1 . Killer whales, or orcas, are known for their severe attacks on sea animals but they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since late July, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, 2020, when a 46-foot boat was repeatedly attacked for almost an hour by nine orcas, causing the boat to rotate(旋转) 180 degrees and having its engine switched off. Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. On September 23, 2020, Spain's government banned boats of less than 50 feet in length from sailing in the 60-mile stretch of the Atlantic coastline between Ferrol and the Estaca de Bares Cape, where the attacks have been occurring.
Researchers across the world are trying to explain the orcas' behavior. Some believe it could be a result of the overfishing of the bluefish tuna - the orcas' primary food source -which has left the area's killer whales starving and unable to feed their babies. "I saw them look at boats carrying fish. I think they know humans are somehow related to food shortages, "says Ken Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research in Washington, USA. The environmentalists believe the sudden increase in boat traffic and fishing activities, after months of absence due to restrictions on human activity last spring, could also be contributing to the agitation.
However, Alfredo López, a biology professor in Galicia, Spain, thinks the attacks are defensive measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the of the videos of a few incidents and noticing that two of the young killer whales involved had serious injuries. Hopefully, the experts will be able to find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and the humans soon.
1. What do we know about orcas in paragraph 1?| A．They are friendly to humans. | B．They have changed their behavior. |
| C．They are famous for hunting skills | D．They have met tough living conditions. |
| A．Ken Balcomb. | B．The environmentalists. |
| C．Alfredo López. | D．Spain's government. |
| A．The attacks. | B．Food shortages. | C．The overfishing. | D．Human activities. |
| A．How do killer whales attack humans? |
| B．Why Are Killer Whales attacking Boats? |
| C．How can we live in harmony with animals? |
| D．Why are boats banned from sailing on the sea? |
2 . Recently whenever I turned on my computer or my mobile phone, news about the great effect of Hurricane Harvey（哈维飓风）on thousands of people caught my eye. I saw many unfortunate events. However, there was also lots of bright news that showed the goodness of mankind. As a reporter, I reported many human-interest stories when doing my job, That’s why the story about the guys in the bakery（面包店）caught my eye.
When the workers at a Mexican bakery chain in Houston were trapped inside the building for two days, they didn't sit there feeling sorry for themselves. They used their time wisely after flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. While waiting for the eventual rescue that came on Monday morning, the four workers decided to make as many loaves of bread as possible for people around the neighborhood. They talked to their manager about their plan over the phone and the manager agreed.
The flood water rose in the street outside. They took advantage of their emergency power supply to bake bread. They used more than 4,200 pounds of flour（面粉）to create hundreds of loaves and sheets of sweet bread. Although the water kept rising, they continued baking to help more people. By the time the manager managed to get to them, they had made so much bread that they took the loaves to lots of emergency centers across the city for people affected by the floods.
The store manager, Brian Alvarado, told The Independent, “They've done more than they should have done. And what they had done has lit a light for people. I feel lucky to have them work in the bakery.”
Whenever a disaster occurs, nobody should feelforlorn. Instead, we should stay hopeful and take positive action to save ourselves and help others. Our acts of kindness will make a big difference to the people in the world as well as the world itself.
1. Why did the story in the bakery draw the author’s attention?| A．It was helpful in choosing a good job. |
| B．It made him/her interested in baking. |
| C．It could bring him/her much money. |
| D．It showed the goodness of mankind. |
| A．They tried to get people out of water. |
| B．They set up emergency centers to help. |
| C．They offered to make bread for people. |
| D．They let homeless people live in the bakery. |
| A．He found them lucky. | B．He was proud of them. |
| C．They were experienced. | D．They were shy but brave. |
| A．Hopeless. | B．Confident. | C．Serious. | D．Angry. |
3 . Have you ever wondered what wild animals do when no one is watching?
Low cost, dependable and small modern cameras offered a big help. Cameras placed in hard-to-reach places have shot everything from small desert cats to larger snow-lowing cats in the northern Rocky Mountains. Scientists have been able to document the “private” moments of wildlife with leading technology.
Grant Harris is a government biologist with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In his words, “there’s no doubt that these wild cameras are important tools to learn new information on wildlife.” Harris said some images help scientists see the influences of climate (气候) change.
Researchers with the Wyoming Migration Initiative, or WMI, are among those using wild cameras along with global positioning systems, or GPS. But WMI director Matthew Kauffman says as those devices (设备) are limited (有限的), so is the amount of information they can gather. However, cameras can be left in very wild areas for days, weeks or even months. They can provide information on how many animals are moving over a given period of time.
Putting those cameras in place requires careful planning. Wild video can show details about animal behavior. However, wild cameras have their problems too. Animals such as wolverines and bears sometimes attack (袭击) them. Scientists do not know if the attacks are the result of anger or interest. Also, the devices have become popular tools to help hunters look for animals. Some people argue that it is unfair to use the cameras that way.
Even with such problems, wild cameras are clearly an important scientific tool in researching wild animals.
1. What does the underlined word “document” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Remind. | B．Enrich. | C．Produce. | D．Record. |
| A．They cannot be left in the wild over a long period. |
| B．They cannot be placed in hard-to-reach areas. |
| C．They provide limited information. |
| D．They might be stolen by people. |
| A．It is difficult to fix the cameras. |
| B．It helps hunters find animals easily. |
| C．It is hard to achieve careful planning. |
| D．It makes animals interested in the cameras. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supporting. | C．Uncertain. | D．Uninterested. |
4 . The nine woman of Bella Mondo win over yet another audience. The group is one of just a handful of all-women ensembles (乐队) in Ivory Coast.
It all started in 2007. Prisca Allou was a music student. A music producer came to see her. He said he wanted to make an all-female ensemble to keep a promise to his late mother.
Allou got on board and was charged with recruiting (招募) other members. “It wasn’t easy at first. Some parents were against it. You know, in Africa, the place of women is often seen as being either in an office or at home. That was the fixed image.” Allou spread the word and took out ads in local papers. Most of the girls she found were not professional players. “I just played some tamtam. I learned to play drums when I joined Bella Mondo.” The girls spent the next four years learning to play their instruments. Many gave up along the way, but eight of them soldiered on with Allou, and Bella Mondo was founded.
The band plays original songs and covers. Their music spans a wide range of styles: funk, reggae, pop music. They released their first album in 2013... and have performed in Paris, Dakar, Cotonou and, of course, here at home in Abidjan.
You can see them nearly every Thursday at this bar, the same place that gave the band its start years ago. “Oh yes, I was surprised at first. A woman singing, you see that every day, but an entire band, playing all the instruments and everything? It was extraordinary. I was dumbstruck. Bella Mondo is a great band.”
The women are now working on their second album.
1. Why did the music producer want to form a female ensemble?| A．To sponsor music students. | B．To comfort his mother. |
| C．To carry out his promise. | D．To win over an audience. |
| A．The band charged too much. |
| B．A number of parents didn’t support it. |
| C．Most women prefer to work in a government office. |
| D．African women are not allowed to leave their homes. |
| A．What Allou experienced. |
| B．How Bella Mondo was born. |
| C．Why most girls gave up halfway. |
| D．How the girls learned to play instruments. |
| A．Astonished. | B．Amused. | C．Determined. | D．Satisfied. |
5 . “What's your ‘Thing of the Day’？”I asked my fourteen-year-old son as he got a piece of potato onto his plate. This is a question our four kids and whichever friends are staying for supper expect to be asked each evening at suppertime. Usually, it's followed with, “Uhh……Umm…We had pizza for lunch. ”And then I have to refuse the response and ask for something meaningful-either something he learned or something that happened with his friends.
But, this day, my son surprised me as he went into great detail about how he had been honestly wronged by a couple of classmates and laughed at in front of the class. I asked more questions and learned that the teachers were aware of the situation. The issue had been dealt with as much as the teachers and staff were able to. It was really just a matter of kids being mean and deciding to play a trick on someone.
I thought about the situation all night. I vacillated between meeting the teachers, meeting the parents of the classmates, and not doing anything since the story had been told to me in a matter-of-fact way-not overly excitedly.
