1 . Spiders don’t have ears like we do, and many have poor eyesight. But they can sense vibrations (振动). Instead of eardrums that turn soundwave pressure into signals for our brains, spiders hear using tiny, sensitive hairs that move in response to sounds.

Previously, researchers had measured how a single thin piece of spider silk moved in response to sounds in the air. They found that the web silk itself is really good at detecting sounds. In a new study, Ron Miles from Binghamton University and his co-authors provided the first evidence that spiders can pick up sounds in another way through their webs.

To study hearing in animals, researchers placed orb-weaving spiders, which are known to make large, wheel-shaped orb webs, in a specially designed quiet room. They tracked how the spiders reacted to different sounds played on a loudspeaker Depending on how loud the sound was, spiders stretched, turned or raised their forelegs. Researchers noticed that the spiders turned their bodies toward the sound, suggesting they knew where the noise originated.

The ability to use a web like a giant extended ear could help spiders detect prey (猎物). If an insect is flying nearby, for instance, “That’s going to cause the web to vibrate because of the sound,” Miles said “That kind of gets the spider’s attention.”

Spiders might even use their webs to tune in to a variety of sounds “We suspect that the spider is actually able to sort of adjust the tension in the web in order to pick up certain frequencies,” Miles said.

Most microphones today work by sensing pressure and turning it into an electronic signal. But in the natural world, “spiders aren’t sensing pressure.” Miles said “Most animals don’t hear that way, they sense the motion of the air” Future microphones, like those used in hearing aids, could be designed with this in mind.

1. What did the new study find?

A．Spiders do not have eardrums.	B．Spiders indeed have poor eyesight
C．Spiders rely on sensitive hairs to hear	D．Spiders can use their webs to detect sounds

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．How the study affected spiders.	B．How the study was conducted.
C．How loud the sound was in the study.	D．How spiders made the web in the study.

3. How might the spider identify different sounds according to Miles?

A．By shifting its position on the web.	B．By sensing different levels of pressure.
C．By changing the tension of its silk.	D．By making full use of different parts of its body.

4. What is the significance of the discovery?

A．It could help improve microphones.

B．It could bring attention to spider web-making.

C．It could highlight the role of electronic technology.

D．It could heighten public awareness of insect protection.

2 . One Christmas Eve, our birder friend called us with a request. “Do you have room in your car for a (n) _______ snowy owl (雪鸮)? The hospital in Saskatoon will take it. It just needs a _______ there.” My family couldn’t have been more _______. A snowy owl? Of course! Isn’t Christmas about giving a hand to those _______?

He dropped off the bird in a cardboard box and _______ the box with a piece of cloth. After my husband gathered our children around, we _______. A few minutes later, our three-year-old daughter _______ in the back seat. Our two sons, 8 and 11, played together, _______ my husband drove and I, in the front, was bathed in Christmas peace.

Once or twice, our oldest son _______ this scene and said, “Dad, the owl’s sticking its head out”. “Don’t________.” my husband replied “It’ll be fine.” Not far from Saskatoon, my daughter in the back woke up crying I ________ and picked her up ________, my son shouted, “Dad, the owl’s out!” I was ________ to hear that and saw the owl knocking on the window with its head, in a desperate struggle for ________.

I bent over my daughter to ________ her as my husband pulled off the road. To our ________, the bird stopped struggling for some reason. My husband took the ________ to return the bird to its box then, he sat in the back seat to take care of the box. I took the ________ as our car was running toward the hospital. It was ________ for us to get there safe and sound. What a (n) ________ Christmas!

1.

A．male

B．injured

C．single

D．healthy

2.

A．ride

B．home

C．friend

D．ticket

3.

A．confused

B．relaxed

C．worried

D．excited

4.

A．in debt

B．in peace

C．in need

D．in shape

5.

A．washed

B．covered

C．checked

D．marked

6.

A．took off

B．gave up

C．set off

D．showed up

7.

A．fell asleep

B．passed by

C．settled down

D．came alive

8.

