1 . For some people, October is Octobear. On October 5, Katmai National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska kicked off Fat Bear Week, when fans compare before and after photos of bears to vote for the one they think has gained the most weight before they bed down for the long freezing winter. Bear 747, also known as “Bear Force One”, took the first-place spot with 68,105 votes. It weighed around 1,400 pounds.
Fat Bear Week started in 2014.At first it was just Fat Bear Tuesday. Mike Fitz, a former park keeper at Katmai, noticed that live webcams showing the bears generated a lot of online comments, so he let people vote for their favorite fat bear on the Internet. The one-day event attracted 1,700 votes. In 2015, it was extended to a week. Last year, nearly 800,000 people got involved, turning it into a global campaign.
The contest serves two main purposes. First, some of America’s national parks are in remote and undeveloped areas, which are difficult or costly to reach. Fat Bear Week brings Alaska’s wilderness to fans’ computer screens. “It’s not limited to the fortunate few who can go to the river anymore, ”Fitz said.
Second, Fat Bear Week brings attention to the bears and the ecosystems they live in. The 2,200 bears of Katmai are strong for feeding on some of the healthiest salmon(三文鱼)in the world, said Sara Wolman, a former park keeper. Salmon in the Pacific Northwest are suffering from overfishing, dam construction and warming rivers due to climate change. Luckily, Brooks River, which Katmai’s bears like to fish in, has been free from these threats so far.
Fat Bear Week has spread like viruses. Fans and creators say it’s because it shows a conservation success story. For one week, people don’t have to focus on climate change or habitat loss. “Maybe things aren’t super great all the time in the world,” said Felicia Jimenez, who is a current Katmai keeper. “But there are some really fat bears in Alaska.”
1. Why did Bear 747 become the winner of Fat Bear Week in southern Alaska?| A．It gained the most pounds. | B．It was the heaviest. |
| C．It presented the best photos. | D．It was the most famous. |
| A．To show the popularity of fat bears. | B．To review the history of the event. |
| C．To praise Mike Fitz for his work. | D．To explain the role of live webcams. |
| A．They bring tourists to the park. | B．They face a population decline. |
| C．They remain difficult to be seen. | D．They have a stable food source. |
| A．Fat Bear Week: Conservation Is Joyful | B．Brown Bears; Winter Survival Is Crucial |
| C．Bear 747: A Fat Yet Healthy Champion | D．Katmai’s Bears: A Special Beauty Contest |
2 . In the animal kingdom, mimics (模仿) are not rare. Stick insects pretend to be twigs. Hawk moth caterpillars resemble poisonous snakes. The examples, though, are visual. Auditory mimicry is rarer. Danilo Russo of the University of Naples Federico II thinks he has found a novel case of it, as he describes in Current Biology. Some bats, he believes, mimic angry bees in order to scare away owls that might otherwise eat them.
Dr. Russo first noticed bat buzzing a few years ago. The noise struck him as similar to the sound of some bees. He wondered whether bat buzzing was a form of mimicry which helped to frighten away would-be predators.
To test this idea, he and his colleagues first recorded the buzzing that captured bats made. Then, with protective clothing, they began the more dangerous task of recording the buzzing made by different bees. Computer analysis revealed that bees’ and bats’ buzzing were, indeed, similar.
Then the researchers recruited several owls. They put the owls, one at a time, in an enclosure with branches for them to stay on, and two boxes with holes in them. They placed a loudspeaker alongside one of the boxes, and after the birds had settled in, broadcast through it five seconds of uninterrupted bat buzzing and a similar amount of insect buzzing three times in a row for each noise. As a control, they broadcast in like manner several non-buzzing sounds made by bats.
During the broadcasts and for five minutes thereafter, they videoed the owls. After analysis, the results were unequivocal. When they heard both the bat buzzing and the bee buzzing, the owls moved as far from the speakers as they could. In contrast, when the non-buzzing bat sounds were played, they crept closer.
Dr. Russo believes this is the first reported case of a mammal using auditory mimicry to scare away a predator. They strongly suspect, however, that it is not unique. Anecdotes suggest several birds also make buzzing noises when their nests are disturbed. And with the result of the experiment, he therefore predicts that auditory mimicry is far more widespread than currently realized.
