2 . Masks that helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic(流行病) are proving a deadly danger for wildlife, with birds and marine creatures trapped in the incredible number of abandoned facial coverings littering on animal habitats.

Single-use surgical masks have been found thrown around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide since countries began demanding their use in public places to slow the pandemic's spread. Macaques(猕猴) have been spotted chewing the straps(带子) off old and deserted masks in Malaysia a potential choking danger for the little monkeys. And in an incident that captured headlines in Britain, a gull(海鸥) was rescued in the city of Chelmsford after its legs became tangled（缠结）in the straps of a disposable mask for up to a week. The animal welfare charity was alerted after the bird was spotted motionless but still alive, and they took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.

The biggest impact may be in the water.More than l. 5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year. accounting for around 6,200 extra tons of marine plastic pollution, according to environmental group OceansAsia. ? Already there are signs that masks are worsening threats to marine life. Conservationists in Brazil found one inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish(河豚) was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami.

Masks and gloves are "particularly problematic" for sea creatures，says George Leonard, chief scientist from U. S. -based NGO Ocean Conservancy. "When it takes those plastics hundreds of years to break down in the environment, they form smaller and smaller particles," he added, "those particles then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems."

Fortunately, there has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on，but many are still choosing the lighter single- use varieties.Campaigners have urged people to throw away them properly and remove the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped. Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.

1. What role do masks play during the coronavirus pandemic?

A．They keep people free of the pandemic

B．They make people look more mysterious.

C．They help reduce the speed of the pandemic's spread.

D．They are of great helpful to wildlife.

2. The.author uses the example of Macaques and a gull to show that

A．The animals lack enough food

B．T hey enjoy playing with the straps

C．The deserted masks put them in danger

D．It's time for people to protect the animals

3. What does "particularly problematic" in Para. 4 mean by George Leonard?

A．Marine creatures are in trouble.

B．Masks and gloves will finally threaten the whole ecosystems.

C．The plastics are easy to break down.

D．The particles masks and gloves form are smaller and smaller.

4. The passage is mainly about        .

A．Animal protection

B．Marine plastic pollution

C．How to reduce the risk of abandoned masks

D．The deserted masks endangering wildlife

3 . In a study published in Nature Machine Intelligence, researchers at Ohio State University show how artificial intelligence（AI）can follow clinical trials to identify drugs for repurposing, a solution that can help advance innovative treatments.

Repurposing drugs is legal and not unusual. When doctors prescribe(开处方)drugs that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA)for purposes different from what is printed on the labels, the drugs are being used “off-label” Just because a drug is FDA-approved for a specific type of disease does not prevent it from having possible benefits for other purposes.

For example, Metformin, a drug that is FDA-approved for treating type 2 diabetes, is also used to treat PCOS(a disease of women), and other diseases. Trazodone, an anti-depressant with FDA-approval to treat depression, is also prescribed by doctors to help treat patients with sleep issues.

The Ohio State University research team created an AI deep learning model for predicting treatment probability with patient data including the treatment, outcomes, and potential confounders(干扰因素).

Confounders are related to the exposure and outcome. For example, a connection is identified between music festivals and increases in skin rashes(红疹). Music festivals do not directly cause skin rashes. In this case, one possible confounding factor between the two may be outdoor heat, as music festivals tend to run outdoors when the temperature is high, and heat is a known cause for rashes. When working with real-world data, confounders could number in the thousands. AI deep learning is well-suited to find patterns in the complexity of potentially thousands of confounders.

The researcher team used confounders including population data and co-prescribed drugs. With this proof-of-concept, now clinicians have a powerful AI tool to rapidly discover new treatments by repurposing existing medications.

1. What do we know about a drug used off-label?

A．It is sold without a label.

B．It is available at a low price.

C．Its uses extend beyond the original ones.

D．Its clinical trials are rejected by doctors.

2. Metformin and Trazodone are similar as both of them________.

A．are used off-label

B．treat rare diseases

C．result in sleep issues

D．are medical breakthroughs

3. What can be inferred about “confounders”?

A．They are possible treatments.

B．They are environmental factors.

C．They can be easily recognized in real-world data.

D．They should be taken into serious consideration.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．AI examines benefits of existing drugs.

B．AI identifies off-label uses for drugs.

C．AI finds new drugs for common diseases.

D．AI proves the power of drug research.

4 . People who are good at growing plants know that it's possible to plant what seems to be a lifeless stick and produce a tree or other kinds of plants. The stick is really what is called a hardwood cutting. From these cuttings, trees, vines(藤蔓) except pine trees can grow. They are called hardwood because the pieces are woody rather than leafy.

Gardeners can expect close to 100 percent success with plants such as grape, gooseberry, privet, spiraea and honeysuckle. However, this method does not work with apple, maple or oak trees, for example. Because they lack leaves, hardwood cuttings are less perishable(易腐烂的) than softwood cuttings.

If you want to develop a green thumb-or get really good at growing plants-start your effort with hardwood cuttings of willow. Willow trees often spread from branches that take root on top of the ground through the winter. Most other plants demand a little more attention.

Autumn is a good time to start hardwood cuttings. First, choose some shoots(新枝) that grew during the most recent growing season-the youngest shoots. Cut the shoots to a length of about 15 centimeters. Make sure you remember which end was up - the end that is farther from the root. Experts do this by cutting the bottoms off directly and the tops at an angle so they avoid mistakes during planting. Then, place the bottom of each cutting into some well-drained(排水良好的) soil.

If you have to plant in the spring, the cuttings need to be kept cool and wet through the winter. The traditional method is to place the cuttings together and bury them upside down in the soil. This lets the bottoms of the cuttings be first to feel the warming effects of spring sun on the ground. Put the cuttings in a closed plastic bag, put a wet paper towel around the bag, and then put the whole thing in another plastic bag.

1. What can we learn about woody plants according to the text?

A．Gardeners can get 100% success with them.

B．The cuttings from them dry out before roots form.

C．All won’t grow from hardwood cuttings.

D．They’re far less reliable than leafy plants.

2. Which of the following fits the method of hardwood cuttings properly?

A．Apple trees.	B．Oak trees.
C．Pine trees.	D．Willow trees.

3. What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A．How to make cuttings.	B．When to make cuttings.
C．Where to put cuttings.	D．What to mind at choosing.

4. What does the author stress about cuttings in the last paragraph?

A．The choice.	B．The storage.
C．The temperature.	D．The seasons.

5 . A team of researchers from the University of Queensland, WCS, and other organizations, doing a first-of-its-kind analysis(分析), found that Indigenous(土著)Peoples' lands are important to the survival of thousands of species of threatened and endangered wildlife.

Publishing their results in the journal, Conservation Biology, the team found that 2,175 mammal(哺乳动物)species have 10 per cent or more of their ranges in Indigenous Peoples' lands. Of those, some 646 species have more than half of their ranges within these lands.

Until this study, information on species composition(组成)within Indigenous Peoples' lands worldwide remained largely unknown. Although the maps of Indigenous Peoples' lands are still incomplete, the data used are the best available. It is clear that the maps used in this study reflect only a small part of Indigenous Peoples' lands worldwide which further strengthens how important the protection of those lands and the recognition of the rights of Indigenous Peoples are to the protection of biodiversity(生物多样性)worldwide.

The study shows that Indigenous Peoples and their lands are important for the long-term persistence(持续)of earth's biodiversity and ecosystem services. Indigenous Peoples' lands cover over one-quarter of the Earth's surface, an important part of which is still free from industrial-level human effects.

Said the study's senior author, James Watson of WCS and University of Queensland: "These results show just how important indigenous lands are for protection of mammals. As the biodiversity crisis grows, we must recognize that a necessary part to stopping the loss is greater recognition and support for Indigenous People's rights to and relationships with their land."

