2 . Do you love fossils and dinosaurs? I’m lucky enough to be a fossil preparator (化石制备师), which means I work with fossils, like removing rocks from fossils and gluing fossils together to make sure they’re not broken. Sometimes, we have dinosaur bones that need to be arranged and put back into place.

I like the job from the bottom of my heart. When we make “jackets” — these are things that store the fossils — we have to accurately and scientifically figure out how to make them for specific bones or fossils, which can be different shapes and artistic expression.

Since I was a kid, it’s been my dream to be a paleontologist (古生物学者). When I was 12, I went to this kind of event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science called Dinosaur Day. I got a chance to meet paleontologists. At the end, I asked, “Hey, can I volunteer?” And somehow, they let me, as long as a parent came with me. At 12 years old, I got to go to a fossil excavation (挖掘), and I got to work with dinosaur bones and fossils in the lab for the first time.

Fossils are very old. We don’t always get all the pieces. We’re working with something that’s incomplete, sometimes. We do our best to fit the pieces we know back together. And as for the pieces we don’t know, we don’t try to make anything up. But sometimes, we have a gap in a specimen (标本) and it needs support. We’ll put some material in there that’s clearly not fossil, so when people go to study it, they know not to study that part.

People would wonder how I find other kids, especially girls, who shared my interests when I was growing up. As a matter of fact, in my friend group, I was the only dinosaur girl. My friends were interested in other things, but they were all super supportive of my love for fossils.

1. Why does the author like her job?

A．It is not a demanding job.	B．It combines both art and science.
C．It is more artistic than scientific.	D．It is about collecting dinosaur bones.

2. Why does the author mention her visit to her local museum?

A．To show her path to follow her dream.	B．To prove her parents supporting her job.
C．To present the barrier of achieving her dream.	D．To tell her easy access to achieving her dream.

3. How does the author deal with the incomplete fossils?

A．By burying them back in the ground.	B．By breaking and reconstructing them.
C．By making them up with similar materials.	D．By filling their gaps with distinct materials.

4. What kind of girl was the author when she was growing up?

A．Cautious.

B．Understanding.

C．Independent.

D．Entertaining.

3 . If you’re in search of some botanical inspiration for the summer, just look to the following!

Sky Garden — London

Situated on the 35th floor of the iconic “Walkie-Talkie” building in central London, this stunning garden consists of over three stories, combining Mediterranean and South African plantings. The garden temperature here is monitored around the clock to mirror the conditions these plants would experience in a warm temperate climate.

Bambalan — Bristol

Bristol’s Bambalan restaurant appeared in 2016. Known for its leisurely atmosphere, it’s located right in the middle of the city centre. Hidden in plain sight above Bristol’s busy and noisy city centre, the roof terrace is a true hidden garden. With Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food on the menu, this is the ideal place to bring a group, and enjoy the views and tasty treats.

Library of Birmingham — Birmingham

Hidden away on the seventh floor of Birmingham’s public library is a scenic rooftop garden offering an extremely quiet spot to enjoy a good book in the sun. Created entirely by volunteers and reached via glass elevator, the bright garden offers visitors spectacular views over the city. 3, 500 varieties of plants in this garden have been carefully selected to ensure the terrace will offer blooms all year round, so that visitors to this unique library can enjoy the inspiring views.

New Lanark Roof Garden — New Lanark

With impressive views from the roof of an old mill (磨坊) building in the heart of the New Lanark World Heritage Site, this garden isn’t one to miss. Created on the 9, 000 square feet roof of our historic mill, the New Lanark Roof Garden is the largest of its kind in Scotland. Imaginatively designed, the garden contains decorative planting with over 70 different plants and shrubs, a water feature and animal sculptures.

1. What can you do in Bambalan?

A．Make special flower gifts.	B．Buy beautiful jewels.
C．Walk in the countryside.	D．Enjoy tasty food.

2. Which place appeals to book lovers?

A．Sky Garden.	B．Bambalan.
C．Library of Birmingham.	D．New Lanark Roof Garden.

3. What do all the four places have?

A．Plants.

B．Food.

C．Books.

D．Animals.

6 . I got a message from my friend, Megan. “This little _________, Winnie, needed a home,” she said, and then _________ some pictures.

I’d started my animal _________ in 2017 after I’d bought a piece of land and used it to give some _________ animals a home. To give them a better life, I _________ the home with the profits I made running four pet supply stores. My first animal was a sheep, Charlotte, who had a bad back leg. _________, the farm had grown to feed 200 animals.

Looking at the _________ Megan sent me of the cute disabled dog on my phone, I decided that I had room for one more. Despite his deformed(畸形的)front legs, his beautiful brown eyes on the pictures made my heart melt(软化). So I took him to a hospital. The doctor got him to _________ with a cool set of wheels.

“_________ doggie,” strangers showed pity sometimes when they saw Winnie. But within minutes, they __________ that Winnie was living his best lives on the farm and they didn’t need to feel __________ for him. I __________ Winnie’s own web page where I would share Winnie’s life. And he earned a lot of followers. “He __________ me when I was feeling sad,” one follower commented recently.