1. What was Dr. Russo’s hypothesis of the study?| A．Bats imitate the voice of angry bees to frighten away enemies. |
| B．The buzzing of bats is similar to the sound of some bees. |
| C．Auditory mimicry is rather common in the animal kingdom. |
| D．Only some bats have the capacity of auditory mimicry. |
| A．By consulting experts in this field. |
| B．By referring to other scholars’ analysis. |
| C．By collecting computer data. |
| D．By conducting series of scientific experiments. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Controversial. | C．Definite. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Bats get a new trick to scare away owls. |
| B．Bats mimic buzzing to frighten away predators. |
| C．Bats are no longer victim to owls. |
| D．Bats’ auditory mimicry behavior is widespread among animals. |
3 . Jody, a high school wrestling coach sprang into action after hearing that his longtime friend Ray needed a kidney (肾).
“Last year Ray gave me a call and he sounded
Without thinking twice, Jody began
“I quickly realized through the
And that’s
Following the surgery, Jody’s doctor told him the
Jody announced the fortunate save on Facebook, “ Sooner or later, if you take actions based on ‘goodness’ and in the best
| A．terrible | B．familiar | C．confused | D．distracted |
| A．recovering | B．moving | C．resting | D．dying |
| A．crying | B．exercising | C．kidding | D．testing |
| A．different | B．popular | C．low | D．healthy |
| A．shared | B．improved | C．voluntary | D．global |
| A．balance | B．save | C．shape | D．continue |
| A．normally | B．exactly | C．possibly | D．especially |
| A．went ahead | B．put up | C．got away | D．came up |
| A．plain | B．relevant | C．disturbing | D．observable |
| A．Clearly | B．Certainly | C．Luckily | D．Hopefully |
| A．accessible | B．visible | C．undamaged | D．undetected |
| A．decision | B．ability | C．permission | D．potential |
| A．understand | B．treat | C．catch | D．spread |
| A．experience | B．interest | C．effort | D．performance |
| A．challenge | B．relief | C．success | D．blessing |
4 . New research has discovered that adult howler monkeys use play to avoid conflict and reduce group tension, with levels of play increasing when they are faced with limited resources.
Howler monkey play involves individuals hanging from their tails(尾巴)and making facial expressions and signals, such as shaking their heads. However, play is an energy-costly activity for howler monkeys, who generally have an inactive lifestyle due to their mainly leaf-based diet.
The researchers examined how play varies with age, and they measured the amount of time adults play with other adults and with juvenile monkeys within their groups. By studying seven different groups of howler monkeys in the rain forests of Mexico and Costa Rica, the researchers found that the amount of adult play is linked to the number of potential playmates, increasing in line with the size of the group. Adults spend more time playing with other adults, rather than juveniles, and adult females spend more time engaged in play than adult males.
Crucially, the researchers found that play among adults increases in line with time spent searching for fruit. Howler monkeys typically eat leaves, and fruit is a highly prized resource that generates competition among the monkeys. Lead author Dr.Norberto Asensio, of University of the Basque Country, said,“One theory for the positive effect of fruit consumption on play is that a fruit-based diet simply provides the howler monkeys with more energy compared to their typical diet of leaves.”
“If this was the case, we should have observed adults engaging in more play with other adults of the group, instead of young monkeys during fruit searching. Because young monkeys do not pose a threat or provide competition at fruit trees, we believe that play among adults is a method for solving conflicts within the group, in a similar way that grooming(梳理毛发) is used by some other animals.”
1. What was the focus of the researchers’ observation?| A．What food the monkeys eat. |
| B．What influence the monkeys’ play. |
| C．How long the monkeys stay together. |
| D．How big the monkeys’ play groups are. |
| A．Young animals. | B．Foreign groups. |
| C．Team leaders. | D．Family members. |
| A．They love grooming. |
| B．They prefer leaves to fruits. |
| C．Young monkeys are not competitive. |
| D．Adult monkeys don’t care about the young. |
| A．Fruits— crucial source of energy |
| B．Howler monkey — a special group live with peace |
| C．Monkeys play — an important means for harmony |
| D．Conflicts —unavoidable problems among monkeys |
5 . For me, a large part of growing from a girl into a woman was developing a hatred for my body. When I was a kid, I didn’t think about my body all that much. My attitudes towards my body changed around middle school when people were talking about staying“in shape”and going on diets. And thus I started to internalize the harmful standard that we have to look good all the time.
Looks are given far too much importance in our society. Women are supposed to look perfect all the time. We’re supposed to idolize (崇拜) celebrities who have far more time and money to spend on their appearance than the average person. It’s simply not attainable.
I love the idea of body positivity. I firmly believe that everyone should try to love themselves as much as possible. However, it’s almost impossible to love every part of your body all the time. Personally, I could never achieve that. It’s a good idea to promote body positivity in theory, but it also allows us to beat ourselves up because we don’t love ourselves all the time.
Body neutrality (中立) is a much more attainable goal. Body neutrality promotes the idea that your body is simply your body instead of thinking something is good or bad. This mentality is easier to achieve, and it doesn’t force you to try to love things you don’t love. We don’t need to love every part of our body —it’s just a body.
Another way to view your body is to be thankful for everything that it does for you rather than how it looks. For example, I am grateful that my body allows me to go skiing because I love skiing. This shift in mentality can be helpful because it focuses on your body’s ability to do things you love, instead of your appearance.
Ultimately, the ideal mentality is loving every part of your body all the time. However, the more realistic alternative is accepting your body for what it is and what it does for you. Love can come after, but neutrality is a good place to start.
1. Why did the author change her attitude towards appearance around middle school?| A．Because she was influenced by others. |
| B．Because she began to dislike her body. |
| C．Because she thought it important to stay in shape. |
| D．Because she failed to meet her school’s standards. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Prejudiced. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Pursuing perfection in terms of body image. |
| B．Trying to change your appearance constantly. |
| C．Loving every part of your body unconditionally. |
| D．Accepting your body as it is without judgment. |
| A．Ignoring its limitations. |
| B．Focusing on appearance. |
| C．Being grateful for its capabilities. |
| D．Being critical of its imperfections. |
6 . Michael and his wife had recently moved into a new apartment building in SanFrancisco when they met a neighbor who is an Indian priest (牧师).
The priest, Jeff Dunan, 77, told Michael about an organization he volunteers for, which provides food, clothing and essential supplies to poor people in northern Bangladesh. The man decided to donate to the GoFundMe campaign, and settled on$150. “I thought it was a good cause, and a neighborly thing to do,” he said.
Shortly after making his donation on the GoFundMe campaign that day in February 2022, though, Michael received information from his credit card company, warning him of a suspiciously (可疑地)large business. He opened the text message, which warned him of a $15,041 charge from GoFundMe. When he saw the five-figure number, he couldn’t believe it.
Soon, it all made sense. Michael’s credit card number started with four and one. Clearly, he said, he accidentally began typing his credit card information while his cursor(光标) was still in the donation box.
Michael called GoFundMe’s support line in a panic and explained the mistaken donation. To his relief, he was told he would be refunded for the mistake within three to seven business days.
Still, there was a major complication: The $15,000 donation — which more than doubled the total amount raised at the time — would remain on the GoFundMe page until the refund was processed.
“I was like, oh no, that’s a problem,” Michael recalled. Before he explained to Dunan, he started receiving Facebook messages from Shohag Chandra, the charity’s Bangladesh-based program manager, thanking him for his substantial donation.
“The man had sent me a video of himself from Bangladesh, surrounded by dozens of hungry people holding bags of food, thanking me BY NAME.” After Michael watched it, his heart sank. He felt terrible that he had to revoke (撤销) his donation, and he wanted to offer more. Once his original contribution was refunded, he donated $1,500.
1. Why did Michael donate to the GoFundMe campaign?| A．To please his new neighbor. | B．To earn a fine reputation. |
| C．To fit in with the community. | D．To contribute to charity. |
| A．Shocked. | B．Excited. | C．Proud. | D．Depressed. |
| A．He received a thank-you message. |
| B．He was promised to get his money back. |
| C．He was informed of a suspicious charge. |
| D．He got additional funds from the charity. |
| A．People laughed at Michael’s mistake. |
| B．The poor Bangladeshis were disappointed. |
| C．Michael donated to another charity organization. |
| D．Michael donated more than his first intended amount. |
7 . Few women would consider a pair of scissors to be daily essential that they need to have in their purses. But for Shi Qinling, who is currently working at the Fenglin community cultural center in Shanghai, this tool has been with her everywhere she goes for the past decade —not as a means of self-protection but artistic expression.
“Paper-cutting is not about cutting random patterns from paper. Writers tell stories using words. I do the same, but with a pair of scissors,”Shi said.
Shi developed an interest in craft (工艺) when she was a child. This interest later developed into a passion, one that she decided to pursue by majoring in arts and crafts design during her time in university. After graduation, however, she found herself working at a ship design company as she was unsure about what she wanted to do with her future. About a year later, the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Research Institute offered her a position in their paper-cutting department. Realizing that she still had a love for the craft, she made the career switch.
In 2010, Shi started learning paper-cutting from Xi Xiaoqin, a paper-cutting expert. Three years later, one of her works, The Fighting Fish, won third place at the
Baihua Cup, a competition for Chinese arts and crafts. Over the past decade, Shi’s works have been exhibited in 23 exhibitions.
Although Shi is already so skilled in the craft that she can create an animal pattern in 10 minutes without even having to draw the outlines, she continues to improve her skills every day. The reason is that she views paper-cutting as not just an art form, but also a form of learning about traditional Chinese culture. She thinks she has the responsibility to attract people from different age groups and different fields to try paper-cutting.
1. Why does Shi Qinling always carry a pair of scissors with her?| A．To fix things on the go. |
| B．To show off her creativity. |
| C．To make paper cuts anytime. |
| D．To protect herself from dangers. |
| A．What Shi Qinling did in university. |
| B．How Shi Qinling got rid of the boredom. |
| C．How Shi Qinling started paper-cutting career. |
| D．Why Shi Qinling resigned from her previous job. |
| A．Selfless and adaptable. | B．Creative and humorous. |
| C．Devoted and generous. | D．Talented and responsible. |
8 . A 12-year-old girl, Eleanor Woods, has created a green backpack that filters (过滤) out air pollution. Her innovative bag won the award of the “Backpack to the Future” competition.
The competition was launched to encourage students to combine an interest in fashion with a career in science, technology, engineering or maths.
Powered by green energy from solar power and a dynamo--a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy--the backpack filters polluted air before fanning out cleaner air nearby.
Air pollution was always Eleanor’s concern. Meanwhile, spending a lot of time with her asthmatic (患哮喘病的) mum, Eleanor especially focused on how pollution affects a person’s health and the spread of diseases. “We have an air filter at home because my mum has mild asthma. But what if she wants to go out? It would be inconvenient and dangerous! My Breathe Better Backpack is about keeping those like my mother safe using an air filter. It looks cool and will help get them outside and fight off colds,” Eleanor said.
The girl added, “My generation has really realized pollution, and we have lessons on it at school. This is another reason why I designed this, because we need to do something.”
The Breathe Better Backpack came under the spotlight in the competition. Stratton Smith, one of the judges of the competition, said the impact of Eleanor’s design would be far-reaching. “If just a few people start using it, it can be really good for the planet,” he explained.
1. What inspired Eleanor Woods to design the backpack?| A．The award of the competition. | B．High expenses of air filters. |
| C．Stratton Smith’s behaviour. | D．Her concern for air pollution. |
| A．It collects polluted air. | B．It is powered by wind. |
| C．It is of practical use. | D．It sells well at present. |
| A．Students living in poverty. | B．Those suffering from asthma. |
| C．People working in an open way. | D．Judges worried about pollution. |
| A．Humorous and modest. | B．Ambitious and selfless. |
| C．Confident and fearless. | D．Creative and considerate. |
9 . The ebike has become an essential item, and even the King has been spotted riding one. According to the market research company Mintel, sales have almost tripled over the past five years. While ebikes have become increasingly commonplace, they are still undeniably expensive. You can pick up a perfectly adequate push bike for £300, but most ebikes cost nearly £2,000. Now, Cycling Electric, designed to help consumers choose an ebike, offers the following recommendations.