A．though

B．because

C．until

D．while

9.

A．ignored

B．interrupted

C．remembered

D．witnessed

10.

A．talk

B．refuse

C．touch

D．panic

11.

A．turned around

B．ran away

C．stood up

D．dropped in

12.

A．Finally

B．Generally

C．Suddenly

D．Gradually

13.

A．happy

B．shocked

C．quiet

D．discouraged

14.

A．justice

B．honour

C．warmth

D．freedom

15.

A．protect

B．stop

C．warn

D．observe

16.

A．sorrow

B．embarrassment

C．relief

D．amusement

17.

A．trouble

B．opportunity

C．message

D．challenge

18.

A．wheel

B．car

C．test

D．risk

19.

A．necessary

B．impossible

C．fortunate

D．interesting

20.

A．important

B．disappointing

C．difficult

D．unforgettable

3 . 听下面一段较长对话，问答以下小题。
1. Why did Tracy bring dogs to the children？

A．To teach them to love anunals.

B．To help them gain confidence.

C．To protect them from dangers.

2. What is Kevin’s concern about the dog？

A．They may misbehave.

B．They may get huit.

C．They may carry diseases.

3. What will Helen do tomorrow morning?

A．Give a talk.

B．Meet the children.

C．Take some photos.

4 . In the office of remote sensing scientist Liu Shaochuang, there is a huge photograph of a camel he snapped a decade ago in Xinjiang. He crouched for hours by a pool of water in the Gobi Desert to capture the image.

Since 2012, he has led a team in tracking and studying wild camels using satellite remote sensing technology.

Unlike zoologists who focus on species, Liu has studied the interrelationship between endangered animals and their environment, which he believes will help develop better protection strategies in the face of climate change.

His interest in wild camels began when his team tested a prototype(雏形)design of the lunar rover Yutu in the desert. Living in the harsh deserts in northwestern China and southwestern Mongolia, camels are listed as critically endangered animals. Experts estimate that the population of this species is currently less than 1, 000, of which around 650 are in China.

“Ten years ago, the research relied solely on human observation, which was very primitive, ”Liu says. Because camels are fully migratory and can travel over long distances, scientists used to learn their habits by studying hoof prints and droppings. It was hard to find one camel in the desert, let alone track it. But Liu thought his expertise in satellite navigation(导航)and remote sensing might come in useful in the study of wild camels.

It was not easy at first. Liu learned zoology from scratch. His team had to spend several weeks each year braving dust and sandstorms in the vastness of the Gobi Desert seeking out camels. A scar on his right eyebrow is the result of a rollover accident on a rugged mountain road in Xinjiang.

“The most exciting moment was attaching a satellite positioning collar to a wild camel. ”The tracking collar, equipped with special receivers, weighs only a few hundred grams. It can detach automatically and will not have a negative impact on the daily lives of the animals. The locations of the tracked animals are transmitted via satellite every day. Based on the data, scientists can get to know their migratory paths, living environments and possible threats they may meet with.

For Liu, it is worth the significant sci-tech effort to study such a rare species. He adds wildlife protection and research will become more precise and efficient with the help of technology.

1. What was it that made tracking wild camels difficult?

A．The number of camels experienced a sharp decline.

B．Massive migration made camels cover huge distances.

C．Primitive tools were used in human observation.

D．Hoof prints and droppings were never to be seen.

2. What can be inferred from the scar on his right eyebrow?

A．His carelessness in carrying out his research.

B．His inexperience at the very beginning of his work.

C．The rough conditions under which he worked.

D．The stress he met with in his work.

3. What does paragraph 7 mainly focus on?

A．The formation of the tracking collar.

B．The definition of the tracking collar.

C．The importance of the tracking collar.

D．The function of the tracking collar.

4. Which of the following can best describe Liu Shaochuang?

A．Generous and ambitious.	B．Confident and grateful.
C．Creative and determined.	D．Optimistic and modest.

5 . Have you ever noticed that sometimes you may be ill suited or perfect for the same thing?     1     Here are ways weather can affect your mood that you never noticed.

You’re more helpful on sunny days. Sun makes you happy!     2     Therefore, on sunny days, you’re more likely to help those in need than on days filled with clouds and gloom. Next time you want to volunteer, try to pick a sunny day— you’ll be more helpful to the people.

    3     Summer sales, here we come! Get ready to open your wallet if you go out to a mall during a nice, sunny day. Research shows that you are more likely to spend money when it’s sunny. My theory is that the sun makes us feel happier and less stressed about our life (including our financial life) -therefore we spend more money! Thus, try not to go shopping on shiny days if you want to save money.

Cold temperatures impact complex physical tasks.     4     It’s like you don’t want to move. Have you ever tried untying (解开) a knot while your hands were cold? Be careful when trying to perform complex physical tasks in the cold weather— too much time in low temperatures can cause hypothermia (体温过低) !

Lack of sunlight makes you eat more. Bears hibernate (冬眠) while humans just start swallowing everything in sight. Well, bears eat much too, before they go to sleep.     5     Your body needs extra fuel to fight off the cold. Unfortunately, often you don’t actually need the extra food because a lack of sun doesn’t necessarily mean you’re cold.

A．Sunlight makes you spend more money.

B．Sunny days make you feel more tired.

C．The secret lies in distinct weather conditions.

D．Being less stressed leads to a poor life.

E．Happy people tend to be more willing to help others.

F．The cold, dark winter months make it much easier to overeat.

G．When you’re cold, your muscles feel slow and dull.

6 . Acid rain is very harmful to the environment because it makes living things die. Acid rain affects life in the water as well as life on the land. It is even worse in the water because the fish need the water to breathe. When the water gets polluted, the fish get sick and end up dying.

All rainwater contains some level acidity. Acidity is measured by PH, which stands for potential of hydrogen(氢). The PH scale measures the amount of acid in a substance. PH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral(中性的). The lower the number is on the PH scale, the more acidic that substance is. Normal rainwater has a PH of 5. 6. When the PH level of rainwater goes below 5. 6, it is considered acid rain.

All of the sea life will die when the water becomes too acidic. For example, all fish will die when the water goes below a PH of 4. 5. Most of the frogs and insects that live around the water will also die when the water reaches a PH of 4. 5. When the water has a PH of 5. 5, all of the bottom-dwelling bacterial decomposers(分解体), animals that eat the remains of the food that other animals don’t want, will begin to die. When these decomposers die, they will leave the under-composed food on the bottom. This will make the water dirty and polluted. All fresh water shrimps(虾) will die when the water has a PH of 6. 0. Aquatic plants will grow the best when the water has a PH between 7. 0 and 9. 2. If the acid rain problem gets worse. all of the sea life will eventually be gone.

1. What can we know about acid rain?

A．It does more harm to life in the water than on land.

B．It will kill the living things as soon as it touches them.

C．It is rainwater which contains any amount of acidity.

D．It is a substance which has potential of hydrogen.

2. Which of the following can die most easily in acidic water?

A．All fish.	B．Frogs and insects.
C．Bacterial decomposers.	D．Fresh water shrimps.

3. According to the text, we know that _______.

A．if the PH of rainwater is 5. 6, all of the sea life will be gone

B．if the PH of sea water is below 7. 0, it is not a problem

C．if the PH of rainwater is below 5. 6, it is dangerous

D．if the PH of sea water is below 4. 5, some of the sea fish can’t die

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The definition of acid rain.	B．How to measure rainwater’s PH level.
C．The effects that acid rain has on sea life.	D．How to protect sea life from acid rain.

7 . It’s obvious that plastic pollution is a big problem nowadays. Luckily, researchers have found a chemical from a kind of worm can degrade one of the most common forms of plastic. The finding could open up new ways to deal with the problem.

There have been several studies showing microorganisms can release enzymes (酶) that cause the plastic polyethylene (聚乙烯) to start to change. But that process takes a long time. The recently-discovered enzymes were found in the saliva (唾液) of the wax worm moth. They appear to act in only a few hours.