I waited until the next day after school. On the car ride home, I questioned my son what about today after yesterday's situation. My son was surprised that I brought it up again. “What？No, it's over, Mom. They're my friends. They were just being stupid. They apologized. Forgive and forget, you know？We're all good. ”
I was worried that perhaps he was trying to hide his concern or sadness about the thing. But as I watched him over the next days and weeks, everything seemed “normal”. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could live the “forgive and forget” way of life？
1. How are children's usual answers to the author's daily question？| A．Serious. | B．Worrisome. | C．Meaningless. | D．Detailed. |
| A．Her son was made fun of unkindly. | B．Her son invited his friends to dinner. |
| C．Her son was punished by his teacher. | D．Her son lied to her about his mistake. |
| A．Give suggestions. | B．Make sense. | C．Persuade oneself. | D．Be undecided. |
| A．It is good to forgive and forget. | B．It is necessary to watch her son. |
| C．It is difficult to understand children. | D．It is surprising for her son to apologize. |
6 . A recent study conducted by researchers from Canada's Wilfrid Laurier University found that the snakes actively seek out socialization with their peers （同伴），but also they are extremely particular about who they spend time with. However, snakes used to be thought of as solitary animals. They are seldom seen hanging out in groups.
A team of researchers led by Morgan Skinner and Dr. Noam Miller selected 40 non-poisonous garter snakes （袜带蛇）. Ten were purchased from a snake keeper and the rest were caught in the wild. After marking each snake with a spot of color to allow for easy identification, the researchers placed ten snakes inside each of the four plastic shelters.
Skinner photographed each snake group twice a day before removing them from their shelters. After cleaning the areas thoroughly to rid them of any familiar smells, the reptiles were rearranged into different groups, and returned to the enclosure. A camera fixed over the shelters allowed the scientists to track the animals' movements for a total of eight days.
When Skinner and Miller analyzed the images, they found that regardless of where they were placed, the snakes always slipped back to their origin al "friends" forming groups of three or eight inside the small shelters. “They can tell others apart,” Miller said.
Gordon Burghardt, a biologist, says, "The study should help convince people that snakes have more social intelligence than most of us realize."
Miller believes the research could help with snake protection efforts. Endangered snake species relocated to safer habitats often leave these areas. Now, conservationists may be able to avoid that by transferring entire snake groups to the new location. Alternatively, they could also spray （喷洒）the new habitat with the species' smells to make transplants feel at “home."
1. What does the underlined word "solitary" mean in paragraph 1?| A．Causing fear. | B．Existing only in small numbers. |
| C．Causing death or illness. | D．Enjoying being alone. |
| A．The findings can contribute to snake conservation. |
| B．Snakes like to spray smells on the trees. |
| C．Snakes are easy to adapt to new locations. |
| D．Snakes tend to stay in safer habitats. |
| A．Barking dogs don't bite. | B．The early bird catches worms. |
| C．Things of one kind come together. | D．A friend in need is a friend in deed. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Science. |
| C．Education. | D．Health. |
7 . Taktak tabulaba?
You probably don’t know how to answer that question---unless you happen to be one of the about 430 people in the world who speak a language called Matukar Panau. Then you would know it means “What are we doing?” Matukar Panau is one of the world’s rarest languages. It is spoken in just two small coastal villages in Papua New Guinea.
Several years ago, David Harrison, a language expert didn’t know much about Matukar Panau either. No one had ever recorded or even studied its words and rules. With so few speakers, the language risked disappearing soon. It was endangered.
Harrison didn’t want that to happen to Matukar Panau. So in 2009, he set out for Papua New Guinea. His goal: use modern technology to help the remaining speakers preserve their native tongue.
But Matukar Panau is far from the only language facing loss. Studies suggest that by the end of this century, nearly half of the 7,000 languages now spoken worldwide could disappear. They’re in danger partly because the only people left speaking them are elderly adults, Harrison says. When those individuals die, their language will die with them. In addition, children may discard a native language and instead use more common global languages, such as Chinese, English or Spanish.
In the United States alone, 134 native American languages are endangered. Harrison says, “language hotspots” exist all over the world. These are places with endangered languages that haven’t been recorded. They include the state of Oklahoma, pockets of central and eastern Siberia, parts of northern Australia and communities in South America.
1. The purpose of using the question “Taktak tabulaba?” is to ________.| A．introduce a new foreign language |
| B．introduce the topic of the text |
| C．show the difficulty understanding Matukar Panau |
| D．stress the importance of Matukar Panau |
| A．get rid of | B．pick up |
| C．hear of | D．learn about |
| A．dying quickly in Siberia |
| B．popular in some special places |
| C．becoming a worldwide problem |
| D．some native tongues |
8 . Nobody needs reminding that exercise is good for our health, but we may need reminding that it needs to be done in the right way.
