1 . On Christmas Eve, two little ducks were found frozen on a pond in Smithville, Ohio. They flapped their wings, fruitlessly struggling to free themselves on the ice until two locals spotted them and helped set the animals free. The two ducks were later named Olaf and Elsa, characters from Disney’s Frozen, and sent to an animal rescue organization.
“Every year in springtime, particularly at Easter, many people buy ducklings on impulse as gifts, often for their kids. People associate baby animals like ducklings, chicks, and bunnies with springtime,” says John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist. “But months later, animal rescuers routinely see a rise in abandoned ducks in local parks and ponds.”
Elsa and Olaf’s tough situation highlights the reason why domestic ducks always show up in local parks and ponds. Assuming they can live, their case is pretty similar to going to Yellowstone National Park and seeing a wolf and such like. “Oh, if this wolf can live well, my dog can do too,” says Adison Smith, president of Wasatch Wanderers Animal Rescue. “Those ducks lack hunting instincts, and many quickly starve to death or fall sick. A majority cannot fly because of small wings. They don’t migrate, so they can’t survive winter. They’re literally sitting ducks for predators (捕食者),” John Di Leonardo adds.
Since the issue is largely due to a lack of awareness, Adison Smith has started a campaign and hung more than 50 signs in a dozen cities to remind parkgoers that getting rid of pet ducks tends to be disastrous to them and can be illegal by the state law, “Our goal is to get the problem at its source,” Adison says. Most people tend to buy ducklings at stores for less than a dollar each, or kids take them home from school hatching projects.
“Though most abandoned ducks live short, miserable lives, Olaf and Elsa are an exception — they’ll spend their remaining days at Lasa Sanctuary in Wooster, Ohio, in a shelter with other ducks, clean hay, and protection against predators,” John Di Leonardo says.
1. Why did Olaf and Elsa appear on a frozen pond on Christmas Eve?| A．They starred in the film Frozen. | B．They practised their hunting skills. |
| C．They escaped from an animal shelter. | D．They were abandoned by their master. |
| A．Animals share a lot in living habits. | B．Pet ducks are less adaptable in the wild. |
| C．Yellowstone is a great place for wildlife. | D．Animals can get along well with each other. |
| A．Increasing the selling prices of ducks. |
| B．Reminding people to save our resources. |
| C．Educating people about the animal protection. |
| D．Appealing for the establishment of new animal laws. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Easeful. | C．Restricted. | D．Exhausted. |
2 . “Renewable energy development is a critically important component of the transition away from fossil fuels, making our air cleaner. However, bird death has become an unintended consequence of renewable energy development,” said Hannah Vander Zanden, an assistant professor of biology at the University of Florida. Birds can be killed when they hit wind turbines (涡轮机), fly into solar panels they mistake for bodies of water or get burned by the intense heat from concentrating solar power plants. While the death rate of birds due to these energy facilities is far less than deaths due to domestic cats and crashes with buildings, efforts to deal with this new problem are important, scientists say.
Vander Zanden and her colleagues performed geospatial (地理空间的) analyses of stable hydrogen isotope (氢同位素) data obtained from feathers of 871 individual birds found dead at these renewable energy facilities in California, which represented 24 species. Results from the study show that the birds killed at the facilities were from a broad area across the continent. Their geographical origins varied among species and included a mix of local and nonlocal birds. Researchers found most birds killed at solar facilities were nonlocal and peaked during the migratory periods of April and September through October. The percentage of migratory birds found at wind facilities nearly matched that of local birds, at 51%.
“The data can help inform us about the best strategies to use to minimize the deaths,”Vander Zanden said. “For example, facilities management could work with conservationists to improve the local habitat to help protect local birds or improve other parts of the species’ range where the migratory birds originate.” The results also illustrate the power of stable isotope data to assess future population growth or decline patterns for birds due to a variety of reasons.
“Studying the remains of animals like what we did is a noninvasive approach to get information that is otherwise hard to track and apply to conservation,” Vander Zanden said. “It’s a great way to understand the mysteries about animals.”