Federica Bertocchini is one of the researchers who helped write a study on the finding. She is also a beekeeper. Bertocchini said that one year she found her honeycombs full of wax worms. Honeycombs are built by bees to store honey. She cleaned the honeycombs and put the worms in a plastic bag. When she returned, she found the bag was full of holes. All this made her wonder if the worms were eating the plastic or if there was a chemical reaction that caused the holes, leading to the idea of the research.

“We checked that, doing proper lab experiments, and we found the polyethylene had been oxidized (氧化),” she said.

In her latest research, Bertocchini and her coworkers identified two enzymes in the worm’s saliva. The enzymes appeared to break down polyethylene in only a few hours at room temperature. Bertocchini says her team is still trying to understand how the worms deal with the plastic. She adds, hopefully in the future, the enzymes can be used in homes, where each family could deal with their own plastic waste.

1. What does the underlined word “degrade” in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Break down.

B．Bring forth.

C．Compete with.

D．Pick out.

2. What is the advantage of the recently-discovered enzymes?

A．They’re easily available.	B．They can be produced at home.
C．They function very fast.	D．They can be applied to all plastics.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．How Bertocchini found the enzymes.	B．Why Bertocchini cleaned the honeycombs.
C．How Bertocchini took care of the honeycombs.	D．How Bertocchini came up with the idea of the research.

4. What does Bertocchini expect of the enzymes according to the text?

A．They will work at room temperature.	B．People can make them on their own.
C．They will solve all plastic pollution.	D．They will become a household product.

8 . In 2016, Yu Yongguang, a teacher at the Jiangsu University, saw a Yangtze finless porpoise (江豚) for the first time in a newspaper. He found himself _________ by the “smile” of the porpoise. Two months later, Yu set up an on-campus association (协会) to protect the species in _________. At first, there were only seven members.

In recent years, his efforts have _________, and the association now has about 750 members. _________, thanks to close partnership with universities, government and non-profit organizations, the association has succeeded in _________ about 8,000 volunteers to contribute to the cute species’ _________.

With the development of the association, its work has gone far beyond _________ simple publicity activities. Under Yu’s leadership, his team members _________ the country’s first popular science book about the finless porpoise. They have also drew up various designs for a science popularization curriculum (科普课程) _________ different groups of people.

In addition, he has also __________ his team to the major habitats of the porpoise to conduct scientific study and environmental recording. Based on this work, the team has written a series of reports that include __________ suggestions on improving the habitat protection work. At present, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises is growing __________ and stands at around 1,000.

Yu said he never imagined that the small association he __________ would unite so many forces to protect the animals. He believes that the __________ of different parts of society together will see the number of finless porpoises continue to __________, and will also help the environment along the Yangtze River to improve continually.

1.

A．attacked

B．frightened

C．attracted

D．cheated

2.

A．safety

B．use

C．silence

D．danger

3.

A．taken on

B．paid off

C．broken down

D．showed up

4.

A．Also

B．Therefore

C．Otherwise

D．However

5.

A．ordering

B．promising

C．encouraging

D．warning

6.

A．performance

B．protection

C．action

D．popularity

7.

A．organizing

B．announcing

C．shortening

D．canceling

8.

A．lost

B．published

C．bought

D．read

9.

A．observing

B．fooling

C．shaping

D．targeting

10.

A．forced

B．limited

C．led

D．compared

11.

A．research-based

B．narrow-minded

C．plant-related

D．imagination-focused

12.

A．strangely

B．terribly

C．smoothly

D．dangerously

13.

A．joined

B．trusted

C．missed

D．established

14.

A．efforts

B．dreams

C．opinions

D．demands

15.

A．pass

B．rise

C．drop

D．stay

9 . Joey isn’t your typical guard pet—unless you try to break into his house.

Adam found a baby _________ in his yard. He decided to _________ him in and named him Joey. In just a few months, he _________ a family member. “He’d let anybody _________ him.” says Adam. “Right up until the kid broke in.”