Winnie proves that animals with __________ can lead fulfilling(令人心满意足的)lives. He’s my best friend and I’m __________ of everything that he does.

1.

A．sheep

B．cat

C．deer

D．dog

2.

A．sent over

B．swept away

C．searched for

D．gave up

3.

A．gallery

B．school

C．shelter

D．hospital

4.

A．unemployed

B．unwanted

C．unkind

D．unsuitable

5.

A．limited

B．funded

C．sold

D．rated

6.

A．Particularly

B．Secretly

C．Obviously

D．Gradually

7.

A．presents

B．principles

C．pictures

D．awards

8.

A．cry

B．agree

C．move

D．puzzle

9.

A．Funny

B．Honest

C．Clean

D．Poor

10.

A．realized

B．forgot

C．warned

D．complained

11.

A．sorry

B．calm

C．threatened

D．tired

12.

A．attracted

B．imagined

C．created

D．stopped

13.

A．challenged

B．inspired

C．scared

D．tracked

14.

A．talents

B．disabilities

C．achievements

D．purposes

15.

A．sick

B．afraid

C．distrustful

D．proud

7 . There are a number of animals that give off light in some way-including several kinds of insects and fish. Some kinds of mushrooms give off light, too. But most plants don’t give out light. Now, scientists are working to change that.

When a living thing gives off light, it’s called bioluminescence(生物发光). Fireflies are a well-known example of bioluminescence. Though less well-known, many mushrooms are also bioluminescent. These bioluminescent creatures light up thanks to the chemicals called luciferins(荧光素)inside their bodies. Luciferins cause a chemical reaction that can give off light.

Plants don’t naturally have luciferins, so there are no naturally bioluminescent plants. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from trying to create them. In the past, scientists have created plants that made less bright by adding DNA from shining objects. Scientists have also created plants that can give off light by adding luciferins to plants. But it only works as long as the chemicals last. In 2017, a team was able to cause a plant to give off light for about four hours.

Now, researchers at a Russian company have come up with a new method of creating shining plants. By adding certain parts of the DNA from shining mushrooms to ordinary tobacco plants, the researchers were able to create plants that could make their own luciferins. The scientists reported that the light was about 10 times brighter than in earlier shining plants.

The researchers believe that shining plants could help scientists learn more about the way plants work. For example, the moving patterns or waves of light in the plants may show activities in plants that normally can’t be seen. The shining also helps reveal how plants may be affected by things around them. For example, the plants gave off much more light strongly when a ripe banana skin was nearby. But the researchers don’t think the plants will just be used for science. They think many people may want shining plants for their beauty. So they are working with a company to develop shining plants for sale.

1. What phenomenon does the author describe in paragraph 1?

A．Most animals hate giving off light.

B．Many plants give off light through scientists’ efforts.

C．Animals give off light to protect themselves.

D．It’s hard to find plants that give out light.

2. What happens when a firefly lights up?

A．It gives off lots of heat to warm itself.

B．It has chemical reactions inside its body.

C．It lacks energy due to chemical reactions.

D．It informs other fireflies of the danger.

3. How does the author support his viewpoint in the last paragraph?

A．By showing numbers.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By providing examples.	D．By making a summary.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Human development results in less shining plants

B．Scientists manage to create shining plants

C．People’s lifestyles are reflected in shining plants

D．Geography determines the types of shining plants

8 . Soap (肥皂) might seem like a reasonable way to avoid mosquito bites (蚊子叮) on the basis that if mosquitoes can’t smell you, they can’t bite you. However, a recent study has found that rather than protecting you, certain soaps might actually make you more attractive to mosquitoes.

In the study, conducted at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, four volunteers were asked to wear a sleeve before and after washing with four different brands of soap. The researchers then watched female mosquitoes as only females feed on blood landing on the fabric sample to show their preference. They found that some people washing with some brands of soap, increased their attractiveness to mosquitoes, while washing with other brands of soap tended to repel (驱除) mosquitoes. The repellent effect of some soap may be due to its coconut scent, as coconut oil is known to act as a natural mosquito repellent. The reason behind this attraction is believed to be related to mosquitoes’ sugar intake. When mosquitoes are not feeding on blood, they add their diet with plant juice or sweet water from flowers, “The fact we are taking those flowery and fruity smells and putting them on our bodies means that now the same object smells like a flower and a person at the same time,” said Clément Vinauger, who led the study. It would be like waking up and smelling the smell of coffee and bread, very attractive.

Interestingly, the effects of the soap varied among people, possibly due to the interaction (相互作用) between the soap and each person’s unique body scent. “It’s remarkable that the same person that is extremely attractive to mosquitoes when he is unwashed, but he becomes even more attractive to mosquitoes with one soap, and then become repellent to mosquitoes with another soap,” said Vinauger. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction between different soap and body scents, as well as to develop more effective mosquito repellents.

1. What has the study found?

A．Soap attracts many mosquitoes.	B．Male mosquitoes feed on blood.
C．Some plants drive away mosquitoes.	D．Not all soap can stop mosquito bites.