1. What is the new threat to birds according to Vander Zanden?| A．The high-rise buildings. | B．The loss of natural habitats. |
| C．The devastating climate change. | D．The rise of renewable energy facilities. |
| A．Solar facilities were primarily responsible for bird death. |
| B．Non-migratory birds faced a greater death risk at wind facilities. |
| C．Migratory birds were more affected by solar facilities than local ones. |
| D．The bird death rate was closely associated with migration patterns. |
| A．Animals hold many mysteries to humans. |
| B．The research possesses scientific significance. |
| C．Keeping track of and analyzing birds is challenging. |
| D．The remains of dead birds should be well conserved. |
| A．Renewable energy is a two-edged sword. |
| B．Solar energy is a major cause of birds’ death. |
| C．Studying birds promotes energy development. |
| D．Birds are threatened by renewable energy facilities. |
3 . Is climate candy set to be the next trend?
LA-based PurePlus says yes. The startup launched its first consumer product, Faven, two years ago. Today, each packet of chews contains one serving of fruits and vegetables and saves scores of produce from ending up in landfill.
According to PurePlus, every Faves packet uses six carrots, three heels, one sweet potato, half a squash and one-fourth of a pumpkin. A lot of the time the products are made with “imperfect” produce. The ultimate aim of the company is to tackle food waste in a meaningful and healthy way.
Co-founder and CEO Amy Keller knows sweets. She’s the granddaughter of Norman Spangler, a second-generation leader at Spangler, a second-generation leader at Spangler Candy Co. Instead of following in her family’s footsteps, she set up PurePlus in 2018. PurePlus works with farmers to secure unsold or unsellable produce to turn into plant-based powders that can be used in multiple food and drink applications.
Around 930 million tonnes of food is wasted every year, twice as much as previous estimates, with 61 percent coming from domestic households, 26 percent comes from food services and retail claims the last 13 percent.
The US Sustainable Development Goals initiative have laid out plans to reduce food waste by half by 2030. It is seeking to tackle the issue due to the increased burden on waste management systems, impact on climate change and food insecurity that it brings. Up to 10 percent of global carbon emissions are tied to waste produce.
PurePlus has so far launched two flavors of its fruit and vegetable chew: strawberry and grape. Developed using its special produce powder and sustainable oil, among other things, they are marketed as healthy alternatives to standard sweet chews.
“Faves has set out to solve the climate crisis by preventing food waste by upcycling perfectly good fruits and vegetables to create a candy that’s good for people and the planet, thus, making both healthy choices and climate impact more accessible,” Amy Keller said in a statement. “We don’t make a product unless it will deliver a real benefit and is truly sustainable. ”
1. What does the company PurePlus aim to do?| A．To start a new trend. | B．To produce the best sweets. |
| C．To help people eat more healthy. | D．To recycle food waste in a sustainable way. |
| A．Food waste. | B．Climate change. |
| C．Food insecurity. | D．Waste management system. |
| A．She set up Faves two years ago. |
| B．She was the only founder of PurePlus. |
| C．She has a sense of social responsibility. |
| D．She was the fourth generation leader at Spangler Candy Co. |
| A．A new trend is set by Amy Keller. | B．Climate candy is tackling food waste. |
| C．PurePlus has launched two new flavors. | D．PurePlus has made plans to reduce food waste. |
4 . Monarch butterflies (帝王蝶) are edging dangerously close to extinction despite a decision late last year to remove the orange-and-black insects from the endangered species list, a new study has found.
An annual survey led by the World Wildlife Fund(WWF)of the species wintering in central Mexico found the second-lowest number of monarch butterflies on record, meaning they took up just 2.2 acres of regional forests, 59% less than during the 2022 — 2023 winter season. The findings are troubling to scientists determined to protect the species.
Each year, monarch butterflies migrate (迁徙) thousands of miles from southern Canada and the northern and central US to the mountain forests of central Mexico. They require a large and healthy forest to protect them from winds, rain and low temperatures in the areas where they migrate for winter. Yet because of heat and drought brought on by climate change, scientists say, their natural habitat is quickly depleting. Scientists with the WWF considered this winter season’s findings serious and said they represented the second-smallest area taken up by monarch butterflies in Mexico since 1993.
What’s worse, in recent years, their breeding areas in Canada and the US have seen a reduction in milkweed leaves where female monarch butterflies lay their eggs. “Land-use changes in the United States, combined with the widespread use of chemicals, also contributed to the loss of milkweed and other plants that adult monarch butterflies feed on,” the WWF said.
Monarch butterflies play an important role in maintaining plant ecosystems and are also an important food source for birds, small animals and other insects, according to the National Park Service. It’s necessary that all governments, communities, scientists, and others continue to strengthen our protection efforts to support their unique migration.
1. Why do monarch butterflies fly to central Mexico each year?| A．To spend winter. | B．To lay eggs. |
| C．To search for shelter. | D．To escape from enemies. |
| A．Shifting. | B．Disappearing. | C．Recovering. | D．Increasing. |
| A．The loss of food sources. |
| B．The widespread use of chemicals. |
| C．The land-use changes in the United States. |
| D．The threat of being eaten by other animals. |
| A．To raise people’s awareness about climate change. |
| B．To call for more measures to protect monarch butterflies. |
| C．To inform people of the serious situation of monarch butterflies. |
| D．To prove monarch butterflies should be on the endangered species list. |
5 . Tracee Herbaugh lives in the Boston area of Massachusetts. She thought she was alone in her backyard recently when she used the Merlin Bird ID app. She learned by listening that she was surrounded by more than 12 kinds of birds.
“Two birds identified by the app, veery (画眉鸟) and great homed owl, even had a red dot next to their names. The red dot means it is an unusual sighting.” Herbaugh wrote, “Who knew these birds could be in one yard?”
Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the maker of Merlin Bird ID. The app was released in 2014. At first, the app only identified birds by their photos through Photo ID. The user answered a series of questions about the photo to help identify the bird, such as date, area, color, and size. The app became popular during the pandemic, when people increasingly wanted to be outdoors.
In 2021, Cornell Lab added Sound ID to identify birds by their sound. In the United States alone, Merlin’s Sound ID can identify over 700 kinds of birds. More than 7 million people now use the Merlin Bird ID worldwide.
Alli Smith works on the Merlin project at Cornell Lab. Smith said bird watching by sound “opens up a whole new world” “Even if you cannot see the birds,” he added, “you can hear their beautiful songs and know they’re sharing your neighborhood.”
More than birds, Herbaugh said the app also helped her reconnect with people across the country. When Herbaugh shared her bird list on social media, two childhood friends who also used the app messaged her about it. Her relative in Montana shared a list of birds. And even her young children now quickly go for the app when they hear an unfamiliar bird call.
Herbaugh has identified 45 birds on her list so far. She said now her children are the ones driving her to get more on the bird list.
1. What does a red dot next to a bird’s name mean?| A．The bird is rarely seen. | B．The bird is endangered. |
| C．This bird is a new species. | D．The bird is beneficial to crops. |
| A．By recording bird sounds. | B．By recognizing images of birds. |
| C．By asking experts online. | D．By tracking movements of birds. |
| A．Another way of protecting birds. | B．The popularity of recording bird calls. |
| C．The enjoyment of listening to birds. | D．Another benefit of the Merlin Bird ID app. |
| A．App Identifies Birds by Sound | B．App Gets Kids Interested in Birds |
| C．Old App Gains New Reputation | D．Birds May Hide in Your Yard |
6 . How Gardeners Can Reduce Risk of Fire
If you are selecting plants for your garden, knowing which plants offer some fire resistance and which are more flammable (易燃的) can serve you well.
Quicker to catch fire
Plants like bamboo that produce flammable substances such as aromatic oils, resins (树脂), wax, or sap, are among the quickest to catch fire.
Trees with thin bark (树皮) that falls off are usually more flammable than those without. And fine-needled plants like pine, juniper, and spruce contain resins.
Many kinds of grasses are highly flammable. Their ability to catch fire increases when they are left to stand dry over winter or during periods without rain. Additionally, too much heat dries out the soil and under such conditions, many kinds of plants turn into a fire starter.
Native vs. non-native
As a group, native plants aren’t necessarily less flammable than introduced kinds of plants.
For the best fire resistance, choose trees that lose their leaves every year, like ash, and maple, rather than fine-needled trees.
What to look for in plants
The Washington State University Extension Service has published advice for choosing plants that are fire-resistant.
•High water content in leaves.
•Little or no seasonal gain of dead plant material.
•Open branching (they provide less fuel for fires).
•Fewer total branches and leaves.
| A．Some plants are more flammable than others. |
| B．Plants with water-filled leaves are slow to burn. |
| C．But non-native plants often are a greater fire risk. |
| D．Many plants have qualities that do not burn easily. |
| E．All plants might catch fire under the right conditions. |
| F．Their needle-like leaves increase the risk of fire when left on the ground. |
| G．They will often catch fire even if they have been well-watered and cared for. |
7 . A Michigan farmer Bristle was digging with a backhoe (反铲挖土机) in one of his wheat fields when — bang — it struck a large bone.
Bristle contacted Fisher, a paleontology (古生物学家) professor at the University of Michigan. Fisher rushed to the farm and identified the bone as a fossil of an Ice Age mammoth (猛犸象). Since it was harvest season, Bristle gave Fisher and his students only one day to remove the rest of the fossils from the ground. The team found 20 percent of the animal’s bones, including its skull, tusks, pelvis, and shoulder blades as well as some teeth, ribs, and other bones.
The age of a mammoth can be determined by counting the rings in one of its tusks. Like the rings in a tree trunk, each ring stands for one year of a mammoth’s life. Fisher thinks that the bones are supposed to belong to male mammoth around forty years old. It was probably a rare hybrid of a woolly mammoth and a Colombian mammoth that lived between 11,700 and 15,000 years ago during the Pleistocene lee Age, when ice sheets covered much of Earth’s land.
The bones appeared to have been cut up and some of them were missing, leading Fisher to conclude that early humans must have killed the animal and stored its meat so they could return to it at a later time. Some other indications of human activity include a stone flake (薄片) that might have been from a cutting tool and the arrangement of the neck bones in order. If the mammoth had died naturally, its bones would have scattered randomly.
In the US, fossils found on private property belong to the owner of the land. However, Bristle donated the fossils to the University of Michigan for further study. Fisher hopes to display the bones at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, possibly combined with fiberglass models of bones from other Michigan mammoths to form a complete Mammoth skeleton (骨架).
1. Why was Fisher’s time limited to one day?| A．Because the mammoth was a small one. | B．Because it was easy to remove the bones. |
| C．Because it was the time of gathering crops. | D．Because Bristle was busy planting in the field. |
| A．By counting the bones. | B．By judging the living age. |
| C．By measuring the ice sheets. | D．By numbering the tusk rings. |
| A．How the mammoth died. | B．Where the missing meat was. |
| C．How the stone flake was made. | D．Whether the neck bones scattered. |
| A．To own the fossils. | B．To study the mammoth. |
| C．To complete the skeleton. | D．To promote the university. |
8 . For generations, Nafisa Bayniyazova and her family have made a living growing melons, pumpkins and tomatoes on farms around the Aral Sea. Bayniyazova, 50, has spent most of her life near Muynak, in northwestern Uzbekistan, tending the land. Farm life was sometimes difficult but generally reliable and productive.
Now, Bayniyazova and other residents say they’re facing a disaster they can’t beat: climate change, which is speeding up the decades-long disappearance of the Aral, once the lifeblood for the thousands living around it.
Decades ago, deep blue and filled with fish, the Aral was one of the world’s largest inland bodies of water. Thousands of migrants from across Asia and Europe moved to the Aral’s shores for jobs popping up everywhere from canning factories to luxury vacation resorts. Today, the few remaining towns sit quiet along the former seabed of the Aral—technically classified as a lake, due to its lack of a direct outlet to the ocean, though residents and officials call it a sea.
Much of its early disappearance is due to human engineering and agricultural projects gone wrong, now paired with climate change. Summers are hotter and longer; winters, shorter and bitterly cold.
Without the moderating influence of a large body of water to regulate the climate, dust storms began to blow through towns. Strong winds caused dunes (沙丘) to swallow entire towns, and abandoned buildings were filled with sand. A dozen fish species went extinct, and businesses closed down. “The fish factories closed, the ships were stuck in the harbor, and the workers all left,” said Madi Zhasekenov, former director of the Aral Sea Fisherman Museum in Aralsk, Kazakhstan. “It became only us locals.”
On her Uzbekistan farm, Bayniyazova’s family has dug an earthen well, hoping to hold on to the precious little water that’s left. “If there is no water, it will be very difficult for people to live,” Bayniyazova said. “Now people are barely surviving.” She doesn’t plan to leave her farm but yet knows more hardships are likely ahead.
1. How is paragraph 3 developed?| A．By reasoning. | B．By making comparison. |
| C．By experimenting. | D．By analyzing data. |
| A．The number of fish in the Aral Sea is increasing. |
| B．Madi Zhasekenov feels hopeful about his future. |
| C．Local people around the Aral have lost their livelihoods. |
| D．Madi Zhasekenov has adapted to the changing climate. |
| A．Ashamed. | B．Worried. | C．Relieved. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．The Importance of the Aral Sea |
| B．How to Deal With the Aral Sea Disaster |
| C．We Will Face the Challenge of Adapting to Climate Change |
| D．Climate Change Is Quickening the Disappearance of the Aral Sea |
9 . Blue whales have made themselves at home in a part of the Indian Ocean where they hadn’t been seen for many years, according to a study published late last year. The blue whale, an endangered species, is the largest animal on Earth. These whales can grow to about 100 feet long and the animal’s heart alone can be the size of a small car.
Blue whales were filmed in the waters around the Seychelles in 2020 and 2021. The Seychelles area group of islands that make up the smallest African country. Hunters almost completely wiped out blue whales in the area in the 1960s.
During this recent exploration, however, scientists spotted several of the creatures. Research suggests that these whales are not just passing through — they are staying in the region for months. The discovery was made with the help of a “sound trap”, an object that was fitted with recording equipment and batteries and placed on the seafloor in November 2021. It was left there for a year, recording 15 minutes every hour. When scientists studied the recordings, they discovered the blue whales’ recognizable song, which is so deep that it can’t be heard naturally by human ears.
The whale songs were found between December and April, a common time for blue whales to breed (繁殖) and nurse their young. Kathleen Stafford, one of the researchers, told BBC News that the scientists think the noise was the singing of male whales. “They sing during the breeding season to attract the females,” she explained. This could mean that the Seychelles is an important breeding area or nursery site for the species.
The government of the Seychelles has been making major efforts to protect the oceans around the islands since 2015. The appearance of these whales shows that its work seems to have made a big difference. Stafford said that the Seychelles, which doesn’t have ma my big ships sailing nearby, could be “a nice, quiet, safe place for blue whales”.
1. What does the underlined phrase “wiped out” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Killed. | B．Washed. | C．Removed. | D．Approached. |
| A．To track sounds. | B．To video whales， |
| C．To study the seafloor. | D．To play songs every hour， |
| A．It is seasonal. | B．It is annoying. |
| C．It can be heard by humans. | D．It can drive away other animals. |
| A．Local hunters. | B．Foreign sailors. |
| C．The government. | D．Kathleen Stafford. |
10 . In a groundbreaking achievement, a rhino has successfully undergone embryo (胚胎) transfer, marking the first successful use of a method that holds promise for saving the nearly extinct northern white rhino subspecies.
The experiment, conducted with the less endangered southern white rhino subspecies, involved creating an embryo in a lab using eggs and sperm (精子) collected from other rhinos. This embryo was then transferred into a southern white rhino alternative mother in Kenya. Despite the unfortunate death of the alternative mother due to an infection in November 2023, researchers praised the successful embryo transfer and pregnancy (怀孕) as a proof of concept. They are now ready to proceed to the next stage of the project: transferring northern white rhinoembryos.
Professor Thomas Hildebrandt expressed optimism about the findings, highlighting the significance of the successful embryo transfer in demonstrating that frozen and defrosted embryos produced in a lab can survive. This development offers hope for the revival of the northern white rhino population.
However, challenges facing rhino conservation remain significant. While the southern white rhino subspecies and the black rhino species have shown signs of recovery from population declines due to illegal hunting for their horns (牛角), the northern white rhino subspecies is on the edge of extinction. With only two known members left in the world, Najin and her daughter Fatu, both unable to reproduce naturally, and the recent death of the last male white rhino, Sudan, in 2018, urgent action is needed to prevent the extinction of this subspecies. Dr. Jo Shaw, CEO of Save the Rhino International, emphasized the importance of addressing the primary threats facing rhinos worldwide: illegal hunting for their horns and habitat loss due to development. She stressed the need to provide rhinos with the space and security they need to succeed in their natural environment.
While the successful embryo transfer representsa significant advancement in rhino conservation efforts, organized action is required to address the main challenges facing rhino populations worldwide.
1. What is the purpose of the experiment mentioned in the text?| A．To evaluate the efficiency of a new rhino birth program. |
| B．To observe the behavior of rhinos in a controlled environment. |
| C．To assess the effects of climate change on the southem rhino habitats. |
| D．To develop a way of rescuing the endangered northern white rhinos subspecies. |
| A．Rebirth. | B．Decline. | C．Stability. | D．Decrease. |
| A．Facing extinction. | B．Showing signs of recovery. |
| C．Developing in their natural habitat. | D．Recovering from population declines |
| A．Dr. Jo Shaw’s Call to Action: Addressing Threats to Rhino Survival |
| B．Challenges Facing Rhino Conservation Efforts: Urgent Action Needed |
| C．The Successful Embryo Transfer: A Breakthrough in Rhino Conservation |
| D．Professor Thomas Hildebrandt’s Optimism: Hope for Rhino Population Revival |
