短文内容回答问题）
（1）
（2）
5. What is the text mainly about? (No more than 10 words)(请根据短文内容回答问题，10词内)
10 . Save the Sharks!
Many have heard of shark fin soup. This famous and expensive dish is especially popular in southern China. But do you realize that you’re killing a whole shark each time you enjoy a bowl of shark fin soup?
When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw the sharks back into the ocean. This is not only cruel, but also harmful to the environment. Without a fin, a shark can no longer swim and slowly dies. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean’s ecosystem. If their numbers drop too low, it will bring danger to all ocean life. Many believe that sharks can never be endangered because they are the strongest in their food chain. But in fact, around 70 million sharks are caught and traded in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks have fallen by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.
Environmental protection groups around the world, such as Wild Aid and the WWF, are teaching the public about “finning”. They have even asked governments to develop laws to stop the sale of shark fins. So far, no scientific studies have shown that shark fins are good for health, so why eat them? Help save the sharks!
1. The general introduction of the passage:2. The place where shark fin soup is popular:
3. The number of sharks caught and traded every year:
4. Two environmental groups against “finning”:
5. The thing that governments can do:
