1 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Being a rare fish, the vaquita is at the edge of extinction.

B．Generally, a vaquita’s life expectation is over two decades.

C．Genetic modification could be the only way to save vaquitas.

D．Vaquitas were first discovered by Spanish in 1958.

2.

A．It banned the fishermen from using fixed nets in the Gulf of California.

B．It banned the fishermen from fishing vaquitas.

C．Its police force worked with Sea Shepherd to feed vaquitas.

D．It inspected local fishermen to stop illegal fishing.

3.

A．He founded the Natural Resources Defense Council.

B．It was great to tell vaquitas good stories.

C．All work would be meaningless without continuous efforts.

D．The parties should record their actions with cameras.

2 . Laura walked towards the man. “It is terribly cold,” she said.

“Colder than ever,” the man said. “Now tell me what you want.” He stared at Laura for a few seconds and then grinned, “Maybe you’d like to come inside and warm up.”

“No. No, I don’t want to come in.” She took a deep breath. “I just wanted to know if you’re interested in selling your dog.”

“That worthless mutt?” The man pointed to a dog in the yard and laughed for a few seconds, then suddenly stopped. “I was just joking about the worthless part. He’s a pretty good dog. Yeah. I might be interested.”

“Well, he’s the kind of dog I’m looking for. And it doesn’t seem like you’re too fond of him. I mean he’s tied up outside. I don’t see any food or water.”

“You just wait a minute. I take good care of that dog. The guy I got him from said he was a trained guard dog. The trouble is, the stupid thing doesn’t even bark when strangers come around. But then I guess that wouldn’t matter to you. You’re probably just looking for a pet, huh?”

“Yeah. Well, here’s your chance to get rid of him. I’ll give you twenty dollars.”

“You expect me to sell a purebred guard dog for twenty dollars?” the man snorted (哼着鼻子说). “Fifty dollars. That’s my price. You bring me fifty dollars, honey, and you got yourself a dog.” He smiled. “Sure you don’t want to come in?”

Laura shook her head. “I’ll be back with the money.” Breakfast forgotten, she searched for and found a cash machine four blocks away. I can’t afford this, she thought as she punched the numbers into the machine. The dog will need a vet, and where am I going to get the money for that? Her fears wore off as she pictured the dog, curled up, not outside on the cold, hard ground, but in front of a glowing fireplace. Blue ceramic bowls filled with food and water sat in the corner of the kitchen, and she saw him, head held high, matching her stride on their daily walk.

With the money in her purse, she hurried back to the man’s house.

1. Laura started a conversation with the man because she ________.

A．needed shelter from the cold

B．wanted to see if she could buy his dog

C．hoped to find out where she could buy a pet

D．wasn’t pleased with how he treated his dog

2. What can we learn about the man from the passage?

A．He considered the dog pretty.

B．He was good at training guard dogs.

C．He had been trying to get rid of the dog.

D．He had bought the dog to protect his home.

3. How come Laura’s worry about money faded?

A．She realized that the dog would be living a much better life with her.

B．It occurred to her that she actually had enough money in her bank account.

C．She was confident that she would soon land a decent job and earn enough money.

D．She was excited about having a guard dog beside her when she wanted to take a walk.

4. Judging from the passage, we can know that Laura is ________.

A．a homeless girl	B．a social worker
C．a rather poor lady	D．an experienced pet owner

3 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. appears     B. changing     C. dependent       D. dim       E. discovery       F. exclusively G. reflect       H. review        I. sexually        J. underlying       K. vigorously

Undercover Wings

The nocturnal（夜间活动）dot-underwing moth（蛾）may use shape -shifting patterns on its wings as a way to attract mates in the dark. In a study published last September in Current Biology, scientists report the    1    on males' forewings of three patches（色斑）that change darkness and size when viewed from particular angles. In females, the entire forewing darkens.

Although butterfly and moth species that are active during the day are known to employ visual effects to communicate, researchers had thought their nocturnal cousins relied almost    2    on chemical signals because of the lack of light. But these    3    wing patterns, now found for the first time in a nocturnal moth, suggest the insects may also use visual signals. Because only the males have this pattern, researchers say it is likely a（n）    4    selected mechanism.

Jennifer Kelley, an ecologist based at the University of Western Australia, and her colleagues first noticed the visual phenomenon while looking at museum moth specimens（标本）for another project. "As soon as we figured the effect was angle-    5    , we knew that to understand how it works, we had to understand the    6    physics," Kelley says. The group contacted Gerd Schröder-Turk and Bodo Wilts, who are physicists at Murdoch University in Perth and the Adolphe Merkle Institute in Switzerland respectively.

Together the researchers found that when the wings are viewed from above, they    7    available light directly, like a dull mirror. When viewed from an angle, however, they let some of the light through to reveal a deeper layer of darkness, which    8    as patches on the male's wings. If the insects were to beat their wings    9    —a common behavior among males approaching potential mates—the patches would flash on and off, creating a striking signal even in very    10    light.

4 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Exploring Beyond

Following the call of our restless genes has not ended well for all explorers. The British explorer Captain James Cook died in a fight with Hawaiians ten years after he received the precious map from Tupaia. His death, some say, brought to a close     1    Western historians call the Age of Exploration. Yet it hardly    2    （end）our exploring. We have remained enthusiastic about filling in the Earth's maps; reaching its farthest poles, highest peaks, and deepest trenches（海豹）; sailing to its every corner and then flying off the planet entirely. With the NASA Rover Curiosity now    3    （stir）us all as it explores Mars, some countries and private companies are preparing to send humans to the red planet as well. Some visionaries even talk of having a spacecraft    4    （send）to the nearest star.

