1 . Trip Fun

Thinking about going camping? You might want to try one of these campsites for quality and comfort!

Playa Montroig Camping Resort, Tarragona (Spain)

This Spanish campsite is a great family destination, with prices starting from €20 a night. You’ll be able to enjoy the beach by day, and you’ll have time to explore historic Tarragona in the evenings. The site has restaurants that offer traditional Spanish dishes such as Gambas al Ajillo and Albondigas. For more information, please go to www.playamontroig.com.

RCN Val de Cantobre, Aveyron (France)

France’s number one campsite is in the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park in the Tarn area. The campsite is in the grounds of a medieval house. There’s a swimming pool, a river and a pizzeria all on site. The scenery around the park is beautiful and great for walking. A week’s stay will cost you about €300. For more information, please go to www. eurocamp.co.uk.

Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle (Thailand)

Instead of tents, there are canvas cabins ( 帆布小屋) with showers and modern conveniences. Plus, there’s a gourmet restaurant, a spa and a pool. There are only 15 cabins to rent so you’ll have to reserve your spot before availability runs out. The camp is only accessible by riverboat, but once there you can learn to ride an elephant. Unfortunately, this sort of luxury isn’t cheap, and two nights at the Four Seasons will cost you about €1, 500! For more information, please go to www. fourseasons. com /goldentriangle.

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower (Wales)

There is a camp shop where you can buy food and drink, and there are pubs and restaurants nearby so you won’t even have to cook. You can waterski from the beach, or go walking along the Gower Way, a 50-kilometre nature trail which passes close to the campsite. A family tent (2 adults, 2 children) is about €28 a day. For more information, please go to www.threecliffsbay.com.

1. What’s the minimum charge for an overnight stay in the Spanish campsite?

A．€750.	B．€300.
C．€28.	D．€20.

2. What can be learned about Four Seasons Tented Camp?

A．It provides tourists with traditional Spanish dishes.

B．It allows tourists to ride an elephant and row a boat.

C．It requires tourists to book canvas cabins in advance.

D．It is located in the Grands Causses Regional Natural Park.

3. Which website should you visit if you’d like to do some waterskiing?

A．www.fourseasons.com/goldentriangle.

B．www.playamontroig.com.

C．www.threecliffsbay.com.

D．www.eurocamp.co.uk.

2 . Scientists recently have discovered a new species of bat that has bright orange for and black wings. They later named it Myotis nimbaensis in the journal American Museum Novitates.

Jon Flanders, who works at Bat Conservation International (BCI), was leading a team with eight other researchers in the Nimba Mountains in Guinea where they found the orange bat. Many bats live in the mountains’ old mineshafts (井筒) that are now unsafe to enter, so researchers placed nets at the entrances to trap bats while they flew. One night in January 2018, a brightly colored bat standing out among its dark-furred neighbors was also caught in the net.

“The color is just unusual. Its wings are black with orange fur. There aren’t a lot of orange bats in the world. I don’t tend to work with that many brightly colored bats. It’s definitely an unusual one for me,” Flanders says.

There are about 1,400 bat species in the world, including a few orange ones in China and South America — far from Myotis nimbaensis’s home in West Africa. For the past several years, more than 20 new bat species have been added to the list. However, those discoveries usually come about when scientists tease (梳理) apart the small genetic and physical differences between nearly the same species.

“Experienced researchers went out in the field, caught an animal, and said, ‘This is something we can’t identify.’ That’s much more unusual.” says Nancy Simmons, the American Museum of Natural History’s director of mammals.

To make sure that they had found something new, the team recaptured (重新捕获) the first bat they had found and compared it with specimens (标本) of other species. After doing some research, the team concluded that the new species of bat is at least five percent different than the closest related species, reports The Times.

Next, the scientists hope to study more about Myotis nimbaensis’s ecology — where it lives, what it eats, and what it needs in a habitat.

1. What did the researchers do after arriving at the mineshafts?

A．They entered them for further observation.

B．They caught some bats with a big net.

C．They reported their newly found bat caves.

D．They made sounds to drive the bats away.

2. What can we know about the over 20 new bat species found previously?

A．They are commonly seen.	B．They are different in colors.
C．They live in West Africa.	D．They share similar genes.

3. Why did the researchers recapture the first bat they had found?

A．To attract more such bats.	B．To make a specimen.
C．To identify its species.	D．To keep it in their lab.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．An unusual adventure in Guinea	B．Different bat species worldwide
C．A newly discovered bat species	D．Bats living in old mineshafts

3 . Most forest fires are caused by human carelessness or ignorance. Forest fire prevention, therefore, is mainly a problem of creating better understanding of the importance of forests, an awareness of the danger of fire in the woods, and a sense of personal responsibility to safeguard the forests from danger. This is not an easy job.