That was the day when Adam came home to obvious signs of _________. Strange, snowy footprints tracked around the _________. His _________ was scratched up（刮擦）. A few items of value were _________. He alerted the police about the break-in, and officer Ashley came to the house to make a _________ .

“Joey had run in the bedroom... and kind of __________ her,” says Adam.

Ashley asked if Joey bites. Not usually, Adam explained, but he is, after all, a __________ animal. You never know.

__________ later, Ashley returned with a remarkable story: She’d __________ a suspect, based in part on the cuts all over his hands.

She asked him, ‘Did you get that __________ a squirrel?” and he says, “Yeah, it kept __________ me and wouldn’t stop until I left,” says Adam.

“The attack __________ him, obviously, because he wasn’t __________ to have a squirrel come flying out of nowhere at him,” says Ashley. “So basically he said he took what he could and __________ as fast as he could.”

In a couple of hours, Adam’s family got their __________ back, and Joey got his favorite   __________; nuts.

1.

A．dog

B．cat

C．squirrel

D．rabbit

2.

A．kick

B．take

C．throw

D．follow

3.

A．helped

B．found

C．became

D．hurt

4.

A．reward

B．comfort

C．challenge

D．pet

5.

A．robbery

B．mistake

C．murder

D．accident

6.

A．street

B．yard

C．office

D．bathroom

7.

A．bookcase

B．backpack

C．safe

D．cupboard

8.

A．missing

B．shining

C．stored

D．abandoned

9.

A．deal

B．request

C．decision

D．report

10.

A．delighted

B．surprised

C．annoyed

D．troubled

11.

A．small

B．unique

C．strange

D．wild

12.

A．Months

B．Years

C．Hours

D．Seconds

13.

A．questioned

B．charged

C．identified

D．recognized

14.

A．from

B．in

C．on

D．to

15.

A．pulling

B．chasing

C．approaching

D．attacking

16.

A．excited

B．scared

C．moved

D．encouraged

17.

A．expecting

B．noticing

C．pretending

D．promising

18.

A．checked

B．hid

C．cleaned

D．left

19.

A．clothes

B．belongings

C．secrets

D．books

20.

A．treat

B．target

C．toy

D．taste

10 . Here are several places which will surprise you.

Death Valley, California, USA

Very lively at night but completely dead during the day, this place is nothing but dry hot desert. It actually holds the record for the hottest air temperature. It has an average temperature of 46℃ but it has reached 56.7℃ in 1913 and is considered to be a current record. As the driest place in the USA, this place is actually inhabited even though less than a thousand people live there.

Kebili, Tunisia

Tunisia’s close location to the Mediterranean Sea suggests that it should be nice and cool but Kebili is a desert town which has the highest temperature recorded at 55℃. The people inhabiting the area have adjusted to tough conditions and learned to spend most of their time in the shade. Date palms are one of the key features of this place.

Wādī Halfā, Sudan

The city is located on the shores of Lake Nubia, and dust storms are a pretty common thing in the summer. With an average temperature of 41℃, it still managed to make it to 53℃ in 1967. You would think that it should be a little bit cooler for it is the most northern place in Sudan.

Dasht-e Lut Desert, Iran

It’s another uninhabited desert which is actually getting super hot. In the past 20 years, the temperatures of 70℃ have been recorded. The salt desert spreads over 200 miles and even wildlife is not that spread. The place is popular with tourists and naturalists who would like to experience extreme landscapes.

1. What can we say about Death Valley?

A．There is little rainfall in it.	B．Over 1, 000 people live there.
C．There is nothing but dry hot sand in it.	D．Its average temperature is 56.7℃.

2. Which place has the highest temperature ever recorded?

A．Death Valley.	B．Dasht-e Lut Desert.
C．Wādī Halfā.	D．Kebili.

3. What do the four places have in common?

A．They are places suitable to settle in.

B．They are located close to deserts.

C．They are the hottest places on earth.

D．They are more popular with tourists than other places.