Across the planet, WCS works with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to achieve a shared wish for a more secure and bright future, where wildlife remains a visible(可见的), increasing, and culturally valued part of the wild places where our partners live and we work.

1. What does the author intend to tell us by data in Para. 2?

A．Many species are in Indigenous Peoples' lands.

B．Indigenous Peoples are kind to mammal species.

C．Indigenous Peoples' lands are suitable for farming.

D．A large number of mammal species are in danger.

2. What does the author think of the maps of Indigenous Peoples' lands?

A．Valuable.	B．Unknown.
C．Reliable.	D．Classical.

3. According to James Watson, what can we know about Indigenous People?

A．They will be fully protected in future.

B．Their rights to their lands will be improved.

C．Their relationship with their lands will be down.

D．They will be easier to respond to biodiversity crisis.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．What to Do With Indigenous Peoples' Lands

B．How Important to Protect Indigenous Peoples' Lands

C．To Protect Environment, Protect Indigenous Peoples' Lands

D．To Save Wildlife from Extinction, Protect Indigenous Peoples' Lands

6 . When we are children, the summer holidays seem to last forever, and the wait between Spring Festivals feels like an eternity. But later, we may find that the time just seems to fly by, with weeks, months and entire seasons disappearing from a blurred calendar at a fast speed. Why does time seem to pass faster as we get older?

According to the Daily Mail, our brains degrade as we get older. That diminish the amount of information we can deal with in a single day. “The human mind senses time changing when the perceived images change,” Adrian Bejan from Duke University, US, told the Daily Mail. “The present is different from the past because the mental viewing has changed, not because somebody’s clock rings.”

Infants, for example, move their eyes much more often than adults because they’re processing images at a faster rate. They deal with a large amount of information and do many things in a single day. This makes them feel like a single day lasts for a long time. However, as people get older, fewer images are processed in the same amount of time. Therefore, older people receive less information during a day than younger people. This causes things to seem as though they’re happening more quickly.

Apart from the degradation of our brains, some psychological reasons also make us experience time differently. People may measure time by the number of memorable events that can be recalled within a certain period. When we think about our youth, we may remember a life packed with first-time activities, for example, our first time traveling without our parents, or our first date. We experienced these events so vividly that time then seems to us to have passed very slowly. According to David Eagleman of the Baylor College of Medicine in the US, recalling these memories makes us feel like they took forever. Many adults find life is routine and sometimes dull. For this reason, when they look back, they might feel like there are not many exciting things to remember. Therefore, time seems to be moving faster to them.

1. What does the underlined word “diminish” in the second paragraph probably mean?

A．get worse	B．stay unchanged
C．go up	D．cut down

2. According to the third paragraph, which statement is true?

A．Infants and adults process information in different ways.

B．The more information people process per day, the quicker time seems to be.

C．How much information people deal with varies with age.

D．Adults can hardly deal with any information.

3. What can we infer from David Eagleman’s words?

A．Youth is the best time to enjoy some first time activities.

B．Young people’s lives are much more interesting than older.

C．childhood memories are too precious to forget.

D．psychological reasons make us experience time differently.

4. What is the main purpose of this passage?

A．To tell us that life passes by quickly for adults.

B．To explain why life speeds up when we grow older.

C．To show us that adults’ lives are not as exciting as children.

D．To introduce us the difference between adults and children.

7 . We recognize our friends’ faces. And we’re not alone. Many social animals can identify individuals of their own species by features of their faces. That's important, because they need to be able to change their behavior depending on who they meet. And a recent research has shown that some species of monkeys, birds, and domesticated (家养的) animals can even tell different faces apart by looking at photographs alone.

Ethologist Léa Lansade of the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment did an experiment to find out how well horses can recognize individual people in photographs.

She and her team first taught the horses how to “choose” between two side-by-side pictures by touching their noses to a computer screen. The horses were then shown photos of their present keeper alongside faces of unfamiliar humans. They had never seen photos of any of the people before. The horses correctly identified their current keeper and ignored (忽视) the stranger’s face about 75%of the time. In fact, even though the horses didn't get it right every single time, they were at least as correct in picking out their earlier keeper as they were at identifying their present one.