2. How did the researchers conduct the study?

A．By observing the mosquitoes’ behaviour.	B．By exploring the history of mosquitoes.
C．By interviewing a lot of volunteers.	D．By examining old studies.

3. Why did Vinauger mention coffee and bread?

A．To stress the importance of breakfast.

B．To discuss their probable health benefits.

C．To compare the difference of objects used in the study.

D．To prove the attractiveness of some soap to mosquitoes.

4. In which section of a newspaper may the text appear?

A．Health.

B．Chemistry.

C．Sports.

D．Tour.

9 . As a saying goes, you’re only as old as you feel, but what if different parts of your body aged at different speeds? It turns out they do. The study about the age of our bodies shows that different tissues inside us are effectively different ages. In 2012, Professor Steve Horvath at the University of California, Los Angeles, looked at something new—DNA methylation (甲基化), a naturally occurring process in which DNA is chemically changed over time.

Horvath analyzed the DNA in 8,000 tissue samples from different parts of the body in different people to study these markers. What he found was striking—the amount of methylation in cells from most parts of the body was a good predictor of the person’s age. But there were inconsistencies. Breast tissue, for instance, ages rapidly, whereas muscle ages slowly. The rates of ageing are also different in men and women. “There are many medical implications, from cancer to premature ageing diseases,” says Horvath. It has already been established that tissue that looks significantly older could be cancerous. Horvath’s study found that cancerous tissue has a biological age on average 36 years older than a subject’s actual age.

Could this knowledge help us live longer? “If the markers relate to a process that causes ageing, then it would be theoretically possible to slow down ageing by carefully targeting DNA methylation,” says Horvath. But before scientists got to work on dealing with methylation, they first needed to establish whether these changes were the cause of ageing or just a byproduct of another process. Now, a 2023 study from the University of Michigan has backed up Professor Horvath’s findings, which means they can safely make further studies of methylation.

“Our main aim was to see whether biological age acceleration measured from DNA methylation was predictive of health outcomes and death,” said research associate professor Jessica Faul. “It turned out that it is largely the case. You can use certain DNA methylation markers to predict age and age-related outcomes quite well.”

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To lead in the topic of the text.	B．To summarize the whole text.
C．To offer suggestions to readers.	D．To stimulate readers to imagine.

2. What do we know about Horvath’s discovery about methylation?

A．It helps people live much longer.	B．It doesn’t always predict one’s age.
C．It exists in some parts of one’s body.	D．It causes the different rates of ageing.

3. What does the underlined phrase “backed up” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A．Consulted.

B．Contradicted.

C．Approved.

D．Predicted.

4. How does Jessica Faul find DNA methylation as a predictor of health?

A．Avoidable.

B．Unrealistic.

C．Risky.

D．Potential.

10 . Can you name a famous elephant? Babar, perhaps? Or Dumbo? Though these names may be memorable to humans, they sound nothing like the names elephants give each other. “If you’re an elephant, your name is something more like a low, rumbling sound (隆隆的声音),” scientists say. Researchers have found that African elephants emit sounds in response to individuals in their social group, and the receivers respond accordingly.

Researchers recorded 527 elephant calls in northern Kenya and 98 calls in southern Kenya. They then distinguished which members were separated from the herd at the time of each call, or which members were close to the herd. Researchers correctly identified the receivers of 20.3% of the 625 recorded calls. This marks a step forward in understanding how these highly intelligent animals communicate.

“There’s a contact rumble, an anti-predator rumble and a greeting rumble. If you look at a spectrogram (声谱图) with your eyes, they all look almost exactly the same,” said Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, an elephant biologist at Harvard Medical School. “That’s why artificial intelligence(AI)has been exciting. It allows us to really figure out what the elephants are saying.”

As it turned out, the calls were distinct to the receivers. Even calls from different callers to the same receiver were similar. The pattern was less obvious than it was between a single caller and his or her receiver. This may be because rumbles encode multiple messages at the same time, so the AI system in computer model may not have been able to pick out the “name” used in each call. “It just highlights the complexity of what’s going on. And we’re not skilled enough in these measurements to figure out what’s going on,” said Caitlin.

However, the research shows how elephants are navigating through a large landscape and can still keep in touch with specific individuals. It allows them to spread out much further and still have very close tabs on individuals, not just the group.

1. What can we infer from paragraph 1?

A．Elephants seem to have their own names.

B．Elephants’ sounds differ from other species.

C．Elephants’ names sound exactly like humans’.

D．Elephants’ names sound different from each other.

2. How did the researchers conduct their study?

A．By grouping the elephants based on intelligence.

B．By observing the elephants’ reactions to the calls.

C．By analyzing the relationship within the elephants.

D．By copying the elephants’ voice to call their names.

3. What is the function of AI in the research?

A．Simplifying the process.	B．Creating a spectrogram.
C．Letting out various rumbles.	D．Making out each rumble.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．How do elephants contact each other?	B．Why do elephants make their voice?
C．Do elephants name one another?	D．Do elephants like to be called?