1 . Hurricanes are large storms that produce winds of 119 kilometers per hour or higher. That’s faster than a cheetah, the fastest animal on land. Hurricanes are not only some of the planet’s most violent storms, but also the costliest natural disasters in the United States, researchers reported in 2019 in the journal PNAS. Ranking (排名) the most damaging hurricanes, however, depends on the measures used: usually, economic cost or lives lost.

Katrina was the most expensive hurricane of all time, causing a huge economic loss when it sabotaged New Orleans and other Gulf Coast areas. The cost was over $186 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Katrina’s losses swallowed 1% of the US GDP, or the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country in one year, according to the PNAS study.

John Nielsen-Gammon, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A & M University, told Live Science that the next costliest hurricane was 2017’s hurricane Harvey, which caused $149 billion of damage, mostly due to rainfall that produced widespread flooding across southeast Texas, including Houston.

“Those two storms top the list for economic damage both worldwide and in the US, which is no accidence,” Nielsen-Gammon added. “The most damaging hurricanes are most likely to occur where you have lots of expensive buildings,” he said. “That’s why two United States hurricanes top the list.”

In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused $107 billion in damage in Puerto Rico, placing it third on NOAA’s list of the costliest US storms. Hurricane Sandy, which flooded New York City’s subway tunnels and other areas in 2012, came next on the list ($82 billion), followed by 2021’s Hurricane Ida, which flooded Louisiana. Developing countries also suffered a lot from hurricanes.

1. Why is a cheetah mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To show the fast speed of hurricanes.

B．To compare the speed between hurricanes and a cheetah.

C．To state the bad effect on wild animals from hurricanes.

D．To explain how the fastest animal survives the hurricanes.

2. What does the underlined word “sabotaged” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Followed.

B．Ignored.

C．Destroyed.

D．Defended.

3. What does the second paragraph intend to tell us?

A．The reason why Katrina in the US topped the list.

B．The reason why hurricanes took place in the US.

C．The effect of two hurricanes on American economy.

D．The damage to buildings caused by hurricanes in the US.

4. What will most probably be introduced in the following text?

A．Types of different hurricanes in Britain.

B．Countries suffering from hurricanes in 2022.

C．Ways to prevent hurricanes in developing countries.

D．The loss hurricanes brought to developing countries.

2 . Ekaterina Sky is a wildlife conservation (保护)artist. She began her art journey at the School of Fine Arts in Yaroslavl, Russia. There, she completed a fine arts program, which gave her the background she needed to become a conservation artist. She also received a scholarship to the Art School of Museum of Tel-Aviv. There, she expanded upon her knowledge and skills, learning to create her own unique style. She combined her love for animals and art to create the works we see today.

Ekaterina painted pictures at wildlife reserves and rescue centers, in high schools and in visitors’centers. She painted a piece for the Burning Man festival, choosing to paint primates(灵长类动物的)eyes since they are closely related to humans. This piece gave her the confidence to start a world tour, as she had never painted a picture that size before.

Ekaterina went on a tour to different countries worldwide, painting pictures of various endangered species. She hoped that her paintings would encourage viewers to look deeply into their own lifestyles and question how they might harm animals. She said, “We all can make a difference if we look at ourselves as a small piece of a greater whole.”

With each picture, she made the audience look directly into the animals’ eyes. She painted pictures to encourage people to show more compassion and care to animals and raise awareness of the importance of efforts in wildlife conservation. “As I believe, we connect through our eyes, which are windows into our soul, and I believe that when we get to meet someone’s soul, we don’t have a heart to hurt them,” she said.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about Ekaterina Sky?

A．Her art works.	B．Her unique drawing skills.
C．Her love for animals.	D．Her road to a conservation artist.

2. Why does Ekaterina Sky paint primates’ eyes for the Burning Man festival?

A．The painting gave her confidence.	B．Primates are closely related to humans.
C．She’d like to make more money.	D．She wanted to expand on her skills.

3. What does the underlined word “compassion” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Pity.

B．Blame.

C．Motivation.

D．Gratefulness.

4. What are Ekaterina Sky’s art works intended for?

A．Reducing garbage thrown by tourists.	B．Introducing various animals worldwide.
C．Drawing attention to endangered animals.	D．Advertising the school she graduated from.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The world’s oceans reached their hottest level in recorded history last year, supercharging (加剧) extreme weather events, scientists have reported. They found that the five hottest recorded years in the oceans     1    (occur) since 2015, and that the rate of heating since 1986 was eight times higher than     2     from 1960-85. Oceans cover 71% of the planet and water can absorb thousands of times more heat than air,     3     is why 93% of global heating is taken up by seas.

Hotter oceans destroy rainfall patterns, which     4    (lead) to floods, droughts and wildfires. Heat also causes seawater     5     (expand) and drives up sea levels. Scientists expect about one metre of sea level rise by the end of the century,     6    (threaten) 150 million people. Higher temperatures in the seas are also harming marine (海洋的) life, with     7     number of ocean heatwaves increasing     8    (sharp).

The study also finds that the sinking of surface waters and upwelling of deeper water is reducing as the seas heat up. This means the surface layers heats up even further and fewer nutrients for marine life are brought up from the     9    (deep).

“The oceans reached yet another new record level of warmth in 2020,    10     a record drop in global carbon emissions (排放). The planet will continue to warm up as long as we emit carbon into the atmosphere,” said Prof Michael Mann of Penn State University.

4 . 阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The best adventure holiday you’ll ever have!

Adventure Summer Camp is the     1    (big) adventure camp in Mount Wuyi and has well-trained and     2     (experience) workers. The mountain,     3     covers an area of 999 square kilometres, is home to birds, the world of insects and the kingdom of snakes. In Mount Wuyi you’ll go through an     4     (extreme) exciting and unbelievable adventure in a huge mountain away     5     the noise and crowds of the city, which will definitely be an unforgettable experience for you.

At the camp, you can enjoy the excitement and happiness of going     6     (hike), climbing mountains and so on. Furthermore, we’ll teach you     7     (survive) skills in the wild. There is no doubt that the summer camp is the best place     8     (have) your adventure and it is also     9     only camp in Fujian to offer guidance by experts.

    10     (contact) us and you’ll have much fun.