1 . Standing on the shore of a lake, I can’t help but feel surprised at the thousands of small rocks that surround my boots. They were all created from _________ surfaces, their edges softening over time. I wonder, “Can we learn from a pile of rocks?”

Even the tallest mountains have _________; none are as tall as they were 1,000 years ago. And much like a rock, I’ve found my _________ has softened and my desire to better understand others has expanded with each trip around the sun.

_________, I was also a sharp rock covered in pointy edges. Today, after decades of the waters of life coursing over me, my edges are softer and I’m more _________. I’m less likely to judge and more interested in learning how we can _________ together.

But I’m not a _________. I’m a human filled with all the drama built into my DNA.

Two years ago, while traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I watched a restaurant owner ask several young men to _________ for not wearing masks. Not _________ and not rude. On the door read a sign, “Please wear a mask before entering our restaurant. We don’t like it either, but let’s all do what we can to __________ this together.”

The group of young men wanted to __________ about the note. I sat at the restaurant watching, understanding both sides. I’ve been one of them before, using my youthful edges to chip away at (削弱) the world. What I lost, __________, was the ability to grow from __________ by looking through the eyes of others. In learning to be more __________, I’ve also found more happiness and success.

You can fit more rounded rocks in a jar than those with sharp edges. The former look for ways to __________ and make room for others, while the latter never give an __________ to accommodate others.

__________, like the waters rolling against once sharp stones, changes us by washing away our resistance to __________ the world from someone else’s point of view.

I placed a __________ stone into my jacket pocket. Mother Nature is holding a __________ again.

1.

A．fragile

B．shiny

C．smooth

D．hard

2.

A．piled up

B．worn down

C．risen up

D．broken down

3.

A．will

B．voice

C．attitude

D．heart

4.

A．Still

B．Often

C．Here

D．Once

5.

A．understanding

B．confident

C．patient

D．competitive

6.

A．contribute

B．exist

C．work

D．develop

7.

A．fool

B．soul

C．rock

D．judge

8.

A．explain

B．leave

C．apologize

D．pay

9.

A．contradictory

B．confusing

C．forceful

D．discouraging

10.

A．get through

B．stick to

C．deal with

D．fight against

11.

A．think

B．care

C．talk

D．argue

12.

A．even

B．however

C．anyway

D．also

13.

A．hardships

B．struggle

C．experiences

D．failure

14.

A．open

B．cautious

C．ambitious

D．independent

15.

A．ignore

B．accept

C．adjust

D．change

16.

A．excuse

B．agreement

C．entrance

D．inch

17.

A．Nature

B．Tolerance

C．Tide

D．Time

18.

A．reforming

B．seeing

C．exploring

D．travelling

19.

A．sharp

B．rounded

C．valuable

D．rolling

20.

A．class

B．belief

C．meeting

D．discussion

4 . 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。

After over 2,100 days of operation, the central route of the South-North Water Diversion Project,     1     (transfer) 30 billion cubic meters of water and benefitted more than 67 million people up to now. The route,     2     (send) water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir located in the upper and middle reach of the Hanjiang River to Henan, Hebei, Tianjin and Beijing, stretches a total     3     (long) of 1,432 kilometers.

When the project just kicked off, only 20 of the 42 sections     4     (evaluate) in the Danjiangkou Reservoir and its upper reaches met water quality standard, and some even failed to meet Grade V standard,     5     lowest in China’s classification. After the operation of the project, all sections have met standard. The water fetched 15 meters below the surface in the project’s reservoirs is     6     (drink).

Since the project     7     (launch) in 2005, the water sources of the project have been well protected, and sound ecological environment has been maintained. At present, the forest coverage in Henan’s Nanyang and Hubei’s Shiyan,     8     the reservoirs locate, stands at 40.5 percent and 66.7 percent, respectively. The improved ecology also lifted biodiversity. These regions are home     9     170 migrant birds and a number of valuable plants. The improved environment has led to booming local tourism, attracting numerous visitors and constantly expanding the service industry for local communities. The enhanced ecological conservation efforts not only have no impacts on local people’s livelihood, but also     10     (steady) increase their income.

5 . 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。

Tianjin is an important stop on one of the eight major bird-migration routes     1     North Asia to Australia, and many species rest in Beidagang’s coastal area before flying to Australia or New Zealand. The birds will return to Tianjin on their northward migrations that go as far     2     the North Pole. Beidagang Wetland     3    (cover) nearly 350 square kilometers, including an area of about 115 sq km, in the southeast of the Binhai New Area. The wetland is essential for the birds’ breeding and growth. “Without it, they may be in danger during their migrations,” experts say.

Beidagang Wetland Management Center deputy director Sun Baonian says they’ve made great efforts to improve rare — bird protection in recent years.     4     total of 1,347 Oriental storks have been identified in the wetlands,     5    (account) for nearly 45 percent of I he species’     6     (globe) migration population, he says. They prefer to nest in high trees and buildings. Since Beidagang doesn't have enough high trees, the center has set up 20 artificial nesting areas on poles, 13 of     7     have been used by the waterfowl (水禽). And 17 chicks were born in the wetlands late last year.

The center also offers “homes” for volunteers and tourists, who come to learn more about wetland protection and enhance their     8    (aware) about how to protect the wetlands and birds.

The project     9    (support) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2012, following a high-level meeting in South Korea. In 2016, the IUCN encouraged China     10    (apply) for UNESCO status for the sites.

6 . By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.

At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.

Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.

Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”

And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.

Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”

1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?

A．The various patterns at the ocean surface.

B．The cause of the changes in ocean colour.

C．The way light reflects off marine organisms.

D．The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.

2. What does the underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Sensitive.

B．Beneficial.

C．Significant.

D．Unnoticeable.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.

B．Dutkiewicz’s model aims to project phytoplankton changes.

C．Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate.

D．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes.

B．To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain.

C．To explain the effects of climate change on oceans.

D．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton.