Scientists who study the evolution(进化)of language say wild chimpanzees(黑猩猩)have a more complex communication system than past research has shown. The researchers say the animal uses more than ten kinds of calls,
The study team made 4,800 recordings of the calls
Scientists
2 . Mars is truly a fascinating planet for those of us here on Earth. It is about half of the size of Earth and is often referred to as the “Red Planet” because of its red surface.
Mars has seasons like Earth, but the seasons there are twice as long as the seasons on Earth. Mars also has an atmosphere, but it is very thin and made up mostly of carbon dioxide. Because of its thin atmosphere and greater distance from the Sun, Mars is much colder than Earth. However, Mars does have weather, with clouds and winds. The poles on Mars are a lot like Antarctica, capped by ice, but much of Mars’s ice is made from carbon dioxide, not water.
Many scientists believe that studying Mars can help us answer some of the key questions about our planet Earth, or even the universe. But missions to Mars have never been easy. Facing great challenges, many countries will still continue their explorations. Launching the first Mars probe (探测器) from Wenchang around 2020 is China’s first step to explore the “Red Planet”
The Chinese Mars probe is made up of three parts: the orbiter, the lander, and the rover. Entering the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, the Mars probe separates from the launch vehicle. Then the space-to-ground communications link is created. Controllers on Earth guide it into the orbit around Mars. After collecting detailed information about the landing area, the probe is ready for the landing. The orbiter and the lander separate. The orbiter stays in the orbit for at least a year to photograph key areas and monitor the planet’s environment, while the lander heads down to the surface of Mars.
Nine kilometres above the planet, a large parachute(降落伞) opens to slow the landing craft as it falls. After removing the parachute, the lander chooses a safe place to land, where the Martian rover can start operations, collecting and transmitting data back to Earth. After receiving its orders from Earth, the rover leaves the landing point and begins to explore the surface of Mars.
1. How does the writer develop paragraph 2?| A．By making a list. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing cause and effect. |
| A．China has been exploring Mars for many years. |
| B．Mars exploration is not so difficult for some countries. |
| C．Some countries will stop Mars exploration due to great difficulties. |
| D．Mars exploration can help us better understand the earth and universe. |
① The probe is ready for the landing.
② The Mars probe separates from the launch vehicle.
③ Controllers on Earth guide it into the orbit around Mars.
④ The probe collects detailed information about the landing area.
| A．①②③④ | B．④③①② | C．②③④① | D．②③①④ |
| A．It slows the landing craft as it falls. |
| B．It collects and transmits data back to Earth. |
| C．It helps the lander to find a safe place to land. |
| D．It guides the probe into the orbit around Mars. |
3 . Environmental issues can often seem overwhelming. We’ve all seen the news headlines about plastic pollution poisoning our oceans and scary climate change statistics. But instead of feeling overwhelmed, I am choosing to be mindful. The easiest place was to start with my home.
Replace your disposables(一次性物品)with reusable things
The first thing you can do is replace all your plastic drinking bottles with a reusable drink bottle.
Food waste is a major issue! Food sits in our landfills and gives off poisonous greenhouse emissions. It’s time to deal with food waste instead of sending them to landfill. This might be as simple as sharing a compost(混合肥料)bin with your neighbors or even using your local community compost. Do a search to see what is around you. Local neighborhoods also have workshops on setting up a compost in your own home.
Shop the outer aisles (通道) of the supermarket
Shopping the outer aisles of the supermarket means that you are buying package-free food. Not only-is this better for the planet, it’s also a healthier option for you and your family.
| A．Reuse and recycle |
| B．Put yourself in a no-spending state |
| C．Set up a processing system that works for you |
| D．The outer aisles are full of fruits and vegetables |
| E．I finally felt in control of these seemingly “out of control” issues |
| F．This is a fun activity that shows we value our precious resources |
| G．Plastic grocery bags can be replaced with reusable cloth grocery bags |
4 . Wildlife crossings don’t just protect animals. They can also mitigate problems related to wildlife-vehicle collisions (碰撞) and save significant money for a community.
Wildlife crossings are man-made structures that help animals move safely around their habitat. They are often paths under or over another existing road or railway, or underground passages for animals to get past for food or avoiding attacks.
Some animals are unable to migrate to survive. People still rely on highways for business and travel, and animals continue to have mobility needs for survival, though. When new roads are built, animals living in a part of their habitat can greatly increase the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions while trying to cross the new barriers.
In a new study, Wisnu Sugiarto, a Washington State University economies doctoral student, examined data for 13 of the 22 wildlife crossings, including bridges and underpasses,in the Washington State. He compared the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions each year be-fore and after the construction of a wildlife crossing. He considered the area within 10 miles of a crossing.
Then he compared his analysis to a separate area in the state with no crossings at all.“The findings reported that wildlife crossing structures reduced the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions by one to three accidents on average per mile per year,” Sugiarto said. “Therefore, building wildlife crossing structures is typically an essential and effective strategy to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.”
“Prior to working on this research, I wasn’t aware of any strategies to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. I also thought we couldn’t do much about it, partly because we wouldn’t be able to communicate with wildlife and control their movement,” Sugiarto added, “However, it turns out that there are multiple strategies to deal with issues related to wildlife-vehicle collisions and we can do something about them.”
It is reported that the government has invested $ 350 million over five years for the construction of wildlife crossings. Every wildlife crossing offers a mean benefit of between $ 235,000 and $443,000 each year.
1. What does the underlined word “mitigate” in paragraph I mean?| A．Analyze. | B．Reduce. | C．Study. | D．Discover. |
| A．How the wildlife crossings are built. |
| B．Why wildlife crossings are necessary. |
| C．What should be done to cross the roads. |
| D．When wildlife-vehicle collisions happen. |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Doubtful. | C．Favorable. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Wildlife crossings save wild animals and money |
| B．The size of wildlife crossings affects animals greatly |
| C．Every wildlife crossing has a great effect on road safety |
| D．Wildlife crossings manage to help animals migrate safely |
5 . China is showing the world its great resolve in the global climate campaign with concrete and self-motivated efforts as well as serious commitment.
At the opening ceremony of the Paris climate summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping restated China’s plan made in June to cut its carbon emissions per unit of GDP by 60—65 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and increase non-fossil fuel sources in primary energy consumption to about 20 per cent.
With a large population, China is facing increasing resource limits, severe environmental pollution and a worsening ecosystem, and its citizens are also becoming increasingly aware of environmental problems. Suffering environmental problems and considering the efforts important in order to transform its economic growth pattern, the country will have much at risk if climate change is left unattended.
Actually, climate change efforts have already been included in China’s medium-and long-term program of economic and social development, and ecological efforts are the clear characteristics in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan(2016—2020).
Although it is and will be a developing country for a long time, China has been actively involved in the global campaign against climate change, now topping the world in terms of energy conservation and the use of new and renewable energy.
However, China’s development rights need to be respected. It is unfair to overstress China’s status as one of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters and regard it as the major part of responsibilities in the global fight against climate change.
It is worthy of notice that China’s emissions of greenhouse gases per person are far lower than those of developed countries, especially the United States, although rapid economic expansion and its population base have made it one of the biggest producers of the greenhouse gas.
To show its great resolve, China also announced the establishment of an independent South-South cooperation in September, investing RMB 20 billion to help developing countries affected by global warming.
While China is eagerly accomplishing its policy commitment, developed countries should stop questioning China’s commitment to fighting climate change and pointing fingers, and start shouldering their due responsibilities instead.
1. China is self-motivated to fight against climate change in order to .| A．top the world |
| B．transform its economic growth pattern |
| C．solve its population problem |
| D．respond to pressure from developed countries |
| A．China | B．the United States |
| C．economic expansion | D．the population base |
| A．China will completely use non-fossil fuels by 2030 |
| B．China will carry out its plan by stopping its development |
| C．Chinese emit more greenhouse gases than Americans on average |
| D．some developed countries are not taking on their responsibilities |
| A．Expanding its economy. |
| B．Using non-renewable energy. |
| C．Making the fight against climate change part of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. |
| D．Donating money to developing countries. |
The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (RAMSAR COP14) took place in Wuhan, Hubei Province in November. It was the first time that China
Wuhan, the host city of RAMSAR COP 14. has 162,400 hectares (公顷) of wetlands, accounting
Nature provides the basic conditions for human
7 . Have you ever noticed your dog taking a sunbath? You may think your dog is taking a nap(打盹) or relaxing when you see them in the sun. However, there is more to it than we can see.
Dogs are generations of wolves, which are extremely social animals. They express their love for one another by lying in the sun. Dogs follow their examples to stay warm in cold weather and cool down when it’s too hot to go outside. A dog’s body temperature stays at around 101 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the day. Their paws(爪子) allow them to sense heat and cold, so lying in the sun helps them keep their body temperature.
From the outside, it appears as though dogs are having a great time when they are taking a sunbath! However, dogs may get sunburned or develop skin problem if they are exposed to too much UV radiation(紫外线). What’s going on here? Why do some dogs lie in the sun for hours at a time? There are several reasons why your dog might be doing so, and all of them are related to his body’s sense to UV radiation.
The most obvious reason why dogs lie in the sun is that it feels nice. Dogs have a human-like response to UV rays, which means they feel warm when they are taking a sunbath. Your dog’s coat health is kept up by sunlight. You may have noticed that when you take your dog out on sunny days, their coats seem shinier and cleaner than they did when they were indoors all day. The skin under their coat stays healthy thanks to sunlight, which then keeps the coat healthier.