Best folding bike
Carbo Model X
Price: £2, 799 | Weight: 13.3kg
Range: up to 34 miles
This is one of the most convenient bikes, from a little-known label. The lightweight Carbo X is the perfect example of convenience thanks to its carbon frame and belt drive, instead of a metal bike chain. This makes it lighter and less likely to get messy than an electric Brompton, with its more traditional, oily chain.
Most stylish
Temple Cycles Classic
Price: from £2, 995 | Weight: 19kg
Range: up to 74 miles
This Bristol-based brand is known for its elegant pushbikes, which are hand-built in the city. This is its electric version. It’s a very sleek and functional commuter option and not too heavy. Temples have fewer proprietary (品牌专卖的) parts and so are serviceable in any bike shop. Stylish as they may be, the VanMoofs and the Cowboys can be a bit more complex to get back-up and service.
The money-no-object option
Riese & Müller Nevo4 GT Vario GX
Price: £5, 380 | Weight: 28.4kg
Range: up to 93 miles
This is a prime example of the attention to detail delivering a high-quality experience in functionality, comfort and practicality — if you can afford it. It has the capacity to handle 25kg of luggage in a pannier, powerful road lights and a beautifully smooth motor.
1. What is the advantage of the Temples over other stylish ebike brands?| A．They are more lightweight. | B．They have more functions. |
| C．They have easier access to service. | D．They are more comfortable. |
| A．Carbo Model X. | B．The VanMoofs and the Cowboys. |
| C．Temple Cycles Classic. | D．Riese & Müller Nevo4 GT Vario GX. |
| A．An online post. | B．A magazine column. |
| C．A market research report. | D．An official document. |
10 . Desperately ill and seeking a miracle, David Bennett Sr. took the last bet on Jan. 7. when be became the first human to be successfully transplanted with the heart of a pig. “It creates the beat; it creates the pressure; it is his heart,” declared Bartley Griffith, director of the surgical team that performed the operation at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Bennett, 57, held on through 60 tomorrows, far longer than any previous patient who’d received a heart from another species. His remarkable run offered new hope that such procedures, known as xenotransplantation (异种移植), could help relieve the shortage of replacement organs, saving thousands of lives each year.
The earliest attempts at xenotransplantation of organs, involving kidneys from rabbits, goats, and other animals, occurred in the early 20th century, decades before the first successful human-to-human transplants. Rejection, which occurs when the recipient’s body system recognizes the donor organ as a foreign object and attacks it, followed within hours or days. Results improved after some special drugs arrived in the 1960s, but most recipients still died after a few weeks. The record for a heart xenotransplant was set in 1983, when an infant named Baby Fae survived for 20 days with an organ from a baboon (狒狒).
In recent years, however, advances in gene editing have opened a new possibility: re-edit some genes in animals to provide user-friendly spare parts. Pigs could be ideal for this purpose, because they’re easy to raise and reach adult human size in months. Some biotech companies. including Revivicor, are investing heavily in the field. The donor pig was offered by Revivicor from a line of animals in which 10 genes had been re-edited to improve the heart’s condition. Beyond that, the pig was raised in isolation and tested regularly for viruses that could infect humans or damage the organ itself.
This medical breakthrough provided an alternative for the 20% of patients on the heart transplant waiting list who die while waiting or become too sick to be a good candidate.
1. What does the underlined word “run” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Donating his heart to a patient. |
| B．Performing the heart operation. |
| C．Living for 60 days after the operation. |
| D．Receiving a new heart from a pig. |
| A．Its history. | B．Its procedure. | C．Its consequence. | D．Its significance. |
| A．Their growth rate and health condition. |
| B．Their life pattern and resistance to viruses. |
| C．Their easiness of keeping and rapid growth. |
| D．Their investment value and natural qualities. |
| A．It introduced new medications to prevent organ rejection. |
| B．It proved the potential for using organs from various animals. |
| C．It guaranteed a sufficient supply of donor pigs for transplants. |
| D．It offered a prospect of replacement organs through gene editing. |
