1 . When my kids were young, we bought them two pet parrots. These beautiful, white birds would whistle all through the day. We had a big cage for them with toys, and a mirror, plus food and water dishes. We couldn’t let them fly in the house because of our cats, but they didn’t seem to be content in their cage or so, I thought.
One day when the air had turned warm, I opened the window to let the wind in. The songs of lots of different birds filled the air and our two parrots sang with excitement. I went over to their cage to replace their water, but as soon as I opened the door, one of them flew out and headed for the window. He crashed into the glass, fell over onto the sofa, fell back up and then started to fly around the living room. The cats ran after him, hoping for a quick meal. The kids screamed (尖叫) and I rushed to save him. It took several minutes to stop the cats from catching the bird, and get him safely back in his cage. After that day, however, I always felt a bit sorry for my parrots. I knew that no matter how comfortable their cage was, they still wanted to fly.
Many of us live in cages of our own making. We close our minds, lock away our hearts, and limit our lives. We refuse to see the love that lies within us. We sit in our cages day after day and never dare to once open the door.
I don’t want to waste my days sitting bored in a cage. I want to go fast through the sky on wings of kindness and joy. I want to ride on the winds of love and help everyone to do the same. Don’t stay stuck in your own cage then. Let yourself fly!
1. Why did the writer put parrots into the cage?| A．Because they could be eaten by the cats. |
| B．Because they were too young to fly in the air. |
| C．Because they could see themselves in the mirror. |
| D．Because they would get enough food and water. |
| A．couldn’t stand up after crashing into the glass |
| B．attempted to fly out of the window |
| C．played a hide-and-seek game with eats |
| D．frightened the kids to scream loudly |
| A．Because they liked living in a cage. |
| B．Because their cage wasn’t comfortable for them. |
| C．Because they couldn’t fly freely like other birds. |
| D．Because their enemies were waiting to kill them. |
| A．We try to protect ourselves from danger. |
| B．We like to make a living all by ourselves. |
| C．We do not dare to speak out our love. |
| D．We often put ourselves in a life cage. |
2 . It was the first time I had noticed him properly. Before this, Jack had just been a friendly young man provided by the hotel to accompany me on trips to the wildlife park nearby. But then he caught my attention by asking me to shut up.
“It’s just a garden spider. Don’t cry!” he said, looking at the creature with more love than I could gather for most humans. I had indeed cried-I was in the front seat of a jeep and the spider was on my leg.
“I don’t care what it is. Make it go away!” I said. I wanted him to pick the thing up and throw it out of the jeep right at that moment. He did something quite else.
He pushed his leg towards mine and held out the cloth of his trousers to gently let the spider go onto his own leg. He then drove on, as if nothing had happened. The spider climbed a little bit and then just stopped on his knee. I sat there staring at the spider for any sudden movement.
I was frightened that the man was completely at ease with a spider dangerously quiet on his knee. About 15 minutes later, he pushed his knee forward to the dashboard and the spider immediately climbed off his knee and on to the jeep. “The poor thing had been trying to get off me,” he said. “I only noticed now that it was trying to reach the dashboard, so I helped it along.”
I wondered then about this man, who thought about the spider with such kindness... Where and when did I lose my empathy towards the unfamiliar? Now, when faced with a row of ants on the staircase, my first reaction is no longer to attack them. The ants were already wise, but thanks to Jack, I learnt to live with the not so beautiful bits of nature.
1. We can infer that the writer at first .| A．invited Jack to go to the wildlife park | B．was excited to keep Jack company |
| C．fell in love with Jack at the first sight | D．didn’t take seriously of Jack |
| A．To let it alone. | B．To remove it off her leg. |
| C．To get it off the jeep. | D．To observe it with love. |
| A．Put it on his knee for a look. | B．Made it move onto his leg. |
| C．Threw it out of the jeep. | D．Stared at it in case of a sudden attack. |
| A．To avoid an attack from a wild creature. | B．To be friendly with people in need. |
| C．To challenge dangerous creatures bravely. | D．To love those living creatures anywhere. |
3 . The whale, as big as a locomotive(火车头) jumped out of the water, spinning(旋转) as though for joy, before jumping back under the waves. We watched the scene(场景) silently in astonishment, never having been so close to such a huge, fast-moving creature. It seemed almost possible to count the small shellfish on the whale’s skin.
In early December, gray whales, blue whales, and others had just started heading around the tip of Baja California, Mexico, moving as a community from the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Cortez. It’s in that protected waterway that pregnant whales give birth to their babies. Other whale babies, born the year before, could be seen sailing behind. All whale babies get two trips like this with their mom before they’re ready to start having babies of their own and making the journey on their own.
We’re in one of several small powerboats, sent out by Scuba Caribe, which carries on such tours in Cabo San Lucas. The whales seemed to be, at times, less than 100 feet from our boat when they rushed out of the water. At other times, they would get much closer and swim beside the boat.
“What if one lands on us?” a woman next to me wondered. Fernando Del Toro, the Destination Manager of Scuba Caribe said, “We haven’t had any incident (事件) of whales jumping over our boats as we always keep our distance. We’re sure they themselves are probably careful not to crash into boats. Such an accident would probably also cause them much harm.”
“Everyone can enjoy this magical trip,” said Del Toro. “However, we do not recommend(推荐) it for kids under 5 years old,” he added.
Though conditions on the water vary, our trip was wonderful. Even when the boat sped up to catch up with the whales, there was little need to “hang on”, and some of us remained standing throughout most of the trip. Still, you may want to pack medicine for those who might get seasick while bouncing(颠簸行进) along the waves.
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By telling a story. | B．By asking questions. |
| C．By describing a scene. | D．By giving background information. |
| A．A description of the author’s journey. |
| B．A list of best places for whale-watching. |
| C．An introduction to the travelling of whales. |
| D．A suggestion on taking a whale-watching tour. |
| A．It is suitable for all ages. |
| B．It is much too dangerous. |
| C．It may cause serious damage to wildlife. |
| D．It should be done from a proper distance. |
| A．It was smooth in general. |
| B．It was tiring in particular. |
| C．It was destroyed by a storm. |
| D．It was terrible due to his seasickness. |
The young artist and potter Allan had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his elder son developed a severe stomachache. Neither Allan nor his wife took the condition very
Knowing the death could
As the alcoholism progressed, Allan began to lose everything he possessed and finally died alone in a small bar. Hearing of his death, I thought, “
As time went by, I began to revalue my
Tears came to my eyes as I realized that I had been a fool to judge Allan as a failure. He had not left many material
5 . "Could you load(把碗碟放入)the dishwasher?" How many times have we asked our teenage children to do a chore(家务活)and found later that it was done so poorly that we have to finish the job?
Don't expect teens already know how to do something. Kelly says."We left my teenage daughter alone for a few days.
Use the team method.
Kelly says, "We do so much for our kids.
If you can’t stand how clothes are always being left on the floor, don’t let your teens got away with it .
Keep chores gender-neutral(不分性别的).
Don't leave all the kitchen chores for daughters, and jobs like washing the car or fixing things for sons.
| A．Explain the job. |
| B．Remember to say thank you. |
| C．However, she had no idea how to separate rubbish. |
| D．Watering the plants can be a good way of relaxation. |
| E．We drive them everywhere, and help with their homework. |
| F．Few parents are happy with the way housework is done by their teenagers. |
| G．Make them pick the clothes up, but don’t add on other chores at the same time |
“Nothing will ever be the same again,” Ally said to herself.
Ally's father died last summer. It wasn't fair, Ally thought. Dad was young and had never been sick. Why had his heart suddenly stopped? Ally sank slow into her father's favorite chair and looked at his picture on the bookcase. Ally smiled. “I miss you, Dad,” she said softly.
At this moment, she felt a hand smoothing her hair and looked up. “Why don't you come outside with me, Ally?” her mother asked. “The birds are nesting in the woods. By this time last year you'd already taken dozens of pictures.”
But her mother must know birdwatching wouldn't be the same this year. How could it be? Ally wondered. Ever since she could remember she and Dad had been a team, searching the woods for the special wood warbler (林柳莺). “I'll be out in while, I promise,” she answered.
After her mother left, Ally reached for the photo album she and Dad had put together. On the cover was a photo of a tiny yellow bird with blue-gray wings and black eyes. Dad cut it from a local newspaper. Ally smiled, remembering the excited look on Dad's face when he showed her the pretty bird.
“I can't believe someone spotted this little guy way up here in New Jersey,” he said. “Wood warblers are usually found in the south, not this far north. I bet if we search really hard, Ally, we'll see this little guy together someday.”
Ally closed her eyes. She loved thinking about the times she and Dad had spent searching the woods for the little bird. They'd never spotted the warbler, but her father had an amazing way of making each outing seem special. He was her best friend.
注意：
1.续写的短文词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
When they were together, Ally felt comfortable with her favorite blue sweatshirt on.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just then her mother came to her, carrying the old net.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 . Do Dolphins Have a Language?
We know that dolphins make unique sounds, but is that a language? If you’re interested in it, you are welcome to the activity recommended by Denise Herzing!
About Denise Herzing
Denise Herzing of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is the organiser and research director of the Wild Dolphin Project, which has a goal of understanding dolphins’ social system, behaviour, and communication. For over thirty years, she has spent each summer watching Atlantic dolphins carefully in the Bahamas.
Activity Guide:
Purpose:
Dolphins use sound to communicate, but they can’t make sounds in the way we humans make. Out of the water dolphins can make different sounds by changing the shape of their blowhole (呼吸孔), which is similar to changing the shape of our own mouths. Underwater, though, they use a totally different system, and they make sounds without letting any air out. You can learn more about how that works here. In this activity we’re going to try to talk like a dolphin.
Materials:
Nothing! But find a partner, maybe a brother or sister or a parent — or if you have one, a dog or cat. After all, this activity is about communication between humans and animals.
How To Do It:
Take a deep breath, hold your nose to keep it shut, and try to communicate with your partner. If your partner is a pet, try saying its name or asking it to “come here”.
When you’re done, think about what made it hard, what solutions you found, and think why dolphins may have developed to communicate in this way.
Then listen to sounds from all kinds of sea animals and compare your dolphin sound to theirs.
1. What can we learn about Denise Herzing?| A．She holds the activity in FAU. |
| B．She is an expert in dolphins. |
| C．She wants to find a partner for her research. |
| D．She fell in love with dolphins when young. |
| A．Have a pet next to you. | B．Keep breathing deeply. |
| C．Talk with your nose closed. | D．Compare dolphins with other animals. |
| A．In a diary. | B．In a report. |
| C．In a travel brochure. | D．In an activity book |
It was a pleasant morning. Meena was leaning out of her window and feeding the birds. The roads were empty because of COVID-19 lockdown. Just then a strong blow of wind came and Meena saw something flying in the air from distance. “Is it a kite?” Meena thought. As it came closer, Meena saw that it was a mask.
Curious to know where the mask came from, she ran to catch the mask and finally ran to the beach nearby. The mask fell into the sea water. As Meena looked around, she saw many masks floating in the sea and lying on the beach. She wondered where they came from.
Suddenly Meena heard a low voice nearby so helpless as if crying out for someone for help. She went closer to the voice – it was a huge turtle from the sea, with something stuck into his mouth. Apparently the turtle was choking (噎住) and in great pain. Meena moved closer to him, without wasting any time pulling it out of his mouth – it was a mask! The turtle finally recovered from the pain and seemed to express relief from his eyes as if to say “thank you” for her kindness.
Meena was sad to see so many masks thrown around. Just then she saw a man dumping rubbish here, with many single-use masks poured out. “Stop!” she screamed. “Please don’t throw the waste here. The turtle might swallow the mask again and fall sick!” The man stopped at once. He was sorry for his actions and decided to help clean the beach. He called a few people from the village to help them clean it. In no time the beach was free of rubbish.
Meena was happy and couldn’t wait to go home and tell her mother about it. Her mother was very proud of her, and told her the importance of throwing single-use masks into a rubbish bin so that animals wouldn’t swallow them. Yet Meena was still worried. She didn’t want the turtles to fall sick again due to people’s ignorance.
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
“Shouldn’t I stop wearing a mask?” asked Meena.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The next day Meena and her mother gave out their homemade cloth masks around the village.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 . Their beautiful call suggests the arrival of spring, but the routes taken by cuckoos(杜鹃) during their annual migration(迁徙) have remained a mystery. Now, though, scientists from the British Trust for Omithology(BTO) have revealed the details of their remarkable 10,000-mile journey, with the help of tracking devices.
Five male birds were caught in Norfolk last May and fitted with satellite-tagged “backpacks’’ before being released. The scientists then monitored their progress over 12 months as they flew to Africa in the autumn, and returned in the spring.
The project was carried out to discover why every year fewer of the birds return to Britain. Between 1995 and 2010，the population of cuckoos spending summer here fell by almost half, and the number is continuing to decline. Previously, the lack of information about the cuckoos’ long migration has hampered the understanding of how to help conserve the birds.
Earlier this year, it was reported that cuckoos arrived in the UK much earlier than normal. Their call was recorded by ornithologists(鸟类专家) as early as February, a month ahead of their usual arrival.
Like all migrating animals, cuckoos respond to the changing seasons. They depend on lush plants to provide the fruit and food for insects that they feed on. This reliance on seasonal patterns means that a changing climate could make an already challenging journey impossible for them.
1. What is the main purpose of the project?| A．To track cuckoos’ 10,000-mile journey. |
| B．To better understand the habits of cuckoos. |
| C．To find out what happens during cuckoos’ journey. |
| D．To discover why the population of cuckoos is declining. |
| A．prevented | B．deepened | C．improved | D．affected |
| A．In January. | B．In February. | C．In March. | D．In April. |
| A．1acking food | B．changing climate |
| C．changing routes | D．cold spring in the UK |
10 . Lots of people dream of a beach vacation, but hesitate to take one because they don't want to leave a pet behind.
Find a hotel that is pet-friendly. Most hotels that accept pets will advertise themselves as pet-friendly on their websites.
Clean up after your pet. When vacationing with your pet it doesn't mean that all responsibility is gone. Picking up after it, whether that is when it goes to the bathroom or it makes a mess with its food, is still your responsibility.
Be considerate of others.
| A．Protect your pet from the sun. |
| B．Make sure you choose a beach that allows pets. |
| C．However, there is no need to settle for a pet sitter. |
| D．You never know how an animal will react in public. |
| E．You could also try to stay with a friend who loves your pet. |
| F．If you are unsure whether a hotel accepts pets, call it and ask. |
| G．This is especially important at the beach where many people move around. |
