1 . Two and a half months before the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins, forecasters have already predicted and warned that warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic and the development of a La Niña in the Pacific may create a “perfect storm” of the conditions needed for major hurricanes.

Key to the formation of any tropical cyclone (气旋) is the combination of warm ocean temperatures and the absence of what is known as wind shear. Alex DaSilva, a forecaster, explains that wind shear occurs when wind changes direction and speed at different heights in the atmosphere. When there’s much wind shear, it essentially knocks over those clouds and prevents tropical systems from really becoming stronger. Besides, hurricanes also need surface water to be at a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius or higher. That warm water, and the warm air just above it, provides fuel for the storm. The record data for February are 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal.

Over periods ranging from three to seven years, the waters of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean alternately (交替地) warm and cool as a result of a repeatedly occurring climate pattern called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). During an El Niño, sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific increase, and those warmer temperatures affect the path of the Pacific jet stream, which in turn brings drier, warmer weather to the northern United States and Canada, and wetter conditions to the Gulf Coast and southeast. El Niño reduces the possibility of Atlantic hurricane formation because it lowers hurricane activity and increases wind shear. La Niña has just the opposite effect of El Niño. During the 2023 season, ENSO was in an El Niño phase. By the time the 2024 season starts, it is likely to have shifted fully into a La Niña.

“If a tropical storm system comes into this area, it could rapidly intensify, potentially close to land,” DaSilva cautions. “And that’s why people need to be on alert and have their hurricane plans ready. Because any system with these kinds of conditions can explode very quickly. That’s what we’re concerned about.”

1. Where can you probably read this article?

A．www.huffpost.com/entertainment/

B．www.bbc.com/innovation/science

C．www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/

D．www.nytimes.com/spotlight/global-culture-sports

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The explanation of wind shear.

B．The timing of the hurricane season.

C．The process of hurricane formation.

D．The reason for warmer surface water.

3. How can a La Niña affect the formation of hurricanes?

A．Generate less wind shear.

B．More rainfall in the Gulf Coast.

C．Block the path of the Pacific jet stream.

D．Higher temperature in the northern America.

4. What is the purpose of writing this article?

A．To report the hurricane-struck areas.

B．To remind people of getting prepared.

C．To introduce some geographic knowledge.

D．To explain the features of El Niño and La Niña.

2 . WHAT ARE RIP CURRENTS?

Rip currents are like the rivers of the sea, transporting water near the shore back out into the ocean depths. The presence of these currents can be hidden by the wild movements of the surrounding waves. This means that as well as carrying seaweed and pieces of materials quickly out to sea, they can rapidly sweep away even the strongest swimmers. Around 80 percent of all lifeguard rescues are caused by powerful rip currents pulling a swimmer into danger.

If you find yourself being pulled out to sea by an unsuspected rip current, you should remain calm, focus on staying afloat and, if you can, swim parallel to the shore. Your instincts might tell you to swim towards land, as this is where you’re aiming to get to, but the current will be too strong to swim against. Instead, aim to move across the current and into slower flowing water next to it. A rip current may only pull you just past the breaking waves, but in some cases they can take you hundreds of metres offshore. The strength of currents can be hard to predict, so it’s safest to stay on lifeguarded beaches and not to swim if you see any indication of a rip current.

1. Understanding rip currents can help ______.

A．prevent you from swimming into danger	B．transport water out into the ocean depths
C．clear away seaweed and pieces of materials	D．warn lifeguards against rescue in rip currents

2. The illustration probably explains ______.

A．difference between various currents	B．two types of zones off shore
C．an ideal route to surf in safety	D．how rip currents form

3. Which region is the path of a rip current?

A．1000 metres off the shore beyond “HEAD”.	B．The channel through the gap in a sandbar.
C．The location where a red flag is erected.	D．Over the narrow stretch of a sandbar.

5 . With no special equipment, no fences and no watering, two abandoned agricultural fields in the UK have been rewilded (重新野化), in large part due to the efforts of jays, which actually “engineered” these new woodlands. Researchers now hope that rewilding projects can take a more natural and hands-off approach and that jays can shed some of their bad reputations.

The two fields, which researchers have called the New Wilderness and the Old Wilderness, had been abandoned in 1996 and 1961 respectively. The former was a bare field, while the latter was grassland—both lay next to ancient woodlands. Researchers had suspected that the fields would gradually return to wilderness, but it was impressive to see just how quickly this happened, and how much of it was owed to birds.

Using aerial data, the researchers monitored the two sites. After just 24 years, the New Wilderness had grown into a young, healthy wood with 132 live trees per hectare, over half of which (57%) were oaks. Meanwhile, the Old Wilderness resembled a mature woodland after 39 years, with 390 trees per hectare.

“This native woodland restoration was approaching the structure (but not the species composition) of long-established woodlands within six decades,” the researchers explained in the study.

Part of this reforestation was done by the wind, and researchers suspect that previous ground disturbance may have aided the woodland establishment—which is good news, as it would suggest that agricultural areas may be reforested faster than anticipated. However, animals—Eurasian jays, thrushes, wood mice, and squirrels—also played an important role in helping the forests take shape. This handful of species provided much of the natural regeneration needed for the forest to develop. Jays, in particular, seem to have done a lot of heavy lifting.

1. What does the underlined word “shed” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Be opposed to.

B．Be ashamed of.

C．Get used to.

D．Get rid of.

2. Which aspect of the changes in the two fields impressed the researchers?

A．The scale of the woodlands.

B．The diversity of the fields.

C．The rate of the changes.

D．The frequency of the wilderness.

3. What does the author want to tell us by providing some data in Paragragh 3?

A．The woodland restoration was approaching the structure of long-established ones.

B．Much of the wilderness of the fields was owed to birds.

C．Previous ground disturbance aided the woodland establishment.

D．How quickly the fields returned to wilderness over time.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The essential role of humans in the reforestation.

B．The factors that contribute to the reforestation.

C．The importance of woodland establishment.

D．The threats faced by a handful of wild animals.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Where does the name Brazil come from?

A．A type of tree.

B．A continent.

C．A beach.

2. What is Brazil’s official language?

A．English.

B．Portuguese.

C．French.

3. Where are the two most famous beaches located?

A．In Brasilia.

B．In San Paolo.

C．In Rio de Janeiro.

4. How long does the university academic year last?

A．About nine months.

B．About eight months.

C．About seven months.

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In southern China, there is a famous road     1    (build) across Poyang Lake, which lies in the north of Jiangxi Province, China and is known as China’s second     2     (large) lake. People in China also call it “the most beautiful road under the water.”

This road is sure     3     (attract) a lot of attention towards the end of May every year. A lot of people come out of     4     (curious). The water level of the lake is so close to the surface of the road,     5     makes the view ahead broad and bright when people drive along. It’s as though they were taking a boat across the lake. The feeling is     6     (simple) wonderful!

For the next few months, this road is not above the surface    7    under the water. When the water level of Poyang Lake starts to go up, the road surface becomes unseen. However, drivers can still drive across the lake safely     8     watching the guardrails(防撞护栏) fixed on either side of the road. For thrill-seeking motorists, it’s like     9     (drive) an amphibious(水陆两栖的) super car. Then in a few days, the entire road     10     (flood) with the continuously rising water. A few months later, the road will reappear.

9 . Despite being one of the most famous and frequented attractions in the United States,     1    . Here are a few facts about the Grand Canyon you probably don’t know.

We don’t really know how old it is

It has long been believed that the Colorado River began carving the Grand Canyon about 6 million years ago,     2    . It suggests that the process may have begun as far back as 70 million years. In all likelihood, the Grand Canyon as we know it today started out as a series of smaller canyons 70 million years ago, but the majority of the canyon did not begin to take shape until much more recently.

    3    .

Of all Grand Canyon facts, this one is pretty cool—no word-play intended. Sudden changes in altitude have an enormous impact on temperature and rainfall, so the weather you are experiencing could differ dramatically, depending on where you are in the Grand Canyon. The coldest, wettest weather station in the region is the Bright Angel Ranger Station on the North Rim, while the hottest (and one of the driest) is just 8 miles away at Phantom Ranch.

There are lots of fossils in the area

While the dinosaur might have missed out on seeing the Grand Canyon, lots of other fossils have been found.     4    . They vary from ancient marine fossils dating back 1.2 billion years to fairly recent land mammals that left their remains in canyon caves about 10,000 years ago.

Fish are relatively uncommon in the area

Prior to modern flood control measures, the Colorado River provided a uniquely difficult habitat for fish, with heavy mud with small rocks, frequent floods, and temperatures ranging from extreme heat in summer to sub-freezing in winter. Consequently, only eight fish species are native to the Grand Canyon,     5    .

A．but a 2012 study contained a real shocker

B．and many other species are found outside this area.

C．and six of them are found nowhere outside of the Colorado River.

D．The weather in the Grand Canyon is really cool.

E．This indicates that other creatures frequented the location.

F．The Grand Canyon creates its own weather.

G．Grand Canyon National Park still holds some surprises.