There are many reasons why dogs enjoy sunbathing. It is a fantastic way for them to relax and have fun. They like the heat; they enjoy it, or they want something soft against their backs such as grass when they lie outside. When outdoors during the day, they feel safer being close to you.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Wolves are lonely animals. | B．Dogs can’t sense heat and cold. |
| C．Dogs like taking a nap under the tree. | D．Dogs are closely related to wolves in some way. |
| A．To lie on something soft. | B．To get close to their owners. |
| C．To keep their body temperature. | D．To express their love for wolves. |
| A．Avoid. | B．Receive. | C．Cover. | D．Collect. |
| A．The reasons why dogs like sunbathing. | B．The relationship between dogs and wolves. |
| C．The way dogs keep their body temperature. | D．The way dogs keep their skin clean and healthy. |
8 . Over the past four decades, more than 450 butterfly species have been hit by the falling numbers. In the US alone, the number of monarch butterflies (黑脉金斑蝶) has seen a drop of 80%, from scientists recording millions of them in the 1980s, and only 29,000 in 2020. It’s part of a wider possibility across the insect group. In 2017, scientists in Germany raised alarm bells after finding that insects had fallen by more than 70% in 30 years.
For farmers, monarch butterflies pollinate (授粉) a very large percentage of food crops. It is very important t protect them because their disappearance could have a huge economic influence. Butterflies are also helpful in the coal mine for other insects, as it is easier for them to feel the environmental change. and relatively easy to record.
Leading environmental organizations have been working hard to find new ways of recording the number of butterflies. As of now, there is no long-term data to develop good protection methods. The scientists wanted to address the challenge that long term recording programs worldwide have faced: they are focusing on training locals as insect experts, which requires much money. They came up with a new method to the problem. In Yasuni National Park, they hired park rangers (护林员) who were trained and then carried out recording. The rangers were able to recognize butterflies with an 85% success rate, which is important for these kinds of recording programs to be successful.
Compared with other recording projects, this study represents a long-term solution. “Our method increases the chance of recording in the long term by reducing the money spent on it such as wages,” said lead author Maria Checa. “Furthermore, it also offers opportunities for public organizations to achieve their environmental goals.”
1. How does the author develop the first paragraph?| A．By telling a story. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By showing possible results. | D．By discussing different reasons. |
| A．They are quicker. | B．They are lazier. |
| C．They are slower. | D．They are more inactive. |
| A．Discover. | B．Solve. | C．Invent. | D．Balance. |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Disapproving. | C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
African savanna elephants are the largest species of elephant and the biggest animal on land. They are easily recognized by their very large ears which allow them
African savanna elephants are found in 23 countries and live in a variety of habitats
African savanna elephants always can be seen within the open areas where they live, so they are well studied
10 . Chinese astronauts have successfully grown rice seedlings(幼苗)aboard the Tiangong space station and this experiment may offer key insights into how astronauts can grow food to support long—term space missions, experts said on Monday. This experiment is the first to produce the complete life cycle of the plant, which begins with a seed and ends with a mature plant producing new seeds.
The breakthrough was conducted in the Wentian space laboratory, which was launched into orbit on July 24, 2022. Three astronauts were conducting the experiment smoothly and testing the plants according to the plan.
“The rice seedlings are growing very well,” said Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher of the task, adding that the experiment also contained seedlings of a small flowering plant often used by scientists to study mutations(变异). “The astronauts will keep monitoring the plants, and if it is successful, they will collect the newly produced seeds and bring them back to Earth for further studies,” she noted
The flowering stage is crucial for plant reproductive development. “We want to investigate how microgravity can affect the plant flowering time and whether it is possible to use the microgravity environment to control the related process,” she said.
Since the 1980s, China has been taking seeds of rice and other crops to space to help them mutate and produce higher yields once they were planted on Earth. But growing rice in orbit is a different challenge due to the tough conditions of space such as microgravity and lack of air.
Rice has been a main food for astronauts since the early days of space exploration. Freeze—dried chicken and rice was the menu for the Apollo 11 mission, which carried the first humans to land on the moon in July 1969.
“But if we want to land on and explore Mars, bringing food from Earth is not enough to provide for the astronauts’ long journey and mission in space. We have to find a food source for long term space explorations,” Zheng added.
1. What’s the significance of Chinese recent space rice experiment?| A．It enables human beings to move to another planet. |
| B．It helps people get a better idea of the human life cycle. |
| C．It inspires more other countries to do space explorations |
| D．It makes it possible to carry out long—term space missions |
| A．The mutation. | B．The experiment. | C．The exploration. | D．The space mission. |
| A．To promote genetic changes and increase crop harvest. |
| B．To figure out how to create an earth—like environment. |
| C．To study the impact of microgravity on crop growth. |
| D．To develop new crop species with strong ability to adapt. |
| A．A medical report. | B．A fashion magazine. |
| C．A science newspaper. | D．A history book. |