Careless smokers are responsible for thousands of forest fires each year. Many of these are started when cigarette butts (烟蒂) and matches are thrown from automobiles. Others are caused by hunters, hikers, fishermen, or woods workers who are careless in disposing (处理) of their smoking materials. The Forest Service has posted rules in many of the National Forests that ban smoking except in certain designated (指示) areas. Many of the states have laws against throwing lighted materials from automobiles. The prevention of smoker-caused fires, however, depends upon changing the attitudes and behavior of millions of people who smoke in dangerous area.

The most important natural cause of fire is lightning. This accounts for 11 per cent of forest fires on protected land for the entire nation. In the Western States, lightning causes a much higher percentage of fires than it does in the East.     

Advances in knowledge of fire weather are helping forest protection forces to know when to be alert to lightning-caused fires. Adequate and well-equipped forces can control them quickly and hold the damage to a minimum. Experiments in “seeding” thunder clouds to prevent or control the lightning itself have been in process for many years, but new breakthroughs are needed for any significant reduction in the fires lightning starts.

1. This passage is chiefly about ________.

A．smoking in forests	B．changing the attitudes and behavior of millions of people
C．the chief causes of forest fires and their prevention	D．advances in knowledge of fire weather

2. Preventing smoker-caused forest fires is mainly a problem of ________.

A．building the proper knowledge and habits in human beings	B．safeguarding the forests from fire
C．posting rules in forests	D．holding the damage to a minimum

3. Lightning-caused fires can be controlled quickly by ________.

A．holding the fire damage to a minimum

B．people who have changed their attitude and behavior

C．enough fire fighters with good fire-fighting devices

D．carrying out experiments in “seeding” thunder clouds

4. “Alert to” (2nd line, 4th paragraph) most probably means _________.

A．aware of

B．watchful for

C．responsible for

D．busy with

5. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．It is difficult to prevent forest fires.

B．Smoking is allowed only in certain forests.

C．11% of the forest fires in the Western States are caused by lightning.

D．Experiments in “seeding” thunder clouds have helped reduce lightning-caused forest fires.

4 . Zo Trisha Prinsloo cares about the beaches of Cape Town, South Africa. She leads cleanups there. She set up a group called Save a Fishie years ago! It has picked up plastic bottles, food containers, and other waste. “My main goal is to constantly remove anything and everything I can off our beaches,” she says, “and to try to prevent litter from being taken out to sea.”

Lately, however, Prinsloo has noticed an increase in a certain kind of plastic waste. It’s from PPE (personal protective equipment). Her group Save a Fishie saw eight different kinds of gloves” during a cleanup. I find masks more and more regularly, too,” she said.

People everywhere are wearing PPE to protect themselves from COVID-19. But when PPE isn’t thrown out the right way, it pollutes the environment and endangers wildlife. Each year, at least 8 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans. Now this waste includes more PPE. Last year, the Ocean Conservancy led by its chief scientist George Leonard held its annual International Coastal Cleanup. “We’ve found tens of thousands of PPE waste, and more of it is being put into oceans. PPE waste is a significant threat to oceans,” Leonard said. PPE waste can hurt ocean animals that can eat it or get tangled (缠绕) in it. Sue Schwar manages South Essex Wildlife Hospital in the UK. Her team saved a seagull. Its legs got tangled,” she said. Thankfully, the staff was able to untangle the bird and set it free.

PPE will continue to be common until COVID-19 ends, but there’re steps you can take to reduce its environmental impact. Wear clean reusable masks and deal with them carefully before throwing them into rubbish bins to make sure animals won’t get tangled up. Put used PPE in a bin with a safe lid (盖子). This is important when the bin is outside because masks and gloves can be carried away by the wind.

1. Why did Prinsloo set up Save a Fishie?

A．To clean up the beaches.	B．To offer free PPE to people.
C．To stop people producing rubbish.	D．To help fight against COVID-19.

2. What has Leonard’s team discovered?

A．Ocean animals also need PPE.	B．PPE waste is a growing problem.
C．Ocean environment depends on PPE.	D．PPE can help protect people greatly.

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．What to do to reduce rubbish.	B．Where to put rubbish bins.
C．How to solve the PPE problem.	D．When to wear masks and gloves.

4. Where is this text most likely from?

A．A biography.

B．A diary.

C．A novel.

D．A magazine.

5 . With sunset on the horizon, Chad Rissman and his uncle Darrin Vick had waited all day for one bite. They were just sitting there talking when ______ the line got tight and ______. With that light bite, they got ______ in an unforgettable fishing tale.

Darrin was going to grab the ______. As the leader (接钩线) was coming up, Chad said he'd get hold of the shark. But before Darrin could, an eagle swept in and ______ the shark as its own. "In the sunset, the way ______ lined up for shooting; I couldn't have ______ a better time," said Chad. The family ______ their phones and ______ the moment.

Then, they ______ the line and got the line and hook away from the eagle.

"I think they did a really great job. It could have been a lot ______," said Kim Begay with the Clearwater Audubon Society and Audubon Center for Birds of Prey. Begay ______   that eagle as Eugene, first ______   in Bradenton in 2017, after breaking her leg. "The first time she broke her leg, she was in rehab (康复中心) for about eight ______   and she was in rehab at a very ______ time when she would be learning how to hunt and ______ her parents' hunt. Eugene appears to now be looking for easy ______," Begay explained.

If Eugene or any other bird is hooked, Begay suggested following these steps. "If you hook a bird ______, or the bird has line wrapped around them, you have to remove and then ______. If not, a bird could end up in ______."

1.

A．gradually

B．suddenly

C．permanently

D．hardly

2.

A．broken

B．long

C．loose

D．smooth

3.

A．interested

B．involved

C．lost

D．absorbed

4.

A．line

B．shark

C．eagle

D．phone

5.

A．killed

B．attacked

C．swallowed

D．claimed

6.

A．anything

B．everything

C．something

D．nothing

7.

A．asked for

B．run out of

C．escaped from

D．got rid of

8.

A．lost

B．threw

C．grabbed

D．delivered

9.

A．hid

B．shared

C．celebrated

D．recorded

10.

A．took out

B．cut off

C．tidied up

D．rolled up

11.

A．easier

B．healthier

C．worse

D．slower

12.

A．knows

B．regards

C．treats

D．accepts

13.

A．raised

B．witnessed

C．trained

D．rescued

14.

A．hours

B．days

C．months

D．years

15.

A．critical

B．enjoyable

C．relaxing

D．carefree

16.

A．protecting

B．ruining

C．discovering

D．following

17.

A．meals

B．tasks

C．journeys

D．methods

18.

A．with luck

B．by accident

C．in flesh

D．on purpose

19.

A．report

B．realize

C．release

D．recommend

20.

A．safety

B．relief

C．freedom

D．trouble

6 . The author, Lewis Caroll, describes an amazing creature in the famous fairy tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It _________ the way of giving Alice’s own thimble (顶针) as a gift for herself, leaving the children readers a strong impression. _________, when the kids try to search for this creature in real life, they will be _________ that this creature does not exist anymore. This is the dodo, a flightless bird that has gone _________ hundreds of years ago.

Dodo were _________ to the island of Mauritius, which locates in the east of Madagascar. Their appearance could only be described _________ illustrations and written accounts from those who have seen them. The images of a dodo _________ depict (描述) it as a bird with gray feathers,yellow feet, and a beak with black, yellow and green in colors.

As the bird is _________, it was historically recorded as fat and clumsy, but now it is thought to be well-adapted. The island where dodos used to live is believed to have plenty of food _________ and few predators, so dodos did not ____________ to evolve with strong wings to fly and find food.

____________ arrived when Dutch sailors discovered Mauritius in 1598 and handed in the first ____________ of dodos to the world. In the following years, the dodos were ____________ by sailors and also by the animals they ____________, including pigs, rats, and monkeys. Their ____________ and habitats were destroyed, leading to the rapid ____________ of dodos’ population.

Finally, in 1662 the last dodo closed its eyes, and they are thought to have ____________ by 1690. It had been less than 100 years from the ____________ of the dodos to their extinction. The bird is considered as an icon of extinction, ____________ people about the fact that human activities can have ____________ influences on biodiversity.

1.

A．comes up with

B．looks forward to

C．sets down to

D．lives up to

2.

A．Besides

B．Therefore

C．Instead

D．However

3.

A．disappointed

B．embarrassed

C．motivated

D．challenged

4.

A．faraway

B．blank

C．extinct

D．lost

5.

A．special

B．native

C．own

D．independent

6.

A．linked to

B．concerned about

C．based on

D．faced with

7.

A．gradually

B．finally

C．usually

D．rapidly

8.

A．flightless

B．meaningless

C．thoughtless

D．wordless

9.

A．bargains

B．chains

C．stores

D．resources

10.

A．dare

B．need

C．like

D．long

11.

A．Tragedy

B．Comedy

C．News

D．Broadcast

12.

A．memory

B．drawing

C．setting

D．record

13.

A．raised

B．honored

C．preferred

D．hunted

14.

A．painted

B．introduced

C．sheltered

D．found

15.

A．places

B．spots

C．nests

D．scenes

16.

A．minus

B．decline

C．drawback

D．increase

17.

A．died away

B．passed down

C．passed on

D．died out

18.

A．discovery

B．adoption

C．recognition

D．realization

19.

A．attracting

B．persuading

C．warming

D．denying

20.

A．light

B．fatal

C．slight

D．mild

7 . Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.

Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.

The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”

The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom built up to dangerous levels.

1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house ________.

A．is well worth the money spent on its construction

B．is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation

C．failed to meet energy conservation standards

D．was designed and constructed in a scientific way

2. What made the Ouchidas’ new house a horrible dream?

A．Poor quality of the air inside.	B．Poor quality of the construction.
C．Gas leakage in the kitchen.	D．The newly painted walls.

3. The word “accentuate” (Para. 3) most probably means “________”.

A．relieve

B．accelerate

C．worsen

D．improve

4. Why were cracks in old houses not a big concern?

A．Because indoor cleanliness was not emphasized.

B．Because energy used to be inexpensive.

C．Because environmental protection was given top priority.

D．Because they were technically unavoidable.

5. This passage is most probably taken from an article entitled ________.

A．Energy Conservation	B．House Building Crisis
C．Air Pollution Indoors	D．Traps in Building Construction

8 . Several years ago, Jason Box, a scientist from Ohio, flew 31 giant rolls of white plastic to a glacier (冰川) in Greenland. He and his team spread them across 10,000 feet of ice, then left. His idea was that the white blanket would reflect back the rays of the sun, keeping the ice cool below. When he came back to check the results, he found it worked. Exposed ice had melted faster than covered ice. He had not only saved two feet of glacier in a short time. No coal plants were shut down, no jobs were lost, and nobody was taxed or fired. Just the sort of fix we’re looking for.

“Thank you, but no thank you.” says Ralph King, a climate scientist. He told Grey Childs. author and commentator, that people think technology can save the planet, “but there are other things we need to deal with, like consumption. They burned $50,000 just for the helicopter” to bring the plastic to the glacier. This experiment, quote-unquote, gives people false hope that climate change can be fixed without changing human behavior. It can’t. Technology won’t give us a free ride.

Individuals respond to climate change differently. Climatologist Kelly Smith is hardly alone in her prediction that someday soon we won’t be climate victims, we will be climate Choosers. More scientists agree with her that if the human race survives. The engineers will get smarter, the tools will get better, and one day we will control the climate. but that then? “Just the mention of us controlling the climate sent a small shiver down my back, Grey writes.” “Something sounded wrong about stopping ice by our own will,” he says.

Me? I like it better when the earth takes care of itself, I guess one day we will have to run the place, but for the moment, sitting at my desk, looking out at the trees bending wildly and the wind howling, I’m happy not to be in charge.

1. Why does the author mention Jason Box’s experiment in the first paragraph?

A．To introduce a possible solution to climate change.

B．To describe a misleading attempt to fix the climate.

C．To report on a successful experiment on saving the glacier.

D．To arouse people’s attention to the problem of global warming.

2. Which statement would Ralph King most probably agree with?

A．The fight against climate change will not succeed.

B．Technology is not the final solution, let alone its high cost.

C．It’s best to deal with climate change without changing our behavior.

D．Jason’s experiment plays a significant role in fixing climate change.

3. What is Grey Childs’s attitude to human’s controlling the climate?

A．Favorable

B．Tolerant

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．But should we fix the climate?

B．Is climate change a real problem?

C．How can we take care of the earth?

D．What if all the glaciers disappeared?

9 . Bangkok’s Grand Palace is the busiest tourist stop in the city. People keep coming because the Grand Palace could arguably be called the birthplace of Bangkok

How to Get to the Grand Palace

Making your own way to the Grand Palace in Bangkok is more enjoyable and rewarding. Moving around by river taxi is inexpensive. Additionally, you’ll have a good excuse to see the Chao Phraya River up close. Going by boat won’t make you caught in traffic jams. It will let you see beautiful river scenery!

People staying in the Khao San Road area may choose to walk (around 20 — 25 minutes) to the Grand Palace.

Opening Hours

The Grand Palace is open seven days a week from 8:30 a. m. until 3:30 p. m. Occasionally, the Grand Palace does actually close for official visits and state functions. However, this is rare. Don’t believe any driver who states the Grand Palace is closed. If the statement of closure is too convincing, confirm it by calling: +6626235500 ext.3100.

Entrance Fees

Considering that temples in Thailand are often free, the 500 baht (around $16) per person entrance fee at the Grand Palace is relatively expensive. Thai nationals do not have to pay. An audio tour can be rented for an additional 200 baht. Besides, human guides are available for hire. Choose an official guide rather than accepting someone’s offer on the outside.

Dress Standards at the Grand Palace

To show enough respect, you shouldn’t wear sleeveless shirts in any temple or state building in Thailand. But unlike many of the other temples, dress standards are strictly required at the Grand Palace.

Men must wear long trousers, women must cover legs to just above the knee.

Don’t wear shirts with religious themes or symbols of death on them.

You may be told outside that flip-flops (人字拖鞋) are unacceptable footwear.

1. What do you know about the river taxi to the Grand Palace?

A．It is the only way to get to the Grand Palace

B．It is difficult for visitors to jump on and off it.

C．It is safe, clean and affordable for most visitors.

D．It allows visitors to avoid traffic jams and enjoy river scenery.

2. What should visitors do if they’re told the Grand Palace is closed?

A．They’d better call to confirm the information.

B．They should call off their trips immediately.

C．They should wait until the Grand Palace reopens.

D．They should believe the statements and change the trips.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 5?

A．The Grand Palace provides an audio tour free.

B．Not all people need to buy tickets to the Grand Palace.

C．Guides outside the Grand Palace are more professional.

D．The locals always guide visitors voluntarily during the holiday season.

4. Which of the following tourists clothing meets the requirements?

A．Mr Green, from the USA, wearing flip-flops and a T-shirt.

B．Alice, 16 years old, wearing a sleeveless shirt and a miniskirt.

C．Mark, wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long trousers and sports shoes.

D．John, wearing a hat and a shirt with religious symbols.

5. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To encourage more people to visit Bangkok.

B．To introduce some palaces in Bangkok to readers.

C．To introduce some activities of the Grand Palace.

D．To provide guidance on visiting the Grand Palace.

10 . People may use the expression “birdbrain” in English to talk about someone who is stupid, but crows prove that this is unfair. Now it has been discovered that crows may understand analogies.

It was once thought that only humans could understand analogies, which help us to solve problems creatively, put things into categories, and make scientific discoveries.

To test this ability in animals, scientists do “relational matching-to-sample”(RMTS) tests, according to the IFL Science website. If a pair was AA, for example, then picking BB to match it would be correct. If the pair was CD, however, then EF would be correct.

Apes and monkeys have learned RMTS, but scientists wanted to know if crows could do it, too. An international team led by Edward Wasserman from the University of Iowa in the US first trained two hooded crows to match things by color, shape, and number in what is called “identity matching-to-sample (IMTS)”, then moved onto RMTS.

For the IMTS test, the birds were put in a cage with a plastic tray that had three cards and two cups in it. The card in the middle was the sample card. The cups on either side were covered with the other two cards: One was the same as the sample (in the color, shape, or number of shapes pictured), while the other wasn’t. The cup with the card that matched the sample card contained two worms to eat.

In the second part of the experiment, the birds were tested with relational matching pairs. A card with two same-sized circles, for example, meant they should pick the test card with two same-sized squares and not two different-sized circles. The birds did well in the more difficult test and picked the correct card more than three quarters of the time, Science News reports.

Wasserman was surprised that crows were able to solve the problem without any training in RMTS. “What the crows have done is extraordinary,” he said in a news release. “Honestly, if it was only by force that the crows showed this learning, then it would have been an impressive result. But this was spontaneous.”

So perhaps it’s time to stop saying “birdbrain” permanently!

1. Why does the author mention the expression “birdbrain” in the opening paragraph?

A．To get the reader interested in the origins of the expression.

B．To urge people to stop saying that birds are stupid.

C．To introduce the topic of Edward Wasserman and his experiments.

D．To introduce recent findings about crows’ intelligence.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about the tests on the hooded crows?

A．The birds did better in RMTS than in IMTS.

B．The birds were first made to do RMTS, then IMTS.

C．The birds picked almost all the correct cards in RMTS.

D．In the IMTS test, the birds needed to identify the sample card to get rewards.

3. In the RMTS test, if the birds were given the sample card with two same-sized triangles, they had to pick the test card with ________.

A．two same-sized circles	B．one circle and one triangle
C．two different-sized circles	D．two different-sized triangles

4. The underlined word “spontaneous” in the second-to-last paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

A．central

B．creative

C．natural

D．predictable

5. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Monkeys Are Clever Than Crows	B．Crows Show Cleverness
C．Crows Did Well in RMTS	D．Don’t Look Down on Birds