Light exercises are a great way to improve circulation and keep our muscles active, especially if the rest of the day will be spent sitting in front of a computer or in a lecture hall. However, certain sports like long distance running require training to build up our bodies so they can handle the challenge. If we go into such sport cold, it can shock our muscles, hearts, lungs, and other organs and cause severe pain or in some cases, even death.
Some people are born with medical conditions that go unnoticed until they stress the unstable part of their body. A weak heart may never be seen until we do something that causes extreme physical effort. Recently there have been cases of people dying while running long distances. Also, a university student died after taking a 1.000m running exam. Some universities and high schools have cut long distance races (i.e. 3.000m, 5,000m) from their campus sports games, partly because of the supposed danger and partly because they say fewer people are entering such events.
Maybe education about such events is lacking, especially during primary and high school. People participating in such competitions should realize that a reasonable amount of training is required beforehand and having a medical check is wise, especially for a marathon. People shouldn’t be forced to participate in events that push them past their limits, especially if they haven’t warmed-up completely. Cancelling events could lead to people becoming less healthy and overweight. Maybe these events shouldn’t be cancelled, but organizers and participants should be more careful about regular health checks.
1. Why does the author write the text?| A．To give us some reminding on exercises. |
| B．To persuade us to take less sports. |
| C．To advise students to have regular exercises. |
| D．To require cancelling long distance running. |
| A．Having trained a lot. | B．Without any preparation. |
| C．Having a low temperature. | D．In an unfriendly way. |
| A．Because no students are willing to enter such events. |
| B．Because the students’ physical conditions are too poor to finish them. |
| C．Because long distance running is not fit for students. |
| D．Because they worry about the supposed danger in such races. |
| A．Have a medical check and warm-up exercises. |
| B．Push ourselves past our limits. |
| C．Participate in it confidently. |
| D．Try to lose some weight first. |
9 . In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their selfworth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often lifeanddeath affairs. In their singleminded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's selfrespect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition.
1. What does this passage mainly talk about?| A．Competition helps to set up selfrespect. |
| B．Opinions about competition are different among people. |
| C．Competition is harmful to personal quality development. |
| D．Failures are necessary experiences in competition. |
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who value competition most highly |
| C．those who are against competition most strongly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
| A．One's worth lies in his performance compared with others'. |
| B．One's success in competition needs great efforts. |
| C．One's achievement is determined by his particular skills. |
| D．One's success is based on how hard he has tried. |
| A．Every effort should be paid back. |
| B．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
| C．Winning should be a lifeanddeath matter. |
| D．Competition should be encouraged. |
10 . Some years ago, Michel-Andre found himself staring at the body of a dead whale on a beach in the Canary Islands. It was obvious that the animal had been struck violently by a ship——but why? Only later, after surveying the whales which lived in the area and measuring the increase of sound pollution from ships did it become clear that there was a link.
The whales had become desensitised to the noise of approaching boats and were being struck by them, often seriously. “We never thought that this could be something that could kill,” recalls (回忆) Andre, who is the director of the Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics at the Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona.
Andre has spent 20 years developing an advanced system to better understand why incidents like this happen. His underwater microphones have exposed a world of deafening sound and animal communication never observed with such clarity(清晰) before.
It was not an easy task. Sound waves don't travel through water in the uniform, predictable way they do through the air. Instead, the temperature, salinity (盐度) and, flow of water have great effects on their path.
What can be done? One solution is to change shipping routes to courses where ships are statistically less likely to meet animals. It’s also possible to slow ships down to 18km/h or less, which is less likely to seriously injure a whale.
As for dealing with the root cause of the problem, the UN’s International Maritime Organisation has already published guidelines on how to quieten ships, but it will be a while before the effects of such changes might be observed.
“The ocean is not our world,” comments Andre. But it is ours to look after. And thanks to his work, we can better understand the effects of subsea sound pollution.
1. What does the underlined word “desensitised” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Stubborn. | B．Flexible. | C．Dull. | D．Friendly. |
| A．To lower the speed of ships. |
| B．To reduce the number of ships. |
| C．To set up preserves under the sea. |
| D．To give the injured animals timely treatment. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Disapproving. | C．Positive. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．A great expert. | B．Noise in the sea. |
| C．Animals in the sea. | D．Sea exploration technology. |
