1 . When you hear the word “shapeshifting (变身)”, you may think of magic in some movies and not the climate. But that’s what animals are doing to go on living in the world.
A new study shows that some animals are slowly growing larger beaks, legs and ears. In this way they can cool themselves down more easily as the Earth gets warmer. When we talk about the climate change, we often ask “What can humans do with this?” “How can we live in the future?” “But we should know that animals also have to face these changes,” said Sara Ryding, from Deakin University, Australia. If animals do nothing to keep their normal body temperature, they will die.
In one example, the beaks of some kinds of Australian parrots have grown 4 to 10 percent larger. The study says it has a lot to do with the hotter summer over the years. There are other similar examples. Wood mice have longer tails and bats in warm climates have bigger wings.
Although the changes are still small, they could be common as the weather becomes hotter. “Body parts like ears may become bigger, so we might be able to see a real Dumbo (big-eared elephant from a Disney cartoon) in the near future,” Ryding told the reporters.
1. Why do animals grow bigger body parts?| A．To become stronger. | B．To enjoy a better life. |
| C．To find food easily. | D．To keep normal body temperature. |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
| A．Changes. | B．Tails. | C．Wings. | D．Examples. |
| A．Why climate changes so much. | B．When the climate starts to change. |
| C．How animals deal with hotter weather. | D．What the weather will be like in the future. |
2 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and entertainment. We can find new recipes on the Internet or advice on staying healthy. We can even use it to learn a new language and connect with family and friends.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives —well, that train has left the station. This expression means there is no going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers.
A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected to high blood pressure in an unlikely group— teenagers. The study results show that teens who spend at least 14 hours a week online were more likely to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart and kidney (肾) disease. It is also closely linked to some forms of dementia (痴呆), a brain disease. Dementia is marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and a reduced ability to reason.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people from 14 to 17 years old participated in it. One hundred and thirty-four of the teens were described as “heavy Internet users.” Researchers found that out of these 134 teens, 26 had high blood pressure.
The lead researcher of the study is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. In a statement she said, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life but it shouldn’t consume us.” For the purpose of the study, she explains, teens considered heavy Internet users were online on “average 25 hours a week.” Ms. Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to take “regular breaks from their computers or smartphones” and to do some “kind of physical activity.”
1. Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?| A．The train has stopped at the wrong station. |
| B．There is something wrong with the train. |
| C．Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
| D．The train has changed its course. |
| A．will remember everything clearly | B．will change his character |
| C．will develop a brain cancer | D．can do analysis accurately |
| A．40% | B．19% | C．25% | D．7% |
| A．The Internet Does Harm to the Study. |
| B．Too Much Internet May Be Bad for Teenagers. |
| C．We Should Stop Using the Internet. |
| D．High Blood Pressure Is around the Comer. |
3 . A new mobile application called Farm Assistant was developed by Wu Zeyin. Wu is 11 years old now, who moved to Botswana with his family in 2016.
During the past years living in the country, Wu found that the quantity of fruit and vegetables sold at local supermarkets was very limited and the quality was poor. Some vegetables weren’t ripe, such as small carrots and green tomatoes. They are also quite expensive. Tropical savanna (草原) and desert climates are typical in most parts of the country. This makes it difficult to grow common crops. Drought-tolerant species of corn, sorghum and beans are also uncommon.
For a long time, due to the food shortage, Botswana had to import many grains, fruits and vegetables from neighboring countries to meet the needs of its people.
In July last year, Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, successfully kicked off a pilot project to grow China’s water-saving and drought-tolerant rice. This brought Wu some new ideas on local agriculture.
The app supports eight crops commonly grown locally. These include tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, cabbage, eggplant and radishes. Farmers who use the application can click on the crop picture. They can see its time points of planting, watering needs, ripening time, seed price, selling price and yield. After planting the seeds, farmers click the timer to start. The application reminds them what to do at each stage.
Wu, whose invention has been moving the needle for the life of Botswana farmers, still focuses on solving agricultural problems. He quotes an old saying in China, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and he feeds himself for life. ”
1. Which can be the main reason for Botswana’s food shortage?| A．Limited supplies in local markets. | B．Unfavourable climate conditions. |
| C．Lack of advanced farming techniques. | D．Frequent threats from natural disasters. |
| A．Carried out. | B．Got rid of. | C．Gave away. | D．Took over. |
| A．It improves local planting environment. | B．It identifies the commonly grown crops. |
| C．It teaches farmers when to plant the seeds. | D．It provides basic information of the crops. |
| A．Helpful and creative. | B．Caring and modest. |
| C．Optimistic and ambitious. | D．Considerate and faithful. |
4 . When you wake up, you find you are stuck in a time-loop (循环) on a bus. It will either knock into an oil truck, or be blown apart by bombs (炸弹) carried by a passenger. What will you do?
That’s a short part of a Chinese TV series Reset. College student Li Shiqing and game designer Xiao Heyun fall asleep on a bus and when they wake up, time’s ticking (滴答作响) on the last 20 minutes of their lives. They have to use everything they have to fight for their lives. The best ending is that everyone on the bus is saved. With each loop they discover more information about the other eight passengers. Soon they find one of the passengers is carrying homemade bombs and planning to set them off at a certain time and place.
Even though the TV series doesn’t have a perfect setting (背景), the sci-fi elements (元素) make it stand out. It shows the complete process of the leading actors finding out possible criminals. Starting to be aired on Tencent Video on January 11, the series has been watched more than 800 million times in China. It’s also been well-received on YouTube and been watched more than I million times up to now. Overseas fans have been asking for it to be aired on their major platforms such as Netlix.
The Chinese TV series most watched overseas are not the ones adapted from famous works such as Journey to the West. Instead, those adapted from love stories and online novels which are filled with light-hearted, exciting or funny elements are enjoyed better.
1. How was the passage started ?| A．By giving a suggestion. | B．By introducing a film. |
| C．By describing a scene | D．By listing some numbers. |
| A．have to try to save themselves | B．refuse to get off the bus |
| C．come from the same college | D．find it hard to wake up other passengers |
| A．It has been aired on many different platforms in China. |
| B．It is popular with people in foreign countries. |
| C．It has been watched over 1 million times on Netfix. |
| D．It is much more famous than Journey to the West. |
| A．encourage us to create more Chinese TV series |
| B．show how popular the Chinese TV series are |
| C．tell us which kinds of Chinese TV series are popular overseas |
| D．remind us to pay more attention to famous Chinese works |
5 . Four Free Mobile Apps to Help You Learn English Faster
Have you realized that you can put your smartphone to really good use for learning English? Here are 4 free mobile apps that will help you do just that.
Hello English
It covers all the aspects of language learning, including vocabulary, translation, grammar, spelling, speaking and reading skills. It uses interactive games to teach different English lessons and offers new audiobooks, the latest news, and books. However, you should already understand basic English structures and the alphabet, for the app can’t help you learn English from scratch(从零开始).
Duolingo
If you want to learn English from scratch, then this is the app you are looking for. Duolingo uses interactive games to help you learn English. For beginners, the app focuses on helping you learn verbs, phrases and sentences.
Lingbe
If you are ready to practise your spoken skills in the real—world communication, you’ll need Lingbe. It’s a community-based app where people help each other and share their native languages. It connects you with real people on call who are native English speakers.
Hello Talk
Hello Talk is similar to Lingbe as it connects you with native speakers to help improve your language skills. However, it adds a few extra functions that might interest you. You can view the information about users to find a match that interests you. Additionally, you can also send text and audio messages, and even make video calls with other people.
If you are a beginner, start from Duolingo and then use Hello English to have a good command of the language. For fluent spoken English learners, you can try out Lingbe or Hello Talk.
1. What information can’t you get from Hello English?| A．New audiobook. | B．The latest news. | C．Books. | D．Audio messages. |
| A．Hello English and Duolingo. | B．Hello English and Lingbe. |
| C．Lingbe and Hello Talk. | D．Duolingo and Hello Talk. |
| A．Hello English. | B．Duolingo. | C．Lingbe. | D．Hello Talk. |
6 . Traditionally, it has been assumed that cultivating food leads to a loss of biodiversity and negative impacts on an ecosystem. In a recent study, researchers looked at 28 urban community gardens across California over five years and quantified biodiversity in plant and animal life, as well as ecosystem functions such as carbon sequestration (碳封存), food production, pest control, and human well-being.
“We wanted to determine if there were any biodiversity and impacts on ecosystem function in those urban gardens,” says Shalene Jha, the lead author of the study in Ecology Letters. “What we found is that these gardens, which are providing tremendous nutritional resources and increasing well-being for gardeners, are also supporting incredibly high levels of plant and animal biodiversity. It’s a win-win.”
Previous assumptions by scientists about the negative effect of food production on biodiversity have been almost entirely based on intensive rural agriculture enterprises that tend to grow only one or two types of crops, often at a massive scale. Urban community gardens, private gardens, and urban farms and orchards tend to grow more types of plants in smaller areas. The new study is the first to explore the effects of urban gardens across a wide range of biodiversity measures and ecological services.
“It’s estimated that by 2030, about 60% of the world’s population will live in cities, ” Jha says. “And urban farms and gardens currently provide about 15%-20% of our food supply, so they are essential in addressing food inequality challenges. What we’re seeing is that urban gardens present an critical opportunity to support both biodiversity and local food production.”
The study also found that the choices that gardeners make can have a large impact on their local ecosystem. For instance, planting trees outside crop beds could increase carbon sequestration without decreasing food production from too much shade. And covering only within crop beds could help improve soil carbon services, while avoiding negative effects on pest control.
1. What’s the purpose of the study conducted by Shalene Jha?| A．To analyze the cause of loss of biodiversity. |
| B．To increase well-being of gardeners. |
| C．To quantify nutritional levels in plants and animals. |
| D．To study the influence of urban gardens on ecosystem. |
| A．Inefficient pest control. |
| B．Limited planting scales. |
| C．Intensive agricultural pattern. |
| D．Unsatisfactory ecological services. |
| A．Objective. | B．Supportive | C．Doubtful. | D．Concerned. |
| A．Urban Gardens Boost Biodiversity. |
| B．Urban Gardens Challenge Rural Agriculture. |
| C．Urban Farms Address Food Inequality. |
| D．Urban Biodiversity Increases Well-being of Cardener. |
7 . Not too long ago, 41-year-old Garrett Fisher flew a small airplane close to the surface of the largest glacier in Norway. In that environment, the plane carrying a man who pursues glaciers seemed almost like a toy. Fisher is trying to photograph every glacier on Earth before some of them disappear.
Scientists say many glaciers are getting smaller because Earth’s average temperature is increasing. Information from the European Environment Agency, or EEA, says glaciers in the Alps have lost about half of their volume since 1900 and that by 2100, the size of European glaciers could decrease by between 22 percent and 84 percent. Historical records of the size of glaciers in Europe also show that glaciers are now shrinking faster. This has pushed Fisher to combine his love of flying and photography to photograph Earth’s remaining glaciers before it’s too late.
Fisher believes his photographs can be of great value to future generations. So, he has launched the Global Glacier Initiative, a non-profit group to support and show his work. He plans to open his photos to the public for research.
Fisher flew a small plane that has a smell of oil and feels like an old car. It was his choice to have the dangerous flying. “The weather is bad and the flying is technically challenging, ”Fisher said. Some people would ask, “Why risk flying over glaciers when satellites have already given pictures of them?” Fisher said that satellite images don’t catch the beauty of glaciers the way his photos can. His photos show the colors, shapes, and shadows as the light from the sun hits the glaciers.
Fisher has paid for his glacier photography with his own money. But it is costly. Money is running out and Fisher is looking for people who will help support his work. He hopes his photos will be a reminder to people. He is trying to obtain the perfect image, which is so beautiful that it can make people and policymakers act.
1. What caused Fisher to combine flying and photography?| A．The request from the EEA. |
| B．The beauty of Earth’s glaciers. |
| C．The crisis of disappearing glaciers. |
| D．The need to enrich glacier records. |
| A．To carry out research on glaciers. |
| B．To make his photos publicly available. |
| C．To record the size of European glaciers. |
| D．To attract more glacier enthusiasts. |
| A．Adventurous and determined. | B．Optimistic and generous. |
| C．Creative and thoughtful. | D．Brave and patient. |
| A．Bringing him some financial support. |
| B．Being recognized by policymakers. |
| C．Strengthening the human-nature bond. |
| D．Raising people’s concern for glaciers. |
8 . In September, thousands of monuments, civic buildings and private homes throw open their doors to offer a rare glimpse of normally of-limits spaces. Here are some less-known treasures around the UK.
Guided tour of Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden
Gladstone’s Library in Hawarden will be running special tours as part of the Open Doors-Wales festival. It was built as a memorial to prime minister Wiliam Gladstope, Take a tour of beautiful Reading Rooms housing 150, 000 books.
September 16, 10 am-2 pm, booking required.
Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, Glasgow
The atmospheric Britannia Panopticon will be showing off its collection of theatrical relics, props and costumes. Sample Victorian items at the world’s oldest surviving music hall without booking.
September 15 and 16, 11 am-5 pm and September 17, 12 pm-5 pm
Gothic Temple, Stowe Gardens
Visitors to Stowe Gardens will be offered a rare chance to see inside the 18th century Gothic Temple. Though it’s normally rented as a holiday let, its circular rooms and mosaic ceilings will be open to prebooked visitors for one weekend.
September 16 and 17, 10:30 am-4:30 pm, free of charge
Appleton Tower: School of Informatics, Edinburgh University
As part of Scotland’s Doors Open Days festival, Edinburgh University’s Appleton Tower will be offering tours of the world-leading School, including a visit to the study suite on Level 9 which offers far-reaching views of the Edinburgh skyline.
September 23, 11 am-2 pm, booking in advance.
1. What can visitors do at Britannia Panopticon Music Hall?| A．They can appreciate theatre-related items. |
| B．They can listen to the oldest surviving music. |
| C．They can visit a study room with far-reaching scenery. |
| D．They can read in Reading Rooms with 150, 000 books in store. |
| A．Guided tour of Gladstone’s Library, Hawarden. |
| B．Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, Glasgow. |
| C．Gothic Temple, Stowe Gardens. |
| D．Appleton Tower: School of Informatics, Edinburgh University. |
| A．They both last for four hours. |
| B．They both offer classic books to visitors. |
| C．They both honor world famous figures. |
| D．They both require reservations. |
9 . 2023 Hot List: The Best New Restaurants in the World
Place des Fêtes-New York CityThis famous wine bar provides a spot with a rare sweet and warm atmosphere. For date night, go to the bar with views of the open kitchen, or fill up the large table in the back with a group and taste the entire 20-item menu. Either way, do not miss the famous mushroom soup.
Le Doyenné-Saint-Vrain, FranceAustralian chefs James Henry and Shaun Kelly transformed the former stables (马厩) of a 19th-century private estate into a working farm, restaurant, and guesthouse driven by the principles of regenerative agriculture. More than one hundred varieties of fruits, vegetables, and herbs make their way into Henry’s cooking after being carefully nurtured by Kelly.
Mi Compa Chava-Mexico CitySeafood is a hangover cure in Mexico, and almost everyone eating here is devoted to fixing last night’s damage from drunkenness and getting a head start on creating today’s. On the sidewalk, crowds of locals and tourists alike lineup for fisherman Salvador Orozco’s creative takes on Sinaloa and Baja seafood. Anything from the raw half of the menu is a sure bet, though cooked dishes like fish can help fill out a meal.
Vilas-BangkokCan a dish inspired by a Spanish recipe using Japanese ingredients still be considered Thai For Chef Prin Polsuk, one of Bangkok’s most famous Thai chefs, it most certainly can. At his latest restaurant, a small dining room at the base of Bangkok’s landmark King Power Mahanakhon Tower, he draws inspiration from King Chulalongkorn’s 1897 journey around Europe and the foreign ingredients and cooking techniques he added to the royal cookbooks.
1. What does the author highly recommend at Place des Fêtes?| A．Red wine. | B．Mushroom soup. |
| C．Baja seafood. | D．Fried fish. |
| A．Mi Compa Chava. | B．Le Doyenné. |
| C．Place des Fêtes. | D．Vilas. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A life magazine. |
| C．A travel magazine. | D．A health magazine. |
10 . On a cold snowy winter evening, Joe was driving home on a country road. Ever since the local restaurant closed, he had been
He didn’t know he’d soon come across a stranger who would change his
After driving for a while, even in the
So he pulled up in front of her car and got out. Seeing the flat tire, Joe believed that he could
Then, he let the lady wait inside her car while he was
| A．out of order | B．out of work | C．out of shape | D．out of mind |
| A．opportunity | B．ambition | C．motivation | D．life |
| A．stuck | B．injured | C．stopped | D．defeated |
| A．useful | B．safe | C．spare | D．potential |
| A．taken in | B．picked up | C．thrown away | D．powered off |
| A．involvement | B．participation | C．help | D．guidance |
| A．stopped | B．waited | C．begged | D．started |
| A．clear | B．dim | C．shining | D．bright |
| A．destroy | B．handle | C．get | D．cease |
| A．finding | B．watching | C．checking | D．replacing |
| A．appreciation | B．curiosity | C．generosity | D．kindness |
| A．excuse | B．career | C．trouble | D．future |
| A．start | B．meet | C．satisfy | D．obtain |
| A．saw | B．changed | C．received | D．enjoyed |
| A．store | B．hotel | C．park | D．restaurant |