NASA's Michael Barratt—a doctor, diver, and jet pilot; a sailor for 40 years; an astronaut for 12—is among those    5    ache to go to Mars. Barratt consciously sees himself as an explorer Cook and Tupaia. "We're doing what     6    did," he says. "It works this way at every point in human history. A society develops an enabling technology,     7    it's the ability to preserve and carry food or build a ship or launch a rocket."

Not all of us    8    ride a rocket or sail the infinite sea. Yet,     9    a species, we're curious enough and interested enough by the prospect to help pay for the trip and cheer at the voyagers return. Yes, we hope to find a better place to live or acquire a larger territory or make a fortune. But we also explore simply    10    （discover）what's there.

5 . The lives of sea turtles begin on a beach when hatchlings crawl up out of their sandy nests and try to get to the sea as fast as they can. Those that aren’t eaten by killers on their way to the water swim out into the ocean until they find somewhere they can hide, eat and grow.

Ten to fifty years later, depending on the species, the sea turtles mate in shallow waters. Then the females return to the same beach where they were born to lay their eggs, and the cycle begins again.

SAVE ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES! Here’s how YOU can make a difference! 1. Only buy ethically harvested seafood. Seafood Watch. org's app will help you choose seafood providers who don't harm sea turtles. 2. Use reusable bags and water containers.Reduce your use of plastics and refuse to use plastic bags, disposable straws and water bottles. 3. Volunteer for beach clean-up activities. Help make our coastlines safer for sea turtles by removing harmful garbage like plastic bags and disposable straws. 4. Clear the beach of obstacles at night. Remove chairs and sandcastles and turn off any lights so sea turtles can more easily travel between their nests and the water.

Turtles that successfully avoid the numerous threats to their existence can live up to 100 years. But predators, fishing nets and garbage are major problems, and only one out of every 1,000 hatchlings will reach adulthood. There are seven sea turtle species, and six of them are either threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Many organizations around the world are working hard to ensure that sea turtles will not disappear from our oceans.

1. After leaving their nests, how long will it be before the sea turtles are old enough to reproduce?

A．Ten to fifty months, depending on environmental factors

B．Six months, if they can survive that long in the open ocean

C．One to five weeks, depending on how much they find to eat

D．One to five decades, depending on the kind of sea turtle

2. Which danger to sea turtles is mentioned in the article but not addressed in the poster?

A．Water pollution that harms sea turtles

B．Fishing industry practices that harm sea turtles

C．Other animals that eat sea turtles

D．Turtle overpopulation that makes food short

3. According to the poster, why is it important to keep the beach clear at night?

A．It gives the turtles a clear path from their nests to the ocean.

B．Tourists won’t trip on anything in the dark when they’re looking for turtles.

C．Waste on the beach ruins the view at night.

D．It makes it more difficult for killers to hunt the turtles.

6 . These animal dads have some seriously strange ideas about fatherhood.

Barbary macaque

Unlike human dads boasting of their kids' winning contests or college acceptances, barbary macaques, monkeys that are native to North Africa, show off babies as a way to impress each other and build social networks. These monkeys live in troops of about 30 members, and life centers around the babies born each spring.

During baby season, males carry the infants, even picking up little ones that aren’t their own offspring (后代). However, there are status symbols, used to build male social networks and connections within the group. The infants can serve as a social passport, to approach other males and hang out with them. After all, it’s much simpler to break the ice if you have a cute baby in hand.

Sand grouse

Lots of dads bring home the bacon. But for young sand grouses living in Namibia’s dry deserts, water is the essential resource. Sand grouse fathers are the frequent flyers that travel almost 125 miles each day to fill up for the family at a watering hole.

With no other way to transport water, male sand grouses settle in the pool, rocking back and forth to bathe their belly feathers. Filling up can take 15 minutes, leaving them exposed to killers like falcons (猎鹰). But it all pays off. The dads return home after a long day and are able to provide their babies with few precious tablespoons of liquid.

Pipefish

Pregnant pipefish males-yes, males-give birth to live young from eggs that females deposit in their brood pouches (育儿袋). This mothering act has earned them praise as devoted animal dads.

But it turns out that the pregnant pipefish also has a wandering eye. If he sees a bigger female he often aborts (流产) existing eggs. If he stops exporting nutrients to the developing embryos (胚胎) while reabsorbing nutrients from abortions, he assures enough resources to invest in the more rewarding offspring.

Blue poison dart frog

Females of this species lay only about half a dozen precious eggs. That is maybe why dads are so devoted to them. Frog eggs must stay watery or moist, and these devoted dads accomplish that by regularly urinating on them over the course of 10 days, until they hatch (孵化) as tadpoles.

1. Barbary macaques carry their kids around in order to _____.

A．show how proud they are about being a father.

B．show their family strength within monkey groups.

C．center around their kids as a tradition.

D．build up better relations with other monkeys.

2. The resource of water or liquid is precious to _____.

A．barbary macaque and sand grouse.

B．sand grouse and pipefish.

C．pipefish and blue poison dart frog.

D．sand grouse and blue poison dart frog.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Sand grouse carries the water by drinking it first and then spitting it out.

B．Pipefish gives up some eggs in order to make himself stronger.

C．Male blue poison dart frog protects the eggs by keeping them wet.

D．Sand grouse has to compete for water with the falcon.