The results suggest that not only can horses differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar human faces, they also naturally understand that photographs are two dimensional representations (二维呈现) of real life, without any other intimations such as smell or sound. And they’re even better at this than our oldest animal parter, the domestic dog.

In addition, horses seem to have a strong long-term memory for human faces, like their long lifespan and history of domestication. In future experiments, the researchers would like to test whether looking at photos of people that they have had bad experiences with in the past might cause horses to act anxious or even avoidance. So maybe think twice before doing anything that might give a horse a long face.

1. Why did researchers show the horses both the keeper’s photos and the strangers’?

A．To find out what horses would do in the experiment.

B．To see why horses could recognize the keeper in the pictures.

C．To test whether horses could recognize the strangers in pictures.

D．To study to what degree horses can make out different people in pictures.

2. What does the underlined word “intimations” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Clues.	B．Differences.
C．Photographs.	D．Senses.

3. What are researchers still uncertain about?

A．Whether horses can live longer than other animals.

B．Whether horses can remember human's faces for a long time.

C．Whether horses can show their emotions at the sight of photos.

D．Whether horses are better at recognizing photos than other animals.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To talk about animals’ species.

B．To explain animals’ facial features.

C．To show animals’ behaviour for adaptation.

D．To introduce animals’ ability to identifying faces.

8 . Scientists have discovered an underwater coral tower near the Great Barrier Reef(大堡礁) that’s taller than New York’s Empire State Building. It’s the tallest underwater structure discovered in over 120 years.

The researchers who discovered the reef were on a year-long trip aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research ship Falkor, where they were working to map the sea floor around Australia.

The scientists used a special underwater robot called SuBastian to help them explore and develop 3D maps. In late October, as part of their exploration, the team came across the tower. It’s known as a “detached reef”, since its structure isn’t attached to the Great Barrier Reef, but rises on its own from the sea floor.

At the bottom, the tower is nearly a mile wide. But from there, it becomes much more narrow, rising 1,640 feet and stopping just 130 feet below the surface of the ocean. The lower is one o£ eight similar towers near Northern Australia’s Cape York Peninsula. The other seven towers were discovered in the 1880’s.

“It’s a big reef not to have known about,” said Tom Bridge, “What it highlights is how little we know about the ocean, even the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is bigger than many European countries and that only a small part of it is made of the shallow water reefs it’s famous for.”

Overall, the Great Barrier Reef is struggling. Recent studies have shown that about half of its corals have died in the last 25 years, in part because of rising ocean temperatures due to the climate crisis. Over the last year, the Falkor’s scientific team has discovered 30 new kinds of sea creatures. In March, they discovered what they believe is the longest sea creature ever recorded. The animal is called a “siphonophore” and it’s 150 feet long.

1. What did researchers do by Falkor around Australia?

A．Seek for coral lowers.	B．Make a map of sea floor.
C．Research unknown species.	D．Film the Great Barrier Reef.

2. What do we know about SuBastian?

A．It’s the most advanced underwater robot.

B．It contributes to the discovery of the tower.

C．It is suitable to detect building structures.

D．It reports important discoveries under water.

3. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The shape of the tower.	B．The history of the tower.
C．The position of the tower.	D．The information of the tower.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．Europe used to ignore the Great Barrier Reef.

B．Climate crisis is ruining the Great Barrier Reef.

C．Tom Bridge has been researching the Great Barrier Reef.

D．More research should be done on the Great Barrier Reef.

9 . In the flood of innovative solutions that have emerged in the last several years to save the world from plastic pollution, Tom Szaky's fix may be one of the most imaginations. Szaky has gone back to returnable, refillable containers. The idea was introduced to the world by Coca-Cola in the early 1920s, when Coke was sold in expensive glass bottles that the company's bottlers needed back. They charged a two-cent deposit, roughly 40 percent of the full cost of the soft drink. Consequently, they got about 98 percent of their bottles back, to be reused 40 or 50 times.

Ten months ago, Szaky launched Loop, an online delivery service that uses reusable containers. The bold part of his venture—or risk, if you are one of his financial backers—is that Loop pushes far beyond the uniformity(统一性)of returnable beverage bottles(饮料瓶)and sells more than 300 items, from food to laundry items, in containers of various sizes and made from various materials. His signature product is Haagen-Dazs ice cream that comes packed inside a smooth, insulated stainless steel guaranteed to prevent its contents from melting.

Now 38, Szaky dropped out of Princeton 17 years ago to become an innovator in the garbage business. He founded TerraCycle, a small waste management company, 10 miles from the Princeton campus. He figured out a way to recycle plastics, cigarette butts and a long list of other non-recyclables.

Loop is part of the resurgence of refillables as a serious option to plastic waste. The beverage industry is expanding its use of returnable bottles; an Oregon brewery claims to have started the United States' first state-wide refillable beer system. More significantly, efforts like Loop's to reinvent packaging for products that don't fit easily into the refillable category have attracted startups and some of the world's largest corporate players.

1. How is Szaky's way to fight plastic pollution?

A．It's the newest.	B．It is from an old practice.
C．It lacks innovativeness.	D．It's out of date.

2. What can we know about bottle deposit programs?

A．Impractical.

B．Meaningless.

C．Costly.

D．Effective.

3. Why is Szaky's signature product kept in an unusual steel?

A．To keep it frozen long.	B．To make it more delicious.
C．To help it melt quickly.	D．To make it easy to deliver.

4. What can we infer about Szaky's refillables?

A．They have a long way to go.

B．They'll be made of plastic.

C．They have a brilliant future.

D．They'll cause serious pollution.

10 . Can small, organic agriculture really feed the world? Won't we need science to produce enough food as the world population is growing to 9 billion by 2050? The answer to both questions is YES—but that science may look different than you think.

We've been told that the only way we'll be able to feed the growing population is through the science of GM crops and chemicals. But the latest scientific studies are saying just the opposite. In study after study, the message about agriculture is: To feed the world, we need to support sustainable（可持续的）agriculture on different local family farms that work with nature.

In 2008, an international study found that sustainable agriculture, not GM crops, shows more hope of ending hunger. The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge. Science, and Technology for Development（known as the IAASTD）, calls for a change of the world's food and farming systems.

The IAASTD reports that industrial agriculture has greatly destroyed the world's soils and other natural resources, and now is causing water pollution, energy crisis, and air pollution. The report warns that expensive, short-term ways—including GM crops are not likely to cut down long-term hunger, and could even make environment and social problems worse in many places.

A recent report by the UN Environment Program shows that food problems are becoming more serious and strongly supports sustainable agriculture on small family farms. It also shows that a worldwide change to organics can actually increase the world's food production by as much as 50%—enough to feed a population of 9 billion people with the land we have now. GM crops, once popular, are now being questioned worldwide.

1. What is the best way to feed the growing population of the world?

A．In expensive, short-term ways.

B．By encouraging industrial agriculture.

C．By developing small, organic agriculture.

D．Through the science of GM crops and chemicals.

2. Which of the following can best interpret sustainable agriculture?

A．The science of GM crops.

B．Working on small family farms.

C．A fast way to increase the world's food production.

D．An approach to agriculture without harming the environment.

3. What is suggested in the last paragraph?

A．There will be less food problems if we use big family farms.

B．There will be less food problems if the world supports GM food.

C．There will be less food problems if we increase a lot of farm land.

D．There will be less food problems if the world supports sustainable agriculture.

4. What might be talked about if there is one more paragraph?

A．The causes of food problems.

B．The disadvantages of GM crops.

C．The development of industrial agriculture.

D．The disadvantages of sustainable agriculture.